Love Live! Sunshine!! introduces a variety of themes in its first episode which all contribute to our understanding of the story and the characters. The thematic threads that develop in the first episode are:
- The everlasting impact and legacy of µ’s
- The usage of reference points for self-actualisation across time
- What it means to be normal
- The nature of miracles
These themes also continue to be a focus of the series going forward, which makes it important to understand them as we continue into the first season. Now enough with the introduction; let’s let the winds of change blow us forward and get us going on the upcoming journey.
The Impact and Legacy of µ’s and Using Reference Points for Self-Actualisation Across Time
Let’s start by seeing that the episode establishes the importance of µ’s both in the larger world and Chika’s life. Their importance to the world is accentuated by their appearance in Chika’s life; the presence of certain objects; and the narrative continuity the episode establishes with the previous series. Meanwhile, µ’s’ specific importance to Chika lies in how they influence her thoughts and actions.
Firstly, we have Chika being amazed by µ’s, which is already a direct consequence of the original story. One effect of µ’s’ actions is that there will be people who will follow in their footsteps. This is one part of their legacy. Their status as being of a previous generation and the adoring manner in which Chika perceives them also convey a mythological association to the original story and group. It has been assumed by the fandom that Sunshine takes place at least 5 years after the original School Idol Project, much like the gap between the real-life introduction of µ’s in 2010 and Aqours in 2015. The aspiration felt by Chika and her constructed story about µ’s is strengthened by the time delay between the existence of µ’s as a group and Chika’s present.
The legacy also has a persistent and tangible existence through how it’s expressed through objects in the present which allows it to maintain additional relevancy for the world and characters. These are Chika’s copy of the µ’s poster from the first movie which she has hung in her room; and the Otonokizaka uniform that Riko wears. These are important to include in this first episode, as the facets of µ’s’ impact; the narrative perception of µ’s; and how the current characters relate to them will continue to underline the first season. The connection of objects to stories is also a reflection of part of the tangible relationship between µ’s and their fans in real life. Even disregarding µ’s, if you’re reading this at home, it’s likely that there’s an object related to a story you like somewhere in the room. It reminds me of looking at the things in my room in high school and thinking about what they mean to me. Even right now, just look at what we have here:
Furthermore, we can notice the results of µ’s’ actions on other parts of the world through the narrative continuity established between the two series. In the School Idol Project movie there’s also Honoka stating that she wishes for the Love Live! competition to keep growing. The wish has now been fulfilled in-universe: a screen has been displaying previous Love Live! winners which indicates some current celebration for the competition, and then through Chika’s dialogue we learn that school idols are now popular. On a meta level, this also reflects how the series grew in popularity since School Idol Project. What’s funny though is that with Riko, Chika supposedly says that school idols are popular, yet she only found out about them recently and Riko doesn’t know what they are. This impact is still localised within a particular fandom.
We can also see the particular impact of µ’s on Chika’s personal psyche, where she uses µ’s as a reference point for self-actualisation. As mentioned previously, this is a result of the idolisation of µ’s which is enhanced by a certain amount of time passing. However, it is also strengthened by the lack of an inter-personal relationship as Chika has not actually met any of the previous µ’s members. We may not personally know our inspirations and we may have limited information about them. Nonetheless, that doesn’t stop us from looking up to them or trying to be like them. Chika embodies this behaviour and her distance from µ’s is also underlined by visuals which more directly show her framed in comparison to them across time:
Have you ever tried to imitate a cool band or anime character you liked? Chika has already started to do that, and she and the series will continue to do it in interesting ways. Chika also does it when she recites lyrics from one of their songs. Also, the scene with Chika and You in Chika’s room ends with time moving forward which forces them to catch the bus to school. We can look back at the past all we want, but the circumstances surrounding the process of self-actualisation move beyond the scope of previous generations. The future still matters and the time period, locations and people involved are different. These differences will be explored further on in the series.
