Happy (belated) birthday, Nico Nico Nii Yazawa!
Like for many others, you were my gateway to Love Live! School Idol Project. That’s right, I wouldn’t have gotten trapped in Idol Hell™️ if it weren’t for you. (I don’t know whether to thank you or curse you.) Eventually, you ended up becoming one of my best girls!
When I first started playing School Idol Festival and got to see you in action, I thought you were too full of yourself for your own good. I didn’t outright hate you, but I did find you obnoxious. It’s always the most obnoxious ones that try to worm their way into your heart, though. Once I learned more about you, I gradually learned to adore your character. I went through the Five Stages of Nico in every sense of the term.
At first glance, you just seem like a conceited girl that thinks she’s above it all. You have this air of arrogance about you that turns a lot of people away. Looking into your backstory, we find out that your father shaped you into the self-assertive girl that you are. Whenever the two of you would do activities, he’d make sure that you knew your worth and that smiles were on the horizon. He even coined the “Nico Nico Nii” phrase that you’d be known for! Because of him, you learned the importance of smiling and being happy, and you made it your mission to spread that happiness to everyone around you. Wholesome stuff.
You’re a very hard worker. You take care of your three siblings on a daily basis since you live in a single-parent household. You put tons of work into idol activities. As the founder and former president of the Idol Research Club, you showed more dedication than anyone else. You stuck with being an idol when others found it to be too tough. That’s why you decided to take a chance with Honoka and her friends when they expressed an interest in becoming school idols and felt so disheartened when she wanted to quit. You take things that you’re passionate about very seriously, and I admire that.
I love how quirky you can be! You try to be all calculating and put on this completely innocent face, but your antics are often shrugged off by the rest of μ’s. Some funny interactions come out of you being all high and mighty, and you easily have the best moments in the first Love Live! series. I also love your fashion sense (you continue to get some of the best-looking cards in the games), your vocals (your voice may be a bit shrill, but I love how distinct it is and both your singing and rapping skills), and everything I used to find obnoxious about you (I love how in-your-face you are now, haha). I unironically find myself saying “Nico Nico Nii” at random times because I’m a dork, and that just shows how much of an impact you’ve had on me!
Sorry if this post seems kind of messy. I’ve been working on my other writing project a ton. I even missed doing a post for Keke’s birthday as a result orz I still wanted to write something nice to celebrate you, though! Never stop being the galaxy’s number one idol! Nico Nico Nii!
