<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/2015-10-29Love Live School Idol Movie.jpg">
<b>topic_title by Joshawott</b>
It was three years ago when, sitting in a crowded cinema watching <em>Marvel's Avengers Assemble</em>, I finally witnessed a true cinematic experience – a theatre united in laughter and a celebratory round of applause when the credits rolled. I have seen many films in the years that followed, but had yet to find anything that captured the same essence as back then – until MCM Loves Anime.<br>\r\n\r\nWhile the earlier screenings of <a href=\"http://animeuknews.net/article/170/mcm-loves-anime-part-1\"><em>Miss Hokusai</em> and <em>Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin</em></a> attracted large audiences in their own right, even the festivity's organiser Anime Limited couldn't hold back their surprise at the crowd that had amassed for the English première of Japan's summer anime blockbuster, <strong>Love Live! The School Idol Movie</strong>. Whether they were clad in cosplay or equipped with licensed attire, many cinema-goers were out in full force to show support for their favourite member of μ's (Pronounced “muse”; not to be confused with the Devon-based band of the same pronunciation). Whether it was cheerfully joining in with a “Nico Nico Ni!” or getting into trouble for waving a glow-stick around, the unbridled enthusiasm that <em>Love Live!</em> fans bought to The Crystal was an awe-striking phenomenon in itself. With such a buzz surrounding the event, how did the movie itself fare, however?<br>\r\n\r\nContinuing from the abrupt ending of <em>Love Live! School Idol Project</em>'s final episode, through a combination of a frantic Hanayo and their principal, the saviours of Otonokizaka High School learn that the titular music competition is returning and as the current reigning champions, they are tasked with raising awareness to help fill seats of its new venue – the high-capacity Akiba Dome! The girls are whisked off to New York as part of this mission, but amidst the wonders of the Big Apple, questions linger about the future of μ's.<br>\r\n\r\nAs implied by that brief synopsis, this is not a feature friendly to those not already indoctrinated into the world of <em>Love Live!</em>. Viewers are not only expected to have knowledge of the story so far, but also the nuances of all nine core characters, who, while explored thoroughly over the run of the two anime seasons, would otherwise have been forced to fight for the spotlight of a 103-minute movie. This means that some moments where the audience laughed hardest would have been completely lost on newcomers, such as Hanayo going into white rice withdrawal and a particularly popular scene involving Nico's jealousy over Maki daring to give attention to anyone but her. While some may consider it detrimental, this approach arguably plays to the series' strengths in a similar vein to Marvel Studios' <em>Avengers</em> movies – by expecting audiences to already have some familiarity with the cast, the movie can go full steam ahead without having to look back and make sure nobody is left in the dust. What is concerning though, is the pace at which the train roared down the track.<br>\r\n\r\nWhen After-School Tea Time visited the historic city of London in Kyoto Animation's 2012 hit <em>K-ON! The Movie</em>, I was blown away by the careful attention to detail spent accurately recreating both extravagant and mundane locales – be it the iconic Abbey Road or the interior of a <em>Waitrose</em> supermarket. In comparison, <em>Love Live! The School Idol Movie</em>'s New York felt devoid of that same impact, largely due to the lack of time spent exploring the global hub, especially considering that the cast outright discussed touring the city to find a suitable performance space. The movie even neglected to mention why it was so important for the group to head overseas in the first place; was it an attempt to raise international awareness of an exclusively Japanese competition or the equivalent of an exotic photoshoot? A trio of Americans left confused by the term “School Idols” perhaps epitomises the futility of the former. Disappointingly, a number of ideas presented in μ's' theatrical outing felt as though they were sloppily borrowed from <em>K-ON! The Movie</em> – including a group member secretly composing a song throughout the movie dedicated to those they would be leaving behind that serves as the group's swansong (no, it wasn't for Azusa this time). It isn't long before the girls return to Japan and are confronted with their newfound fame, with the initial hilarity that follows quickly leading to the re-opening of an old wound from the franchise's second season – conflicted feelings over the fate of μ's. While this largely felt like a retread of chartered territory, the new layers presented here carried enough potential for me to lament their compression into a movie's run-time, as opposed to being fleshed out in an entirely new season; which might have spared us from a particularly confusing and poorly executed plot device.