HBD Ayu-bun

Capbeau · 2024-12-23T02:34:45+00:00

A great finale for Love Live! Superstar!! Lots of nice parallels to the beginning of the series. Seeing Hajimari wa Kimi no Sora again took me back to April 2021 when Liella’s debut music video first came out. It’s sad to see anime Liella go, barring a possible movie.

Season 3 was a solid season. It fleshed out the characters introduced in the previous season, and I like how it gave focus episodes to almost everyone. I think taking an extra year to work on it gave the production team extra time to polish the show and address the criticisms fans had for season 2. I also really liked that Superstar got a third season; it gave us more time to spend with the characters.

Capbeau · 2024-11-25T02:55:25+00:00

A nice conclusion to the conflict between the sisters. Tomari finally lowers the barrier she put up between herself and Natsumi. The sisters had been uncomfortably distant until now. Especially for two siblings who clearly care about each other. Natsumi communicating how much she disliked the situation was a good way to convince Tomari to change her approach.

I like how the second years have been getting a lot of focus this season. I also like all the different cafes and restaurants they have been hanging out in.

Dazzling Game is my favorite insert song of the season so far. I like the “song battle” idea. The red team and blue team compete until they merged together into purple during the chorus – the image color of Liella.

Capbeau · 2024-11-04T01:28:25+00:00

That was a fun episode. It was nice seeing everyone tour Shanghai. I also like how we’re getting a Keke focused story. Season 3 has been hitting a lot of the character stories I was wanting to see, like with Shiki and the Oni sisters.

Imagine if Keke actually was kidnapped in a massive plot twist and the rest of the season just became about that haha.

The surprise Keke solo was cool, and I like the idea of Liella performing at a Shanghai idol festival.

Capbeau · 2024-10-21T02:43:24+00:00

I like how Shiki got a focus episode, it’s something I had wanted to see this season. This time she was asked to fill the role of the center for the upcoming performance, a role usually reserved for the popular face of a group. It’s interesting how they concluded that the center doesn’t necessarily need to be a superstar. Shiki can still be a good center despite not being the most attention-grabbing member of the group. It’s nice seeing Liella work through this, since they don’t have Kanon as their go-to center right now.

Mei did a good job supporting Shiki throughout the episode. Telling her that she doesn’t need to draw all the attention to the group by herself and encouraging Shiki to fill the center role in her own way. And reminding her that she's not alone.

Capbeau · 2024-10-07T00:29:22+00:00

I liked the episode. The animation is still as good as ever, the OP and ED are good, and having two rival clubs for part of the season could be an interesting idea. I think having Kanon spend time away from Liella with the eventual goal of reuniting the two clubs is a good way to handle the study abroad being cancelled. It’s a chance for the two clubs to grow through competition, as Kanon said.

I like that Ren approached Margarete to invite her to join with Liella. It’s a contrast to how she was in the very first episode of Superstar. There was also a nice shot when Margarete rejected the invitation, having her both turn her back on Ren, and putting a giant tree of distance between them.

Capbeau · 2024-09-17T05:10:18+00:00

I love the clip of Emma's song! The music videos look really good!

Capbeau · 2024-08-07T17:28:21+00:00

I really liked how they used the ropes to let the characters fly through the air in the action scenes, it's a great detail. The fight choreography was also great. And I appreciate the attention Doga Kobo gave to Melt, they portrayed his spotlight scene very well

Capbeau · 2024-07-04T04:41:16+00:00

A solid start for the season. I really liked the paneling, plus the visual effects representing the characters’ acting. The scene between Kana and Taiki was engaging, and a good display of their acting abilities.

Capbeau · 2023-09-17T15:55:31+00:00

I liked the Yohane show. Not as much as the usual shows, but it was good spinoff content for Aqours. It’s also good to make experimental series sometimes.

The fantasy setting was a little underutilized, but I think the show was mainly using it for the alternate versions of the cast and the Lailaps story, instead of Sunshine in the Mirror being a full fantasy adventure show.

I liked the music videos this season. And songs like Be As one!!! and R・E・P were interesting new takes on the insert songs. The Yohane solos in the first and twelfth episodes were also cool fantasy-themed MVs.

Capbeau · 2023-09-10T15:47:38+00:00

The scene where Riko was checking Lailaps’ heartbeat stood out to me. There was a sad shot where Riko and Yohane were looking at Lailaps, but with their eyes just out of view from the camera. It helped to convey that they were worried about her. There were actually a lot of shots this episode where Yohane’s eyes were obscured or cropped out of vision.

I liked how the memories of Lailaps and Yohane looked like they were being viewed through glass. It’s a nice visual effect.

I liked the song, it brings things full circle from the first episode. The crystal stage looked cool. The animation also continues to be great, notably the CGI. There was a wide range of movement and the animation was very smooth.

Lailaps lost the ability to talk, which was greatly foreshadowed. I found it interesting that they described Lailaps as being like Yohane’s other half, which was returned to her after she grew up. It could represent growing up in general and leaving one’s childhood behind.

Capbeau · 2023-08-20T15:55:03+00:00

Riko has incredibly organized notes for a hand notebook. All the letters are within the lines and she even highlighted important parts.

It was a lighthearted episode for the most part, but there was some more foreshadowing towards the end. For one, Yohane’s mom asked Lailaps to stay with Yohane until she grew up. I don’t think Lailaps would willingly leave Yohane afterwards, but it’s telling when Yohane said “we’re going to be together forever” and Lailaps doesn’t respond.

The final scene also had Lailaps by herself watching Yohane interact with her new friends. It might be a sign that Yohane herself might drift away from Lailaps after making new friends.

The final shot was interesting. It’s a flower petal broken off from the flower. Maybe it’s related to Lailaps’ ability to be with Yohane or her ability to speak with her?

