Sonoda Umi has a charm that is hard to describe, from being reliable and serious to being shy with a tendency to fantasize, to her bold idol poses and facial expressions. Here, we have compiled 10 charms that will make you love Sonoda Umi, the most sensible member of μ’s, even more! Take another look at what kind of character Sonoda Umi is from “Love Live!”.
Sonoda Umi's profile
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Umi Sonoda, a second-year student at Otonokizaka Academy, comes from a family that is the head of a traditional Japanese dance school, and her special skills include playing the koto and singing nagauta, suggesting that she was raised in a distinguished family environment. Since Otonokizaka Academy is a school that has been associated with her parents since their generation, she was heartbroken when she heard the news that it was going to be closed down. So she accepts a suggestion from her childhood friend Honoka Kosaka to save the school by participating in school idol activities, and together with another childhood friend Kotori Minami, the three of them form μ’s, and work towards the goal of preventing the school from closing and participating in Love Live!.
Yamato Nadeshiko, who is also a member of the archery club
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Before she started her school idol activities, Umi Sonoda was a member of the archery club, and it is said that she rarely misses the target during practice because of her strong will and concentration. Her favorite food is also listed as the manju from Kosaka Honoka's family home, "Homura," so just looking at her profile, you can tell that she is pure Japanese. Combined with her calm demeanor, Umi Sonoda is a character that is perfect for describing as a "Yamato Nadeshiko."
Umi Sonoda's charm 1: She is childhood friends with Honoka Kosaka and Kotori Minami
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Umi Sonoda is childhood friends with Honoka Kosaka and Kotori Minami, and they have been growing up together since kindergarten. They are classmates at Otonokizaka Academy, where the story takes place, and in the second season of the anime she supports Kosaka Honoka, who takes over as student council vice president. The biggest difference is that only Sonoda Umi is in the archery club, while the other two are not in any clubs. However, when it comes to starting school idol activities, Sonoda Umi begins to join the archery club as well.
Childhood, when she would just watch others having fun
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Sonoda Umi, who is not good at being in front of people, was not the type to actively go out and play with friends when she was young, and would just watch other kids playing from afar. However, when Kosaka Honoka noticed Sonoda Umi and invited her to hang out, it was the beginning of their friendship. From then on, the three childhood friends started hanging out together more and more, and while they followed the same path in elementary and junior high school, they also worked together in high school as school idols.
Sonoda Umi's charm 2: She has a serious and strict personality
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Umi Sonoda has a very serious personality and is the most reliable character among the three childhood friends. Therefore, when Kosaka Honoka suddenly decides to start school idol activities, she confronts her with sound reasoning, but ultimately agrees with her opinion. Although reluctant, Umi Sonoda also starts being a school idol, but she is thinking about a lesson menu to gain the physical strength necessary to perform live, and once she starts something, she shows her enthusiasm.
She was firmly against school idol activities
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Sonoda Umi and Minami Kotori have been swayed by Kosaka Honoka's ideas, but they still believe that her actions are correct, so they start school idol activities. However, the serious Sonoda Umi rejected the idea, saying it was unrealistic, and even hated singing and dancing in revealing clothes and appearing in public. However, that only happened at the beginning, and she seemed to feel excited about performing on stage, as she appears to be dancing happily in the PV.
Sonoda Umi's charm 3: She is shy and has an honest personality
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Behind her earnest personality, Sonoda Umi has a shy side, but to what extent is she shy? She points out that the skirts of school idol costumes are short. It may be normal to feel embarrassed about dancing in revealing clothes, but the shortness of the skirts is what caused her to completely reject Kosaka Honoka's idea of saving the school by becoming a school idol. For a shy girl like her, it may be a matter of life and death, but there is something cute about that girlish side of her.
You can't win at Old Maid by being honest
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Sonoda Umi is earnest and reliable, yet shy and girlish, and she also has a very honest personality. Her honesty is clearly shown in the Old Maid scene, where Sonoda Umi is always shown to be losing. On the school trip, Minami Kotori is confused by her overly obvious facial expressions, and her competitive nature means she asks for a rematch multiple times. In the scenes depicting Sonoda Umi's daily life, you'll find many cute scenes of her, so be sure to check them out.
Sonoda Umi's charm 4: Minami Kotori is sweet
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Minami Kotori agrees with the unexpected idea of saving the school through school idol activities because she wants to try making cute costumes. Sonoda Umi refuses due to her serious and shy personality, but she blushes when Minami Kotori says "Please!" with all her heart, and reluctantly agrees to be a school idol. The three have been getting along well, but she may not be able to be forceful with Minami Kotori like this.
On the other hand, she is strict with Kosaka Honoka
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Of the three childhood friends, Kosaka Honoka and Sonoda Umi often seem to have disagreements, and even when they start school idol activities, they are at odds. Sonoda Umi eventually gives in and joins the group, but from then on, he supports her from behind the scenes, setting up strict training menus for her feelings. He is also shown to notice any suspicious behavior and scold her immediately, and it is only with Sonoda Umi's help that Kosaka Honoka is able to move forward in the right direction.
Sonoda Umi's charm 5: She is in charge of writing lyrics for μ's
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Sonoda Umi is the lyricist for μ's, and writes the lyrics for the songs that Nishikino Maki writes. All of the songs fit the theme and worldview, and it is only thanks to Sonoda Umi's songwriting ability that she has been able to grow as a school idol. Even the first song they performed, "START:DASH!!," is filled with the intention to take flight from here, and other songs also contain messages, and the parts that link to the story will deepen the consideration.
