KeKa

KeKa (クーカー) is the third episode of the ''Love Live! Superstar!!'' anime series. It aired on August 8, 2021.

Summary
Keke requests Kanon to sing their song, but Kanon's fear to sing to the crowd has stopped her to do that. Chisato and Keke try different ways to relieve Kanon's fear, but were unable to do so. So Keke suggest she will try do the singing herself while Kanon focus on dancing. Before leaving, Kanon gets word from Keke and Chisato that Sunny Passion will be joining the competiton, then realize they may not be able to attain first place. After some talks, Chisato leaves, but Keke stops and asks if she considered of becoming a school idol. She replies that she wants to focus on dancing. Keke comes back to Kanon, where she says she doesn't want to hold Keke back from her dream and cries. Keke comforts her and still wishes to stand on the stage with Kanon nonetheless to fulfill her goal. Kanon cheered up and resolve to help make the best of their performance together. The day of the festival arrives and Kanon and Keke take the stage. Before the song starts, Kanon overheard Keke becoming as nervous as her. Elsewhere, Sumire accidentally stumbles on wires and cut off the lights, causing the two girls to become more nervous. So Chisato comes up to inspire them with light sticks alongside everyone. With their confidence renewed, Kanon and Keke begin singing at the cue of Sumire restoring power. They end with an ovation from the crowd. In the end, Sunny Passion won the festival, but Kanon and Keke receive a special "newcomer's award" as a milestone, and Kanon doesn't regret performing with Keke as a friend.

Cast

 * Japanese
 * Sayuri Date as Kanon Shibuya
 * Liyuu as Keke Tang
 * Nako Misaki as Chisato Arashi
 * Naomi Payton as Sumire Heanna
 * Nagisa Aoyama as Ren Hazuki
 * Akane Matsunaga as Aria Shibuya
 * Mamiko Noto as Kanon's mother
 * Yuna Yuuki as Mao Hiiragi
 * Chihaya Yoshitake as Yuna Hijirisawa
 * English
 * Kristi Rothrock as Kanon Shibuya
 * Julia Gu as Keke Tang
 * Maddie Matsumoto as Chisato Arashi
 * Lizzie Freeman as Sumire Heanna
 * Natalie Van Sistine as Ren Hazuki
 * Cat Protano as Aria Shibuya
 * Luci Christian as Kanon's mother
 * Corey Pettit as Mao Hiiragi
 * Dani Chambers as Yuna Hijirisawa

Notes & Trivia

 * NHK-E broadcast exclusive End Card: Kanon Shibuya & Keke Tang
 * This episode...
 * Is originally scheduled to air on July 25, 2021, before it was delayed to August 8 due to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 being aired in NHK.
 * Indirectly celebrates Setsuna Yuki's birthday in 2021, and Rikako Aida's 29th birthday.
 * Chisato's photo of Manmaru before taking photos of Kanon is actually taken from Manmaru's first appearance in This Yet Unknown Feeling.
 * The BiliBili broadcast version had the scene of Keke praying to the large portrait of Sunny Passion edited. The reason for this edit is unknown, while the Chinese fans generally believe that this was due to the fact that the fans in Shanghai prayed to the Love Live!-themed subway carts back in 2015.
 * Keke's unnamed older sister was revealed here.

Callbacks to previous Love Live! series

 * Continuing the tradition, Sumire wore glasses during her sneaky observation, though she lacks the mask compared to previous three characters.
 * To First Step: Both Kanon and Keke's performance was temporarily halted by a power outage, though it happened before they would even sing.
 * While Dia is secretly hooking up a backup generator to fix the sudden power outage during Aqours' performance, Sumire indirectly caused the outage from tripping one of the cables before she was able to connect them back.
 * Like Dia, Ren is the second School Council President character to overhear Kanon and Keke's performance from behind the wall.

Continuity Notes

 * During their conversations at Kanon's room, Keke recalls the moment Kanon sings in front of her from the first episode.
 * Keke improved her training since she started practicing hard from the last episode.

Errors & Goofs

 * 04:57 Mistimed frames on the reflections.
 * 08:37 Background characters near the board swapped.
 * 09:01 A background female who walks behind Kanon changed its dress.
 * 15:14 Lightning effects weren't filtered on them.
 * 17:23 Sumire's hand doesn't overlap the board she's holding at.
 * 19:10 Night sky appears static.

Changes in the BD/DVD Release

 * 15:08 Kanon and Keke were moved to the center.