Love Live! Superstar!!

The franchise announced a separate anime adaptation other than Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club in January 2020, which features a new set of characters who are all first year students in a new school that was once a demolished one. The school lies between the Omotesando, Harajuku, and Aoyama neighborhoods of Tokyo. In addition, an audition for one of the main cast was held on March 12, 2020, but was postponed due to COVID-19.[2] Atsushi Saitō serves as the character design adapting style of the series' original character designer Yūhei Murota.[3] The school name was decided through fans' votes and was concluded in May 2020 with Yuigaoka Girls High School (結ヶ丘女子高等学校, Yuigaoka Joshi Kōtō Gakkō). The main characters name was also announced: Kanon Shibuya, Tang Keke, Chisato Arashi, Sumire Heanna, and Ren Hazuki.[4]

The project's name, Love Live! Superstar!! was announced in July through the series' exclusive magazine Love Live! Days.[5] In September, the group's name, "Liella!" was also chosen through fans' votes.[6] The name was chosen among 16 options that fans could vote for.[3]The name "Liella!" comes from a combination from a French word "lier" which means "to connect", which is the same as Yui (結) in the school's name in Japanese, and "brilliante", which means an "inner glow". Behind the group's name lies the feelings of the hope that the small stars of today who have their own brilliance will become superstars someday.[7]

The cast of the five main characters was later revealed in December 2020: Sayuri Date, Liyuu, Nako Misaki, Naomi Payton, and Nagisa Aoyama. Date and Aoyama are the ones who passed the open audition that was held earlier in the year.[8][lower-alpha 2] The group's debut single, "Hajimari wa Kimi no Sora" (始まりは君の空) is scheduled to release on April 7, 2021. The single will include an animation PV and released in two versions—each with different B-sides: "Minna de Kanaeru Monogatari" (みんなで叶える物語) and "Watashi o Kanaeru Monogatari" (私を叶える物語).[9] It was announced during the casts' first livestream on January 30, 2020, that Liella!'s songs will be playable through Love Live! School Idol Festival and its spin-off game School Idol Festival All Stars as 2D exclusive songs.[10]

Where appropriate, plot descriptions mentioned below refer to the anime television series. Other parts of the franchise, such as the manga and novel series, feature some variations in the storyline.

Liella!

Group logo

Kanon Shibuya (澁谷 かのん, Shibuya Kanon)

Voiced by: Sayuri Date[11]

A high school first year student who claims to be "someone with no stand out characteristics." Her father works as an interpreter, and she helps her mother with running her cafe. She's keeping an eurasian scops owl as a pet. She likes to sing but is too shy to show it in front of other people. Her favorite food are grilled apple, tomato, hamburg, and café au lait.

Tang Keke (唐 可可, Tan Kuukuu)

Voiced by: Liyuu[11]

Keke hails from Shanghai, China, having just recently moved to Japan, her mother's homeland, to become a school idol. She holds the JLPT N1 certificate. Her favorite food are naporitan, chocolate banana, and milk tea.

Chisato Arashi (嵐 千砂都, Arashi Chisato)

Voiced by: Nako Misaki[11]

Kanon's childhood friend who likes dance but for some reason decided to become a school idol instead. She does a part time job in a takoyaki shop. She is distinguishable from her twin tail and hair buns. Her favorite food are takoyaki, peach, and cola.

Sumire Heanna (平安名 すみれ, Heanna Sumire)

Voiced by: Naomi Payton[11]

A girl whose house is a respected shrine located near to the Yuigaoka Girls High School. She has lived in showbiz world since she was a child and currently is an online streamer. Her favorite food are tamago kake gohan, green tea, and melon.

Ren Hazuki (葉月 恋, Hazuki Ren)

Voiced by: Nagisa Aoyama[11]

Daughter of the school founder who lives near the school. Her favorite food are consommé, strawberry, and Darjeeling tea.

• Official website (in Japanese)