Love Live! School Idol Project

Did You Know?

• The group name μ's was chosen by readers of Dengeki G's Magazine through a polling system.
• Honoka Kōsaka's family runs a wagashi shop named Homura.

Characters

Honoka Kōsaka is a second-year student at Otonokizaka Academy whose family runs a wagashi shop named Homura. She has a cheerful personality and is very determined, often overexerting herself. She is lazy about work but highly driven in school idol activities, enjoys swimming and collecting stickers, and later succeeds Eli as student council president. Eli Ayase is the third-year student council president determined to save the school.

Initially opposing Honoka's plan, she becomes the second-to-last girl to join μ's. She is part Russian through her grandmother and says the Russian word "хорошо" (harasho, meaning "good"). Eli excels at academics and athletics, performs her duties flawlessly, and her ballet experience qualifies her as the group's choreographer. Kotori Minami is Honoka's classmate and childhood best friend, daughter of the school's chairwoman. She serves as the group's wardrobe supervisor, is kind and selfless but can be indecisive.

She briefly worked part-time at a maid cafe and intended to study fashion abroad but stayed in Japan to remain in μ's. Umi Sonoda is also a member of μ's.

Media

A manga adaptation titled Love Live!, written by Sakurako Kimino and illustrated by Arumi Tokita, began serialization in the January 2012 issue of Dengeki G's Magazine and ended in the May 2014 issue, transferring to Dengeki G's Comic. Five tankōbon volumes were released as of May 27, 2017. A second manga, Love Live! School Idol Diary, written by Kimino and illustrated by Masaru Oda, began serialization in the June 2014 issue of Dengeki G's Comic.

A light novel series of the same name, written by Kimino with illustrations by Yūhei Murota, Natsu Otono, and Akame Kiyose, had 11 volumes published between May 30, 2013, and August 29, 2014. A fan book titled History of Love Live! was released on September 10, 2014. The 13-episode first anime season aired on Tokyo MX from January 6 to March 31, 2013, and was simulcast by Crunchyroll. An original video animation was released on November 27, 2013.

The second season aired on Tokyo MX from April 6 to June 29, 2014, also on TV Aichi, Yomiuri TV, and BS11. The animated film Love Live! The School Idol Movie was released in theaters on June 13, 2015.

Reception

Anime News Network editors reviewed the first season in 2013. Carl Kimlinger found fault in some characters lacking depth and the use of 3D animation in dancing scenes, but praised director Takahiko Kyōgoku's visuals and realistic approach to idol groups. Rebecca Silverman criticized the 3D animation and stereotypical characters but found the series enjoyable due to its charm, concluding it has its heart in the right place. Silverman reviewed the second season in 2014, noting its tendency to get melodramatic and lack of equal attention to the main cast, but praised it for fixing first-season problems and providing genuine emotion, calling it one of the most enjoyable entries into the idol genre.

In 2014, Love Live! won the Anime Work Award at the 19th Animation Kobe Awards. In 2015, μ's won The Best Singing award at the 9th Seiyu Awards. μ's ranked No. 8 among Oricon's best-selling artists of 2015, selling over 800,000 music CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray Discs for over ¥3.15 billion. In 2016, μ's ranked No. 10 among Oricon's best-selling artists, earning about ¥2.54 billion. Love Live! ranked No. 1 in top-selling media franchises in Japan for 2016 and No. 4 in 2015, earning over ¥8 billion in 2016 and over ¥5 billion in 2015 in physical media sales.