The third installment for the unnecessary “Best Girl in Aqours” series has arrived!
And this time we’re going to be talking about Sakurauchi Riko. The usual disclaimers apply, of course. So please don’t lynch me if you disagree with my reasons. Or at least do it after I finish the series.
No catchphrase here since Riko is actually a relatively well-adjusted girl compared to everyone else.
5. Riko is reliable and serious.
What I mean here is that she’s usually the one who keeps Chika in check. This is pretty important considering how Chika is the leader of Aqours and is the one who writes the lyrics for most of their songs. If Riko doesn’t make sure Chika stays on-point, then the group will probably get nowhere considering how lazy Chika can get.
4. She’s a graceful city girl.
Riko ain’t like the rest of these country hicks, okay? Her modest, mature, and refined aura really makes her stand out (even though she initially believed that she’s a boring, plain girl who couldn’t be a school idol).
Plus she plays piano! She’s so cultured!
3. She’s also a dork.
Alright, look. That aforementioned aura of hers is genuine. But sometimes Riko acts differently and comes across as being more, er, down-to-earth by revealing her shortcomings.
For instance, she claims to have an interest in drawing (according to Dengeki G Magazine), but then she draws this beauty while thinking of a dog she had grown attached to.
She also used to have a fear of dogs, but after S2E5 Riko has mostly gotten over the cynophobia that plagued her in S1. But in return, she started acting like Yoshiko…
Riko’s voice sounds amazing whenever she freaks out, by the way. A very good job by Aida Rikako !
2. She has a playful side.
Remember how she called Chika “weird” and insists it’s both a compliment and an insult? Or how she reveals the juicy details about Yoshiko that her mom heard from Yoshiko’s mom? Or how she gets Yoshiko to accidentally refer to herself as Yoshiko instead of Yohane? Or how she squeezes Chika’s cheeks in S2E10 (don’t forget that’s how Chika woke her up in S1E10)?
Riko is actually quite the tease!
1. Riko is a yuri fangirl.
One of us! One of us! One of us!
Alrighty, that’s Riko in a shutnell. That’s 3 down, 6 left to go. But I don’t know who to cover next. I would really appreciate suggestions!
That’s all, folks!
The Lily Garden 
She has a diamond mouth
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She does seem to have her mouth shaped like that very often!
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The first word that always comes to mind for me with Riko is “elegant.” I’ve known people like her, who just have this natural aura about them of being graceful and stylish all the time. Of course, the anime loves to subvert that facade left, right, and center, and it’s to her credit that she can roll with it. One of the reasons I was never a big fan of Umi is that she always came off as too stiff and serious for me. Riko fills that same role of keeping the protag focused and on track, but she’s also allowed to have a goofy/dorky side even when she’s not being the butt of a joke, and I like her so much better for that. Although I will admit that my opinion of Riko got the biggest boost from seeing Rikyako’s performance during the First Live – out of all nine of them, her and Aikyan were really the standout performers of the day for me.
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“Graceful” sums up Riko pretty well. Some people just /have/ it, you’re right.
I gotta agree with on Umi, too. She simply comes across as being too uptight and mean. Meanwhile Riko remains focused yet can have fun like you said. So much more down-to-earth than Umi.
Mmmm that was amazing. She was probably the star for that one, but I’m glad that the others came to her aid, too.
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I think I fell in love with Riko when she sang “Yume no Tobira” that one episode. Her voice is insanely beautiful.
I also love Rikyako sooo much. She’s straight up gorgeous and also really funny (her artistic skill is… interesting).
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Dang, you fell for her quick! That was the 2nd episode!
Hmmm I’ve heard people call her voice generic. I personally like her voice a lot, too.
Mmm from what I’ve seeen Rikyako is great. I don’t really follow the seiyuu’s antics but I probably should.
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I’ve always thought that the seiyuu side of LL was much, much more entertaining than what we see in the anime. I think you already know that I really don’t like Sunshine’s story, so the seiyuu, while they don’t exactly make the story better, give me something to laugh and smile at… and become obsessed with 😛
You should definitely follow what the seiyuu do! I think you’d also appreciate the ships that come along such as AnShuka (that one’s top tier) and NanaAinya, probably the one that everyone loves.
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