2020 marks the Love Live franchise’s 9th anniversary and already the franchise has multiple events and announcements happening. These include the ongoing updates of two different mobile games, the upcoming release of the new μ’s single, the Love Live Fes! concert which occurred this past weekend and will be officially restreamed later this month for overseas viewers, and a new mystery project to be announced later this month. Yet perhaps the most anticipated announcement is the upcoming anime series about the franchises’ third generation of school idols, the girls of the Nijigasaki High School Idol Club.
Originally known as Perfect Dream Project, the Nijigasaki High School Idol Club girls were originally made for the Love Live! School Idol Festival ALL STARS mobile game. As a way to build up marketing hype for the mobile game, the girls were utilized in an assortment of multimedia tie-ins such as 4-koma comics in magazines like Dengeki and Famitsu, as well as variety shows featuring the voice actresses. On September 1st, 2019, it was announced that the girls will have their first live show. At the end of the show was the announcement that an anime series about the Nijigasaki High School Idol Club was in production — thus solidifying Nijigasaki as the next generation of Love Live! headliners and the successors to currently featured idol group, Aquors. It seems the initial plan for the Nijigasaki girls was to simply advertise ALL STARS as, according to Chiemi Tanaka, the voice actress for Rina Tennoji, an anime was not originally planned for the new girls. However, taking into account the positive reception to the characters as well as the increasing popularity of some of their real life counterparts, most notably Miyu Kubota (member of popular idol group i☆Ris), Akari Kito (voice actress of Nezuko from Kimetsu no Yaiba), and Tomori Kusunoki (voice actress of LLENN from Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online), the production of an anime seemed inevitable.
Unique to the Nijigasaki High School Idol Club, all the girls are solo acts, as opposed to their predecessors μ’s and Aquors who were each one group of nine girls. The girls do form subunits for certain songs and there are a few songs that feature all 9 girls, but the bulk of the Nijiigasaki music library are solo songs. This setup allows the Nijigasaki girls to differentiate themselves from the previous generations as well as focus of each girl individually — something that can sometimes get muddled when each girl is a representative of a group.
For fans who want to get to know these new idols, the ALL STARS features a story that has the Nijigasaki girls alongside their predecessors. However, the story of ALL STARS is separate from the main continuity of the franchise. It is currently available in Japanese only, but, to get ready for the upcoming anime, here is a brief introduction to the nine school idols that make up the Nijigasaki High School Idol Club.
Ayumu Uehara
The closest Nijigasaki has to a “main character,” second-year student Ayumu is generally considered the front person for the Nijigasaki idols as she is shown alongside the leaders of Nijigasaki’s predecessor groups. Kind and innocent, Ayumu is a beginner idol and as such considers her singing and dancing skills to be unremarkable and her looks to be ordinary. Her strongest point is her work ethic and she wishes to become a successful school idol for a dear friend of hers. Despite her clumsiness, she is genuinely kindhearted and tries to be helpful to others. According to the Famitsu 4-koma, she has a pet snake named Sasuke and is a fan of Pokémon. She is a part of the subunit group A・ZU・NA.
Songs that feature Ayumu include Yume e no Ippo and Kaika Sengen.
Ayumu’s voice actress is Aguri Onishi. Onishi is one of the founding members of the idol group x21, but she left in 2017. Her notable voice acting roles includes Fubuki Kitakaze from Maesetsu! and Rena from Shoumetsu Toshi.
Kasumi Nakasu
First-year student and lover of all things cute, Kasumi is the trickster of the Nijigasaki girls. She holds school idols in high regard and uses them as her source of strength and inspiration. She dreams of being a top idol and is willing to do whatever it takes to become number one — even coming up with plans to sabotage her fellow idols, although these plans usually fall through in some way as she is not quite as devious as she thinks she is. Despite these schemes, she is still good natured and does kind things for her fellow idols. Kasumi also has the unfortunate nickname “Kasukasu” which can be translated as “not enough,” which she despises. She also takes losing quite hard. She is a part of the subunit QU4RTZ.
Songs that feature Kasumi include Diamond and ☆Wonderland☆.
Kasumi’s voice actress is Mayu Sagara who previously voiced Miku Kajiwara from Idol Memories and Chiako from Idol Time PriPara.
Shizuku Osaka
Shizuku is a mature and responsible first-year student. She’s the voice of reason and is willing to take on many duties herself, although she can be worrisome and keeps to herself. Her personality is the opposite of Kasumi’s, and Shizuku will be the one to reprimand Kasumi for her shenanigans. Despite her maturity, she is actually somewhat timid. She loves acting and her time as a stage performer led to her becoming a school idol. She also has a love of dogs and has a golden retriever named Ophelia. She is a part of the subunit A・ZU・NA.
Songs that feature Shizuki include Anata no Risou no Heroine and Audrey.
Shizuku’s voice actress is Kaori Maeda. Maeda was formerly the lead singer of a band called MaronMacaron and would go on to win a voice actress selection contest in 2016. Since then her roles have included Mari Tachibana from Back Street Girls, Yuzu Midorikawa from Kandagawa Jet Girls, and Aria Futaba from Aikatsu Stars!