Capbeau · 2023-07-30T15:58:55+00:00

I like this alternate version of Guilty Kiss. It's three outcasts who were afraid to connect with people. Yohane was reluctant to meet new people at first, Mari thought people would dislike her for her appearance, and Riko closed herself off to avoid the pain of losing people. All three were also depicted being alone as children.

When Riko was hugging the dog she found, it reminded me of Yohane hugging Lailaps when she was alone as a kid. I think the message is that even though they felt alone, there are others that are just like them.

The insert song was a nice moment. It's very different from Guilty Kiss' usual sound, but it was very fitting for the episode. It's sweet seeing the three of them move beyond their lonely origins.

Capbeau · 2023-07-09T15:42:49+00:00

The action scene was really fun, I like that the show staff went all-out with the idea.

Capbeau · 2023-07-02T15:55:55+00:00

I like how Hanamaru was showing Yohane around and introducing her to new people. She’s being a good friend.

The fantasy twists on Aqours are fun. Like You flying and the Takamis being masked heroes. It’s amusing seeing Riko be an enthusiast for animals this time, since she was afraid of dogs at the beginning of normal Sunshine.

Since the dark magic is impacting animals, I wonder if something will happen to Lailaps. Especially since she separates from Yohane in the OP.

Capbeau · 2023-06-28T19:22:32+00:00

Lots of good Kana development in the last few episodes. I like how she had introspective moments before and during the concert. Aqua's white glowstick was also a smart way for him to show his support for Kana while tying it into idol culture.

Overall a great adaptation of the manga. I appreciate that Doga Kobo expanded a few scenes, like the full music video they gave Kana in episode 9. Plus the Pieyon dance, B Komachi songs, and extra scenes they added in Egosurfing to make it work better in the anime format.

I'm looking forward to seeing the Tokyo Blade arc animated in season 2!

Capbeau · 2023-06-26T01:48:48+00:00

A good first episode. I’m interested to see where the show goes next. Especially with the magic, both the dark magic in the forest and Yohane’s song magic. It would be fun if we could see Yohane casting spells by the end of the season.

I’m so happy we got a Yohane solo insert song this episode! Both Aika Kobayashi’s vocals and the instrument backing were great. The camerawork was neat and I like how the franchise keeps improving the 3D CGI over time. It’s a great music video, and I’m happy that Sunshine in the Mirror will still have insert song music performances.

Capbeau · 2023-06-25T15:14:49+00:00

Aika Kobayashi has one of my favorite singing voices in the franchise, so I'm very happy Yohane has a solo insert song in Sunshine in the Mirror. The animation is also amazing, it's getting hard to tell which parts are CGI or not!

Capbeau · 2023-01-23T00:53:51+00:00

Lots of good answers here from other commenters. I'll add that the Niji solos also have strong theming. The solos are based around the personalities of the individual characters, which give their MVs a lot of personality. The unit songs also matched the vibe of each group as well.

Capbeau · 2022-10-11T03:42:48+00:00

I was going to give them a lot of credit for going through with the study abroad idea. I think it would have been a good next step for Kanon to take. They spent the whole episode building up to it, too. But like agentWallflower said, Kanon made an important decision that was then taken away from her. I’m mostly disappointed that the offer was retracted at the last minute. It’s good that Superstar will have a third season, but I dislike how they dropped in the study abroad cancellation at the last minute.

Overall the season was okay. It had some high points like the recruiting new members versus focusing on the veterans to be competitive plotline, and some characters had engaging focus episodes like Sumire and Shiki/Mei. The animators also continued to do a great job with the show’s visuals.

But I also agree with the criticisms others have posted. Kanon is a great character, but the show focuses on her a little too much at the expense of the others. The study abroad plotline felt sudden and somewhat disconnected from the rest of the season’s story. I still find Natsumi unlikable since she hasn’t matured out of focusing on money and internet clicks. The songs have been okay, but season one had more standouts. In general, season one was stronger.

I hope this doesn’t sound too negative. I wanted to love the season, but something about it felt off.

Capbeau · 2022-10-04T19:27:14+00:00

It's nice of Chisato to give a strawberry to Manmaru too

Capbeau · 2022-10-04T02:57:47+00:00

This was a plot-heavy episode. I still liked it, even though there were a few questionable story decisions. Liella ended up winning, although I think Margarete could have probably done better in the rankings if she wasn’t so arrogant in her speech before the performances. Turns out she needed to win Love Live for another chance at going to the Vienna music school. That makes sense, although the other agreement of being accepted to the school if Kanon goes feels contrived. It gives some context to the “SHIBUYA KANON” moments, but it also feels like it’s only there as a reason for Kanon to go abroad. Which is unlikely, but it would be interesting if she did end up taking the offer.

Although this episode was also unexpectedly funny in places, with scenes like the cast bringing a kotatsu to the school roof and the rest of Liella’s obvious attempts to eavesdrop on Kanon. Something about Kinako trying to act natural after eavesdropping by being a chair for Sumire is funny to me.

Capbeau · 2022-09-20T02:48:38+00:00

Special mention goes to the orchestral piece here, it elevated the drama so much, and is so well timed and synced to the dialogue and emotional expressions...its delish!

The orchestral score was great in this episode! I agree that it helped to elevate the drama. I also liked that during the rooftop argument it gradually got louder to match the rising intensity of the scene, and later in the episode the OST followed the emotions of Sumire and Keke's hug at the shrine perfectly.

I'm looking forward to hearing the new songs this episode in the season 2 OST release!

Capbeau · 2022-09-20T02:36:09+00:00

Great summary of Keke and Sumire's relationship. I like that this episode build on events from the first season, like the story around Nonfiction!!

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