Love Live! Superstar!!

Love Live! Superstar!! (ラブライブ！スーパースター!!) is a Japanese multimedia project co-developed by Kadokawa Corporation, music label Lantis, and animation studio Bandai Namco Filmworks (formerly known as Sunrise). The project is the third major and fourth overall installment in the Love Live! franchise after Love Live! School Idol Project, and Love Live! Sunshine!!. Superstar revolves into five young schoolgirls forming an idol group collectively known as Liella.

An anime television series aired on NHK Educational TV from July to October 2021. A second season aired from July to October 2022. A third season is set to premiere in October 2024. All seasons are licensed by Crunchyroll for home video and streaming in the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe (including Quebec).

Plot
The story is set in the Yuigaoka Private Girls High School (私立結ヶ丘女子高等学校) that lies between the Omotesando, Harajuku, and Aoyama neighborhoods of Tokyo. The school was originally going to be demolished, only to have instead recently reopened to accept students. Within a school that has not made a name for itself, along with no history or accomplishments to speak of, Kanon Shibuya and four other first-year students discover the existence of "school idols", and for one reason or another eventually join the school idol club (with the group later being named "Liella!") in order to leave their mark on the newly reopened academy. As time progresses, Liella! gains popularity with the general public and prospective students, which leads to new members joining with each consecutive school year. The number of club members gradually rises from the founding 5 in its first year, 9 in its second year, and 11 in its third year.

Characters
Where appropriate, plot descriptions mentioned below refer to the anime television series. Other parts of the franchise, such as the manga and novel series, feature some variations in the storyline. The original five members are first-year students in the first season and advance as second-year students in the second season.

Liella!

 * Kanon Shibuya (澁谷 かのん)
 * Kanon is a high school second-year student who claims to be "someone with no standout characteristics." She has a fond appreciation for both singing and playing the guitar. However, she tends to tense up when she is set to perform in front of other people, which has caused her to pass out on several occasions on stage. Because of this, she failed the entrance exam for Yuigaoka Girls' music program, and ended up settling for the school's general academic program instead. However, thanks to Keke, she overcomes her stage fright and becomes very cheerful and happy again. Kanon is also a very kind, charismatic and selfless girl, who constantly tries to help, encourage and befriend everyone, even the ones who are arrogant and dismissive towards her. Her family consists of a dad who works as a translator, a mom who runs a cafe, and a younger sister. She and her younger sister often help their mother with running the cafe, with one of her specialties being latte art. She keeps a chubby Eurasian scops owl as a pet named "Manmaru," which is also the cafe's popular mascot. She wears glasses and ties her hair up when at home. Kanon serves as the leader of Liella!, as well as lyricist and composer. She is part-Spanish because of her grandmother. In the second season, she became the student council vice president to help shoulder Ren's duty as student council president.
 * Kanon is a high school second-year student who claims to be "someone with no standout characteristics." She has a fond appreciation for both singing and playing the guitar. However, she tends to tense up when she is set to perform in front of other people, which has caused her to pass out on several occasions on stage. Because of this, she failed the entrance exam for Yuigaoka Girls' music program, and ended up settling for the school's general academic program instead. However, thanks to Keke, she overcomes her stage fright and becomes very cheerful and happy again. Kanon is also a very kind, charismatic and selfless girl, who constantly tries to help, encourage and befriend everyone, even the ones who are arrogant and dismissive towards her. Her family consists of a dad who works as a translator, a mom who runs a cafe, and a younger sister. She and her younger sister often help their mother with running the cafe, with one of her specialties being latte art. She keeps a chubby Eurasian scops owl as a pet named "Manmaru," which is also the cafe's popular mascot. She wears glasses and ties her hair up when at home. Kanon serves as the leader of Liella!, as well as lyricist and composer. She is part-Spanish because of her grandmother. In the second season, she became the student council vice president to help shoulder Ren's duty as student council president.


