Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie Over The Rainbow

"Love Live Sunshine! The School Idol Movie Over The Rainbow" is an animated motion picture from the ''Love Live! Sunshine!! anime series, announced as part of "Aqours Hop! Step! Jump! Project"''. The movie premiered on January 4, 2019. The Blu-ray disc was released on July 26, 2019. The North American Blu-ray was released by Funimation on February 25, 2020.

Summary
Several years ago, a young Chika and You were playing on the beach when they came across a young Riko looking out to sea. The next scene picks up from the series finale ("Bokura no Hashittekita Michi wa…").

Following the closure of Uranohoshi Girls' High School, the members of Aqours vow to continue with just the six of them. On a search for a new place to practice, they visited their new school in the Numazu suburbs, only to see it in a decrepit state. As they gather in a nearby cafe to discuss their situation, they notice You talking to someone outside. The girls follow the pair in secrecy until Yoshiko blows their cover. You introduces them to the stranger, who turns out to be her first cousin Tsuki.

Tsuki, a student at the new school, explains that the transferees were being put in the so-called "branch school" for the meantime. In the main school, students were worried that the sudden influx would make its competitive clubs sluggish and the school's prestige lost. To help allay the students' fears, Aqours holds a live show but commits a basic mistake that makes them think about the group's future. That night, Chika and Riko agree to work hard for a live show that will reach out to those who misunderstand them.

The next day, the girls practice at the beach when Sarah and Leah, at Chika's invitation, dropped by. Upon being asked to watch their performance, Sarah is dismayed at how Aqours has languished since the third-years--Dia, Mari, and Kanan--graduated. Then, an enraged Leah lashes out at them. with Sarah explaining that her efforts to start a new school idol group hasn't gone as she hoped. Suddenly, a familiar helicopter makes a low flyby, knocking everyone on the ground. However, the passenger isn't Mari but her mother.

At the Awashima Hotel, Mari's mother informs the girls that the third-years have gone missing during their post-graduation trip in Italy. Sarah urges Aqours to go, believing that talking to the third years will help them reach closure. Unknown to them, Mari's mother's wry smile hides her true intentions for sending them.

With Tsuki--who grew up in Italy--as their guide, Aqours makes their first stop in Venice based on a photo of a canal where the third-years last went. A mysterious call from a nearby phone booth soon leads them to the Contarini del Bovolo, where they reunite with the third-years. Their reunion is cut short when a group of tourists identify the third-years from the poster. Mari throws a uniform off the building, prompting You and Tsuki to jump off to catch it. Chika and the girls catch them just in time, but the third-years use the confusion to escape ("Tousou Meisou Mobius Loop"). Inside the uniform, however, You finds a card with a message in Italian, presumably written by Mari: "When Yohane looks upon the land that she protects, the fairies will lead the way."

With "Yohane" referring to Saint Giovanni, the group later travels to Florence. They follow a purple flash seen from the Florence Cathedral's cupola to the third-years hideout, a mansion owned by a friend of Mari. Gathering once more, the third-years reveal that Mari is getting married; in doing so, Mari's mother would take away her daughter's freedom and keep her away from Dia and Kanan. Mari's mother eventually tracks them down and a confrontation ensues. Mari vehemently insists that her time spent as a school idol wasn't a waste of time and sets out to prove it. Several days later, they perform at the Spanish steps in Rome to a sizeable crowd ("Hop? Stop? Nonstop!"). Seeing her daughter's resolve, Mari's mother finally admits defeat and leaves.

As a full nine, Aqours returns to Japan. At Mutsu and company's request, they went to the decrepit school to discuss the details of Aqours' upcoming live show. Yoshiko's middle-school friends, also ardent followers of Yohane, from the main school express their intent to help. That night, Chika receives a call from Kanan.

