School Idols and Subtext: A Review on Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club

cr: myanimelist.net

I've been a fan of the Love Live! series since the first series with u's. A little late to the party for Nijigasaki, but I've binged watched it the last week and really enjoyed it. Airing the Fall 2020 season, Nijigasaki brings back school idols in a different flavor. The VAs for all the girls were great and a first for me, I enjoyed every song showcased in all the episodes. While typical Love Live! sounding tracks, they did showcase a range of music, from a rock pop sound to an EDM type pop song. Throw in slice of life and a little bit of drama and it's pretty solid. I'm quite excited for the new season that is slated for Spring 2022. From the MAL information, it seems like 3 more characters are introduced. This makes for a pretty big cast, so it'll be interesting how it's managed.

To watch this, you have to enjoy slice of life and the culture behind Love Live! I've only ever watched the anime and have completely enjoyed each season, but for some it can be too generic and a bit boring. Love Live! is also a whole brand in itself, with the VAs holding live concerts as well. It's all about the songs! I recommend watching if you like the other Love Live!'s. This is also a stand alone anime and not related to the other 2 series.

My Rating: 8/10

Read below about the plot and specific points that I really liked about the anime. If you want to watch the anime, the Japanese + subs is on Funimation for free. You can also watch the first two episodes English dubbed. The rest of the dubbed episodes require a paid account.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

I really, REALLY, liked how they switched it up and did solo idols. They also had the songs match the personalities to each character. Favorites songs were CHASE and VIVID WORLD. They had to of course keep have a student council president be a member, tis tradition. I also felt like this reiteration had a bit more subtext to it with the relationship, which, go girls! I'm mean, the fanservice felt like it was definitely more up front. More so than some of the other pushed pairings? The drama towards the end was a bit silly in my opinion, but realistic in that people just don't communicate. All in all, pumped for the next season! Love Live! Superstar!! is the next show I'm binging.