Love Live! Superstar!!

Love Live! Superstar!! (ラブライブ！スーパースター!!, Rabu Raibu! Sūpāsutā!!) is a Japanese multimedia project co-developed by Kadokawa Corporation, music label Lantis, and animation studio Bandai Namco Filmworks (formerly known as Sunrise). The project is the third major and fourth overall installment in the Love Live! franchise after Love Live! School Idol Project, and Love Live! Sunshine!!. Superstar initially revolves around five schoolgirls forming an idol group named Liella! as an extracurricular club activity. With each passing school year, the group makes a name for themselves and go on to recruit several underclassmen members. An anime television series aired on NHK Educational TV from July to October 2021. A second season aired from July to October 2022. A third season premiered in October 2024. All seasons are licensed by Crunchyroll for home video and streaming in the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe (including Quebec).

Love Live! Superstar!!
Promotional image featuring the original five main characters, from left to right: Sumire Heanna, Ren Hazuki, Kanon Shibuya, Keke Tang, and Chisato Arashi.
ラブライブ！スーパースター!! (Rabu Raibu! Sūpāsutā!!)
Genre	Musical
Anime television series
Directed by	Takahiko Kyogoku
Written by	Jukki Hanada
Music by	Yoshiaki Fujisawa
Studio	Bandai Namco Filmworks
Licensed by	NA: Crunchyroll SEA: Odex UK/IE: Anime Limited
Original network	NHK Educational TV
Original run	July 11, 2021 – present
Episodes	27
Manga
Love Live! Superstar!! Chii-chan Buchō wa Yūnō Desu!
Written by	Yūta Taneda
Published by	Kadokawa Shoten
Magazine	ComicWalker
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	March 30, 2023 – present
Volumes	1

Plot

The story is set in the Yuigaoka Private Girls High School (私立結ヶ丘女子高等学校, Shiritsu Yuigaoka Joshi Kōtō Gakkō) that lies between the Omotesando, Harajuku, and Aoyama neighborhoods of Tokyo. The school was originally going to be demolished, only to have instead recently reopened to accept students. Within a school that has not made a name for itself, along with no history or accomplishments to speak of, Kanon Shibuya and four other first-year students discover the existence of "school idols", and for one reason or another eventually join the school idol club (with the group later being named "Liella!") in order to leave their mark on the newly reopened academy. As time progresses, Liella! gains popularity with the general public and prospective students, which leads to new members joining with each consecutive school year. The number of club members gradually rises from the founding 5 in its first year, 9 in its second year, and 11 in its third year.

Characters

Where appropriate, plot descriptions mentioned below refer to the anime television series. Other parts of the franchise, such as the manga and novel series, feature some variations in the storyline. The original five members are first-year students in the first season, second-year students in the second season and advance to third-year students in the third season.

Liella!

Top: official logo in Japanese
Bottom: official logo in English

Group logo

Kanon Shibuya (澁谷 かのん, Shibuya Kanon)

Voiced by: Sayuri Date (Japanese); Kristi Rothrock (English)

Kanon is a third-year student who claims to be "someone with no standout characteristics." She has an appreciation for both singing and playing the guitar. However, she's struggled with stage fright for a majority of her life, which has caused her to pass out on several occasions in front of an audience before performing. Because of this, she failed the entrance exam for Yuigaoka Girls' music program, and ended up settling for the school's general academic program instead. However, after a chance encounter and subsequent invitation to become a school idol by Keke, she overcomes her past trauma and rediscovers her love for singing again. Kanon is also known for her selfless attitude, constantly putting others before herself. She aims to support and befriend everyone, even those who are initially unfriendly towards her. Her family consists of her busy father who works as a translator, her mom who runs a cafe, and a younger sister. She and her younger sister often help their mother with various chores around the cafe, with one of her specialties being creating latte art. She keeps a chubby Eurasian scops owl as a pet named "Manmaru," who is also the cafe's popular mascot. She wears glasses and ties her hair up when at home. Kanon serves as the leader of Liella!, as well as lyricist and composer. She is half-Spanish on her grandmothers side. In the second season, she becomes the student council vice president in an effort to lesser the burden of Ren's duties as student council president.

