The Power to Believe Again | The Importance of Saint Snow
By episode 7 of Love Live! Sunshine!!, Aqours had believed they were well on their way to their goal of saving their school and winning Love Live. They were gaining popularity at a fairly quick speed to the point that they were invited to an exhibition in Tokyo, the land where μ’s was formed and changed the world. Chika finally saw the chance to fly and become a greater person like she had always wanted to be…
But with a few notes, that pride came crashing back down.
It’s no secret that Saint Snow is extremely well-loved in the Love Live! fanbase, especially when compared to A-RISE. They’re presented in the show with an instant impact, singing a rock song that was antithetical to the cutesy, heartwarming and almost generic pop idol sound Aqours had been performing up until that point. They were edgy, badass and far more openly talented than they could ever be. While Aqours had come so far, Saint Snow’s appearance at the top of those stairs signalled to them that there was an even higher goal to reach. They figuratively and very much literally soared above that group that flew there on their imitation wings. Like Icarus flying to the sun, Saint Snow took one look and told them to come back up only when they stopped playing around.
But what’s even more interesting is that they still lost.
Saint Snow was head and shoulders above Aqours in every way, but they were still only 9th place. They didn’t stand a chance against the competition, and with this single fact, a thought should occur in your mind. Saint Snow isn’t meant to be perfect, because even with talent as great as theirs, you can still lose.
Love Live! Sunshine!! is a story of what it means for someone to walk the path already traveled. μ’s had changed the world by being different from everything else that had come before. Their rivals in A-RISE were their opposites, a goal that stood atop a mountain for μ’s to surpass. So you would think that Saint Snow would do the same thing, but when you watch how they’re introduced within the story of Sunshine, it’s not with overwhelming victory but with a defeat that, while miles ahead, was still crushing. Even their older and younger sister dynamic is mirrored in Aqours’ very own Dia and Ruby. And throughout the story, it’s not through success but by failure that we see their actions defined. A shared experience between the group that they themselves sent back to the bottom of the mountain. Aqours’ journey is quite literally to go from nothing to something. To rise from failure. So Saint Snow is far from their opposite, a mirror that represents what it would take to succeed on the journey that the 10 who defied fate would have to embark on.
For the duo from Hokkaido, their story is a journey to the top that’s filled with obstacles that block their path, surpassed only when they stopped trying to stand alone. This is Saint Snow.
That name Saint Snow was actually derived from a single snowflake that Kazuno Sarah and her little sister Leah discovered on the day they both found their goal. After witnessing the performance of A-RISE, they decided to become school idols together so they could win Love Live. They entered highschool solely driven by that goal, desperate to win at all costs. It was together that they believed in their strength, working as hard as they could, literally pursuing the ideal of “hard work beats talent.” So in Leah’s eyes especially, the six members of Aqours performing as carefree as they did was an inherent disrespect to what they were trying to do. And it’s not like Aqours wasn’t working hard either. They were practicing as hard as they could every day, putting in as much effort as any other school idol. But that’s the key: just as much. Saint Snow had gone above and beyond, driven by nothing but their goal and desire not to shine but to win.
In that difference of wording is what I find very interesting, as well as the implication of where Chika and Saint Snow’s influences differ. Chika from the sunny port town of Uranohoshi was inspired by μ’s, with the reasoning of hers being that they were able to shine as normal girls just like her. It was the idea that just being a school idol and following after μ’s was enough to make her special. The shine was all she wanted, and winning was only a means to that end. By comparison, Saint Snow from the snowy Hokkaido was inspired by A-RISE, the personification of perfection in the world of Love Live! They were defined not by shining while still being normal, but by being above everyone else. They were perfect and able to do things no one else was able to, so of course Leah and Sarah would only take away that they needed to be the best. Their song that they performed at the exhibition in Tokyo was SELF CONTROL, a song that, just like A-RISE that they were inspired by, didn’t feature any big group choreography and was drawn entirely in 2D with none of the CG we see in any of the performances. They were bursting with confidence, looking at Aqours as if they were below them. That song had lyrics that spoke directly at Aqours who they viewed as just playing around.
I wanna be told I’m the best, this is serious; We gotta go!
Dreams are dreams, but they can’t easily be reached
Let’s aim for a special something, shall we?
