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

Oh, Love Live Superstar, how far you've fallen. As someone who's not normally into Love Live, the first two seasons of it at least, I actually enjoyed both Nijigasaki and Superstar. The first season of Superstar was a nice, refreshing, adorable little schoolgirl series, even if it made the mistake of retreading old ground the original series and Sunshine already tackled, and actually managed its cast of characters quite well. The second season was a little weaker and didn't have as much of a handle on its new characters as it would have liked, but I still enjoyed it. Unfortunately, the third and final seasonshould have ended this iteration with a bang, but instead ended it with little more than a pathetic whimper. Superstar deserved so much better than this, and the problems season two had are multiplied tenfold here. I don't know what in the world happened, but they really dropped the ball with this final season. First of all, you know that whole cliffhanger at the end of season 2 that everyone made out to be this super sad, melodramatic thing? Season 3 decided to completely cop out on that, keep Kanon in Yuigaoka for absolutely ridiculous, stupid reasons that just scream contrived plot convenience, and then try to make Margarete into an ally! Like...what? Actually, this whole thing sums up the biggest problem behind Superstar's third season: It's writing. The whole season feels completely and utterly directionless, like it wrote itself into a corner by trying to send Kanon to Vienna, but then went back on that and now they don't know what to do with the series anymore. Their whole solution was to drag out the series by having Kanon, Margarete, and another girl, Natsumi's sister Tomari, form their own idol group to compete against Liella, but why even do that if you're just going to have them rejoin Liella again anyway? The whole idol group vs idol group thing feels less like a compelling plot and more like an excuse to drag the series out for longer than it needs to. Furthermore, the whole setup completely gets in the way of fleshing out the rest of the cast, especially the second years, who get almost nothing to do here. Writers, you could have used this time to flesh out the other characters but instead wasted your time on a cheesy, mealymouthed redemption arc for a pink-haired brat who honestly had no business being in Superstar in the first place. Speaking of unneeded characters, Tomari. I'm sorry, but I don't know why the creators bothered to even put her here as well. She honestly feels completely superfluous, has no real purpose for being here, and her whole characterization makes absolutely no sense. She doesn't want Natsumi to be hurt, but she decides to hurt her the second she decides she wants to do something meaningful with her life? Consistency should not be this hard, people! Tomari, to me, represents this season's lack of direction, because just like the season itself, it feels like she was just shoehorned into the show because of executive mandate. Then again, I still don't like Natsumi because she's still a brat who got off way too easy for trying to break Liella up and sow conflict between them for clout and views in the previous season, and this season did nothing to change that for me. Not to mention Margarete still being an emo brat whose redemption arc feels in no way earned, sincere, or even natural whatsoever. Everyone deserved so much better. Even the whole plot about Keke having to choose between staying an idol or staying in China feels so half-baked because previous seasons made it into a huge deal, only for everything to be magically resolved by the power of idols, thereby undermining any tension or personal stakes it could have had. Gag me. The animation and music are fine, not much to say there. I still think season one's songs are better, but the ones here are fairly good by themselves. Actually, going back to the results of last season's cliffhanger: What school would reach out to a random student in Japan and ask her to come to Vienna, only to suddenly back out of it at the last second?! Isn't that, like, super unprofessional? Wouldn't that break a ton of bureaucratic rules or something? God, you know the writing in this season is bullshit when none of its established plotlines make any lick of sense! Seriously, Superstar seemed like it was going to really experiment with the Love Live formula, only for it to just go back to playing it super safe because it's afraid of alienating its audience. I mean, there is going to be a new series called Love Live Bluebird, implied to be going in the direction of Bang Dream: It's MyGO or Ave Mujica, and for all I know, maybe that one will be better. I don't know. I'm just mad that Superstar, a season that started off strong and had a lot of potential to learn from the mistakes of its forebears and do something new, had to end in such a pathetic, unsatisfying manner. I'm not gonna waste any more time on this. Poor Love Live Superstar. An utterly lackluster, poorly executed season 3 served as its death knell, bogged down by haphazard writing and a lack of care for any of its characters. God, Superstar deserved so much better than this!