Five Years of Dreams and Miracles - Happy 5th Anniversary, 'Love Live! School Idol Project'!

Well folks, today is the 5th anniversary of Love Live! School Idol Project! What started from a single that barely anybody took notice of back in 2010 is now a huge multimedia franchise loved by fans from all over the world!

 Love Live! is a multimedia project co-developed by Dengeki G's Magazine, music label Lantis, and animation studio Sunrise. The project revolves around a group of 9 high school girls, Honoka Kousaka, Kotori Minami, Umi Sonoda, Maki Nishikino, Hanayo Koizumi, Rin Hoshizora, Nico Yazawa, Nozomi Tojo, and Eli Ayase. The girls decided to start a school idol group called µ's in order to attract new students and save their school, Otonokizaka Academy, from shutting down.

The school idol group, µ's - Maki Nishikino, Eli Ayase, and Nico Yazawa (the three of them make up the sub-unit, BiBi), Kotori Minami, Honoka Kousaka, and Hanayo Koizumi (Printemps), Rin Hoshizora, Umi Sonoda, and Nozomi Tojo (Lily White)

What made the project special was how they got the fans involved with every aspect of the production, from choosing the unit's name (µ's got the top vote), sub-unit names (Printemps, BiBi, and Lily White), to picking the center for upcoming singles and music videos, as well as their costumes and hairstyles. I guess it was this level of connection and intimacy with the fans that paved the way for the project's success, which culminated with the Love Live! TV anime production in 2013.

Today, Love Live! is an unstoppable global phenomenon. The recent "Love Live! The School Idol Movie" has been breaking box office records in Japan for the past couple of weeks, and will be getting international screenings (including the Philippines) in the coming months. Another factor that drove LL to mainstream success is the hit mobile game "Love Live! School Idol Festival" for iOS and Android, a rhythm game which features µ's' hit songs. Last June 2nd, the JP version of the game alone has already hit 10 million players! The game's English version has also been very successful, despite lagging behind the JP version in terms of updates. It just goes to show how much the fans love µ's.

Personally, I feel proud and glad to have watched them grow from the beginning. I'll never forget the first time I watched the music video of  their second single, Snow halation. I started getting into idols with iM@S, but LL offered something it didn't have much of in the beginning that was somewhat essential in idol groups - songs sung by a full unit with a designated center, and a full dance choreography for the whole group. It was that distinction that made me interested in Love Live!, and it didn't help that they have really well-written and catchy songs as well. So back when I watched snohale and took everything in, it was truly a moment I'll never forget, and I was hooked ever since!



And of course, a big part of the project's success are the voices behind µ's - the seiyuu idol group µ's! They've really worked hard to make the project a success, and the sold-out live events year after year are a proof of that. Plus, they're such angels! I'm happy LL helped jump-start the careers of most of them.

The members of µ's (from the left) - Sora Tokui (as Nico Yazawa), Yoshino Nanjou (as Eli Ayase), Aina Kusuda (as Nozomi Tojo), Aya Uchida (as Kotori Minase), Emi Nitta (as Honoka Kousaka), Suzuko Mimori (as Umi Sonoda), Yurika Kubo (as Hanayo Koizumi), Pile (as Maki Nishikino), and Riho Iida (as Rin Hoshizora)

Love Live! has achieved so much these past 5 years, and one can only imagine where the franchise will go in the years to come. The next stage of the project, Love Live! Sunshine, will debut later this year with a new unit, Aquors! I'm wishing they'll have as much success as their predecessors. o/

In closing, Love Live! has been a true collaborative success story, not only for the cast and staff, but also for the fans who have been a big part of the franchise's evolution as well. It's undeniable that these last 5 years have really lived up to the project's slogan, "Make Our Dreams Alive!".

Congratulations, Love Live! Congratulations, µ's!

Here's to more years of dreams and miracles!