Hello everybody! I’m Erin or Guilty.Mari! I’m a huge love liver, I have been apart of the fandom for 8 years! You can find me on Instagram, Twitter and Youtube @guiltymari It’s honestly been a beautiful emotional rollercoaster of a journey and I am happy to tell you about it!

It started from humble beginnings in 2011, I accidentally found a PV on youtube of a love live cosplay dance cover and fell in love with Maki at first. I looked up the franchise and fell in love with the cast immediately. When the anime came out in 2013 I was hooked completely. U’s journey inspired myself to be resilient in the face of a challenge and to open up more to people, to be more confident.

I adore U’s but when Aqours came onto the scene in 2015 I was once again hooked on that fresh new feeling that Aqours gave! When I looked up the cast I had my sights set on one particular blonde girl, Ohara Mari. From then on my passion for Mari and Love Live has never faltered.

Why is Mari my best girl? Well she is dorky, funny, energetic and passionate; something that I can’t be 24/7. In a way Mari is my motivation for bettering myself. While watching Season 1 with Mari set as my best girl from the beginning I longed to see just a glimpse of her when the infamous “ninen buri desu ka” appeared. I cried, she was absolutely perfect. Throughout S1 she played the comic relief and had seemingly no human qualities but as the story of Aqours and the 3rd years progressed you saw more of Mari’s other side. She is an extremely selfless and caring person; She is willing to sacrifice all of her chances in education etc for her friends and cares for them all deeply. I completely resonated with that.

Season 2 arrived and Mari was as brighter and happier as ever! Aqours faced newer challenges and with the fate of Uranohoshi looming over their shoulders you can finally see Mari’s bright smile falter. She doesn’t want Aqours to lose, not ever. Mari never gave up in asking her dad to extend the deadline for school applications and even when her dad said no she didn’t completely give up.

Mari felt helpless when she had to tell Chika she couldn’t do anything else to help, you could see it in her eyes. Mari’s journey to repair her relationship with Kanan and Dia is truly touching and that arc of the anime made me cry like a little baby.

Mari has kept me going even in the darkest of times in my life. I always think about what Mari would do in my situation, she gives me the confidence I didn’t know I had!

I owe it all to Aqours, Muse and Mari for making me the person I am today! Thank you so much! 💜

Shiny〜☆