Season 2 treats us to a second rendition of the obligatory training camp before getting to the next round of Love Live, the Tokyo Tournament. The camp takes place in Kinako’s hometown in Hokkaido again though this time, we have all nine main characters and the camp is set during the winter break. I’m not sure how Kinako knows that Kanon has been there before but it is funny how she accidentally rats her out to the other second years. Natsumi whistling in the right end of the frame is also great.
For the Tokyo Tournament, Liella! decides to make their new song a joint effort between the first and second years. Most of the collaborations are based on what skill the girls have in common with one another. Kanon and Kinako team up to the tackle the lyrics, Ren and Mei work together for the instrumentals, and Chisato has Shiki provide input on the dance choreography. The only outlier is Keke, Sumire, and Natsumi. None of these three have a particular skill in common so they instead set up some background art for a livestream with all the other contestants. I’m surprised none of the first years are established to have a knack with costume design like Keke does. I suppose if there was one, Sumire would be left out but the show could’ve made a joke out of that.
None of these collaborations advance any arc in particular but it is great excuse to have show some fun chemistry between the main characters. Kanon and Kinako does the former’s usual stretches to get those songwriting gears turning and poor Kinako has no idea how this helps. To be fair, I don’t get it either. Ren and Mei get distracted with video games while trying to compose some music. Dang it Mei, you’re supposed to help Ren overcome her gaming addiction, not enable it. I like how confused Natsumi is that Keke and Sumire are back to bickering with each other. Clearly, she hasn’t been around long enough to know that this is just how this ship operates. Aside from
Aside from working on the song, we also see Liella! unwind and train some more. I think the funniest gag in this scene is Keke helping Natsumi keep up while everyone is jogging. Funny how Natsumi has replaced Kinako for the least athletic member of Liella!. By far, the most disappointing bit is the snowball fight, if only because the show cuts away from it. Come on, at least tell me if Shiki has a fancy machine for this. Talk about a missed opportunity.
Considering that Wien has stomped the competition so far and she keeps taunting Kanon for whatever reason, I was already anticipating the next “battle” between Liella and their new rival. That said, I’m down for some more fuel to the fire. During the livestream, Wien calls Love Live “low level” and she promises to show the audience what “real” music is like. They’re fighting words but Wien can afford to be that daring considering how far she’s gotten by herself. Wien’s claims do shed some light on her character. There’s no denying that she’s good but as Kanon points out, winning seems to be the only thing Wien has on her mind. It begs the question if Wien’s music is really more real than any other school idol’s, let alone Liella’s.
At the end of the episode, we see both Wien’s and Liella’s performance/MV for the Tokyo Tournament. It’s a lot of fun going from Wien’s dramatic and orchestral showstopper to Liella’s happy go lucky pop number. I know these are their respective MO but the contrast between them does lines up with the earlier discourse in the episode. Wien is all about winning so likewise, her song commands for your attention. Liella! also wants to win but they also want to have a fun time together and with their fans, hence the more lighthearted approach compared to Wien’s. I might be more partial towards Wien’s performance though that’s not necessarily in terms of quality and it’s probably because Wien’s musical style is more unique for Love Live!.
What an obnoxious cliffhanger. I mean, it has me hooked for Episode 11 but dang it, this show just had to cut to the ED before we learn who wins this round. I want to say Liella! has this in the bag but Wien has given them quite a bit of trouble this season so who knows. Watch neither them land in the Top 2. That would be insane.
Watch Love Live! Superstar!! on Crunchyroll and Funimation.
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