Sunshine Episode 4: Dia-chan!

Episode 4 for Love Live Sunshine S2 stars my favourite girl, DIA! Dia gets the spotlight this episode in which she attempts to deepen her bonds with her fellow idol members.

This episode is obviously a plus for me since all of you know that I love Dia. If you didn't know, well, I love Dia. I don't particularly prefer Love Live as I believe The Idolmaster scratches my idol itch better but Dia certainly transcends mediums.

SPOILERS FOLLOW!

Dia spends the entire episode craving and trying to get her friends to call her Dia-chan as opposed to Dia-san. If you didn't know, -san is a more formal, respective manner to call someone whereas -chan is more casual and friendly. The others refer to her as the former due to both her superiority and seniority. However, upon hearing them call out Mari-chan and Kanan-chan, her inner jealousy couldn't help but take over. Of couse, Ruby is out of the equation altogether what with calling her sister Onee-chan.

This episode also sees the group working part time at the aquarium! If you did not know, this aquarium is the very same featured in their second single which you can watch here:

Notice the mascot costume You is wearing? She wears the exact same one in this episode and is said to have done this kind of work before. Her familiarity with the whole thing reflects the fact that she sings as the centre for the song above.

Throughout the episode, you see Dia constantly trying but failing to be a little cuter or a little more playful. Every attempt casts the rest of the characters into a shadow of doubt or shock of disbelief. Neither helps remedy the situation.

Finally though, we get a scene where Dia's strict and commanding personality work wonders as she can reel in anyone currently out of bounds. Chika herself states this at the end, noting that Dia being herself is what makes her special to them. Of course, they all yell "Dia-chan!" at the end.

The kicker for this episode though is that the ending theme is sung solely by Arisa Komiya, Dia's voice actress. There may be some harmony with the rest in the background but most of the singing comes directly from her which is a really nice touch for a Dia-centric episode!

The only bad thing I can say is that they already did the Dia-focused episode and thus, there can no longer be a Dia-specialised episode. Well, time to scout for more merchandise in the meantime!