<br>\r\n\r\nFortunately the appeal of <em>Love Live!</em> lies not with its overarching narrative, but the charming character interactions and euphoric pop pieces that take place within it; which is where this movie shines brightest. Perhaps in an attempt to evade the jarring mismatch of 2D and CG that still haunts μ's' performances in this theatrical outing, all non-story specific songs feature only three members at a time, allowing the routines to be fully choreographed in two dimensions. The musical numbers were as light, charming and cheery as you would expect from this idol group, with the closing rendition of <em>Bokutachi wa Hitotsu no Hikari </em>(“We Are A Single Light&rdquo
marking the only occasion when the audience remained seated throughout the credits. Despite having to carry the weight of such a large principle cast, staying loyal to the series' careful crafting of its characters ultimately resulted in the film's greatest strength that endures in both its comedic and dramatic elements. Although some of the humour relied on tried-and-tested formulae like Umi's lack of a “Poker Face”, plenty of original moments were on offer and received warm receptions from the audience, with Rin's spotlight-stealing antics standing out as a particular personal highlight.<br>\r\n\r\nWhile <em>Love Live! The School Idol Movie</em> will be as terrifying to newcomers as Nico's beauty regime and won't be remembered as a narrative masterpiece, for fans who have supported μ's since the beginning, it will serve as an endearingly entertaining farewell to anime's première idol group.<br>\r\n
<b>Final score: 7 out of 10</b>
<b>Additional screencaps</b>
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-10-29Hanayo Love Live Movie.jpg">
<b>Additional screencaps</b>
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-10-29Love Live Movie.png">
<b>Additional screencaps</b>
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-10-29Nico Love Live Movie.png">
<b>topic_title by Joshawott</b>
It was three years ago when, sitting in a crowded cinema watching <em>Marvel's Avengers Assemble</em>, I finally witnessed a true cinematic experience – a theatre united in laughter and a celebratory round of applause when the credits rolled. I have seen many films in the years that followed, but had yet to find anything that captured the same essence as back then – until MCM Loves Anime.<br>\r\n\r\nWhile the earlier screenings of <a href=\"http://animeuknews.net/article/170/mcm-loves-anime-part-1\"><em>Miss Hokusai</em> and <em>Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin</em></a> attracted large audiences in their own right, even the festivity's organiser Anime Limited couldn't hold back their surprise at the crowd that had amassed for the English première of Japan's summer anime blockbuster, <strong>Love Live! The School Idol Movie</strong>. Whether they were clad in cosplay or equipped with licensed attire, many cinema-goers were out in full force to show support for their favourite member of μ's (Pronounced “muse”; not to be confused with the Devon-based band of the same pronunciation). Whether it was cheerfully joining in with a “Nico Nico Ni!” or getting into trouble for waving a glow-stick around, the unbridled enthusiasm that <em>Love Live!</em> fans bought to The Crystal was an awe-striking phenomenon in itself. With such a buzz surrounding the event, how did the movie itself fare, however?<br>\r\n\r\nContinuing from the abrupt ending of <em>Love Live! School Idol Project</em>'s final episode, through a combination of a frantic Hanayo and their principal, the saviours of Otonokizaka High School learn that the titular music competition is returning and as the current reigning champions, they are tasked with raising awareness to help fill seats of its new venue – the high-capacity Akiba Dome! The girls are whisked off to New York as part of this mission, but amidst the wonders of the Big Apple, questions linger about the future of μ's.<br>\r\n\r\nAs implied by that brief synopsis, this is not a feature friendly to those not already indoctrinated into the world of <em>Love Live!