Keke Tang (唐 可可, Tan Kūkū)

Voiced by: Liyuu (Japanese); Julia Gu (English)

Keke is a third-year student who hails from Shanghai, China, having just recently moved to Japan—her mother's homeland—to become a school idol, and is initially responsible for recruiting new members for the club. Despite wanting to become a school idol, Keke lacks in physical stamina and has a hard time keeping up with her fellow members. However, she makes up for it by producing stage costumes for the group and has a hobby of restoring used outfits. As such, she serves as the club's official wardrobe supervisor. She holds the JLPT N1 certificate. She has a habit of speaking in Mandarin when she gets excited. She is a very cheerful, optimistic and energetic, and with her infectious enthusiasm, she encourages Kanon to overcome her self doubting personality quirks. She has a bitter rivalry with Sumire, as the two constantly bicker and get into spats due to Keke's teasing.

Chisato Arashi (嵐 千砂都, Arashi Chisato)

Voiced by: Nako Misaki (Japanese); Maddie Matsumoto (English)

Chisato is a third-year student and Kanon's childhood friend who is trained in breakdancing. She is a personable and energetic extrovert, and can easily befriend anyone she meets. Chisato is fascinated by round shaped objects and things; especially Kanon's pet Manmaru, who seems to be wary around Chisato when she comes to visit. She is also known to keep up to date on gossip and rumors that are spread around the school. Despite having a casual interest in school idols, Chisato initially does not want to become one as she thinks she is better off focusing on her dancing courses while supporting Kanon from the sidelines instead. She initially belonged to Yuigaoka's music program but made the decision to transfer to the general program after deciding to join Liella!. She has a part time job at a takoyaki shop, which is also her favorite food. She is distinguishable with her pigtails hairstyle and hair buns. Her catchphrase is, "Wissu Wissu Wissu!" She became the School Idol Club's president in the second season.

Sumire Heanna (平安名 すみれ, Heanna Sumire)

Voiced by: Naomi Payton (Japanese); Lizzie Freeman (English)

Sumire is a third-year student and a poshy shrine maiden who lives at a well-known and respected community shrine located near the school. Her personality tends to come off as somewhat arrogant, bossy and rude to strangers, and despite being an assertive extrovert, she initially appears slightly antisocial to her classmates. Sumire spends a lot of her free time on social media, being very fashionable and in tune with the latest trends. She was a former child actress who struggled to receive headlining roles in any project she worked on. Because of her limited experience in the world of show business, she expected to take the position of center within Liella!, eventually being voted in last place with Kanon taking the lead. She has a little sister. Due to her knowledge of the entertainment industry, she has several hidden talents, one of which being freestyle hip hop. Her catchphrase is "Galaxy!"

Ren Hazuki (葉月 恋, Hazuki Ren)

Voiced by: Nagisa Aoyama (Japanese); Natalie Van Sistine (English)

Ren is a third-year student who is the daughter of the school founder, Hana Hazuki, as well as the student council president. She belongs to the music program. She is polite, disciplined, and is known around the school for her strict personality. She lives nearby the school and takes pride in the rich history of Yuigaoka. Initially, she comes across unfriendly and strict towards the school idol club, doing everything in her power to shut down opportunities that come by. However, it is revealed that Ren's mother had died due to illness, and Ren's harsh attitude to school idols came from a misconception that Hana had regretted becoming a school idol, but the truth is eventually divulged that being a school idol was one of Hana's most treasured memories from her high school years. Following in her mother's footsteps, Ren decides to join the unit as the group's fifth member. Once she joins, it's revealed she is actually very kind, and despite still being diligent and serious, she can be very emotional, easily moved to tears in front of an audience. She has a rather goofy side as well, exemplified by her hidden passion for video games, contrary to her traditional nature, and having a naïve demeanor about things she's not familiar with.