For that sake, I won’t cry
Who’s my enemy? My enemy is the shadow of my weak self
You understand that, right?
Weak hearts are forbidden (I won’t allow them)
I feel it! Tightly; The place where I now stand
SELF CONTROL!!
But even then, they still didn’t win. It just wasn’t enough because 9th place is still far from the top. I find it interesting that the lyrics of SELF CONTROL differ from the almost arrogant words of Shocking Party. Shocking Party is a song of lavish excess, asserting that they’re living a life better than anyone else. But SELF CONTROL demands the respect they want. “I wanna be told I’m the best.” “This is serious.” “My enemy is the shadow of my weak self.” Defeating the weakness of the heart and lack of will is what they viewed as taking them to the top, and seeing Aqours looking like they were just having fun was angering Leah who was trying her best. But in seeing Saint Snow try so hard to be the best to the point where their own song begs you to tell them that this is the case and failing just as hard, we realize that they’re not so different from Aqours who they criticized.
What caused Aqours to fail wasn’t any lack of effort, talent or hard work. It’s very simply that they weren’t unified in what it is they needed to do and only chose to follow after the footsteps of another; inherently writing off their own abilities and mindlessly standing in the shadow of someone they believed to be better. In that regard, take another look at the lyrics of SELF CONTROL. These words at a first glance might seem to be those of simple determination and also hold the meaning of calling out all those who had no conviction in this dream that Leah and Sarah had, but there is also a small hint of desperation. Demanding that others give them the respect they deserve, erasing all of the weakness they feel within themselves, a spell being cast as if less to convince others that they’re strong but to convince themselves. They’re aware that as they call out everyone else, they are just as weak-hearted and need to push to find the determination to go beyond weakness and failure. What word best describes the journey of Aqours like failure? They at every point of the story found themselves in the face of the reality that they didn’t quite make it, be it challenging the Love Live or their biggest regret in failing to save their school. And at their lead was the normal monster who desperately wanted to be someone else in order to stop being worthless. Despite their differences being as great as night and day, snow and sun, Saint Snow and Aqours discovered that rather than by how different they are, it was through their similarities that they were able to find like hearts to push them to grow. They were the perfect rivals for one another. This should have been the final battle that ended the series, a perfect way for this rivalry to be resolved.
And with a simple cutoff of DROPOUT, those rivals were instantly removed from the competition.
It’s fitting that episode 8 of season 2 details the failure of Saint Snow immediately after the failure of Aqours to save Uranohoshi. For Aqours, they realized that they really wanted to win Love Live in order to save the school they loved. In order to turn the zero to one, they had to not just win in that competition, but save their school in the process, but just one of those dreams not coming to fruition was enough to crush Chika’s spirit until the 10th idol came to them and gave them a new path. They weren’t able to realize what it was they needed to do until all of them came together with a united goal of their own. So the episode following this was to witness their greatest rival attempt the same mountain, only to fall because, unlike Aqours’ united hearts, Leah and Sarah were torn by their insecurities and the pressure that overwhelmed and crushed that little sister who fought with all of her heart to achieve hers and her sister’s dream, but still failed in the end. She crushed Saint Snow’s last chance of victory and it was all her fault.
In the lyrics of SELF-CONTROL, the song speaks also of isolation and a lone struggle. The only enemy they have is themselves, and thus it’s an enemy they can only fight alone. But the song DROPOUT that was cut short by Leah’s mistake has lyrics that highlight that loneliness even further.
Even though you’ve come so far
The answer is still beyond your reach
The light you thought you had grasped was only an illusion
Swallowed up by the darkness
DROPOUT!?
An abandoned passion stuck in an unexpected situation
What I regret is losing a sensation
Just where is that “shine”
You said you’d gain no matter what?
Even so Go to the world
Search for the edge
Of this unstoppable dream without exits
Go to the world
Loneliness is only distorting us
Who do you want to call for?
Leah was alone, and in her weakness she attempted to be strong by fighting against that weakness alone, but it was too much to bear. This was her last chance to achieve hers and her sister’s dream, and everything was riding on this. She trained as hard as she could, she worked herself to the bone and it still wasn’t enough. She couldn’t do it and regretted everything. But if there’s anyone who understands weakness, who better than crybaby Ruby?