 * Keke Tang (唐 可可)
 * Keke is a second-year student who hails from Shanghai, China, having just recently moved to Japan—her mother's homeland—to become a school idol, and is initially responsible for recruiting new members for the club. Despite wanting to become a school idol, Keke lacks in physical stamina and has a hard time keeping up with her fellow members. She holds the JLPT N1 certificate. She enjoys stage costumes and has a hobby of creating new ones and restoring used outfits. As such, she serves as the club's official wardrobe supervisor. She has a habit of speaking in Mandarin when she gets excited. She's very optimistic, cheerful and loud, and with her infectious enthusiasm she inspires Kanon in overcoming her personal issues.
 * Keke is a second-year student who hails from Shanghai, China, having just recently moved to Japan—her mother's homeland—to become a school idol, and is initially responsible for recruiting new members for the club. Despite wanting to become a school idol, Keke lacks in physical stamina and has a hard time keeping up with her fellow members. She holds the JLPT N1 certificate. She enjoys stage costumes and has a hobby of creating new ones and restoring used outfits. As such, she serves as the club's official wardrobe supervisor. She has a habit of speaking in Mandarin when she gets excited. She's very optimistic, cheerful and loud, and with her infectious enthusiasm she inspires Kanon in overcoming her personal issues.


 * Chisato Arashi (嵐 千砂都)
 * Chisato is a second-year student and Kanon's childhood friend who is good at breakdancing. She is an energetic girl who can easily befriend anyone she meets. Chisato likes anything that is round shaped; especially Kanon's pet Manmaru, who seems to be wary around Chisato when she comes to visit. She is also known to keep up to date on gossip and rumors that are spread around the school. Despite having an interest in school idols, Chisato initially does not want to become one as she thinks she is better off supporting Kanon instead. She initially belonged to Yuigaoka's music program but made the decision to transfer to the general program after deciding to join Liella!. She has a part time job at a takoyaki shop, which is also her favorite food. She is distinguishable with her twin tail hairstyle and hair buns. Her catchphrase is, "Wissu Wissu Wissu!" She became the School Idol Club's president in the second season.
 * Chisato is a second-year student and Kanon's childhood friend who is good at breakdancing. She is an energetic girl who can easily befriend anyone she meets. Chisato likes anything that is round shaped; especially Kanon's pet Manmaru, who seems to be wary around Chisato when she comes to visit. She is also known to keep up to date on gossip and rumors that are spread around the school. Despite having an interest in school idols, Chisato initially does not want to become one as she thinks she is better off supporting Kanon instead. She initially belonged to Yuigaoka's music program but made the decision to transfer to the general program after deciding to join Liella!. She has a part time job at a takoyaki shop, which is also her favorite food. She is distinguishable with her twin tail hairstyle and hair buns. Her catchphrase is, "Wissu Wissu Wissu!" She became the School Idol Club's president in the second season.


 * Sumire Heanna (平安名 すみれ)
 * Sumire is a cynical second-year student and a posh shrine maiden who lives at a well-known and respected community shrine located near the school. Her personality tends to come off as somewhat arrogant, stuck up and rude to strangers, and despite being an assertive extrovert she initially appears as slightly antisocial. She was a former child actress who struggled to receive headlining roles in any project she worked on. Because of her experience in the world of show business, she expected to take the position of center within Liella!, eventually being voted in last place with Kanon taking the lead. She has a younger sister. Due to her knowledge of the entertainment industry, she has several hidden talents, one of which being freestyle hip hop. Her catchphrase is "Galaxy!"
 * Sumire is a cynical second-year student and a posh shrine maiden who lives at a well-known and respected community shrine located near the school. Her personality tends to come off as somewhat arrogant, stuck up and rude to strangers, and despite being an assertive extrovert she initially appears as slightly antisocial. She was a former child actress who struggled to receive headlining roles in any project she worked on. Because of her experience in the world of show business, she expected to take the position of center within Liella!, eventually being voted in last place with Kanon taking the lead. She has a younger sister. Due to her knowledge of the entertainment industry, she has several hidden talents, one of which being freestyle hip hop. Her catchphrase is "Galaxy!"


