Random thought to kick this post off but I’m only now finding out that there’s some debate over Wien’s given name. I personally refer to her as “Wien” since it’s written in katakana before “Margarette”. Crunchyroll also refers to her as “Wien” in its episode synopses. I guess the full name could be written in Eastern order but that would be odd since Wien is from Austria and this would contradict other cases in the franchise such as Emma’s and Mia’s. That said, Wien is often referred to as “Margarette” so I don’t know. Maybe that’s her first name and someone screwed up with how to write her name. It’s possible that even the people making Love Live! can’t decide on which one is her given name. This is admittedly small potatoes in the grand scheme of things so I guess call this character whatever you want.
Naturally, since Kanon is a founding member of the “rival” group, Wien is against the idea of her senpai joining her new idol club. Funnily enough, she retroactively adds to the fine print that anyone from Liella! isn’t welcome into her club. Unfortunately for her, the new girl points that writing a new term after the fact is likely going to be null and void so Wien begrudgingly accepts Kanon as a club member. Part of me would’ve love to see a longer segment where Kanon tries to convince Wien but the new girl coming up to them like she’s Kanon’s lawyer is pretty darn funny.
Meanwhile, Liella! discusses Kanon’s departure at the clubroom. Keke (Liyuu) definitely has the funniest reaction. She’s legitimately irked to see Kanon leave but that also doesn’t stop her from picking a bone with Sumire and Ren along the way. Funny how she’s annoyed with Ren for all the trouble she gave Liella! back in Season 1. It’s been two years in-universe and she still holds a grudge. Also funny is Shiki suggesting that Wien might’ve brainwashed Kanon with sorcery when she’s a science person. Naturally, Chisato is the most level-headed here. She is Kanon’s best friend and the two did talk things over last episode. Of course she would have the most faith in Kanon’s decision.
So once again, for the third season in a row no less, the Yoyogi Festival is the big hurdle for Kanon and co. to overcome. Seeing as she kicked Liella’s butts last time, Wien is very keen on the idea. There is just one caveat however: only one group from each participating school is guaranteed a slot and that slot is obviously going to go to Liella!. For Kanon and Wien to perform at the festival, they need to participate in an online audition for a guest. They’re guaranteed the spot if their remote concert is the only one to reach 10k likes or has the most likes in the event that other groups reach the threshold.
While Kanon and Wien discusses the festival, the new girl hands over her application form to Wien. More importantly, she reveals herself to be Tomari Onitsuka (Sakura Sakakura), the younger sister of Natsumi (Aya Emori). I knew who Tomari was ahead of time and I was curious about her inclusion into the show. There hasn’t been a sister duo in the main cast since Dia and Ruby in Sunshine!! and this is the first time where one of the sisters joins one season after the other. The fact that Tomari joins Wien’s group as opposed to the one with her sister should also be an interesting plot thread.
To the episode’s credit then, it does provide a justification as to why Tomari isn’t joining her sister for the time being. Apparently, Tomari loves money just as much as Natsumi does. But unlike Natsumi, who’s overzealous to make money, Tomari is more business-oriented. She does not see the point in doing anything if it doesn’t yield her any profits. Considering that school idols typically have a net profit of 0 yen, Tomari is confused as to why Natsumi decides to be one. In order to understand her sister’s rationale, Tomari decides to be a school idol and she chooses Wien’s club over Liella! so that she can study school idols with her own eyes.
Already, I quite like this setup. Tomari’s obsession with money does feel like a retread but her taciturn and analytical personality manages to make her feel distinct from Natsumi. By having Tomari and Natsumi in different groups, you create a strong rift between the two. It could be very interesting to see how they and the others resolve it. Finally, it’s just hilarious to have a character explicitly acknowledge that school idols make almost no money. Tomari occasionally trying to find ways to make the club profitable is icing on the cake.
