Hello again friends. Aboveaveragefrog here bringing you the next instalment in my character analysis series.
Today's character was requested by user Sally
It's weird. My first analysis was my best girl and now my second analysis is my second best girl. Hm. Wonder if that pattern will continue....
Anyway as the title says, today I will be covering the ever wonderful, Riko Sakurauchi. Enjoy.
Riko Sakurauchi:
Just a city girl
General facts
Group: Aqours
Sub-unit: Guilty kiss (AKA the best one)
Height : 160cm
Age: 16
Japanese voice: Aida Rikako
English voice: Jeannie Tirado
Backstory
Unlike the rest of Aqours, Riko was born in the big city of Tokyo where she originally attended Otonokizaka high school. For most her life, Riko had a passion for playing the piano, however given the expectations placed on her given the history of her school what with Mu's and all, she developed a massive fear of failure as she didn't want to disappoint those who believed in her and not live up to expectations. It was this pressure that caused her to freeze up during a competition, leaving her unable to play a single note. It was moments like those that led to Riko losing her love for the piano. To remedy this, she moved out to the country to get away from all the pressure and expectations and to hopefully reignite her passion for the piano. It was during an exercise to find inspiration for a song when she was stopped by Chika before causing herself potentially serious harm to herself in the cold water.
Personality
So as indicated by her backstory, Riko is a very dedicated and hard working person, almost to a fault. The whole reason she's even in the story is due to the fact that she does take people's views of her to heart but also that she is incredibly passionate about the things she's invested in. I mean, she did risk her life just in an ATTEMPT to write a single song. That's dedication if I've ever seen it. Speaking of her dedication to what she loves, that takes me to my next point.
I personally think one of Riko's better qualities is her gradual attachment to Aqours. Her circumstances for joining are different than every other character in the series. Riko joined Aqours not because she wanted to be apart of an idol group, but because Chika convinced her that composing for the group would help her find her passion for the piano again. Unlike with other characters, Riko's dedication develops over time. She grows to love the group and the people she's with. She sees this new community in Uchiara, that look up to and support Aqours and she sees that just like with the piano, she has people that she can't afford to disappoint. I think her change however is best showcased in episode 10 (correct me if I'm wrong here) where Chika says she should join the piano competition. What gets me about this scene is that Riko jumps to the conclusion that she isn't wanted in the group. I honestly think that speaks volumes about how she's changed. The fact her concerns lie with the possibility that she isn't wanted in the group rather than anything to do with the competition show that being an idol has become her top priority. It is something above the piano which was something she was willing to risk her life for and this group of people she's been with for months overcomes this life long hobby. It makes her commitment feel truly genuine, honestly more so than many of the characters before her.
Riko, at least relatively speaking, is also a much more grounded character compared to the rest of Aqours. I mean when a group consists of a hyperactive orange, a shiny rich girl that speaks other languages very poorly, idol obsessed sisters and....... Yoshiko among other things, a character as mellow as Riko might seem almost boring. Thankfully that's not the case. It's true she lacks the eccentricities of the other characters but her simpler nature makes her feel grounded and relatable to a wider audience compared to the more niche appeal the others may have. I do think it nicely captures her status as an "outsider" since she is from the city and the show does put emphasise on everyone else's awkward approach to Riko's norm.
Ok, so I referred to the interactions between Chika and Riko a lot in my Chika analysis but I'd like to go into more detail here. I think the interactions between these two really humanise Riko. The scenes were they're alone normally entail some discussion about what's bothering one of them, though more often than not it's Riko who is needing help. Just the fact that Riko is normally advised by Chika shows she's a flawed but human character. Whether she's being pushed into joining the piano competition or being helped to find her inspiration, just grounding her as a person who needs help makes her feel a lot more relatable. Not to say she isn't capable of being a pillar to Chika though. She is the one to encourage Chika to go on after badly losing at the Tokyo idol competition. She returned the favour in making sure Chika never lost her passion like Chika did for her. It makes Riko out to be very loyal and supportive. In fact, I like to think it was seeing Chika being able to push was what got Riko over her fear of failure because she saw that even if she didn't meet expectations, she couldn't give up or she'd never reach her goals. In a way, they really do balance each other out.
Also as someone who has a pretty strict no-shipping policy, I wouldn't mind if ChikaRiko became canon. Just saying.
Finally, some minor points to round off this segment. I personally love she has a fear of dogs. Not only do I find it pretty relatable (she has a point, that's all I'll say) but the sheer absurdity of her reactions just make it all the better. They are easily comedy highlights of the series.
Also I have to say I don't get why she's in guilty kiss. Like what's the guilty part got to do with Riko. Like Yoshiko has the Yohane persona and Mari has here "ways" but Riko seems so innocent. I just don't get how-
......
Never mind, I get it now...
So overall, Riko is just an incredibly respectable character. Her dedication to what she loves applies to both hobbies and people and it's really admirable honestly. Her less over the top nature as well as human flaws make her feel relatable to what I imagine to be a good number of people. On top of that she also serves to be a comedy highlight of the series. She's serious and silly. A great character that can fit well in most situations.
Design
Before I go on to the extra meanings and such of Riko's design I have to say one thing.
LOOK HOW PRETTY SHE IS! OH MY GOD. That rich wine red hair and golden eyes just make her seem so valuable and elegant. Visually she makes for a gorgeous design. I adore it.
Ok but for real now. The red hair can definitely symbolise passion as it is a large part of her motivation as a character. It also could be used to represent Love as she does explicitly say that to Chika and it could go well with their close relationship.
Her gold eyes can also be symbolic of passion and love too but it can also suggest courage which could be referring to her building it up and going to try piano competitively again. (It could also be gold like the metal cause she's such a treasure ;))
Finally, Riko's clothes (other than her uniform) are normally very simple but stylish. More often than not she wears light pink dresses. It definitely emphasises her better sense of style compared to other characters, given she is from the city. Pink as a colour also nicely sums up Riko normally being used for things that are sweet and almost stereotypically girly actually. Then again Riko is pretty feminine so it works out fine.
And another analysis done. I only hope you guys enjoy it as much as the last one. Speaking of which, thank you guys for the overwhelmingly positive response to my Chika blog. I really didn't expect it to do anywhere near as well as that so really thank you.
Off course like last time, please comment anything you think I could change, add or take away to improve the quality of these blogs. Your feedback can really help.
Also if you want to see me talk about a character from the series (not necessarily a main girl mind you), comment down below and I'll see to it as best I can.
Until next time, I'll leave you with this.
Yume no Tobira (Riko Ver.) FULL
