Love Live! Superstar!! Season 3

On some level, I have always been able to enjoy *Love Live!* as the crude otaku capitalistic black hole that it is. The franchise has never been one to have grand aspiring messages aside from what could be easily commodified in cute mannerisms, bubblegum song-and-dance routines, and wisped happy feelings that come from a “follow your dreams” narrative structure. No matter what my overall thoughts on the previous seasons were (and they vary widely), every installment at least had something within it that either attracted me in terms of its visuals, its music, its direction, its camaraderie, or whatever it could claim as unique andinteresting, even if just at the conceptual level. The original *School Idol Project* was the point when the franchise had not quite yet determined what did or did not work, throwing its ideas at the wall to see what stuck and, ironically, giving it a freshness that got increasingly less as each new season took hold. *Sunshine!!* and *Nijigasaki,* being installments that I never really liked and each one subsequently feeling more calculated in its moe-dification, at least tried reframing either the franchise or the larger diegetic universe into something that could be molded into newer forms. What this indicates is not only an acute awareness of what the franchise signifies, but also that any significant deviation from the established formula was not going to be welcomed. The modern anime industry is increasingly wary of riskier gambits that may not pay off, even for something as seemingly surefire as school idols. Particularly in the rising of other properties like *BanG Dream!* (just to list one example), *Love Live!’s* hold on its niche is far less stable than it was even four years ago. This matters because *Love Live! Superstar!!*, at least at first, seemed to stand poised to push the series in a direction it wouldn’t have thought of before. Rather than a band of nine or more girls in its ensemble, it had only five. It also eventually appeared to adopt something akin to a genuine antagonist character in Margarete, unlike previous rival groups such as A-RISE or Saint Snow, or individuals like Lanzhu, where everyone was still friendly with everyone. Particularly with teasing the idea that Kanon would not be present in Japan for the show’s unique third season opportunity, *Superstar!!* consistently stood at the threshold to do something so daring that, even if it failed, I could at least applaud the effort to do so. And then, it never did. The warning signs were early. From the second season onwards, the show seemed to play itself like the creative team (including longtime series writer Hanada Jukki and director of the original *School Idol Project* Kyougoku Takahiko as two examples) received a memo from Bushiroad’s executives that immediate “corrections” were needed. The cast was expanded from five to nine, hastily needing to ingratiate new commodifiable kohai to a pre-established group dynamic. Margarete, herself so antithetical to the idea of idols as understood within *Love Live!*, was perpetually kept in the rearview mirror until her entire existence hinged on Kanon’s future. The end of season two with the Vienna school opportunity suspended and Margarete moving to Yuigaoka slammed the door so tightly that, in a bizarre twist of fate, the franchise that so often sings about idols and dreams within those idol ideals was to be caught in a perpetual nightmare. That nightmare comprises what might be charitably called the “Love Live! Civil War arc,” with Margarete trying to create a new idol group from within Yuigaoka to dethrone the champion Liella!. Any inherent intrigue within this premise is immediately torpedoed by Kanon’s idea to join Margerete’s group before the first episode is finished. Such an action isn’t just a paltry attempt to artificially create false conflict within the show. Part of the reason why Margerete’s defeat stung her so badly was that it was the FULL team of nine that stopped her. Kanon no longer being in Liella! means that the group that she’s actively trying to defeat is no longer as it once was, and while the rest of the group can say that they’ll keep trying hard without Kanon, it is Kanon who is the main embodiment of everything that Margerete wants to surpass. This is likewise why most of her dialogue in season two centers around Kanon as opposed to Liella! as a whole. If Kanon joins her, then what is Marguerete accomplishing by beating Liella! now? The reality is that she wouldn’t accomplish anything by doing so. To spare her that humiliating realization, the story chooses to have Margerete eventually be brought to the “good guys” with Kanon playing this absurd 4D chess. That is not a spoiler – it is the truth that *Love Live!* always abides by. It therefore comes as no surprise that the newest character in the whole of the season, Natsumi’s sister Tomari, should likewise fall in line with inevitably realizing “happiness is found in Liella!” as truth. It’s destiny; her performance in episode two spares the narrative from having to demonstrate her capabilities (compare this to Keke in season one, who had barely any endurance to speak of), so she doesn’t need to “try” at all. Any barriers she has are purely ideological, and in her case, the extent is almost comical to which she seemed to hurt Natsumi for the purposes of “keeping her safe.” So, when her buckling against the torrent of happiness dawns, it’s both abrupt in how quickly it takes place and late, only after most of the other characters have had their previous plot threads picked up and doubled down upon. At eleven characters total by the time of season’s end, the notion that even more exploration for those we have already seen and which the narrative reconciled makes for a grand misuse of time. In moving through these motions, it is as though the show is trying to convince itself that this was the right path all along and silencing its own doubts through the characters feeling old doubts return. Maybe it should have listened. *Love Live! Superstar!!* season three is essentially a declaration that *Love Live!