I would’ve really like to see more bantering between Wien and Tomari. Their personalities seem like perfect contrasts to each other. Like, Wien prides herself on her abilities as a singer and she’s worked to get to where she is now. Meanwhile, Tomari not only treats school idols as some sort of business, she’s also able to perform flawlessly, to the point that she doesn’t necessarily need to do any practice. These two ought to pick a bone with each other. You do see these two disagree each other during this episode but only for a little bit. It’s a bit weird after seeing Superstar!! happily make Keke and Sumire bicker with each other. Hopefully, we’ll see some more friction between the two. Even better is if Kanon has to play the middle man for them.
After school, Kanon manages to convince Wien to share what inspired her to sing. At first, Wien says it’s due to her family background but she then confides to Kanon that the real impetus was hearing a choir when she was all alone in her home. I’m kind of surprised to learn that Wien has a genuine catalyst. I honestly thought she was just pushed by her family to pursue music. Still, it’s a nice bit of a backstory and it’s satisfying to finally see Wien open up to someone.
Kanon then learns that Wien is now staying at her place for the school year, even serving as a waitress at her family’s cafe to repay the favor. Funny how Wien doesn’t tell Kanon of any of these changes until the very last minute. Also amusing is Kanon’s father conveniently leaving town, allowing Wien to rent the room. This show actually wrote out its one male character in the entire cast. All joking aside, I think this could be a great excuse for Kanon and Wien to bond some more. You certainly see a little bit of that with the two collaborating on their song.
Some time later, Wien’s club perform their remote concert. Apparently, the three are calling themselves “TomaKanoTe”. In case it’s hard to tell, they basically took a page from Keke and used a syllable from each of their names. It’s a pretty great reuse of an old gag. Also, “-te” is technically from “Maragarete” so once again, who knows what Wien’s given name is.
While TomaKanoTe does get a couple thousand viewers, they’re struggling to hit the 10k threshold needed to secure the guest spot for the festival. Everyone surmises that this is due to Wien’s nasty comments over her defeat at the previous Love Live’s semifinals. This feels reminiscent of the old Love Live! trope, where something goes awry with the first concert. The context is different though and that helps in making me accept this trope being used for what I believe to be the third or fourth time in this franchise. Although Wien did bring this upon herself, I still feel a bit bad for her. At the end of the day, she just wants to prove herself as a singer and she seems to struggle with her self-worth. In that sense, it’s disheartening to see a lot of people reject her.
Though unlikely to win, Kanon convinces Wien and Tomari to go through with the concert, arguing that they won’t get anywhere if they stop now. How funny it would be if Wien did an apology video right here and there, with Tomari somehow adding in a dozen ad breaks to maximize profits. Joking aside, I am curious about Wien not explicitly apologizing for her comments. I can picture someone calling her out on that later down the line. Then again, I suppose that would undermine Kanon’s suggesting that they “‘move everyone’s hearts with [their] song'”; in other words, let the music do the talking and change people’s perception of Wien.
I really dig the insert song. The aquatic aesthetic and the calming background track are a delightful contrast from the gothic and orchestral vibes of Wien’s solo songs. Not to mention, they’re very on point in portraying Wien turning over a new leaf. I am going to miss the booming vocals Yuina did for Wien’s solo songs but it is satisfying to finally hear her character sing alongside the other main characters. Her and Sakura Sakaura’s vocals harmonize very well with Sayuri Date’s.
The ending got a chuckle out of me with how Wien remarks that she hasn’t felt so happy to sing in a long while and parallel to this, Tomari admits that she still doesn’t get what makes being a school idol so gratifying. This episode is more focused on Wien so I wasn’t expecting Tomari to grow as much as her. But dang, Tomari might want to work on her filter. At least Kanon is a good sport about it. Curiously, we’re not privy to how the concert has done in terms of numbers. I’m guessing that’ll be revealed next episode. I get that Kanon will accept any results but I really hope she and the others get the guest spot. Not having TomaKanoTe compete against Liella! at the Yoyogi Festival would be a huge shame. Plus, I really want to see Kanon win that darn festival for a change. Poor girl has been snubbed for two years now. Let her win, goddamn it.
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