Gothic Idols Rant (kinda?)
@BN Pictures give us a unique goth idol who does NOT look like a mixture of the previous ones.
Ngl I like Sakuya, but that “every aikatsu universe MUST have a gothic idol” trope is getting repetitive and unoriginal.
If you think it’s hard to make a unique design/character, let’s check out LoLi GoThiC’s users besides Yurika and Sumire.
While the silver-haired girl never showed up on screen, the purple-haired one is Michiru Kurosawa, one of few background Starlight students whom I still remember. Why? Because of her image.
Look at her. She surely has a gothic vibe, yet she doesn’t look like other gothic main idols. Even her profile art is mysterious. I wish she had more screentime like Yuna had in EP12 of OGkatsu. (hi I’m still furious she and Rin are not sisters, it would have been an interesting pair of cool siblings)
Then we have Reika Yuuki, Akari’s classmate.
She doesn’t look like a LoLi GoThiC’s user at first sight. According to her Photokatsu’s card, she’s scared of ghosts, therefore she can’t even meet Maaya Yumekoji (LoLi GoThiC’s top designer).
However, before our mighty main idols occupied Top 8 of Starlight Queen’s Cup, Reika was on top. Therefore, she’s the best Starlight idol among non-main idols. I think that’s really impressive.
And now we have Sakuya. (pic is rendered by @jajachanx3 )
What does she have in common with previous gothic main idols?
Yurika: Sakuya’s dress that was revealed reminded me of Yurika’s Capricorn Premium Dress, and I think Luna Witch is going to be the next LoLi GoThiC in Aifriends universe. It’s also mentioned that Sakuya’s acting skills are good, and Yurika plays her vampire character convincingly. (I won’t be surprised if Sakuya is the one who said she came from the Moon)
(Btw before meeting Ichigo and others, Yurika was also very shy and lonely)
Sumire: While fortune-telling skills were kinda forgotten, Sumire’s debut was good with all these mystery encounters with Akari. Sadly we didn’t see much of them after that.
At the same time, Sakuya’s voice seems to be similar to Sumire’s.
Lily: Personally, I just feel Lily’s vibes whenever I look at Sakya tbh. Maybe it’s because of Sakuya’s facial expressions that remind me of her, or her ombre hair.
In conclusion, I’d like to say one more time that I don’t hate Sakuya as a character. She hasn’t even debuted yet. I like her. What I hate is that the gothic idol trope is becoming repetitive even in creating a new character design. I’ll be glad to be wrong if Sakuya somehow manages to break that gothic idol trope, but for now, she seems like the next Gothic Aikatsu Idol™ to me.