Love Live Sunshine Early Thoughts and Hopes

Saturday, June 11, 2016
It has only been a few months since the final Love Live for the original school idol unit Mu ( μ)and I am still emotional over it all. 

What can I say, I love Honoka and company. 

Since then there has been a lot more hype and excitement for the brand's first spin-off, Love Live Sunshine and the new idols Aqours.

In truth there has been quite a few mixed emotions swirling around about the new group. On one hand I am glad to see the passion that is Love Live continue (after all the end of the film offered great set-up for more), after all there is a lot of potential. Yet there was something that left me feeling weepy over the prospect of Love Live existing without Muse. Not only because I have grown extremely attached to them, but because of what they did and just how popular Love Live has become. 

Despite the slight reservations I have come to both embrace Aqours and even excited over the new anime that is only weeks away. 

Despite the teasing, release of five singles (two with all of Aqours and three with the mini units), and tons of merchandise there is a lot that we have yet to learn. 

In G's Magazine there is a currently on-going manga adaptation of the series, but only a few chapters in there has not been much to really analyze.

Until today when at long last the series that is being hailed as the most anticipated of the season released a trailer. 


One of the things that had been noted right from the start was that Chika was a fan of Muse. Even to the point of being the source of her own desire to start a school idol group.  I loved seeing her fan-girl over them. 

And yes, I did cry when Muse was shown. 

I love how we get to see each of the future members of Aqours before everything takes shape. The way they are and even relationships to one another.  Ruby and Hanamaru's bond reminds me of that of Hanayo and Rin's. 

The fact that it starts at the start of the school year is nice, with more time on their side should offer better pacing. Seeing as they do have third year members that extra time might make all the difference in the world.   

I feel like the biggest shift is the reason why they are becoming idols. Muse because school idols as a effort to try and save their school- a mission they surpassed. It was about saving what they loved and ultimately chasing after a goal that had seemed so out of reach. And if the official summary is any clue that is not really Aqours' case. 




Uranohoshi Girls’ High School, a private school in the seaside neighborhood of Uchiura at Numazu city, Shizuoka prefecture.
A small high school in a corner of Suruga Bay, it is home to nine teens,
led by second-year student Chika Takami, driven by one seriously big dream:

To become the next generation of bright, sparkling “school idols”!

As long as we don’t give up, any dream can come true...
All we have to do now is keep pushing hard for fame and glory!

Now their “School Idol Project” begins to make their dreams come true!

Only time will tell. 

Who is best girl? Have to wait until the end of the season to answer that!


Be sure to stay tune for my Love Live Sunshine episode one review next month!


 

First Look At Upcoming DuckTales Reboot (Finally!!)

Monday, March 7, 2016
It feels like nothing short of a life-time ago that news broke that the classic Disney series, DuckTales was going to be receiving a reboot.

A life-time might be too strong considering that it was actually last year in February this news was announced. Since then very, very little has been said about the reboot. Beside it happening all, the only information stated is that they original voice cast will not be returning to the series. Not a fan of the news myself, after all the characters where formed with the original voices and voice actors without them...something just seems off.

But I digress, mostly as it is not aiming to be one of those posts.

Today we have our first look at some of the art in the upcoming series. All thanks to Disney's blog.






The blog, and other sources, have been referring to it simply as a image from the upcoming series. Promo art? Cover art? Screenshot? Not sure what it is specifically so it leaves me somewhat puzzled. Yet I like it.

I have seen many comment on how similar style-wise it is to Disney's Mickey Mouse shorts, seeing as I have only seen a few in passing I am not sure just how to take that statement.

The one thing I love about this is the fact that is is 2D. I am, without question, a 2D and hand-drawn fan. I love everything about it. And with a series like DuckTales that has that history and nostalgia to it I want to see a  fusion of past and present.

CGI can be epic, Miraculous alone has gotten me to start to love the animation, but with Ducktales-no.

Clearly there are changes between what we are seeing here and what we know from the original series (DuckTales classic, is that what we should call it now? DuckTales 90s?). But like Sailor Moon Crystal, it is clearly suppose to be a different look onto the world and characters we know.

Now with this out we are probably going to start to see and hear a lot more about the upcoming series. A new chapter is starting, and it is going to be like a hurricane.