Anime Eiga Review: Love Live the School Idol Movie

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for both Love Live and Love Live the School Idol Project Movie. Reader discretion is advised.***

Film Synopsis

The national school idol competition known as Love Live is now over. Its current reigning champs are the girls of Otonokizaka Academy, µ (muse).

After months and months of hard work, these nine high schoolers achieved their dream. There is no way they could be any happier. Their love for one another is as strong as it’s ever been. And it only seems to be getting stronger.

That is why it hurts all the more when facing the inevitable. The older girls will be graduating. This means µ can no longer continue. With heavy hearts, they have all come to accept it. If only there was just a little more time.

Such an opportunity presents itself. Love Live is looking to grow bigger than it's ever been. Who better to promote the venue than the current champions?

For one last unforgettable show, µ appears poised to take on the world. These girls have been through so much. And they have stood shoulder to shoulder for every step of the way. Together, there is nothing that can stop them.

Film Positives

Well, it’s been a spell since the last time we looked at this series.

Let’s see, Love Live was my…fifth review back in March of 2015. Where are we with Love Live the School Idol Movie? Number…one hundred ninety-nine! Oh dearie me, we’ve been doing this for a while now, haven’t we?

Despite the long absence, it was easy to jump back in. That’s all credited to how memorable the show was. And this film continues with what's already familiar. For better or for worse.

Everything I liked about the series made a return here. Now while that may be an admirable achievement, it’s not necessarily a great one. If you’re a diehard fan of Love Live, you'll find enjoyment out of this. If you’re like me and only enjoyed the series for what it was, then this might not be the movie for you.

Also, this is a case where you'll need to watch the series beforehand. There is zero time spent re-introducing everyone and what's going on. Yet, if you’re getting into Love Live here…why?

So, did you like it or not Odyssey?

I didn’t hate. I have no interest in watching it again. Once was enough. And like I said, everything I liked about this series was here.

The show did a brilliant job bringing this group together. This was a task a film couldn't do. There’s just not enough time to do it. Thus, the movie didn’t do it again. It didn’t need to.

One thing about coming back to this series after so long, I forgot some things. Everyone’s exact relationships were a distant memory.

µ can get broken into the three different school grades. There are the original trio and second years, Honoka (voiced by Emi Nitta), Kotori (voiced by Aya Uchida), and Umi (voiced by Suzuko Mimori). Then there are the third years, Nico (voiced Sora Tokui), Eli (Yoshino Nanjo), and Nozomi (voiced by Aina Kusuda). And finally, there are the first years, Maki (voiced by Pile), Hanayo (voiced by Yurika Kubo), and Rin (voiced by Riho Ida). These are the cliques and they are close amongst each other. This much I remember and easy to recall since each trio got their own song.

Yet, this movie, maybe even more so than the show, made it clear. This wasn't three groups of three. This was one group of nine. I’m going to use the word sisterhood. These nine were beyond close. This film did a great job of illustrating this.

Plus, this was a diverse collection. No two characters were the same. Due to time constraints and there being nine girls, not everyone got their fair amount of screen time. The film did the best it could and the songs did help with this.

The Animation and the Songs

I do have gripes about both of these aspects, but the improvement was clear. We’re now working with film budget money.

Everything was a little sharper. Just a little bit smoother. The dancing, the singing, the movements, it all flowed so much better. Through the movie, I now have a much better understanding of the appeal for the Love Live franchise. Then again, it wasn't that hard to figure out in the first place.

When there was a performance in the show, the amount of CGI used was painfully obvious. It looked bad because Love Live did have decent animation. In the movie, everything was done a hell of a lot better. It wasn’t unnoticeable, but it was an amazing upgrade.

In the series, all the songs and performances felt like music videos. They were a jarring turn of pace for the anime. They were right at home here in the film.

Some of the songs flowed much better with the story. I say that with hesitation and I’ll get into why that is in a bit. For a few numbers, it made sense why everything would be as a big production. Others, they were just straight-up music videos. There's no getting around it. But it worked here because movie. For the first time in this series, I found myself not only appreciating these songs but also enjoying them. It doesn't bother me to say that.

If I happen to see the soundtrack, I might pick it up.

From left to right: Umi, Maki, Nozomi, Eli, Honoka, Kotori, Hanayo, Nico, Rin

Film Negatives

You know how I said the use of CGI wasn’t as noticeable? Well, you could still see it. This was disappointing because the majority of any given performance wasn’t like that. There were just a few angles where it was little too obvious. I mean, that couldn’t have been touched up a little bit better.

The movie did everything I liked about the show. It also did many of the things I didn’t like about the show. This is a faithful adaptation because both pluses and minuses came back for the ride.

The Pacing and the Story

Oh, my god did this movie have to be two and a half hours. Jeez, this was a long one to get through.

I’m exaggerating. I know this movie’s not two and half hours. Yeah, it felt like it, but that’s maybe a tad unfair. In all seriousness, though, how long is it? Ninety-nine minutes, oh I see. This film’s pacing is bull s@#$. The movie drags on.

If you like µ and you thought the show’s music was good, then that’s reason enough to watch this movie. If you’re here for the story, though, then you’re out of f@#$ing luck.

I didn’t know what was going on in this movie; like ever. I get that the Love Live competition wanted to use µ to promote the venue. So then why did they go to New York?

This was the first act of this film. A solid thirty minutes of the plot. And it can all get removed without any problems whatsoever. That’s not a good, don’t you think?

The girls were asked if they wanted to do a special concert in Tokyo. This, logically, meant “Oh my god, we’re going to New York”. What the fu…what? How are these connected? I guess it was to boost µ’s popularity. So, that makes sense, doesn’t it? Except, counterargument, didn’t they win Love Live? Shouldn’t that have been more than enough to get people interested?

Okay, so that was a thing that happened. How did the rest of the movie go? Ah, just a redoing of the same exact thing we saw in the series. With all the same problems and dilemmas as before to go with it. Plus, acknowledging that the series’ ending did happen and had significant meaning to the girls. And to top it off, make none of it as good. Sign me the f@#$ up.

I don’t know what this movie was trying to capitalize on. The show ended. It ended on a strong note. Before I watched it, I had a huge list of problems. When it hit, I realized, “Oh, I did enjoy this series. Otherwise, why would I give as much of a s@#$ here?” Why this film thought it could add to that is beyond me.

Final Thoughts

The show is better. The show is a lot better. Watch that first, then decide if you would like a little bit more. This movie might not full on deliver that, but it is a little bit more.

The story is damn near nonexistent and the pacing sucks. Yet, the girls of µ are still the lifeblood of this franchise. They are still fun to follow even if they story they happen to be in isn’t the greatest. There isn’t anything Love Live the School Idol Movie can give. But, there isn’t anything that ruins the series.

From what I can tell, this is where we leave µ. Bumps aside, the journey was a lot of fun. That said, this is not where we leave Love Live. I am aware Love Live Sunshine exists and yes that review is on its way.

But these are just my thoughts. What are yours? Have you seen the film? How would you advise Love Live the School Idol Movie? Leave a comment down below because I would love to hear what you have to say.

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I’m LofZOdyssey, and I’ll see you next time.