|
|
||||||||||
| Overall | Art | Animation | Character Design | Music | Series Story | Episode Story | Reviewer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rent |
 Stretch
|
[series:4525#628] | ||||||
|
(Rent- or Watch+) (All episodes watched) My first impression of S2 of Superstar! was that it looked like just as much fun as ever. The five stalwarts of Liella are flattered by the newcomers who address them as sempai, and decide to throw the group open to new candidates. Though at first the new students feel intimidated by what Liella has accomplished already, a mixed bag of quirky girls begin to gravitate towards joining. One timid girl is the first to step forward and gets the most attention. This show has an infectious sort of humor which is usually lacking even from shows that attempt nothing more than to be comedies. This is one of the few shows of the season in which even after just one episode it was obvious I would be watching it to the end. It looks like the VAs in all the major roles are newcomers with no major projects already to their credit--except season one for the five original members. I just happened to notice this--it was not because of any perception of low quality. In episode two the veterans consider weakening their demanding training program in order to make the club more attractive to newcomers. They aren't just trying to win Love Live after all; they are also trying to nurture interest in School Idols and in their school. Three more future members continue to gravitate towards the club. In this show winning new members isn't easy and they must be convinced to sign up. In episode three you could almost say that Kanon is being stalked by a strange girl, Margarette, who turns out to have a highly popular one-person School Idol act. She seems to be light years ahead of Liella and their chances of winning Love Live do not seem good; but they get some much needed effective encouragement. Though it could be better, this is one of a handful of Idol series which has successfully created interesting characters with understandable motivations (and decent humor as well). The group nears the fabled number of nine members (highly successful Idol groups tend to have that many, apparently). Each candidate has something about her that you would think would disqualify her but is convinced to devote herself 110% to Liella. The newcomers want to put together an act of their own to prove that they aren't just weighing down the veterans. Around episode eight I noticed that the pace of this show had slowed down somewhat. The jokes didn't seem terribly funny and I had lost a good deal of interest in whether Liella would win Love Live. Maybe that's because it is more of a goofy comedy than a ganbare sort of show where winning is everything. Is Yuigaoka still at risk of having to shut down? I forget. There's this stuck-up solo idol, Margarette, who gets a kick out of dissing Liella; perhaps she secretly sees them as her most serious challenger. It looks like beating her will be a critical factor in this show. In the end, Kanon must choose between Liella and her friends and pursuing a fantastic opportunity to study overseas. This may be the groups' last chance to win Love Live before she is gone. We learn the result, but the series also ends with a cliffhanger which seems to promise that another season is on the way. I would sort of have liked for everything to be resolved, but this show was just good enough that I think I will at least give season three a chance. Last updated Friday, December 02 2022. Created Wednesday, July 27 2022. | ||||||||
