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Liella! 6th Love Live! Tour ~Let’s be ONE~ - Special Cross Talk ~Aoyama Nagisa x Suzuhara Nozomi x Emori Aya x Sakakura Sakura~

We asked today’s interviewees about what they thought about the passing of the torch of the student council president, the relationship between the Onitsuka sisters, their favorite songs from the season, as well as their thoughts as they head towards their 6th Live Tour!

Liella! begins its third year with two new members! What were the cast’s first impressions of them?

What were your thoughts on the highly-anticipated first episode of Season 3?

Suzuhara: It’s been a while since we last saw Liella! perform and move about in animated form, so it was nice to finally find out for sure what a second-year Kinako-chan was like. I also teared up a little the moment the opening started playing.

Aoyama: I think Ren-chan had changed quite a lot on the inside as the previous seasons progressed, which was why I couldn’t wait to find out what kind of person she’d become once she entered her third year. I was so glad to see her expression of pure kindness in Episode 1! Even though her words and actions gave off an air of maturity, she delivered them with such a gentle expression which made her seem almost childlike. It’s that contrast that makes Ren-chan so cute! (laughs)

Emori: Although it had been two years since Season 2 ended, we had the opportunity to do all kinds of things during those two years, so it felt like time had gone by in a flash, which was unexpected. Even in Episode 1, you can already see Natsumi’s “OniNatsu” mode in full swing, but I was glad that we could get to see another side of her. We got to see a side of her that’s distinct from the OniNatsu mask she puts on all the time through her interactions with her younger sister, Tomari, who’s appearing for the first time this season. Seeing that made me treasure Natsumi all the more.

Sakakura: I was just a fan back when Seasons 1 and 2 were airing, so I remember watching those seasons on TV at home. That’s why seeing Tomari, the character I voice, appear in the anime in Season 3 made me quite emotional. Ever since she was announced as a new member on June 11th, 2023, which was about a year and a half ago, I did my absolute best to convey Tomari’s strengths without the anime, so I was overjoyed to see all of those efforts finally pay off. Since Tomari barely has any lines in Episode 1, I was not only excited to see what was to come, but also to see Tomari finally embrace her love for her sister dearest.

Tell us about some scenes from Season 3 that left a particularly deep impression on you.

Suzuhara: If we’re talking about an episode that showcases a new side of Kinako-chan and how much she’s grown, it’s gotta be Episode 10, where she takes over as the next student council president. Even though she declined the offer initially, I think she decided to give it a try because, one way or another, she wanted to continue spreading the warmth she experienced after meeting the other members of Liella!. I particularly liked the scene where she’s drawing on the chalkboard because it shows just how much she loves the other Liella! members.

Aoyama: If we’re talking about Ren-chan, it’d be Episode 10 as well. She wanted someone she could trust to succeed her as the student council president, but because she knew firsthand how stressful the position could be, she didn’t want to force it upon anyone. Even as she held those conflicting thoughts within her, she still managed to make her request to Kinako-chan in a steady voice, and that shows just how much she has grown. If she hadn’t met Liella!, she might just have made the request in a brasher manner.

Emori: For me, it’d be Episodes 4 and 8. We got to see some of Natsumi’s backstory in Episode 6 of Season 2, but in Season 3, the other members visit her home, we get to see her book of dreams, and we also get to witness her relationship with Tomari-chan being explored in depth. I believe that Tomari-chan enrolling in Yuigaoka allowed Natsumi to face her true emotions head-on, and that’s why I think the relationship between the two sisters is truly something to be treasured.

Sakakura: I totally agree with Aya-chan. Episodes 4 and 8 left the greatest impression on me. Episode 4 showed us what kind of person Tomari is, and seeing her and Natsumi-chan, her sister dearest, cry together like babies after they blurt out their true emotions really touched me. That was the moment that accustomed Tomari to expressing what she truly felt, and I think that was what led to her asking Margarete-chan to create a new Liella! together with her, as well as her asking Kanon-senpai for her ribbon and confessing that she had looked up to her ever since she became a school idol.

Among the many songs adding color to the anime’s storyline, which songs did the cast particularly like?

Are there any insert songs from the anime that you particularly like? Or perhaps any coupling songs from the singles?

Suzuhara: I love all the songs so much that I want to talk about each and every one of them (laughs). But if I had to pick just one, it’d be Episode 10’s insert song, Egao no Promise. That was the song that Kinako-chan wrote, and you can really see her personality shining through in the lyrics. I love seeing her with that huge smile on her face, a smile that seems to say that she has everything she ever wanted and more.

Emori: It really isn’t easy to pick just one song because they’re all amazing, but I particularly like Special Color from Episode 3 and Egao no Promise from Episode 10. I find myself in tears every time I see Shiki-chan and Kinako-chan shining as the center of those two songs because they’re both members of the same generation as I am. There’s also Fighting Call, which is actually the coupling song to the Episode 3 edition of the Bubble Rise / Special Color single. I really like it because the lyrics seem to overlap a lot with what Natsumi felt.

Sakakura: For me, it’s gotta be Bubble Rise from Episode 2. I started tearing up even before the song started playing, when Kanon-chan and Margarete-chan were saying such beautiful words. I remember crying so hard that I could barely see the TV screen (laughs). Oh, I also love Episode 8’s Dazzling Game. It’s the song that represents Tomari and Margarete-chan’s determination, not to mention it also being the song that Tomari performs after opening her heart to her sister dearest. There are just so many amazing moments in that song!

Aoyama: There were quite a few surprises in Season 3��s song lineup, such as Wish Song being included as a coupling song in the Episode 10 edition of the single, as well as Hajimari wa Kimi no Sora being performed in Episode 12. I remember getting goosebumps the first time I read the script! Being able to sing a song that Liella! first performed as five once again as eleven made me really emotional. I’m so glad we got to do that!

How about the opening and ending animations? Were there any scenes you particularly liked?

Aoyama: Just like in previous seasons, you’re guaranteed to see just how cute the characters are no matter at which frame you pause the video. All eleven of us watched Episode 1 together, and we were all surprised at how high-quality the animation was. Like, there was so much detail in how individual strands of their hair were swaying. I remember us wondering whether what we were watching was really animated!

Emori: In the opening, after Mei-chan sings the line that goes “The radiance of someone out there”, Natsumi grabs hold of the radiance she lets out and brings it towards herself before singing the line “Will one day transform into courage”. I really liked that entire sequence.

Aoyama: Oh, that’s right before Ren-chan’s line where she goes “We’ll hold that thought close to heart as we set off”!

Emori: Yeah! It’s as if their choreography forms a complete sequence, starting with Mei-chan, then Natsumi, and then Ren-chan. Linking up my choreography with someone else’s like that is something I’ve never had the chance to do before, so it was a breath of fresh air to be able to experience that.

Suzuhara: I also really like the line distributions in the opening, especially in the second verse. Of course, everyone has their own interpretation of the song, but I interpreted the part where the third-gen members sing the first line, followed by the second-gen then the first-gen to mean that even though the five first-gen members are graduating, Liella! would be together forever. It’s a tinge of wistfulness that you don’t really expect from an opening theme, so I hope you listen to the full song!

Sakakura: As for the ending, I really like the scene where Tomari is doing the peek-a-boo at the camera together with her sister dearest in the stairwell. At the start of Season 3, Tomari’s expressions were always really stiff, so that scene made me look forward to when we’d finally see her smiling as wide as she did in there.

Suzuhara: I like the part in the ending where everyone takes turns to strike a pose. Their individual personalities really shine through in the poses they chose, and that’s really cute!

This will be their first live performance after the Season 3 finale! What are the cast’s thoughts about their upcoming performance?

Before we end today’s interview, let’s hear a few words about Love Live! Superstar!! Liella! 6th LoveLive! Tour ~Let’s be ONE~, your upcoming live tour!

Sakakura: It’s the first time I’m performing in a live tour based on the anime, so I’m nervous and can already feel the pressure on me in a way that’s different from previous performances. There are going to be audience members who have been fans of Tomari from before she appeared in the anime, so I’ll do my best together with Tomari to deliver a performance that expresses my gratitude for everyone who’s supported me all this while.

Suzuhara: I’ll do my best to make everyone who came to watch us feel that they just watched Kinako-chan, that they just watched Liella! perform. Before this live tour, Liella! split into three subunits and spurred each other to achieve even greater heights before eventually rejoining as one. That’s actually quite similar to Season 3’s plotline, so I hope to show off a culmination of everything we’ve achieved up to this point during our 6th Live.

Emori: During this live tour, I’ll be portraying a Natsumi that has grown both physically and mentally through Season 3, so even though I still have a long way to go before I catch up to her, I’ll do my absolute best to do so. I’ll make sure to never forget the happiness I felt from being able to put on a live tour based on Season 3 with all eleven of us, as well as my gratitude to everyone who’s supported us along the way, and I'll do my best in each of the ten performances in five different cities across the country.

Aoyama: Season 3 depicts Liella! splitting into two groups and pursuing their goals separately, as well as the graduation of the third-years, and there was a lot going on. This live tour will be based on all of that, so I hope that we’ll be able to put on a performance that’s a little different from the ones we’ve put on before. After watching Season 3 of the anime and watching us perform at our 6th Live Tour, I hope that you’ll get the urge to rewatch the entire anime right from the beginning once again, and I’ll do my best to make that happen.

Buy live streaming tickets for the Fukuoka leg of Liella!’s 6th Love Live! Tour ~Let’s be ONE~, happening on May 3 and 4 at PIA or eplus! You’ll be able to watch the performance live, and have access to an archive for a week! Refer to the official site for more details.

Buy the pamphlet featuring this interview and cast photos here (shipping within Japan only, or use a proxy forwarder like Tenso, TensoJapan, or Blackship, etc.)

Translator: xIceArcher

Quality Check: PokéFanOne

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Liella! 6th Love Live! Tour ~Let's be ONE~ - Special Cross Talk ~Liyuu x Payton Naomi x Yabushima Akane x Okuma Wakana~

Keke and Sumire, as well as Mei and Shiki, are known to be exceptionally close to each other among the Liella! members. We ask their cast members about the scenes in Season 3 that they like the most!

The excitement of finally seeing Tomari animated! The radiance of their youth captures their hearts!

After a long wait for Season 3, what were your thoughts when it started airing?

Payton: Coincidentally, all eleven of us were together when Episode 1 aired, so we watched the episode together on a big screen. The visuals were beautiful, and that goes without saying, but the soundscape was also quite something! It turned out a hundred times more touching than it should’ve been!

Okuma: Finally seeing Tomari animated made me really happy. Although she only had lines at the end of Episode 1, I was surprised at just how detailed her scenes were in the opening animation. Things like how expressive she was, and how detailed the movement of her hair looked. I was like, so that's the kind of person she is…

Liyuu: There’s a part in the anime where we learn that Tomari keeps jellyfish at home. She gave each one a name and that’s really cute! I really like that scene.

Payton: I also really enjoyed the scenes showing Natsumi and Tomari as kids! You can tell just how close they were, and there’s this aura of kindness about their interactions. Those scenes really contrast with how awkwardly they behaved around each other after starting high school.

Yabushima: There are quite a few scenes in Season 3 that show what the members were like when they were kids, right? I like how those scenes show the true meaning behind some of their words and actions.

Tell us more about what you thought of the opening theme.

Yabushima: To me, in Season 2, Mei-chan was this girl who would just dance with a smile on her face, but she looks so grown-up now! Aside from how cute she was, there was also a hint of grace, and that surprised me, like, she’s putting on an expression I’d never seen on her before! When did she even learn to do that…? (Laughs) Her words and expressions this season definitely show that she’s matured, so it really hammers home the fact that she’s now a year older.

Liyuu: Everyone seems a little wistful in the opening, don’t they? There’s a cut where Kanon does the same pose she did back in Hajimari wa Kimi no Sora. I really like that cut!

Payton: The five-line staff has been an important motif for Liella! since Season 1, so I’m really glad the animation during the chorus features many musical notes.

Yabushima: There’s a part in Season 2’s opening where Ren-chan and Mei-chan are holding hands, and they also did that for the choreography in Season 3. But, unlike in Season 2, we also saw Ren-chan letting go of Mei-chan’s hand. That made me a little lonely since it meant that graduation was upon us.

Okuma: This time, the song isn’t just about doing your best and charging ahead. There’s also a tinge of loneliness.

Payton: Season 2’s opening mainly focuses on doing one’s best to win, but what we got for Season 3 was an opening that’s befitting of a group that had already won Love Live!.

How about the ending theme?

Okuma: The ending is amazing, isn’t it?

All: Yeah!

Okuma: It’s simple, but it reminds me of the cultural festivals that we had back in high school. I really enjoyed seeing the members just living their lives to the fullest. Season 2’s ending had a more mature feel to it, so I’m glad that we got to see a more relaxed side of all eleven of the members. You couldn’t really tell what the relationship between Tomari-chan and Natsumi-chan is like just by watching Episode 1, but seeing them do the OniNatsu pose together during the ending theme really lets your imagination run wild wondering how they’ll eventually grow to become so close. Oh, there are also too many little details in that scene where everyone is standing in a line doing their poses! You couldn’t possibly catch everything when watching that normally, so I’m sure it was animated in that way to encourage viewers to pause the video and play it frame by frame! Do give that a try if you’ve not done so!

Payton: All of them are still in high school, so I’m sure they didn’t have any fancy cameras. They probably shot the entire thing on their smartphones. Some scenes were shot in a classroom, and even the props they were using for the shoot, like the balloons, were probably bought from a store nearby. I love seeing those scenes that emphasize that they’re just high schoolers, as well as being able to see a different side to them, something other than their usual school idol selves.

Liyuu: The visuals were just so beautiful that you can feel just how radiant their youthful energy is. I couldn’t help myself from feeling touched, even though the scenes show them messing around. When I first saw the ending, I thought I could watch it another fifty times!

Payton: Let’s do it!

Liyuu: There’s a scene before the chorus where we see them running away from the camera. I really like that part! Keke-chan is the only one looking at the camera, so I wonder, who was the one taking the photos…?

Yabushima: Really makes you wonder, doesn’t it? I really like the scene where you can only see the first-gen members’ shadows. I remember wondering what kinds of expressions they had on their faces.

Payton: It’d be great if all of them were smiling widely, but since it’s also their graduating year, maybe they’re feeling somewhat sentimental…

Liyuu: Maybe they’re taking a commemorative photo!

Payton: Yeah, maybe!

Yabushima: Oh, I also like the part where each year group takes turns holding up the photo frame. Although you don’t often see Tomari-chan and Margarete-chan smiling like that, you can tell that something’s different when the two of them are alone together. I like how that scene hints that there are certain expressions that only the two of them know about each other.

The realism in Keke’s middle school years! Don’t miss how much the four of them have grown!

Were there any scenes in Season 3 as a whole that really stood out to you?

Okuma: In Season 2, we saw Shiki giving Mei-chan the push on the back she needed over and over again. Shiki became a school idol only after seeing Mei-chan hesitate to join Liella!, even though her love for school idols was precisely why she decided to enroll at Yuigaoka, so it's clear that Shiki’s motivation for becoming a school idol was none other than to support Mei-chan. But, in Season 3, she had to face the question of why exactly she was a school idol head-on. This time, in Episode 3, it was Mei-chan’s turn to give her a push on the back, and that was the very thing she needed to realize how she truly felt. It’s the complete opposite of what happened in Episode 4 of Season 2, and how the two of them complement and support each other is the best part. Also, it’s the ShikiMei episode!

All: (Laughs)

Okuma: There’s the scene in the science room, and you also get a glimpse of Mei-chan’s room, so do look out for that!

Yabushima: To me, Mei has constantly been chasing after her seniors, but now that she’s in her second year, I think she’s gotten better at taking the initiative. Up until now, she’d hold back and say things like “Ren-senpai can do it much better than I can”, but now, she wants to give things a try herself. I’m really glad to see her grow in such a way. Although she doesn’t say much, you can tell how much she’s grown from how she’s now willing to be responsible for Liella!’s future as a group. She became the club president because she’s always kind to everyone, because she can take a broader view of things happening around her, and that decision felt really convincing. I’m sure she doesn’t dislike being relied upon, and even though she might get shy every once in a while, I’m sure she’ll make a fine club president.

Okuma: I was sure that Shiki would become the vice president if Mei-chan became the club president! The two of them being able to carry the legacy of Liella!, a group that has now won Love Live! twice in a row, really shows how much they’ve grown.

Payton: The parts about them that didn’t change are nice to see too. Like when Keke-chan and Mei-chan were watching TomaKanoTe’s performance.

Yabushima: Mei-chan was holding lights in Margarete-chan and Tomari-chan’s image colors, right? (Laughs) Even though she wasn’t totally on board with the idea of a new school idol club, I’m sure it was her love for school idols in general that drove her to still support them (laughs).

Okuma: And that’s what makes her so cute (laughs).

Liyuu: Yeah, very cute (laughs).

Payton: Even though TomaKanoTe is her rival, she could still support them wholeheartedly as fellow school idols. I was relieved that she managed to do that.

Liyuu: Episode 6 left a deep impression on me. It’s the episode where I’ve said the most words in a language that nobody understands.

All: (Laughs)

Liyuu: I wonder how everyone reacted to that episode. About half of it was in Chinese, so I was a little worried that nobody would understand it. Due to the plot’s structure, we never had the chance to see what happened in Keke-chan’s past, but I’m really glad we got to see what she was like in middle school before she came to Japan. Director Kyogoku actually asked me questions like “Where do students in Shanghai go after school?” and “How do they spend their free time?”. That’s why all the scenes have this air of realism to them. I’m sure there were a lot of scenes that resonated with people from Shanghai since that was exactly what it was like when they were students, and I don’t think there’s any other series that depicted something like that with that level of realism!

Payton: Wow, that’s so cool!

Liyuu: The scenes in that episode are basically what I did after school, so I feel like I’ve gotten closer to Keke-chan too.

Okuma: It’s like Keke-chan’s turning into Liyuu.

Payton: For me, I think it’d be the graduation scene. I loved every single episode, of course, but since I’m part of Liella!’s first generation, the graduation ceremony in Episode 12 really had a huge impact. Sumire showed up sporting a hairstyle that obviously required a lot of effort, and that showed that some parts of her, like her wanting to stand out from the crowd, had not changed a bit, which was nice to see. Since she decided to continue being part of the entertainment industry in the future, I remember hoping that she’d never forget that hungry spirit within her during the recording. She’s all grown up now! It’s like I’m her mom or something (laughs).

Before we end today’s interview, let’s hear a few words about your upcoming live tour!

Liyuu: I have a feeling that this will be the last time we’ll be putting on a performance based on a TV anime, so I’ll be sure to treasure each and every performance of every leg, and I hope to put on a wonderful performance together with everyone.

Okuma: I’m really grateful for the opportunity to perform in so many different places. But, I know that this isn’t something that can be taken for granted, and I hope to hold that in my heart as we perform in each and every venue. I hope you’ll be able to experience firsthand the warmth of all the Liella! members, and do enjoy yourselves!

Payton: Being able to put on ten whole performances in different places all across the country isn’t a given, and I’m certain that I wouldn’t have the courage to sing on stage without everyone in the audience watching us, so this will be a tour that I’ll approach with gratitude for everyone involved in my heart. Now that Sumire is in her final year, she only has one more year left as a school idol. That’s why I’ll be sure to treasure each and every performance, and I hope you’ll enjoy yourself!

Yabushima: Liella! started with just five members, expanding to nine, and now they have eleven. I’m glad that we’ve been able to build upon the memories of the previous generations to create something new. I make sure to treasure each and every second I’m standing on stage, but once the tour starts, I’m sure everything will go by in a flash. I’ll be sure to shine just as brightly as everyone else on stage, and I hope to keep everyone’s love close to my heart and do my best to return it as something even bigger than what all of you have given us.

Buy live streaming tickets for the Miyagi leg of Liella!’s 6th Love Live! Tour ~Let’s be ONE~, happening on April 19 and 20 at PIA or eplus! You’ll be able to watch the performance live, and have access to an archive for a week! Refer to the official site for more details.

Translator: xIceArcher

Quality Check: @yujachachacha

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Liella! 6th Love Live! Tour ~Let's be ONE~ - Special Cross Talk ~Date Sayuri x Misaki Nako x Yuina~

An interview with the childhood friends now in their third year, and Margarete, burning with her rivalry against Liella!! Learn all about the scenes that the cast enjoyed the most in Season 3 of the anime!

Liella! is finally 11! Don’t miss the costumes of the opening theme and the motifs hidden within!

What were your thoughts about Season 3 when it first started airing?

Date: All of us watched Episode 1 together. I remember the two third-gen members were all nervous beside me throughout the entire episode (laughs). But it was also my first time seeing the finished product, so I guess all of us were pretty nervous.

Misaki: Yup, yup.

Yuina: Everyone around me could tell how nervous I was because I was fidgeting so much (laughs). I was just so happy to see Margarete-chan singing and dancing as part of Liella! during the opening theme, and seeing just that filled me with happiness. I also got really excited to see her put on expressions I’ve never seen on her before during the ending theme!

Misaki: TomaKanoTe were sitting together when we watched Episode 1, and the other first-gen and second-gen members were beside them. I was also super curious about how the third-gen members would react, but seeing the characters move around on screen made me so happy that I didn’t even have the time to do that. Even though we were the ones who voiced them, watching the anime makes me feel like they really are living in the present. Every expression and movement of theirs made me emotional, and the episode went by in the blink of an eye.

Tell us more about what you thought about the opening theme.

Misaki: I really like the scene where Ren-chan and Mei-chan dance together!

Yuina: That part where it looks like they’re playing the piano, right? Their fingertips look so delicate!

Date: I really like Kanon’s pose where she holds up her pinky, as if she’s making a promise. Also, at the very end of the song, she seems to grab hold of something before clenching her fist. That’s definitely the part that caught my attention. We actually started learning the song’s choreography before we got the chance to watch it animated. That part was nothing out of the ordinary at first. It was just a pose where I’m clenching my fist. But, when I finally got to watch it, Kanon’s pose was just so powerful! She looked so cool, as if she was grabbing hold of something that she’d never let go of, and I decided I had to do the same. That final pose is amazing! It’s as if that single pose conveys every moment she’d lived through up until that point.

Misaki: This goes for everyone else too, of course, but my favorite has to be Kanon-chan’s upper lip—

Date, Yuina: Upper lip?

Misaki: It’s really, really cute! I’m sure it’s because of the level of detail in their expressions, but when the camera is zoomed in and you see her pursing her lips? That’s super cute! Also, no matter if we’re seeing their faces from the side or at an angle, they all look so lifelike, and that’s also really impressive!

Date: A huge fan of upper lips (laughs).

Yuina: Shiki-chan’s lower lip is really nice too.

Misaki: (Flipping through stills of the opening animation) You’re right… Lips are amazing (laughs).

Yuina: The feather motif incorporated into the costume reminds me of Butterfly Wing. During the chorus, you can see everyone on screen with some butterflies. Even though Margarete-chan was a rival in Season 2, and even though she calls herself “the enemy”, I really hoped that everyone would think Liella! is better with her after the group finally became one. That’s why I was really glad to see some scenes with the entire group together because that meant that they’d accepted her as one of their own. Her singing the “To always be one” line right at the start together with Kanon-chan and Kinako-chan made me so emotional!

Date, Misaki: That’s great! (claps)

The upperclassmen doting on the third-gen members? An ending theme that brings one back to the days of their youth

How about the ending theme?

Yuina: I love it! Especially the part where Chii-chan and Kanon-chan are smiling together in the classroom.

Misaki: The way Chii-chan was smiling made her look so grown-up! When she first looked at the camera with that slightly mischievous smile of hers, I was sure that she was smiling at me.

Date: I’m sure that goes for everyone watching (laughs).

Yuina: I also really like the part where each of them strikes a pose one by one. Even though it lasted for just an instant, you can still see just how detailed each of their poses was if you play the ending theme frame by frame. I also really like how their poses reflect their personalities!

Misaki: I was really impressed by how lifelike their hair looked. You can tell just how much effort was put into every frame with their hair spread out.

Yuina: The part at the end where everyone’s stretching out their hands to the sky is really nice too. I wonder which hands were whose?

Date: There’s someone making a circle. That has to be Chii-chan.

Misaki: Maybe that’s not her! You never know, but the one with the galaxy pose might actually be Keke-chan!

Yuina: You can really feel just how young all of them are!

Misaki: Makes you think that they did a photoshoot together with a tripod. Don’t you want to see the scene that comes right after, where all of them are looking through the footage they got?

Date: I’d love to see a “making of” video! I actually really like the atmosphere of the school building after class is dismissed. You get to mess around without bothering anyone else because everyone’s gone home, and being able to see the school without anyone else there is something only its students get to do, right? That’s why watching the ending makes me feel like I’ve become one of Yuigaoka’s students. I’ve definitely imagined what the girls are like when they’re performing live, as well as how cool and cute they might be on stage, but getting to see them mess around while just living their lives… Of course you’d fall in love with them!

A side to Margarete, never-before-seen? Also, what does Chisato think of TomaKanoTe? 

Tell us about some scenes in Season 3 that left a particularly deep impression on you.

Date: The scene in the second half of Episode 1, where Margarete-chan was giving out flyers for the new school idol club and nobody gave her a second glance. Recording that scene put me on the brink of tears. Even though she’s usually so strong, she couldn’t find a single person who’d join her. I feel like that was the first time we saw Margarete-chan’s weak side, or rather, the first time we saw her stumble because she was all alone. It hit me so hard because we’ve only seen her cool side up until that point, where she’s shining on stage precisely because she’s the only one performing. I’m sure when Kanon saw the same scene, she couldn’t possibly have stopped herself from helping her.

Yuina: That scene really shows her bravery, doesn’t it? After Season 2 of the anime ended, I spent a lot of time with Liella!, and Margarete-chan had already interacted with everyone else during radio shows and the such, so I’ve been voicing Margarete-chan from a timeline where she’s already part of the group. That’s why I wondered how everyone would take the first episode, but Episode 1 was full of her unique personality traits, and that made me breathe a sigh of relief! Even by just watching the first episode, you could already tell that she doesn’t actually hate Liella!, but just wants to beat Liella! because of how dedicated she is to singing. She continued singing with her head held high, without shedding a tear, even though she was on stage all alone and with few people paying attention to her. Seeing that made me hope that one day, everyone would come to accept that strength of hers.

Misaki: The scene where she argues with Ren-chan is really good too.

Yuina: She’s always been direct, and it’s precisely because she wants to face everyone head-on that she never minces her words. What she said then might have hurt the feelings of some of the Liella! members, but I believe that the clash strengthened their future bonds.

Misaki: Chii-chan is just such an amazing girl. We got to reunite with the members for the first time in a while when Season 3 started airing, but Chii-chan is still the dependable club president that I know and love! On the other hand, I think you can really see how much she’s grown from the fact that she can now express what she truly felt to Kanon-chan.

Yuina: Their relationship isn’t one that you’d find between just anyone, so I’m actually a little envious.

Misaki: But you chose Margarete-chan instead… Right, Kanon-chan?

Date: Y-Yeah (sweats).

