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Love Live Anime Satire

Decent Essays

Before we even get into the episode proper here, I should probably let you know that I have never watched the original Love Live anime. I’ve seen hundreds of gifs, reaction shots, and semi-serious Twitter arguments over best girl, but I haven't even watched a single second of the idol classic. And it’s not because I hate idols, I mean I love the Idolm@ster, but I’ve just never had a craving for the genre… Except for that strange desire I have to watch those Wake Up Girls movies. Anyways, I figured I should at least try the franchise’s latest offering, especially since it’s one of this season’s biggest premiere.

So how did I enjoy Love Live Sunshine’s first episode? Well, it was certainly energetic, but I can’t really say I found that particularly appealing. Now I’m not saying Love Live Sunshine is a bad show - it’s beautifully produced, the idol music is nice and catchy, and Chika’s character struggle is pretty compelling right off the bat - but man oh man, I could not stand this episode. …show more content…

Flex your tonal muscles, show how these girls act in more relaxed slice of life situations, don’t just have them constantly overreact while performing stupid slapstick. Also goddamn, please have some moments of subtlety! If Chika can get a moment to explain her motivations, at least give the student council president a moment where she isn’t the most over the top cockblock in idol history! I understand that this review is coming off as weirdly bitter, but that’s just how this episode me feel. I wanted to like Love Live, I really did, but there wasn’t a single thing about this episode that worked for me. I guess the lesson I learned from watching is this show is that if I’m going to watch an idol show, I need something that either directly delves into high camp territory or tries for a realistic tone, because Love Live’s intense escapism was definitely not for

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