Kinako Sakurakoji (桜小路 きな子, Sakurakōji Kinako)

Voiced by: Nozomi Suzuhara

Kinako is a respectful and generous second-year student from Hokkaido who lives on her own and isn't used to the big city. She was recruited by Kanon to become a school idol after getting lost on campus. Although soft spoken and not very athletic, Kinako is a hard worker who does not back down easily from challenges. She has a tendency to be very loud, and can be easily startled. She has a habit of referring to herself in the third person and ends her sentence with "~ssu" due to her rural upbringing. Before joining the group, she spent a lot of her time outdoors since her family owns a ranch estate, and as a result she is great with animals.

Mei Yoneme (米女 メイ, Yoneme Mei)

Voiced by: Akane Yabushima

Mei is a second-year student who is often mischaracterized as a delinquent due to her "scary eyes," which in reality turns out to be a side effect of her poor eyesight. She speaks to strangers in a rather abrasive tone and comes off as frightening to other students, but she is actually very shy and has a diehard adoration for school idols that she keeps secret out of fear of being judged. She initially enrolled in Yuigaoka Girls to watch Liella! from a distance as a fan and had no intention on joining the group until she was personally invited by the club members after they saw how passionate she was about them. After joining, Mei starts come out of her shell and becomes much more comfortable being herself around her new friends. Her tone of speaking changes from sarcastic and dry to calm and soft during live performances. She is very close with Shiki, and confides in her regularly about her troubles.

Shiki Wakana (若菜 四季, Wakana Shiki)

Voiced by: Wakana Ōkuma

Shiki is a stoic second-year student who has difficulty expressing herself. Being one of the school's only science club members, she can usually be found spending her free time in the science club room inventing strange gadgets, one of which being a pair of robotic roller skates. Shiki grew up as a loner until meeting Mei in junior high school, and the two have stuck together since becoming friends. She possibly has a crush on Mei, becoming noticeably jealous and possessive when Mei spends time with others, as well as remarking about Mei's looks almost every chance she gets. At her core, Shiki is a well meaning girl who does her best to support her best friend; initially becoming a member of the school idol club on a trial period in an attempt to bait Mei into joining. Eventually, she officially joins the group in order to spend more time with Mei and bond over their newly found shared interest. She has a strange unexplained habit of blurting out English sentences at random occasions.

Natsumi Onitsuka (鬼塚 夏美, Onitsuka Natsumi)

Voiced by: Aya Emori

Natsumi is a second year student who is also an aspiring "L-tuber" that decided to become a school idol to boost her online following and make a profit. She has a friendly demeanour, but can also be rather manipulative and selfish; she initially gets involved with Liella! to take advantage of their growing popularity as a get rich quick scheme to obtain money and internet fame through ad revenue as a social media infuencer, offering to be the group's "producer" and making short form vlogs of the members daily lives. Somewhat similarly to Sumire, Natsumi also spent her childhood trying to break into different fields of entertainment before eventually giving up, albeit with the sole intention of making money. After spending enough time with the group and enjoying a weekend at the Sakurakoji family's cabin in Hokkaido, she took a genuine liking to the charm of school idols. Kanon formally invites her to join Liella!, and she becomes the group's ninth member. Tomari is her younger sister, and she constantly praises her when she gets the chance to. She frequently ends her sentences with "~desu no." Her catchphrase is "Oninuts!"

Wien Margarete (ウィーン・マルガレーテ, Win Marugarete)

Voiced by: Yuina^{S2 E3 credit}

Margarete is a cocky first year foreign exchange student from Austria who comes from a musically inclined family. She is extremely competitive and outright hostile to other idols she sees as threats. Originally signing up as a Love Live! contestant as a solo idol in her final year of middle school, she boldly makes it known that she has no interest in either school idols or Love Live! other than setting out to prove she can easily win the competition by herself. It is later revealed that she failed her entrance exam for a prestigious music academy in her home country, and winning Love Live! in Japan was a condition for her to get accepted into the school. After Liella! was chosen to advance to the finals of Love Live!, her family suggested bringing Kanon back with her to Austria instead and learn music from her, much to her disagreement. Once graduating from middle school, she enrolls in Yuigaoka Girls and forms her own school idol club in an attempt to take down Liella! on her own terms. She picks up a part time job working at the Shibuya family cafe and reluctantly lives with Kanon's family during her stay.

