Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Love Live! Sunshine!!: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

An all-girl superstar experience!

Love Live! Sunshine!! is a pop-idol anime created by Hajime Yatate (Mobile Suit Gundam, The Big O). The production comes from an original concept by Sakurako Kimino (Sister Princess, Strawberry Panic!) and features animation produced by Sunrise (Cowboy Bebop, Gundam Wing). The series originally aired in Japan on Tokyo MX.

The animated spin-off is produced by Tadashi Hirayama (Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere, Buddy Complex) and Yūki Makimoto (Love Live! School idol project, Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere). The series was licensed by Funimation Entertainment in North America. Love Live! Sunshine!! is a continuation of the popular Love Live! anime franchise.

Chika Takami (Anju Inami) comes up with the idea of creating a new pop music group with some of her fellow schoolgirl classmates. Chika is determined to help save her beloved school, Uranohoshi Girls' Academy, from closing down permanently. The biggest obstacle? Takami's girl-group faces opposition from school president Dia Kurosawa (Arisa Komiya).

Even so, Chika pushes forward with her girl-group band concept and brings together a group of singing-and-dancing girls to enter the popular Love Live! School Idol competition. Joined by Ruby Kurosawa (Ai Furihata), Yoshiko "Yohane" Tsushima (Aika Kobayashi), Mari Ohara (Aina Suzuki), Hanamaru Kunikida (Kanako Takatsuki), Kanan Matsūra (Nanaka Suwa), Riko Sakurauchi (Rikako Aida), and Yō Watanabe (Shuka Saitō), Chika makes sure that the girls fight for the school with the best pop-idol group: Aqours!

Part of the charm of Love Live! Sunshine!! is the cast of characters. The cast is fun and charming. Leading the way, Chika Takami is a solid protagonist for the production. There is a lot of fun to experience with these characters. It is entertaining to see the determination of Chika Takami.

"Dance! Dance!"

The animation is another highlight of the Love Live! Sunshine!! series. The art direction by Junichi Higashi (Samurai Girls, The Twelve Kingdoms) is one of the best components of the production. Everything about Love Live! Sunshine!! looks bright and colorful: there is a sense of a creative vision throughout. The background animation is enticing and the designs help to push the envelope forward for the series concept.

The character designs by Yūhei Murota (Love Live! The School Idol Movie, Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie Over the Rainbow) are delightful as well. The characters have compelling character designs. The artistic style of Murota is well implemented in to the production. Murota did a solid job with all of the designs and each feels distinctive within the universe of the series.

The cinematography by Daiki Sugiyama (After the Rain, Kokoro Connect) is another compelling and worthwhile component of the production. Love Live! Sunshine!! is a beautiful looking series with a bright, colorful, and vivid color palette. The cinematography by Sugiyama is a nice showcase for everything accomplished with the animation. The visual flair is abundant.

The score composed by Tatsuya Katō (Celestial Method, The Future Diary) is worthwhile. The music of Love Live! Sunshine!! is engaging and a nice backdrop to the school-idol events. The score imbues the series with a lively sense of creativity and energy. The score by Katō infuses the series with more than enough creativity to push the storytelling forward.

Written by Jukki Hanada (Sound! Euphonium, Beyond the Boundary), Love Live! Sunshine!! is an entertaining concept for an anime series. The all-girl pop group is a concept which has been explored time-and-time again throughout anime. Yet the series does a solid job of exploring the idea with a cast of charming characters. Hanada explores the story while remembering to focus on the characters first.

Directed by Kazuo Sakai (Mushi-Uta, Mobile Suit Gundam AGE), Love Live! Sunshine!! is a worthwhile anime. The series has a unique artistic vision from director Sakai. The filmmaking allows the school-idol fun to take front-and-center while exploring the cast of characters as well. Sakai capably directs the anime series with a sense of energy and enthusiasm. Fans of previous Love Live! anime franchise incarnations will want to explore further.

Love Live! Sunshine!!: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Funimation Entertainment, Love Live! Sunshine!! is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The series looks splendid in high-definition. The color reproduction is exceptional. Everything about the presentation soars: the animation looks crisp, bright, and lovely. This is a worthwhile encode from Funimation.

Love Live! Sunshine!!: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of high-resolution audio options: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). The high-resolution audio adds to the experience. The lossless resolution improves the audio dynamics with a more well- balanced and satisfying audio experience. Dialogue remains clear throughout the presentation. The original score by composer Tatsuya Katō enhances the experience as well. The surround sound option for the English dub is also excellent and does a solid job of enhancing the series: the surrounds are engaged with a worthwhile expansion of the score and the sound-effects inherent in the soundstage.

Love Live! Sunshine!!: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Part 1:

Promo Video (HD, 1:52)

Commercials (HD, 00:49)

Textless Opening Song "Aozora Jumping Heart" (HD, 1:33)

Trailers (HD, 4:39)

Part 2:

Promo Videos (HD, 1:51)

Textless Opening Song (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song (HD, 1:21)

Trailers (HD, 4:12)

Love Live! Sunshine!!: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Love Live! Sunshine!! is an entertaining anime in the schoolgirl pop idol genre. The series has a charming cast of characters. The lead protagonist, Chika Takami (Anju Inami), is a compelling and talented character. Love Live! Sunshine!! features beautiful animation by Sunrise (Cowboy Bebop, Gundam Wing). The Blu-ray release from Funimation Entertainment includes a solid video-audio presentation. Unfortunately, the supplemental package is underwhelming. Recommended.