Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club

Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club is a Japanese multimedia spin-off project from the Love Live! series and its game series Love Live! School Idol Festival. It was first introduced in 2017 as "Perfect Dream Project" and was initially created as part of the game Love Live! School Idol Festival All Stars. Unlike μ's and Aqours, the previous groups from the franchise, they are a group of individual school idols who compete with each other while working together to keep their school idol club alive. Together, they are referred as the Nijigasaki High School Idol Club.
They are featured in the spin-off game Love Live! School Idol Festival All Stars along with μ's and Aqours. They also appear as SR rarity cards in Love Live! School Idol Festival. The girls were initially split up into groups of three to begin activities in three different apps before their addition to the game: Dengeki Online website (Kasumi, Karin, Setsuna), Famitsu App website (Ayumu, Ai, Rina), and the game's official website (Emma, Shizuku, Kanata). Each place is working as a separate room or branch office for the Nijigasaki High School. Later, they were officially split into three subunits: DiverDiva, A・Zu・Na, and Qu4rtz.
An anime television series adaptation by Sunrise (credited as its parent company Bandai Namco Filmworks since Season 2) aired from October to December 2020. A second season aired from April to June 2022. An anime television series adaptation of the spin-off manga Nijiyon: Love Live! Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Dōkōkai Yon-Koma, titled Nijiyon Animation, aired from January to March 2023. A second season aired from April to June 2024. An original video animation episode, Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club Next Sky, was released theatrically in Japan in June 2023. A trilogy of theatrical films will serve as the anime's finale; the first film was released in September 2024, while the second film is set to be released in November 2025.
Nijigasaki High School (虹ヶ咲学園, Nijigasaki Gakuen) is a large academy located in Odaiba, Tokyo. The school is popular for its free school style and diverse majors. The story centers on the members of the school idol club in Nijigasaki, who work together as solo idols and their attempt to prevent the club from being abolished. As the story progresses, more girls begin to participate in the club's activities.
Where appropriate, plot descriptions mentioned below refer to the story in Love Live! School Idol Festival All Stars. Other parts of the franchise, such as the manga and animation series, feature some variations in the storyline.
The anime television series is animated by Sunrise and directed by Tomoyuki Kawamura, with Jin Tanaka handling series composition and Takumi Yokota designing the characters. A public vote was held to decide the name of one of the anime's characters, Yu Takasaki, who is voiced by Hinaki Yano and based on the player character in the game. The 13-episode anime aired from October 3 to December 26, 2020 on Tokyo MX, SUN, and KBS, October 4 on BS11, and October 6 on region-exclusive channels. It was also streamed live through the Bandai Channel, Line Live, and YouTube Live. Odex licensed the anime in Southeast Asian territories excluding Thailand, where it is licensed by Dream Express (DEX). Funimation streamed the series and streams it on their website in North America, and on AnimeLab in Australia and New Zealand. Nijigasaki High School Idol Club performed both the opening and ending themes, respectively titled "Nijiiro Passions!" (虹色Passions!) and "Neo Sky, Neo Map!".
During the group's 3rd live concert at the MetLife Dome on May 9, 2021, a second season was announced. The main cast and staff of the first season reprised their roles. It aired from April 2 to June 25, 2022. Nijigasaki High School Idol Club, now along with new members Shioriko, Mia, and Lanzhu, returns to perform both the opening and ending themes, titled "Colorful Dreams! Colorful Smiles!" and "Yume ga Bokura no Taiyō sa" (夢が僕らの太陽さ) respectively.
During the Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club 5th Live! Where Rainbows Bloom concert on September 18, 2022, an anime television series adaptation of the spin-off four-panel manga Nijiyon: Love Live! Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Dōkōkai Yon-Koma was announced. Titled Nijiyon Animation and directed by Yūya Horiuchi, it aired from January 6 to March 24, 2023, on Tokyo MX and BS11. The group, along with Yu Takasaki, will sing the opening song titled "What You Gonna Do" (わちゅごなどぅー, Wachugonadu). During the "Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club 6th Live! I love You ⇆ You love Me" live concert, a second season was announced and it aired from April 5 to June 21, 2024.
During the live-streamed special for the Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club project on November 24, 2022, an original video animation episode for the main anime series was announced. Titled Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club Next Sky, the OVA premiered in Japanese theaters on June 23, 2023, with the main cast and staff from the series reprising their roles. On the same day as the OVA's release, a three-part series of animated theatrical films was announced, with the first film in the trilogy released on September 6, 2024. The main cast and staff from the series are once again reprising their roles, with the film series serving as the anime's finale. The second film is set to be released on November 7, 2025.
Nijigasaki High School Idol Club initially debuted with a nine-member lineup in 2018, consisting of Ayumu, Kasumi, Shizuku, Karin, Ai, Kanata, Setsuna, Emma, and Rina. In 2020, Shioriko joined the group, while members Mia and Lanzhu would follow in 2021. Yu, who is a member of the club but not the idol group, also occasionally participates in group releases and events.
The first nine members of Nijigasaki High School Idol Club were split into three subunits of two, three, and four members. A fourth subunit featuring the last three members to join would later follow. These four subunits are: DiverDiva (Karin and Ai), A・Zu・Na (Ayumu, Shizuku, and Setsuna), Qu4rtz (pronounced "Quartz"; Kasumi, Kanata, Emma, and Rina), and R3birth (pronounced "Rebirth"; Shioriko, Mia, and Lanzhu).