The PERFECT RIVALS | The Underrated Importance of A-RISE

The story of School Idol Project is that of a legend’s retelling. Everything about the legendary nine is portrayed as the beginnings of a miracle that changed the world and vanished just as quickly. They were, against all odds, able to do things that no one else was capable of. From saving their school to winning the second Love Live, the journey of μ’s is nothing short of fantastical. But for a legend to begin, there must be a mountain to climb; a goal to be reached. μ’s were the embodiment of everything a school idol was, and their journey reflects everything those ideals held…but one thing that could never be applied to them was the word “perfect.” Words like normal, radiant, worrying, different and unique are all things you can apply to them, but that word “perfect” definitely could not. You could even argue that the core of that group stood opposite the idea of perfection itself, so in a sense, for this legend to be told properly, our heroes of this tale must be faced with everything they are not. If there was anyone in the world of School Idols that could be described as perfect, it would be the group whose name was a challenge for all those who would arise from the bottom.

Defined by Nico herself as being the picture of everything an idol should be, A-RISE for the entirety of Love Live’s story stood opposite that of μ’s in every sense of the word. While Otonokizaka High School was rich with history and shadowed in mediocrity and old-fashioned tradition, UTX embodied the spirit of the modern and ever-changing Akiba. It was a brand new, shiny and technologically advanced facility that was pretty even to look at. The uniforms were stylish and even just the air of the school itself screamed “shine”. And playing on its massive screen that sat at the front of its massive building was footage of three girls who embodied that same modern and stylish vibe. The champions of the first Love Live and the greatest idols of the day were the inspiration for Kousaka Honoka to find a way to save her school, but as that meeting began with Honoka looking up at them as she stood below, the beginning of the legend of μ’s presents us with one major goal: for their journey to top, those nine must first conquer that which stood in their path. For μ’s to become legends, they must first defeat the picture of perfection that overshadowed them in every way. In order to fully understand what made μ’s so special, it becomes necessary to understand the ones they defeated and why their presence in the story is so important.

This is A-RISE, the perfect rivals for the legendary nine.

Now, I’m sure that everyone in the community has already heard of the common criticisms of A-RISE’s placement in the world of Love Live! Despite being the rivals to the flagship idol group that began the push for this franchise’s success, they seem to have been almost forgotten by all material outside of the anime. This becomes especially apparent when comparing them to Saint Snow, the rivals for μ’s successors in the form of Aqours. This of course, doesn’t take into account the commitments that the other members’ seiyuu have in real life that would prevent them from coming back, but it’s important to understand the distinction between the Saint Snow and A-RISE and it all has to do with how they’re presented to us in their respective series. Saint Snow’s purpose in Sunshine is to not just be a challenge for Aqours, but also to be relatable to them in every way possible. From a relationship between older and younger siblings, their hometown being by a port, and most notably the fact that they failed, Saint Snow are rivals to Aqours because they represent the idea that Aqours are not the only ones fighting and failing in the world of Love Live! By comparison, A-RISE from the start represents everything μ’s wasn’t. As stated by the reasons in the introduction, it could even be safe to assume that, while Saint Snow is presented to be relatable, A-RISE is presented to be admired. That’s an important distinction you have to make from the get-go, because it points out why they get little to no character development at all throughout the course of the entire story. But what purpose would there be for the picture of perfection to need to grow? And THAT is where we need to start.

I mention perfection a lot throughout this video because it’s clear from School Idol Project’s story that A-RISE in every way is flawless. Yes, they work hard and always strive to improve, but their execution, their looks and their skill all stand head and shoulders above anyone in the world of school idols. It’s even pointed out that they’re so good that they’re indistinguishable from regular idols. The only real flaw found within them in the entire series is by Eli, who’s judging them by a standard that lies squarely outside what is expected of an idol. A ballet dancer may view the dancing of an idol to be lesser than their own, but a ballerina using those standards alone is still an inferior idol to someone like the members of A-RISE who lies squarely in the expectations of what is desired from that world. If an idol’s job is to put on a show that entertains the audience, makes them appear radiant and makes others smile, then there was no one who did so better than A-RISE. Even just a video of them performing onscreen is enough to draw a crowd, their charisma is so great that their very name brings with it an excitement like no other. It’s so blatant that even their names each have to do with this idea. Yuki coming from the word “excellence”, Todo Erena meaning “excellent, jade” and “temple” and Kira Tsubasa meaning “shining wing.”  They were UTX’s guiding light and a perfect representation of everything they were. And perfect is inherently unrelatable to the average person.