Yuina: (Laughs). Another thing to look out for would be seeing Tomari-chan animated for the first time. Saku had been saying “I can’t wait to see her animated!” for the longest time, so I was also really happy to see that finally happen.

Date: And you get to see her perform live right in Episode 2.

Yuina: Speaking of Episode 2, I’ve always been curious about Margarete-chan’s practice attire… It’s pretty much an exact copy of Kanon-chan’s. It’s like she’s her little sister or something.

Date: Because she’s been performing alone all this time, I guess she wasn’t quite sure what she should be wearing for practice. Maybe she decided to copy Kanon because she had no idea how to fit in with everyone else.

Misaki: You’re living under the same roof too, right?!

Date: Th-That’s… (sweats)

Yuina: She didn’t know! Kanon-chan didn’t know! (sweats). Oh yeah, what did you think of TomaKanoTe?!

Misaki: Let me give my humble opinion on behalf of Chii-chan then. As usual, Chii-chan was silently watching over the trio (laughs). Somehow, that scene reminded me of when KeKa first performed. But, unlike back then when she looked at the performance with envy, the fact that she was now looking on with a look of composure really struck me. Oh, and both TomaKanoTe’s costumes and their performance were amazing! I really liked how they had gemstones in the other members’ colors on their foreheads. It’s a song that really speaks to your heart, so even the wistful expressions they have on their faces feel very precious. I watched the performance feeling nothing but kindness in my heart, just like Chii-chan did.

Date, Yuina: That’s great! (claps)

Date: I’m sure Kanon was overjoyed to hear Margarete-chan say that she had fun singing for the first time in a long while. Kanon loves singing too, but it has also been a traumatic experience for her in the past. I’m sure hearing Margarete-chan say that, who’s in a similar position, made her so happy that it almost drove her to tears.

Before we end today’s interview, let’s hear a few words about your upcoming live tour!

Date: I’m excited because it’s been a while since we’ve put on a performance based on the anime. This time, we’re going to be performing after seeing the conclusion of the girls’ stories, so I think I’ll be able to resonate even more with Kanon’s emotions. We’ll be performing on stage as one chapter of their stories comes to a close, so I hope to perform with nothing but gratitude in my heart for the girls who changed our lives. Thank you so much for your continued support as well!

Yuina: Thank you very much for your continued support! During the 3rd Live Tour, Margarete-chan had this aura of mystery about her, and my imagination was the only thing I could rely on to try and figure out what she was like. But, now that I have the model answer in front of me, I can’t wait to dig even deeper into what kind of person she is! I’ll be sure to never forget her unwavering strength, and try my best to put on the kinds of expressions she’d naturally put on while performing as the two of us work together. Do look forward to it!

Misaki: I can’t wait to enjoy this live tour together with everyone while telling the story of the anime. Even though we don’t get to see the characters singing and dancing to them, I believe that all the songs, including the coupling songs to the anime inserts, tell a complete story, so I hope you enjoy every aspect of our performance. I’m sure time will just fly by once the tour starts, so I’ll be sure to enjoy every single moment, even those when I’m feeling a little uneasy, and head towards the finish line with everyone by my side. Do rewatch the anime and listen to the songs before coming!

Buy live streaming tickets for the Aichi leg of Liella!'s 6th Love Live! Tour ~Let's be ONE~, happening on March 22 and 23 at PIA or eplus! You'll be able to watch the performance live, and have access to an archive for a week! Refer to the official site for more details.

Buy the pamphlet featuring this interview and cast photos here (shipping within Japan only, or use a proxy forwarder like Tenso, TensoJapan, or Blackship, etc.)

Translator: xIceArcher

Quality Check: PokéFanOne, @yujachachacha

[frozenmikan]

Liella! Let’s be ONE Interview - Date Sayuri, Suzuhara Nozomi, and Yuina talk about what they love most about the anime’s third season!

As Love Live! Superstar!!’s third season approaches its climax, we interview Date Sayuri (voice of Shibuya Kanon), Suzuhara Nozomi (voice of Sakurakoji Kinako), and Yuina (voice of Wien Margarete) from the school idol group Liella! to learn more about their thoughts on the anime!

First up, tell us more about what you think of each other. What do the others mean to you, both from the perspective of the characters you’re voicing, as well as yourself? Let’s start with Yuina-san, the voice of Margarete.

Yuina (voice of Wien Margarete): I think Sayu (Date Sayuri) is basically (Shibuya) Kanon in the flesh. Kanon-chan has a unique aura about her no matter what she’s doing, and that’s the same for Sayu. It’s especially obvious when she’s performing on stage!

Suzuhara Nozomi (voice of Sakurakoji Kinako): Totally agree.

Yuina: She’s always smiling! No matter what she’s doing, and even when she’s not facing the audience, she always has a smile on her face. She puts her all into every movement she makes, and you can really tell how hard she’s trying to reach everyone in the audience with her singing. Like Margarete-chan, I’m not very good at conveying my thoughts, so just watching Sayu taught me everything I needed to know about that. There’s a sense of weight behind her each and every word, which makes what she says feel really impactful. And that’s not even mentioning the sheer passion behind her singing. I’ve said this over and over again, but her voice resonates really well. Her singing really does convey the full force of the emotions behind her voice. Listening to her sing has taught me a lot, and has made me want to do better myself countless times. As for “NonKina”—

Date Sayuri (voice of Shibuya Kanon): “NonKina”?

Suzuhara: Never heard that one before (laughs)…

Yuina: Yeah, that’s ‘cause it’s the first time I’ve ever called you that (laughs). Non (Suzuhara Nozomi) and (Sakurakoji) Kinako are also basically the same person. They’re so similar that I mix the two of them up sometimes. I’m sure that’s because Non always has Kinako-chan at the back of her mind. She’s constantly thinking about things like “What would Kinako-chan do in this situation?” or “Kinako-chan would definitely do this during times like these, so that’s what I’ll do.” I feel like she’s been dedicating her entire life to Kinako-chan.

Date: I guess “NonKina” was spot on, then!

Yuina: Yeah, it’s precisely because of how much she loves Love Live! Superstar!! that I think Non is the only person in the world who can voice Kinako-chan. Oh, I didn’t know about this when I first met her because I’m not part of the second-gen, but I heard that Non wasn’t too comfortable with talking to others… But I really couldn’t tell! She even sent me a message on LINE to say that she hopes to get along, so I really couldn’t believe that she wasn’t good at holding conversations when she first joined. After I joined Liella!, she even said things like “If there’s any part of the choreography that you’re unsure of, you can always ask me!” or “Let me know if you’re not sure of anything, and I’ll try my best to teach you!”

Sounds like she’s the perfect senior.

Suzuhara: Did I say that? Both our third-gen members are so dependable, so I don’t remember thinking too much about how I needed to act like a senior… 

Yuina: You definitely did! Being able to say things like that without thinking about it is another thing that makes you so similar to Kinako-chan! If what the other second-gen members said was true, that you weren’t very good at striking up conversations when you first joined, it just makes me feel even more sure of the fact that you’ve grown so much after joining Liella!. Even if you don’t think you’ve done anything significant, having the determination to change a part of yourself, and having the courage to step out of your comfort zone, has definitely given me courage as well. Seeing you gives me the motivation to work even harder to grow, and that’s why I think both of you are really reliable seniors!

Suzuhara: You never really talk about things like these, so that’s pretty nice to hear! So that’s what you thought about me… I’m so happy to hear that!

What about you, Suzuhara-san? What do you think about the other two?

Suzuhara: First up, Yuina is just such a good girl… Of course that goes for everyone else in Liella! too, but my first impression of her was that she’s really beautiful, so I thought she’d be more on the cool side. But she’s always so expressive, not to mention all the gestures she makes! The more I talk to her, the more I realize just how wonderful she is. Also, at first glance, you may think that Margarete-chan and Yuina don’t really have much in common, but they’re actually quite similar. In particular, they both share a passion for singing, not to mention how important music is to them. Oh, their cute sides too!

Yuina: Yay!

Suzuhara: Ahahaha. That’s the thing I like most about you. This goes for both Yuina and Sayu, but the more I get to know them, the more I love them. Sayu is the same age as me, so I’ve wanted to be good friends with her ever since we first met. I’ve been watching Sayu since Liella! was just the first-gen members, and I’ve liked her ever since, but what she means to me… I feel like I’ve thought about her so much that I’m not sure anymore!

Yuina: Is that a confession?!

Date: Ahahahahaha. That’s kinda overbearing… But thank you! (laughs)

Suzuhara: Yuina mentioned this just now as well, but the way she puts her thoughts into words makes what she says really impactful. And it’s not just her words, but her singing and performance on stage as well. Even though we’re about the same height, the sheer presence her dancing gives off is leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else, and that’s something I find really impressive. I find myself constantly observing her just to find out how she manages to pull that off. How cool she looks when she’s performing, that’s gotta be the biggest thing for me. That’s what I love the most.

Date: I’m so happy to hear that… I think my palms are starting to sweat.

Suzuhara: (Laughs). Oh, Kanon-chan is also really important to Kinako-chan. I already felt that during the anime’s second season, but when Kanon-chan was part of TomaKanoTe at the start of season three, Kinako-chan cried… Even after that episode, I felt like there were always moments where she was thinking about Kanon-chan. After all, Kanon-chan was the first senior she met after arriving in Tokyo, and she’s always been so kind to her, so Kanon-senpai definitely occupies a very important place in her heart. Of course she wants to catch up to her one day, but Kanon-chan is still a senior that she loves a lot. That’s pretty similar to what I think of Sayu.

What about you, Date-san?

Date: Yuina and Margarete used to be in the rival position before eventually joining Liella!, and I’ve watched their performances during rehearsals even before they joined. The first time I saw them rehearsing, I was really surprised. I really love the song Edelstein, and at the start of that song, she’s standing by while facing away from the audience, with her arms outstretched. Because we’re usually watching from behind during rehearsals, I could see her facial expressions clearly. The degree to which her facial expressions changed before the song started really shocked me. But when it was time for us to take a break, she became her usual beautiful self with her usual charm, and that perfect combination is what made all of us fall further in love with her with every passing day…

Yuina: Ahahahaha.

Date: The gap between her two sides really impressed me. Since she’s supposed to be a rival, she doesn’t exactly give off the best first impression, and you’d naturally treat her like the enemy, right? I’m sure there were quite a few people who misunderstood Margarete-chan, but Yuina’s performance caused a wave of silence to wash over the audience right from the start… Without rejecting what everyone thinks of her, her presence on stage was so powerful that it managed to silence everyone watching, which I thought was really cool. It is precisely because we got to see that that I’m really glad we get to see Yuina voicing a smiling Margarete-chan after she joined Liella!.

Suzuhara: Yuina’s always smiling, isn’t she?

Date: Yeah, like during our first release event with all eleven of us, she was always smiling no matter how busy our schedules got. Having someone who’s always smiling in the group really does create a warm and comforting atmosphere. Even though it must’ve been hard keeping up as a third-gen member, she still managed to constantly have a smile on her face, and that’s one thing I’m really grateful for. As for Nonchan…

Suzuhara-san appears to be staring very intently at Date-san.

Date: Ahahaha. She’s just so kind, so much so that the word “kind” doesn’t even begin to describe how kind she is. I think she’s very attuned to the pain others around her are feeling. Even though she tends to overthink things, and I’m sure there have been times when that has hurt her unnecessarily, she still has an indomitable spirit within her. As we’ve been performing as a group, there have definitely been some emotions that only Nonchan felt. It’s precisely that kindness that has saved me and helped me countless times. I have this baseless feeling that we’re somewhat similar, so every conversation I have with her lifts a weight off my chest. It’s because she’s so delicate that she always gives off a feeling of warmth, and that drives every part of her performance on stage and every single word she says as Kinako-chan. I love that about her from the bottom of my heart.

Yuina: Guess the feeling’s mutual, then!

Suzuhara: (laughs)

Yuina: You’re so happy that you can’t find the words to describe it?

Suzuhara: Yeah… I feel like I’m about to cry.

Date: Same here. It’s been a while since I last felt this way.

(Laughs). After all that, we finally got to see a performance by all eleven members of Liella! in episode nine. Was there anything you paid particular attention to when performing Let’s be ONE, which is also the opening theme of the anime?

Suzuhara: I really want to know what Margarete-chan thinks about this!

Yuina: It’s gonna be a long one (laughs). This is actually something I really like about her, but I think this episode really showcased Margarete-chan’s toughness and sharpness. She’s always true to herself and what she really thinks, so she never compromises on her beliefs, nor will she ever run away from a problem. She comes into conflict with others around her precisely because she faces every challenge head-on, or at least that’s what I think. But the other ten members of Liella! are just so kind that they’d never abandon her, no matter what Margarete-chan said. In particular, when Kanon-chan reached out to her saying that she understood how she felt, I wondered, “Does a high-schooler like that really exist?!” That’s just how kind Kanon-chan was, and I’m really glad she managed to meet such a wonderful group of people. But before the actual performance, she clashed with Kinako-chan and (Onitsuka) Natsumi-chan…

The scene where she said they weren’t up to scratch.

Yuina: Yeah. This is a really small thing, but Margarete-chan said “I think it’s better if I’m not the one deciding”. If this was season two of the anime, she’d definitely say something like “This is what I think”, or “That’s a complete no-go”. She wasn’t the type to mince words no matter what. However, after meeting Liella! and spending time with the others… I’m sure hearing what Kanon-chan said to (Tang) Keke-chan and watching the relationship between the Onitsuka sisters from the sidelines changed something within her. Saying, “I think it’s better if I’m not the one deciding” after going through all that is definitely a pivotal moment, or at the very least it’s an instant where you can tell that she’s really grown. But, it’s because she’s now a member of Liella! that she had the resolve to face the problem head-on and say what she needed to say, no matter how difficult it was for her. The atmosphere on the rooftop shifted right after she said those words, but seeing how Kinako-chan and Natsumi-chan reacted to what she said almost drove me to tears more than once. I’m sure there’s not a single person in the world who wouldn’t be hurt after hearing words like those from a junior, and even though there’s no way that they didn’t feel hurt by that, they suppressed those feelings and proactively asked Margarete-chan to teach them. That definitely isn’t something a normal person would be able to do, and I’m sure Margarete-chan decided to help them because she was so moved by their actions. I believe that at least some part of Margarete-chan wanted to be relied on, and hearing their request definitely made her happy. At first glance, that scene seemed to imply a crack forming between members of the group, and I’m sure some viewers thought that it was a pity that this had to happen even though the group just got together, but I personally think that this clash turned out to be a good thing for everyone, because that moment is what made the Let’s be ONE performance possible. It made me realize that compromising and treating everyone with kindness just because everyone’s a member of the same group, and trying to tie everything up with a neat little bow aren’t the only things holding a group together. It’s because they truly want to win, because they want to deal with any issues they face head-on, that they can state their honest opinions with each other. I feel like what Margarete-chan did required a lot of courage, and this episode surely marks a turning point for Liella!. Performing Let’s be ONE, a song about coming together right after that is really meaningful. It’s precisely this clash that bound the group so tightly together that they’ll never ever come apart, and I’m sure the song is also very important to Margarete-chan.

Suzuhara: I’m sure every single Liella! member knew just how much courage it took for them to say something like that. Also, don’t Kinako-chan and Margarete-chan go pretty well together? At least that’s what I think. This may come as a surprise, but Kinako-chan doesn’t stay down in the dumps for long. She always seems to recover pretty quickly, and perhaps that’s also because there wasn’t really anyone who would say anything too mean to her. Most people would start questioning themselves, with doubts like “What if she starts to hate me?” or “Maybe she wouldn’t take that too well…” taking over before they managed to put those thoughts into words, right? I’m sure Kinako-chan felt really happy that someone cared so much about her to overcome all that and put those thoughts into words, and I think that’s why she decided to take Margarete-chan’s words head-on. Liella! definitely managed to grow even more because of Margarete-chan’s actions, and this episode is also very important to me on a personal level. It was just something that they had to go through.

Date: This episode reminded me that they’re all still in high school, in both a good and a bad way. Once you grow older, you stop being able to blurt out everything that’s on your mind, and even if you do decide to do so, you’d try to soften the blow by holding back a little. But as a high-schooler, that way of thinking hasn’t really sunk in yet, so you could consider their ability to just say things straight as one of their strengths. Episode nine, Let’s be ONE, taught me that clashes like these can push everyone involved to even greater heights. Once you grow older, you tend to start avoiding conflict, but perhaps, just sometimes, speaking your mind might actually lead to a better outcome… Doing so might be intimidating, but perhaps taking that path could eventually lead to everyone shining brighter and having more genuine smiles on their faces. That’s what the girls taught me, and I’m glad I got to see them acting like the school idols they are.

The opening theme starts with the three of you, so I’m sure everyone watching will develop a new perspective of the song after watching episode nine. Aside from Let’s be ONE, could you also tell us about a song from the anime’s third season that you’re particularly fond of?

Yuina: There are so many, so I can’t really decide on just one… But coming from Margarete’s perspective, it’s gotta be Bubble Rise. I will never forget what she said after performing the song: “It’s been so long since I last had fun singing”. That phrase probably led to a huge change within her, and it’s this song that gave her the opportunity to feel that way. That’s why I really like this song, and it’s also very precious to me. I’ll definitely continue to perform with Margarete-chan’s feelings at the forefront of my mind from now on.

Suzuhara: For me, it’d be Fighting Call, the extra song on the episode three version of the CD. After Natsumi-chan talked to (Onitsuka) Tomari-chan about the past, the other second-year members showed Natsumi-chan her old notebook containing all her dreams. They performed for Tomari-chan after that, but we don’t actually know what song they performed. Personally, I think it was Fighting Call. There’s a line in the song that goes “As the rain lets up, a beam of sunlight shines through”, and the second-years seemed to be wearing a costume that was inspired by that very theme. The song would probably have resonated a lot with the second-years, including Natsumi-chan, so this does seem to be a song that they would’ve performed for Tomari-chan. Just thinking about that makes me emotional.

Date: This is also a song that didn’t actually appear in the anime, but I’d go with Itsumo no Peace Sign (Our Usual Peace Sign). A peace sign, it’s gotta be that, right? That was the only thing on my mind during the recording…

Could you be referring to the ending of the second episode of season two, with the six of them at Yoyogi Park?

Date: I’d prefer to leave this up to everyone’s interpretations, but… (laughs). Though if we’re coming from Kanon-chan’s perspective, I get the feeling that she performed this song with Liella!... or rather, Chii-chan (Arashi Chisato) at the forefront of her mind. That’s why I remember Chii-chan being in my head the entire time during the recording. Kanon was supposed to go abroad to study in Vienna at the end of season two, and even though that got postponed and she didn’t actually end up going, what if she actually did…? Could this song be describing what Kanon and Chii-chan would’ve felt before Kanon came back to Yuigaoka? Or at least that’s my interpretation of it.

There’s even a line that goes “Think of me if you ever feel down”.

Date: Yeah, that! The anime’s songs up until now give off an image of everyone being together, like Let’s be ONE, with all eleven members becoming one and holding hands, but in this song, they’re letting go and leaving each other all of a sudden… I’m really glad that we get to explore these types of emotions in the extra songs, and I remember excitedly talking to Misaki Nako, the voice of Chii-chan, about the lyrics when I first read them. That’s how deeply I treasure this song.

The anime’s third season is approaching its climax soon. Before we end this interview, tell us what you think we should be looking out for.

Yuina: I’m already wishing that the anime would never end… But one thing to look out for is definitely how each year group views the other year groups, and how that develops over time. Since I voice Margarete-chan, I believe I know best how she feels, so I’m sure spending time with her seniors has changed the way she views them a lot. I’m sure that’ll become even more prominent in the final three episodes, so I’d be glad if you looked out for not just each year group individually, but also their relationships with one another. Oh, and even though the anime may be coming to the end, Liella! will definitely continue, so that’s also something I hope to convey.

At the end of episode nine, we learned the title of episode ten for the first time, “Sakurakoji Kinako”.

Suzuhara: That really surprised me too! (laughs). I hope you look forward to it! The anime’s story is coming to a close, so it might start getting a little sad and wistful, but I sincerely hope that everyone continues watching to the very end to see how brave everyone has become. I hope to continue walking alongside everyone in Liella! from now on as well!

Date: The fact that school idols have a strict time limit, just three years in high school, is something that really draws me in. If you take that perspective while watching the journey the girls undertook, and think about what you did before entering high school or the things that you’ve encountered in life… I’m sure there will be a lot of people who can relate to what they feel. Also, I hope that you pay attention to all the little details, things like why someone had that particular expression on her face during one particular scene, or why a scene was set in a particular location. There are definitely parts of the anime that you won’t be able to fully grasp by watching it just once, so rather than jumping to a definite conclusion from the start, I think it’d be interesting if you watched the show while considering all the different possibilities. All in all, I’d be glad if you paid close attention to not just everyone’s expressions, actions, and the words they say, but also to the songs’ lyrics, and even the background scenery! I hope you enjoy the final episodes!

Interviewer / Writer: Nagahori Atsuo

Photography: Nozaki Satoshi

Translator: xIceArcher

Quality Check: PokéFanOne

[frozenmikan]

Interview with Liella!'s Third Generation Members - Yuina x Sakakura Sakura

Check out the original interview in the LoveLive! Days (September 2023), available for purchase on Amazon JP here.

The cast members of Liella!’s third-generation members have finally been revealed. This is an interview with the two of them, who took separate paths, being cast as a rival character and being selected through open auditions, before becoming members of Liella!.

I’ve been looking forward to having someone who’s both a friend and a partner, and I’m really glad that Saku ended up being the one to fill that spot.

I hope to someday grow into someone capable of supporting Yuina as well.

Their love for Love Live! is greater than any other fan! First encounter through friends and family

To start, please tell us how you got to know about the Love Live! series.

Sakakura: My older brother got into it first. I saw him playing SIF all day at home and asked him what he was doing. That got me into it too.

Yuina: When I was in my first year of middle school, there was a girl in my club who kept doing the “Nico Nico Nii”. Because I heard that phrase almost every day, I got more and more curious about what it was, and when I looked it up, the first thing that popped up was the video of Snow Halation. After that, I got into the songs and started watching the anime as well. I also watched preview videos of the live concerts, and that was the first time I learned about voice acting as a profession. They left a deep impact on me, and since they were just so cute, I kept watching those videos over and over again.

Sakakura: I watched those too! Even before I signed up for the audition, I constantly went back and rewatched the preview videos for µ’s and Aqours’ live concerts.

Sakakura-san, I heard that you’re a huge fan of the Love Live! series.

Sakakura: I believe that my love for the series is second to none.

Yuina: She showed me a photo of the cake she baked for Keke-chan’s birthday the other day.

Sakakura: Yeah! I love Keke-chan! I bought a sponge cake, decorated it with cream, and wrote “Happy birthday Keke!” on it. I even put an acrylic stand of her next to it. I’m a huge weeb (laughs). I have tons of merch too!

Did they really qualify through the open auditions?! Liella! through the eyes of a fan-turned-cast member

Apparently, you were following the Love Live! Superstar!! project as a fan since the very start, Sakakura-san. What were your thoughts about Date-san and Aoyama-san, who joined Liella! through the open auditions?

Sakakura: They’ve been so wonderful right from the start. They’re really cute and beautiful, not to mention their amazing acting, singing, and dancing skills. The conversations they have while on air are also really interesting! The way they stood on stage with their heads held high made them look really cool, and to be honest, I sometimes wondered whether they really qualified through the open auditions (laughs). I’ve been following the project since the very start when the open auditions were announced. After a while, the project’s title and main characters were also revealed, and at that time, the thought of signing up for the auditions didn’t even cross my mind. I’ve actually been saying things like “I’m going to become a cast member of Love Live!” since I was in elementary school. At that time, I was sure that I’d be able to do it, but as I grew older, I learned more about myself and the world around me, and it’s precisely because I’ve been a fan of the series for so long that I know just how amazing the Love Live! cast members are. I’d never learned how to dance or act, and I thought I should just give up on my dream and commit myself fully to supporting them. I wish I could’ve attended a Liella! concert back when they only had five members, but I couldn’t get any tickets, so the first concert I attended was their 3rd Live Tour. I went for the second day in Miyagi, and that was also the first Love Live! concert I ever attended.

How was the concert in Miyagi?

Sakakura: It was amazing! I kept thinking about it even after I got home. I’ll never forget how emotional I got when everyone first appeared on stage with a bang, performing WE WILL!!. It left such a deep impression on me that tears started flowing down my face. Margarete-chan’s performance was also amazing. She changed the atmosphere completely after Liella! infused the entire venue with their energy, and I thought that was really impressive. Her singing and dancing were also on a completely different level, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off each and every one of the facial expressions she made. I really liked the part when she said “Shibuya Kanon!” too.

Yuina: I’m so glad to hear that! Everyone was waving their blades so hard that I was actually worried whether they’d drop them, and I could acutely feel how much we, the cast members, were loved.

Sakakura: Everyone was trying their best to keep up with the color changes. I waved mine at Yuina too (laughs).

Yuina-san, you’ve been performing on stage since the 3rd Live Tour. What were your thoughts when you first heard about the audition for Wien Margarete?

Yuina: It was love at first sight, literally. I prepared for the audition with a strong conviction that I really wanted to become her voice, that I really wanted to land this role. It was my first time participating in an audition for a voice acting role, but I danced when I was in elementary school, and I’ve always loved singing. I’d even pretend to be an idol sometimes when I was a kid. When I decided to participate in the audition, I started thinking that maybe this role is quite close to what I wanted to do in life. That perhaps this was what I’ve always wanted to do.

How did you react after hearing the news that you were accepted for the role?

Yuina: I jumped into the air… (embarrassed). I got the call when I was all alone at home, so I was in total disbelief at the start. But I had a bad feeling that something would go wrong if I got too excited, so up until the point where I was formally announced as being part of the project, I decided to take everything in life seriously. So I had a lot of time to digest the news. You never know what might happen in life, after all! (laughs) Now that I managed to land the role, I wanted to show off her position as the rival to the best of my ability. So I did my best to incorporate Margarete-chan’s sense of justice into my acting, no matter what others might have thought. But, during the 3rd Live Tour, which closely followed the anime’s storyline, I was performing on stage as Margarete-chan, who went on to win the first prize at the Yoyogi School Idol Festival. That was a little nerve-wracking, and I constantly wondered whether I managed to put on a performance worthy of that.

Since you were watching from the perspective of a fan, Sakakura-san, what did you think about Yuina-san?

Sakakura: The first time I saw Margarete-chan in the anime, I went “Who’s this beautiful girl?!”, and after the episode, I saw the cast announcement on social media and went “Who’s this beautiful girl?!” again (laughs). They were a perfect match, and I was surprised at how high-specced they both seemed.

Yuina: You flatter me~...! (embarrassed)

Yuina-san, you joined the Love Live! Superstar!! project at the same time as Liella!’s second-generation members. What are your thoughts about them?

Yuina: I didn’t manage to talk to them a lot back then, but we did meet before the announcement was made, so I was really nervous when I watched the first live stream featuring all nine members. I genuinely felt that I really liked everyone after seeing all nine members of Liella! together, and even though I knew that I’d be joining them later as a third-generation member, I couldn’t really imagine what that’d be like. What about you, Saku?

