The most underrated character in ALL OF MEDIA (real).
No because, she's such a well written, grounded character. Everyone in K-On! is beyond loveable, but characters like Yui and Mugi can come off as a little trope-y on occasion. This is all well and fine, but it makes Ritsu stick out so much for me. I love her! so much!! She bounces off so well with every other character, she's so upbeat and energetic, and she's so down to earth. There are so many tid-bits in the show that breathe life into her!! Scoring well on exams despite coming off as lazy and unserious, being good at cooking, being a responsible older sister, etcetcetcetc. When Mugi pointed out how loyal and kind Ritsu really is, I was SQUEALING. Her dynamic with everyone is so unique (<//3 wish she had more scenes with Azusa ) and she fills in a different role for all of them:
Yui: single brain cell owners
Mio: introvert x extrovert
Mugi: head in the clouds vs down to earth
Sawako: just pure comedy gold
I also adore that she does fit into a tomboyish archetype but she's not like... molded into a box to fit it. Her manners and actions go against stereotypical feminine behaviors , but she has diverse tastes and interests and skills. I just appreciate it when 2000s/2010s shows write that archetype without the plague of misogyny, pickmeisms, imnotlikeothergirlisms etc etc, and it makes her feel surprisingly realistic for a show that is more or less just cute girls having fun.
I LOVE HER. I don't know what else to say except <<<<<3
(psst gogomaniac and utauyo miracle has a banger drum track)
tfw you receive an anonymous love letter and you spend days trying to figure out who it’s from but turns out it’s actually song lyrics written by your bestie and she just wanted your opinion