I have to admit that Love Live! School Idol Project wasn't actually on my radar of must-watch anime series. I had included it in my winter anime picks only because I developed a strong appreciation for idol-themed storytelling after watching AKB0048 (which incidentally also premiered its second season within the same season).
I'm glad I decided that there was room in my anime viewing list for more than one series that featured girls who aspire to become idols. While Love Live! School Idol Project didn't enjoy the benefit of high-tech battles featured in AKB0048, the series was up to the challenge of featuring a story that revolved around realizing dreams and the high stakes related to fulfilling them.
Otonokizaka Academy is an all-girls high school that's in danger of closing down due to the dwindling number of enrollees. After finding out that her own sister isn't planning on attending the same school, Kosaka Honoka scopes out neighboring school UTX and finds out that that its popularity is due to the school's idol group A-Rise. After watching the televised performance of the school idol group, Honoka decides that they can increase their school's profile by forming their own group, convincing her friends Sonoda Umi and Minami Kotori to join her. They encounter problems in forming the club when student council president Ayase Eri opposes them, even citing that another idol-themed club has already been formed by Yazawa Niko, who expresses her disdain for the newly formed group μ's (pronounced as "muse") because of their apparent lack of knowledge about idols. Despite the opposition, the group has a silent supporter in student council vice president Tojo Nozomi and eventually grow their roster with their additional freshmen members, shy Koizumi Hanayo, hyperactive Hozhizora Rin and the serious musician Nishikino Maki.
There's a prevalent theme of comedy throughout the series, mostly courtesy of the scatter-brained yet well-meaning leader Honoka and Niko, who pretends to be cooler than she is capable of. Everyone, including the most serious or straight-forward characters, find themselves involved in a variety of mishaps and misadventures that lend to the series's charm.
While it does well on the comedic front, I do think that Love Live! School Idol Project is most successful when it deals with more serious themes relating to their individual and collective struggles. Those struggles allow for the audience to understand the hard work required for anyone who want to gain success as an idol in Japan. You gain a sense of satisfaction for every milestone the group achieves, whether it's rising in the school idol group rankings, completing their eventual roster of nine members or mounting a successful show. By tempering their achievements with challenges and occasional failures, it's hard not to root for them to overcome the various hurdles they faced in their quest to save their school and make their mark as a school idol group.
Unlike its companions during the season, Love Live! School Idol Project didn't suffer from the usual perils of a short thirteen-episode run. Every character was given proper introduction and a chance to shine, making sure that the audience feel the importance of each one to the group μ's. The story-telling was well-paced and balanced, culminating in an emotional send-off for the series that maintained a sense of hope that mirrored the girls' outlook regarding the future of their group and their school.
While I think that the series could benefit from the success of AKB0048 in using music to highlight the emotions of the scenes or episodes, Love Live! School Idol Project does well as a great idol-themed story... even if there are no high-tech weaponry and fighting idols in the picture.
Happy viewing!!Labels: Adaptation, Anime, Comedy, Love Live!, Music, Must-Watch, Slice of Life, TV