Dark history? It all started with a hobby of poetry
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The reason why Sonoda Umi became the lyricist for μ’s was because of the poems she wrote in middle school. It’s a very girly hobby for Sonoda Umi, but for her, it may be a dark past. She was drawn into μ’s activities after showing the poems she wrote to Kosaka Honoka and Minami Kotori, but Sonoda Umi’s talent led to μ’s being elevated to the top of the school idol world. Minami Kotori’s achievement of persuading Sonoda Umi, who had been adamantly refusing, is enormous.
Umi Sonoda's charm 6: Umi Sonoda thinking about her lesson menu
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The first season of the anime depicts the formation of μ’s until the school is closed, and Sonoda Umi is the one who is thinking about the training menu until everyone gathers. Since she is serious and belongs to a club, she has a good understanding of what μ’s needs now, and in the early days of her activities, she starts by building up her physical strength. She believes that the basics are important in everything, and the way she calmly imposes strict training content makes you feel her loving strictness.
When it comes to training camp, she goes out of control
I have introduced 10 charms of Sonoda Umi, but as you read on, you will see that she has a variety of expressions. Her serious side, her shy side, her delusional side, her tendency to go out of control, all of these are part of Sonoda Umi's charm. Sonoda Umi is the only one who shows such a wide range of expressions, so please pay attention to her rich emotions and try to feel her charm even more.
Sonoda Umi's charm 7: She also has a passionate side
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Umi Sonoda seems to view practice and training as entertainment in her club activities and Japanese dance lessons, but behind the harsh training menu, it can be seen that she is seriously aiming to win Love Live!. However, because she is too serious, she also sees everything as practice and training, and her unit members Rin Hoshizora and Nozomi Tojo tend to get caught up in it. Not knowing whether she is joking or serious, the μ’s members desperately try to persuade Umi Sonoda every time she goes out of control.The purpose was supposed to be writing lyrics, but it turned into an attack on the summit...
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The most out-of-control moment for Sonoda Umi was during the training camp in the second season of the anime. The group split into groups for songwriting, composition, and costume design, and Sonoda Umi tried to climb and conquer the mountain in front of her. Hoshizora Rin, who was with her, cried when she ended up climbing the mountain even though she had come to write the lyrics, and Sonoda Umi, whose original purpose had changed to attacking the summit, finally woke up after some desperate persuasion. Mountain climbing is also a hidden hobby, and her natural passion when she sees a mountain is one of her charms.Sonoda Umi's charm 8: She has a tough image, but she has a great tendency to fantasize
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Sonoda Umi has a somewhat rigid image, but while she has a tendency to go out of control, she also has a strong tendency to be delusional. When Kosaka Honoka invites her to start school idol activities, Sonoda Umi outwardly refuses, but during archery club practice she imagines herself as a school idol. There, Sonoda Umi's stiff image was gone, and she was a sparkling idol, which made her blush without even realizing it.Love Arrow Shoot is a famous quote born from a fantasy
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There is a formula that Sonoda Umi = Love Arrow Shoot, but this phrase was born from her delusion. It appeared in the first episode of the first season of the anime, and there is no doubt that the contrast with her serious image struck the hearts of many Love Livers. In her delusion, Sonoda Umi loudly proclaims "Love Arrow Shoot♡" in a loud voice, just like an idol, and although she turns down Kosaka Honoka's invitation, she may have been the one who was most keen on it.Sonoda Umi's charm 9: A wide variety of facial expressions
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The more core Love Live fans there are, the more Sonoda Umi fans there tend to be, but her charm is not only the above-mentioned, but also the facial expressions she sometimes shows. In the anime, she shows a wider variety of facial expressions than any other character, and one could say that she has a very strong range of emotions. She is also very emotional, and Sonoda Umi may be the only one who expresses her feelings honestly at the time. She has shown countless facial expressions so far, and they are part of the fun of each story.The gap between her personality and her personality is cute
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One of the reasons people fall in love with Sonoda Umi is because of her funny faces, but the main reason is probably the contrast between her serious personality and the wide range of expressions she shows. Her shy, girlish side is also very appealing, but Sonoda Umi is the only one who can make you laugh out loud. The production staff also seem to treat Sonoda Umi specially, and it's probably because they love her that they give her such a wide range of expressions.Sonoda Umi's charm 10: School idols are surprisingly enthusiastic
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The last charm of Sonoda Umi is that she has suddenly become positive about her school idol activities, which she hated. In her fantasies, Sonoda Umi seems to be enthusiastic about her activities, and imagining herself like that, she is definitely enthusiastic about becoming a school idol. In addition, when they gather at Kosaka Honoka's house, she imitates an idol the moment she is alone, and her bright smile is impressive. However, when the first-years see her doing so, she blushes so much that she wants to crawl into a hole. Her blowing kisses at live shows and in PVs is impressive!
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In the anime, her shy side is often shown, but in her live shows and PVs, Sonoda Umi is an idol in herself. The most memorable scene is the one where she throws a kiss, which can be seen in most live shows and PVs. Her facial expressions at that time are different depending on the song, and there are sexy kisses and cute kisses, so we recommend you compare them.I want to be shot by Sonoda Umi's love arrow shot!
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