When the average person sees someone who is flawless, they view them through a lens of admiration. They’re the kind of person who can’t be matched and thus always the goal for others to chase after. Celebrities are portrayed with this air of superiority and are always given this stigma of being better than most. They are not like you, or more accurately are meant to be better than you. So if perfection is a wall that disconnects the regular person from the idol they pursue, it’s fitting then that Honoka’s first encounter with them was not in person but rather separated from them by a screen. They were inherently separated by status, height and even physically by that screen. They lied beyond Honoka’s grasp.

Because Season 1 of School Idol Project focuses more on the more pressing goal of saving the school and gathering members, it’s no wonder why A-RISE makes all but two or three appearances. μ’s goal at the time was not necessarily winning Love Live for glory’s sake but to gain enough notoriety to save their school. Even then, A-RISE still stood at the top, winning the first Love Live while μ’s sat there withdrawn from the competition, broken, defeated and hopeless. But there’s an important scene that happens at the end of Season 1. As μ’s finally comes together and for the first time truly performs as the group they would come to be, it’s now the three members of A-RISE watching μ’s perform, not on a massive screen like the one on their school but on the one in their laptop. While μ’s was able to come together, they had far from matched the skill of A-RISE.

It’s in Season 2 where we finally get the interactions between μ’s and A-RISE, and it all occurs in the season that has the most to do with μ’s finding the meaning behind why they perform at all. And fittingly it’s in episode 3, when their entrance into the qualifiers is dependent on whether or not they can even stand on the same level as those legends that they were pursuing. But it wasn’t μ’s who reached out to A-RISE, it was Tsubasa who came down from her tower to acknowledge Honoka who was looking from below, an acknowledgement of their talent and skill. In fact, the three of them knew more about μ’s than μ’s expected, with each of them pointing out each of their unique abilities. This simple acknowledgement from Tsubasa to Honoka highlights two things, one of which Tsubasa admits later on. They acknowledged μ’s as a rival for a while, seeing them as their biggest threat in the first Love Live, but secondly that this was a power move on their part. This acknowledgement of skill was less a concession and moreso them declaring “I’m watching you. I know what you’re capable of, and that won’t stop me.” They had full confidence that even though μ’s was good that they couldn’t beat them.

A declaration that Honoka, with full confidence, said to bring it on

It’s in the Love Live! Qualifiers that we see the inherent difference that lies between μ’s and A-RISE, as well as the difference between the perfection of an idol and the shine of a school idol. A-RISE performed first, standing alone on that stage while all of their fans watched from that screen atop their building. The song they performed was Shocking Party, a song that speaks of glamour, of being the center of attention and of the love of dancing and being free, but even from the way the song is constructed to the wording of the lyrics speaks of a pop song. Not necessarily soulless, but polished and without flaw. Even their performance with its strobe lights and dark stage makes them seem more mature. In fact, they’re animated entirely using only 2D animation as the camera focuses on each of them individually and up close. Not a hair out of place but as perfect as they could be. But the performance of μ’s Yume no Tobira is far different. Focusing on that cute and innocent appeal, their outfits even seeming juvenile by comparison, the angles and the compositions of the shots tend to focus more on the group as a whole. Even the lighting focuses on the natural look of the flowers and the city around them, focusing on every individual thing that composed the whole of the stage. In fact, rather than A-RISE’s nightclub lighting, this performance that occurred during the night was full of light. Even more evident is that Otonokizaka didn’t watch μ’s from the screen, but rather from atop the roof of UTX right with them. They were there with their support from the very start. And the lyrics of this song speaks of connection, of the door to one’s dreams that makes hearts unite. Multiple people coming together as one. Greatness defined by a lone star upon the stage combating against united and inexperienced hearts standing together. And the result was clear: not only was μ’s more than worthy of standing upon that stage, but they were confirmed to be the threats that A-RISE believed them to be.

Love Live isn’t a series that focuses on perfection as a good thing. Not necessarily that it’s bad, but as the thematic core of the series focuses on youth’s freedom and thus the inherent need of one to grow and push past their imperfections, those who already have nothing left to gain with their perfection are far from the ideal. But moreso this lies in the difference between an idol and a school idol. Say what you will about the idol industry and even that of the music world itself, but authenticity is not a word that I would say best defines it. Sure, there is an attempt to have that, but it’s not very common. The music is engineered to sound the best it does and the looks of every person, even down to the execution of dance moves has to be as perfect as it can be. There’s nothing wrong with that, after all a core idea behind Love Live is striving for greatness. But what a school idol is is explained by Honoka to Hanayo in episode 4.

