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***SPOILER-FREE REVIEW***

Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie: Over the Rainbow was an anticipated movie for many Love Live Sunshine fans. Using the same trope of "Traveling Abroad" just like the original Love Live series, they look to produce the same amount of closure in the franchise as well as the original did. However, this really wasn't the case sadly.

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STORY: LLS Movie is an extended epilogue of Love Live! Sunshine!! 2nd Season. With the 3rd years graduating and the others merging in with another school, we look to see how they close the show. It started off nicely with the 1st and 2nd years struggling ... to find their way without 3 members missing. However, the switch to the "3rd years missing in Italy" arc was out of nowhere and the result of the arc was worthless other than to showcase the "trip abroad" trope that the original did. Nothing really was given to the characters rather than the "Friends got our back in everything" concept.

Then switching back to include Saint Snow's dilemma was rapid as well and didn't really help the main group of Aqours resolve their own problems until later on in the movie.

The ending did feature a touching way to end off the series, but everything preceding this was clumsily directed and filled with filler. But I'll get to that in the "Enjoyment" section of this review.

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ART: This movie showcased a vast improvement in it's art and animation compared to the 2nd season. The CG models of the girls performing are much better. Backdrops looked quite nice as well.


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SOUND: Just take the same OST you got from previous Love Live anime but add in a few new original songs and you get this movie's soundtrack. I personally liked all of the songs although listening to Aqours' singles, they sound quite similar and not so different from each other. Saint Snow's newest song was my standout pick for the soundtrack of the movie in my opinion.

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CHARACTER: As an extension of my thoughts on the story, the way the movie was paced and directed felt sloppy and really didn't do much for any of the individual characters at all. Even as a group which left a mixed feeling for me when finishing the movie. The characters did showcase the tropes that made us love them from the first 2 seasons cause they did have standout moments of comedy and great character chemistry. But seeing as this movie **should** be a defining conclusion to the LL: Sunshine franchise. This felt like filler and that's disappointing.


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ENJOYMENT: As per mentioned in the previous sections, my enjoyment of the movie was flawed due to the sloppy pacing of the story and underwhelming character growth mixed with the "laugh out loud" moments produced by the lovable girls of Love Live Sunshine. Seeing how they marketed this movie to be a "crazy trip abroad" type of movie and seeing the end result was disappointing in my opinion as the whole trip was pretty wasted potential.


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FINAL THOUGHTS: Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie: Over the Rainbow was a overall fine movie. As an extended epilogue to the 2nd season of Sunshine, this was a pretty underwhelming experience. However, for hardcore Love Live fans, this will definitely satisfy you for the comedic moments and good songs that the movie offers. If you have seen the trailer for this movie, don't expect much from the abroad trip or even the movie as a whole. You'll be disappointed, like I was.

5/10

Read the simple synopsis of "Four high school girls visiting the South Pole" and you're dumb-founded. And you ask yourself, "Is this really going to work out?" or "What has anime come to?" I know I had that same thought before this show premiered. And boy was I proven wrong. And here's the reason why..

Story (8/10)

Nothing to write home about here. The simple premise of "Four high school girls visiting the South Pole" is a good way of giving the story. However, what happens internally within, is something to write home about and express deeply. More will be discussed in the "Character" section of this ... review.


Animation (9/10)

MADHOUSE. The legendary, known studio that worked on modern classics such as Death Note, One Punch Man, and many more. They brought life to the art showcased in Sora Yori. Detailed scenery, brilliantly vibrant colors, and fluid animation. Character designs aren't too unique but tailor to the archetype of that character well. Overall, please watch Sora Yori on a legal streaming site with high-definition, it'll bring so much life to this already lively show.


Sound (9/10)

Though nothing really stood out to be in the OST so far. They are well-fitting to what the show has to offer in each scene. Whether it be emotional, fun, or dramatic. The music played in that particular scene fits well. The opening song is particularly fun, but the true feeling of the show is orchestrated perfectly through the ending theme. The show's voice actors brilliantly sing a melody that is accompanied by a vibrant animation with deep meaning in what the show is truly about.

The voice actors feature a cast of well-known voice actors. Inori Minase, Saori Hayami, Kana Hanazawa, and Yuka Iguchi. And how well do they express their characters in this show. They did an amazing job as expected from top class voice actors. Performance in the EDs is brilliantly harmonized together, just like their character chemistry which brings us to the next section.


Character (10/10)

Character development is where Sora Yori fully shines. From a slice of life lover like myself, Sora Yori expresses one of the most dynamic character chemistry I have seen. I compare the chemistry to shows like K-ON and Love Live which heavily rely on strong character interactions to create a ranging "taxonomy" in Slice of Life shows. Archetypes in this show aren't fully obvious at first and don't stick to a generic expectation from what you'd expect in other "cute girls doing cute things" series. As you progress through the show, you'll find their drive and passion for wanting to do what they do. Their past, that delivers strong story-telling to help attach yourselves to the characters strongly. Each character has their own specific past that they gloom over, and each story is well told evenly throughout the series. Overall, Sora Yori showcases strong character/development to create relatable themes and situations that bring somewhat of an inspirational vibe towards watching it.


Enjoyment (10/10)

As previously mentioned, I am a Slice of Life junkie. However, that doesn't mean I find all Slice of Life shows amazing. There are many Slice of Life shows that I found generic or just flat out boring since I felt a rinse and repeat feeling for them. However, Sora Yori brought something that felt inspirational and entertaining. I strive off strong character chemistry, and that's what Sora Yori delivered. Also the idea of dropping everything and pursuing a passion with your friends is something that I heavily relate to.


Overall (9.2/10)

Without taking the story into account. This show, I can say, is the pinnacle of Slice of Life series. With a simple, yet effective story, vibrant art/animation, strong character chemistry, and an all-star cast of voice actors. Sora Yori is a show not to be missed and thrown out the door cause of the premise. Looking deeper in something off-putting can surprise you, like what this show did for me.