- Sorry for my delay in posting... apart from busy festive season and New Years, I've been in the laziest holiday mode. Ever.
wow, that was a great rant! 
Sankyu
I admit I haven't gotten too far with my essay, but most of it is going to be written in the last couple of weeks of my winter break. Because all of my friends from high school are back at college then, but I'm at home with basically nothing to do. Except rave about Rika.
But yeah, that post basically sums up my feelings! Rika is such a complex person even if you just look at her from face value, but if you look even a little bit deeper she's (in my opinion) the sweetest, most caring person of H!P, coupled with the fact that she also likes fun.
Cool, I look forward to reading it!
Yup, as the lovely Gaki puts it: "She truly looks after everyone and always listens to them when they're troubled."
ALSO, with the Charmy thing (EVERYONE thinking she's super self-centered); I realized that I did a similar thing the other day. Where my friend was talking, and mentioned "...she's the coolest person I've ever met" about her best friend. I pop in and say "well, second coolest to me, right?" I was TOTALLY joking, but I realized. Doesn't everyone joke around like this? I mean, it's only when you take it too far (IMO with Sayu, who, lie detectors prove, really thinks she's cutest) that I think it's weird. idk.
Of course! In a way, I sometimes do it to avoid being hurt and more than often, to rouse a fun atmosphere (since the others will begin teasing/picking on you, and you can have a good laugh). I think it's Rika's intention too, not to mention she's keeping in character with Charmy.
And Sayu...
She's in a total league of her own.
WOAH BEECUBED!
i was wondering what on earth happened to you since you haven't said anything for the past few days
YAY RANTS!!!
Apart from my explanation at the beginning, I also think I ought to cut down on the length of posts.. I dunno, I just don't quite feel 100% comfortable posting too sentences
I'm a person of a lot of thoughts and feelings, I can't help spilling everything out when it comes to Rika or IshiYoshi!
... .i don't even know why people who dislike her even pay attention to her and talk about her...
Because she's a person with enough depth to discuss, no matter your view of her. RIKA FTW!
when i see rika on screen, almost everyone else disappears... and i don't talk about them (unless someone tells ME to pay attention 
)
why doesn't that happen to them with their favorite idol?
maybe they'd say they're not hating but why bother about things that make your existence less bearable?
can 'disliking' make life more bearable?
would loving white mean hating black? or brown? or pink? or the rainbow?
hm.... we are what we like and that we do about it...
but that's just tru talking... don't listen to me
I like your philosophical babbling, Tru. xD Interesting! But I have to agree. Disliking Rika (and even actively bashing her) - what good will that do? It's a sign of immaturity and intolerance.
What a great read everybody. We need that balance of Hot bloodedness and deep thinking rants. ACTUAL CONVERSATION!
Great piece, Beecubed! That's exactly why I got a great deal of respect for Rika, complex is a good way to put it. Another: Versatile. Able to adapt to any situation and her surroundings. Always open to a challenge and learning new things. FUCK! I can't
It's obvious her work in Eco Moni has taken an effect on her, and now she's promoting all sorts of great causes like eating proper veggies. You're right, those programs of her working in villages and not even showering - just blows u away eh. Aww, I love how it affected u. NOW THATS AN IDOL!!
Thanks, Dai. Actually, I'd rather move away from ranting now and do a lot more raving. Ranting is a bit too frustrating. Why do I need to defend Rika against mere words? Her pure awesomeness speaks for itself and those who are too blind to see it, I pity them. xD So no use getting worked up over the negative, I think I'd be doing more good celebrating Rika's brilliance!
Yeah, versatile is definitely another word to describe her. Maybe it's really because she's such a hard-worker. I mean, she did say that before entering the business that she hadn't really danced properly before. But look at her now. Of course I do think that's thanks in part to some hidden talent. She picked up yo-yo quite well, ne?
An idol in every sense of the word!
What really struck me when watching the Nepal program was that there was absolutely nothing pretentious about the way Rika presented herself. She wasn't making herself out to be some Mother Teresa, or trying to create a positive impression of herself in any way. For Rika, it seemed she had even learned a lesson from it; it was an eye-opening experience for her. I could really see this when she was talking to the camera about what the girl had told her in response to one of her questions. She looked teary, and truly humbled.
I guess I should write something for once
Masa, do it more often!
I had to agree with Tru, you sound old and wise indeed
I could really learn a lot more from you.. hahha... xD
Thanks for the tidbits. I hadn't read some of them before.
I have a question:
Does anybody know why Rika's mother chased her around with chickens? Was it some form of punishment?! o.o
LOL Sayumi is actually like my least favorite MM member of all time 
Yeah, during one of the chats with Kuro & Lolli, we had this discussion. I confess, I was taking a bit of a stab at Sayumi *is ashamed*, and then Kuro told me you hated her. I had no idea... but yeah, I was kind of like, *whoo, hi fives Masa's shadow*
One thing though, I was browsing through Yossie's thread a bit, and I saw that you claimed to be a Yossie-hater. T_T Nani? Is this still the truth? Surely it's impossible to hate Yossie... almost like it's impossible to hate Rika xD
Yeah, the problem is that a lot of people can't tell the difference between on and off screen personalities. Rika's old character might have been overly positive and narcissistic but it doesn't mean that she really was like that. The Hello! Project girls have always had manufactured personalities: their on screen characters are either exaggerated versions of themselves or nothing like their real personalities. Rika has stated that she used to be a really negative person but then she created the Charmy Ishikawa character which helped her to overcome her negative feelings. Charmy Ishikawa also helped Rika to stand out in Morning Musume, which was packed with talent back then. The real Rika might have been boring and forgettable especially since she was surrounded by loud & crazy girls like Kago, Tsuji, Yaguchi etc. Anyways Rika has matured a lot since her graduation and she doesn't even act like Charmy anymore. I guess most Rika-haters are basing their opinions on what Rika used to be like when she was still in Morning Musume. I can definitely see why some people find Morning Musume's "Charmy Ishikawa" annoying but the post-MM Rika is much more mature and more importantly real. Different strokes for different folks but the old school Rika-haters should definitely give her another chance 
Thanks a bunch for this piece of wisdom
I really agree with the bit where you said she needed Charmy to stand out against the more loud, distinctive girls. If it wasn't for the self-absorbed Charmy that took over during game shows and such, I don't think Rika could have really grabbed as much attention as some of the others (considering that her true self is more subdued and negative). It really strikes me when I watch H!M episodes now, how true this is. Charmy was like a safe bet that she wouldn't simply be drowned out by all the other personalities around her - even if this meant she'd be picked on endlessly! (being ignored, viewed as disgusting etc.). It's all really amusing
There's nothing wrong with worshipping Rika's body but she's definitely much, much more than just 
material. Rika's without a doubt one of the most interesting Japanese idols ever: her TV appearances are always entertaining & funny BUT she also has quite an interesting off screen personality. Gotta love a girl who likes both super girly fashion stuff and manly things such as violent action flicks & sports <3
*nods furiously in agreement*
= me when hearing of Rika's love for Battle Royale!
That bloodfest of a movie is the last movie I would have thought girly girls' girl Rika to love. Impressive
Phew, that was my longest post since my epic post #20k but fuck it, I LOVE RIKA
Loved the post!
Topic: The Official Rika Thread (Read 1922128 times)