Dia’s dream was to be a school idol. Her and Ruby together wished for all of their hearts to be on that stage and shine just like the school idols they idolized. To unite their feelings and mutual love on that stage was what Ruby wanted more than anything else because her sister who gave her that love was there, but she knew that Dia’s time would be coming to an end. There was nothing more they could do, and Ruby was filled with that dread of believing that she would be alone and lacked the power to go on without her. That’s why better than anyone else, she understood why Leah’s heart was crushed. But rather than let her sit in that despair, Ruby wanted Leah to realize something important: that she isn’t weak and won’t be alone.
I have a video that covers the themes and importance of Awaken the Power and episodes 8 and 9 of season 2 that I made for Christmas, and it’s important to keep in mind what I said there when discussing Saint Snow. Awaken the Power is a song that, unlike DROPOUT and SELF CONTROL, spoke not of a desperate desire for lonesome strength or a forced conviction but rather of a power within that was given from one to another. It speaks of an unknown future that’s filled with uncertainty but more importantly of acknowledging one’s weakness.
Even though I’m supposed to know a lot of words
At times like this, they won’t come out
My heart is filled with these strong emotions
And I feel like I’ll cry before I can say anything
Even when I’m happy, my tears flow
And erase my pain (washes them away)
The things I worried about before, I feel
Are now completely gone – I’ve really grown
It’s through acknowledging that weakness that one can really become strong. Realizing that you’re weak makes you understand that you can’t be alone, but more importantly that you being where you are now means that you were never alone to begin with. Leah wasn’t truly alone because the strength that Sarah gave her was still within her heart, and now Ruby, someone who was just like her was by her side. Not only that, her fellow first years in Yohane and Hanamaru believed in the two of them and that they could do what they needed to do. That struggle to find that strength and prove it to the world was seen by those students that Leah had avoided all that time. As they told her, Saint Snow itself wasn’t alone in their struggle. They were the pride of their school, and every member of their student body was by their side believing in them with all of their hearts. They always wanted to be with Leah and Sarah and admired how hard they fought to represent that school in Hokkaido. She was never going to be alone, so she didn’t need to be afraid. In the performance of Awaken the Power, this is shown quite literally by the rest of Aqours rushing to their side, only learning the choreography in time because Yohane and Hanamaru told them what they were up to, as well as Chika believing in them without any doubt, responding to Ruby and Leah’s efforts by giving them all the support they needed. As long as she tried her best, there would be hope. Their older sisters could leave knowing that they would try their hardest and use the power that they gave them to run to the future.
It’s from this point on that the relationship between Ruby and Leah, and furthermore Saint Snow and Aqours, became not that of enemies but those of two rivals pushing each other together to the future. They worked together to improve Aqours’ skills as they advanced to the Love Live! Finals, and through their efforts they were able to achieve the victory that Aqours strongly desired. But it’s in episode 10 that Saint Snow discovered that Aqours’ victory wasn’t complete. Even though they advanced to the finals, they still failed. They were never that different from the start.
Highlighted even further when Leah’s efforts to fight alone was shown to be all for nought.
Saint Snow’s role in Over the Rainbow is believed to be nothing but a tacked-on B-plot that, while being nice to have, is not necessary to the point of the story. But consider again that their role is to be parallel to that of Aqours, and for Aqours to find the answer to what it means to advance into the future when three of their nine members would never return, we have to see someone else struggling in that same regard. While Leah was trying her best on her own, she wasn’t able to get people that were able to sympathize with her dreams and try as hard as her, mirroring Nico in School Idol Project. She found herself alone again, and even though she believed in the power her sister gave her, she still had doubts that her efforts even meant anything.
At the same time, we see that Ruby is realizing that she needs to put the promise that she made to Dia into action. She was going to be stronger than she was before and actually take steps to be independent, but more evident is that she realized that her sister was never really going to be gone. The new Aqours wasn’t the loss of their third years, but simply a new wave that had to evolve differently from those that came before them, but this time together. In that notion is this idea to not just believe in the power that was given to you by someone else, but in the power that you grew yourself. After all, the reason why being a school idol is so fun is because they were trying their best with all of their effort with their own unique love and goals. They were fighting with all they had to show the world that everything they are, love and believe in was right. What’s fun for every person is such because it’s something they put their stock into with every force of their will, and those feelings would never go away.
