So, I’ve talked at length about this topic and how much I appreciate it, and I had thought about turning it into a multi-part write-up. I’ve finally decided to do it, so I’ll re-iterate the way I started my last one:
I absolutely love the sound direction in Love Live
As I’ve continued along with my rewatch, I’ve continued to notice more and more tracks that I absolutely love from this show’s soundtrack, both from the quality of the individual tracks and then how those tracks are used within the show. Love Live has a way of precisely conveying the emotions it’s looking to capture in each of it’s pieces and this really shows in how these songs are used within the show. I’m going to go again with the same type of format I used before, linking individual tracks and talking about what it is I love in each of these tracks. (Once again, a big thanks to /u/Falthie for graciously hosting the links for these tracks)
Kanashimi no Yoru – Kanashimi is a track that I have grown to love a lot more since buying the first season’s OST and I’ve grown to realize what a subtle, spectacular piece it is on it’s own. The piano that overpowers the first part of the song carries such a somber tone, tinged with a feeling of regret and remorse. This makes the track itself absolutely beautiful. The low notes coming into provide a backing serve to push this somber feeling even more. Even sitting here listening to the track for this write-up cuts deep for me. The song itself pushes the feeling it wants to get across as well as possibly any piece I’ve listened to, from Love Live or otherwise, and it’s just a masterpiece of an OST track.
Kanashimi is one that many people likely recognize for a different scene (*cough cough train*) than the one I’m going to discuss here today, but I feel this is a scene where the song itself really powers the scene emotionally and lets this scene itself take on a new level of meaning. The scene I’m referring to comes to us from Season 2 Episode 5. The track begins when Eli calls Honoka telling her that Hanayo is to be the center for the group’s performance at the fashion show. Rin remarks on how cute the frilly dress looks on Hanayo and seems to take back her normal, cheery attitude. However, as Rin begins to leave the room, she looks back at Hanayo as the other girls begin to adjust the dress. With the scene zooming on Rin’s face, she carries in her expression a sense of regret, longing deep inside to be the one to wear it despite being too embarassed to let herself. With Rin thinking it doesn’t suit her, Hanayo is shown calling Honoka herself asking her about what to do and trying to decide what to do. Hanayo can see Rin’s inner struggle and wants to help her, but doesn’t really know how to herself. The somber tone of Kanashimi no Yoru carries through this scene very strongly, depicting Rin’s feelings of remorse and Hanayo’s unsureness on what to do about her closest friend feeling this way.
Hanayo no Ketsui – Another track likely better known for a different scene, namely the scene in Episode 4 where Hanayo and the other first-years initially join µ’s, there was a scene in Episode 5 of Season 2 where I thought this track was used spectacularly, despite the scene itself being focused more on Rin. Before we get into that, let’s look at the track itself. Ketsui starts off soft with the strings creating an intro into the piano itself. The piano, while being soft, serves to create a feeling to me of dreams becoming reality and the strings coming in serve to carry this further into a happy track with the feeling of victory and overcoming one’s greatest obstacle: themselves. Finally, with the woodwinds coming in, the track grows into a grand victorious melody with the sense of a new door being opened in front of you, with the strings and high woodwinds beckoning and calling to a new future lying just ahead.
As amazing as the song itself is, it becomes exponentially better when looked at in the context of the show. The example I’ve chosen to use today comes to us from the ending of Episode 5, with the fashion show arriving and Rin going to prepare for the concert. With Rin opening her curtain to reveal the dress, she turns to see the others dressed as grooms. With Rin questioning it, the others explain how they had practiced with the intention of Rin being the center. As the piano kicks in, Hanayo comes forward and talks to Rin personally. She tells how she thought about how Rin felt and accepted the position because of Rin’s distress. However, Hanayo calls back to when she joined µ’s and Rin gave her a push to join, and Hanayo wants to do the same for Rin. With Hanayo beginning to say how everyone thinks Rin is cute, the strings begin to pick in and Hanayo reinforces how cute she thinks Rin is and how the rest of the group thinks she’s the girliest as well. Maki then says that the outfit suits Rin the best and both first years give Rin the push. The strings themselves pick up when Rin finally looks at the dress and accepts wearing it, before stepping out on stage. The victorious sound of the track fits perfectly with Rin’s personal victory and conquering her own inner struggle to finally embrace her girly side.
Nozomi no Mune no Uchi – Another sad, somber piece comes to us when looking at Nozomi’s past. This piece is one that I really didn’t notice as much on my first watch, but it really is a beautiful track. So, let’s do as with the others and take a look at the track itself. The woodwinds and soft strings open up the song with a sad, melancholic feel, an atmosphere that rings to me with a feeling of loneliness and desire to connect with others while being unable to. The piano continues to push this feel and the flutes pick up, continuing to stress the somber tone that the song begins with. However, as the song begins to pick up, soft strings begin to pick up and the backing strings begin to change their melody. As the song picks into it’s conclusion, it takes on an entirely different feel with the scales of the flute and the strong strings giving it a whimsical feel and the sense of the fulfillment of the first part of the song, the loneliness of the early parts of the song is cast off and replaced with a fuller, more complete sound.
