5 Reasons Why Ohara Mari is Best Girl

Here’s the second installment of the unpopular “Best Girl in Aqours” series!

Before we start, I have to mention that all of these reasons are subjective. It’s totally fine if you think a given explanation does not stand up to scrutiny. Be sure to let me know of my folly! In my defense, however, I found it really hard to hype up Mari-chan…

Shiny!

5. Mari always have faith in her kouhai.

The blonde wonder has always had her underclasswomen’s backs from day one (well, more like from episode 3 onwards). Sure, she might have asked Chika, You, and Riko to accomplish a difficult goal for their first mini-concert, but it was a form of tough love. If the 2nd years couldn’t fill the auditorium, then they would have never been good enough to perform at Love Live!

And while the other 3rd years were either trying to dissuade the younger girls from forming an idol group or trying to act disinterested, Mari has always encouraged the girls and give them hints (in S1E6) or suggested the girls try a difficult routine since she believes Chika can pull it off (S2E6). Her dedicated support, in my opinion, is one of the reasons why the 2nd years and the 1st years were able to stick together before the 3rd years decide to join, too.

4. She’s a good cook.

Case in point: just watch S1E10.

But don’t expect her to actually bring in profit since she’ll spare no expense and use the most expensive ingredients.

3. Her singing voice is strong and dynamic.

Although Mari’s voice may be slightly polarizing, I don’t think you can deny that it’s powerful and explosive. It comes in loud and clear during her parts in songs, that’s for sure.

She also knows when to drop the silly accent and start talking like an actual Japanese person. The two speaking voices are so different that you can’t help but be in awe that she has such vocal control.

2. Her Engrish is charming.

Alright, I’ll admit that some people will find this irritating. Personally, I think the way she (mis)uses English is great! There’s plenty of meme potential whenever Mari’s involved.

With that being said, it is a bit strange that she’s sprinkling English phrases and words into her speech when she’s actually part Italian.

1. She’s the smuggest troll in all of Aqours.

I don’t think it’s even a contest. This doesn’t even warrant an explanation.

The way she has a tendency to grope other girls just to get a rise out of them is a bit problematic, admittedly, but it seems like Mari’s finally learned that consent goes a long way.

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Alrighty, I’ll probably write about Riko next since that means I would have covered each girl in the subunit, Guilty Kiss.

Which subunit is your favorite, by the way? And do you agree or disagree with the reasons I’ve provided here in my attempts to hype up Mari as best girl? I’ll love if you could leave your questions, comments, and concerns in the comments section!