Sakakura: They’re all amazing, but the one that caught my attention the most was Nonchan, who also joined Liella! after being selected from the open auditions. How she caught my eye was different from how Sayurin and Nagichan did, in a good way, of course. She seemed reserved at first, so I wondered what kind of person she was, but as I watched more live streams, it became easier and easier to see her charms, which made me happy as well. That made me want to support her all the more.

Just give it a try! Taking the first step forward thanks to Liella!

The open auditions for the third-generation cast member were announced after the second season of the anime finished airing. What made you decide to apply for it, Sakakura-san?

Sakakura: It’s not like I regretted not signing up for the first round of open auditions. As a fan, I genuinely thought that Sayurin was the only one for Kanon-chan, and Nagichan was the only one for Ren-chan. Seeing how amazing the cast members who qualified through the open auditions were as they engaged in their activities as Liella! really gave me a push on the back, and that gave me the courage to apply. What Keke-chan said in the anime’s first season, “Is there such a thing as the end of the road for something you love so much?”, really struck me, since I was about to give up on my dreams. After hearing that line, I started wondering why I had decided to give up in the first place, and that I’d definitely give it a shot if I had the chance to do so in the future. Because of that, I applied for the audition without hesitation once it was announced.

How did you approach the audition?

Sakakura: I’m not very confident in my singing, but I really love singing Love Live! songs, so I’d have fun practicing. I’m really bad at dancing, so I practiced the set piece every single day while recording myself, and re-watched those recordings afterward. Practicing the acting part in front of my family members was embarrassing, so I practiced that when I was alone. I thought that I did alright in the second round, which was conducted online, and at that time, I still thought that it’d be nice if I made it. The third round was the first to be conducted on-site, and I was excited at the very prospect of being able to meet the people who worked on the Love Live! series (laughs). Everyone was really kind to me, and that holds true even to this day. But, I thought the third round didn’t go too well, and I remember texting my family about how I’d flunked it after it was over. Once I learned that I made it to the final round, I decided to just enjoy myself, since I thought it was already quite a miracle that I had managed to make it that far. Although I lacked confidence in my singing, dancing, and acting, I was sure that my love for the Love Live! series was greater than anybody else’s, and that was how I approached the final round. I couldn’t believe it when I got the news that I had been selected. Although I’m completely lacking in both ability and experience, I was really grateful that I was given an opportunity like this. Oh, I also wondered what my future would be like now that I was selected.

After that, it was finally time for your first meeting. What were your first impressions of each other?

Sakakura: Surprisingly, we got along pretty well right from the start.

Yuina: Yup, that’s right! I had heard that she was younger than me, but she seemed so mature the first time we met. When she started talking, she looked so cute and had this huge grin on her face… And she said she was so glad to meet me!

Sakakura: Of course I’d be glad (laughs)!

Yuina: Your happiness was contagious (laughs)! Since we were already like that the first time we met, we were quite close from the very start. But, even though she referred to the other Liella! members as, for example, “Sayurin” and “Nagichan” from the very start, for some reason, I was “Yuina-san”. I’ll never forget that! You felt so distant!

Sakakura: You don’t really have a nickname, so I didn’t know what to call you… (laughs wryly) Also, my manager kept the fact that I’d be meeting her that day a secret, so I went over thinking it was just a normal meeting. I was then told that Yuina would be there too when I arrived, which sent me into a panic. I wish I had put on nicer clothes and done my makeup properly!

Yuina: Even though I was so excited to meet you (laughs).

Sakakura: Oh, that was also the first time I saw an illustration of Tomari-chan. I honestly thought that she was really, really cute. That illustration struck right at my heart! Most of my favorite characters up until now have been the laid-back type, but Tomari-chan was so cute that it shattered all of that. At the same time, I wondered whether it really was okay for someone like me to be voicing such a cute girl. But I was really happy to see her!

Did you think about what your character would be like before you met Tomari-chan?

Sakakura: Of course I did! I thought she’d be someone more reserved like Hanayo-chan or Ruby-chan, since she was also a first-year. Also, I had already predicted that Margarete-chan would join as a third-generation member, so I really thought the other member would be more reserved, to serve as a foil to her.

Yuina: I totally get you! I thought we’d get someone who’s the complete opposite of Margarete-chan. So I was quite surprised that we got a cool-looking girl instead. But she’s really cute, and I really like the visual impact that the two third-generation characters give off when together.

Sakakura: Yeah, totally!

Yuina: Another thing that surprised me was that she’s Natsumi-chan’s younger sister.

Are there any traits that you think you share with Tomari-chan?

Sakakura: Practically none at all (laughs). But, well, Tomari-chan loves her older sister, and that has greatly influenced her personality. I too have an older brother, and he has also influenced me in various ways. For example, I decided to join the Kendo Club because he also did Kendo. Oh, and, as I mentioned earlier, the fact that he got hooked on SIF influenced me too. So I would say that he influenced me quite a bit. We get along really well, and I love him as a brother, so I guess that’s something I would say I share with Tomari-chan. As for our personalities, Tomari-chan has the tendency to put on a strong act, which makes her sound fiercer than she intends to be. There are times when I act like that towards my family members as well, so I guess we might be similar in that aspect.

Yuina: There’s a part during her self-introduction where she goes “Please don’t stare at me like that…”, and I think that’s just like Saku. Saku gets embarrassed easily too, and that’s one of the things that makes her so cute. We might be able to uncover more similarities after we get to know Tomari-chan a little better!

Sakakura: That’d be nice. What about Margarete-chan?

Yuina: Like… It felt like I was looking at myself in the past. I absolutely couldn’t stand losing, and I’d never quit until I won. Like, I wanted everything to end with me winning (laughs). I’d much rather participate in sports myself compared to just watching. Oh, and both of us have older sisters, so that’s another thing we share. I love my older sister, but I couldn’t stand losing to her. I didn’t want people to look down on me just because I was the younger sister, and I wanted to show my mother that I could win against her as an equal. So in that sense, I think we’re pretty similar.

After that meeting, you met the other members of Liella!.

Sakakura: I was really, really emotional, the most I’ve ever been in my life, even. I’ve always just been a fan, so seeing all of them right there in front of me made me almost burst into tears. Before meeting them, my manager warned me not to fangirl too much since I was going to become a cast member alongside everyone else, but there was no way I could hold back… (laughs)

Yuina: It was quite a strange feeling for me. We entered the room with a staff member announcing “And here are the third-generation cast members!”, and I started getting nervous too because Saku was trembling beside me. Though that all dissipated the moment we entered the room and everyone said something like “Oh, that’s a familiar face!” (laughs). I thought I had to bridge the conversation between Saku and everyone else, but once we started talking, it became clear that I had nothing to worry about. She quickly got along with everyone else, which just goes to show how friendly she is.

Sakakura: Everyone came over and talked to me the moment we were done for the day. I had a lingering worry that the Liella! I’d been watching as a fan all this while would be different from the Liella! I’d meet in person. I was also worried whether I’d be accepted into the group, given that the nine first- and second-generation members had already gotten to know Yuina and I’d be dropped in the midst of all that, all by myself. But our first meeting made all those worries vanish into thin air. Experiencing how kind and friendly Yuina and everyone else in Liella! were made me really glad that I’d supported this group all this while.

Waiting for a partner The bonds between the third-generation cast members

Did you see the fans’ reactions to the self-introduction videos or your first live stream?

Sakakura: I was so scared that I decided not to look at the comments on the self-introduction video.

Yuina: I told her that I was gonna look at Tomari’s comments before her, so that’s precisely what I did (laughs).

Sakakura: And she told me there were a lot of welcoming comments (laughs). Of course, there were some negative ones, but most of them were welcoming. That made me realize the fact that the kindness of Love Live! fans was one of the things that make the series so amazing, and it reaffirmed the love I have for it.

Yuina: Yeah, the comments were really kind! I thought I was panicking before the live stream, but Saku was completely white and looked like she was about to pass out (laughs).

Sakakura: Self-confidence has never been my strong suit, so what the fans would think of me joining Liella!, which was already such an amazing group, constantly weighed on my mind. I even imagined scenarios where I’d receive a flood of mean comments…… I was really, really nervous, but everyone in Liella! came over to ask if I was okay, or to give me a pat on the back. Up until that moment, being in the presence of the members of Liella! had only served to make me even more nervous, but during the live stream, I actually became less nervous thanks to them. Even though I’d just met them, I realized that what Liella! meant to me was starting to change, bit by bit.

Yuina: I’m sure everyone watching could tell how sincere your words were precisely because you’re such a big fan of Love Live!!

Sakakura: Thank you……! I didn’t manage to read many comments during the live stream itself, so I took the time to go through them slowly after I got home. The warmth in each and every one of the comments was the thing that finally melted away all my nerves and worries, and that was when the tears started flowing down my cheeks. The desire to become a cast member was indeed the dominant emotion within me, but there was also a part of me that was worried about the future and everything I’d be doing. After all, now that I’m involved in this world as a cast member, I’m sure what I’ll be able to see will be completely different from the glimpse I caught as a fan. But, now, I’m really glad that I decided to sign up for the audition. I experience something new and enjoy myself every single day, and even though I definitely still have a long way to go, I think I’ve definitely grown as a person. But that’s mostly thanks to how kind and amazing everyone in Liella! is, and the fact that they’re such good role models. Of course, I want to catch up to them in terms of my acting and singing, but I’d also like to become more like them, as a person. It’d be nice if I could continue changing for the better in the future.

The pace of the eleven-member Liella!’s activities will surely only continue to increase. Tell us about something you hope to achieve in the future.

Sakakura: The top priority for me is to do my best to catch up to Yuina. There’s not a single thing that she can’t do but I can. Even so, she always says things like “Let’s do our best together!”. Hearing those words really does make me happy, and because she has supported me countless times, I hope to someday grow into someone capable of supporting Yuina as well.

Yuina: … (stares at Sakakura)

Sakakura: (laughs)

Yuina: Really, though, I feel like I’ve already come to rely on her. The other day, I attended a recording session where Saku wasn’t there beside me, and that made me rather fidgety (laughs). Because we’ve spent practically every single day together attending lessons, being alone suddenly made me feel uneasy. That made me realize that without me noticing, I’ve been unconsciously leaning on Saku. Somehow, having her beside me puts me at ease. So I need her by my side! Because the character I voice has up until now been a rival and a lone wolf, there was a part of me that couldn’t wait for another third-generation member to show up. I’ve been looking forward to having someone who’s both a friend and a partner, and I’m really glad that Saku ended up being the one to fill that spot. She claims to be bad at dancing, but seeing how much she improves after every single lesson makes me want to push myself even harder too. So rather than keeping your worries to yourself, I hope that we can tackle this together as one since we’re in a three-legged race together. So… Thank you. (looks Sakakura in the eye)

Sakakura: No, thank you!

Last but not least, a message for the fans!

Yuina: Your kind words have supported me countless times ever since the 3rd Live Tour. I’ll be part of Liella! from now on, and I’m really glad that I’ll get more chances to interact with everyone. Of course, there are still many things I need to get used to, but I hope to dance high up in the sky together with Margarete-chan!

Sakakura: Thank you so much for all your support. Your kind words really are the thing that keeps me wanting to do my best every single day. Just like how you’ve supported me, I hope to become someone that can support you in return, together with Tomari-chan. I’ll do my very best, so I’d be glad if you watched over me as I do just that!

Yuina, the voice of Wien Margarete, is from Kanagawa. She attended the audition for her role in between rehearsals for a stage play she was starring in and showed up in full vampire makeup, which apparently caused quite a stir. She mentions being enthralled by the cool solo performance of Kobayashi Aika-san, the voice of Tsushima Yoshiko from Love Live! Sunshine!!

Sakakura Sakura, the voice of Onitsuka Tomari, is from Saitama. Before becoming a cast member of Love Live! Superstar!!, she aimed to become a kindergarten teacher. A true Liella! fan, she visited the rolled ice cream cafe that Liella! collaborated with and stayed there until she managed to draw her favorite character, Tang Keke.

Translation: xIceArcher

Translation Check/Quality Check: Dyrea (@dyreatic)

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Love Live! Days x Nikkei Entertainment - Liella! ON Volume 1

Check out the original interview in Nikkei Entertainment June 2023, available for purchase on Amazon JP here.

Yuigaoka Girls' High School School Idol Club's Monthly Report

What she really wanted to say during the MC of the final leg of the tour

In this column held in collaboration with Love Live! Days, we follow the activities of Liella!, the school idol group from Love Live! Superstar!!. In this volume, Date Sayuri, the voice of Shibuya Kanon, shares what the group has achieved in March and April 2023.

Summary of This Month Final leg of the tour, new album, and new first-years

March 4-5 Final leg of the 3rd Live Tour at Belluna Dome

Now that I think about it, (the Saitama leg at) Belluna Dome felt really special. The setlist was different from the other legs, and we even performed Second Sparkle for the first time on Day 2. It was also special since I approached both days with very different states of mind. On Day 1, it just didn’t feel real, and my head was in the clouds from the rehearsal to the end of the performance. It felt like my memories of that performance went missing, like, did I even perform on that day?

Day 2 was also the final performance of the live tour, so I remember telling myself to make sure to commit the performance into memory. But, I ended up getting too excited and didn’t manage to say what I really wanted to say during my final MC… What I really wanted to convey back then was the frustration and disappointment I felt upon the realization that although Kanon-chan managed to overcome her worries and take the next step forward, I myself didn’t manage to hold my head high and grow when faced with the same worries.

I’ve received many encouraging words in response to what I said back then. There were people who said something like “You’re two different people, so it’s understandable that seeing Kanon-chan’s good points would make you realize your own weaknesses. You don’t need to try too hard to become Kanon-chan”. That made me think that perhaps I would be able to enjoy myself more and look towards the future if I didn’t fixate over becoming one and the same as Kanon-chan. I have nothing but gratitude for everyone who wrote those comments as they were the ones who brought me to this realization.

March 15 Release of 2nd Album, Second Sparkle

The title song of the album, Second Sparkle, was a song that the group really wanted everyone to listen to in full as soon as possible, so we were all ecstatic when it was finally released. Thoughts like “You’re all so cool!” and “I could go on all day about this song!” were ones that we could totally relate to (laughs). I think we managed to show off a new side of us in the music video as well.

On the other hand, the recording of my solo, Free Flight, came and went without me coming to an interpretation that I felt satisfied with… So, if I have the opportunity to perform the song in the future, I do hope that I’d be able to perform it in a way that I’d be satisfied with. Hopefully I’d be able to look back at this moment with some optimism in the future, and look back fondly at the time when I wasn’t quite sure how to approach the song.

We’ll be having a meet-and-greet event in May for the release of Second Sparkle as well. It’s my first time doing an event like this as the voice of Shibuya Kanon, so I’m really looking forward to it!

April 1 Release of April Fool’s video

A video titled Onifessional - Their Way of Work was released for a limited time on the official YouTube channel, in which the nine of us acted as employees of a fictional events company. I was definitely shocked that we’d be doing a live-action video when I first heard about it, but all of us loved projects that went all out on the ridiculousness, so I left behind any sense of embarrassment I had and dove straight in (laughs). When we received the script, we were told that basically, most of it would be ad-libbed. Both participating in a live-action production and ad-libbing were things that I’ve never done before, so I had a lot of fun.

Each of us had a character setting in the script that we received, and what I got was three phrases: “Has been in the company for three years”, “A moodmaker that’s always cheerful”, and “Loves using quotes whenever she can”. I therefore decided to look up people I could use as a reference, as well as quotes that virtually everyone would know. There was a part when I said something like “there’s no ‘I’ in ‘team’”, and the only instructions the script had was “act like something or someone”. I’m sure many of you have already noticed, but I did use that famous actor as a reference!

There was one thing I felt was quite difficult though. Even though I tried my best to put on an act, I received many comments that went “that’s basically just Date Sayuri”. That was somewhat frustrating (laughs). But, in the making-of video that’s currently available on Liella! Club, Emori (Aya)-chan said, “You’re going back to being Sayuri!”, and I responded by telling myself to get into character, so do check that out as well!

April 28 Announcement of new first-years and unit groupings

On this day, it was announced that Wien Margarete and Onitsuka Tomari would be joining Liella! as new first-years, and the group would be split into three units. Joining Kanon-chan’s unit would be Heanna Sumire (voiced by Payton Naomi) and Yoneme Mei (voiced by Yabushima Akane).

First of all, about the new first-years, I expected Kanon-chan’s younger sister, Aria-chan to join, given their age gap, but instead, we got Oninatsu’s younger sister instead, which was quite unexpected. I was quite surprised to learn that she even had a sister (laughs). I have yet to meet the voice of Tomari-chan, but since everyone in Liella! is very kind, I hope she has an enjoyable time here. As for the voice of Wien (Margarete), Yuina-chan, she has already gone on an entire tour with us, so I am really excited about the new first-years.

We heard about who would be in which unit after Day 2 at Belluna Dome, and I remembered being quite surprised at the size of the units, as well as the fact that Kanon, Sumire, and Mei would be in the same unit. Personally, I have the feeling that we were split into units based on our singing voices. I don’t know the concepts of each unit yet, so that’s something that I’m quite excited about (laughs).

Agenda for Next Month The theme song of SIF2

May 17 Release of new single, MIRACLE NEW STORY

Liella! was picked to perform the theme song of SIF2 [1], and it’s a song that makes me want to carry the weight of SIF2 when we perform it live in the future. There are a lot of lines that relate to “singing out loud together”, so not only is it a perfect fit for SIF2’s theme song, it’s also a perfect fit for Liella! now that we’re now able to hold performances where cheers are allowed. The coupling song for the single is also a song that’s quite conducive to cheers, so I’m hoping that it’ll become a song that’ll feel complete when the fans are performing it with us, and that it’ll help shape the new Liella!.

Also, I personally love the SIF game, and being able to listen to all kinds of songs from the Love Live! franchise is definitely one of its strengths. I’d be glad if it gave people who haven’t heard Liella!’s songs an opportunity to listen to our songs, to develop an interest in them, and to eventually fall in love with our songs.

May 27 BUSHIROAD ROCK FESTIVAL 2023

We participated in MEGA VEGAS 2023 on March 11, and we could tell that there’ll be a lot of rock fans in attendance just from what the venue looked like. Because of that, we thought we couldn’t lose to everyone else performing, and that sweating is part and parcel of the rock experience, so we definitely did sweat a lot more than we usually do on that day (laughs). It was quite liberating, in a way. I had a lot of fun imagining what a rock-inspired Kanon-chan would be like, which made me really grateful to receive the opportunity to perform at BUSHIROAD ROCK FESTIVAL 2023. The first time we participated in a music festival held outdoors was Bannam Fest last year, so this is our second time doing this. There was a moment when I felt infinitely small compared to the vast venue that we performed at last time, so I hope I’ll be able to overcome that feeling this time! It was also announced that we’ll be performing in this summer’s Animelo Summer Live 2023 -AXEL- on March 19, so I hope we’ll be able to show what it means to be Liella! at the various music festivals as well. 

[1] The official name of the game is Love Live! School Idol Festival 2 MIRACLE LIVE!, a smartphone rhythm game released on April 15 as the successor to Love Live! School Idol Festival, which had been in operation for ten years.

Translator: xIceArcher Quality Check: Yujacha (@yujachachacha)

[frozenmikan]

Liella! Cross Talk 03 - Date Sayuri, Aoyama Nagisa, Suzuhara Nozomi

Check out the original interview in the LoveLive! Days Liella Special, available for purchase on Amazon JP here.

An interview with the voices of Shibuya Kanon, Hazuki Ren, and Sakurakoji Kinako. We asked them about how they feel now after starting from the open auditions and overcoming the same hurdles together.

Interview by Okada Moeka

I feel like Kanon-chan grew so much throughout the second season that I’m being left further and further behind

It’s been half a year since Liella! became nine. Has the group’s atmosphere changed since then?

Aoyama: I think we’ve settled down a little compared to when we first started out as nine. Now that we know what everyone else is like and what kind of people they are on the inside, we’ve managed to figure out the appropriate distance between us.

Date: We really were trying too hard back then, weren’t we? (laughs) Feels like we’ve settled down and are now much more comfortable with one another.

Suzuhara: Like, the first-generation members have always just been a group of people on the other side of a screen, so… Now that we’ve gone for meals together, I find that I can be quite frank when talking to them.

Date: I’m actually quite shy, so I’m not very good at initiating conversations. I decided that I might as well just be myself from the very start if putting up an act wasn’t going to work anyway, so I just treated everyone like I would have when we only had five members.

Aoyama: I’m also not very good at starting conversations, so I kinda get that (laughs).

When was the first time that it truly hit you that Liella! now has nine members?

Aoyama: When I watched the archive for our release event.

Date: !! (Nods with eyes wide open)

Aoyama: What’s with that reaction? (laughs) Now that we have more members, it’s not so easy to grasp what everyone’s facial expressions are like during dance rehearsals, unlike before. Of course, we do have recordings of the rehearsals, but you can’t really see everyone’s expressions clearly from that alone. So, when I first watched the recording of the event… That was when I felt like we could reach even greater heights together as nine.

Date: Yeah! I felt the same way right after the event. During the rehearsals, I usually focus only on what I was doing, not to mention the fact that we were wearing masks. So hearing our fans’ comments and watching the archive after the event was when it first hit me. It was also the first time I felt truly grateful that we had become nine.

Suzuhara: I watched Liella! perform as five for quite some time, so for me, a Liella! with nine members just didn’t feel right, probably even more so than the first-generation members. Watching the archive of our release event finally made me think, “Maybe I can call myself a part of Liella! after all…” more often. 

It sounds like you’re still in the process of discovering what it means for you to be part of Liella!.

Suzuhara: I spent a lot of time thinking about that, but there’s a part of me that’s still chasing after the five-member Liella!. A Liella! with nine-members is still Liella!, of course, but there are times when I think that they’re just not the same. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, though, so I’ll continue chasing after them!

This question is for the two first-generation members: is there anything that’s different about performing on stage with nine members instead of five?

Aoyama: It’s amazing just how much more reassuring it is to perform when there are more of us on stage. When performing as five, sometimes it shows on my face that I’m thinking about what my next line is, but now I feel like I can put on a more natural expression when performing.

Date: She’s right. You’re also really close to the person next to you! Our second release event was held in the same venue as our first event, Hajimari wa Minna no Sora, but the stage felt much smaller than before. Of course, part of it was because the seats were now filled with all our fans, but it felt like the stage had become more colorful than before. It really has gotten livelier, hasn’t it?

Suzuhara: We’ve all been strung along by Ookuma Wakana’s passion.

Date: Passion? (laughs)

Suzuhara: She can make very big movements with her head. I’ve always wondered how she manages to do that, and I even asked her that very question today during practice. Looking at her makes you realize how much fun it is to perform on stage, and seeing that in turn has made me want to make even bigger movements when I’m dancing, to use as much of the stage as possible and to make everyone enjoy themselves as much as possible. I’m sure Wakana’s dancing has infected the rest of the group, and Liella!’s dance moves now have much larger movements thanks to her… (voice getting softer with time)

Date/Aoyama: What’s wrong?! (laughs)

Aoyama: I totally get you! (laughs) Actually, I think it’s precisely because Kumachan dances so dynamically as Shiki-chan that her dancing shows off something different from just Shiki-chan’s dancing. She made me start thinking more about how I can incorporate her strengths and look even more like Ren-chan when I’m performing on stage.

Date: Kanon-chan doesn’t really have that much of a link to dancing story-wise, I guess. Now that we’ve become nine, I’ve spent more time thinking about how Kanon-chan would dance, more than I used to for our 1st Live Tour and 2nd Live. That’s one of the things I’m chasing after at the moment. Up until now, I’ve pushed through by just trying my best to have as much fun as possible, but now that she’s in her second year and trying to win Love Live!, I’m sure she has thought about how she should perform to achieve that goal, so I’m trying to figure that part out by re-watching parts of the anime.

How was your first time performing on stage, Suzuhara-san?

Suzuhara: I had loads of fun! I couldn’t picture in my head what it’d be like to actually perform on stage during the rehearsals. I did appear on stage for the fan meetings, but that experience wasn’t linked to actually performing live. I now know that performing live is really, really fun! I found myself naturally smiling when dancing, and I’m so overjoyed at being able to stand on stage as Kinako-chan that I find myself fully enjoying myself. I’ve always loved singing and dancing, so finally being able to do that, finally being able to show everyone that made me really happy as well.

That was when I felt like we could reach even greater heights together as nine

This may be a sudden question, but is there anything about the others here in the interview today that you particularly admire or would like to be able to do too?

Suzuhara: I’ll go first! I really admire Sayuchan’s loud voice—

Date: Loud voice?!

Suzuhara: I’ll talk about some other things later! (panicking) When we’re in a circle, or when push comes to shove, the way her voice resonates through the room is just so cool, which is something I really look up to. That, and her communication skills are top notch! Though I’m pretty sure she’d argue otherwise.

Date: That’s the thing I’m the worst at!

Suzuhara: She’s really easy to talk to, and talking to her is always so enjoyable, so I really like that about her. Her singing and dancing is amazing too, so I really look up to that part of her as well! As for Nagichan, she can do anything.

Aoyama: No way.

Suzuhara: I wanna do a segment where we try to find out just what it is she can’t do.

Date: I wanna join in too!

Aoyama: No, please~

Suzuhara: Oh, and she’s also really good at sports, which I really envy. I’m terrible at sports, so… She really can do anything. In fact, what is it that you can’t do?

Aoyama: There’s a whole lot I can’t do! I can’t speak Chinese or Spanish, for example.

Suzuhara: And that just makes you even more amazing! …That’s all.

Date: (Laughs) Guess I’ll go next. I feel like Nagichan knows herself really well. I’ve learned so many things from just talking to her. She speaks from her own experiences and gives really good advice on what I should do in every situation, and that has helped me out countless times. The other day, she recommended that I eat some meat—

Meat? You mean protein?

Date: Yeah! She says it a lot, things like, “You gotta make sure you get enough protein!” I’ve started incorporating more protein into my diet thanks to her, and I feel a little more cheerful than I used to be. So I have her to thank for that.

Aoyama: That’s such an interesting thing to talk about! (laughs)

Date: And, as for Nonchan—

Suzuhara: You don’t need to force yourself, just skip me… (softly)

Date: Now that we have nine members, our group definitely has more prominent personalities than before. When I first started out, I used to compare myself a lot to the others around me. Things like wondering why I couldn’t do something even though someone else could do it without any trouble. But Nonchan is different. She has a very strong sense of self, and seems to work towards improving herself step by step without ever comparing herself to someone else. Am I making any sense?

Aoyama: Totally get you!

Date: Oh, and because she doesn’t really say much about what she’s thinking, she has this cool, mysterious aura about her. Being able to use what she observes in others and converting it into something of her own is quite an amazing quality, and something I’d like to be able to do as well.

Suzuhara: (While slowly shaking her head, in a soft voice) Thank you……

Aoyama: I guess I’m up last. For Sayurin, it’s gotta be her smile. I’m sure her fans already know what I mean. She’s just so cute when she has this huge smile on her face! Her very presence brightens up the atmosphere in the room, so she’s definitely a natural idol. Every word she says to her fellow members is also filled with kindness, and she can always find just the right words to say. She’s a kind soul that brings with her a soothing atmosphere no matter where she goes.