Leah’s problem was that she blamed herself for Saint Snow’s failure. It was her fault that her sister’s dream was destroyed. With her own selfish hands, she smashed their hope and pride. But a failure isn’t the end. To start from zero is merely the starting point, and nothing that happened would ever go away. You won’t ever be truly alone. Leah had every single person that pushed her along the way, so that failure and guilt shouldn’t hold her back. That final performance between Aqours and Saint Snow was now a declaration of these things. Aqours performed Brightest Melody, a song that spoke of that shine they had in that moment never going away and the excitement they felt going forward into the future. It was the culmination of everything Aqours’ second wave was, and if Saint Snow is their parallel, then we can see this even moreso.
SELF-CONTROL was a song of desperation that spoke of wanting power, praise and resolve that they didn’t believe they had but desperately desired. DROPOUT was a song that spoke of an impending failure that would rip away victory from their hands. Awaken the Power was a song that was formed by the two groups coming together through the efforts of Ruby and Leah, proclaiming that they would awaken this power within themselves they didn’t know they had. But all three of those songs spoke of a desire, a want for power they didn’t have, and while Awaken the Power was the first step, Aqours and Saint Snow were great not because they worked together, but that they pushed each other as two rivals opposing one another. So their final advancement into the future wouldn’t be as one group, but as the two groups that inspired each other to be better than who they were, fulfilling their promise to engage in one final showdown. And as such, Saint Snow’s final song was Believe again.
I know I won’t ever be alone in my dreams Go!!
While you are lost Ready? Go!
Finally you’ve started to see?
That light that will never disappear inside you (That’s right!)
No matter where you go because, those wings that you have that are called hope so Fly high
If you ask to be given strength
Be prepared to be given also weakness (My fault!)
We have no time to waste, Our dreams may escape our reach
So, it’s time to be reborn!
It’s a song that speaks of one believing not in any power given to them by someone else, but solely in the power they have within. It’s to know that even though you are weak and failure might reach you, you still have to hold onto everything you have because that is your strength. You have to believe in who you are because you aren’t a failure. You aren’t weak. You have the power to achieve your dreams so long as that belief is in your heart. Being a school idol is a journey that never ends, and even though Sarah was gone, Leah would never be alone, nor would she be weak. Not because of the power that her sister gave her, not because of her school and not because of Ruby who supported her. It would be everything that formed who she was. And fittingly, this scene ends with the symbol of a school idol’s beliefs and love embodied flying by Leah, colored in their signature purple.
I want to look back briefly to a song that also symbolized the snow.
When μ’s won the Love Live semifinals, it was with a song that symbolized their love. It was their love they expressed to those who gave them love; mutual feelings shared between school idol and supporter. But it was also a song that was performed in the face of a blizzard, a wall that blocked μ’s path. They fought through desperation with their own power, and by doing so connected with the hearts of others who saw those honest feelings reaching out. It also signalled that, as the snow would eventually melt and only last for a moment, their feelings would never go away. Love Live! Sunshine!! is a story of failure, but also the determination to fight past it. Saint Snow’s journey is completely necessary to understand Aqours, for in seeing them fall and rise with all of their determination, we see that which pushed Aqours to do what they needed to do. At the start, Saint Snow wanted to win and be more than who they were yet that still wasn’t enough. In their attempts to stand by the group they originally sent back to zero, they ended up falling believing that they failed where Aqours succeeded, their dreams and hopes crushed. But by working together they were able to realize that they didn’t need to be held back by failure, and in challenging one another once again, they gained the power to move towards the future with their own strength regardless of anything that might stand in their way. Their power is the will to overcome, and realize that one failure will never be the end of their dreams. It’s so fitting that Leah and Sarah named the group that housed their feelings and determination “Saint Snow.” It’s a prayer for their dreams to come true based on a promise made within the snow. It was a bond formed between two that could only exist in that moment, but not one that signalled the end of their journey if it melted and disappeared. The original Saint Snow was only one snowflake that could never be imitated, but just because that’s the truth doesn’t mean you can’t find another.
This is Saint Snow, the shining rivals that showed the world the power to believe again.
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