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The Mike Toole Show - Love Live! The School Idol Column

ake a look-- on the left, there's Honoka from 2010. On the right, there's 2015 Honoka. Interesting progression, isn't it?

Like an idiot, I said to Prairie, “it's kind of odd that there are no men in this film…” She quickly responded “Welcome to watching every movie ever, if you're a woman!” She had me there.

One last note about the film: even moreso than the TV series, there are quite literally almost zero men present. Only a handful are visible in the background, only one gets to do anything (Honoka's dad), and there's pretty much no dialogue by men. On the one hand, this is kind of funny and strange; I idly wondered what super-virus had wiped out all men in Love Live!'s world. But on the other hand, it's liberating to the characters, who pass through restaurants and concert halls filled with women. They never talk about men, but instead about their own goals, dreams, and friendships. Like an idiot, I said to Prairie, “it's kind of odd that there are no men in this film…” She quickly responded “Welcome to watching every movie ever, if you're a woman!” She had me there.

It was actually the fandom that really got my attention, though-- specifically, this piece of composite artwork, pasted together by a young man on twitter.

Now that I know Idolmaster is the reason for hiatuses in Berserk, I am suddenly much less ok with the breaks. Goddammit.

Sahmbahdeh wrote:

Now that I know Idolmaster is the reason for hiatuses in Berserk, I am suddenly much less ok with the breaks. Goddammit.

I feel like there is a major piece of this puzzle missing. What involvement does Miura have with Idolmaster? This is literally the first time I have ever heard of such an involvement before. I would really like to hear a more detailed explanation of what is going on.

The 90s would yield old favorites like the idol/magical girl hybrids Fancy Lala and Full Moon o Sagashite. But the first show I recall that really dug into the idea of breaking into performing as the story is something called Chance Pop Session. Rather than presenting performing as something surreal and almost magical, this series (which included none other than ADV Films, spending some of their Evangelion money, on the production committee) dished out a story about young girls trying to make it as pop idols.

I idly wondered what super-virus had wiped out all men in Love Live!'s world. But on the other hand, it's liberating to the characters, who pass through restaurants and concert halls filled with women. They never talk about men, but instead about their own goals, dreams, and friendships. Like an idiot, I said to Prairie, “it's kind of odd that there are no men in this film…” She quickly responded “Welcome to watching every movie ever, if you're a woman!” She had me there.

Funny that the anime medium, so often accused of being sexist/misogynist and pandering to virgin manchildren, passes the feminist Bechdel Test with flying colors so easily and so frequently. See also: K-On!, Lucky Star, Kanamemo, Madoka Magica, Hidamari Sketch, Is the Order A Rabbit?, Yuru Yuri, Aria, Azumanga Daioh, and many many others.

Alright, I'm being unjustifiably mean to Nico.