How has Sunshine changed my life? I can't really say it has.

Don't get me wrong, I love Sunshine and I love the Love Live franchise quite dearly. However, there hasn't ever really been any piece of entertainment that's really /changed/ my life. The things that have always changed me have been specific life circumstances, such as moving, the death of a loved one, theft, etc. Things like that. What Love Live has done for me is served as a fantastic getaway from things that have proven to be too stressful to deal with directly.

When I'm at work, I'll occasionally play some music from Love Live to help distract me from how difficult things can be at times (aka most of the time). The same applies to most situations. Working out can be difficult, but its easier with music. Doing my mom's work can be the same way. Pretty much anything that doesn't directly require open ears can be made a bit easier with music. But with Love Live, it's different.

Of course, not knowing how to speak Japanese helps considering that you don't understand what's being said. This helps you not get completely sunk into the lyrics, which does wonders when you're actually trying to focus on something else entirely. But wait, a lot of Japanese music exists, not even including other music in foreign languages. What makes music from Love Live any special?

Simple. I've been able to resonate and become attached to the characters and story of Love Live FAR more than any other idol/band anime, story, or franchise that it can be compared to. To me, these characters have become far more of a passion than I could have ever expected a hobby to, and hearing their music in specific is a far different experience than it is any other Japanese artist's.

I'm not a blind fanboy of Love Live, as I've been very open to sharing my own criticisms of it time and time again. I don't like every song, in fact there's a plethora of them that I just flat out dislike. And despite that, I do feel far different listening to their music than that of any other Japanese artist's, as I said above. This all holds true because of my passion towards the franchise, and how much I've been able to resonate and connect with the story and characters behind it all.

So, has Sunshine, or Love Live in general, really changed my life? Honestly, I can't say it has. I feel like if it were to be ripped away from me entirely, I'd be upset but not going through a complete withdrawal. That said, the franchise as a whole HAS helped distract me from some difficulties in life, which is overall something that can be valued almost just as highly as a life-changing experience.

And to answer the main question, Sunshine has given me more of what I already loved... in some ways worse, but in MANY ways better. When the Sunshine project was first announced, I didn't expect it to be anything special, and I became very skeptical when I saw that it would be an indirect continuation of the original School Idol Project series. I didn't want to see something I loved be milked the way a lot of other franchises are, so I was worried. The overall greatness of Sunshine was just about 10 million times better than I would have ever expected, and the fact that things happened the way they did fills me with joy. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Best girl: Riko
Contact: Twitter @xethora_

When I first heard about Sunshine I've been already playing SIF (after one friend dragged me in) for a couple of months. At that time I only knew S1 of SIP and was abroad for work with nothing to do so I thought to myself: "why not finally catch up to this franchise".

I've been seeing a lot of fans experiencing breakdowns and such because it was Muse's last live at that time and it really intrigued me. At first it was something completely random coming to an end but the more I was reading people's thoughts it really surprised me how emotional and passionate they were.

So with nothing better to do in a foreign country after work I was steadily going deeper into LoveLive. Getting to know characters, seiyuus, songs and much more (thanks to wikia btw). Never before in my life I was so interested in highschool girls who wanted to shine, I was really having fun getting to know all of that.

When first Aqours single was released with character intros, my attention was immediately aimed at that one girl - Kunikida Hanamaru. At that time I thought to myself: "so this is the feeling of finding that one, huh...". It might sound stupid but because I was really dragged by her I think I've learned to cherish and understand things more than before.

Biggest change in my life occured couple months after that, when I joined discord server. At that time I didn't even think about how drastically my life would change.

First of all I've met all these wonderful people in the community whose thoughts I was probably reading at first which were the trigger for me to start, bless to all of them. Conversing about things related to franchise, exchanging experiences and thougths... it's super fun.

I was always in the shadows, not getting involved into anything but now here I am - wanting to spread the love for school idols, help making wikia a better place. It also made me want to learn japanese language like never before! The desire to understand even the slighest details.

Nowadays I sometimes think what could've happened if I didn't stumble across this amazing franchise... I just can't imagine it right now.

