Love Live! Sunshine!!’s Aqours Performing in L.A. this Summer

Anime Expo still holds a huge place in anime fans’ hearts as last year, the convention featured the first full-length solo performance from Aqours, the group behind Love Live! Sunshine! in the United States. Now Anime Expo has announced that the popular idol group will be returning for Anime Expo 2019, and soon fans will get another chance to see the elusive group in the United States later this Summer.

Anime Expo announced on their official website that Aqours (pronounced as “aqua”) will be holding their “LOVE LIVE! SUNSHINE!! Aqours World LoveLive! in LA ～BRAND NEW WAVE～” special show on July 5th and 6th at The Novo in downtown Los Angeles.

Fans attending Anime Expo 2019 can begin buying their tickets on May 28th, and tickets will run interested fans anywhere from $85-150 USD depending on seating. There’s a special VIP package that includes a special goodbye from the group following the performance, and nearly all of Aqours will be there for the performance.

Unfortunately, Arisa Komiya (who voices Dia Kurosawa in Love Live! Sunshine!!) has suffered an acute illness and will not be performing in Los Angeles along with the rest of the group. For more information about dates and tickets, you can follow the link here.

Love Live! School Idol Project is a joint project between ASCII Media Works’ Dengeki G‘s magazine, music label Lantis, and animation Studio Sunrise. The story follows Honoka Kosaka, a girl who is attending a school that is about to be closed down due to a lack of new applicants. Discovering that school idol groups are very popular, Honoka decides to start a group with friends from school. Soon they enter in the cross-country idol competition, Love Live.

The series first launched in Dengeki G in 2010, and has subsequently released many music CDs, animated music videos, manga, video games, and two seasons of an anime series. The first season ran for 13 episodes in 2013, and the second season aired in 2014 for the same episode count. The series has been licensed for an English language release by NIS America, with a sequel series following a new set of school idols, Love Live! Sunshine!! launching in 2015.

A sequel film taking place after the end of the original series, Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie Over the Rainbow , officially released in Japan earlier this year and features a completely new story. The synopsis for the film reads as such:

“In the film’s story, Uranohoshi Girls’ High School’s idol group Aqours has won the final Love Live! contest. While preparing to enroll at a new school, the first- and second-year students encounter unexpected trouble. Also, after heading for a graduation trip, the third-year students go missing. As they are separated, the Aquors members appreciate the weight of their togetherness for the first time. In order to move forward, they must decide how to react to their new situations.”