Love Live! Superstar!! (2nd Season)
Alternate Title
ラブライブ！スーパースター!!(第2期)
Synopsis
Yuigaoka Girls High School is a newly established school situated between the Omotesando, Harajuku, and Aoyama neighborhoods of Tokyo. With no upperclassmen or alumni, no history, and no reputation, it’s a new school full of unknowns. Five of the school’s new students—Kanon Shibuya, Keke Tang, Chisato Arashi, Sumire Heanna, and Ren Hazuki—have a fateful encounter with school idols. Kanon, who loves to sing, decides that she wants to make something come true through singing, and the girls’ feelings begin to converge. Now in their second year, the girls are joined by four new members—Kinako Sakurakoji, Mei Yoneme, Wakana Shiki, and Natsumi Onitsuka—as they continue to give it their all and aim for the top!
Background
Love Live! Superstar!! is the fourth series in the multimedia franchise Love Live! co-developed by Kadokawa, music label Lantis, and animation studio Sunrise. The series was announced in January 2020 at the event “Love Live! Fes” and cast auditions were held in March of that year. In July, the main characters were announced along with the school’s setting, and later that year in December the main cast members who passed the auditions were announced. The anime’s staff consists of series familiars including Takahiko Kyogoku as director with Atsushi Saito handling character designs and Yoshiaki Fujisawa composing the music. The series’ idol unit Liella! released their debut single titled "Hajimari wa Kimi no Sora" in April 2021. The anime was broadcast from July to October 2021.
The anime’s second season was announced in October 2021 after the first season ended. It is once again being produced by Sunrise and sees returning staff members including Takahiko Kyogoku as director, Jukki Hanada as series composer, Atsushi Saito as character designer, and Yoshiaki Fujisawa as music composer. The anime will premiere in Japan on July 17, 2022 on NHK ETV.
Characters
Kanon Shibuya (Voiced by: Sayuri Date)
A first-year student at Yuigaoka Private Girls High School. She loves to sing in her free time, and often walks around town listening to music in her headphones and singing along to the songs. She can often be found helping out her mother who manages a family cafe. She is somewhat shy and not good at communicating in front of others. She yearns to sing on stage in front of an audience, but is also nervous to do so. She sees herself as being painfully ordinary, with no outstanding characteristics or particular aspirations for the future. Her favorite foods are baked apples, tomatoes, Hamburg steak, and café au lait. Her favorite subject is music. Her favorite saying is, "It's always sunny above the clouds."
Keke Tang (Voiced by: Liyuu)
A first-year student at Yuigaoka Private Girls High School. She came to Japan (her mother’s homeland) from Shanghai in order to become a school idol. She is a fun-loving and energetic girl who believes that the most important things in life are passion and always smiling. She has a serious sweet tooth likely due to advice her mom once gave her that it’s best to cool down hot emotions with sweets, and she believes that a scoop of ice cream is the best remedy for sour feelings. She is a hard worker with a keen sense of style and fashion. Her favorite foods are Napolitan ice cream, chocolate bananas, and milk tea. Her favorite subjects are anything other than PE. Her favorite saying is, "There is no time like the present."
Chisato Arashi (Voiced by: Nako Misaki)
A first-year student at Yuigaoka Private Girls High School and Kanon’s childhood friend. She is athletic and loves to dance, and she is also devoted to her physical fitness and goes running in the mornings. She has a cheerful and friendly personality but admits that she can get a bit scary when she gets angry. She likes to go shopping and hang out with her friends, and also enjoys cooking. She works part-time at a takoyaki food cart in Omotesando. Her favorite foods are takoyaki, peaches, and cola. Her favorite subject is PE. Her favorite sayings are, "The early bird gets the worm," and, "Fortune comes in at the merry gate."
Sumire Heanna (Voiced by: Naomi Payton)
A first-year student at Yuigaoka Private Girls High School. She is a former child star who is no stranger to the spotlight. She had to cut back on her showbiz activities in order to focus on her personal life and studies, but now that she’s in high school she’s finally ready to get back on stage as an idol. Her dream is to become a charismatic galaxy school idol who can make a name for herself not just throughout the country but the universe. She is also a popular streamer who has amassed countless fans. She lives at a shrine near the school. She likes reading, music, and fortune telling. Her favorite foods are egg over rice, green tea, and melons. Her favorite subjects are Japanese and Japanese history. Her favorite saying is, "Faith will move mountains."
Ren Hazuki (Voiced by: Nagisa Aoyama)
A first-year student at Yuigaoka Private Girls High School. Her mother founded the school and handed down the responsibilities of the school to her, and she works hard to enrich the lives of her fellow students and make the school number one in the city. She enjoys calligraphy, art, ballet, and swimming but is most skilled at playing the piano and performing as a figure skater. She is a polite girl and speaks in a very formal tone, so much so that she had difficulty adjusting to casual conversations. Her favorite foods are consomme soup, strawberries, and Darjeeling tea. Her favorite subjects are biology and English. Her favorite saying is, "Never forget why you started."
Kinako Sakurakoji (Voiced by: Nozomi Suzuhara)
Kinako is a gentle, cheerful, and friendly girl who decides to move from Hokkaido to Tokyo by herself and enrolls at Yuigaoka Private Girls High School. Though she has been bad at studying and sports since a young age, after finding out about school idols, she begins working hard to change herself.
Mei Yoneme (Voiced by: Akane Yabushima)
Mei is a delinquent girl who is hard to approach. Because of that, she is often feared by those around her. She has an awkward relationship with Wakana and keeps her distance. She has a strong sense of justice and has a resolute side to stand firm when things go wrong.
Wakana Shiki (Voiced by: Wakana Okuma)
Wakana is a quiet girl who hasn’t been around many people since she was a child and likes to play alone. She has a cool-headed personality. She has a mysterious air and rarely expresses her emotions, but her feelings for the members are stronger than anyone else’s. She begins to be interested in school idols after seeing Mei’s longing to become one and joins her.
Natsumi Onitsuka (Voiced by: Aya Emori)
Natsumi is a bright, positive, and fashionable girl whose initiative allows her to take on anything. She will do whatever it takes to reach her goals, and often thinks up strategies she can pull off behind the scenes. She decides to enroll at Yuigaoka Private Girls High School due to it being close to the fashion mecca, Harajuku.
Official Links
Staff
- Original Concept: Sakurako Kimino
- Original Creator: Hajime Yatate
- Original Character Design: Yuhei Murota
- Director: Takahiko Kyogoku
- Series Composition: Jukki Hanada
- Character Design: Atsushi Saito
- Art Director: Reiji Kasuga
- Color Design: Rie Kato
- Concept Art: Youichi Nishikawa
- Design Works: Yu Kisaragi
- CG Director: Yūki Iinuma
- Director of Photography: Tadashi Kitaoka
- Editing: Daisuke Imai
- Sound Director: Yukio Nagasaki
- Music: Yoshiaki Fujisawa
- Production: Bandai Namco Arts, Kadokawa, Sunrise
- Animation Production: Sunrise