Love Live! Superstar!! - What We Know So Far

The "Love Live!" franchise is set to expand with the addition of a new anime spinoff show, titled "Love Live! Superstar!!". The "Love Live!" franchise began more than a decade ago, with the premiere of "Love Live! School Idol Project," which followed a group of nine Japanese teenage girls who form a pop group to save their school from shutting down. The 13-episode 2010 anime series fit neatly into the popular anime genre of idol anime. In this particular genre, idol characters are introduced as triple threat performers who can sing, dance, and act. Their styles, likes, dislikes, and character histories are carefully manufactured so they all appear to be part of the same group while also bringing their own individual flare to the forefront. This allows viewers to get invested in characters they identify with while also engaging with the entire cast.

The release of "Love Live! School Idol Project" has led to additional anime spinoff shows "Love Live! Sunshine!!" and "Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club," as well as two anime movies, manga, light novels, and the upcoming "Love Live! Superstar!!" spinoff. The voice cast of "Love Live! Superstar!!" includes Sayuri Date, Liyuu, Cape Nako, Naomi Payton, and Nagisa Aoyama. The new series comes from the animation studio Sunrise, who has overseen previous "Love Live!" spinoffs. Per Anime News Network, Takahiko Kyōgoku, the director of the original "Love Live! School Idol Project," will return with "Love Live! School Idol Project" and "Love Live! Sunshine!!" writer Jukki Hanada. Atsushi Saito ("Black Fox") is also adapting character designer Yūhei Murota's original work.

Here's what else we know about "Love Live! Superstar!!" including the release date, characters, and plot.

In May, the official Twitter for "Love Live! Superstar!!" announced the new series would premiere on Sunday, July 11, at 7 p.m. JST on public broadcaster NHK's E-tele channel. For U.S. viewers looking forward to watching the next chapter of "Love Live!" kick off, they'll have to factor in the 13- to 16-hour time difference if they want to stream the premiere. For viewers tuning in from the East Coast, they'll be able to watching "Love Live! Superstar!!" at 6 a.m. As for those folks watching from the West Coast, you might want to bank some sleep time well in advance of the premiere, because you'll have to wake up at 3 a.m. to watch the premiere episode. 

Currently, no plans have been announced to release "Love Live! Superstar!!" directly to U.S. and/or North American audiences. This means if you're looking forward to watching, you won't be able to rely on popular anime streamers like Crunchyroll for the premiere. Viewers may have to do a bit of Googling to find the safest way to access NHK's E-tele channel for the premiere, but we advise doing so at your own discretion.

The music group at the center of "Love Live! Superstar!!" is smaller than the groups featured in other franchises. While previous school idol groups featured nine members in a group, the core "Love Live! Superstar!!" cast will follow five school girls attending high school in Tokyo. The official "Love Live! Superstar!! website details those five girls. 

Kanon Shibuya is a shy girl with a passion for singing who longs to make her mark at school. Tang Keke has recently moved from Shanghai back to Japan and hopes to become a school idol. Chisato Arashi is Kanon's high-energy childhood friend who specializes in breakdancing. Sumire Heanna is already a famous online streamer who has been in show business since she was a child, and Ren Hazuki is the daughter of the founder of her high school and a student council member who is more formal than other girls. Together, these five girls will form the school idol group Liella.

Generally speaking, the plot of "Love Live! Superstar!!" is structured similarly to previous installments of the "Love Live!" franchise, with the common element of the formation of a school idol group once again anchoring the series. The "Love Live! Superstar!!" website includes a brief description of the plot of the upcoming show. Per the site, the new "Love Live!" franchise installment will follow five female students who attend the newly reopened Private Yuigaoka Girls High School, located between the Omotesando, Harajuku, and Aoyama neighborhoods of Tokyo. 

These five girls — Kanon, Tang, Chisato, Sumire, and Ren — will form a school idol group known as Liella. The members of Liella will experience fame thanks to their pop stardom, but what lies ahead for the group is unknown. Details are slim on what the members of Liella will experience as they form their school idol group, but even so, when has any anime series ever been boring?