This episode has a very amusing tone. It gives off an air of a series finale, with μ’s treating the upcoming round of Love Live as if this is their final rodeo with the competition. And yet, there is still four more episodes to go after this one and in-universe, μ’s is only competing in the presumed second-to-last round of Love Live. Really, the story is far from over. I don’t mind the false sense of finality, however. Thing is, if the girls do get to the finals, the show pretty much has to let them win. Making the second-last-round feel more anxious just makes sense. I imagine someone in the staff caught on this as the later series usually makes this round a big uncertainty in the plot, where it’s 50/50 on whether or not the girls will advance past this round.
Episode 9 begins with some scenes where the girls prepare to meet up ahead of Love Live amidst a snowy day. Not much to say there though Eli’s scene stands out a bit as she shows subtle signs of anxiety over Love Live, an unusual sight for someone who is usually very composed. Both the first and third year members of μ’s make it to the venue on time, leaving the second years as the only holdouts. Unfortunately, the second years are preoccupied running an event where Otonokizaka welcomes the school’s prospective students into its campus. The three do have permission from the director to leave the school for Love Live but they turn it down, feeling it’d be inappropriate if the student council doesn’t address the prospective students.
Things get worse when the snow begins to ramp up, causing delays for both trains and cars. With no other alternatives, the girls are forced to run all the way to the venue. This situation is two-fold for me. The question of whether or not Honoka, Umi, and Kotori can get to the venue on the time is a great dramatic stake to have at the last minute. That being said, this show previously had Honoka run all the way from her school to the airport and then back to her school and reunite with her friends in time to perform a concert. I can’t help but wonder why Honoka and her friends can’t just fast travel again.
Funnily enough, the second years struggle against some high amounts of snow and some strong winds but after running past the entrance of their school, it’s smooth sailing. As it turns out, some of the other students in the school have shoveled the snow and made a clear path for the second years to reach the venue in time. While this cut the struggle short, it’s nice to have the extras contribute to the plot beyond simply telling our school idols that they’re cheering them on. That’s a minor issue that I’ve noticed throughout the whole franchise.
I immediately recognize the insert song at the end. This one is called “Snow Halation”. It’s one of the songs I remember the most from playing School Idol Festival (R.I.P.). I even checked out the original music video for it, which this episode replicates for the concert scene. Truth be told, it’s kind of hard to not know about “Snow Halation”. It didn’t chart that high on Oricon when it first came out but it ultimately grew in popularity, and it became a mainstay for voice cast’s real life concerts. It’s also spawned some amazing meme mashups. Just go on YouTube and you’ll see it combined with “Replay” by Iyaz, “Nuclear” by Mike Oldfield, and “Bakamitai” from Like a Dragon. This song easily is one of Love Live‘s most famous works. I don’t know if “Snow Halation” was already that popular at the time or if someone had the foresight that this song would get there but either way, it would not surprise me if this show was mandated to include this song.
Honestly, putting aside its fame and all the memes it’s spawned, “Snow Halation” really is a darn good song. It has some of the best singing by the main cast and they mix really well with the Christmas jingle-esque instrumentals. The overall MV is also solid. CGI in School Idol Project still isn’t that great but the MV can still be pretty dazzling thanks to the “camerawork”, the use of color, and the dance choreography compensate. Having seen the original MV, I do kind of miss its narrative but to be fair, it wouldn’t work in the context of the anime. I’m fine with the concert part being changed to the girls simply trying to put on a memorable show. They certainly succeed in that regard.
Watch Love Live! School Idol Project on Crunchyroll
Xenodude Scribbles 