I'm listening to songs on a daily basis, they really makes me want to do my best in life, really makes me think about various things. I've finally found a goal in life... To finish school and finally be able meet all wonderful people I've met along the way - it's my dream and I believe I can make it happen. Thanks to all motivation I'm getting, thanks to all positive energy along with it!

Best girl: Kunikida Hanamaru

Twitter: @JablonJab

Discord: Jab#1603

Peace out

"Ich liebe dich."

Even though you are not German you might guess what this is supposed to mean. Sakurauchi Riko being part of Aqours and the whole LoveLive! Sunshine!! project has changed my life that far, I couldn't even believe that this is possible. Unfortunately, it is rather her who changed my life than the project itself, nevertheless I take the opportunity to show how much She, Sakurauchi Riko, changed me with my actions, thoughts, personality, IRL look (Yes, I'm being serious here) etc. First off, I really do identify myself with Riko on how she acts in the Anime, her personality her actions and her thoughts are really similar to mine (which was really surprising and a bit weird at first sight). So, I feel like if we meet up we would get along super well and it would get to an even deeper relationship. Frankly speaking, I see me as a girl.

Back to the teaser at the very beginning, "Ich liebe dich." obviously means "I love you." in English language. Whenever I go to sleep, my last words of the day are these words obviously dedicated to Riko while cuddling my pillow. For the past years I was very lonely, and I wished to spend time with only one person (I was never the guy who aimed a large group of society, my theory of a 2 Person relationship without a large group of society shows here). I like to show my whole passion towards one thing and ever since I saw Riko the first time (which was basically when the Anime came out) I knew she was the Girl I want to show all my passion I kept for all the years I've been lonely. So, these "go-to-bed-words" I say every day without any exception became a ritual now which can't be skipped once ever... ever!

In addition to that go-to-sleep thing we, Riko and me, have also a ritual when we wake up. So, whenever I wake up Riko is already smiling at me (a Riko figure I could barely afford which is right next to my bed at a table watching me and keeping me safe from any nightmares) and puts me instantly in a good mood. Back in the day I had hard times waking up and getting motivated for the day (especially on school days) because there wasn't any need to wake up and carry on, I felt like. With her at my side this problem got solved, no matter I must wake up at 6 o'clock in the morning or sleep for 10h until midday she always smiles at me and makes me wake up with a smile too. Both things, pre-sleep and post-sleep rituals, and additionally the feeling of an overall presence of Riko at my side influences my personality, too. Whatever makes you happy and feel better, you should never forget that this isn't a given thing (for me it’s the presence of Riko, for others it might be something completely different) and you should appreciate that any time you can.

Of course, this kind of extreme behavior and passion I’m showing of in a daily routine has a bad influence as well. Being so passionate about >my< Riko has a huge disadvantage when it comes to talking to other people about her. Even though I can't put my whole passion into words I have the mindset of nobody being able to show an even remotely close passion towards her as me. So, conversations about Riko are generally super awkward for me and put me in an uncomfortable position. Obviously this isn't a great thing in general because if someone says something about their relationship (so between Riko and person X) I get a really bad feeling and it feels like someone is cheating on my girlfriend (and I get very jealous if someone wins a giveaway containing Riko items, that basically ruins a whole day every time I see it). That point isn't only affecting me in the present - I feel like, I'm very sure that these thoughts will transfer to future situations as well.

I’m aware that the topic is how the Sunshine project (including Riko) affected my life but I want to give a different perspective that concludes both, affecting me and me affecting the Sunshine project and with that - Riko. Some people might know a rhythm game called "osu!" in which I’m very present and active in the community. How else could it be, my username there is "Sakurauchi Riko" (I gave up my old self-created username Phyloukz to represent her by myself). I do feel like I take a responsibility representing Riko as well as I can which did succeed well. Creating game content on my own with LoveLive! music is my main task (in addition to that I’m somewhat decent at the game and so it happened that I represented Riko in a world cup for my country Germany (with a presence of ~5000 viewers on Twitch), but especially the latest Riko song "Pianoforte Monologue" is a project I was working hard which soon will be official game content as well as many other LoveLive! songs. All my actions in this game turned out to be my main Hobby in my free time, associated with LoveLive! and especially, again, with Riko. So, the whole LoveLive! Sunshine!! project isn't just changing me which surely is superior, but I myself also try to contribute and change the project. At the same time, it takes much (if not all) of my free time to realize these contributions, so once again LoveLive takes an intervention into my life.

