#lichan

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

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