* cannot actually have anything stand in the protagonist’s way except through the most abstract forces possible. In prior installments, it was the threat of school closure and trying to prove the brilliance of individual idols (by reducing them to caricatures of whatever realized self the show was claiming they were and failing to distinguish them from the group) by making their personal problems vanish under the veneer of “growth.” Here now, with a desperate need to validate the existence of new characters and re-validate the old ones, Liella’s! position as last year’s titular Love Live! winners trying to defend their title lacks any meat or meaningful substantiation. At its core is a center with no color. The music plays, but it means nothing. Perhaps unintentionally, *Love Live! Superstar!!* is the most overtly clear that Bandai Namco / Sunrise and Bushiroad have been about the franchise up until this point. They are an ex that promises at each reconciliation that they can change and become better, but always ends up defaulting back to the same behaviors that you hoped to never see again. What dream is there to be had in being the same? I suppose that consistency is admirable in a sad, cynical, perverse kind of way. While it may proport to be about fun and happy times, the dismaying implication of *Love Live!* is that it champions conformity clothed within the pageantry of self-identity. The characters may have a quirk or singular “thing” that distinguishes them, but the assembly-line construction of the groups at each new iteration lacks the soulful parts that add to their adorable dances. It has reached the point where it no longer hides the illusion. *Love Live!* has never been about idols – moreso than many other properties that are of similar spirit, it has been about trying to capture vague feelings that are perfectly calculated to generate the impulse to consume. This is a franchise that, at this rate, will never grow and never change, no matter how many new school idol groups it forms. This is effectively my graduation from *Love Live!* – whatever the franchise has coming next (because we know it’s coming), I’ll have already moved on.

This review will assume you've watched season 1 and 2, and there may be spoilers for those series. But I consider that acceptable, because it's probably not a great idea to jump in on season 3, particularly with *this* anime. Watch those first. I'll wait. Gosukomushi... Gosukomushi.. hey, wait. Sumire! Put down that rope! And that palm frond! Okay, here we go! Wien Margarete might be the most interesting character in the whole "Love! Live" franchise, and might be one of my favorites in all of anime. In season 2, Wien (Margarete? I guess there's some discussion/debate/otakufights (which consist of smacking each other withwaifu catgirl tails) on that, but I maintain Wien is her LAST name) was a secondary character, who ended up being the "Big Bad" towards the end of the season. She ended up losing, and the reason she ended up losing was made very clear. She didn't know how to be an idol. She was a spectacularly competent dancer/singer, but she had absolutely no idea how to connect with her audience. In point of fact, she became an idol just to stick a fork in the eye of all the "real" idols.. and she failed. Hard. We left season 2 when she donned a Yuigaoka uniform and was going to go to school with Shibuya, for reasons we didn't understand at the time. In season 3, she has been upgraded to a main character, along with Tomari, the other new addition to Liella!. Well... maybe. I think it's fair to say that this season is, in part, an exploration of the redemption of Wien, who left the previous season absolutely *hated* by pretty much everyone. I refuse to say how that turns out, clearly. But given the way Wien's character was introduced, I think you can probably take an educated guess or two as to how it might turn out, and you have a decent chance of at least coming close to the mark. Let's just say I think she's the most interesting character for a *reason*. But... This is a very predictable story. The main plot points are mostly telegraphed from miles away - I don't even really know how you'd spoil this anime because there aren't any plot twists worth speaking of. You pretty much know how it's going to turn out from day 1, and, well, this isn't ""Hibike! Euphonium", where you *thought* you did but they pulled one over on you and made you cry in the process. This is "Love! Live". We're not here for a coherent story, or realism, or anything but a barely realistic musical where a bunch of girls have a dream of winning a competition, and nothing is going to stand in their way. Not common sense, not realism, not typical high school girl competence. These girls make professional music, professional costumes, professional stages, professional everything, even though in every other way they're just typical high school girls. But, as with the previous two seasons, don't let that get in the way of enjoying this series. It's a musical, and no one ever watches a musical with the idea that they're going to get a real or realistic *anything*. It's just there for entertainment, and it delivers. Nothing more than that, but if you wanted more than that, maybe watch "Wake up girls!", "ID@LMASTER: Cinderella Girls" or maybe "Girls band cry". Even "Bocchi the Rock" would be better for that. But if you can accept this for what it is, you get to watch eleven girls singing, dancing, and sometimes even being nice to each other. You get a new idol song, new costumes, and new venue at the end of each episode. All the songs are typical idol. Which is to say, not interesting whatsoever. But if you like idol music, well, there ya go. You get lots. You know, looking back on it, I'm not even sure why I enjoyed it. The music is mid (as with most but not all idol music), the plot is mid, everything's mid. And yet, well, I did. Go fig. Maybe it's just because Love! Love is that kinda franchise - it's turned mid into art. Gosukomushi, gosukomushi.. *ahem*. Oh, yeah, that costume makes an appearance. Poor Sumire... Anyway, that's my review. If you liked seasons 1 and 2, you'll like this, because it's more of the same, with an extra dose of Wien. If you didn't like seasons 1 and 2, you'll probably not like this. If you didn't like Wien, well, give it a chance. She's not a bad girl. Just really driven, and a little socially inept. Song for me! Song for you! Song for all!!!! Recommend from me.