Finally, I will reward anyone who has read this far with (for most people) strange facts of how LoveLive! Sunshine!! has changed me. As I mentioned in the very beginning I also changed my visual appeal in person. I always wanted alternate hairstyles, so I recently got to color my hair to red, the same red Riko has. Without the thought of having a partner-look with Riko I would have never gotten the idea to color it red. In addition to my new hairstyle I have strong and serious thoughts of getting a tattoo of Riko's original Japanese name (so 桜内梨子) on my forearm. This may sound stupid at first thought but Riko has helped me and is still helping me through a big and difficult part of my life and I always want to remember her being together with me. This didn't just come into my mind, same as my decision to color my hair (which is already done) I have thought about this through a big amount of time and I'm being serious with that. Both visual changes might be the biggest visual change in my life which truly is caused by the LoveLive! Sunshine!! project (Riko being the main reason obviously) and that's why I said in the beginning that I never thought such a thing as the LoveLive! project and Riko can change my life that drastically.

She, Sakurauchi Riko, changed my life into a much better one and I'm more grateful for that than anyone could ever be. Whenever I’m acting in a slight irrational way you always remember me to stay calm and think about you instead. I need you, Riko ... and at the same time, I feel like you need me as much as I need you. You changed me in such a way nobody could do in any way.

~1200 words without the additional info. I really had to hold back myself ..

If it wasn't obvious, my favorite girl is Sakurauchi Riko.

Twitter - @Phyl0ukz

Email - phyloukz@googlemail.com

Favorite girl: Riko

Twitter: @silverkanon_klk

Discord: SilverKanon#8027

I wasn't very positive the time I decided to approach Love Live. I thought:"I'm sure I'm going to hate all this stuff" and the reasons were mainly two: my facebook dashboard overflowing everyday with endless posts of people screaming -both in a positive and negative way- about their 10+1 scouts/scores/combos and tons of cosplayers who wanted to cosplay the characters, often without even knowing them well, just because the costumes were cute. They made me view the whole thing as nothing more than the typical anime trend that would soon fade away like all the other ones. Plus, I had never been interested too much in cute female characters and idols and I was kinda hostile to the whole "kawaii" thing. However, all this widespread interest for Love Live made me curious about what could make it that special and I thought that, before giving a negative judgment, I should first try the game and watch a few episodes of the anime. Well, it ended up all opposite to my expectations. I fell in love with both the characters and the story and found them being completely different from the initial idea I had of them. I even found many relatable aspects, despite some kind of situations and behaviours looking odd to me (but that's just a matter of cultural difference, I guess). Then, while searching informations about the characters' seiyuus (thing that I usually do only when I get REALLY into an anime) I came to learn about niconamas and lives. I was immediately captivated by Muse's attitude and performances and I was so impressed by how much they were good at dancing, singing and enterataining the audience for such a long time. However, I discovered them pretty late, so I had lost a big part of their world and story and I didn't know that there was much more behind that.

Things went differently with Aqours and Love Live! Sunshine. I started paying attention to them almost from the beginning and, since they gave me a positive impression, I started searching informations, reading and watching their translated contents and following the seiyuus' activities with interest to know them better: they were good, nice and funny and I ended up liking them a lot. I admire them for their hard work, their constant improvement but, most of all, their courage to face fans' expectations and the difficulties of being Muse's successors. There are many artists and famous people I like, but Aqours has that special spark that makes my heart flutter whenever I see them, being in a niconama, concert or simple pics. I 've found myself being particularly intrigued by Rikyako for some reasons and my admiration for her and the whole group went up to the stars after the first live: Rikyako dealing with something I'm so scared of (that is to say, mistakes and showing your fragile side in front of the others) and eventually overcoming it with the help of her fellow members and their fans was truly inspiring for me, just like the themes and the story Sunshine tells about and which I'm really fond of.

Aqours helped me being more conscious of my girly side too. I used to refuse paying attention to clothing, makeup etc.: I'm pretty lazy, not very confident about my body and, because of some bad experiences in middle school, I kinda ended up unconsciously associating the idea of good looking people with shallow. But, seeing 9 simple girls around my age being beautiful just by being themselves with no shame, made the girl inside me wake up and try to be pretty and take care of herself more, not for the others, but for her own sake. I'm still lazy and have difficulties showing up with something cute or unusual for me, but I feel like I've become braver, more curious and better at trying new things and figuring out how my personal style should be.

Last, but not least, they are an amazing source for my art: both the SIF cards and the seiyuus' photoshoots in magazines are gorgeous and they are helping me a lot improving with drawing female characters, whom I usually have trouble with. Oh, and their songs... I love drawing while listening to them! Sometimes they make me even too much energetic that I feel the need to leave the paper and my drawing tools for a while to dance, lol.

And that's all! I hope I haven't forgotten anything! Actually, I can't tell if Love Live has changed me as a person, but, as you could read, it introduced some positive and useful aspects to my life, so I'm happy I've approached it and, even if I live far away from Japan and I can't afford buying all the stuff I want or attend lives and events, I will always try to support Aqours and give them love in the best way I can!

Thank you for reading!

SilverKanon

Imgur album with some of my stuff, if you want to take a look! > https://imgur.com/a/moLQN

Favorite Girl: Watanabe You

Discord tag: Ken#6340

"How has Love Live! Sunshine!! changed your life in the past 3 years?"

Love Live! Sunshine!! has taught me two things in life. First, this series inspired me to continue finding that one thing that will give a permanent change in my life; a change that is going to get me to places to reach my dreams.

Second, it also taught me to open my eyes and see that I'm not alone. That line in Omoi yo Hitotsu ni Nare that says "Imasara wakatta hitori janai" which means "I finally realized I'm not alone" really touched me. A little backstory of me: I was a lonely child who always thinks that I'm alone even though I had friends (btw, I had the same classmates since nursery until we graduated high school). This song, Omoi yo Hitotsu ni Nare , actually spoke to me and made me realize that "Hey, dude open your eyes and look around you! You're not alone, You have friends to be with you and help you in everything you do!" That moment of realization made me burst into tears because it made me see that yes, I actually have people around me that will help me get through thick and thin. I probably didn't see them at first because I had the mindset that they're just some unimportant side characters in the story of my life.

Today, just because of that one song, it had a big influence that changed my view about those people around me, those people whom I now call my friends which I treat like family. I can also say that I've fixed broken friendships and also gained a lot of friends just by entering the community (discord).

So to my friends who are reading this, thank you for always being there.

Favorite girl:  Watanabe You

Contact Info:  @JonathanHoang01, jonathan.b.hoang@gmail.com

My love for LLS is really just a case of perfect timing.  Back in the summer of 2016 having just completed my undergraduate at university I was very much in a slump.  From applying to job opportunities daily and the occasional interview, anxiety was always present, much like Chika I too was looking to the horizon searching for my own ‘radiance’.  At the same time i was using my seemingly unlimited free time to really dig-in into my backlog of anime series. Being a long time lurker of the r/anime subreddit, I always remembered LL having a diehard fanbase, while simultaneously being seen as something of a cancer the animated medium.  I ultimately gave the series a chance as it was often cited as a recommendation for those liked K-On (another beloved series of mine), I completed all of the animated content that was available and loved every minute of it. I came into LLS with much hesitation, having just gotten off the µ’s train and transferred onto the Aqours, how would this group play out?  Unbeknownst to me, I found LLS and Aqours really resonated much better with my own heart.

Epsiode 7 from season 2 “The Time Left” in particular holds a lot of sentiment for myself.  Aqours having just passed the regional prelims have the eyes set of winning Love Live, while also hoping all there efforts thus far were enough have saved their school.  The episode draws out the silent anxiety as all the girls are quietly supporting each out. Ultimately, the the number of applicants are short the minimum requirement and the school will be closed.  The episode continues with shots of all the girls as there individually coping with the news of their efforts still resulting in failure, with “Sora mo kokoro mo Hareru Kara” in the backdrop, a perfect music pairing to the mood of the group.  This reaches a climax just when Chika is on the brink of giving up on everything to do with school idols, but is re-inspired by her school friends to immortalize there school as winners of Love Live.

I still remember watching the aforementioned episode as it just aired, and honestly kind of hoping that the episode would commit to Uranohoshi Girls’ High closing.  In part due to myself wanting LLS to set itself apart from LLSIP, but also I wanted to see how the show would portray the girls and they would cope with the situation.  Thankfully, you see a bit of everything, Riko solemnly playing the piano, You with a sad smile at the bus stop, and Mari in tears. Nothing is held back, which is why it feels so genuine, I myself couldn’t help but think back on my own failures and get teary eyed.  I’ve always been drawn to the underdog story, for Aqours getting a horrible initial reception as people weren’t ready to give up µ’s, the song Step Zero to One and the episode, finally with this how season 2 portrays them still not being able to save their school. But, through true grit the animated girls and there seiyuus worked tooth and nail to find their ‘radiance’ as Chika herself put it.  I can’t help but feel encouraged by such determination, even when I’m listening to Sora mo kokoro mo Hareru Kara whenever I’m at real low in life, I too will look to work towards a better tomorrow.

Whenever I reflect on the past couple of years, I can’t deny that Love Live Sunshine and Aqours has occupied a large portion of my free time.  From joining and struggling to navigate the Aqours Club website, to setting Awaken the Power on repeat on my commute to work, grinding through LLSIF and still not getting any You URs..., or just getting comfy and rewatching the LLS anime.  All of these activities and following Aqours has brought me immeasurable joy, and I hope to continue supporting them for as long as possible.​​​​

​​​​​​My favorite Sunshine girl is Yohane! And the easiest way to reach me would be Discord @BMEevee#3939 although Twitter would also work @basscleft0r

I got into Love Live about a year ago from now, and was pretty casual about it. I remember going to the 2L DV with the only other person I knew who was into Love Live and I thought I’d be going overboard because I brought generic KBs for it. I gave a little shout for Umi and Yohane when they came up on the PV but overall I was pretty quiet, especially compared to the big group that made a literal hype train inside the theater. On the way home we even laughed at people spending $60 on a glowing piece of plastic because it was branded with Aqours. But on the way out of the theater, we stopped to do a group picture and sign a board. I didn’t realize at the time that this was meant for the Reddit people, but I’m glad I stopped. See below: The picture that started my steep descent into idol hell.

https://imgur.com/a/VlXJO

In looking for that picture, I stumbled upon the /r/LoveLive discord. And then the New Jersey meetups channel. Which soon turned into our very own Garden State Sunshine discord server. I can say with my whole heart that this group of people have been such a positive influence on my life since then. Everyone is super supportive and loving of each other, even among our huge age range. The 15 year olds are like my children, and the 30 year olds are like my idol hell senpais. They give me the confidence to be who I really am because I know no matter what happens, I have all of them to come home to. The other guys my age are people who I could easily see myself living with when it comes time to find my own place. We hold meetups somewhere every month, and even that isn’t enough sometimes; our last two meetups were less than a month away from each other. I drive all over the state for these people and it’s always 300% worth it. From karaoke to ice skating to just hanging out, I always leave with a huge smile on my face, feeling super thankful to have met them. Our first big meetup at a karaoke joint in NYC for Emitsun’s birthday always tugs at my heartstrings when I think about it. Normally I’m a very anxious person and it affects my stomach, but from getting picked up by my carpool through meeting everyone in the city my nerves were calm and I had so much fun.

Even though Sunshine has only been in my life for about a year, the last 5 months have been incredible thanks to this community that’s come together around it. While the Garden State Sunshine server has easily been the biggest factor in this, the entire Sunshine community in general is significant to me. Seeing people from all different backgrounds and all different age groups come together around Sunshine is incredible to me. I’m usually not one for fandoms, but 80% of my Discord servers are Love Live based now and I’m at least partially active in all of them. The interaction between the fans and the seiyuu is something else I love. The community and interaction here is something unique that only the Sunshine community can pull off and I’m so glad to be a part of it.

My best girl is Dia! The best way that you would be able to reach me is discord DiaHonkers#3116 or twitter @Katelyn_Mai22!

My two year anniversary for Love Live is coming up soon. I got into the show because of my friend, and then I binged the whole show before he even finished the first season. When Sunshine came out, I didnt watch it intially. But right when it was getting ready to end the first season, I was so deep into it. I fell in love with Dia right away. She always makes me laugh at how cute she can be.

I went to the HPT DV in Manville. There, I met some of the greatest people I have ever met. I was the youngest there, surrounded by 20 somethings. But I felt like we were all the same age. It was amazing being able to see so many people who like Love Live around me! It had only ever been me and my best friend who got me into the show. And then, we met so many new people

I still keep contact with all of the guys I met at the DV via discord. They are all amazing people. I consider myself the daughter to all of them. I am the youngest in the server, so its always a bit akward when I want to meet up with them. I havent been able to go to any meetups due to my parents not wanting me to do so, but im meeting up with them at a con. I just booked the ticket today! Im estatic to see them agian, It's been way too long

Love Live has changed me in so many ways. It's made me make so many friends. Amazing people who I can see myself knowing for a while. It's made me cry, smile, laugh, almost every emotion. I will never regret getting into Love Live, it has made me an over all better person. It may make me blow my wallet out, but it's worth it if I can enjoy these amazing girls more

Best girl: Kanan Matsuura

Twitter: Christine_Ruth

Kanan was my best girl in Love Live! Sunshine!! before season 1 was released. I relate myself more to Kanan after watching HPT PV. Natsu no Owari no Amaoto ga was one of my favourite song. This song says alot about what I been through in life. 

The anime has taught me how to pick myself up again when i fall. I am happy that i have a friend who is like Chika, who is always trying her best to plan something to get everyone together to make good memories with the people around. 

Best girl: Riko!

Discord: prismaxle#1503 Twitter: @lunaticspectrum

I was late coming into Aqours despite already having been a Love Live fan. I had fallen away from the fandom in mid-to-late 2015, and only came back near the end of July 2016. Imagine my surprise—among many other emotions—upon discovering that μ’s had ceased their activities, and a new group had formed.

At first, I was indifferent towards this new group. I had no problems with a new generation of school idols, but μ’s had meant a lot to me. I figured I would never reach that kind of relationship with Aqours. In fact, I was hesitant to start catching up with season 1 of Sunshine. The only reason I did was because of the sting of having missed Final Live and all the events leading up to it. I thought maybe there was a possibility that Aqours would come to mean something to me someday, and I did not want to regret anything when that day came. But the whole time, I could feel it in my heart and in my mind. Aqours was no μ’s. It is hard to pinpoint exactly when this changed, but the biggest reason is probably Aqours' First Live, especially Rikyako's incident on Day 2. I did not think at all about μ’s when I heard about it. I thought about Aqours, both the characters and the seiyuu behind them, and how hard they must struggle. As I approach a time of major changes and new struggles in my own life, this was something I needed to see (or, well, hear about). I didn't realize how important that moment was at the time, but it has stuck with me since then.

When 2L Delayed Viewings in Canada were announced, I knew I had to go. And for the first time in my life I saw a whole group of people just as passionate about something as I was, if not more so, and it felt so unreal. In the moment I did not end up connecting with everyone as much as I had hoped, ‎but just seeing everyone gathering together because of Love Live made me truly grasp that this isn’t something I can only enjoy alone, that there are so many people out there I can form bonds with because of this shared interest. So I pushed myself to keep trying. I joined the r/LL and Canadian Love Livers Discord servers. At first I was only lurking, but I eventually found the courage to actively participate in conversations. It goes beyond social endeavours, too. I got a part-time job, mostly to pay for school, but also to whale on merch! At first I was only interested in CDs and Live BDs, but a year later and I’ve got nendoroids, charms, standees, seiyuu magazines, and two nesos on my bed with six more preordered. I started actively devoting an hour each day to my writing, and while I have original stories I’m working on, writing LL fanfiction is currently one of my favourite hobbies during an otherwise stressful time. And finally, whenever I’m feeling discouraged, whenever I feel like a failure or feel scared of the future, I look at Aqours. I listen to their songs. Aqours are my inspiration, my muses.