Date: I’m gonna cry…… Thank you so much!

Aoyama: That really is something that’s unique to Sayurin. Nonchan, on the other hand, is a really strong person on the inside, though she doesn’t show it often. At first, I had no idea what she was thinking. But, now that I’ve spent more time with her, I’ve realized that she has a really strong sense of self. Now that we’re close enough to be frank with each other, I’m really glad that she speaks her mind to me. She’s even more diligent than everyone thinks, so I do hope she can relax just a little. Don’t push yourself too hard!

Suzuhara: Really~? But am I really pushing myself too hard? I find myself tensing up quite often, so I want to learn to relax like Nagichan does.

Going back to the original topic, did anything in particular stand out about the release event?

Aoyama: Our previous release events didn’t have an audience, so being able to perform directly in front of an audience made me really happy. We performed Watashi no Symphony in the audience seats during our first release event, so when the second-generation members were performing the first verse, I had flashbacks to when I sang the same lines standing to the right of the audience seats.

Date: We all performed Watashi no Symphony together, but I’m sure it resonated so strongly this time precisely because the second-generation members were performing it. It made me realize just how much the mood of a song is affected by the people singing it. I’m really glad we got to hear a version of it with the second-generation members.

Suzuhara: I was watching as a member of the audience when the first-generation members performed the song during their first release event, so that came to mind. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect myself to be standing on stage singing the same phrase I saw Sayuchan sing from where I was sitting in one of the audience seats in a corner. I’ve always thought, “If that was me performing, there’s no way I’d be able to sing that phrase,” so I was really surprised when I found out that I was assigned those starting lines. I practiced that part again and again, but I was still very nervous… How are you even supposed to sing those lines?

Date: Huh? But the release event is already over! (laughs)

Aoyama: You did great!

Suzuhara: Even though I spent so much time practicing, I felt like my mind would be completely blank when I actually got on stage. But being able to sing those lines was, to me, a really big accomplishment and my success story for this release event.

Date: There wasn’t an audience when I sang it, so you’re really amazing, Nonchan!

Suzuhara: It’s a precious song for the first-generation members, and also a very emotional song for the second-generation members and all the fans, so I was really, really nervous…!

The theme printed on the teaser visual for the anime’s second season was “Chasing after them, surpassing them.” How did you interpret this theme?

Date: In the teaser illustration, the second-generation members were chasing after the first-generation members, so that’s how I interpreted it. The second season of the anime really gave off the feeling of “Liella! is nine,” so I’m now convinced that it also has something to do with striving to become a better version of yourself, as well as the relationship between the cast members.

Suzuhara: The second-generation members took on this challenge with a similar mindset (laughs). But, hearing Sing! Shine! Smile! made me wonder if it’s the entire school that’s chasing after and surpassing something together, as a whole.

Aoyama: I too interpreted it as being broader than just referring to the second-generation members. I think the second season is a story of Liella! achieving something together as a whole. I guess you could even extend that to the entirety of Yuigaoka moving forward together.

I’m so overjoyed at being able to stand on stage as Kinako-chan that I find myself fully enjoying myself

I believe you’re all now in the midst of rehearsing for your 3rd Live Tour. Suzuhara-san, is there one goal or target in particular that you’d like to achieve during this tour?

Suzuhara: There are too many to count. I really love singing and dancing, but on the technical side of things, I still have a long way to go. I want to improve as much as I can given the time we have to prepare. We’ll be performing quite a few songs with pretty difficult choreographies for our 3rd Live Tour, not to mention Go!! Restart, in which only Kinako-chan performs with all the first-generation members… I’ll do my best during practice so I can get through it with a smile on my face!

We actually asked the first-generation members this same question in the Liella! special.

Date: I mentioned how I couldn’t do the Starlight Prologue twirl, didn’t I? (laughs) I didn’t manage to do it in the end either, but I think the most important thing was not panicking. I performed that twirl with all kinds of negative thoughts in my head, like how I’m wasting everyone’s time, or why I couldn’t do something as simple as this… But I realized that just enjoying myself and not thinking about anything negative while performing usually went better.

Aoyama: I think I talked about not being sure whether my facial expressions looked natural. But, seeing with my own eyes how everyone was supporting us naturally put a smile on my face, so I can now stand on stage without worrying about that. Now, my goal is to perform in such a way that even if all of us were performing with the exact same hairstyles and costumes, anyone watching would be able to tell at a glance that I’m Ren-chan. Of course, dancing dynamically or very energetically is bound to attract attention, but I don’t think that’s how Ren-chan would dance.

Suzuhara: When watching our dance recordings, it’s always so easy to pick out Ren-chan! So you are paying particular attention to that! 

Aoyama: Thank you!

Suzuhara: I actually think I’m too similar to Kinako-chan… When I first saw the script for the anime’s second season, her actions and words made me think, “...are they writing about me?” There are times when I can’t tell where the border between the two of us lies. Which emotions actually belong to me, and which are Kinako-chan’s?

Date: The two of you really are alike.

Aoyama: That’s amazing. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing?

Date: Whether or not I look like Kanon-chan… That’s something I’m working on too, actually. I feel like Kanon-chan grew so much throughout the second season that I’m being left further and further behind. Up until now, just having fun took every ounce of my effort, so I too am trying to find out how I should be moving to look more like Kanon-chan, and how to get closer to that.

Last but not least, a message for the fans!

Suzuhara: Our 3rd Live Tour will be the second-generation members’ first live tour, not to mention our first live tour after we became nine. Right now, I’m more nervous than anything else, but I’ll do my best to enjoy myself so much that I forget all about my nerves! I hope I can show how much I’ve grown since the release event, and put on a performance that stays in everyone’s minds as an amazing one even after it ends. I hope to see you there!

Aoyama: It’s our first time going on a live tour with all nine of us, so I hope to be able to say wholeheartedly that I really enjoyed myself. We’ll push each other to even greater heights and I’ll do my best to put on a performance even better than our release event!

Date: After our 1st Live Tour, the way I think about things changed completely. I’m sure our 3rd Live Tour will also become the starting point for some sort of change, so I’m looking forward to it. As the nine of us go around the country, I’m sure we’ll experience both fun and painful things, but I hope to not let the negative emotions overwhelm us and complete the tour while keeping the importance of having fun ourselves at the forefront of our minds. Yuina-san is coming along with us as well, so let’s get through this together!

Translator: xIceArcher Quality Check: Yujacha (@yujachachacha)

[frozenmikan]

Aoyama Nagisa's Life Until She Became a Voice Actress for Love Live! Superstar!!

Header image provided by Young Jump Weekly. Photography: Sato Yuichi

In her first ever essay, Aoyama Nagisa, a voice actress from the Love Live! Superstar!! franchise, details the path she has taken to get to where she currently is from the very beginning.

A photo from a ballet recital during early elementary school. Taking a closer look, you can see that my front teeth are missing since I was in the midst of growing adult teeth.

Aoyama Nagisa, known for her role as Hazuki Ren in Love Live! Superstar!!, is a voice actress with many young fans. Besides working as a voice actress, her work ranges from serving as the “Imadoki Girl” on the TV program Mesazhi Television to appearing in magazine gravure photoshoots with the tagline “Voice Actress Most Wanted as a Girlfriend”.

Even as she devoted most of her early years to ballet, she joined a band in middle school in blatant defiance of her teacher’s wishes. Today, we bring you an autobiographical essay detailing her unexpected route to becoming a voice actress for the Love Live! franchise.

A mother sends her daughter to ballet class upon seeing her dance to Love Machine

When people meet me for the first time, there’s a high probability that they’ll compliment me for my good posture. I spent thirteen years learning classical ballet, so it actually feels more natural for me to be sitting perfectly upright. In fact, it’s to the point where people constantly tell me to relax, that I don’t have to be so tense when talking to them.

Now that I think about it, I remember my teachers saying something like “There’s no need to be so nervous” almost every single time I attended a parent-teacher meeting. I wasn’t actually nervous at all, so I got accustomed to responding with, “This is just how I naturally sit”. It’s been eight years since I quit ballet in my first year of high school, so I’m really glad that I’m still being complimented for my posture.

I started ballet because of my mother. When I was two, she saw me singing and dancing to the rhythm of Love Machine by Morning Musume on the living room table. Apparently, that’s when it struck her that I might have a talent for dancing.

Apparently, she played music from all kinds of different genres to find out whether I had a good sense of rhythm and a natural affinity for dancing. When I learned about this incident, I could not help myself from thinking that parents can be quite scary… By the way, I have an older brother, but he’s terrible at dancing, so he didn’t pass my mother’s dance audition.

My mother also started dancing from a young age, though it was something other than ballet. But, she thought nothing could beat the expressiveness of an experienced ballet dancer, so she decided she’d make her daughter learn ballet if she gave birth to one.

Thankfully, I was the kind of girl to break out into song and dance every time I heard music playing, so I attended ballet school according to my mother’s wishes. The expressiveness I developed from my years of ballet still helps me in my work to this day, so I have nothing but gratitude towards her for introducing me to ballet.

In both elementary and middle school, I had to attend ballet classes right after class. The ballet school I attended was very strict, and some girls broke into tears while practicing. Obviously, we barely ever got praised for our performance there. Because of that, even now, I’m still not accustomed to receiving praise or hearing words that make me happy, so I tend to react rather unnaturally when it does happen.

A photo from my school's cultural festival during my third year of high school, in my club outfit together with my friends.

A transition from ballet to volleyball, which she hated

Because I grew up thinking that being in a tough environment was a given, I joined the girls volleyball club in high school, which was famous for being the toughest club there.

I knew several upperclassmen who ended up at the same high school, and when I told them that I’d be joining the volleyball club, every single one of them told me to reconsider. Not a single one of them told me it was a good idea, and that actually made me all the more curious to find out what kind of club it was.

I wanted to join the volleyball club precisely because I hated the sport! Receiving made my arms hurt and would sometimes even give me scabs, and volleyball was the one sport that I felt like I was bad at during gym classes, so I wanted to overcome that. I myself have no idea what I was thinking. Not even now.

That incomprehensible line of reasoning gave me the idea of joining the volleyball club, but there was actually another incident that cemented my decision.

On the day of my high school entrance exams, just as I was nervously walking towards the examination venue, a current student called out to me and asked, “Are you okay? Just nervous? Don’t worry, you’ll be fine!” It was as if a kind goddess had just spoken to me, which immediately filled my heart with warmth.

It turned out she was an upperclassman from the girls volleyball club, and she had been tasked with guiding candidates to their examination venues. The way she handled the situation was so incredible that it made me decide to join the volleyball club so I could become just like her.

Besides just playing volleyball, the girls volleyball club at my school was a club that expected its members to not fall behind on their studies while also proactively taking part in the school’s activities, such as organizing tours for potential students and patrolling the school during our cultural festivals. That was precisely why all of my upperclassmen told me without hesitation to quit the volleyball club if I wanted to enjoy my life in high school.

As I expected, it was really tough and there were indeed people who quit, but I felt like a tough environment like that actually suited me better.

Having loved singing from a young age, I went for karaoke sessions with my family.

Joining a band to spite her middle school teacher?!

This happened a little earlier, but during the new year break in my first year of middle school, I heard the song Kimishidai Ressha by ONE OK ROCK for the first time. That song got me completely hooked on rock music, and I joined my school’s rock band club as a guitarist and sub-vocalist.

I was still doing classical ballet at that time. Just imagine it. A middle-school girl in her school uniform, a guitar case on her back, and her hair up in a bun for ballet. Quite the sight, isn’t it?

I was also right in the midst of my rebellious phase back then. I was trying to recall what made me decide to join a band, and I happened to hear something interesting from one of my relatives. Apparently, I had even written about it in my graduation essay.

The middle school I went to was rather strict and strongly emphasized traditional values. I had a teacher there who didn’t have a good impression of band activities.

At that time, I was also the class president, so this teacher of mine constantly mentioned their high hopes for me and praised me for being an upstanding student. I started wondering why I was the only one being told that despite everyone else also doing their best. That incident made me feel very strongly about how my teachers really ought to treat every student fairly.

Of course, I was glad that they had high hopes for me, but as someone who has had a strong sense of justice ever since I was a child, I could never ignore what I perceived as injustice.

The very teacher who had high hopes for me mentioned something about how they thought a rock band wasn’t appropriate for the school’s image, which made me decide to join the band just to spite them. I decided that it was my duty to change their impression of the club, to show them that there was nothing wrong with it.

I even wrote about the incident in my graduation essay. Reading it now, it was so edgy that it’s actually quite funny. I’m really surprised that it got approved.

Although I do think it’s a good trait, every once in a while, my strong sense of justice would bring me into conflict with the people around me. For example, I never tolerated bullying, no matter the reason.

When I was in middle school, I became the target of a group of bullies after defending a friend from their bullying. Because of that, there was a period of time when I was so frustrated with the situation that I just curled up in bed crying, not wanting to go to school. But, because I knew full well that breaking into tears at school or in turn saying bad things about them was precisely what the bullies wanted me to do, I pretended to be fine no matter what they said to me.

Me when I was a child, feeling happy after eating ramen.

An unforgettable phrase from a friend that quit school because of bullying

Perhaps because my bullies got bored of me not reacting at all no matter what they said, they eventually stopped. Most of my classmates just pretended not to notice the situation, for fear of becoming their next target.

I can put up with it when people are giving me a hard time, but the one thing I cannot stay quiet about is when someone else is being given a hard time. When I see someone in need of help, I would confront the group of bullies alone, telling them to knock it off.

Around that time, a friend of mine, who always said “I’m fine” with a smile no matter how much she got bullied and how many unreasonable things happened to her at school, decided to quit suddenly. She told everyone around her that she was quitting because of something that was completely unrelated, but every once in a while, the sadness at not being able to do anything for her still gnaws at me.

What was on her mind when she said “thank you” to me, when I last met her? I will never forget the times when she forced a smile onto her face as she talked to me.

To write this essay, I asked my mother for stories from when I was younger. Apparently, a similar thing also happened in elementary school. I had a friend with a disability, which got them into conflict with my classmates quite often. Let’s just say that my other classmates did not take very kindly to them.

I don’t remember what I did back then, but apparently, my homeroom teacher told my mother something like “I’m very grateful to Nagisa-chan, who’s always on their side.”

Besides that, when I saw my grandfather blow up at my brother for not finishing his homework quickly enough, I went up to my grandfather and started hitting him, saying, “Don’t bully my older brother!” I was three at that time. By the way, I was the only person in the family ever to hit my grandfather like that. At that time, my grandfather was what you would call the supreme head of the family, so even all my relatives were speechless. They were like, “What on earth is this kid doing?”

Apparently, seeing what I did also emboldened my mother. “If even a three-year-old kid thought the situation didn’t make sense, I have to do something too. I need to get it together.”

Because of my personality, I’ve definitely had to spend a lot more effort than necessary to maintain my interpersonal relationships. But, because of my personality, I also naturally became surrounded only by people with kind hearts. I will forever pray for nothing but happiness for the people who truly care for me.

Image provided by Young Jump Weekly. Photography: Kuriyama Shusaku

Header image provided by Young Jump Weekly. Photography: Sato Yuichi

This is an essay penned by Aoyama Nagisa, best known for voicing Hazuki Ren from Love Live! Superstar!!. In the first half of her essay, she talked about spending most of her childhood learning ballet, and how she fought against bullying when she was a student. In this second half, she talks about the setback she faced after enrolling at a university with the goal of resolving problems in conflict zones, her beauty pageant days, and how she became a voice actress for the Love Live! franchise.

A selfie from when I was in university.

A privileged child’s encounter with reports of war

I was given the opportunity to attend classes for the things I liked from a young age, and was brought to visit any place I wanted to visit, so I am well aware that I grew up in a privileged environment.

Due to my father’s influence, I developed a habit of watching the news on NHK almost every day, ever since I was in elementary school. News about conflicts would particularly hurt me. I constantly thought about the people who were born into war, people who knew nothing but war. How would they live after the war eventually ended?

Watching news stories and documentaries about children who lost their parents and, because they are left without anyone to support them, fall into a life of crime made me wonder whether there was anything I could do for them. In middle school, I started thinking about working in a job that would help protect the human rights of the people in active conflict zones.

I then found out that the place to learn about the field was the Faculty of Policy Studies at Chuo University, so, in my third year of middle school, I decided that I’d work towards enrolling in Chuo University.

When I was in high school, I had the chance to read the book Disarmament is My Job by Seya Rumiko, which left a strong impact on me. The book made me realize that peace wasn’t a natural consequence of the end of the conflict and that the sadness and hatred of the people involuntarily involved in the conflict do not just vanish without a trace once the conflict ends. Collecting weapons from the populace to prevent a conflict from happening again, giving vocational training to former soldiers who knew only how to fight, and teaching them how to live, was a process known as “disarmament”.

I became convinced that this was what I wanted to do in life, so I started to research what I needed to learn in university to achieve my goal.

I found out about a political scientist, Prof. Mekata Motoko, who conducted lectures on international cooperation at the Faculty of Policy Studies at Chuo University. I came to the conclusion that if I managed to enter Chuo University, I’d definitely take her classes because it would lead me towards my goal. Before enrolling at Chuo University, I attended trial seminars conducted by Prof. Mekata, and the thought of joining her research group after enrolling and spreading my wings overseas filled my heart with anticipation.

After I managed to successfully enroll in the Department of Cross-Cultural Studies at the Faculty of Policy Studies, I immediately started searching for an upperclassman in Prof. Mekata’s research group to find out what I should do to join her research group. I went to see my upperclassman, eyes sparkling with anticipation for taking the first step towards my new life, with a face full of hope and a spring in my step. But, that was when I was told the shocking truth.

“Oh, apparently Prof. is going overseas next year, so her classes won’t be offered.”

What…? Indeed, that was the bell signaling the end of my life.

Me performing The Last Night of the World in the musical Miss Saigon during a university festival.

What kind of expression does one have on their face upon realizing that their hopes and dreams have shattered into pieces?

Students could join Prof. Mekata’s research group starting from their second year in university. But, just when I was supposed to start my second year, she’d be going overseas.

I was devastated. My future was pitch black. I enrolled at Chuo University because I wanted to join Prof. Mekata’s research group, but she wouldn’t be here?! You might wonder if something like that could really happen to a person, but it really happened to me. I had prepared myself to study hard in university and immediately head overseas to contribute to the field of vocational training after graduating, but my dreams were shattered the moment I stepped foot into university.

Now, what was I to do?

Though I wasn’t completely sure, I had heard that she’d only be away for a year. Some of my coursemates already mentioned that if Prof. Mekata would be returning after a year, they’d take a leave of absence for a year just so they could join her research group. What should I do? Taking a leave of absence… That would work… Right? But that’d trouble my parents. I decided to give up thinking about the research group. The moment my dreams vanished before my eyes was not one of sadness or disappointment, but one of determination.

Because of that single event, the direction of my life changed completely. I wanted to find something that I could completely immerse myself in during my days at university, so I decided to join the musical and acapella clubs without too much thought. I got into musicals after performing in The Sound of Music at the cultural festival during my last year in high school. That got me completely hooked, and during university, I’d sometimes watch a musical every week.

Also, when I was in high school, I frequently looked forward to singing, harmonizing, and playing the guitar together with my friends on the school roof. That made me think that the acapella club would be a good fit for me, and I decided to join.

I found that I enjoyed myself and derived a greater sense of satisfaction the more I improved in both activities. So, I practiced almost every day. I soon got accustomed to that pace of life and started wanting to aim even higher. However, in every club, there’s usually quite a distinct split between those who took club activities seriously and those who prioritized having fun. I was in the former group.

I knew that I couldn’t force anyone to come along with me given that it wasn’t their job to participate in club activities. So, to make it to the environment I desired to be in, I knew I had to take myself to an even higher level. That was when I decided to aim to become a professional.

Me wearing a wedding dress for the prize-giving ceremony of the beauty pageant I took part in.

Throwing the envelope containing job fair pamphlets her mother prepared at the door

When I was still learning ballet, I made it through the auditions for the well-known Tanimomoko Ballet Company and had the chance to perform at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan.

It was my first time in such a large venue, with lights so bright that I could barely keep my eyes open, music performed by a live orchestra, and cheers and applause louder than I could ever imagine. That moment left such a strong impression on me that I still remember it vividly, even now. I could never forget how amazing the view from the stage looked, and I’m sure some part deep within me longed to return to the grandeur of the stage.

With my future path set, I decided to challenge myself to take part in a beauty pageant near the end of my second year of university. There’s a stereotype that beauty pageant participants all want to become news announcers, but I constantly emphasized my desire to become someone who sang and danced on stage for a living instead.

During the beauty pageant, I conducted livestreams at seven in the morning every single day of the week and put all my effort into maintaining my social media presence. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that I spent all twenty-four hours of my days on it. In the end, I was crowned the runner-up. I didn’t manage to win the beauty pageant, but I was sure that the experience I gained there would definitely be useful for my future activities.

I knew that the path leading towards my goal would be full of challenges, but I continued doing my best even after the beauty pageant ended. Because I was treading on an uncertain path while all my friends were in the midst of job-hunting, my parents constantly fretted about my future.

One day, I found an envelope containing information about a job fair on the living room table when I got home. I thought that was of no use to me, so I threw it out without even taking a look. A few days later, my mother once again tried to offer me brochures for a different job fair, but I told her I didn’t need them, not even bothering to read them.

A few days after that, I found another similar envelope on my desk. When I saw that, I threw it at my door, saying, “I don’t need this!”. Why aren’t you supporting me, even though I’m taking this so seriously? Aren’t you supposed to be the ones who know that the best?

I was so frustrated that I broke into tears. I knew full well that my parents were just concerned and completely understood that they were suggesting that I take a different path because they didn’t want me to lead a difficult life. Even so, I didn’t want to give up and continued with my singing and dancing lessons with the determination to take hold of my dreams.

Messages I received from my relatives during the last day of Liella!'s first live tour. Next to me is my cousin, who is a huge Love Live! fan.

The first-ever Love Live! open auditions

Around that time, I received a message from my cousin that read, “Love Live! is having an open audition! Wanna go for it?”. My cousin is a big Love Live! fan, and thanks to her telling me things like, “Go watch the anime!”, “This song is super good so go listen!”, and “Yazawa-senpai is the best!!” I too became a Love Live! fan. A role in the Love Live! series would have everything I wanted to do: singing, dancing, and acting.

When I found out that Love Live! was holding its first-ever open audition, I immediately decided to apply. After making it through the many rounds, which included singing, dancing, acting, and self-introduction rounds, I somehow managed to make it through!

As the judges for the audition evaluated everything that I’d been through up till that point in time, I was almost crushed by uneasiness. But, I also found myself thankful that I managed to give everything I had. That was also the first time I fully acknowledged myself and the effort I put in. I was also relieved that I had finally managed to soothe the worries my parents had over my future career.

I debuted as the voice of Hazuki Ren in Love Live! Superstar!!, and have been given many opportunities to perform live as a member of the school idol group Liella!. Since starting my career as an artist and voice actress, I’ve also been offered new opportunities such as being involved in activities related to sweet potatoes, which I love, as well as recitation plays. It may not be much, but I believe that I’ve managed to achieve something worthy of note.

Perhaps because I finally managed to give them peace of mind, my parents now fully support my activities. When I get home, they watch the television shows I’ve appeared in over and over again, and listen to my new songs until late at night. Their actions make me realize just how much I’m loved, which really reassures me.

I’ll do my best to challenge myself to do all kinds of things so that my parents, who have always been there for me, can stay happy forever.

Image provided by Young Jump Weekly. Photography: Kuriyama Shusaku

Author: Aoyama Nagisa Editor: Nishinaka Kenji All photos were provided by the author herself

Aoyama Nagisa was born on May 16, 1998 in Tokyo Prefecture. She is 155 cm tall and graduated from Chuo University. Her hobbies include watching musicals and playing with little birds. Her specialty is classical ballet, and loves sweet potatoes. Currently, she voices Hazuki Ren in Love Live! Superstar!!. She's also currently serving as the “Imadoki Girl” on the TV program Mesazhi Television airing on Fuji TV, and holds regular livestreams on her Niconico Channel "Aoyama Nagisa no Katte ni IMO Kyoukai".

Nishinaka Kenji, a free writer, editor, and commentator, was born in 1978. Besides working as a news reporter and penning interviews, he is also in charge of editing gravure shots for weekly comic compilation magazines. His non-fiction book Hinatazaka46's Story, which follows the path taken by the idol group Hinatazaka46, is a hit that has sold more than 100,000 copies. He is also a contributor to the independent review magazine ARAZARU.

Translator: xIceArcher Quality Check: Yujacha (@yujachachacha)

[frozenmikan]

Pre-3rd Live Photo Session and Interview with Liella!'s Second-Generation Members! - Suzuhara Nozomi (voice of Sakurakoji Kinako)

Just like in the second season of the Love Live! Superstar!! anime, which ended in October, Liella! has gained four new members to become nine. Right before their first live tour as nine, we bring you this photo and interview series with the second-generation members of Liella!. In the first part, we’ll be interviewing Suzuhara Nozomi, the voice of Sakurakoji Kinako. While looking back on her nervousness at being the first out of the second-generation members to be pulled into the world of the Love Live! series, she conveys her thoughts to the juniors that she’ll get to meet in a future that has yet to come to pass.

I knew I had to become more like Kinako-chan

It’s been a while since Season Two of the anime came to an end. Looking back, how did you feel before it started airing?

Suzuhara: I was just really, really afraid. Since it was the first time in the history of the Love Live! series that new members would be added to an existing group as “second-generation members”, I had no idea how everyone would react, and that made me really, really uneasy. When the clock ticked down to about a week before the first episode would air, I started getting so nervous that I had trouble eating sometimes (laughs). Since Kinako-chan appears and plays a really important role in the first half of the anime, particularly in the first three episodes, I constantly felt the pressure of having to bear that responsibility. That’s why I was probably the most stressed out of all the second-generation members. There’s also the fact that I’ve been a huge fan of the Love Live! series for quite some time, so I knew I couldn’t mess it up.

Was there anything particularly difficult about voicing Kinako?

Suzuhara: Kinako-chan is much more expressive than I first thought. I remember being surprised that she wasn’t actually the calm and collected type. Usually, what I’m thinking doesn’t really show through my expressions, so I knew I had to become more like Kinako-chan.

You’re right, her expressions do indeed change at the drop of a hat.

Suzuhara: Indeed. That’s particularly true for Episode One, so just keeping up with her changing expressions was quite challenging. There’s a scene in that episode where she dashes up a flight of stairs together with Shiki-chan, and I spent a lot of time thinking about how I should express that. During my lessons, I had my manager pull me along by my hand, and even when I got back home, I asked my older sister to do the same. I’m sure she was wondering what was wrong with me… (laughs)

Aside from Kinako, did the introductory scenes or lines of the other members leave an impression on you?

