And so begins the second season. You might not be able to tell because I’ve been tackling Love Live! out of order but this is actually the last full season I need to cover for now (until Superstar!! Season 3 premieres this Fall). Finally, I can see a light at the end of this tunnel! Here’s hoping this show will “end” my coverage on a good note.
Season 2 begins with a school assembly, presumably to kick off a new term. One major shakeup is that Honoka (Emi Nitta) has succeeded Eli (Yoshino Nanjo) as the student council president, with Umi (Suzuko Mimori) and Kotori (Aya Uchida) as her second-in-commands. It makes sense that Eli would step down and let someone new take the wheel. She’s done her part for the school and she won’t be around when the prospective students arrive. That said, I can’t help but find it hilarious that her successor is Honoka of all people. Honoka has proven herself to be a charismatic and capable leader for the idol club but that’s a different beast compared to the student council. Can you picture Honoka giving a speech or doing paperwork? I can’t and clearly this show can’t either as Honoka flubs both on her first day on the job. I’m giving this school one week before it catches fire.
At this point, it’s safe to assume that Otonokizaka isn’t going anywhere and the characters don’t have to concern themselves over that anymore. I’m honestly surprised to see the school saved already. Coming off of Sunshine!! and given how much that show talked about μ’s as this legendary school idol group, I honestly thought it would take the OG girls two full seasons to save their school. It certainly sounded more epic than accomplishing it before Season 1 even ends and without Love Live no less. Then again, I suppose this show spent a good amount of time on it, certainly when you compare it to its successors. Superstar!! skims over that plot and while Sunshine!! does it better in some aspects, its take does overstay its welcome.
With Otonokizaka saved, there really is just one thing left for μ’s to do and that’s Love Live itself. To recap, they withdrew from the tournament ahead of time. It’s a good thing then that they get a second chance as Love Live is apparently going to happen again in March, towards the end of the school year. The format is different this time around. Rather than stay in the Top 20 to qualify, Love Live will allow any group to perform in a set of regional preliminaries and compete their way to a final round. This actually becomes the norm going forward in the franchise. I was thinking to myself while watching Season 1 that the Top 20 format was different from what I used to and now I realize that the franchise had yet to figure it out until Season 2. Maybe it’s because I’m more used to preliminaries but I did think the Top 20 format was flawed. It seemed too cutthroat to me and it’d theoretically be annoying for any group to lose their spot at the last minute. Getting rid of that in favor of a new format is completely warranted.
It’s strange how μ’s thinks they now have a chance at Love Live thanks to the new format. Last season, they managed to get to the Top 20. The prospect of participating in Love Live has always been viable for them. I imagine it wouldn’t be that difficult for them climb the ladder again, even given the massive setback that happened at the end of last season. Still, it’s nice that they don’t have to deal with that rigmarole again. One new problem that the girls will have contend with is the fact that they’ll inevitably have to compete against A-Rise. This better lead to a more formal appearance by the rival group. They’ve barely been a thing so far. The Season 1 finale even teased that A-Rise is paying attention to μ’s. It’d be lame if Season 2 doesn’t follow up on that.
About the only person who isn’t interested in Love Live is Honoka. That comes as a surprise to all of her friends but I think that’s a believable notion given the final stretch of Season 1. Honoka took Love Live way too seriously and she pushed herself to an unreasonable degree. That then created some drama between her, Kotori, and Umi. It took the entire last episode of Season 1 for Honoka to realize again that she’s a school idol primarily because she enjoys the hobby. Given all that, I can see Honoka wanting to take things easy now. The fact that she’s now the student council president is another factor to consider. Honoka is going to be a lot busier now so she again runs the danger of burning out and causing trouble for all her friends.
At first, I figured the incentive that would change Honoka’s mind would revolve around Otonokizaka. Like, it’d be bad for the school’s reputation if μ’s didn’t participate in Love Live and that could cause some prospective students to withdraw their applications. In that sense, μ’s would have to compete in the tournament. That’d be a decent way to revive the save the school plot and tie it to Love Live. The incentive the episode ultimately goes for isn’t half-bad, though. Since the next Love Live will occur around March, it is the last opportunity for μ’s to participate in it as a whole group before Eli, Nozomi (Aina Kusuda), and Nico (Sora Tokui). It may not be required for the girls to do but there’s no better way to end their school idol careers than that. Honoka realizes that much and she knows she owes her friends this opportunity so she eventually agrees to partake in the tournament. Of course, being the bold girl that she is, Honoka declares that simply participating in Love Live isn’t good enough. The true goal for μ’s is to win it.
Watch Love Live! School Idol Project on Crunchyroll
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