Yohane the Parhelion -SUNSHINE in the MIRROR-
- This article is an overview of the series. For other uses, see Yohane the Parhelion (disambiguation).
| Yohane the Parhelion -SUNSHINE in the MIRROR- | |
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| 幻日のヨハネ -SUNSHINE in the MIRROR- | |
| Genjitsu no Yohane -SUNSHINE in the MIRROR- | |
| Links | |
| Website | Website |
The girl they all know.
The story they don't.
With the girl that can't be true to herself,
The mysterious world that we all know.
- Series tagline[1]
Yohane the Parhelion -SUNSHINE in the MIRROR- (幻日のヨハネ -SUNSHINE in the MIRROR- Genjitsu no Yohane -SUNSHINE in the MIRROR-) is illustration series featuring the members of Aqours in an alternate fantasy universe, with Yoshiko Tsushima as the main character. It originally appeared in the Love Live! Days magazine and later continued as the manga series Unpolarized Reflexion.
On June 4, 2023, it was announced that the anime would officially begin airing on July 2, 2023, with the first episode having an advance streaming release on June 25, 2023.[2]
On June 26, 2023, the first video game Yohane the Parhelion -BLAZE in the DEEPBLUE-, a 2D action-adventure game, was announced. The second game, Yohane the Parhelion -NUMAZU in the MIRAGE-, is a deckbuilding roguelite and was released on February 22, 2024.
On August 30, 2024, a recap movie was announced with a release in cinemas on November 29, 2024 and Blu-ray release on December 25, 2024.
Overview
Yohane the Parhelion is a spin-off of Love Live! Sunshine!! set in a mysterious world, featuring the character "Yohane," modeled after Yoshiko Tsushima from Aqours. The story depicts the daily life of familiar characters in an entirely new setting.
The setting is a fictional parallel world called Numazu, which closely resembles the real Numazu City. This steampunk fantasy world blends magic and modern technology such as trains and smartphones. While magic is unusual, it is still accepted. Various races coexist, and some even have giant animals, monsters, or robots as part of their families.
Although Yohane the Parhelion is a major part of the Love Live! franchise, it notably does not include school idols—a core theme of the series. While the characters remain the same age, in this series they are adults who work instead of attending school. In the anime, Yohane dreams of becoming a singer, providing a reason for her to sing throughout the story.
Elements from Love Live! Sunshine!! have been partially incorporated into the setting, including the characters' appearances, names, professions, personalities, relationships, and city landscapes inspired by Numazu. However, despite appearing the same, the characters in Yohane the Parhelion are considered separate from their Sunshine!! counterparts. Some songs are provided by Aqours, marking the first time a Love Live! group has officially contributed music to a different project within the franchise.
Development
Since 2022, the series has expanded into multiple formats, including a manga serialization.
On April 1, 2022, an anime PV was released on the official YouTube channel as an April Fools' joke.
Later, on June 26, 2022, during Aqours 6th LoveLive! ~KU-RU-KU-RU Rock 'n' Roll TOUR~ Windy Stage Day 2 at Tokyo Dome, the official anime adaptation was announced, with narration by Sumi Shimamoto.
A reader-participation project was launched, regularly collecting character ideas and rumors.
Since the theatrical release in 2019, Love Live! Sunshine!! anime productions were mostly short-form MV animation parts, still-frame live intermission animations, or Today's Aqours clips. Despite being a spin-off with an entirely new world, Yohane the Parhelion marks the first time in four years that the cast has recorded full-length voice acting for an animated series.
On November 16, 2023, the 2D action game Yohane the Parhelion -BLAZE in the DEEPBLUE- was released, followed by the card battle game Yohane the Parhelion -NUMAZU in the MIRAGE- on February 22, 2024.
Story
The girl they all know, the story they don't.
"Numazu" - a scenic port town surrounded by the mountains and the sea.
Yohane, a girl who has struggled to fit in with her surroundings since childhood, spends her day avoiding people in the city.
What she wants to do, what her true whereabouts are—
The mysterious world that we all know, with the girl that can't be true to herself.
"Yohane the Parhelion -SUNSHINE in the MIRROR-"
What has just appeared is another kind of sun.
Characters
- Main article: Yohane the Parhelion characters
Characters in Sunshine!! who share the same name and appearance as their counterparts in Yohane the Parhelion are voiced by the same seiyuu. Like their original Sunshine!! counterparts, each of the characters retain their original birth date and voice actress. However, the backstories each character has differs from their original counterparts but still stays true to their original personality.