Tomari Onitsuka (鬼塚 冬毬, Onitsuka Tomari)

Voiced by: Sakura Sakakura

Tomari is a first year student who is also Natsumi's younger sister. Like her older sibling, Tomari views school idol activities as a potential income stream that will generate profit for her family. Unlike her sister however, Tomari's personality comes off as stiff and calculating to others. Because of her natural talent for dancing, she does not see much of a point in showing up to practice sessions unless she has something to gain from attending. While she can be very aloof, Tomari has a deep respect for her older sister and decides to follow in Natsumi's example after seeing how much being a school idol meant to her.

Sunny Passion

An idol unit from Kōzu-shima, Tokyo, which serves as Liella's rival.

Yuuna Hijirisawa (聖澤 悠奈, Hijirisawa Yūna) & Mao Hiiragi (柊 摩央, Hiiragi Mao)

Voiced by: Chihaya Yoshitake & Yuna Yūki (Japanese)^{S1 E3 credit} Dani Chambers & Corey Pettit (English)

Yuuna and Mao are the members of Sunny Passion, a duo school idol unit originated from Kōzu-shima who inspired Keke to move to Japan and become a school idol. Yuuna is the most cheery one of the duo: she wears her hair in a ponytail and has shark-like tooth. Mao is the reserved, distinguishable from her long, purple one. The group won Love Live! in the first season and aimed to break a record and win Love Live! again in the second season, though they were unsuccessful in doing so.

Others

Aria Shibuya (澁谷 ありあ, Shibuya Aria)

Voiced by: Akane Matsunaga (Japanese); Cat Protano (English)^{S2 E1 credit}

Aria is Kanon's younger sister, who is supporting yet somewhat at first cynical about her sister's choice to become a school idol. Like Kanon, she also helps out with her mother running the cafe.

Manmaru (マンマル)

Voiced by: Anna Mugiho (Japanese); Khoi Dao (English)

Manmaru is Kanon's pet owl who serves as the cafe's mascot. He is known by its customers for being inexplicably symmetrically round, much to Chisato's fascination.

Development

The franchise announced a brand new anime project following the release of Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club in January 2020, with the premise featuring a new set of characters who are all first-year students in a newly reopened school originally on the verge of demolition. The school lies between the Omotesando, Harajuku, and Aoyama neighborhoods of Tokyo. In addition, an audition for one of the main cast was held on March 12, 2020, but was postponed due to COVID-19. Atsushi Saitō serves as the character design adapting style of the series' original character designer Yūhei Murota. The school name was decided through fans' votes and concluded in May 2020 with Yuigaoka Girls High School (結ヶ丘女子高等学校, Yuigaoka Joshi Kōtō Gakkō). The main characters names were also announced: Kanon Shibuya, Tang Keke, Chisato Arashi, Sumire Heanna, and Ren Hazuki.

The project's name, Love Live! Superstar!! was announced in July through the series' exclusive magazine Love Live! Days. In September, the school idol group's name, "Liella!" was also chosen through fans' votes. The name was chosen among 16 options that fans could vote for. The name "Liella!" comes from a combination from a French word "lier" which means "to connect", which is the same as Yui (結) in the school's name in Japanese, and "brilliante", which means an "inner glow". Behind the group's name lies the feelings of the hope that the small stars of today who have their own brilliance will become superstars someday.

The cast of the initial five main characters was later revealed in December 2020: Sayuri Date, Liyuu, Nako Misaki, Naomi Payton, and Nagisa Aoyama. Date and Aoyama are members who passed the open audition that was held earlier in the year. The group's debut single, "Hajimari wa Kimi no Sora" (始まりは君の空) released on April 7, 2021. The single includes an animation PV and released in two versions—each with different B-sides: "Minna de Kanaeru Monogatari" (みんなで叶える物語) and "Watashi o Kanaeru Monogatari" (私を叶える物語).