</em>. Viewers are not only expected to have knowledge of the story so far, but also the nuances of all nine core characters, who, while explored thoroughly over the run of the two anime seasons, would otherwise have been forced to fight for the spotlight of a 103-minute movie. This means that some moments where the audience laughed hardest would have been completely lost on newcomers, such as Hanayo going into white rice withdrawal and a particularly popular scene involving Nico's jealousy over Maki daring to give attention to anyone but her. While some may consider it detrimental, this approach arguably plays to the series' strengths in a similar vein to Marvel Studios' <em>Avengers</em> movies – by expecting audiences to already have some familiarity with the cast, the movie can go full steam ahead without having to look back and make sure nobody is left in the dust. What is concerning though, is the pace at which the train roared down the track.<br>\r\n\r\nWhen After-School Tea Time visited the historic city of London in Kyoto Animation's 2012 hit <em>K-ON! The Movie</em>, I was blown away by the careful attention to detail spent accurately recreating both extravagant and mundane locales – be it the iconic Abbey Road or the interior of a <em>Waitrose</em> supermarket. In comparison, <em>Love Live! The School Idol Movie</em>'s New York felt devoid of that same impact, largely due to the lack of time spent exploring the global hub, especially considering that the cast outright discussed touring the city to find a suitable performance space. The movie even neglected to mention why it was so important for the group to head overseas in the first place; was it an attempt to raise international awareness of an exclusively Japanese competition or the equivalent of an exotic photoshoot? A trio of Americans left confused by the term “School Idols” perhaps epitomises the futility of the former. Disappointingly, a number of ideas presented in μ's' theatrical outing felt as though they were sloppily borrowed from <em>K-ON! The Movie</em> – including a group member secretly composing a song throughout the movie dedicated to those they would be leaving behind that serves as the group's swansong (no, it wasn't for Azusa this time). It isn't long before the girls return to Japan and are confronted with their newfound fame, with the initial hilarity that follows quickly leading to the re-opening of an old wound from the franchise's second season – conflicted feelings over the fate of μ's. While this largely felt like a retread of chartered territory, the new layers presented here carried enough potential for me to lament their compression into a movie's run-time, as opposed to being fleshed out in an entirely new season; which might have spared us from a particularly confusing and poorly executed plot device.<br>\r\n\r\nFortunately the appeal of <em>Love Live!</em> lies not with its overarching narrative, but the charming character interactions and euphoric pop pieces that take place within it; which is where this movie shines brightest. Perhaps in an attempt to evade the jarring mismatch of 2D and CG that still haunts μ's' performances in this theatrical outing, all non-story specific songs feature only three members at a time, allowing the routines to be fully choreographed in two dimensions. The musical numbers were as light, charming and cheery as you would expect from this idol group, with the closing rendition of <em>Bokutachi wa Hitotsu no Hikari </em>(“We Are A Single Light&rdquo
marking the only occasion when the audience remained seated throughout the credits. Despite having to carry the weight of such a large principle cast, staying loyal to the series' careful crafting of its characters ultimately resulted in the film's greatest strength that endures in both its comedic and dramatic elements. Although some of the humour relied on tried-and-tested formulae like Umi's lack of a “Poker Face”, plenty of original moments were on offer and received warm receptions from the audience, with Rin's spotlight-stealing antics standing out as a particular personal highlight.<br>\r\n\r\nWhile <em>Love Live! The School Idol Movie</em> will be as terrifying to newcomers as Nico's beauty regime and won't be remembered as a narrative masterpiece, for fans who have supported μ's since the beginning, it will serve as an endearingly entertaining farewell to anime's première idol group.<br>\r\n<b>Final score: 7 out of 10</b>
<b>Additional screencaps</b>
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-10-29Hanayo Love Live Movie.jpg">
<b>Additional screencaps</b>
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-10-29Love Live Movie.png">
<b>Additional screencaps</b>
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-10-29Nico Love Live Movie.png">