Suzuhara: Shiki-chan’s and Mei-chan’s Episode Four really left a deep impression on me. Personally, I really love Shiki-chan, so when the episode aired, I was constantly muttering “She’s so cute, she’s so cute…!” as I watched (laughs). I guess I’m somewhat envious of Shiki-chan and Mei-chan’s relationship… I’m not the type of person to have many friends, so I feel like having someone who’s that close to you is quite a wonderful thing, which left a deep impression on me.

Living out Kinako's growth in the anime

Just like in the anime, I believe you too were constantly playing catch-up with the first-generation members during the recordings. Were there ever times when you felt the “one-year gap” between the two groups?

Suzuhara: Of course; I feel it all the time. I didn’t have any acting experience, so I put all my effort into observing the first-generation members, even taking notes sometimes, to figure out how everything went. My top priority was to catch up with them as soon as possible.

Do you remember any interaction with the first-generation members in particular?

Suzuhara: Once, I was heading home from a recording together with Liichan (Liyuu), and we hadn’t spoken a single word to each other on that day. Because of that, I wasn’t feeling all that self-confident, but right when we were about to go our separate ways, she told me “You’ll get better, you’ll get better”. Those few words hit me more than any number of other words would have. After she said that, I had a smile on my face right until she left, then broke into tears right after that (laughs). For the first half of the anime, I’d usually leave recordings with a heavy heart, but those very words were the ones that kept me going.

That interaction sounds like it’d be a really touching scene if it was part of the anime.

Suzuhara: She was just so cool back then. Saying those words just as I was wondering whether I should be saying something made me realize that she truly is my senior after all. Even though I was really down in the dumps up until then, those words managed to make me think that maybe, just maybe, I could do this after all, so I’m really grateful for what she said.

Did anything about Kinako change throughout Season Two?

Suzuhara: I think the biggest change would have to be her stamina. In Episode One, she got tired from just walking around a little, and couldn’t even do a proper sit-up in Episode Two. Although she had trouble keeping up with her seniors’ running pace, she already managed to join them in a live performance in Episode Three. I’m currently rehearsing the song that she performed in Episode Three, Go!! Restart, for our tour that’ll start in December, but I’ve realized that singing and dancing at the same time  to that song is really tiring (laughs).

Basically, you’re currently living out Kinako’s growth in the anime.

Suzuhara: Her being able to do all that with a smile on her face really touched my heart. Her smile too, don’t you think that she’s just so cute? After performing the song, Kinako-chan looks at Kanon-chan and smiles, and that smile is just so cute… Even though she was so reserved back in Episode One…

I guess Kinako does seem to be the one holding the first-years together.

Suzuhara: I wonder about that… But, Mei-chan becomes a fangirl the moment she sees something school idol related, Shiki-chan’s way of thinking is leaps and bounds ahead of a normal person, and you wouldn’t really say Natsumi-chan “really has it together”... I guess now that you mention it, out of the four first-years, Kinako is indeed the most normal (laughs).

I want to support my future junior

The third season of the anime has also been announced. Is there anything you’d really like to see Kinako do in the next season?

Suzuhara: I’m sure she’ll be getting some juniors too, so I think Kinako-chan trying to act like a senior is a must-see. But, I somehow have the feeling that she’ll get made fun of instead. She’s the only one that doesn’t really have an aura, so that’s something I’m quite worried about (laughs). But, Kinako-chan managed to discover her dream because Kanon-chan invited her to join Liella!, so I’m sure I’d be in tears if Kinako-chan becomes the one to reach a hand out to a junior.

I believe the new cast member selected through the open audition will be one of your future juniors, so you’ll be getting a junior both in the anime and in real life.

Suzuhara: It’ll be my first time getting a junior, so I still can’t really imagine what it’ll be like, but since she’ll be joining through the open auditions, I’m sure she’ll be really uneasy. I too was a ball of nerves until I met the other second-generation members, so that made me realize how important having friends is. That’s why I want to support the new girl, to lend her a helping hand when she needs it. I hope she relies on me whenever she needs to… Ever since the news for the auditions for the third-generation members broke, I’ve been wondering out loud to everyone around me about what kind of girl will be joining us. I hope she’ll be a good girl… I’m actually really looking forward to it (laughs).

Suzuhara Nozomi, from Apollo Bay, was born on November 1 in Miyazaki Prefecture. She debuted as a voice actress through the Love Live! Superstar!! open auditions as the voice of Sakurakoji Kinako. Her hobbies include reading manga, visiting bakeries, and playing card games. Her skills include calligraphy, drawing illustrations of girls, and being ambidextrous.

TL: xIceArcher

TLC/QC: Yujacha (@yujachachacha)

[frozenmikan]

Love Live! Superstar!! Yuigaoka School Idol Club News - Interview with Date Sayuri (voice of Shibuya Kanon) and Suzuhara Nozomi (voice of Sakurakoji Kinako)

Volume 3 of the Love Live! Superstar!! anime’s second season will go on sale on the 25th of November, 2022! To commemorate the occasion, we managed to secure an interview with Date Sayuri-san (voice of Shibuya Kanon) and Suzuhara Nozomi-san (voice of Sakurakoji Kinako). In the first part of the interview, we will be asking them about the characters they play, among other topics.

The power that they give off when they muster all their strength and charge towards the same goal as five really leaves a strong impression - Suzuhara

First up, given that the two of you are the representatives of the first- and second-generation members respectively, what would you say is the defining characteristic of your generation? Do you feel that your groups are different in any way?

Date: The first-generation members have a very strong sense of camaraderie. In Season One of the anime, Liella! was five, but in Season Two, Liella! became nine. Even though we got more members in Season Two, we did not leave anyone behind. I think that shows the strength of the bonds between the first-generation members; the bonds that we’ve been building up until now. It’s in the words that we know to say, the support we can give precisely because we know what the other person is like. That simply isn’t something that we could do unless we understood one another well, and I believe that’s one strength we, the first-generation members, have. As for the second-generation members, the cast and the characters they voice are just so alike, and they give me the impression that they’re always moving forward. The second-generation members have really motivated us, the cast members, to go one step further, which seems to be the case for Kanon-chan and the others in the anime as well. I’m sure we’d continue getting closer to one another if we continued with just the first-generation members, but the second-generation members have also opened our eyes to new perspectives. It feels very reassuring to have a group of juniors who will spare no effort to improve.

Suzuhara: I can feel the aura of unity and stability the first-generation members give off. Both in the anime and in real life, they’re so close that they can tell what the others are thinking without speaking a word. The power that they give off when they muster all their strength and charge towards the same goal as five really leaves a strong impression. In contrast, the second-generation members are… very unique (laughs). As you could probably tell from the episodes when they first joined Liella!, they all have very strong personalities. But, as time passed, the four of them talked and argued it out to arrive at a common conclusion. All of them have strong initiative and unique personalities, but they aren’t all over the place. Looking like they’re all over the place but actually working towards the same goal is one of the defining characteristics of the second-generation members, in my opinion.

If you could describe both the first- and second-generation members in one word, what would it be? Let’s start with the first-generation members.

Date: It’d be “progress”, I guess (laughs). Of course, there’s the aspect where they’re seniors who have been at it for a year, but there’s also the fact that they’ve managed to overcome all sorts of challenges together as they progressed on their journey. Even though not everything they encountered was all fun and games, the first-generation members still managed to progress, hand-in-hand.

Suzuhara: For me, it’d be “foundation”. It was the first word that came to mind when I think of the first-generation members; as in, they’re the bedrock for everything. The first-generation members have a reassuring aura and they are fundamental to everything we do. That’s why I chose this word.

How about the second-generation members?

Date: The first thing that came to mind was Episode Nine of Season Two, which made me pick the word “connect”. The scene where the second-generation members started singing with their hands connected left a lasting impression on me. I’m sure it was very difficult for a group of juniors to go against their seniors’ decision, but they managed to come up with a unified viewpoint after talking it out amongst themselves, which could clearly be seen from how they sang not alone, but with their hands connected. That was the moment that made me feel that the four of them truly are a group, the second-generation members of Liella!.

Suzuhara: “Ferocious”. They’re not very polished yet, but they have spirit, and that’s what makes one want to support them. I really wanted to get that feeling across, so I considered “bold” and “spirit” too (laughs). In the lyrics of WE WILL!! (the opening song for the anime’s second season), the line “having spirit is all you need, right?” is sung by both (Wakana) Shiki-chan and (Yoneme) Mei-chan, and that feeling was what I sought to express with the word I chose.

Suzuhara-san, this was your first time participating in a project as a voice actress. Do you remember how your first recording went?

Suzuhara: I remember it like it was yesterday (laughs). I was a ball of nerves from the day before, and I went up to my manager in tears with my face looking like I was just told the world would end soon. My manager motivated me by saying tomorrow will come no matter what I did, so I just had to give it my best shot (laughs). When the day finally came, I showed up wanting to do my best, no matter what, but I got nervous when I met the first-generation members there and wasn’t able to do any of the things that I had practiced so hard for. (Sakurakoji) Kinako-chan has quite a few scenes in the first episode, so every time I managed to get through a scene and started celebrating internally, the next scene would start immediately after that. I remember doing my very best just to keep up, and thinking, on the brink of tears, that the recording would go on forever, that I was keeping the others waiting, wondering what I could do.

What were your impressions of Kinako?

Suzuhara: The moment I first saw her visuals was so impactful that I immediately decided that I wanted to voice her, that I would definitely become her voice. I knew that she was the only one for me, and from that moment on, my thoughts were occupied by Kinako-chan. Right up until the final audition, which decided which character each of us would voice, the thought of becoming Kinako-chan’s voice consumed my very being, which put me in a very strange mental state throughout the final audition (laughs).

I see. So which character you’d be voicing had yet to be decided during the audition stage.

Suzuhara: At that time, we didn’t know who’d get to voice which character among the four of us, but since I felt that Kinako-chan was the only one for me, what I’d need to say during the presentation to get to become her voice occupied my thoughts the entire time (laughs).

So how did that presentation go?

Suzuhara: It went terribly. I couldn’t properly express myself and wondered whether I’d actually get to voice her. My thoughts shifted to how I’d still do my best even if I landed another character, so I was also thinking about saying goodbye to Kinako-chan (laughs).

How did you feel when you learned that you would indeed be voicing Kinako-chan?

Suzuhara: I felt like I could die happy, then and there (laughs). I really was overjoyed, and I told my mother and older sister over and over again that I had landed her role.

In Season Two of the anime, the members of Liella! move up a grade, which thrust the first-generation members into a different role. Date-san, as the voice of Kanon, was there anything in particular that you focused on to adapt to this change?

Date: I really wanted to, but Kanon-chan really grew a lot during the second season, so to be honest, there were times when I couldn’t keep up with her. In Season One, we see Kanon-chan charging straight ahead and doing her best while supporting the others around her, even though she wasn’t terribly good at it. I thought we were rather similar while recording for Season One, so it was easy for me to relate to her, to empathize with her. But, in Season Two, she became a senior, and I too was put in a position where I had to welcome new members. I could’ve just watched on from the sidelines, realizing that she did indeed become much more reliable after becoming a senior, and that she had changed a lot. But, precisely because I was voicing her, I felt like I had to feel the same way as her. Up until then, I just let my true emotions flow directly into Kanon-chan, which manifested naturally in her words. But, putting emotion into her words this time was difficult precisely because I had to first force myself to feel the same way. She already had a year of experience as a school idol and knows how important the people around her are, more than the second-generation members do. Knowing that, I had to confront the pressure of having to do something, anything, beyond what I had already delivered before, which weighed on me as I went through Season Two.

The smile on her face when Nonchan is truly enjoying herself reminds me a lot of Kinako-chan - Date

The next question is for Date-san. Do you think Suzuhara-san and Kinako are similar in any way?

Date: She’s basically Kinako-chan in the flesh (laughs). We got to see a new side of Kinako-chan through the anime, but even before it aired, I felt like I already knew that Kinako-chan would be quite similar to Nonchan (Suzuhara-san’s nickname), and the anime just confirmed my thoughts. At the start of Season Two, there were many scenes where she worked really hard, trying to catch up to her seniors. I’m sure she was troubled by not being able to catch up as quickly as she wanted to, not to mention being worried whether it was good enough just being who she was at the moment, but even then, she continued doing her best. In the end, she had a wide smile on her face when performing live on stage. I’m sure I’m not in a position to be saying this, but Nonchan was exactly the same in how she grew every single day. When we performed on stage together during the release event, she already looked the part even when she was just standing there. It was as if Kinako-chan herself was on stage, which sent me into a panic (laughs). When she’s standing in front of an audience, the smile on her face shines like an idol would, and you can tell that she’s enjoying herself. Her smile is contagious, and seeing her smile makes me happy as well. The smile on her face when Nonchan is truly enjoying herself reminds me a lot of Kinako-chan.

Let’s flip the question around, then. Suzuhara-san, are Date-san and Kanon similar in any way?

Suzuhara: I too often think that she’s basically Kanon-chan in the flesh. The expressions she puts on at times, her actions, those remind me a lot of Kanon-chan. You can definitely see that when she’s on stage, but even when we’re just chatting, her mischievous side sometimes leaks out… (laughs). When we were first introduced to Kanon-chan, she seemed like a rather calm and collected person, but in the first scene of the anime, we were introduced to a grumpy Kanon-chan, complete with her grumpy voice, which made me realize that she really has many sides to her. Date-san is a wonderful person most of the time, but every once in a while she’ll be really direct (laughs). I think them having many sides to their personalities is something that they share.

Date: Nonchan actually wrote me a letter for my birthday, and in it, she mentioned how she liked that I felt very human (laughs). That made me glad because I could tell that she liked the many sides of my personality.

Suzuhara: I really should apologize for what I wrote in that letter…

Date: What are you talking about? (laughs). I treasure that letter dearly.

Wien Margarete, a new character introduced in Season Two, has a personality that raised a lot of uncertainty in Kanon and the others. What impressions do you have of her?

Date: In a lot of ways, she’s scary. Before seeing her perform, I just thought that she was rather mysterious, but after seeing that overwhelming performance, I wondered what she’d do to Liella! in the future. I felt like there was no way to beat that performance that left everyone speechless. If I was there watching her perform as myself, and not as the voice of Kanon, I’m sure I would’ve wanted to run away. That’s how strong both her personality and her performance were. That moment made me want to abandon everything, how I had to lead everyone else as a senior of the group, and all the responsibilities that came with that. But, Kanon was able to say “We’ll be fine. We’ll make our song ring out throughout the world.” That made me realize once again how amazing she is. I’m sure she only managed to come to that conclusion because of Margarete-chan. As the story progressed, we slowly learned about why she came to Japan in the first place. Although their personalities differ, I think she’s in pretty much the same situation as Kanon-chan. That’s precisely why Kanon-chan could relate to what Margarete-chan is feeling, and precisely why she felt so strongly that she had to do something for her. I too want to know more about her. Although she’s younger than Kanon-chan and the others, she still managed to put on such overwhelming performances. But I’m sure some of the things she says, the thoughts she has are precisely because of her young age. Some part of the strength behind those performances surely comes from her being in a rebellious phase, so I feel like I want to watch over her.

Suzuhara: The first time I saw Wien-chan perform was also the first time Kinako-chan performs (in Episode Three of the anime’s second season, at the Yoyogi School Idol Festival). As Kinako-chan’s voice, I too was overwhelmed by her performance, and I was worried whether Kinako-chan would be alright. If I myself watched that performance, I’m sure I wouldn’t have been able to move despite wanting to run away. I definitely wouldn’t have been able to perform with a smile on my face after watching that. So my first impression of Wien-chan contained elements of both fear and respect fear. But, as time passed, I started understanding why despite being able to put on such an amazing performance, there seemed to be a shadow of darkness hanging over her; a sort of loneliness, even. There aren’t any scenes of them interacting yet, but I feel like if Kinako-chan were to talk to her, she’d probably be able to make her smile. Kinako-chan probably loves all of humanity, after all (laughs). So I really want to talk to her now. We also got to see a cute side of her in the scene where she eats takoyaki, so I hope they have a chance to interact in the future.

In the second half of this interview, we will be asking them about their thoughts on the anime’s third season, live performances, and the fans.

Season Three was announced after the shocking ending of Season Two. Is there anything that you’re looking forward to, knowing that there’ll be new members joining in Season Three?

Date: At the end of Season Two, Margarete-chan was wearing the Yuigaoka uniform, right? When Kanon-chan saw that, she reacted with a “But why?!”, and I too reacted the same way (laughs). I’m sure everyone watching felt the same way, and I’m really curious as to what will happen next. What’s more, it’s also been announced that there’ll be another open audition round. Nonchan, Nagichan (nickname of Aoyama Nagisa, voice of Hazuki Ren), and I all qualified through the open audition, so it being held again is something that makes us really glad. To be honest, there are still times when I wonder whether they made the right choice by picking me, but hearing about this round of open auditions comforted me a little. Before now, I had been the one auditioning, so I’m really glad that I’m now able to support those taking part instead. I’m also looking forward to finding out how the new character will appear in Season Three. Season Two ended in the spring of their second year, and I’m sure that means that in Season Three, everyone will be moving up a grade once again. Just thinking about the possibility of all three years of their high school life being shown on screen fills my eyes with tears. I’d like to rewatch both Seasons One and Two before Season Three starts.

You mentioned being comforted that there’s going to be another round of open auditions. What makes you think that way?

Date: After I landed this role through the open audition, I’d been constantly worried whether I’ve been doing alright. The fact that they’re holding another round of open auditions means that we’ve been on the right path, which was comforting to know.

I can’t wait to find out what kind of seniors the second-generation members become - Suzuhara

How about you, Suzuhara-san? Is there anything that you’re looking forward to in Season Three?

Suzuhara: This has nothing to do with me being a cast member, but I’m just excited to find out what kind of person will be joining. Liella! is already filled with members with all kinds of personalities, so I’m looking forward to what kind of character would be able to add to the mix of characters we already have. What’s more, the fact that there’ll be new members in Season Three probably means that Kinako-chan is going to become a senior too, and I wonder what that’ll be like. We got to see just how happy Kanon-chan was when she became a senior, but will Kinako-chan also be the same? Oh, I’m also worried that she might be looked down upon (laughs). It’d be quite sad if Kinako-chan was the only senior that’s being looked down upon, so I hope she puts in a little more effort (laughs). I can’t wait to find out what kind of seniors the second-generation members become.

Before Season Three airs, you’ll be having a countrywide tour from December 2022 all the way to March 2023. Let’s hear your thoughts about the tour. It’s also your first tour, right, Suzuhara-san?

Date: Performing on stage this time will be Liella!, now with nine members, and Yuina-san, the voice of Margarete-chan. Maybe it’s because the tour is starting soon and we’re currently in the midst of rehearsals, but since we’ll be performing at places we’ve never performed at before, not to mention with more members, the more I try to imagine the tour, the more my head refuses to cooperate. I’m sure I’m just nervous, though (laughs). For our 1st Live Tour and 2nd Live, I didn’t have much experience yet, so I could look forward to the performances just by imagining how many people would come to see us, and what I’d be able to see from the stage. Although I have more experience now, somehow, I can’t picture it in my head, unlike our previous two performances. I can’t imagine how wide the stage will be, and that makes me slightly uneasy. I’m sure that’s because the feeling of uneasiness within me has overwhelmed my excitement. This brings me back to what Nonchan mentioned just now about her first recording, but well, tomorrow will come no matter what I do, right? (laughs) I think the most important thing is going to be how close I can get to Kanon-chan’s state of mind in Season Two. How should I express Kanon-chan enjoying herself to the fullest as a school idol, and her keeping her cool throughout all her performances? That’s something I’ll be doing my best to figure out.

Suzuhara: This will be the first tour not just for me, but for all the second-generation members. The release event did give us some experience performing, but I didn’t expect the performance right after that to be a tour. We’re going to be performing at quite a few large venues, so I know that I will have to do my best, but I know that the more I push myself, the more nervous I’ll get. That’s just the kind of person I am (laughs). To enjoy myself while dancing on stage, like Kinako-chan, to get even closer to Kinako-chan, I’ll make sure not to push myself too hard, and bring my mental state as close as possible to hers. I’m sure this will be a great opportunity for us to show our fans just how much we’ve grown as a nine-member Liella! since our release event, so I hope to put on an even greater performance together with everyone.

Our fans have made me realize that every single performance that we put on is something that could only have happened on that day - Date

Is there anything in particular that you’ve learned or realized by being involved in the project not just by voicing the characters, but also having the opportunity to interact with fans directly through live performances?

Date: Our very first release event was held without an audience, and right after that was a tour, so every performance made me feel acutely that our fans coming to see us perform isn’t something that I could take for granted. I can make sure to never forget to convey my appreciation as Date Sayuri, but I still don’t have an answer for how I can do that as Kanon-chan, beyond the anime. Should I be doing that by performing? Should I be trying to convey it in words? Or maybe through something completely different. That’s something I’m still trying to figure out. I think about what we, as the cast members, need to do to get more people to like Liella! every single day. A live performance is something we create together with everyone in the audience, and there’s no way to relive the same performance twice. That, I think, is the best part of performing live. Our fans have made me realize that every single performance that we put on is something that could only have happened on that day. It’s precisely because they've made me realize something so important that I’m still constantly pondering how I should best convey my gratitude.

Suzuhara: I’ve been to Aqours’ live performances before, so although I don’t have much experience performing on stage, I do have experience being a member of the audience. I was actually really surprised at how clearly I could see the faces of everyone in the audience from the stage. I realized that I could see their expressions changing, that they’d start smiling after hearing something I said. Thanks to all our fans, I’ve realized how amazing it feels to have their support. And thanks to that, I’ve started thinking about how I can make them enjoy themselves even more.

Besides your upcoming tour, the third volume of the anime will be released on Blu-ray on November 25th, 2022. Are there any lines or scenes that left a deep impression on you from Episodes Five and Six, which will be included in this volume?

Date: Liella! had been overwhelmed by practicing as hard as they could to achieve their goal of winning up until then, so I really love the part where everyone played card games together with (Onitsuka) Natsumi-chan in Episode Five. It made me want to actually watch Natsumi-chan’s videos, as a fan (laughs). This scene was also the trigger for (Hazuki) Ren-chan getting hooked on games, so it’s also a scene that allowed us to see a different side of Liella!, which I’m really grateful for. That’s why I love this scene so much. Seeing Liella! enjoy themselves while playing games made me realize that they truly are high schoolers after all, which is somewhat comforting (laughs). They always act like they’re older than they actually are, so being able to see them act their age left a deep impression on me.

Suzuhara: This is about the same scene in Episode Five, but although there was definitely space in the room, somehow Kanon-chan and (Heanna) Sumire-chan were standing outside on the sidewalk (laughs). When (Tang) Keke-chan said “Sorry about this! My room’s a little small…”, Kanon-chan replied with a “Don’t worry about it!”, and the way she said that line was so interesting. Although I’m sure she really meant what she said, because she was outside, she had to raise her voice a little. I like this scene so much because it’s filled to the brim with interesting details like that (laughs).

Anything that you remember in particular or to take note of in the live part of the “Love Live! Superstar!! Liella! LIVE & FAN Meeting Tour ~Welcome to Yuigaoka!!~”, which is included as bonus footage with this volume?

Date: We perform songs that we’ve never performed before in the solo part, so I hope you burn those parts into your heart. I believe that each solo is linked to what each member feels, so do listen to them over and over again. Although only the five members of the first generation sang Tu Tu Tu, it was the first time all nine members were on stage together performing. Even though the second-generation members didn’t sing, the song included choreography where we linked our fingers, which symbolized the fact that we’d be moving forward as nine from now on. The footage included in this volume is from our very last performance on the second day of the Nagoya leg, so do pay close attention to all our expressions showing our desire to connect with our next performance.

Suzuhara: Watching from backstage, I could tell all of our seniors really did put their all into their solo songs. I could feel their overwhelming emotions driven by the fact that this may be their only chance to perform those solos, so do take a close look at their expressions and the strong will in their eyes while they perform. What’s more, in Tu Tu Tu, we danced together as nine for the first time. At the start, the second-generation members were still quite nervous, so we couldn’t quite put a smile on our faces as we danced. But, as the fan meetings progressed, all your support allowed us to slowly relax the expressions on our faces. The final performance on Day Two of the Nagoya leg was the first time I truly felt that we were performing together as nine, so I’d be glad if you took a close look at all our expressions.

Lastly, a word for the fans!

Suzuhara: Thank you so much for all your continued support. Our 3rd Live Tour is coming up soon, and there’s also Season Three of the anime and the open auditions after that. Liella! still has a long way to go, so I look forward to your support in the future as well.

Date: Thank you so much for always supporting us. I think about just how much happiness knowing that all of you are supporting me brings every single day. Although Season Two of the anime has come to an end, the Love Live! Superstar!! project still has so many things in store, like our 3rd Live Tour, Season Three of the anime, and the open auditions. I’d be glad if you continued to lend us your support, and we’ll make sure to never forget our gratitude and put on the best performance we possibly can. Once again, thank you so much for all your support!

Profile

Date Sayuri is from Miyagi Prefecture and debuted as a voice actress through the open auditions for Season One of the Love Live! Superstar!! anime. She voices Shibuya Kanon, one of the first-generation members of Liella!.

Suzuhara Nozomi is from Miyazaki Prefecture and debuted as a voice actress through the open auditions for Season Two of the Love Live! Superstar!! anime. She voices Sakurakoji Kinako, one of the second-generation members of Liella!.

TL: xIceArcher

TLC/QC: Yujacha (@yujachachacha)

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Interview with Liella!’s Second Generation Members - Suzuhara Nozomi

Suzuhara Nozomi-san joined Liella! after qualifying through the public auditions. After hiding what she truly loved for most of her life, this interview tells the story of the path she took to become a part of the “Love Live!” series she loves so much.

I remember feeling really glad that I attended the audition on that day, and thinking that my experience there would definitely help me later in life.

I hid what I truly loved to keep myself from getting hurt and getting made fun of

First up, could you tell us a little about what you liked and what your dreams were as a kid?

I’ve always loved idols since around when I was in third grade, and I’d sing and dance to myself in front of the mirror. I definitely looked up to them, but never in my wildest dreams did I think that I could become one, so I wrote about something more realistic in my elementary school graduation essay. Because of that, I almost forgot that I wanted to become an idol at some point. But I do remember scribbling “I want to be an idol!” in the margins of the notes I took. I once had the chance to participate in something like a debate in elementary school, and the topic was about idols we liked. I ended up crying after hearing my classmates belittle the idol I liked so much. After that experience, I concluded that I should avoid talking about the things I liked, and that was exactly what I did. I really hated getting hurt and having what I loved be dismissed by others whenever I talked about it, and I didn’t want others to make fun of me.

I see. That sounds like a painful experience. How did you come to know about the “Love Live!” series from there?

My older sister and mother were in Tokyo to take a look at the venue for her entrance exams, and I was alone at home with my father. I turned on the TV because I had nothing to do, and a rebroadcast of the fifth episode of the first season of the “Love Live!” series was airing. I immediately got hooked on the story and how cute Nico-chan was. That was when I started watching the anime. I started wanting to attend a live performance, so I looked it up, but that just so happened to be the day after µ’s’ Final Live… That was a huge shock. I had heard about the “Love Live!” series quite some time ago, but I had my middle school entrance exams to worry about at that time. I knew that I’d get hooked if I started watching, so I didn’t pay much attention to the anime then. I was down in the dumps for a while after that, thinking to myself that I should’ve started watching earlier and wondering what I did to deserve this. That was why I wanted to follow Aqours from the very start. I attended a live viewing for their First Live and even attended one of their fan meetings. I managed to catch quite a few of their activities.

