RIKAKO AIDA SERIES

I said yesterday that her playing the piano for this song showcased how Aqours was always the nine of them, no matter when.

And how relieved she was when it ended, yet also just how much it still weighed on her. And when the camera focused on her for the closing notes, the very final note has a pause before it, and you could see just how much her hand was quivering. And she sang as she played, in a wavering and rough voice that didn't sound like her usual polished tone. Her notes were still slightly off.īut she kept going. Her hands were shaky, her face was still a wreck, there was a point where she bit her lip hard.

The song contained less camera closeups on Rikyako than before, but there was enough to see just how bad her condition was. It felt like less than a minute with the others before she stopped crying hysterically, and they restarted way, way too soon. The entire audience in the arena and every theatre had also changed their lights to sakura pink, and were chanting Rikako's name to cheer her on.Īnd what was amazing was how fast Rikyako calmed herself down. But they held their positions professionally, and let the few of them handle it. Aikyan was crying as well, and the rest looked really sad. Then she let Ainya and Suwawa take over for a bit and dashes down the steps, grabs a water bottle and a towel, and returns to help wipe Rikyako's tears away.Īt this time the rest of the members were downstairs looking up, watching over the few of them.

How she held Rikyako and got her to calm down, telling her that everything was alright even while Rikyako continued apologising profusely. Anchan hugs her and comforts her, and something that really struck me then was just how- how kind and accepting and warm Anchan's smile was. Everyone begins moving all of a sudden- they cut off her mic, and Anchan is right next to her in a flash despite being kneeling down on the stage in the middle of everyone else just a moment before. Everything just pauses, and hangs in that moment as the girls, the staff, the audience, literally everyone is trying to figure out what's going on.Īnd Rikyako suddenly just falls apart, crumpling in on herself and begins to sob wreckedly. King and Aiai still do the note-hitting hand gestures, but since there's no other instrumental except piano at this point, it gets painfully obvious that there is no piano. At this point I was still thinking that oh yeah, Rikyako definitely messed up there, but no biggie. Anchan begins singing, and there is a jarring note- the piano cuts off and there is something very, very noticeably missing from the background instrumental. Just like yesterday, Rikyako steps up to the piano, looks down at Anchan and nods, the camera cuts to Shukashuu who also nods (though I'm not sure if at Anchan or at Rikyako), and the girls get into position. The performance started as it was supposed to.

RIKAKO AIDA SERIES

I've followed this series since the start and I've never seen a more powerful, more visceral moment that connected so deeply with everyone. To me, I would say it was further than that: it was the absolute defining moment of Aqours itself. If you ask anyone who was there, this was the absolute defining moment of the concert. Explanation, copypasta'd from !_~Step!_ZERO_to_ONE~_Day_2_Report

Rikako aida