Board Thread:Fun and Games/@comment-24187738-20170416093415/@comment-4043383-20170428011142

My “best girl” in Aqours wasn’t always Sakurauchi Riko. For the longest time, she was actually my 9th favorite. The anime and SIF didn’t really help Riko’s case for me, as they ironically emphasized her plainness as her character trait.

When KimiKoko and character bios were released (i.e. before we had any meaningful content to truly evaluate characters), I liked Hanamaru… because we share the same birthday! However, as we learned more about the seiyuu through the livestreams, I quickly ended up a huge Anchan fan, and consequently a Chika fan. This was true for more than a year. In fact, thanks to my best friend, I was able to meet and talk with Anchan at AX 2016.

However, on my birthday, I had the luxury of watching the Aqours First Live in the U.S. Throughout the majority of the concert, my attention was on Anchan. This changed when OmoiHito began. Rikyako’s ascending the stairs, as well as the entire venue turning sakura pink, sent shivers down my spine! As she played the piano, the feeling that I felt most was inspiration. I was never one to try new things, since I dislike disappointment and failure. Learning that Rikyako overcame this foreign challenge inspired me to try new things as well, including some projects that I’ve been procrastinating on for years.

Hearing the news of Rikyako’s accident only reinforced my feelings. The fact that she isn’t perfect makes her even more inspirational.

Reflecting on Aqours First Live, I ended up immediately rewatching the anime (forthefourthtimepleasesendhelp). Thanks to Rikyako, I was more openminded about my evaluation of my new favorite member. Riko is a fallible and reserved character, but she does does have her own fair share of dorky idiosyncrasies. While Riko’s character traits are not ones I am typically fond of, Rikyako’s own fallibility and confidence resonated with me so strongly that I turned my mikan orange kingblades to sakura pink for the rest of the live.



I feel a little embarrassed typing my feelings out... but it's okay. It's for Riko! Twitter: @Morleh