 * Ren Hazuki (葉月 恋)
 * Ren is a second-year student who is the daughter of the school founder, Hana Hazuki, as well as the student council president. She belongs to the music program. She is polite, disciplined, and known for her strict personality. She lives nearby the school and takes pride in the rich history of Yuigaoka. Initially, she comes across unfriendly and strict towards the school idol club, doing everything in her power to shut down opportunities that come by. However, it is revealed that Ren's mother had died due to illness, and Ren's harsh attitude to school idols came from a misconception that Hana had regretted becoming a school idol, but the truth is eventually divulged that being a school idol was one of Hana's most treasured memories from her high school years. Following in her mother's footsteps, Ren decides to join the unit as the group's fifth member. Once she joins, it's revealed she is actually a very kind person, and despite still being diligent and serious, she's also very emotional, easily moved to tears in front of an audience. She has a rather goofy side as well, such as developing a hidden passion for video games, contrary to her traditional nature, and having a naïve curious demeanor about things she's not familiar with.
 * Ren is a second-year student who is the daughter of the school founder, Hana Hazuki, as well as the student council president. She belongs to the music program. She is polite, disciplined, and known for her strict personality. She lives nearby the school and takes pride in the rich history of Yuigaoka. Initially, she comes across unfriendly and strict towards the school idol club, doing everything in her power to shut down opportunities that come by. However, it is revealed that Ren's mother had died due to illness, and Ren's harsh attitude to school idols came from a misconception that Hana had regretted becoming a school idol, but the truth is eventually divulged that being a school idol was one of Hana's most treasured memories from her high school years. Following in her mother's footsteps, Ren decides to join the unit as the group's fifth member. Once she joins, it's revealed she is actually a very kind person, and despite still being diligent and serious, she's also very emotional, easily moved to tears in front of an audience. She has a rather goofy side as well, such as developing a hidden passion for video games, contrary to her traditional nature, and having a naïve curious demeanor about things she's not familiar with.


 * Kinako Sakurakoji (桜小路 きな子)
 * Kinako is a kindhearted first-year student from Hokkaido who lives on her own and isn't used to the big city. She was recruited by Kanon to become a school idol after getting lost on campus. Although a bit shy and not very athletic, Kinako is a hard worker who does not back down easily from challenges. She has a tendency to be very loud, and can be easily startled. She has a habit of referring to herself in the third person and ends her sentence with "~ssu" due to her rural upbringing. Before joining the group, she spent a lot of her time outdoors since her family owns a ranch estate, and as a result she is great with animals.
 * Kinako is a kindhearted first-year student from Hokkaido who lives on her own and isn't used to the big city. She was recruited by Kanon to become a school idol after getting lost on campus. Although a bit shy and not very athletic, Kinako is a hard worker who does not back down easily from challenges. She has a tendency to be very loud, and can be easily startled. She has a habit of referring to herself in the third person and ends her sentence with "~ssu" due to her rural upbringing. Before joining the group, she spent a lot of her time outdoors since her family owns a ranch estate, and as a result she is great with animals.


 * Mei Yoneme (米女 メイ)
 * Mei is a first-year student who is often mischaracterized as a delinquent due to her "scary eyes," which in reality turns out to be a side effect of her poor eyesight. She speaks in a rather abrasive tone and comes off as frightening to other students, but she is actually very shy and has a diehard adoration for school idols that she keeps secret from everyone except Shiki. She initially enrolled in Yuigaoka Girls to get closer to Liella! as a fan and initially had no intention on joining until she was invited by the club members after they saw how passionate she was about them. She is very close with Shiki, and confides in her regularly about her feelings.
 * Mei is a first-year student who is often mischaracterized as a delinquent due to her "scary eyes," which in reality turns out to be a side effect of her poor eyesight. She speaks in a rather abrasive tone and comes off as frightening to other students, but she is actually very shy and has a diehard adoration for school idols that she keeps secret from everyone except Shiki. She initially enrolled in Yuigaoka Girls to get closer to Liella! as a fan and initially had no intention on joining until she was invited by the club members after they saw how passionate she was about them. She is very close with Shiki, and confides in her regularly about her feelings.


 * Shiki Wakana (若菜 四季)
 * Shiki is a first-year student who has difficulty expressing emotions. Being one of the school's only science club members, she can usually be found spending her free time in the science club room inventing strange gadgets, one of which being a pair of robotic roller skates. She and Mei have been friends from junior high school, and she considers Mei to be one of the most important people in her life, possibly having a crush on her as she becomes jealous when Mei spends time with others as well as remarking about Mei's looks on a near daily basis. Even though she sometimes comes off as cold due to her stoic nature, she is a well meaning girl who does her best to support her best friend; she initially joins the school idol club on a trial period in an attempt to bait Mei into joining. Eventually, she joins the group in order to spend more time with Mei and bond over their newly found shared interest.
 * Shiki is a first-year student who has difficulty expressing emotions. Being one of the school's only science club members, she can usually be found spending her free time in the science club room inventing strange gadgets, one of which being a pair of robotic roller skates. She and Mei have been friends from junior high school, and she considers Mei to be one of the most important people in her life, possibly having a crush on her as she becomes jealous when Mei spends time with others as well as remarking about Mei's looks on a near daily basis. Even though she sometimes comes off as cold due to her stoic nature, she is a well meaning girl who does her best to support her best friend; she initially joins the school idol club on a trial period in an attempt to bait Mei into joining. Eventually, she joins the group in order to spend more time with Mei and bond over their newly found shared interest.