While the track itself is incredible and I could go on for a while about just the music, I really want to stress how well this song fits it’s scene within the show perfectly. This track comes to us in Episode 8 of Season 2 with the track’s title girl, Nozomi, and her backstory. With Maki in Nozomi’s apartment, Nozomi comments on how µ’s as a group itself is her miracle. The track picks up with Nozomi’s introduction as an elementary schooler, moving around constantly and never really making friends. The lonely feeling of the woodwinds and strings in the early part of the song resonate with Nozomi’s feeling of loneliness, never being able to make friends at school. Progressing through the scene, the piano itself begins with Nozomi seeing Eli for the first time and realizing there’s someone like her out there, finally deciding to try talking to Eli and make friends with her. Moving forward, the strings start to change tone as she notices the other girls who would eventually become members of µ’s around the school. The strings finally break into the final portion of the song with reminiscence of the performance of START:DASH!! and moving into the formation of µ’s. With this transformation of the track within the scene, Nozomi is finally able to cast off the life of loneliness she had always known before and embrace a new adventure with new friends, finally cutting back to the apartment with the reflection of young Nozomi in the tea showing a smile. Nozomi looks TO BE on the verge of tears as she realizes how it is that µ’s has changed her life and given her new friends that she never had before, achieving her one wish.
Seitokai no Oshigoto – Seitokai is a special piece for this write-up because I feel it was perfectly used in more than one scene and for completely different reasons. Starting with just the sound of the song, the woodwinds that carry over serving as the melody during the first part of the song work perfectly to create the feel that the song is going for. It’s a soft, humble feel that carries with it a feeling of softspoken pride and a sense of everything being left in the right hands. This feeling grows as the song progresses into bombastic, powerful strings that move the song into a full-on display of success and prideful passing, with soft piano carrying into a soft, melancholy, and yet, at the same time, satisfying mood. While I could go on about how good this song is from a musical standpoint, I want to talk about two moments this track was used during Love Live and how well the song works in these scenes.
For our first scene, we go to Episode 7 of Season 2 and Eli worrying about the second years handling the Student Council work on their own. The piece picks up slowly with the high woodwinds as Eli questions if the three girls will be alright handling the student council on their own, to which Nozomi dispels these doubts. Nozomi reminds Eli that the girls will have to fend for themselves after the third years have graduated. Where this song really picks up though and captures the scene is when the low woodwinds come into play as that is when the scene transitions to Honoka, Kotori, and Umi in the student council room. The track here captures the togetherness and bond shared by the second years, as pointed out in the Love Live rewatch by Falthie. The track and scene both depict the girls working hard together and the strings pick up when the girls enter into the last leg of their work and pick it up, with the closing piano coming before the start of the student council meeting. The song flows incredibly well with the transitions of the scene, flawlessly bouncing from one set of characters to the other, and the music makes this transition seamless. It seems to capture perfectly the worry felt by Eli, moving into the determined attitude and hardwork being put in by the second years, finally ending with the questioning by Hanayo and Maki.
This track works again in a much different way in Episode 9 of Season 2, picking up when Cotaro shows Nico the snowmen he made of µ’s. The high woodwinds here work perfectly for expressing the sweet, loving scene between Nico and her younger siblings. Nico is overcome with pride and joy inside from her younger brother’s present, eventually leading into Nozomi and Eli arriving to walk to the venue with Nico. The low woodwinds here work to show the bond Nico has developed with her fellow third years over the course of the show, agreeing to walk with them and going as far as to even invite them in to her apartment, which Nico never would have done before. The strings finally pick up with Honoka, Umi, and Kotori preparing for the student council’s presentation and their confidence therein. This piece, to me, is one of the shining examples of the show’s OST because of how well it is used in multiple scenes.
In conclusion, I have this to say: Love Live has an absolutely spectacular soundtrack. Further than that, Love Live is shown over the course of the series to have fantastic sound direction, with each song being used within the series coming at a time where the track matches perfectly with the emotion it carries. While I may have used fewer tracks in this write-up than the last one, I felt like these were some of the most powerful tracks out of the entire soundtrack and served the best to capture the emotion they aspired to achieve. I don’t know that I’ve ever found a series where I felt so strongly about the sound direction throughout and how well I feel it is executed. Love Live cuts to the pinnacle of music anime for me by moving past the threshold of having quality insert songs, but by also knowing exactly how to use it’s backing tracks and how to make each moment of musical direction within the show meaningful.
lordtakuro 