Rikuo Uozumi

**Rikuo Uozumi** ( **魚住 陸生**, *Uozumi Rikuo*?) is an original character created by *Kei Toume* in the **Sing "Yesterday" For Me** (*Yesterday wo Utatte*) manga and anime series.

## Appearance

Rikuo has an average height and build. He has short black hair that's unkempt and rather clean-shaven. Is rarely seen in formal clothes, with a few exceptions such as when he borrows a suit from his boss to film a wedding. At work he wears a green apron.

## Personality

He has a soft spot for crows, feeding them food he should dispose of at his job. He's pretty reserved, and stubborn. He doesn't like taking risks, in fear of being hurt. He tends to struggle with depression. And he seems to have a very self-deprecating attitude, and doesn’t seem too keen on the future.

## Biography

**Spoilers Below**

Rikuo is a university graduate who lives his life as a freeter, having little ambition to find full time employment. One day, Rikuo is on his break and feeds a group of crows behind the convenience store he works part time at. Here he encounters an unusual girl named Haru Nonaka. Soon after this chance meeting, Haru returns to the convenience store often to see Rikuo. Rikuo's coworker, Kinoshita suggests that Haru clearly has feelings for him and urges Rikuo to be friendlier to the girl. However, Rikuo is conflicted by his own feelings for Shinako Morinome, a friend from university. For much of the series, Rikuo is gradually pushed by his friends to explore his hobby of photography. Rikuo decides to begin working at a nearby studio that offers him a chance to refine his skills while keeping his job at the convenience store. Over time, Rikuo becomes closer to Shinako and attempts to distance himself from Haru to avoid misunderstandings. Rikuo's relationship with Shinako is challenged again when an old high school friend, Chika Yuzuhara, shows up to his apartment unannounced. Although he believes he does not have any feelings for Haru, he is jealous of Kouichi Minato, a photographer who attended high school with her.

Rikuo later accepts a job at Studio Taniya, where he becomes more invested in photography. Soon after, Rikuo and Kinoshita decide to leave their jobs at the convenience store to pursue their goals. Meanwhile, Haru attempts to remain in Rikuo's life while he becomes closer to Shinako. While dating Shinako, Rikuo feels conflicted about the nature of their relationship. He begins to notice that the two feel less open with each other than when they were friends in university. Rikuo continues to struggle including Shinako in his life, believing that he is not worth being seen with. Unsure of how to feel about Haru, Rikuo continues to turn down meeting with her. This causes a rift with an artist named Amamiya, a student-teacher at the local arts college who has had feelings for Haru since meeting her. Around this time Rikuo begins coming back to the Milk Hall cafe at night to see Haru, only to learn that she went to live with her relatives near Ise. Realizing that his relationship with Shinako is not what either of the two wanted, Rikuo decides to travel to Ise and tell Haru how he actually feels about her. Rikuo meets Haru at the train station as she was preparing to return to Tokyo after her grandmother convinces her to not run away from her problems. Rikuo reveals his true feelings for Haru, and the two return with her bird, Kansuke, to Tokyo.

While known cold and dismissive towards others, Rikuo's perspective changes throughout the series.

## Trivia

* Rikuo is revealed to prefer film to digital cameras.
* Rikuo's age is never explicitly revealed. As a university graduate, he is likely over 22 years old.
* He is 178 centimeters in height, or 5 feet 8 inches
* Rikuo does not own a computer.
* Rikuo does not have a cell phone until considerably late in the series, perhaps in reference to when the manga began.