Love Live! Sunshine!!

Love Live! Sunshine!! was produced by the animation studio Sunrise and first aired in 2016 as a direct successor to the multimedia phenomenon Love Live! School Idol Project. The series follows the story of Chika Takami and her group, Aqours, as they strive to become school idols to save their seaside hometown of Uchiura from being consolidated. The production was part of a broader strategy by the Dengeki G's Magazine, Lantis, and Sunrise collaborative project to maintain the momentum of the franchise through new characters and an expanded narrative scope.

The series design was helmed by character designer Yuhei Murota, who aimed to preserve the aesthetic language of the original franchise while giving the members of Aqours distinct, lively features that reflected their coastal setting. Upon its release, the show was well received for its high production values and emotional resonance, successfully establishing its own identity within the crowded landscape of music-themed anime. It remains a staple of the modern idol subgenre, noted for its significant impact on regional tourism in Numazu, Japan.