Characters/Rika Rokuhara
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“It’s disgusting. You should be ashamed. Please stop.” SPOILERS AHEAD! This page contains a lot of information in later events or versions. You may inevitably spoil yourself. |
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| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Surname Name | Rukohara Rika |
| Birthday (Age) | September 23rd (42) |
| Type of Character | Side |
| Additional Information | |
| Hair Color | Brown |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Height | 5′ 7′′ (171cm) |
| Job(s) | Club Advisor at Kumon-Mi High (Back on Track) |
| Hobby(s) |
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| Like(s) |
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| Dislike(s) |
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| Family |
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| Affiliation | Light Music Club (Advisor) |
| First Appearance |
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Rika Rukohara is part of the Side Cast of in Lessons In Love. Rika is one of the mothers of Rin Rokuhara and, as of Back on Track, the club advisor for the Light Music Club at Kumon-Mi High.
Background
Rika is the daughter of two unnamed parents and grew up in an extremely accepting and tolerant household. This resulted in her having loads of personal freedom, which she used to experimental romantically, get involved in numerous protests, and get in constant trouble with law enforcement. Perhaps because of this wild behavior, Rika never had a good relationship with her mother, never having the time to patch things up before her death. At some point, she met a woman named Rie, who she'd go onto marry and, together, adopt a daughter.
Rika's backstory is part of a running joke in Lessons in Love. She often makes allusions to ridiculous or baffling tales, all of which she doesn't elaborate one. According to her, she's been in a cult, traveled the world with nothing but a shopping cart, been arrested for vandalism, and never even finished high school.
Characteristics
Rika bears a lot of similarities to her daughter, Rin. The two share the same off-beat but charming charisma, the same punk-aesthetic, and the same emotional intensity. Unlike her daughter though, Rika is much more gullible and not nearly as intelligent, often finding herself as the butt of a joke when her ignorance is exposed — She makes up for this in her life experience.
While her general light-hearted demeanor would lead most to believe otherwise, Rika is among the oldest members of the cast, and has decades of wisdom she often shares when the moment calls for it. Additionally, while most write her off as empty-headed, she's very emotionally intelligent, easily picking up on people's social cues and harboring a surprising amount of hidden melancholy.
Relationships
Sensei
Rika meets Sensei during a post-heartbreak trip she takes to the Dive Bar. Imani invites her to join their drinking group and the three, along with Osako and Wakana become recurring drinking buddies from then on. They don't interact much on-screen though until Rika ends up moving in with Rin into the dorms. After giving him her number during Nodoka's book-signing, the two begin to hang out, eventually becoming co-workers when Rika is hired onto staff at Kumon-Mi High.
Rika seems to enjoy Sensei's company, feeling comfortable enough to vent to him emotionally and also let him see her in humiliating situations. The two's relationship is entirely platonic, devoid of the usual shallow flirting Sensei's other relationships happen — This is partly due to most his pick-up lines flying over her head. While they have a healthy relationship, the two become somewhat awkward around each other after the two discuss his love life, a conversation in where she points out how he doesn't seem to actually care about him.
She affectionately refers to him as a "goober".
Imani
Imani is one of Rika's drinking buddies, and later co-worker. The two have a mostly friendly relationship, although Rika enjoys teases her about her general inexperience.
Rin
Rin is Rika's adoptive daughter, and the two have been family for so long that Rika often finds herself forgetting they're not biologically related. Despite this, the two have a good relationship, often playfully picking on each other whenever they're together. Rika often worries about how to proper parent Rin, feeling wildly inadequate as a role model.
Futaba
Rika is shown to like Futaba during their few interactions. The two seem familiar with each other, opening hugging each other when they meet again after Rika moves into her dorm.
Memorable Quotes
- "Hey, I may occasionally make out with random people I have only known for several minutes, but I'm certainly not a prostitute."
- "Aw, my girl's a little disaster lesbian just like her mom."
- "All signs point to me being an easy target. I’m not gonna blame you for trying to take a shot. [...] I just don’t want to be that kind of person anymore."
Trivia
- Rika used to read often when she was a small child, and keeps a collection of various children's books she used to have. Despite this, she's not much a reader nowadays, preferring music.