 * Natsumi Onitsuka (鬼塚 夏美)
 * Natsumi is a popular "L-tuber" who decided to become a school idol to gain more followers and money. She has a friendly outer core, but can also be rather manipulative and selfish; she initially gets closer to Liella! in order to obtain money and internet fame through ad revenue as an L-Tuber, offering to be the group's "producer" and making short form vlogs of the members daily lives. After spending some time at Hokkaido alongside her fellow classmates, she took a genuine liking to the charm of school idol activities. Kanon formally invites her to join Liella!, and she becomes the group's ninth member. She frequently ends her sentences with "~desu no." Her catchphrase is "Oninuts!"
 * Natsumi is a popular "L-tuber" who decided to become a school idol to gain more followers and money. She has a friendly outer core, but can also be rather manipulative and selfish; she initially gets closer to Liella! in order to obtain money and internet fame through ad revenue as an L-Tuber, offering to be the group's "producer" and making short form vlogs of the members daily lives. After spending some time at Hokkaido alongside her fellow classmates, she took a genuine liking to the charm of school idol activities. Kanon formally invites her to join Liella!, and she becomes the group's ninth member. She frequently ends her sentences with "~desu no." Her catchphrase is "Oninuts!"


 * Wien Margarete (ウィーン・マルガレーテ)
 * A solo school idol from Austria who is infatuated with Kanon. She comes off as reserved, but brash and competitive in comparison to Sunny Passion, despite boldly stating she has no interest in either school idols or Love Live! other than setting out to prove she can easily win the competition in comparison to other groups she sees as inferior amateurs . It is later revealed that she failed her entrance exam for a prestigious music school in her home country, and winning Love Live! in Japan was a condition for her to gain school acceptance. After Liella! was chosen to advance to the finals of Love Live!, her family suggested bringing Kanon back with her to Austria instead and learn music from her, much to her disagreement. Once graduating from middle school, she reluctantly enrolls in Yuigaoka Girls and eventually joins Liella!.
 * A solo school idol from Austria who is infatuated with Kanon. She comes off as reserved, but brash and competitive in comparison to Sunny Passion, despite boldly stating she has no interest in either school idols or Love Live! other than setting out to prove she can easily win the competition in comparison to other groups she sees as inferior amateurs . It is later revealed that she failed her entrance exam for a prestigious music school in her home country, and winning Love Live! in Japan was a condition for her to gain school acceptance. After Liella! was chosen to advance to the finals of Love Live!, her family suggested bringing Kanon back with her to Austria instead and learn music from her, much to her disagreement. Once graduating from middle school, she reluctantly enrolls in Yuigaoka Girls and eventually joins Liella!.


 * Tomari Onitsuka (鬼塚 冬毬)
 * Tomari is a studious girl who is also Natsumi's younger sister. She joins Liella! in an attempt to bond with her sister and challenge herself to try something new. She will make her animated debut in the series upcoming third season.
 * Tomari is a studious girl who is also Natsumi's younger sister. She joins Liella! in an attempt to bond with her sister and challenge herself to try something new. She will make her animated debut in the series upcoming third season.

Sunny Passion
An idol unit from Kōzu-shima, Tokyo, which serves as Liella's rival.
 * Yuuna Hijirisawa (聖澤 悠奈)
 * & Yuna Yūki (Japanese) Dani Chambers & Corey Pettit (English)
 * Yuuna and Mao are the members of Sunny Passion, a duo school idol unit originated from Kōzu-shima who inspired Keke to move to Japan and become a school idol. Yuuna is the cheerful of the duo: she is ponytailed and has shark-like teeth. Mao is more reserved, distinguishable from her long, purple hair. The group won Love Live! in the first season and aimed to break a record and win Love Live! again in the second season, though they were unsuccessful in doing so.

Others

 * Aria Shibuya (澁谷 ありあ)
 * Aria is Kanon's younger sister, who is supportive yet somewhat at first skeptical about her sister's choice to become a school idol. Like Kanon, she also helps out with her mother running the cafe.
 * Aria is Kanon's younger sister, who is supportive yet somewhat at first skeptical about her sister's choice to become a school idol. Like Kanon, she also helps out with her mother running the cafe.


