Summer Begins.

Summer Begins. (夏、はじまる.) is the tenth episode of the ''Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club'' anime series. It was aired on December 5, 2020.

Cast

 * Hinaki Yano as Yu Takasaki
 * Aguri Onishi as Ayumu Uehara
 * Mayu Sagara as Kasumi Nakasu
 * Kaori Maeda as Shizuku Osaka
 * Miyu Kubota as Karin Asaka
 * Natsumi Murakami as Ai Miyashita
 * Akari Kito as Kanata Konoe
 * Tomori Kusunoki as Setsuna Yuki
 * Maria Sashide as Emma Verde
 * Chiemi Tanaka as Rina Tennoji

Trivia

 * The Yu Takasaki-themed end card featured in the international streaming version is newly drawn.
 * Setsuna's unusual purple-colored stew is a reference to the "I'm Proud of This Fresh Creation!" illustrated still in Love Live! School Idol Festival ALL STARS.
 * Unlike Ruby and possibly Hanayo, neither Rina nor Yu actually fainted from eating it. (the latter was unaffected thanks to Kanata's meddling)
 * The friendship conflict between Yu, Setsuna, and Ayumu has been indirectly foreshadowed by this visual, where three of them held hands.
 * The swimwear worn by the Nijigasaki school idols were adapted swimwear designs from Love Live! ALL STARS chapters 18 and 19.

Callbacks to previous Love Live! series

 * This episode shares the series gag of the tenth episode being the summer episode. At the same time this episode makes references to similar events that took place in those episodes:
 * This episode has many narrative similarities with "We've Got Stewshine": both are summer episodes, involves club activities, and starts to develop friendship conflicts between the second year students (in that case, between Yu, Ayumu, and Setsuna).
 * Setsuna leaving Kasumi unconscious with a pillow throw is similar to what Umi did to Nico, Honoka and Eli in the episode "No Upperclassmen Allowed!"
 * Ayumu declaring that she'll stay with Yu forever (with the latter responding that "Granny Ayumu" will look over her) is a reference to You Watanabe and Chika Takami's conversation in Uranohoshi Girls High School.
 * Shizuku's Zombie-like makeup is a nod to her acting as one in the 8th chapter of the Nijiyon Season 3 4komas.

Continuity Notes

 * Ayumu's declaration of staying with Yu forever is a callback to Yu's vow to her in The First Thrill.
 * Yu's proficiency of playing a piano has been improved since Shout Out Your Love.

Errors & Goofs

 * At 12:24, Yu's printed shirt is missing.
 * Between 12:30 and 12:42. Ayumu and Yu swapped positions.