Knowing I had to change, I gathered my resolve to apply for the auditions

What was your first reaction to the public auditions?

I was actually at the venue on the second day of Love Live! Fest [1], and I got to see the new project’s announcement with my very own eyes. I learned about the public auditions a little while after, but I didn’t expect myself to even apply at that time. I thought they would only accept one applicant, so I remember thinking that the person they picked would definitely be someone really amazing. After a while, I saw the teaser illustration for “Love Live! Superstar!!” on Twitter. Up until that point, I was just a fan wondering who would end up getting picked but seeing the illustration sparked something within me. That happened to be when I was in my final year of high school, and even though I had to decide my future path, I was uneasy about it. That was the moment when I realized that my love for the “Love Live!” series was second to none, and this was the only path forward for me. I was also really happy that I managed to find a dream for myself, given that I never had anything that I really wanted to do up till that point. My mother is also a huge fan of the “Love Live!” series, so much so that she even attended some of the live performances with me. Knowing that I was feeling uneasy about the future, she was the one who gave me a push on my back.

Was there anything that stood out to you during the audition?

During the final audition round, I was told that in this industry, the nail that sticks out doesn’t get hammered down, so I should give it my all. Since I had always hid what I truly loved, that phrase really resonated with me. I remember feeling really glad that I attended the audition on that day, and thinking that my experience there would definitely help me later in life. I wanted to give it my all so that I wouldn’t leave any regrets, but everyone else at the audition was just shining so bright… When I arrived at the venue, I almost lost myself in the atmosphere. I was really afraid. As I was taking my seat, I noticed a girl who was sitting all alone. I felt a connection with her since I thought we were pretty similar, so I struck up a conversation with her and we got to know each other. We became partners for the acting part of the final audition round, so we got through it by motivating each other to do our best. We became such good friends that I still keep in contact with her now. I remember Date-san talking about a girl that she met during the auditions who wrote her a letter in her first interview. That was her.

I heard that you met Date-san during the final audition round.

We passed by each other at the venue, and my friend introduced her to me as Sayuri-chan. Even though it was right before the audition, she waved at me with a huge smile on her face. That smile left a really strong impression on me, and I thought it was amazing that she was able to smile even in a situation like that. I was in tears after the audition ended… But that was the first time I had makeup put on me and I didn’t want to ruin it, so I left the venue while looking at the sky. I contacted my mother saying that I failed, with 99.9% certainty, before heading home. Where did the 0.1% come from, I wonder? (laughs) Maybe I just wanted to leave a glimmer of hope, no matter how small it was.

Getting picked as a second-generation member! A year of doing my best in my own way

The 0.1% became a reality and you were selected to join the “Love Live! Superstar!!” project as a second-generation member. How did you react when you received the audition results?

I received a call quite some time after the final audition happened. My mother was the one who answered the call, and she got all excited for some reason (laughs). After taking over the call, I was asked whether I’d be willing to participate as a second-generation member. I honestly had no idea what they meant by “second-generation” and couldn’t digest all the information on the spot, so I hung up after saying “Give me some time to think about it.” After hanging up, I realized that they might have been giving me an offer to become one of the cast, which made me call them back immediately since I felt I needed to answer “Yes!” right away. The conversation after that went something like “You don’t sound too happy, is something the matter?”, to which I replied, “No, I’m really really happy!”. But, to be completely honest, I didn’t really know what was going on… (laughs) I’m pretty sure they gave me more details about how things would work during that call, but my mind was just floating off somewhere.

After getting selected to be part of the “Love Live! Superstar!!” project, were there any changes to your lifestyle or your feelings?

It pains me to say this, but I really had no stamina… I’ve always been terrible at sports, to the point that I’d catch every single ball that came in my direction with my face, so I realized I had to do something about that. I started jogging around the perimeter of a park nearby to build up some stamina, but I couldn’t even complete a single lap at the start because my feet would start hurting almost immediately. I was worried whether I could really perform as a cast member because of that, but nowadays I can get through a rather long dance lesson without feeling exhausted, so I suppose I did manage to build up some stamina along the way. At my peak, I also went to the gym about four times per week. My enunciation was also rather poor, so I practiced every day in the bath. I prepared a lot while watching the activities of the first-generation members, so it didn’t really feel like I was just waiting for the second season to happen. But I’m definitely a long way off from the first-generation members, especially in aspects like my stamina, so I’ll continue doing my best.

Could you let us know how you felt when the “Love Live! Superstar!!” project began in earnest? How did you feel when the cast members for the first-generation members were announced?

When the cast for the first-generation members was announced, I remember thinking about how I’d one day perform on the same stage as them. When I saw Date-san, I thought “Oh, so that girl did end up making it!”. But I was also shocked to hear that two people were accepted through the public auditions. Everyone was already really good at talking, not to mention they looked perfect for the part, so I knew I had to improve various aspects of myself to fit into the group, and that really motivated me. I wanted to do my best to prepare for the second season, so I didn’t have many negative thoughts. I watched Liella!’s first live stream in real-time as well! When I saw Date-san crying on stream, I knew she must have worked really hard under the immense pressure she had to have been facing precisely because, like her, I too was accepted through the public auditions. What really impressed me was that she managed to make it all the way to the end, as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. Every time I saw her, it made me feel that I had to work harder, that there must be something more than I could do.

I heard that you watched Liella!’s debut single release event, “Hajimari wa Minna no Sora” at the venue itself.

Yup, and I was floored. Even though there were only five of them, their presence was no less felt than any of the other groups. The fact that I’d become a part of the group in the future was already weighing on my mind back then, and watching that performance made me wonder what I needed to do to eventually be able to proclaim that I’m part of Liella! with my head held high. Seeing Date-san nail the difficult entrance to Watashi no Symphony made me wonder whether I’d be able to do that if I were in her position. We were going to join the group after the first-generation members, so I wondered whether that meant we could never catch up to them. That gave me the motivation to work even harder, and I started practicing the moment I got home. A while after that, I was sent the illustrations and background information of the second-generation members. Kinako-chan was the first character who caught my eye, and I thought she was just like me… Out of the four members, I liked her appearance the most, and I knew I had to become her voice. The second-generation members had a final audition round to decide who’d get to play which character. So strong was my desire that I prayed every single day that I’d get to voice Kinako-chan…

You prayed for it every single day?

I even started trying to do at least one good deed per day to become a better person. Now that I think about it, I was totally panicking back then. Oh, I also felt like my personality was too gloomy to become Kinako-chan, so I decided to become a more cheerful person and smile more. I’ve been told by the other second-generation members that I’ve become more cheerful compared to the final audition, and I do hope they’re right… The first season of the anime aired during that period as well, and I’d watch every single episode while on call with my family. But with every episode I watched, I would get more worried. I’d usually just bury myself in the story of the “Love Live!” series that I love so much, but because everyone was just so good, I sometimes even ended up crying wondering whether I’d be able to be like them.

How did the final audition for the second-generation members go?

Even now I’m still hearing about how gloomy I was during that audition, so I think I might have gone overboard and started treating everyone else as an enemy… (laughs) That was also my first time at an official recording, so I had no idea what to do. I think that made me give off a negative aura. After a while, I got the news that I was chosen to play Kinako-chan, and I’ve been happy ever since (laughs).

In November 2021, you and the other second-generation members met the first-generation members for the first time, am I right?

We didn’t talk much the first time the second-generation members met, but I managed to talk to everyone during the dance lessons that happened afterward, and I slowly got to know everyone better. One day, Aya said something like “Let’s drop the honorifics!”. I’m terrible at referring to people directly by their name, so that really was a tall order for me. But she was so insistent that I decided to try my hardest to do it. Looking back on it, doing that really did bring us closer together. We had the chance to meet the first-generation members a while later. All the second-generation members were waiting outside a room where the first-generation members were, and even from the corridor, we could hear something like “I can’t wait to meet them!” coming from inside the room. That calmed me down a lot, and the atmosphere there was really welcoming and pleasant. That was also the first time I talked about being accepted through the public auditions, and because I didn’t even tell the other second-generation members, they turned out to be even more surprised than the first-generation members were. That made the mood pretty weird… Though Aya jumping up in surprise right beside me was pretty funny (laughs).

Apparently, you watched the First Live Tour together with the second-generation members?

I had watched every single live stream that had happened before, but that was my first time being on-site with fans in the audience as well. Being able to see the first-generation members perform with my very own eyes made me realize just how big their movements were and how loud their voices were, which is something that the live streams definitely couldn’t get across. That was when I knew that all the practice I had been doing up till then was far from enough. I was never really good at singing or dancing, and I was wondering just what I had to do to become part of the group. It really made me feel the gap between me and them. When the four of us are together, the atmosphere is usually rather cheerful, but the mood after that live performance was rather gloomy. For us second-generation members, the first-generation members really do seem like a wall that we have to surmount. But being too fixated on that didn’t seem right to me either. Of course we respect them, but now that we’re members of the same group, I wanted to be treated as an equal, which made me want to do my best to catch up to them, or even surpass them.

How did you feel about the recordings when they started?

Kinako-chan actually has pretty exaggerated reactions to things! She’s really expressive and frequently screams, and I struggled a lot with letting my voice out like that… I’ve spent a lot of time discussing with the members of the staff, but I still feel like I’ve yet to catch up to Kinako-chan. Although we’re really similar, our energy levels are actually complete opposites, so I think that’s something I’ll have to face head-on in the future.

The second-generation members were announced as the recordings were taking place. How did you feel upon seeing how the fans reacted?

All of us second-generation members came together to see how the fans reacted, both when the new characters and new cast members were announced. I forgot to turn off my Twitter notifications when the cast members were announced, and I panicked after receiving a ton of notifications all at once. I was terrified at the beginning and couldn’t bring myself to read any of the comments, but when I mustered the courage to look at the comments section about three days later, it was filled with comments like “You’re already part of Liella! from this moment onwards!” and “I’m sure it won’t be easy, but we’ll be supporting you. We’ve got your back,” which really surprised me. I was expecting to see some negative comments, so I was surprised that we were accepted so readily. I remember being really relieved that the fans had such kind words for us.

The first time I managed to say “Liella!” properly was the first step I took to becoming one of the group

You’ve been through the character and cast announcements, and now you’ve even stood in front of the fans at the Live & Fan Meeting events.

Honestly, it hasn’t really hit me that I’m one of Liella!’s members. But, the other day at the Tokyo Leg of our Live & Fan Meeting, I felt like that was the first time I said the “And that was Liella!” line properly. It’s as if I finally got accustomed to saying that, or that seeing everyone waving their lights finally clicked with the fact that I was standing on stage. It felt like I’d finally become part of the group. I hope I’ll be able to gain more experience and perform on stage with my head held high, as a member of Liella!.

I’m sure your life has changed a lot in the past two years. If you could say something to yourself back when you were just signing up for the auditions, what would you say?

Err… I’d say “You did great!”. You definitely did great. I’d compliment myself for being able to muster up the courage to do something that I’d have just given up on in the past. I’m sure to a lot of people, I still have a long way to go. But to me, the small things I did have accumulated, leading to even bigger changes. I believe that I’ve grown quite a bit, so I’d like to compliment myself on accomplishing that. I’ll try my best to move from 100 points to somewhere around 180 points. Even though I’m standing in front of an audience during our Live & Fan Meeting events, when I get back home, I become myself again. Even now, I sometimes wonder whether this is all a dream. But, the people who make me realize that I’m now a part of the “Love Live!” series that I love so much are none other than all the fans supporting me. I’ll do my best to make everyone happy and to eventually reach a point where even I myself am satisfied with my work.

Last but not least, let us know what we should look out for in the second season of the anime!

I hope you get to know the charms of the freshmen, who all have really interesting personalities! Now that the first-generation members are upperclassmen, I believe seeing them interact with their underclassmen will be quite fresh too. I personally love the rowdiness that happens when everyone in the group gets together, which is unique to the “Love Live!” series, so I hope you look out for that as well! Do look forward to it!

[1] Love Live! Series 9th Anniversary Love Live! Fest, which happened at Saitama Super Arena on January 18th and 19th, 2020. The announcement for a new project by the “Love Live!” series happened at the event on the second day.

Suzuhara Nozomi was born in Miyazaki Prefecture and read every single book in the library when she was a student. She loves girls in twintails and thought it was fate when she first saw Kinako’s visuals. She enjoys analog games like board and card games. The fact that Liella!’s bungee jump location shoot has yet to happen is something that constantly weighs on her mind.

TL: xIceArcher

TLC/QC: Yujacha (@yujachachacha), Yahallo

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Interview with Members Selected Through Open Audition 2 - Aoyama Nagisa

The school idol group “Liella!”, born from the “Love Live! Superstar!!” project. Continuing on from Date Sayuri on our previous issue, we asked Aoyama Nagisa, voice of Hazuki Ren, to tell us about her path through the auditions.

I want to acknowledge my past self for being determined to get accepted, and for taking the first step forward.

After quitting classical ballet, which I'd done for thirteen straight years

I discovered the joy of performing in front of an audience

Aoyama-san, I heard that you had a history in the performing arts even before being selected through the general auditions for “Love Live! Superstar!!”. Could you tell us a little more about what you did?

I did classical ballet for thirteen years, starting when I was four, so I’d always enjoyed dancing on stage. However, when I started high school, I decided to quit ballet because I wanted to challenge myself to do something else. So I joined the volleyball club, since I was terrible at it (laughs). It was the strictest club at my high school, so I had a tough time. But, through it I was able to get better at volleyball. I also managed to build up mental resilience through my time there, so it was all good.

So you put yourself in a challenging environment on purpose…!

By then I had distanced myself from dance for a while. But in my last year of high school, I performed in the musical “Sound of Music” during our cultural festival, which made me realize how much I enjoyed it. That was when I discovered that what I want to do in life is to sing and dance on stage, to become someone else, to act as someone else. After that, I joined the acapella and musical clubs at university. At the same time, my parents told me that if I didn’t manage to deliver any results by my fourth year in university, they would stop supporting me. So, I knew I had to have something to show for it, no matter what. I did want to continue performing in musicals, but I decided to quit the musical club at the end of my second year and started challenging myself to participate in beauty pageants to make myself known to the world, as a means of gaining my parents’ approval. The main judging criteria for beauty pageants were how much engagement we got on social media and the number of views we got on our live streams, so I spent virtually all my free time live streaming. As I was doing that, my parents started casually putting pamphlets for job-hunting seminars on my desk and pestered me to start job-hunting, so that got me really frustrated. However, that was also when I started slowly landing some photoshoots for magazine features and some acting roles.

You were developing your career as a performer without joining a talent agency?

Actually, I was attached to an agency provisionally for about half a year. That was right before the audition for the new “Love Live!” series was announced, so the timing was perfect. I wanted more than anything to pass the auditions, and I also regarded it as a chance to test how good I really was. So I consider myself to be really lucky.

Giving μ's training camp regime a shot?!

Challenging myself to a 10 km run but giving up

How did you come to know about the “Love Live!” series?

I first watched μ's perform in 2015, on Kohaku Uta Gassen. That was when I first found out that voice actors sing and dance on stage as well. I have a female cousin the same age as me, and she’s a huge fan of the “Love Live!” series. She told me passionately about how touched she was after attending μ's Final Live, so I decided to give the anime a watch. That was also about when “Love Live! Sunshine!!” started airing. When I started watching it together with my cousin, I got completely hooked… (laughs). The never-give-up spirit in the story and the wonderful songs pulled me in. I also watched “Love Live!” after that!

Which part of “Love Live! Sunshine!!” resonated with you the most?

I was really amazed by how the cast grew and developed in tandem with the members of Aqours. Of course you could see the characters developing in the anime, but you can also tell that they’re constantly evolving by comparing their latest songs to their first single or comparing their live performances. You could just tell that the cast members are working so hard to improve themselves and their performances. Seeing them made me realize that we, as humans, have an amazing potential to grow, and that gave me the courage to give it my all as well. That also made me want to support them all the more.

Are there any plotlines from the “Love Live!” series that you particularly like?

Personally, I love the training camp arc in “Love Live!”. The training regime that Umi-chan [1] developed contained both running and long-distance swimming, and after watching that I wanted to give it a try myself, so I did just that. But, well, there was no way I could run a full ten kilometers just like that right from the start… I tried my best to replicate the training regime as much as I could, but I couldn’t do it in the end (laughs wryly).

Are there any characters that you particularly like?

I love Ruby-chan [2], she’s just so cute! She’s rather shy and started off as a girl who constantly hides behind others, but seeing her try her very best to change that part of herself was just… I love it! (laughs). She pays close attention to the people around her, and is able to muster up the courage to say what needs to be said. Her voice and the way she reacts is just so cute, and I love how pure her character is.

Deciding to apply right on the spot!

Going into the first screening round with the mindset that I’d definitely make it

The new project was announced in January 2020, at “Love Live! Fest”. How did you first hear about the news?

I couldn’t watch “Love Live! Fest” in real time, so I first heard about it from my cousin. I’ve always loved the “Love Live!” series, and I also wanted to challenge myself to do something new, so I made the decision to apply right away. I was a little uneasy about the voice acting part, though. I never really liked my own voice, but since this was an audition for the “Love Live!” series I’d been chasing after all this time, I decided to challenge myself.

Another significant factor was that the age limit for the audition was up to twenty-two years old. There may be more auditions in the future, but there was no way for me to know how many more years it’d take for them to happen, so this was my last and only chance due to my age. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I had no choice but to apply, that I really wanted to get accepted.

How did you tackle the first screening round?

I came up with a thirty-second long self-introduction, and since I wanted to practice my singing as much as I could, I didn’t submit my application until right before the deadline. For the singing part, I watched concert footage to figure out how the songs were being performed and discussed it with my cousin after recording a few different takes. She gave me some advice, like “I can hear your emotions a little better in this one, so why not go with this?”

The second round that happened in a white-backed studio

Attending the remote audition fully prepared

The second audition round was supposed to take place on-site, but was changed to a remote audition. How did you feel about this change?

I thought I’d be attending the audition in-person with a panel of more than ten judges in the audience at first, so being able to express myself in a space with only me in it was rather advantageous for my mental state. However, I realized that some parts of my appeal might not convey that well through a screen, so I made sure to address that problem. We could just attend the audition from home, so that was what I planned to do at the start. But I decided to rent out a studio for the day in the end because I was concerned about the backdrop during the audition. I put my smartphone where my entire body could be seen, and even adjusted the lights to make sure the conditions were perfect. Since I wanted to perform a theater dance [3] during the free segment, I thought that dancing against a white backdrop would be best so that I could be seen more clearly. I rented the studio for my practice sessions as well, checking my choreography in the mirror as I practiced. I remember being nervous on the day itself, but I also remember having fun once I started singing and dancing.

How did the audition round go?

I had no idea what the other participants were like, so I can’t really comment on that. But I mentioned being good at acting as a particular character in my written application, and they actually picked up on that. I had the opportunity to show that off in the second round, and even the third round later (laughs). It seemed like the judges enjoyed it. I remember swiping to refresh my inbox to check whether I’d received any new emails about once every hour until the results were released. But no matter how much I did that, the email never came, so I remember being very fidgety while waiting.

Not mentioning my love for the “Love Live!” series on purpose!

Getting through the third round with an impactful performance

After clearing the second round, next came the third round. This time, you could actually gather physically, and I heard that the third round was conducted in groups. How did it go?

I had loads of fun! We played Charades as a group at the start, so that loosened me up quite a bit. I also managed to perform like I did during my rehearsals. I remember one of the judges saying that they were surprised at how I was completely silent at the very start, but suddenly became very talkative after the game of Charades (laughs). Also, everyone else mentioned how much they loved the “Love Live!” series in their self-introduction, so I decided not to mention it on purpose to differentiate myself from the crowd. Because of that, when I received the news that I had cleared the third round, I was asked whether I had watched “Love Live!” before. I immediately responded with a “Of course I have!” (laughs).

I guess you were quite the unusual applicant (laughs). How did the third round go?

During the singing portion, one of the judges commented that they could tell I had spent quite a bit of time practicing, and that I managed to hit most of the notes. They then proceeded to ask whether I had attended singing lessons, so that made me quite glad. That comment probably made me more confident in myself, since it seemed to imply that I had managed to leave a good impression (laughs).

Oh, and they asked me to act as that character from the second round again at the very end…! I really did give that my all, so maybe that was the thing that stuck in their minds! (laughs)

How did you react when you received the news that you managed to make it to the final round?

I immediately went into a victory pose, like “All right!” (laughs). I did the same thing as the previous round, with the constant swiping of my inbox. I was really happy, and broke the news to my parents that I managed to make it this far. The email also came with the things I had to prepare for the next round, so I switched into preparation mode for the next round rather quickly.

Arriving at the audition venue in tip-top condition!

Getting through the final round determined not to think about failing

And the day of the final audition round finally came. How did the day start for you?

As I was attending the various audition rounds, I started running and working out every day from around July. I wanted to build up my stamina. Now, I run about five kilometers a day. I couldn’t run the full ten kilometers when I tried out Umi-chan’s routine, but I think I could do it now! I also went to the city pool to swim on my off days. I never used to do that up till then, but I thought that I needed stamina to be a part of the Love Live! cast, so I continued. I woke up at around five in the morning on the day of the final audition round and started the day with a run and a workout. After that, I got into the shower, had breakfast, and headed to the venue. I took the train there, but I decided to get off one stop before the actual venue and walked the rest of the way instead. That warmed my body up, so I arrived ready to dance at any moment.

When you arrived at the venue, did anything in particular catch your attention?

My turn was near the end for both the third and final rounds, so I pretty much had no idea how many other people were accepted for each round. When I was backstage having my makeup put on, I could hear the others in the performance hall through a television screen. I remember that they were all really good at singing, which made me realize that everyone who made it to the final round was really good. At the same time, listening to their performances also gave me the determination to do my best.

How did the stage performance go?

All of the judges’ expressions were terrifying! They all had serious looks on their faces, shifting their gazes between me and their documents as if they were trying to compare me with my profile. I was terrified. I knew I couldn’t let myself be swept up by the atmosphere, so I performed with my gaze firmly on the seats on the second floor, deciding not to look down, no matter what. The singing portion came first, and that was the first time I found myself shaking during an audition. But once I started singing, my nervousness faded away, and I got into the groove and managed to have fun while performing. I was used to singing on stage since I was part of the acapella club, so I was glad I had that experience. I had planned to just concentrate on singing without any unnecessary movements at first, but I thought it’d be more interesting for those in the audience if I made some hand movements and performed some simple choreography, so I started moving my body a little. The last part was acting with a partner. We read out our lines together before the actual performance, so we reassured each other that we’d do fine before going up on stage. There were only the two of us on such a huge stage, and we didn’t even have mics, so I acted while making sure to project my voice as loudly as I could.

How did you find the final round?

When I left the stage after thanking the judges, things I knew I could’ve done better just flooded my mind all of a sudden, and I felt disheartened as I wondered whether I did enough. I’m the type of person to reflect on things right after they happen. But, I switch out of that state really quickly. I was only in that state for a moment, and I tried not to think about failing after the audition round was over. Since there were also cameras rolling, I wanted to show everyone that I was having fun.

Receiving the final result filled with uneasiness and shock

Taking a step forward with the fervent desire to be accepted

Then, the moment for the final results announcement finally came.

I got a call out of nowhere, and was told that they wanted to do another interview after the final round to ask me a few more questions. I was wondering what that implied… Were they going to bring good news, or were they unsure of who to choose in the end? I had no idea, and that single thought surfaced all my uncertainties. I kept my cool this entire time by telling myself that I had definitely made it, but that all crashed down when I heard that. My heart was thumping the entire time while I waited for that call. But, the next day, they just told me the result right from the start. Because I was so nervous, when they told me “You passed,” the only thing that went through my mind was “I… passed? What does that mean?” (laughs). I started wondering what it meant for me to have passed. I might have believed that passing the final round means that I was selected, but I started to doubt that (laughs). When they told me I had been selected as one of the five cast members, I got such a head rush that I almost let out a shout. During the call, I somehow managed to keep my cool and thanked the judges, but the moment the call ended I rushed to the living room and screamed at my family to come over (laughs).

How did your family react?

I never really talked about how much I loved “Love Live!” to my parents. But, around the third round or so, they started realizing that I was serious about this, and they asked to watch some of the concert DVDs. That made me really happy. Since they were watching over my progress this entire time, they were really glad too. But right after I told them I had been accepted, my mom gave me some advice. She told me to make sure to secure some private time for myself even after I started working as a cast member of the “Love Live!” franchise. I’ve started getting more work recently, and I feel like I finally understand the gravity behind her advice. I’m the type of person to fall into an unhealthy cycle once I find something that I can be passionate about. I’d wake up in the morning, go for practice, work, and go to bed the moment I got home. I finally realized that she was telling me to make sure to take care of myself and find ways to relax even when I’m busy. Because I’m the type to enjoy pushing myself too hard… I’ll be careful (laughs).

Taking a break every once in a while is indeed rather important. What about your cousin, the one who introduced you to “Love Live!”? What did she say?

We weren’t allowed to talk about the audition to anyone while they were still taking place, so I didn’t manage to talk to her after the first round where I got her advice. After the cast members were finally announced, I received a brief but strongly worded "good job" (laughs). My cousin bought a ton of “Love Live! Superstar!!” merchandise, and even made a pre-order for our debut single the moment it was announced. It really feels like she’s my biggest fan, supporting me from right by my side. She’s someone I really want to treasure.

How did others around you react?

I started a new Twitter account, but I received so many notifications that my smartphone started heating up. That made me realize just how much people were looking forward to the “Love Live! Superstar!!” project. I was really touched to receive a ton of messages congratulating me on being selected despite them not knowing at all what kind of person I was. To be honest, I’ve heard quite a lot of different things from the people around me. But, I was just happy to have so many people supporting me, and I even have the other members to reassure me. I knew I had to do my best to bounce back from those critical comments.

Last but not least, how did you feel about the tumultuous year 2020?

FIrst of all, I want to thank my cousin for introducing me to the world of “Love Live!”, and for telling me about this audition. Also, I want to acknowledge my past self for being determined to get accepted the moment I laid my eyes on the audition form, and for taking the first step forward. It’s precisely because of those strong emotions of wanting to appear as part of the “Love Live!” series, of wanting to win no matter what, that drove me to work hard to get to where I am now. The COVID-19 pandemic did bring up a lot of uncertainty within me, but looking back, it truly was a year full of miracles. I felt like I was given the opportunity to take a big step forward, so I’ll continue doing my best as part of Liella! while supporting and being supported by the other members and our fans alike!

[1] Sonoda Umi, from μ's.

[2] Kurosawa Ruby, from Aqours.

[3] A type of dance that has its origins in Broadway musicals, also known as musical dance.

Aoyama Nagisa was born in Tokyo Prefecture and is currently with Apollo Bay. She was chosen as the voice of Hazuki Ren from the open auditions for “Love Live! Superstar!!”. Joining a club with an activity that she used to be terrible at on purpose, and even sacrificing her private life for her dreams, she claims to be the type of person who needs to involve herself in everything that catches her interest.