The next day, Kanan learns through Sarah about Leah's plan to join Aqours in time for the school opening. Initially, the members welcome the decision but Ruby protests believing that it's not what Leah really wants. Ruby reminds them of the time Leah promised to start a new group after Saint Snow's disbandment. They plan a joint live show, "the final round of Love Live," via livestream to help rekindle Leah's fire. The Kazuno sisters perform as Saint Snow one last time ("Believe again") with Aqours watching from Numazu; and Aqours performs as a group of nine one last time ("Brightest Melody") with Saint Snow watching from Hakodate. Inspired by the radiance of the school idols, Tsuki shares the livestream on the Internet.

With less than two weeks before the big show, the Uranohoshi students get to work preparing the stage and performance ("Kiseki Hikaru"). Soon, Tsuki leads her schoolmates, once distrustful of the transferees but inspired by the livestream, to help with the final leg of the preparations. Heading home, Aqours meets up with the third-years, who agree to stay for the first half of the show. Together, they make an impromptu visit to their old school.

On the day, the performance is attended by thousands, including the main school's students and their parents. A third of the way into their song ("Next SPARKLING!!"), the third-years leave. In a series of in-credit insets, Leah continues recruiting members for her new group and the dilapidated school is finally closed, with the Uranohoshi students integrated into the main school.

In a post-credits scene, a group of girls gather at the beach discussing the concert in Numazu that they had watched recently. One of them asked what was the name of that group that performed and one girl answered written in sand: "Aqours,"

Cast

 * Japanese
 * Anju Inami as Chika Takami
 * Rikako Aida as Riko Sakurauchi
 * Nanaka Suwa as Kanan Matsuura
 * Arisa Komiya as Dia Kurosawa
 * Shuka Saito as You Watanabe
 * Aika Kobayashi as Yoshiko Tsushima
 * Kanako Takatsuki as Hanamaru Kunikida
 * Aina Suzuki as Mari Ohara
 * Ai Furihata as Ruby Kurosawa
 * Asami Tano as Sarah Kazuno
 * Hinata Sato as Leah Kazuno
 * Tomoyo Kurosawa as Tsuki Watanabe
 * Akiko Yajima as Mari Ohara's mother


 * English
 * Jad Saxton as Chika Takami
 * Jeanie Tirado as Riko Sakurauchi
 * Michelle Rojas as Kanan Matsuura
 * Morgan Garrett as Dia Kurosawa
 * Apphia Yu as You Watanabe
 * Morgan Berry as Yoshiko Tsushima
 * Megan Shipman as Hanamaru Kunikida
 * Jamie Marchi as Mari Ohara
 * Sarah Wiedenheft as Ruby Kurosawa
 * Trina Nishimura as Sarah Kazuno
 * Amber Lee Connors as Leah Kazuno
 * Emi Lo as Tsuki Watanabe
 * Lydia Mackay as Mari Ohara's mother

Notes & Trivia

 * This is the 2nd motion feature in the Love Live! franchise.
 * Prior to the release of the movie, Tsuki did not appear or even mentioned in any of the previous media.
 * Several of the locations in this movie is based on real-life locations:
 * The place where Aqours dance is Piazza di Spagna, one of the most famous squares in Rome.
 * The decrepit school that the 2nd and 1st years transferred to are based on a Storage Facility building located at Numazu.
 * This film marks the first full appearance of Mari Ohara's mother and the first and only appearance of Tsuki in the Anime timeline.
 * The film features a different origin for Riko: In the manga, she is first transferred to Uranohoshi High School for the first time as her father went to work here. In this film, a younger Riko made an appearance during Chika and You's childhood flashback, though a scene in the third act turns out to be one of the imaginary sequences of Aqours' younger selves.
 * The camera that Tsuki wields is able to film an 8K resolution video, which is similar to the FDR-AX45 Professional Camcorder manufactured by Sony.
 * The Rhododendron Flowers seen in the Hop? Stop? Nonstop! segment is used as gifts for Mother's Day in Italian countries in real life. In that case, Mari standing beside the flowers while singing to represent her actual feelings to her mother, complete with the petals flying forward, solidifying the fact that Mari thanked her mother for her great care.
 * In the scene where Riko is presenting Next Sparkling!! to Chika during the montage before the final performance of the film, the audience can see that the DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) on her Laptop is Avid Pro Tools.
 * The film also marks the very first and only cameos of the workers from various locations in Numazu, including a chef from the Shogetsu cafe.
 * According to Kazuo Sakai, the two girls that appear in the post-credits scene is meant to represent what could have been the two remaining applicants for Uranohoshi Girls High School.

