Happy (belated) birthday, Ai Miyashita!
Ai’m very glad to call you one of my best girls!
When the non-N girl Perfect Dream Project characters were revealed for the first time, along with Rina, you were one of the first of the new batch of characters to grab my attention due to your distinctive design. I soon learned that your appearance was so flashy because you were a gyaru. I’d always had a mild curiosity in the gal subculture, so learning that Love Live! was introducing a character of that type piqued my interest. The new project was going in directions previous iterations hadn’t gone in before, and it was refreshing to see new things – including new types of characters. Learning that you were a fan of puns solidified you as a character that I knew I’d love. I’m a fan of jokes both good and dad, so I knew I was in for a treat.
When All Stars was finally released in English, I picked you as my starter without question. I was eager to learn even more about you, and I did end up doing just that. Your passion for having fun and making sure that those around you are having fun as well is admirable. One of your bond episodes revealed that the whole reason you started toying with puns in the first place was to cheer up Misato while she was ill, and if that doesn’t tug at the heartstrings, I don’t know what will.
So, I learned that you were fun-loving, had a 3cool5me fashion sense, were loved by everyone, and excelled at both academics and sports – all great qualities, but you didn’t feel as developed as some of the other Nijigasaki characters. Dare I say it – you even seemed like somewhat of a Mary Sue because you didn’t really have any notable flaws or struggles. I expected the anime to touch on insecurities that you may have had, but that didn’t really happen. (Maybe anime season 2?)
Enter season 2 of All Stars – the most divisive piece of media that I’ve ever seen from this franchise. I know that the choices you’ve made have been pretty questionable, but I’m actually kind of glad that things are going in the direction that they’re going in.
I’m 100% ready to receive flak for this opinion haha
Yeah, it sucks that the School Idol Club broke up in the way that it did and that the School Idol Association has such a strong reign, but I think you’ve been getting more character development since you left for the Association.
When you lost against Setsuna, it was jarring to see a still of you crying because you’ve always been one to remain positive in any situation. You went on about how you never realized that giving something that you love your all and losing could hurt so badly and how you NEVER cared about winning or losing before. I think that having something like this happen was necessary. Since you were always shown to be successful in so many efforts prior to this moment, you needed something to show you that life can’t always go your way. Now that you have something to push you to succeed, it’ll be satisfying when you do achieve your goals.
I’m excited to see where you go next! I’m expecting more character development, and I can’t wait to hear more awesome songs (especially DiverDiva bangers)! Never stop being the friendly, energetic, cheer-spreading idol that you are! AI LOVE YOU!