Karin Asaka
A third-year student, model, and talented dancer, Karin has an aura of alluring sexiness and adult maturity. Well aware of her looks, Karin often teases her underclassmen and tries to teach them how to be cool and sexy like her. When she starts receiving attention, she gets flustered as, underneath her seductive exterior, she is secretly nervous and childish. She decides to become a school idol as a way to boost her self-confidence. Karin also tends to get bad grades in class, but, thanks to her good looks, dancing skill, and ability to maintain her mature image, she is much more cut out to be an idol. She is one half of the subunit DiverDiva.
Songs that feature Karin include Starlight and Wish.
Karin’s voice actress is Miyu Kubota. Kubota is a member of the idol group i☆Ris and her previous voice roles include Sister Lily from Black Clover and Medusa from Jachin-chan no Dropkick!
Ai Miyashita
Ai is a second-year student that follows gyaru fashion and is known for her boisterous personality. She loves puns (for example, she uses “aishiteru/Ai shiteru” as a greeting, which could be either “I love you” or “I am Ai”) and often speaks with an informal tone with lots of slang. Her gyaru look is offset by her friendly nature and school smarts. Her good grades and popularity has lead to her image of perfection in school and she aims to become a top school idol as a challenge to herself. She is the other half of the subunit DiverDiva with Karin Asaka.
Songs that feature Ai include Meccha Going!! and Yuu & Ai.
Ai’s voice actress is Natsumi Murakami. Murakami is the host of her own show on Nicovideo, Natsumi Murakami’s Nacchannel. She is also set to voice Yume Hinata, the main character of Sanrio’s upcoming Mewkledreamy anime, later this year.
Kanata Konoe
Noticeable at first glance because of her droopy eyelids, Kanata is a sleepy third-year student prone to napping — often in the laps of others. She can be seen carrying a pillow with her at school and sometimes appears asleep despite being fully awake and aware. She becomes a school idol with the dream of taking a nap with the audience on stage. Despite her easygoing demeanor, she is actually quite motivated where it counts, both in classes and as an idol. She is a part of the subunit QU4RTZ.
Songs that feature Kanata include Nemureru Mori ni Ikitai and My Own Fairy-Tale.
Kanata’s voice actress is Akari Kito. Having won the Newtype Anime Award for Best Actress in 2019, Kito is perhaps the highest profile cast member among her colleagues. Her roles include Kaho Hinata from Blend S, Suzune Horikita from Classroom of the Elite, Kotoko Iwanaga from In/Spectre and Nezuko Kamado from Kimetsu no Yaiba.
Setsuna Yuki
After first seeing school idols, Setsuna was convinced that it was her destiny to become an idol and has since then never taken off her idol costume in school. She has even become an urban legend in her class due to her being so engaged in idol activities. Some classmates have never seen her in class. Her excitement and passion for idols carries into her general personality and she desires others to open up about what they are passionate about as well. Despite her seeming truancy, she studies hard outside of school to make sure she still remains a good student. She is a part of the subunit A・ZU・NA. More details about her are revealed to players of ALL STARS and playing through the main story will lead to the deeper truth as to who, or what, Setsuna really is.
Songs that feature Setsuna include CHASE! and MELODY.
Setsuna’s voice actress is Tomori Kusunoki. Award winner in the 2019 Seiyuu Awards for Best Female Newcomer, Kusunoki can be found in roles such as Tamao Tomoe from Shojo Kageki Revue Starlight: ReLIVE, Hazuki Kagimura from Märchen Mädchen, and Karen Kohiruimaki/LLENN from Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online.
Emma Verde
A third-year exchange student from Switzerland, Emma comes from a large family with 8 younger siblings. A naturally cheerful girl, she becomes a school idol as a way to bring smiles to other people. However, she can be worrisome and often gets homesick. Emma also enjoys nature walks, going for strolls through the woods, and playing by the river. Her time in Japan has led her to discover a love of bread crusts, as the bread in Japan is extra fluffy. She is a part of the subunit QU4RTZ.
Songs that feature Emma include Evergreen and Koe Tsunagou yo.
Emma’s voice actress is Maria Sashide. Her previous roles include Hana Shirosaki from Watashi ni Tenshi ga Maiorita! and Mai Inose from Koisuru Asteroid.
Rina Tennoji
Rina is an artistic yet shy first-year student who hides her shyness behind a sketchbook which she covers her face with and draws her emotions on. She gets nervous easily and becomes a school idol as a way to work on her shyness. As she is also technologically inclined, her idol costume includes an LED board that covers her face and automatically projects her facial expressions. She surrounds herself with gadgets and is often seen working on a laptop. She also has a pet robot cat named Aran. Through her slowly coming out of her shell by performing and talking with her fellow idols, she hopes to one day show her true face and smile to the audience. She is a part of the subunit QU4RTZ.
Songs that feature Rina include Doki Pipo ☆ Emotion and Teletelepathy.
Rina’s voice actress is Chiemi Tanaka. Her most notable role is the voice of Sally in the Japanese dub of the Peanuts cartoon.
