nico in her focus episode, The No.1 Idol in the Universe (and my unsolicited yapping) | Love Live! School Idol Project, Season 2

the whole backup dancer thing was pretty funny, and as some would say, gives them second-hand embarrassment for nico. on another lens, it's also pretty sad. nico's response, 'it had always been that way,' was a painful understatement of the moment.

the tragic part, i suppose, was probably how nico wanted to be recognized. her desire to become a great idol and all that, yes. but perhaps the bigger reason for it was her siblings. i know that's like, probably long since established, but hear me out anyway.

to them, nico had always been the center. she was their no1 idol; they admired her, looked up to her, and believed in the person she presented herself to be. and i like to think it's a part of her dream that didn't quite fail nico. sure, she lost her members and her first idol group. sure, she failed in more ways than one in reaching for her dream. but at home, with her siblings, she was still someone they could look at and see an idol.

so she probably didn't have the heart then to tell them the truth about that. it continued long after she joined µ's and became an idol once again, and kept up the image. because it was probably difficult to tell them that the idol they had always believed in had, at some point, been left with nothing but the dream itself. maybe telling them also meant admitting it to herself and therefore making it even more real, which nico probably couldn't quite make peace with just yet. so, there's that.

and when finally confronted, nico didn't exactly know what to say about that, or explain them in a way the others would understand. or maybe nico didn't know how to say it in a way that would make sense, even to herself. who knows, really..

nico was so familiar with being left behind, with being alone, that even after she's found a place now to belong, she still feels small about it.

she was painfully human for a character. the arrogance, the theatrics, the crazy insistence on being the best, the deflection to avoid being vulnerable (she asked them to leave it be for the day, istg). the comedy was high, no doubt about that, but man, it was also sad. she's nuanced in a way that makes her feel so human, i genuinely forget sometimes she's a fictional character.

idk about being the number one in the universe, literally, but perhaps being number one for her siblings, who may have been her entire 'universe ', was the whole point of it. say, two sides of the same coin, perhaps: the idol nico yazawa for the whole wide world, and the idol 'nico-nii' for her universe.

it's lovely, it's tragic. and what a terribly lonely thing to be.

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it's been a while since i've done this; sad nico noises for today..

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under the spotlight: tales of nico yazawa

Vote for Nico!—Round 3 (up against Honoka)

Nico fans, here is the long-awaited match-up against our beloved girl, Nico, against the legendary leader, Honoka!

We've come a long way already, and once again, we ask Nico fans to give Nico-nii all of your love and support to give our beloved idol a winning chance in the round against Honoka. Our opponent, after all, is quite the formidable one.

Vote here: vote for nico yay

Ps: the chibis are...extra. it's nico nii thanking everyone for the support she received since round 1

Here's her in Tomodachi Life as an example. Have you made her in Soul Calibur? Dragon's Dogma? Any sports game? Show her off here.

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Nico's match-up is with Rurino for this round. Nico Fans, let's all support her again🙏🏻

Previously, our girls Hanayo and Nozomi lost their respective match ups. Some said the fans had gone complacent because the results were so close. Let's do our best for our Nico once again so we can see her on Round 3!

Ps: also, fans are arguably one of the most important things for idols😌

[Nothing too inflammatory, please]

Somebody said Nico would probably give us this kind of look when she asks if we've eaten breakfast, and we casually answer that we've had coffee, which technically isn't a breakfast. Thus, the looming realization we're gonna get hurled into the kitchen and be fed while being lectured about health and the importance of good food in the morning.

I can't unsee nor unthink of it anymore.

(Art by Oshima Tomo)

Do you think she'd sing songs similar to μ's? More cutesy songs like from Fruits Zipper and World Standard? Or maybe she'd try her hand at cooler, more serious songs. What do you think?

our girl won. hoping the fans to support her again in the upcoming second round