Many supporting and background characters are unique to this series.
Terminology
- Numazu (ヌマヅ) The setting of the story and Yohane’s hometown, a port town. The southern Uchiira (ウチーラ) district is home to long-standing inns like Tochiman (トチマン). Based on Numazu City.
- Tokai (トカイ) A major metropolis located to the east. A city of neon lights and electric billboards, at the forefront of modern culture. Yohane's destination in the anime when she moves to the city. Based on Tokyo.
- Madokana Script (マドカナ文字) The official language, consisting of circular and linear symbols. An original artificial script created for this work, which fans had mostly deciphered even before an official reference chart was released. The system replaces the vowels and consonants of the Hiragana syllabary with symbols, but there is no equivalent Katakana representation. Some characters resemble Kanji and the Latin alphabet; the Latin alphabet is written in a continuous stroke, and Kanji are slightly altered from their original form by removing a few lines. Arabic numerals and standard symbols remain unchanged.
Books
LoveLive! Days currently features both an illustrated story and a manga serialization.
Illustration Story
- Character Design: Taira Akitsu (秋津たいら)
- Consists of two-page illustrations paired with short text-based stories.
- A compilation book, Yohane the Parhelion -SUNSHINE in the MIRROR- FIRST ART BOOK, was scheduled for release in summer 2023.
Manga Version
- Title: Yohane the Parhelion -Unpolarized Reflexion-
- Artist: Kouta Matsuda (まつだこうた)
- Scenario Writer: Toshiya Ono (大野敏哉)
- Character Design: Taira Akitsu (秋津たいら)
- The series was developed into a continuous story-based manga.
- A total of three volumes were released.
The story follows Yohane’s daily life as a fortune teller and her interactions with friends, incorporating lighthearted elements. At the same time, it includes battle sequences dealing with the phenomenon of animals becoming increasingly aggressive. Overall, the tone remains comedic and lighthearted.
TV Anime
Starting July 2, 2023, the anime aired on TOKYO MX, BS11, Sun TV, KBS Kyoto, TV Aichi, and SBS until September 24, 2023. Additionally, Abema offered early streaming from June 25 to September 17, ahead of the terrestrial broadcast. Animation production was handled by Sunrise, as with the main series.
This adaptation features a completely new storyline, distinct from the serialized version. Compared to the manga, it has a more serious and mysterious tone. Being part of the Love Live! franchise, it also incorporates musical elements, with several singing performances woven into the narrative.
The story begins when Yohane abandons her dream of becoming a singer and reluctantly returns to Numazu.
In November 2024, a compilation film summarizing key moments from the anime (a digest version) was released in theaters.
Live Events
- Main article: Yohane the Parhelion Lives
With the start of the anime broadcast, the live event Yohane the Parhelion -The Story of the Sound of Heart- was announced. While some songs performed are credited under the Aqours name, it is not considered an Aqours concert.
Videos
ONE SCENE LOG
Yohane the Parhelion ONE SCENE LOG (幻日のヨハネ 光景記 Genjitsu no Yohane Kokeiki) are one-scene voice dramas uploaded to the Love Live! YouTube channel.
Staff
| Original Story | Hajime Yatate |
|---|---|
| Original Plan | Sakurako Kimino |
| Director | Asami Nakatani |
| Series Composition | Toshiya Ono |
| Serialized Illustration/Concept Design | Taira Akitsu |
| Character Design | Yumiko Yamamoto |
| Assistant Director | Katsuya Asano |
| Design Works | Mebachi |
| Art Director | Masaki Mayuzumi |
| Concept Art | Kazuhiro Inoue |
| Color Design | Misako Akama |
| CG Director | Go Kurosaki |
| Director of Photography | Hidenori Manaka |
| Editor | Mai Hasegawa |
| Sound Director | Yuichi Morita |
| Music | Tatsuya Kato |
| Music Production | Lantis |
| Animation Production | SUNRISE (Bandai Namco Filmworks) |
| Presented by | PROJECT YOHANE
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Trivia
- Yohane the Parhelion is the first Love Live! installment to feature a male voice actor in a supporting role, with Nobuo Tobita as Tonosama.
- Although Shigeru Chiba narrated CYaZALEA☆Kiss as part of an April Fools’ project, that was a special event rather than a regular feature.
Links
- Official website
- Official Twitter account (@GJ_Yohane)
- April Fools' Day 2022 announcement (subtitled by Team ONIBE)
- Official announcement (subtitled by Team ONIBE)