I’m kind of like Hanamaru. I’m not really good at anything, except reading and maybe writing. I can’t draw fanart, I don’t know how to cosplay, I can’t afford to buy overseas shipping for Maru merch, and since I don’t whale, I only have one non-promo Maru UR on SukuFes. So, because I can’t really do much else, this will be a text post (also i don't know how to add images in SukuTomo sklsadkalj)  I hope that is okay with you all.

I loved Hanamaru ever since her opening monologue in Episode 4. She was always so calm, so kind. Instant best girl. However, I was disappointed that she only got about a 5 minute arc in Ep 4. However, I had hope. There would be a Hanamaru centered-episode, or at least a sub-arc where she was featured. But soon, I had finished the first season, and there was nothing Hanamaru-related. Well, no biggie. Hanamaru was like the Aqours version of Rin, and the Love Wing Bell episode didn’t happen until season two. So, yeah, she’ll get a sub arc… ooh! Maybe even a song center… I couldn’t wait! But… nothing. Nothing.

Wh.. what?

We finally get a bookworm idol, and she gets 5 minutes in an episode centered around her best friend? Keep in mind, the trailers for Over the Rainbow were coming out around this time, so I knew the movie would have nothing to do with her. It also didn’t seem like we had any bookworm idols in PDP, so Hanamaru was my only chance to have an idol I could really relate to, but the anime treated her like a joke. Like she was just there to say “zura” for comical relief. She was like Nico, but even Nico had an episode in season two. I wasn’t mad, just disappointed. Maru didn’t even have a big fanbase, so she probably wouldn’t win any elections besides the Sega one. Yoshiko would probably win the 4th single election, and then Maru would fade away with the rest of Aqours as Love Live decided to focus mainly on PDP. It sucked, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it.

Until…

HANAMARU WON THE 4TH SINGLE ELECTION!!

No joke, I screamed when I saw this. I was hoping she would win, but Yoshiko seemed to be more popular than her. Words cannot express the joy I feel about this. I know it seems cheesy, but if Hanamaru, a bookworm idol, can win a popularity poll, than maybe I, a bookworm girl, can succeed, too. If Hanamaru can go from a background character to a song center, maybe I can find my own “song” to be the center of. But hey, maybe I’m overreacting ¯_(ツ)_/¯. I’m just glad she got a center.

Okay, I know this is the HanamaruFanAwards2019 and not the KinchanFanAwards2019, but Kinchan has always been my favorite seiyuu. I know Rikyako gets a ton of support, and I’m not saying that support is undeserved, but I just really love Kinchan. One of the main reasons lots of people wanted Hanamaru to win the election was because Kinchan said she felt Maru didn’t get much love, so she wanted something to celebrate Maru. I’m so glad she gets to voice Maru, and I’m excited to hear her sing in the fourth single. (Have you heard Oyasuminasan? Kinchan’s voice is fantastic! Ohanamaru!)

Once the single comes out, everyone will freak out about Maru for about a little while, but it will soon be forgotten. She will return to being a background character, outshined by Ruby and Yoshiko. Then, Aqours will have their last single. Their last live. The Love Live series will eventually fade away, with other idol animes overtaking LL. I might forget Love Live. I might forget Aqours. I might forget Hanamaru, but I will have changed forever because of her.

Happy birthday to my best Love Live girl, Hanamaru. Thank you, Love Live. Thank you, Kinchan. Thank you, Hanamaru.

(I’m sorry but RubyMaru > YoshiMaru)