The long-awaited premiere of the first part of “Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club Final Chapter“, a three-part film project that will mark the end of the popular idol franchise, has had an unexpectedly disastrous start in Japan. A Twitter user shared a screenshot of seat reservations for one of the 4DX shows scheduled for this Saturday. in one of the main cinema chains in the country, revealing that the room was completely empty, with all seats available for sale.

The post quickly went viral on the social network, generating a wave of comments from other users who reported similar situations in different locations. Some of these comments highlighted the worrying lack of attendance at premiere screenings:

• «I'm going to see the Nijigasaki movie on the first night at the T-Joy in Yokohama Station, but it's completely empty. With a 'fans only' deal, people just walk away».
• «I booked my seats for the movie on the first day and it was so empty that I had no problems, but seeing so few seats occupied since the first day worries me».
• «There were only 15 people and it was pretty empty, haha».

The situation sparked a discussion about the factors that could have influenced this surprising lack of attendance. Some fans compared the Nijigasaki film to the previous saga, “Love Live! Sunshine!!”, which managed to maintain a strong following:

• «Now that I think about it, sunlight did a good job».

One of the main complaints cited was the sudden change in character designs, which generated a wave of discontent. Comments criticized that the franchise, despite having had a character design that had been well received, decided to change the visual style of the film, commissioning the work to one of the artists who had worked on "Bocchi the Rock!". This change was perceived negatively by some viewers, who noted that the quality of the film's animation did not live up to expectations:

• «Nijigasaki's character design was done by someone different from the previous series and was very well received, but for the movie they suddenly changed it to someone from Bocchi the Rock!».
• «The faces just don't».
• «Of course it will cause controversy, but it's not the designer's fault.».

The debate soon led some users to lament what they see as the end of the “Love Live!” era.a franchise that was once seen as an icon of idol culture in Japan:

• «Who would have thought that I love live! Would this become irrelevant?».
• «If the content of the movie is good, the character design shouldn't matter that much.».
• «When watching the trailer, the movie looks normal, so it must be a boycott by otakus due to the design change.».
• «They should increase the saturation more and put good reflections in the eyes. With such a flat design, the characters have no life.».
• «The rise of I love live! It's over, no matter how much they call, it won't come back».

This box office failure could be a devastating blow to the future of the franchise, which once led the school idol scene and generated a huge fan base both inside and outside Japan. However, with two more films on the way to conclude this final trilogy, it remains to be seen whether the team behind the project can reverse this trend and bring audiences back to theaters, or whether the Love Live! era is finally coming to an end.

Source: Otakomu