The staff behind the upcoming Love Live! Superstar!! TV anime and a local cafe in the Harajuku area released separate statements yesterday of the depiction of the cafe in promotional material for the July 2021 series. The statement says that Sunrise and the owners have come to the decision to remove the cafe from the anime, which was to be the home of one of the new members, and not have it appear in any more promotional material.
【重要なお知らせ】【ラブライブ！スーパースター!!】
— ラブライブ！シリーズ公式 (@LoveLive_staff) June 2, 2021
「カフェ香咲」様に関するお詫びとお願い
詳細はこちらをご確認ください → https://t.co/MnfEWhvAkn#lovelive pic.twitter.com/UnlkTOZqKE
In the statement from the cafe, the staff explained that around a year ago, anime studio Sunrise had contacted the cafe to use its likeness for an upcoming anime series. The "brief 5-minute phone call" ended with the cafe agreeing to its likeness being used, and expecting to meet the staff from Sunrise the next day to take photos of the exterior of the cafe. When no one showed up, the cafe's staff thought that Sunrise had decided not to use the cafe for their anime project.
The Love Live! staff owned up to the miscommunication, saying that they "would like to apologize for the inconvenience caused to [the cafe] due to our negligence."
Then earlier this yea, in the promotional material for Love Live! Superstar!!, the cafe appeared as the home of one of the new characters. This caused Love Live! fans to quickly identify the cafe and descend on the cafe in droves–taking photos at the cafe in elaborate cosplays without permission, being rude to the staff (who were surprised and inundated by the influx of people), and posting negative messages online about the cafe when asked to abide by the cafe's rules.
Previously released trailer:
The statement from the Love Live! staff discusses this, saying "it has been confirmed that some people have been posting slanderous remarks about [the cafe], as well as photos and private information of staff members posted on social media, internet bulletin boards, and online rating websites." The staff continued, asking fans to "please refrain from such acts, as they unfairly damage the reputation of the store, cause serious harm to the feelings of the staff members, and may be subject to criminal penalties."
After the incidences occurred, the cafe noted that there were still people coming to the store and that a majority of them were friendly and kind. Though the owners of the cafe were upset at the situation, due to being unprepared and overwhelmed.
Both the cafe and the Love Live! staff noted that entering private properties without permission is trespassing and that taking photos of public places and people, may cause issues in the future. The cafe is happy to grant permission when asked, though people wearing elaborate cosplays may be asked to leave.
After discussions between the staff of the cafe and the staff of Love Live!, it was decided that the cafe is to be removed from any upcoming episodes, as well as not be shown in any more promotional material for the series, or any axillary projects.
Previously released poster:
Love Live! Superstar!! is scheduled to begin on NHK-E on July 11, with the staff from the first season returning.
Source: Love Live!! website via Otakomu
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Daryl Harding is a Japan Correspondent for Crunchyroll News. He also runs a YouTube channel about Japan stuff called TheDoctorDazza, tweets at @DoctorDazza, and posts photos of his travels on Instagram.
Source: Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!
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