TL: xIceArcher

TLC/QC: Yujacha (@yujachachacha), Yahallo

[frozenmikan]

Interview with Members Selected Through Open Audition - Date Sayuri

The school idol group “Liella!” was born from the “Love Live! Superstar!!” project. We asked the voice of Shibuya Kanon, Date Sayuri, who was selected through the open audition, to tell us a little more about the path she took.

On the last day before the applications closed, I finally made up my mind and told myself that this might just be my final chance, so I just had to give it a try.

Getting hooked through “Borarara”!

Date-san’s encounter with “Love Live!”

Please tell us about how you got to know the Love Live! series.

I first found out about the series when I was in fifth grade. Anime and Vocaloid songs were the in thing among my classmates at the time. Someone came up to me and said, “Sayu, the songs from ‘Love Live!’ are really great, so go take a listen!”, and that was what brought me in. I also remember seeing a friend of mine drawing characters from μ's in their notebook. Back then, all I thought was something like, “So there are anime with cute girls in them…”, but there was just something that piqued my attention... So I used my mother’s phone to give the songs from “Love Live!” a listen, and I got hooked instantly (laughs). I think the first song I listened to was Borarara [1]. From then on I started collecting CDs and listening to them on repeat, but since anime didn’t air in real-time in Miyagi Prefecture all that often, I couldn’t watch the Love Live! anime for the longest time.

So when did you first watch the anime series?

I think it was after I started middle school. I was glancing through the TV listings to record something to watch later, and I saw an advertisement for the rerun of “Love Live!” on NHK E. I was like, “Wow, I can watch this in Miyagi?!”, and was super excited. After actually recording and watching it, I got hooked, just as expected. In particular, I remember bawling my eyes out in episode 3 [2], when they were performing “START:DASH” in an empty auditorium. When I first watched that scene, I thought that they’d definitely give up. That there was no way that anyone could sing in a situation like that. But when they saw Hanayo-chan running up to them, they decided to give it their all and sing with smiles on their faces. They were giving it their all even though they were still in high school. I was really excited at the prospect of going to high school because I realized that there’d be such exciting club activities to look forward to!

It seems like you really did look up to school idols. Did you ever attend a live performance?

I was still a student without a lot of money so I couldn’t really attend live performances at the venue itself. But, whenever I would give it my all for a test or high school entrance exam, I’d reward myself with watching one of Aqours’ live viewings. The one that left the strongest impression on me was Aqours’ 1st Live, which was the very first live viewing I attended. I really love “Omoi yo Hitotsu ni Nare”! After watching that live, I remembered watching Aida-san, the voice of Sakurauchi Riko, mention that she had absolutely no experience playing the piano, and I remember shuddering at the thought of just how much hard work she must have put in for that performance. I’m sure that their 1st Live turned out that spectacularly because of just how far the nine of them pushed themselves. I remember gripping my penlights tight while being touched by how they kept smiles on their faces from the start all the way to the end.

A brand new project!

The beginning of a time of great challenge nobody could’ve imagined

They announced the new project at “Love Live! Fest”, which took place in January 2020. When did you first hear about the news?

I attended the live viewing on the first day. Since it was announced on the second day, I didn’t manage to watch the announcement in real time, and only learned about it from Instagram afterwards. I was really surprised, like, “What’s this about a new project?!”

When you learned about the auditions, did you decide to apply right away?

When I first saw it, I remember thinking, “I wanna give it a try.” I’ve always wanted to take part in an audition for the Love Live! series if one happened. But even though I looked up to the series so much, when the audition actually appeared in front of me, I couldn’t bring myself to apply just like that. Since it was near the end of my second year in high school, I had already decided on what I wanted to do after graduating; I wanted to become a counselling psychologist. I kept making excuses to myself right up till the deadline, telling myself that I’d eventually record a video for the online round, and I just kept putting it off. I love singing, but there’s no way that I could become an idol or a singer. It just felt like something high above the clouds to me, so I believed that it wasn’t realistic for me to be aiming for something like that. But, on the last day before the applications closed, I finally made up my mind and told myself that this might just be my final chance, so I just had to give it a try.

Did you talk about the audition with your friends or family?

I didn’t discuss applying with anyone. I didn’t even tell my mother, who’s the one person I can discuss things like this with. But since I was still a minor, I had to get a guardian’s approval before entering. So, after recording the video, I steeled myself and gave my mother, who was at work at the time, a call. When I told her about the audition, she replied in a panic, “Wait, slow down, what did you just say?” Well, of course she would, huh? (laughs) We were living all the way in Miyagi, so I was prepared to give it up if she was against it. But we talked it out after she got home and she decided to support me by saying that since it was something I’ve loved for so long, I should give it a try. After filling in everything on the application form, I remember confirming with her before pressing the “Submit” button and sending it off right in front of her.

And that was the start of a journey that exceeded even my wildest dreams.

Performing Yosakoi instead of a dance number?

Getting through the second round because of her smile

Because of COVID-19, the second round of auditions were conducted remotely. I'm sure it must have needed a different mindset compared to an in-person audition.

Honestly, I was terrified because all the judges were wearing masks! I wanted to make the atmosphere as bright as I could, so I tried my best to always have a smile on my face (laughs). The second round of auditions consisted of acting, singing, and a self-introduction. The email said that we should also perform a dance if we were confident in it. I was actually in the Yosakoi Club in middle school. So, although I couldn’t dance, I thought it’d definitely be better for me to show that off, so I performed a Yosakoi dance. That's why, during the Q&A session at the end, my hair was all messed up, and I was out of breath, too… I don’t really remember what they asked me, but I remember them telling me to show my forehead at the very end, and even though I was like “?”, I did as they asked. Though I’m sure that was just so that they could see my face clearly (laughs).

I’m sure you were really surprised after hearing something like that out of the blue (laughs). I heard that you had no prior acting experience, so how did you make it through the acting portion of the audition?

I didn’t get the lines until it was very close to the audition, but the instant I read them, I managed to quickly decide on how I wanted to act the lines out. Since it was my first time acting, I didn’t really have a clear picture of what I should be looking out for, but I made sure not to try too hard to memorize the script. I was afraid that if I was able to do so word for word, I would end up sounding like I was just reciting the lines. So I tried picturing many different scenarios and changing my voice to the best of my abilities. I also thought about how I myself would act out these lines.

The first in-person audition was nerve-racking!

The third round of auditions that went horribly

After clearing the second round of auditions, you proceeded to the third round. I heard that you were put into groups, and that it happened in Saitama?

That was actually my first time leaving Miyagi, so that was the first thing that got me worried. It was also the first time I’d be meeting other people who had passed the earlier rounds, so I was also nervous to find out what kinds of people the judges were accepting. We were grouped into groups of four, and we were told to play a game of Charades right after we introduced ourselves… (laughs). Getting up from our chairs and playing a game of Charades with people I just met was really embarrassing! Not to mention that the judges were also watching, and there were even cameras rolling. At first I thought there was no way I’d make it through, but I ended up having tons of fun (laughs). We also had to decide on a leader in one of the other games, and since I was the oldest among the four of us, I volunteered myself. I enjoyed myself during the audition, but I’ve always wondered what exactly they were looking out for (laughs).

There was an individual round after that too, right?

After the group auditions, we were told to wait in a room where they called us in one by one. I was really nervous, but I remember saying bye to everyone still waiting in the room before leaving. It was my first face-to-face interview, so even though I remember being asked tons of questions, I don’t remember what the questions were… What I do remember is that the singing portion went horribly. I performed “Aishiteru Banzai!” by μ's, which was one of the assigned songs for this round. I remember forgetting the lyrics halfway through and my voice wavering during the first line, so it was just terrible all around. I started panicking because I knew it wasn’t going well, but then they asked me whether I could perform another song, so I performed “Snow halation”, a song I really love. Oh, and I forgot my choreography halfway through the dance part too. Although I watched the video so many times and spent so much time practicing, I somehow couldn’t remember the steps during the audition. I was quite shocked that things like that really could happen. That was how it went, so you could say it went terribly. I thought I failed for sure.

How did you spend the days waiting for the results of that round?

The emails they send us always say “We will contact those who were accepted by _ day”, and the acceptance email had always come about three days before the final deadline up till then. But for the third round, the email didn’t come - not three days before the deadline, nor two days before the deadline. It was something I expected, really, since it went so terribly. I was incredibly frustrated at myself. The audition went really badly so I knew I couldn't expect much, but when the thought of failing the auditions crossed my mind, I realized just how frustrated I was with myself. My mother kept reassuring me that the deadline hadn’t passed yet, that I still had a chance, but I was completely crushed. At around 7pm on the last day, I glanced at my phone in the living room to realize that I received an email about ten minutes ago. It was titled “Information Regarding the Final Round”. I passed! I was overjoyed at making it to the final round.

I heard that you had about one week before the final round. What did you do to prepare for it?

I had never acted before this. Even when I read from a script, all the lines ended up sounding about the same, so I thought that was something I had to improve on. That’s why I analyzed the character’s personalities and emotional states and recorded myself saying the lines in different ways to prepare for the final round. Listening to my own recorded voice was super embarrassing. But since the acting round would be conducted in pairs this time, I knew I had to be prepared to adapt my lines depending on what the other person did, so I challenged myself to try practicing in a different way.

What about the singing and dancing parts?

I spent a lot of time watching the dance videos and practicing, but I made sure not to listen to the original song too much. That’s because I’d end up wanting to copy the way the original artists performed the song, and I thought that wouldn’t be good, because it’d no longer be me performing the song. I thought it would be better for me to just perform as myself, so I started practicing with only the instrumentals. I made sure to pay attention to how I myself would perform the song.

Despairing at my monotone performance of “Snow halation”

The final round of auditions that left me miserable

And the final round of auditions finally came. It was held over an entire day in Shibuya, right?

My mother and younger brother sent me off at the bullet train platform, and they told me to do my best before I got onto the train. But I feigned stubbornness and said something like, “I’m not going there to do my best, I’m going there to have fun”. That was how my journey began, and I didn’t expect myself to be so nervous even on the train. My grandmother got me a lucky charm, and I was holding it in my hands while listening to “Mirai Harmony” by Nijigasaki on my earphones. Even now, when I listen to the song, the memories of that train ride come back to me. It was my first time going to Tokyo all by myself, and I knew I couldn’t be late, no matter what. Then, I arrived at the venue. I aimed to arrive by 11am, which was when we were supposed to arrive, but there were already a whole group of girls my age waiting at the reception when I arrived. I was really surprised that there were so many people there [3]. When I said “Hello” to one of them, they replied with a “Good morning”. I thought to myself, but it’s already noon?! I thought she was a princess or something…

I think that’s just how people from this industry greet each other (laughs).

What’s more, that was actually Paychan [4]! Now that I think about it, the two of us meeting at the audition venue is actually quite amazing. After that, we were told to sit down until our names were called, and when that happened, they did my hair up and put on makeup for me, along with the person I was doing the pair audition part with. They even prepared a set of school uniforms for us, so I changed into that. I thought that the audition would start right away since that was how it happened up till then, so I was surprised at how formal the entire thing was. I managed to meet up with a girl who was in the same group as me in the previous round, and that was the first time I smiled that day, even though it was just for a while. I was relieved that I wasn’t alone.

How did the audition go?

The dancing and singing parts were individual, but the acting part was done in pairs. The entire thing happened on stage, but the audience seats were completely dark, so I had no idea what kinds of facial expressions the judges were making, or even how many judges there were. That made me more nervous than I should’ve been. Because I was so nervous, I practically sang the assigned song, “Snow halation”, in a monotone… After feeling down because I knew all my practice went to waste, they asked whether I would like to try again, since I looked nervous. So I once again managed to get a second chance. Though I tried to calm myself down while singing, it still went terribly, and I was acutely aware that I didn’t perform as well as when I was just rehearsing. I was less nervous for the pair acting part compared to the solo parts though. When I spoke, my partner would say something back, so the flow of the conversation helped me to calm down. But, after that ended, I stayed to watch my partner’s solo audition, and it was so good that I really felt like going home right then and there… She was really good at both singing and dancing, that was for sure. I remember despairing and thinking to myself, should I really be here? The rest of the audition passed by in a flash, and I returned home from Tokyo Station.

The birth of new school idols!

Being able to go above and beyond because I’m not alone

How did you react after that?

I didn’t. On the train ride back, my mind was completely blank. Even after I got home, nobody asked me how it went, probably because they were being considerate. That was actually painful in a way, and I basically resigned myself to the fact that even though I didn’t succeed, at least I managed to have fun while doing it.

You thought for sure that you didn’t make it.

Two days later, I received a call at school. I didn’t pick it up immediately because it was from a number I didn’t know, but after looking the number up, it was indeed related to the audition. A glimmer of hope flared up within me, and because I didn’t even tell my friends about the audition, I called back after going to a more secluded area. But, they weren’t calling to tell me that I had been accepted. They wanted to ask me a few more questions, and scheduled a remote meeting the next day… I was uneasy at the fact that there were still more audition rounds, but also hopeful that I might still have a chance depending on the results of the call. All in all, I was pretty uneasy. On the next day, I connected to the call with my heart pounding, and the person on the other side of the screen said just one sentence. “Congratulations Date-san, you’ve passed the audition.”

How did you react to hearing that?

I really had no idea how to react, and my mind was completely blank. I even wondered whether they were pulling a prank on me, and I was wondering why I got chosen. They told me to call my parents over since they wanted to talk to them about the fact that I had been accepted, so I did just that. When I saw how happy my parents looked, it finally started to hit me. They didn’t tell us which character we’d be voicing at that time, and I only found out about a month later when I first met the other members.

And that marked the beginning of your journey through “Love Live! Superstar!!”. It has now been about a year since the auditions started. Looking back, how do you think you’ve changed over the past year?

I’m now living a life completely opposite of what my life used to be, so there are times when I wonder whether I’ve been dreaming all this while. The fact that I’d be in Tokyo starring as a character from the Love Live! series was beyond even my wildest dreams just a year ago. But I don’t think I have the right to say something like that. When we collected letters for our first livestream, I received a letter from the girl who was with me during the third round. The letter started off with, “Sayuri-san, I’d like to say ‘Nice to meet you’, but we’ve technically already met. Do you still remember me?”, and I immediately knew that it was her. She also said that although she was really disappointed that she didn’t make it through the auditions, she’d be supporting me in the future. If I was the one who didn’t make it through the auditions, I might have been so disappointed in myself that I wouldn’t be able to bring myself to watch anything related to “Love Live!” anymore. I realized how kind she must be for still wanting to support me, even though she must’ve been so disappointed with herself. I realized I didn’t want to betray her expectations. Once in a while, I reread that letter, and I remember how blank my mind was when I attended the audition. And I realize once again that I really do have the weights of everyone who attended the auditions on my shoulders. Unlike the auditions, I now have a group of people who’ll fight alongside me. Liella! is also a group that managed to debut despite the COVID-19 crisis. I want to get people even more excited about “Love Live!”, so that we can put a smile on the faces of everyone who’s supporting us!

[1] μ's first single, “Bokura no LIVE Kimi to no LIFE”

[2] Love Live! Season 1 Episode 3: “First Step”

[3] The auditions for those who already belonged to an agency happened on the same day

[4] Voice of Heanna Sumire, Payton Naomi

Date Sayuri was born in Miyagi Prefecture and is currently with Apollo Bay. She was chosen as the voice of Shibuya Kanon from the open auditions for "Love Live! Superstar!!". She has visited Shibuya and Omotesando, the setting of the series, only once in the past, and claims to still be "a little afraid" of it since it's known as "the town that never sleeps".

TL: xIceArcher

TLC/QC: ramen (@soreyoriramen), Yujacha (@yujachachacha), Yahallo

[frozenmikan]

Inami Anju’s Impression of CYaRon Songs (Love Live! Sunshine!! Unit Live Adventure 2020 Pamphlet)

Genki Zenkai DAY! DAY! DAY!

When the song was first released, even Aqours was still trying to figure out which path we should take going forward. There was also some part of me that hadn't gotten used to "living as Takami Chika" yet. When it was decided that the three of us would form a subunit together, it was a big confident boost. This song ended up becoming CYaRon's first song, and it was a perfect fit for the three of us (laughs). But, when our First Live happened, I didn't have that much experience with dancing, so it definitely wasn't easy. That's precisely why this song has become a way for me to gauge how much I've improved, and since we created the call-and-response from scratch by ourselves, I now think that it’s the song that best exemplifies the bonds between the members of CYaRon, as well as everyone in the audience!

Yozora wa Nandemo Shitteru no?

The centerpiece song of CYaRon!'s sub-theme. When I was recording this song, it really hit me as to how hard it was to "sing a ballad as Takami Chika". How was I to portray the melancholic side of a girl who just shines like the sun? Honestly, even now, every live is still a process of trial-and-error for me. On one hand, I have to perform as Chika, but on the other hand, the world portrayed by the song's lyrics and the song's atmosphere just feels melancholic, so the actress within me imagines a whole lot of possibilities. I'm able to naturally slip into the song's worldview without faking my emotions, so performing the song feels very pleasant. When it's performed live, Chika, a second year, and Ruby, a first-year dance in symmetry. That's something you don't see in the typical Aqours song, and that's why this song is so precious to me.

P.S. no Mukougawa

This song isn't easy. Well, I've discussed this with the other members in CYaRon! quite a fair bit, but CYaRon!'s songs have this image of being brightly-colored. But this seems to be more of a pastel-colored song... A color between the extremes of bright and pastel colors? That's why I remember wracking my head over how to express the emotions behind this song in CYaRon!'s context. The choreography is quite intricate, so it's already quite difficult to synchronize our steps. The lyrics too. It's not like the typical CYaRon! song, and it seems to take something closer to a bird's eye view. That's why I found it difficult (laughs). I hope you can interpret the song through your own lens and enjoy the song when you see it being performed live!

Kinmirai Happy End

I was really surprised when I first heard this song. I thought we'd get a song that's even more energetic than the last! But we got a love song instead (laughs)! But, after reading the lyrics, I was convinced that precisely because of the willpower of the girls in CYaRon that they can perform a love song like this, where they're cheering someone else on. Also, one thing to look out for is how we perform this song with flags. We were the ones who came up with the idea and flag's design, and even the choreography during the parts where we’re waving our flags. We based this song's performance on what we thought was the best way to convey our thoughts to everyone in the audience. How we exchange opinions among ourselves to create something even better is one of CYaRon!'s biggest strengths!

Kaigandoori de Matteru yo

CYaRon!'s coupling songs are always surprising, aren't they (laughs)? The lyrics describe a misunderstanding, but there's just an air of innocence about it that makes it really cute. Unlike the title song Kinmirai, it's a rather playful song, in a good way of course. The song really allows each of our individual personalities to shine through, so that's really interesting. It's actually one of the more impactful songs, so much so that I wish that they'd release solo versions of it. Since there's quite a long instrumental part in the song, we were wondering what to do while it was playing. After discussing it among ourselves, we decided that we'd blow bubbles. Being able to do brightly-colored songs, ballads, and even more comical songs, not being bound to any one genre is one of CYaRon!'s strengths. I don't think there's any genre that we won't do, and I hope to perform songs from all kinds of genres in the future too!

Sakura Bye-bye

This song is almost like someone brought together everything from our five previous songs. There's the energetic and pop elements from Genki Zenkai, Kinmirai, and Kaigandoori, as well as the melancholic parts of Yozora and P.S.. Of course, it's just a step on the way, but the song still feels like an accumulation of everything we've been through up till now.

After performing the five songs that came before it, I'm sure the girls would be able to send their graduating class off with a smile instead of tears. That's why we performed it with cheer in our voices during the live too. We even scattered cherry blossom petals around (laughs). This is also something I realized after actually performing it on stage, but after the very last line, there's this small, tiny twinge of loneliness. It'd be nice if everyone picked up on that!

TL: xIceArcher

Scans: Arishamod (@arishamod)

[frozenmikan]

We’ll make sure to keep our activities going, to tell everyone about how Aqours is doing, about where Aqours is from - Inami Anju, Aida Rikako, and Saito Shuka’s unwavering resolve

First years interview: https://aikyan.dyreatic.moe/post/624225195452940288/before-a-new-departurekobayashi-aika-takatsuki

Third years interview: https://ganbaramen.tumblr.com/post/625147563563204608/their-intention-is-always-to-be-by-your-side-the

If I gave up, Chika-chan would stop growing too

Love Live! Sunshine!!’s school idol group, Aqours, has just celebrated its 5th anniversary. The “Aqours 5th Anniversary Jimo Ai! Take Me Higher Project”, which includes the franchise’s first dome tour, has also been announced.

Inami: I expected quite a few big things to happen, since it is our 5th anniversary. But even I was surprised at how huge the entire thing turned out to be.

Saito: There really is quite a lot happening, huh?

Aida: We have Aqours CLUB 2020 too, and…

Saito: There are so many things happening that I can’t wrap my head around them!

Inami: Since the phrase “Jimo Ai” is in the title itself, it’d be nice if I could shout out to everyone that we’ve come all the way from Numazu, loud and clear!

What did you think of “Fantastic Departure”, the theme song of the dome tour, when you first heard it?

Aida: I feel like our songs have gotten more and more mature over the years.

Saito: Yeah, totally! It feels like our songs are growing alongside us.

Aida: Yeah, they’re songs from a genre that Aqours could never touch in the past.

Inami: It does seem like the melody was written to conform to current trends.

Aida: You’re right, it does sound pretty stylish. It also makes you want to dance to the beat.

Inami: As an artist, I feel like we’ve managed to establish exactly what it means to be Aqours. Of course, that includes the lyrics too!

Aida: You can just feel Hata Aki-san in every phrase!

Inami: Yeah, yeah! Especially the “dolphin” and “whale” lines.

Saito: Having words related to the ocean in the lyrics makes it feel really Aqours-like. I think it’s pretty interesting how there’s a gap between the mature-sounding melody and the lyrics.

How was the recording?

Inami: It was really tough…!

Aida: If I focus too much on singing in my character voice, my sense of rhythm goes haywire!

Inami: Yeah, that! When I first heard “Fantastic Departure!”, the first thing I worried about was how I’d sing it!

Aida: Our songs started becoming really difficult around “Jump up HIGH!”.

Saito: No matter the song, the first thing I think about is how You-chan would sing it, but you’re right, it was quite difficult at the start.

Inami: So what do you do?

Saito: I just sing the entire thing as You-chan.

Aida: For me, I let my character voice out when I can, and pay more attention to the rhythm when I need to. That leads to the up-and-downs in my voice, I guess?

Inami: For me, I try singing it once with my own voice, paying attention to the syllables I’d stress. This expands my horizons and gives me more ideas. After that, I try to think of even more ideas as Chika-chan, and that makes my singing more expressive, I guess?

Aida: I think it’s amazing how Chika-chan sounds like Chika-chan whenever she sings.

Inami: I’m so glad to hear that! I’m sure all of us feel the same way, but if there was something I couldn’t do and I gave up on it without trying, Chika-chan would stop growing too. Because I feel very strongly about not wanting to stop Chika-chan from growing and developing, I challenge myself and do my best in everything I do.

Everyone in Aqours is the type to just go for it instead of worrying about it

How about the coupling song, “Aqours Pirate Desire”?

Aida: The lyrics certainly are very forceful. Our lyrics used to be things like “Got it!” and “Heave-ho!” after all, so they’ve definitely have gotten a lot more forceful compared to back then. There’s that, and how the pitch has become really low. It’s almost a full octave lower, so I was certainly a little flustered at the start.

Saito: The first thing I thought after hearing it was, “It’s so low!”

Inami: Yeah, I was like, “Dang, this is gonna be a tough one” (laughs).

Saito: I couldn’t help but wonder whether You-chan would be able to do it. That’s why I asked them to let me listen to my own singing over and over again during the recording.

The song’s atmosphere gives off the impression of a rather wild Aqours.

Inami: You’re right. It’s the first time we’ve had “pirates” as the theme of a song, after all.

Saito: They told us to go all out with the coolness during the recording!

Aida: It is a rather cool song, after all.

Inami: Maybe it’d be nice for Aqours to appear on stage while showing off our cool side. Up until now, we’ve always had a refreshing, cheerful, or straightforward look, so I think it’d be pretty fun to show off Aqours’ unyielding and firm side too.

Aida: The atmosphere Aqours gives off has changed quite a bit too, huh?

Inami: Yeah. Personally, I want to show off even more different sides of Aqours!

Tell us about your favorite parts of each song.

Aida: I like how the lyrics of “Fantastic Departure!” tells a story of us not knowing what’s in store for us in the future. But after seeing many, many things on our way here, we still want to continue discovering what’s ahead of us, and that there are still places for us to go. That made me really happy, and they’re all phrases I really love.

Inami: I’m really glad that the lyrics strongly convey how Aqours will keep pushing forward while also giving off the feeling that this is a new start for us. For “Aqours Pirates Desire”, I like the phrases like “Snatch it for ourselves!”, phrases that Aqours has never really had before. What about you, You-chan (Saito-san)?

Saito: I guess I like the lyrics in the chorus of “Aqours Pirates Desire”. I feel like it really gives off the feeling that Aqours will do anything, that we want to be given the opportunity to do anything and everything.

Inami: All nine of us are the type of people to just go for it rather than worrying about it, and maybe that personality of ours got through to Hata-san as well. For “Aqours Pirates Desire”, I find the part where we say we’ll “sail the seven seas” and “go beyond even that” interesting. We don’t usually end our sentences so forcefully too, and the word “crossbones” really packs a punch… The song is just packed with the new Aqours.

Saito: Though Riko-chan’s a part of Guilty Kiss, so I guess she’s already used to the “crossbones” part.

Aida: I wonder… Though you have to admit that there’s something about how all nine of us can now perform a song like “Aqours Pirate Desire” together, and not just as our subunits.

Inami: Yeah. Most of the Aqours members already like cool songs, and that’s being put to good use here. Maybe we’ll be able to go even further with this concept now that we’ve sung this song, and that gets me really excited.

Aida: It’s quite interesting how although the song is quite stylish, it still feels undoubtedly like a “Love Live!” song when the nine of us sing it.

The entire arena dyed in orange: “Memories never fade”

This January, you performed at Love Live! Fest together with μ’s and the Nijigasaki School Idol Club, breaking the walls between the franchise’s groups. What left the deepest impression on you at Love Live! Fest?

Aida: Can I talk about something that happened when we were off-stage? It’s got to be μ’s “Snow halation”.

Inami & Saito: That really was something!

Inami: We were waiting on the ship for our turn to perform, and because we just enjoy ourselves fully once we’re on stage, the wait before we go on stage leaves the strongest impression on us.

Saito: Yeah, that. The peak of our emotions happened when we were waiting. At that moment, I just felt really glad that I was part of Aqours.

Aida: Seeing the arena glow orange during μ’s “Snow halation” made me realize that memories truly never fade. It’d be nice if we could make the people watching one of our lives feel the same way one day.

Inami: Maybe this dome tour is our first step to achieving that. I’m also really glad that we’ve become capable of considering “sometime in the future”.

