Happy (belated) birthday, Kotori Minami!

You may be third in my ranking of the three μ’s second years, but I still appreciate you! You play a pretty great supporting role, and your caring nature is one of the threads that holds μ’s together.

You’re the childhood friend of Honoka and Umi. Since the beginning of your friendship, Honoka has managed to convince you to go along with her zany ideas. Wherever she went, you would happily follow. When news that your high school was shutting down surfaced, the idea of becoming a school idol to save Otonokizaka was planted into her head, and you continued to follow her as always – loyal to a fault. Much to Umi’s chagrin, you’re so loyal to Honoka that you could easily be convinced into doing the most outlandish things that she could possibly suggest – which makes you a pretty good foil to Umi, who is also very supportive of Honk, but is quick to try and shut down any ideas that are too nonsensical. Honoka is an important presence in your life, and your friends’ happiness is paramount to you.

That’s why when a new opportunity popped up for you, your indecisiveness led to relying on the opinions of others as to not upset anyone. Honoka felt that studying abroad would be best for you, so you took her thoughts into consideration and were all set to leave. As a result, you often get criticized for being a doormat, but I think it was important to highlight this trait of yours. Deciding what kind of career you want to pursue and just what you want to do with your life is an issue that real high schoolers come face-to-face with, and it can be daunting. (I know it was for me, and I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do with my life many years later. Life is very complicated.) Not everyone is sure of what they want from life, and that’s okay. It can be hard to speak up to those that are close to you about such things when you aren’t even sure about them yourself, and that’s also okay. Everyone moves at their own pace, and you’ll eventually find your footing. People that love you will be there to support you through your journey – no matter what! …At least, that’s what I got out of your minor character arc. While you didn’t really have a ton of character development in the anime, I still think that your role conveyed a decent message.

I love how airheaded you can be! Whether you’re a maid pretending that you have no idea who this Kotori person that some girls mistook you for is, attempting to write song lyrics about macarons and other sweet things that life has to offer, or Kotobombing your friends, it can be amusing to watch! While Honoka is really out there and Umi is level-headed, you fall right in-between. You’re resourceful, but you have a ditzy side. You act as the perfect buffer between them when needed.

A lot of people are torn on your singing voice due to its squeakiness, and I get how it can be jarring, but even if your voice isn’t the “best,” I still enjoy it and how it stands out. It fits right in with Printemps’ bubbly, high-energy, springlike songs, and there’s no denying that Suki desu ga Suki desu ka? is a certified bop. Wonder zone is such a magical-sounding, inspirational song. I remember my mom even liking it when I was casually listening to Love Live! songs one day and saying something along the lines of “Oh, they be jammin’!” once the song picked up after the intro.

Due to your affinity for fashion and creating costumes, you easily get some of the best-looking cards in the games. In fact, Snowman Koto was my dream promo UR for a while since I joined SIF after the initial login campaign (my first login promo was Vegas Nozo). I made sure to save up as many stickers as I needed so I could get my hands on the card ASAP. Once I got it, I was overjoyed! Now, the card sits in my waiting room, but I still love the art a ton. While I tend to overlook you sometimes, your fashion sense is one thing that doesn’t get by me. I can always appreciate it no matter what.

Never stop being the hard-working, clothes-crafting birb that you are! Chun chun! 🐦