Love Live! series

Love Live! School Idol Project series (ラブライブ！シリーズ) is a Japanese mediamix project by KADOKAWA, Sunrise and Bandai Namco, based on an original story by Sakurako Kimino. It is a series of works featuring the youthful activities of 'school idols'.

Overview

Love Live! School Idol Project series (ラブライブ！シリーズ) is a Japanese mediamix project by KADOKAWA, Sunrise and Bandai Namco, based on an original story by Sakurako Kimino. This series of works follows the efforts and growth of 'school idols' (スクールアイドル), ordinary high school girls who perform idol activities as a club activity.

List of Works and Groups

Title (Year of Start of Activity)	Work Information
Love Live! (2010-)	Love Live! School Idol Project Main Group: μ's Setting of Work and School: Akihabara (Tokyo), Otonokizaka Gakuin Original Media: Magazine Column Animation series: first season (2013), second season (2014), Movie (2015) 1st Single: Bokura no LIVE, Kimi tono LIVE (Music Video) The first work in the series. A hit from the TV animation series, and a musical success as a group of voice actresses, the series became a social phenomenon.μ'sbyヨッチ
Love Live! Sunshine!! (2015-)	Love Live! Sunshine!! (ラブライブ!サンシャイン!!) Main Group: Aqours Setting of Work and School: Numazu City (Shizuoka Prefecture), Uranohoshi Girls' High School Original Media: Magazine Column Animation series: first season (2016), second season (2017), Movie (2019) 1st Single: Kimi no Kokoro wa Kagayaiteru kai? (Music Video) The second work in the series. Unlike the previous work, the setting was changed to a provincial area. In addition to Aqours, a rival school idol group that appears in the story (Saint Snow) actually performed live concerts as a group of voice actresses.
Nijigasaki series (2017-)	Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club (ラブライブ!虹ヶ咲学園スクールアイドル同好会) Main Group: Nijigasaki High School Idol Club (虹ヶ咲学園スクールアイドル同好会) Setting of Work and School: Odaiba (Tokyo), Nijigasaki High School Original Media: Column on several online media website Animation series: first season (2020), second season (2022), OVA (TBA) 1st Single: TOKIMEKI Runners (Music Video) The third work in the series. Unlike the previous two works, the series started with a game medium (School Idol Festival ALL STARS). Furthermore, it is a group of solo idols rather than a group, and has more members than in the other series.1stライブ🌈byヒラコ虹ヶ咲学園スクールアイドル同好会byshamakho
Love Live! Superstar!! (2020-)	Love Live! Superstar!! (ラブライブ!スーパースター!!) Main Group: Liella! Setting of Work and School: Harajuku (Tokyo), Yuigaoka Girls' High School Original Media: TV Animation and live concert Animation series: first season (2021), second season (2022), third season (TBA) 1st Single: Hajimari wa Kimi no Sora (Music Video) The fourth work in the series. Instead of focusing on magazine serialisation as in previous series, this work announced a TV anime adaptation from the very beginning at the start of the project. As well as this, it introduced new innovations such as members moving up to the next grade in the story, and additional members being added along with them, and a public casting competition for these members. The series changed broadcaster from commercial broadcasters to the public broadcaster NHK.ハロー!!!ラブライブ!byえいちむ【本日TVアニメ2期放送開始です💫🎶】by青空葵
Virtual School Idol (2022-)	Love Live! Hasunosora Girls' High School Idol Club (ラブライブ!蓮ノ空女学院スクールアイドルクラブ) Main Group: Hasunosora Girls' High School Idol Club Setting of Work and School: Kanazawa City (Ishikawa Prefecture), Hasunosora Girls' High School Original Media: Video Streaming on an app The fifth work in the series. It has been announced that the project will use an app as its main platform, rather than a magazine or website. It is described as a project with new cast and members, focusing on video streaming, and fans speculate that it may be something like a VTuber.
School Idol Musical (2022-2023)	Love Live! School Idol Musical (ラブライブ!スクールアイドルミュージカル) Main Groups: Takizakura Girl's Academy Idol Club, Tsubakisakuhana Girls' High School Idol Club Setting of Work and School: Osaka Prefecture and Hyōgo Prefecture (Takizakura Girl's Academy High Scool and Tsubakisakuhana Girls' High School) Media: Stage play (Musical) Date and performance theatre: 10-15 December 2022, New National Theatre, Tokyo Playhouse / 25-29 January 2023, Umeda Arts Theater main hall the first theatre musical production in the series. The story features two protagonists who are the daughters of the chancellors of two opposing schools.

Features

Start of each Project with Fan

The name of the group as a school idol and the members in charge of the various events are decided by public solicitation and voting from the fans. This concept of including not only the group members but also the fans in the activities is called the "A Story That Comes True Together". Fans are generally referred to as "Love Livers".

Although it is a series project, the next work does not start until the previous work is completely finished, rather, the past works are also ongoing at the same time. Therefore, it can be said that there are several 'current works'.

World Setting and Production Style

The story of each work is basically "the protagonist gathers her friends to become school idols and struggles in various situations".

All members of the protagonist's group are high school students and attend the same school.

In this series, the themes of 'professional entertainment' and 'interaction with fans', which are common in idol related works, are not depicted very much, and instead, the main characters' school life, moving on to higher grades and their dreams for the future are strongly depicted as a teenage drama.

Essentially, it is a so-called 'club activity story', yet there is no advisor in the story at all, and all activities are managed solely by the students who are members of the club. Therefore, the production of music, costumes and choreography, which are indispensable for idol activities, is also completed solely by the students.

Even with the same title, the character settings and storylines are significantly different in each media (multiverse). Conversely, even if the titles are different, if the media are the same, the world setting may be identical (shared world).

Cast of Members

The voice actresses perform the songs, dances and roles of the characters they are in charge of at live concerts and at various events.

In 2015, the μ's participated in the Kōhaku Uta Gassen, a nationwide singing special program broadcast by the public broadcaster NHK every year on New Year's Eve. On the program, they performed their anime songs alongside various star performers.

History

June 2010

The project was launched.

February 2015

The Love Live! Sunshine!! started.

March 2017

The project of Nijigasaki High School Idol Club started.

January 2020

The Love Live! Superstar!! started.

Main Production Stuff

Yuki Wakabayashi (若林悠紀)

Planning producer of Studio Sunrise.

Sakurako Kimino (公野櫻子)

The original writer of "Love Live!" and "Sunshine!!" (and the original concept ('Based on a story by') for the anime version related issues). She is named as the original concept ('Based on a story by') in "Nijigasaki", "Superstar!!" and the Musical play.