What It Means to Be Normal
We see that µ’s has a notable impact on Chika. The specific framework through which she perceives them is the most important way that comparisons are drawn in this episode. This is through the idea of people being normal versus not. This is introduced by Chika, who finds µ’s ideal because of how they seem normal yet are shining so brightly. This gives us an interesting avenue through which to explore her worldview. She would define normal people as those who don’t have a clear direction or vision for themselves to pursue and also don’t feel any particular passion they want to invest themselves in. While she talks about it with Riko, Chika thinks about watching You’s swimming practice. It’s notable that she does this because it’s impossible to define normality without something to compare it against. Normality is relative to the environment you’re in and the people you’re around.
Amidst this reflection, Chika wants to self-actualise within the framework of normality. But guess what? Through another means of looking at normality relative to the people around you, Chika isn’t as normal as she thinks she is.
Chika says that she’s a normal person born on a distinct planet called “Planet Normal” (the subtitles translate them from “普通” and “星”; Chika also uses “星人”). With this declaration, she’s placing some distance between herself and other people. Furthermore, Chika has already formed an image of what a possible transformation would look like: becoming a “normal monster”. Not everyone thinks like that. Moreover, she has already thought about emulating µ’s with friends specifically. This is her beginning to establish some kind of direction to pursue. Chika is also inspired by µ’s quite quickly and is engrossing herself in something she loves. Although just because Chika is starting to do it now, it doesn’t mean that she’s out of her rut. That’s because she sees these extraordinary people as doing it consistently throughout their lives. Nonetheless, Chika has possibly always had the ability to see some potential direction, but she just didn’t find something that she connected with. This shows how passion comes from within you, but it could take an outside force to make you aware of it. Though this also begs the question of what kinds of passion might be normal or not.
From Riko’s perspective, her conversation with Chika is certainly not one she’s had every day. Riko is a bit perplexed by Chika’s monster imitation, and then chuckles as something newly amusing comes into her life. Riko then learns something new with what school idols are from Chika.
However, despite Riko dedicating herself to piano much to Chika’s adoration, there are already a few similarities between the two which bridges some gaps between them. As Riko clearly demonstrates with her attempted Susume->Tomorrow into the ocean, she’s desperate. Chika also has a mix of desperation and eagerness as she wants to escape her mundanity and passionately tries to form a club. You can also see this in her confrontations with Dia. Chika and Riko’s intermediate goals are also rather vague. What do shining while still being normal; being a normal monster; and “the sound of the ocean” actually mean? The series will explore these aspects more later on.
Going back to how Chika has not actually met any of µ’s, I bet you $1,000 that neither Chika nor Riko would call Nico or Hanayo normal if they showed their passion for idols to them. The physical and temporal distance from µ’s obscures their true selves. Nonetheless, we can agree that µ’s are not monsters like Godzilla. It’s also even more interesting to discuss normality in the context of anime, since anime characters show exaggerated behaviour that is usually not emulated in real life like with Ruby’s scream. That complicates how it can be discussed and how we relate to the characters. But that’s a whole other can of worms. Really, talking about normality is a bit of a mess due to how it relies on comparisons. There’s also how in the first movie, µ’s are basically treated as celebrities by their fans yet Chika still views them as normal. There’s more to untangle here.
We shouldn’t forget about the other characters either. Chika sees a shine from Hanamaru and Ruby because they’re pretty, and You also notices. Physical appearances do not factor into how Chika thinks about normality. If this specific kind of shine doesn’t depend on if they’re normal or not, then perhaps other kinds of shine don’t depend on it either. There are other aspects of the characters to note though. Hanamaru says “Zura” multiple times which isn’t a real word; Ruby is extremely shy; and Yohane is LITERALLY a fallen angel! These are definitely not normal traits and Chika says that Yohane certainly isn’t okay. There’s also Dia who’s abnormally opposed to Chika making a school idol club and Mari in a helicopter speaking Engrish. What kind of people behave like that? The point here is that there are multiple ways someone can be normal or not and there may still be room for them to display weird behaviours.