The third season of Love Live! Superstar!! has come to an end, and I must say it far exceeded my initial expectations, which were very low. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I thoroughly enjoyed this season, to the point where it felt as if the second season never happened. This is ironic because the second season struggled a lot due to introducing so many characters in such a short time, whereas this time, despite following a similar approach, they managed to make it work brilliantly. One thing I deeply appreciated was the meaningful interactions between the characters.These relationships felt natural and showed real development, even though Sumire was somewhat sidelined this season. Each subplot was resolved within the same episode, but they didn’t solely focus on one character; they always involved at least two, which added depth and dynamism to the storytelling. Additionally, Kanon is no longer the centerpiece of everything, although she remains present in some way. The others now have room to solve problems on their own and grow as a group. This was a refreshing change compared to the previous season, where it felt like everyone was helpless without Kanon. This shift allowed the narrative to flow better and gave each character a chance to shine. I honestly enjoyed this conclusion a lot. Watching Kanon and her friends’ journey over the past three years was genuinely moving, even if only a little. I’ve never been a huge fan of Liella or listened to much of their music outside the anime, but accompanying them on this journey has been a rewarding experience. Truly, it’s heartwarming to think about the paths these five will follow in the future. P.S.: This season finally made me like Kinako. She’s so adorable! In the previous season, she and Shiki felt incredibly bland to me, but now she’s had her moment to shine

This feels like a post-script season. It's better than the disastrous 2nd season, and it has some good moments that give meaningful development to some characters, but it otherwise feels episodic and aimless. The callbacks to the first season only reinforce how much the entire Superstar subseries is carried by its first 12 episodes. Without that lingering nostalgia or the Love Live name, there would be little reason to watch this. Chisato, Keke, and Natsumi benefit the most from this season. Episode 3 serves as a nice climax for Chisato's story. She's always been an understated presence as Kanon's number two, but her assertiveness and independentthinking makes her one of the show's best and most memorable characters (with her scenes in the last two episodes of Season 2 being one of its few redeeming moments). Given the chance to lead Liella, she really shines as someone who builds confidence in others by pushing them past their self-imposed limitations, and it's heartwarming to see that she has channeled her childhood trauma in such a positive direction. Keke's character arc finally resolves here, and while it's a predictable conclusion, it fits thematically with what she established about her insecurities in the first season. Natsumi gets a do-over from her Season 2 debut has become a more sympathetic character with her expanded backstory. However, unlike the original Liella members in Season 1, where everyone found an answer to their insecurities, Natsumi's arc feels unfinished, with a conclusion that is incongruent with her anxieties. In fact, the rest of the post-S1 cast (and the long-neglected Ren) also lack complete stories. Say what you want about Sumire's lack of presence in S3, but at least she got a conclusive resolution in S1. This unfortunately symbolizes S3's writing in general. Despite having the same production team, S2 and S3 have less things to say than S1, often stretching out episodes with filler material and demonstrating a lesser understanding of the characters compared to how nuanced and in-depth they were in S1. One of the worst examples of this is when new character and Natsumi's sister Tomari compares her to Kanon by saying they're not comparable because Kanon is talented. Kanon, a girl who struggled with depression throughout her first season, the ordinary heroine that showed incredible sincerity and willpower to finally break through and hear the sound of the future, the beloved protagonist that many shy people in the audience, including myself, saw ourselves in, had her entire arc reduced to being a mere chosen one on a pedestal. If you believe Tomari, she's no longer supposed to be relatable. It's a jarring thematic contradiction that reveals how much less care was put into the writing, and it does not bode well for Love Live as a whole when also considering the same lack of care led to the demise of its long running mobile rhythm game months before this season aired. One of the last few episodes reveals another contradiction. There, a character is given the option to do a sad song, but insists she doesn't want to out of consideration for others. Nice and sweet in isolation, except the entire first season was about sadness and using music as an outlet for overcoming sadness. This could have been another interesting conflict between two girls from different backgrounds, another chance to push someone out of their comfort zones and learn new things, but instead, everyone goes with her request without question. It's this overly safe, feel-good resolution that may have been acceptable in a different slice-of-life anime, but is disappointing after Superstar has shown it is capable of much deeper, more insightful storytelling than this. There are other things that could be said about the bloated now 11 member cast, which still feels like a corporate decision rather than something that genuinely benefits the writing, but the former examples already give an indication of the season's general messiness. It's unlikely to change people's minds on Superstar, whatever their perspective coming in. For those committed to seeing this to the end, it's not the worst way to spend 12 episodes, but it sends the message not to expect anything special from the franchise, and that's the biggest disappointment of all.