Any memories of your own performance during Love Live! Fest?

Inami: When we appeared on stage on our ship, I was really thankful that we were here as Aqours. When I first heard that we’d be appearing on the ship, we talked it out and agreed that we wanted to dance. We acutely felt the meaning behind us having to live up to the animation, as well as the power the nine of us have together, so we wanted to put that in our dance on stage.

After our performance, what we saw from the ship felt really special, and that made me really glad that we performed on the ship. Realizing that made me emotional once again.

How about you, Aida-san, Saito-san?

Aida: We were the opening act for both days, kicking the performance off with “Mitaiken Horizon”. That left a very deep impression.

Saito: Love Live! Fest was our first time performing “Mitaiken Horizon”. Also, it had been quite some time since our last concert, so I was really nervous.

Inami: I knew that I’d be frustrated if we didn’t manage to capture the attention of the people in the audience who were seeing us for the first time. I really gave it my all to make sure that we fulfilled the role of being the opening act and passing the baton on to the next performers.

How were the performances by the members of the Nijigasaki School Idol Club? They even put on some solo performances, right?

Inami: It’s really amazing how they performed on stage alone!

Aida: Fest was right after their 1st Live (Love Live! Nijigasaki School Idol Club First Live “with You”) too. Adding on to that, they even performed on the same stage as μ’s did. So that’s quite something.

Saito: If that were me back when I first debuted, I’d probably be terrified.

Aida: Yeah. Just having the courage to perform solo on that stage is already really amazing.

Inami: Amidst an audience that’s focused on them, and only them, I could tell that they really wanted to dye the entire venue in each and every one of their colors. That was just really emotional.

“We’ve started communicating with just our eyes”: The second years are the balancers

After five years, do you feel like you’ve grown?

Saito: I guess I now know how to look better in photos?

Inami: That’s really important!

Saito: I used to look terrible in photos! But now, I realize that I'm at the point where if I spot the camera cranes during a concert, I'll be like “C'MON LOOK OVER HERE" (laughs).

Inami: I used to be bad with photos too… I really wish I could change my artist photo I took way back then.

Saito: Yeah! Seeing that photo being used for some TV performance just makes me want to scream: “Just change it already!”

Inami: Exactly. Also, I used to be a very negative person, but I’ve definitely become overwhelmingly more positive over the years. Chika-chan is cheerful no matter what, and nothing can break her. She has so many ideas that it’s almost funny, and she still influences me to this day!

Chika-chan is so positive that sometimes I wonder whether she even knows the meaning of the phrase “giving up”. She’s been pulling me along, in a good way. Even now, I still have a lot to learn from her actions.

Aida: For me, it’s definitely my stamina. I really had no stamina at the start. I think I was the worst among everyone in Aqours. Especially during our 1st Live (Love Live! Sunshine!! Aqours First LoveLive! ~Step! ZERO to ONE~), I’d lose my breath halfway through a song, and just singing my solo part was pure suffering.

But I could feel myself slowly becoming more fit, day by day. There are still times when I feel like it’s too much, but it doesn’t show on my face anymore, so I guess I’ve grown in that regard.

Inami: Yeah, I get you! I’m really glad that I can now perform “Kimi no Kokoro wa Kagayaiteru kai?” with a smile on my face the entire time (laughs).

Saito: “KimiKoko” is still pretty tough, even now…

Aida: Other than that, I feel like I’ve changed in lots of ways, so many that I can’t even begin to count.

Inami: During these five years as Aqours, every one of us has managed to take on and overcome different challenges, so I think about how much we’ve grown almost every day.

What do you think about the bond between the second years?

Aida: If we’re talking about the anime, the bond between the second years really solidified around “Aye-aye, My Friend” (episode 11 of the first season of the anime). I feel like after that, we took on the role of watching over the other year groups, with You-chan and Riko-chan supporting Chika-chan together.

Inami: And Chika-chan just throws her everything at anything she’s doing.

If I were to talk about myself, I’ve become much better at grasping Chika-chan’s emotions during our concerts. I’ve become able to find joy and perform songs alongside both of them with a smile on my face, even though they used to be songs where just singing and dancing took all my effort and concentration. I guess that’s when I feel the bond between us.

Aida: For me, because I know that their dances will definitely be perfect, I feel like I have no choice but to keep up with them.

Saito: Our songs as the second years are really energetic, so that shows how close we are.

What’s something that you’d never lose at versus the other year groups?

Inami: How we can be both playful and serious at the same time! That’s something I love about us too.

Saito: When push comes to shove, we’ll definitely get things done, but when we joke around, we go all out too.

Inami: Yup. We’ll mostly be fine, no matter what happens. We’re able to follow up on absolutely anything.

Aida: That’s also because of how much we trust each other.

Saito: We’ve started communicating by our gazes alone a lot more recently, right?

Inami: We can tell what the others are thinking just by looking at their eyes.

Aida: Working together as a year group feels really reassuring, in a different way from when we’re together as nine or in our subunits.

Inami: Even without talking it out, we’ll end up saying, “OK, we’ll give it a try, we’re fine!”. That’s why it’s really easy to be with this group.

Saito: The three of us as a group are pretty balanced, huh?

Inami: Yeah. Because the three of us often have to keep the conversation going during MCs and such, we have quite a lot in common. When my mind is completely occupied with reading the script in front of me, the two of them will follow up or respond to what I say with something appropriate. That’s something I can really count on, so I get to enjoy myself during livestreams and such with them around!

That, and our sense of time is pretty similar. Just when I start thinking that our MC segment during a concert has gotten a bit too long, and that now’s a good time to wrap things up, Riko-chan (Aida-san) will wrap up the conversation, and so on...

Aida: That’s something I tend to do… I’m the type to want to move on to the next thing right away. That, and to stop the first years from going on any longer (laughs).

Inami: It’s clear-cut, easy to understand, and interesting. I really like that part of you (laughs). You-chan is really good at following up when I pass the baton to her, so I can throw a topic at her without worrying too much. That’s why I feel like we’re balanced as a group. No matter what happens, our energy levels are just right, and I think that’s one of the second years’ strong points.

Be proud of the fact that you made our dome tour possible!

There’s still some time before we get the full details, but is there anything in particular that you’d like to do for your dome tour?

Aida: We’ve ridden on a ship and a steam locomotive, so I wonder what’s next.

Inami: If we’re going with the lyrics, it’s going to be a whale next. How about whales in our member colors?

Saito: I feel like people will just wonder what we’re riding on (laughs).

Aida: I guess I want to try all kinds of things without being constrained by what we’ve done up until now. Since being able to do a dome tour isn’t a given, I’d like to reflect on the fact that we’ve been given the chance to do this and leave no regrets behind.

Inami: Aside from our numbered lives, we’ve also been given the opportunity to perform an Asia tour and fan meetings. And now we have a country-wide dome tour; I think that’s really amazing. That’s why I’d like this tour to be one where we enchant everyone with Aqours’ radiance.

Saito: I wanna mess around during a concert…

Inami: Yeah, I do want to play around with some of the songs. Of course, there are songs with the choreography set in stone, so we’ll show that off when we can, and mess around when we can.

Aida: It’d be nice if the concert were something like a festival.

Inami: Yeah! I want the tour to be one that’d get everyone’s heart pumping, one that’ll make everyone in the audience realize their love for Aqours and the songs we perform!

Is there anything you’d like to be able to do by the time the dome tour starts?

Inami: There are quite a few songs that we haven’t performed yet, right?

Aida: I think there’s more than ten of them. Like “Bouken Type A, B, C!!”, “KOKORO Magic ‘A to Z’”, and “Dance with Minotaurus”.

Saito: Yeah! I can’t wait for “Dance with Minotaurus”.

Aida: That, and some more new songs, right?

Saito: The Aqours CLUB song too.

Inami: …Wow (laughs). They’re all songs with different styles and genres too, right?

Saito: Yeah. Especially the tour’s theme song.

Aida: The bridge seems pretty tough too.

Inami: Err… As soon as we can perform our new songs, I hope we can have fun while performing them! (laughs)

I’m sure your fans are looking forward to the 5th anniversary project too.

Saito: I was actually pretty surprised myself. We definitely only managed to make a dome tour happen thanks to everyone supporting us.

I’m really excited that we’ll be able to perform at huge venues, but I’ll make sure to not forget my roots too. To do that, I’m already thinking about re-watching the first and second seasons of the anime, as well as the movie before the tour kicks off. So, I hope everyone reading does the same too! Also, do watch over Aqours, who’ve surely leveled up since our 5th anniversary!

Aida: I never expected to be able to put on such a large-scale concert for our 5th anniversary. It's definitely thanks to all the fans who have been supporting us all this time that we're being given the opportunity to do this. 

I think all of our fans should be proud of themselves because they’re the ones who brought Aqours all the way here to our dome tour. I hope to make this tour one where I get to express my gratitude to everyone, and I look forward to your support!

Inami: I hope even more people get to know about “Love Live! Sunshine!!” and Aqours through this interview, and I’d be glad if we left an impression on you. Aqours is in the process of challenging ourselves in all kinds of directions, and I think there are still many words and songs we can bring to everyone.

Although we already have an anime and a movie, personally, I want to start writing a new story with the nine of us in Aqours! With that desire in my heart, in order to tell everyone about how Aqours is doing, and about where Aqours lives, I’ll make sure to keep our activities going. I’d be grateful if you’d come along to witness Aqours’ world for yourself, and I’ll do my best to gain your support from now on as well!

What are the charm points of each of the second years?

Inami Anju -> Aida Rikako

Aqours is a group of voice actresses, actresses, singers, and many more, so all of us had different levels of experience when we first started out. Riko-chan (Aida-san) was never constrained by any of those roles, and she has a very clear idea of what she wants to do as “Aida Rikako”. I thought she seemed rather mature.

What’s more, Riko-chan really loves acting, and I myself love acting too. As we attended more recordings together, we gained the ability to throw all kinds of different lines at each other.

Throughout these five years, I think the person I’ve always talked with the most about “what I should do for Aqours” is Riko-chan. No matter what I talk to her about, she’ll definitely reply with a message or some idea that’s uniquely hers. What she says is very encouraging. We’ve been pouring out our love for acting and our characters together this entire time, so I think she’s the person I can open my heart to most easily.

Inami Anju -> Saito Shuka

You-chan (Saito-san) is very friendly, and since she’s the closest to me in age, from the very start our relationship was somewhat similar to that of childhood friends—just like our characters. Although she’s friendly, she knows where to draw the line, and she’s the type to take the feelings of the people around her into consideration without realizing it.

She never lets it show, but she’s really responsible. She’s really serious, and I believe she was given the leapfrog (in “Kimi no Kokoro wa Kagayaiteru kai?”) and the center position for the 2nd single, “Koi ni Naritai AQUARIUM”, because she always challenges herself to do her best.

All three of us second years are serious, and we’re all balancers, so we just grew closer naturally without needing to work ourselves up over it too much. In the end, I usually have the responsibility of wrapping the conversation up. But both of them always watch over me by my side, to share in that burden of mine. There are things that I’d only share with the two of them, and all three of us have worries that only the other two understand. But, even if we don’t put them explicitly into words, we somehow can understand each other, and our emotions resonate with one another. So, I really appreciate and trust both of them.

Aida Rikako -> Inami Anju

When Aqours was first formed, Anchan was still a teenager, but she was the perfect leader from the very start. She really has her life together, and she has no weaknesses whatsoever. I was actually quite worried for her at the start… To me, it looked as if she constantly had a huge weight on her shoulders. But, at some point, it looked like the weight was lifted off her shoulders, and she became better at depending on the people around her. So, I think she managed to strike a good balance.

That, and she cares the most about the other Aqours members. She’ll be the first to come to our rescue no matter what happens, and she’ll be the first to notice and follow up if someone is feeling down. She’s really mature and dependable, despite being three years younger than me (laughs). When we’re performing together, I feel like I can leave everything to her, and our performances only manage to happen because of her.

Aida Rikako -> Saito Shuka

She’s so capable that you wouldn’t think that she’s the youngest. She’s been hard-working ever since our 1st Live, and the professional attitude of the other two second years is something I really need to push myself to keep up with.

Shuka will never let her exhaustion show on her face; she’s always smiling. She’s usually the mood maker, the energetic one in the group, but she actually pays a lot of attention to her surroundings. She’s also a kind girl who’s capable of noticing the subtle changes in the facial expressions of the people around her.

Saito Shuka -> Inami Anju

Even among the nine of us, she pays a lot of attention to crafting her role. Since Anju’s the leader, I’m sure she felt a lot more pressure than the rest of us when we just started off. But, she managed to overcome that together with Chika-chan, and she’s now our dependable leader. Aqours would be nothing without Anju as our leader, and we can rest assured because she’s our leader.

Saito Shuka -> Aida Rikako

How she pays attention to her surroundings, and how she always has her life together. That, and I really like how she’s a little out of it (laughs). Because she’s serious, there are times when my jokes don’t get through to her, but that’s because she really values the franchise as a whole, and because she has a very strong will. I like the ups and downs in her personality.

Q&A with Inami Anju, the voice of Takami Chika

Q1) Tell us something you love about Takami Chika-chan!

There’s too many, so this is going to be hard… Among the many things, I really love how she’ll never break, and how she can continue chasing her own radiance for her entire life.

Q2) Is there something you want, or something you want to do right now?

I guess it’d be time.

That, and I really want to get a scuba-diving license someday. When I first experienced it through one of the interviews for “Love Live! Sunshine!!”, I was told that I had a knack for it. Seeing a sunfish in Numazu’s oceans is one of my dreams!

Q3) Is there a book or a game that you’ve been hooked on recently?

Because I’ve been casted in “Boku no Hero Academia” (as Toga Himiko in the stage play), I’ve been reading it recently. If it’s a game, it’s gotta be “Pokémon”.

Q4) What did you want to be when you were a child?

This is really embarrassing (laughs), but a pâtissier. Oh, that, and becoming a mermaid. That was a serious dream of mine. 

Q5) What do you normally do on your days off?

Sleep, play games, work out, and go for chiropractic sessions. There are some days where I just spend the day taking care of my body.

Q&A with Aida Rikako, the voice of Sakurauchi Riko

Q1) Tell us what you like about Sakurauchi Riko-chan!

How she really cares for Chika-chan. She’s always the first to notice if Chika-chan’s feeling down. Of course, she loves everyone in Aqours, and she’s always caring for everyone. I like how she’s usually the support for all of the Aqours members.

Q2) Is there something you want, or something you want to do right now?

It’s not easy to do this at this point in time, but I want to go on a solo trip someday.

I’ve always wanted to visit France. I love “The Rose of Versailles”, and I really want to visit the Palace of Versailles. Also, visiting some hot springs would be nice.

Q3) Is there a book or a game that you’ve been hooked on recently?

“The Promised Neverland”. I’ve always liked the comics in “Young Jump”. I also have the complete set of “GIGANT”.

Q4) What did you want to be when you were a child?

A singer.

That was my first dream, though along the way I became open to more than just singing.

Q5) What do you normally do on your days off?

I don’t set an alarm and sleep in until midday. Then, I watch TV, and just laze around mostly. I usually don’t go anywhere except for places around my house, so if I had the entire day free, I’d like to visit a shopping mall or something a little further from where I live.

Q&A with Saito Shuka, the voice of Watanabe You

Q1) Tell us what you like about Watanabe You-chan!

Can I talk about something physical…? (laughs) Since she’s in the swimming club and the school idol club at the same time, I really admire her discipline, and I also really like how strongly she feels about wanting to do something together with Chika-chan, and how she really cares for her friends.

Recently, I’ve really taken a liking to her curves.

She’s not too fat but not too thin; her body is the epitome of a healthy high school girl, and that’s really great!

In episode eleven of the first season of the anime, “Aye-aye, My Friend”, there’s a scene where the camera focuses on her thighs; the thought that went through my mind was, “That’s perfect!”. Her face also looks really pretty from the side. I like how she’s so beautiful that I don’t even have the words to describe it (laughs).

Q2) Is there something you want, or something you want to do right now?

I wanna go to a grilled meat place for some beef tongue! If the beef tongue is sliced thinly, I could eat that forever. But, I’ve started asking for a larger portion of rice with my meals, like a high school boy, so I think it’s about time for me to start cutting down.

Q3) Is there a book or a game that you’ve been hooked on recently?

I’ve liked this for the longest time, but “Bokura ga Ita (We Were There)”. I really love the character Yano Motoharu from “Bokura ga Ita”, and I seriously wonder whether he’d appear in real life. My brain is infected with shoujo manga, so I really want the heart-throbbing scenes in shoujo mangas to happen to me too.

Q4) What did you want to be when you were a child?

I really wanted to say “an idol”, but that was embarrassing, so I said I wanted to become a preschool teacher. But, ever since I was a child, I was dancing in the center for the dances we did in preschool performances, and I often thought that someday I’d become someone who’d be performing on stage.

Q5) What do you normally do on your days off?

I guess I go shopping by myself most of the time. Recently, I’ve started using my days off to go for massages or to visit a beautician, to keep my body in top shape. Most of the time I end up shopping somewhere on the way back.

TL: xIceArcher

TLC: arbshortcake

QC: Cornsplosion, Yujacha

[frozenmikan]

Seigura October 2019 - DIALOGUE+ Interview

Uchiyama Yurina

April 28 / Aichi Prefecture

Stardust Promotion

Q1. What's something to look out for in the choreography?

A1. The steps are really cute and pop, so I'd say "everything". But, if I had to pick one, it'd be how every one of us makes a different peace sign when that part of the choreography comes up. I think it really shows off our different personalities!

Q2. What's the most memorable aspect of today's shoot?

A2. When we first started shooting the fireworks scene, there was so much smoke, and I couldn't see anything... But we were given detailed advise on how to best position ourselves and how to hold the fireworks, so we managed to shoot some really nice scenes! It was fun!

Q3. What's one thing that you want to "revolutionize" about yourself?

A3. I want to revolutionize my memory.

  Hieda Nene

January 15 / Kanagawa Prefecture

81 Produce

Q1. What's something to look out for in the choreography?

A1. There's this part in the choreography where I'm facing Manatii (Murakami Manatsu) in the first chorus, and Sappi (Miyahara Satsuki) in the second chorus. That's my favorite part! There are quite a few parts where I turn to face someone else in the choreography, and I grin at myself with a "She's so cute..." every time. Also, the steps during the guitar solo. Those were difficult!

Q2. What's the most memorable aspect of today's shoot?

A2. We were given real fruits and snacks for the picnic scene, and halfway through the shoot we actually started eating some of the food. It was much more delicious than usual!

Q3. What's one thing that you want to "revolutionize" about yourself?

A3. I want to "revolutionize" my bangs. They didn't listen to me at all during the shoot (laughs). Since I was sweating, they kept getting messy during the shoot! I always need to bother the makeup artists when that happens, so I want to do something about it......!

  Moriya Kyouka

May 22 / Nagano Prefecture

IAM Agency

Q1. What's something to look out for in the choreography?

A1. It's a really upbeat song, so I did my best to let that feeling shine through, up to my fingertips! We actually got to decide the choreography for the solo parts by ourselves! Each and every one of us managed to come up with some really cute choreography, so do look out for that!

Q2. What's the most memorable aspect of today's shoot?

A2. The part with the water guns. Our group was already naturally close, and the shoot ended just as we were having fun with them. And the fireworks! Personally, I'm glad that I managed to do something summer-like for the first time this year.

Q3. What's one thing that you want to "revolutionize" about yourself?

A3. I want to do a tour with DIALOGUE+ someday. I feel like I'll have fun with this bunch even during long trips (laughs). I'll do my best to get many more people interested in us so that this dream will come true someday!

  Ogata Yuuna

July 31 / Hiroshima Prefecture

Im Enterprise

Q1. What's something to look out for in the choreography?

A1. The part that goes "Come on and follow us!" at the end of the chorus. We were all told that our hip movements look really good, so look out for that!

Q2. What's the most memorable aspect of today's shoot?

A2. The water gun fight was really memorable. I really wanted to try doing something like that at least once, since you see it so often in anime and other shows! It was so fun that I almost forgot we were doing a shoot for a moment!

Q3. What's one thing that you want to "revolutionize" about yourself?

A3. I want to revolutionize my mental fortitude! I still get embarrassed easily, so I'd like to become someone who can pull any joke off at the drop of a hat, just like Manatii!

  Takamura Ayaka

February 5 / Tokyo Prefecture

EARLY WING

Q1. What's something to look out for in the choreography?

A1. There are aliens in the MV! There's a part where it shakes its tentacles, so try to find that part!

Q2. What's the most memorable aspect of today's shoot?

A2. The water gun fight! The last time I played with water guns was in elementary school, so I let everything out during that scene! The other members said that my voice sounds like a six-year-old's during the recording, but don't tell me I looked like a six-year-old during the water gun fight too?!

Q3. What's one thing that you want to "revolutionize" about yourself?

A3. I want a revolution that gives me the ability to eat as much delicious food as possible without gaining weight!!

  Miyahara Satsuki

October 28 / Niigata Prefecture

81 Produce

Q1. What's something to look out for in the choreography?

A1. Remembering the dance formation was really difficult...... Where we're standing and facing are different in the first, second, and last chorus, so it was a mess until we got used to it. That's why I'd like everyone to look out for the product of our hard work!

Q2. What's the most memorable aspect of today's shoot?

A2. The picnic scene! There were all kinds of food there, and we hesitated to take any at first. The interesting part was how everyone just started eating the fruits and cookies right after the staff told us it was OK to eat.

Q3. What's one thing that you want to "revolutionize" about yourself?

A3. I really can't stand insects. Since the MV was shot in mid-summer, whenever cicadas came close to us, I'd grab on to Mayuyun (Iizuka Mayu), who's good with insects. It'd be nice if I could experience a revolution and overcome my fear of insects. I'll look forward to that after my reincarnation (laughs).

  Iizuka Mayu

April 15 / Saitama Prefecture

Sun Music Production

Q1. What's something to look out for in the choreography?

A1. The parts where we look at one other. You can see that in the first verse, the chorus, and even the bridge, and I always break out into a smile during those parts. Also, we came up with our own choreography for the solo and duet parts, so look out for that as well!

Q2. What's the most memorable aspect of today's shoot?

A2. The picnic shoot! I've watched quite a few idol MVs, and I really love scenes where girls have fun eating, so a shoot like this was something I've always wanted to do! I ended up asking "Can we actually eat this?" in a loud voice (laughs).

Q3. What's one thing that you want to "revolutionize" about yourself?

A3. I want to revolutionize my sleep! I used to prioritize looks when choosing a pillow, but as I grew older, I started realizing the importance of sleep. I recently bought a bedding set that athletes use, so I hope to increase my quality of sleep in the future.

  Murakami Manatsu

August 24 / Kanagawa Prefecture

Arise Project

Q1. What's something to look out for in the choreography?

A1. The part where I make a heart with Mayuyun! We tried our best to match up in that scene, so please watch it over and over again. We also came up with the other solo and duet dances by ourselves! They really reflect what each of us feel, so do look out for that!

Q2. What's the most memorable aspect of today's shoot?

A2. The scene where we climb up onto a hill and look back! All of us turning back at the count of three just bursts of youthful energy...... And everyone was so cool...... I put on my best smug face while turning back! Do look out for my smug face!

Q3. What's one thing that you want to "revolutionize" about yourself?

A3. I want to revolutionize how I always get words mixed up. I'm the type of person to remember words by their shape, so I've made mistakes like saying 「フラフープ (hula hoop)」 instead of 「ハープ (harp)」, or 「うれしいな (happy)」 instead of 「憂いなし (no worries)」. I'm in an industry where I'm constantly surrounded by words, so I hope to become someone who can speak accurately!

[frozenmikan]

Aqours 5th Love Live! ~Next Sparkling~ Pamphlet: Inami Anju Interview

Our brand-new future as Aqours…

Let's start it off together, right here, right now!

What kinds of sights and sounds will we imprint on MetLife Dome, a place already full of memories?

I'm so excited for it!

Q1. The title of this live is “Next SPARKLING!!”. What does “SPARKLING” mean to you?

When I first saw the scene where Next SPARKLING!! plays in the movie, I was hoping for there to be a future where both Chika and the rest of Aqours always have brilliant smiles on their faces. Having the word "Next" come before the "SPARKLING" makes me feel as if Next SPARKLING!! is a premonition of all the things that is yet to come for Aqours.

Q2. Tell us what you really think about Saint Snow!

Ever since we first performed together in 2018, they have given me so much support both on stage and during rehearsals, so they really are important to me. I have full confidence in their passion towards their performances, as well as how they conduct themselves on stage. They’ve become people I can talk to about anything. I believe them to be one of many amazing encounters I’ve had in my life.

Q3. Were there any songs in the movie that left an impression on you?

That'd be Hop? Stop? Nonstop!, the song that Aqours performs in the streets of Italy. I was so surprised when I first heard this amazing song! It's just so cute and catchy, it might even be a first for Aqours! I remember being really happy to be able to sing this song!

Q4. In the vein of “Hop? Stop? Nonstop!”, tell us about something exciting that’s happened to you recently!

The moment when I see myself in my mind's eye, facing my goals. I'm always excited every time I'm experiencing something new, or when I'm challenging myself to do something!

Q5. Do you have any special thoughts or memories about the stage events for the movie?

Because it was the first place we went to as Aqours, and also because it was a stage event, which brought us closer to the audience, I could really feel the warmth radiating from everyone! Their story only made it to the big screens thanks to everyone who loves this franchise, so I really value being given the opportunity to properly express my gratitude to everyone.

Q6. Did any scenes from the movie leave a particular impression on you?

Bokura no Hashitte Kita Michi wa..., right at the start. Seeing Aqours performing all around Numazu along with everyone living there made me really emotional. Also, the scene in the second half of the movie where Leah-chan started sobbing during her morning jog, frustrated at her failures, that really touched me as well. It was as if someone was clamping down on my heart.

Q7. Tell us about a scene where the character you play really shines!

The part right before Next SPARKLING!!, when Aqours forms a circle. Chika-chan's smile has always been so radiant, and that scene made me realize once again how her smile is able to illuminate everyone else in Aqours. I put everything we've built together as nine, as Aqours into that line when I was recording it.

Q8. Are there any places that you like in Numazu, or places that you’d like to visit?

That'd be Sunflower Land Floating Island! I've always wanted to visit the place, and I finally managed to do so on Chika's birthday in 2018. I managed to enjoy Numazu's atmosphere while giving a lot of thought to all kinds of things while I was there.

Note: A sunflower park on some floating islands located in West Numazu. It is open to the public and becomes a tourist destination when the sunflowers are in bloom.

Q9. Three things that you have to take with you on a trip!

Earphones

Travel tickets

Beauty products that I use at home

I try my best to live out my life normally even when I'm travelling, to give myself peace of mind.

Q10. Is there anything you want to change about yourself, or perhaps something about yourself that you know will never change?

Something I'd like to change is my negativity and lack of confidence that still pops up from time to time... Well, I sometimes think it's OK to have those parts of me around too (laughs). Things that'll never change are my love for the Love Live! franchise, as well as my feelings towards Love Live! Sunshine!! and Aqours!

TL: xIceArcher Scans: Arishamod (@arishamod​)