 * Manmaru (マンマル)
 * Manmaru is Kanon's pet owl who serves as the cafe's mascot. He is known by its customers for being inexplicably symmetrically round, much to Chisato's fascination.
 * Manmaru is Kanon's pet owl who serves as the cafe's mascot. He is known by its customers for being inexplicably symmetrically round, much to Chisato's fascination.

Development
The franchise announced a separate anime adaptation other than Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club in January 2020, which features a new set of characters, who are all first-year students in a newly reopened school originally on the verge of demolition. The school lies between the Omotesando, Harajuku, and Aoyama neighborhoods of Tokyo. In addition, an audition for one of the main cast was held on March 12, 2020, but was postponed due to COVID-19. Atsushi Saitō serves as the character design adapting style of the series' original character designer Yūhei Murota. The school name was decided through fans' votes and concluded in May 2020 with Yuigaoka Girls High School (結ヶ丘女子高等学校). The main characters names were also announced: Kanon Shibuya, Tang Keke, Chisato Arashi, Sumire Heanna, and Ren Hazuki.

The project's name, ''Love Live! Superstar!! was announced in July through the series' exclusive magazine Love Live! Days''. In September, the school idol group's name, "Liella!" was also chosen through fans' votes. The name was chosen among 16 options that fans could vote for. The name "Liella!" comes from a combination from a French word "lier" which means "to connect", which is the same as Yui (結) in the school's name in Japanese, and "brilliante", which means an "inner glow". Behind the group's name lies the feelings of the hope that the small stars of today who have their own brilliance will become superstars someday.

The cast of the initial five main characters was later revealed in December 2020: Sayuri Date, Liyuu, Nako Misaki, Naomi Payton, and Nagisa Aoyama. Date and Aoyama are members who passed the open audition that was held earlier in the year. The group's debut single, "Hajimari wa Kimi no Sora" (始まりは君の空) released on April 7, 2021. The single includes an animation PV and released in two versions—each with different B-sides: "Minna de Kanaeru Monogatari" (みんなで叶える物語) and "Watashi o Kanaeru Monogatari" (私を叶える物語).

Broadcast and distribution
The anime television series is animated by Bandai Namco Filmworks and directed by Takahiko Kyogoku, with Jukki Hanada handling series composition and Atsushi Saito designing the characters. Yoshiaki Fujisawa returns from his work on Love Live! School Idol Project to compose the music. The series aired on NHK Educational TV from July 11 to October 17, 2021. Funimation has licensed the series for international releases. Liella! perform both the opening and ending themes, titled "Start!! True Dreams" and "Mirai wa Kaze no Yō ni" (未来は風のように) respectively, from episode 2 onwards. Special animated music videos made specifically for the NHK Educational TV broadcast featuring original songs by Liella! air after each episode titled "Songs of Liella!".

On October 24, 2021, it was announced during a live screening event of the first season that a second season wasproduction. The announcement was uploaded to the official ''Love Live! Series'' YouTube channel shortly after the event. The second season aired from July 17 to October 9, 2022. The second season features four additional Liella! members. Liella! once again perform the both opening and ending themes, respectively titled "We Will!" and "Oikakeru Yume no Saki de" (追いかける夢の先で). The second season also features "Songs of Liella!" segments at the end of every episode when aired on NHK Educational TV.

A third season was announced following the conclusion of the second season. ''Love Live! Superstar!!'' staff held nationwide auditions for a new Liella! third generation cast member, with Sakura Sakakura winning the audition and joining the group, being cast as Tomari Onitsuka. The third season is set to premiere in October 2024.

Other media
Various Liella! songs were playable through Love Live! School Idol Festival and its spin-off game School Idol Festival All Stars for limited amounts of time. SR cards of Liella! members were also made available through a special login bonus in School Idol Festival as commemoration of the anime series' broadcast.

A spin-off manga, titled ''Love Live! Superstar!! Chii-chan Buchō wa Yūnō Desu!, written and illustrated by Yūta Taneda began serialization on Kadokawa Corporation's Comic Walker'' manga website on March 30, 2023. The manga is centered around the character Chisato Arashi. The manga's chapters have been compiled into a single tankōbon volume as of January 26, 2024.

Café Casa incident
In June 2021, the Love Live! staff issued an apology for having modeled the main character's family café after the exterior of Café Casa, a real café in Shibuya. The staff admitted that they had used the café’s likeness without permission or "prior consideration", leading to the café's staff receiving infringements of their privacy via social media; additionally, the increased presence of Love Live! fans at the café affected its intended mood and atmosphere. The design of the café in the anime was subsequently changed so it less resembled Café Casa.