Continuity Notes

 * A younger Chika and You made their reappearance since I Want to Shine!!. Likewise, a younger Riko also appears since Catch the Transfer Student!.
 * Aqours began to sing Bokura no Hashittekita Michi wa… after WONDERFUL STORIES in the second season's last Episode.
 * You recall their training as "going back to the beginning" as seen in First Step.
 * The shop that Aqours passed by (along with the same cat that the owner holds) is previously seen in Awaken the power.
 * The 2nd Years (Chika, Riko, and You) and the 1st Years (Ruby, Yoshiko, Hanamaru) are now transferred to a new school since Uranohoshi Girls' High School's closure in the final episode of the Second Season.
 * Mari took a trip to Italy since the reveal of her plan in Finding a Way to Shine.
 * Mari Ohara's mother reappears in full since her daughter's flashback in Finding a Way to Shine.
 * Chika refers to Dia with a "-chan" suffix since Don't Call Me Dia-san.
 * Mari's mother does a similar low-flying ability on her helicopter, as a callback to her daughter's in First Step.
 * Yoshiko points out Hanamaru's metabolism since the latter is seen eating a large amount of food in the Anime's two seasons.
 * During the nighttime sequence in Tousou Meisou Mobius Loop, The three girls' headbands are shaped after constellations: Ursa Major (Dia), Polaris (Kanan), and Cassiopeia (Mari). The third's headband is also a callback to younger Mari's stargazing chart in Finding a Way to Shine, as the Cassiopeia can be seen in the chart.
 * Mari's mother pointed out that her daughter's goal of being a School Idol as pointless in spite of her approval, which implies that she knew that her daughter (and her two friends) previously lost to Love Live! in Young DREAMER.
 * The three middle-school students from Yohane Descends re-appeared in this film. They're previously (and hypothetically) mentioned by Hanamaru in Let's Make a PV.
 * In the Third Years' flashback, Mari has already moved to the fifth floor since Finding a Way to Shine.
 * In the same flashback, a Third Year Mari runs away from home just to return to Numazu, before the events of First Step.
 * You wore her pair of glasses since Aye-aye, My Friend.
 * Prelude (Riko's pug) reappears since Our Own Radiance.
 * Hanamaru once again touches a laptop since Yohane Descends, this time it increases the speakers' volume.
 * Chika's father finally appears in full body since his partial appearance in Finding a Way to Shine and Sea of Light, though his face is still obstructed.
 * Likewise, You's mother also reappears since the latter episode, which also confirms the theory if one still speculates.
 * During Aqours' imagination of what if Leah joined Aqours, Yoshiko's vision of falling down is similar to Leah's failure in HAKODATE.

Errors & Goofs
italicized lines are from the Japanese theatrical release.


 * It is currently unclear if the meeting of a young Chika, You, and Riko actually happened in the past, as the near-end of the second half had all of the characters in their younger selves meeting each other.
 * Continuity Errors:
 * During the Next SPARKLING!! sequence, Chika's father wore his chef hat while cheering despite not wearing it during his full physical appearance.

Changes in the BD/DVD releases
EDITOR'S NOTE: Keep in mind that the changes below are from the comparison between the Japanese theatrical release (the camrip video is provided by an unknown source, but let's not go there) and the Blu-Ray/DVD home releases. Click "Expand" for a list of changes.
 * In 1:31:38, The mothers are redrawn, while an additional chef hat is added on Chika's father.
 * In 1:31:40, The two generics on the left side are removed.