On April 28, 2022, four new characters were announced to be joining Liella!'s member lineup for the second season in an issue of the Love Live! Days magazine: Kinako Sakurakoji, Mei Yoneme, Shiki Wakana and Natsumi Onitsuka, and the second season's air date was given the time frame of summer 2022. In May 2022, the casting for each character's respective voice actress was unveiled: Nozomi Suzuhara, Akane Yabushima, Wakana Ookuma and Aya Emori. Suzuhara was also a participant of the initial open auditions in 2020, being offered a role for the second season. They are officially referred to as Liella!'s 'second generation' in promotional material and among group members.

Shortly after the confirmation of a third season in October 2022, a second nationwide open audition recruiting one cast member for Liella!'s 'third generation' was announced. On June 11, 2023, a new character named Tomari Onitsuka was introduced in an issue of Love Live! Days magazine. Additionally, supporting character Wien Margarete, an antagonist who first appeared in the second season, was confirmed to be joining Liella!. Sakura Sakakura was revealed to be the winner of the audition, respectively cast as Tomari. Yuina, who voices Wien Margarete, had simultaneously been promoted from a member of the supporting cast to series regular on the same day.

Broadcast and distribution

Main article: Love Live! Superstar!! (TV series)

See also: Love Live! Superstar!! discography

The anime television series is animated by Bandai Namco Filmworks and directed by Takahiko Kyogoku, with Jukki Hanada handling series composition and Atsushi Saito designing the characters. Yoshiaki Fujisawa returns from his work on Love Live! School Idol Project to compose the music. The series aired on NHK Educational TV from July 11 to October 17, 2021. Funimation has licensed the series for international releases. Liella! perform both the opening and ending themes, titled "Start!! True Dreams" and "Mirai wa Kaze no Yō ni" (未来は風のように) respectively, from episode 2 onwards. Special animated music videos made specifically for the NHK Educational TV broadcast featuring original songs by Liella! air after each episode titled "Songs of Liella!".

On October 24, 2021, it was announced during a live screening event of the first season that a second season was in production. The announcement was uploaded to the official Love Live! Series YouTube channel shortly after the event. The second season aired from July 17 to October 9, 2022. The second season introduces four new main characters as additional members of Liella!. Liella! once again perform the both opening and ending themes, respectively titled "We Will!" and "Oikakeru Yume no Saki de" (追いかける夢の先で). The second season also features "Songs of Liella!" segments at the end of every episode when aired on NHK Educational TV.

A third season was announced following the conclusion of the second season alongside open auditions for a new main cast member. Sakura Sakakura won the audition and was cast as Tomari Onitsuka. The third season premiered on October 6, 2024. The opening and ending themes is performed by Liella! respectively titled "Let's be One" and "Daisuki Full Power". The third season also features "Songs of Liella!" segments at the end of episodes when aired on NHK Educational TV. Unlike previous seasons, the third season introduces a new closing segment titled "Yuigaoka Girls! Liella! Closes in on The Fearsome Seven Mysteries!" in the usual "Songs of Liella!" slot. This segment features fully voice acted manga panels centered around Liella! members learning about and discussing urban legends spread around the school in a humorous fashion.

Other media

Various Liella! songs were playable through Love Live! School Idol Festival and its spin-off game School Idol Festival All Stars for limited amounts of time. SR cards of Liella! members were also made available through a special login bonus in School Idol Festival as commemoration of the anime series' broadcast.

A spin-off manga, titled Love Live! Superstar!! Chii-chan Buchō wa Yūnō Desu!, written and illustrated by Yūta Taneda began serialization on Kadokawa Corporation's Comic Walker manga website on March 30, 2023. The manga is centered around the character Chisato Arashi. The manga's chapters have been compiled into a single tankōbon volume as of January 26, 2024.

Café Casa incident

In June 2021, the Love Live! staff issued an apology for having modeled the main character's family café after the exterior of Café Casa, a real café in Shibuya. The staff admitted that they had used the café’s likeness without permission or "prior consideration", leading to the café's staff receiving infringements of their privacy via social media; additionally, the increased presence of Love Live! fans at the café affected its intended mood and atmosphere. The design of the café in the anime was subsequently changed so it less resembled Café Casa.

External links

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Love Live! Superstar!! (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia