Tuesday 6 May 2014

Love Live! School Idol Project Season 2 - Episode 5

All work and no play makes Honoka a dull idol - a good job then that it's school trip time, allowing μ's senior girls to be whisked away for a spell in sunny Okinawa...

...although unfortunately, by sunny Okinawa I actually mean typhoon-hit Okinawa, as the trio of girls away on the trip find themselves trapped indoors at the mercy of the weather.  Not that conditions are much betetr back home, although the remaining group members have other fish to fry, with preparations for an event at a fashion show to concern themselves with.  Given the important of the build-up to this event, it's decided that the group need a new leader while Honoka is away, and the surprise choice of that leading lady, agreed upon by the other senior girls, is Rin.  Normally outgoing and forthright, Rin seems to shrink into her shell under the pressure of being looked to as the leader, and her indecision only causes further issues.


The final straw for Rin comes when the seniors learn that their flight home has been cancelled, leaving her not only in charge for the fashion show appearance but also as its centrepiece, complete with a glorious bridal dress to show off as part of the show.  It's this aspect of the whole setup which leaves Rin overwhelmed, as she swiftly hands off her role to Hanayo... but is she really so averse to dressing up in a girly fashion, or does she simply lack the confidence to do so?  Needless to say, the other girls have soon figured it out for themselves, and know exactly what's required to exorcise this particular demon on Rin's shoulder.

Much as I like Rin as a character, it feels like Love Live always struggles to find much to do with her - although this week's episode does at least resolve her long-standing issue with her femininity, her story lacked some of the charm and humour afforded others in their own confrontations with their feelings on various topics.  Still, there was enough colourful fun and infectious energy to keep the episode ticking over, and even a low-key episode of this series still proves to be entertaining enough to be worthwhile, so even as the weakest episode of the second season so far it wasn't a complete write-off either.

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