A school idol’s inherent appeal is to help those who don’t know who they are to find a shine in order to pursue the next. That imperfection and the belief that one is normal is inherent to this idea. It’s why arguably you could even say that μ’s choreography, looking as simple as it does, is part of the appeal. In comparison to the heavily rehearsed and flawless moves of Shocking Party, Yume no Tobira is childish and innocent. While A-RISE as a group is well-put together and carries themselves with an air of professionalism, Nico and Hanayo become super unprofessional in their presence and they all act how they would in a regular setting: goofy, uncouth and genuine. Am I saying that A-RISE’s behavior is wrong? No. They’re the textbook definition of everything that makes an idol great and are admirable for doing what they do, but the world of Love Live is that of school idols. Idols are perfect, but they’re a dime a dozen. Authenticity is unique in and of itself. μ’s was unlike anything anyone else had ever seen, and the reason is really just that they were no one but themselves.

And it’s in the performance of Snow Halation that highlights this difference more than anything.

If authenticity and a genuine love and expression of passion that defines μ’s and is what made them so great, then it’s on the stage of the semifinals that they showed this in full force. A-RISE carried out their performance of Shocking Party once again as well as they could. They were just as rehearsed and as perfect as ever. They even, during the scene before their performance, are shown to be inside a skyscraper looking down once again. But μ’s barely made it to their performance as a blizzard stood in Honoka, Umi and Kotori’s way. Having stayed behind for the sake of their school, they pushed forward despite the amount of time they had and how hopeless it seemed, their path clearing when their school that supported them showed them the way. A-RISE alone, μ’s together with the ones they loved. A song of individual strength versus the power of innocent love. The sterile shine of perfection versus the awkward, chaotic and passionate feelings that make up μ’s; there was no contest. The winner was decided the moment their feelings were united. A-RISE was no longer standing at the top, for μ’s took their place standing in the light.

It’s in this conversation between Honoka and Tsubasa that we see later on where we have the only moment of vulnerability in A-RISE throughout the whole series. In her frustration and inability to understand why she lost, she asks Honoka what drove μ’s. Because in terms of talent, work ethic, style and everything that was put into the performance itself, A-RISE was their equal and possibly even greater. Their pride was their style, and they put that forward with everything they had yet they still didn’t stand a chance against μ’s. Why was it μ’s who stood above them? Why was it the picture of perfection that stood no chance against those inexperienced, flawed and awkward girls? It’s because they were the embodiment of everything this competition represented. The very basis of the Love Live is that every group wins solely through the support of their school and those who watch from afar. Those who win receive the votes of everyone who admires them from all across Japan who witnesses their shine. While A-RISE was able to be admired, to connect with someone requires understanding. It’s impossible to connect with that which is perfect, but μ’s was anything but perfect. They had individual talents and tried with all of their might, but above all their appeal was their ability to connect with their audience because their mission statement from the start was to make people understand their love and acknowledge the love of others who supported them. While A-RISE performed songs that had a one-sided shine, μ’s was able to share their love to the world. That’s why they lost.

A-RISE is used for this contrast throughout the whole of Love Live’s story, always standing opposite of μ’s. Even if we as the audience wished to see more personality from them, that inherent relatability would stand  Even in the School Idol Movie these differences are highlighted further. When working together for the performance of Sunny Day Song, while μ’s would be seen goofing around while doing their duties, A-RISE who came to assist them still carried themselves very professionally. Even when Anju says Tsubasa can be a bit much, we don’t even see that because seeing it would lie antithetical to who they are and what they stand for. They couldn’t be relatable like μ’s was for they’re their opposites, factored into the story of the film where μ’s was at the peak of their popularity and struggled with the question of what they should do for the future of Love Live, it was once again A-RISE who came to give Honoka an answer.

What drove A-RISE was their pride in their skill and talent that drove them and upholding the expectations of their fans, but most importantly what made them the happiest and what gave them the most fun. Singing and dancing itself was what gave them that drive, and it’s in that answer that Honoka was able to realize something interesting. What their decision should be based on is not what others expect of them, but rather what they as a group want. If A-RISE’s goal was to stay as idols even after school, then μ’s would have to do something different. A-RISE would stay on the stage carrying on that name that carried them to the top, but μ’s would disappear the moment their shine was gone.

You don’t truly understand μ’s without seeing what made A-RISE different. To desire relatability and moments of weakness from those three would defeat the purpose of their role, a role that is so important to the journey of μ’s. They were a legend, but one that couldn’t be the same as the legendary nine. And for that, I believe they were perfect as they are.

This is A-RISE, the perfect rivals that helped changed the world by standing as the goal for μ’s to follow after and eventually surpass through the power of a school idol.