In addition, even “normal” people can be respected and can inspire others. You herself is the closest one to Chika and Chika perceives her as being among the abnormal crowd with her swimming talent and passion. Yet the two of them are still friends, and there’s mutual respect from You where she recognises Chika’s seriousness. This leads her to join the club. Riko also says that she felt inspired after listening to Chika’s story.
On another interesting note, Yoshiko is a character who demonstrates both deliberate and indeliberate displays of abnormality and it’s also challenged. The intentional part is the embodiment of the Yohane persona. Hanamaru sees through it and breaks down this deliberate weirdness. However, it’s great that Hanamaru executes a combo and makes Yoshiko unintentionally show a quirk of hers with her unique scissor hand. But we’ll get to Yoshiko in due course.
The Nature of Miracles
We have the impact of µ’s and an exploration of normality. Another important element that’s explored is that of miracles. The episode characterises miracles as both products and drivers of change; as coming from outside sources; and as rays of hope amidst a challenging situation. Their importance is emphasised by them being mentioned in the very first line of the series and also how it links to normality. Riko is a miracle because she is an outsider that made the change of transferring into Chika’s school. She is also a ray of hope as she is one the most appropriate people to help Chika achieve her dream. Riko being a ray of hope is also a way in which Chika perceives her as special. This is in addition to how Riko represents someone who strives to become something. Moreover, when Chika first watches the performance of START:DASH!!, µ’s comes from somewhere outside her present time and provokes Chika to change and take action. The experience also serves as a ray of hope for Chika to escape her mundanity.
Specifically with µ’s, they saved Otonokizaka from being shut down by Honoka wanting to take action. It is through this that µ’s allowed Otonokizaka to still exist. This in turn is what allowed Riko to actually be able to go to it, as she can’t attend a school that’s closed. That’s why when Riko reveals that she came from Otonokizaka, she materially proves the miracle created by the previous generation. It’s a miracle for Chika’s dream and a miracle that µ’s’ spirit lives on. It’s also reflected in how certain life events can cause us to change our behaviour and try to create something of our own. You’re reading a product of that right now. It’s surely been a miracle for some that they started engaging with this franchise in the first place. It’s an entity which caused them to take some kind of action; that came from an outside source; and shed some light on a particular situation.
It’s not like a miracle comes and solves everything though. Chika wants to capture that miracle and the energy of it for herself, but it won’t happen immediately and there are obstacles along the way. This is emphasised really nicely when Chika and You are on the boat and Chika tries to grasp the bird, but misses.
Closing Thoughts
Overall, the first episode of Love Live! Sunshine!! explores the legacy and impact of a previous generation; the idea of normality; and the nature of what we call miracles in multiple ways. The episode communicates that these ideas all impact our perception of certain people and events. Also, the exact impact of previous generations and what we see as normal are influenced by the distance we have between ourselves and who we aspire to be; and who and what surround us. These influences and perceptions also affect our actions, which have the potential to have an impact on the world and other people in the present. Everything is explored in the episode one way or another, and they form bases that the series will continue to expand upon.
What can I say? This is one of the best first episodes of all time. There are still some things that were not covered here, such as particular aspects of the presentation and episode flow; the music; and other elements of specific scenes. Regardless, this is enough for now and there’s always room to explore those later. It’s logistically infeasible to discuss everything every single time. Anyhow, let’s look to the future now. There’s still a long road ahead with more to see.
Are you ready to blast off?
Series Director, Episode 1 Director and Episode 1 Storyboarder: Kazuo Sakai
Series Composition and Script: Jukki Hanada
Score Composer: Tatsuya Kato
OP Unit Director: Ryo Ando
TO BE CONTINUED in episodes 2 and 3.