Roco Handa

Roco Handa(伴田路子 , *Handa Roco*), is one of the idols featured in The iDOLM@STER: Million Live! and is also one of the members of the "39 Project" (*「39（サンキュー）プロジェクト」,* "*sankyuu purojekuto*") during the events of Theater Days. Her Million Live! original card type was Visual, meanwhile her Theater Days card type is Fairy. She is voiced by Atsuki Nakamura (中村温姫, *Nakamura Atsuki*).

## Appearance

Roco has long, wavy, ash blonde hair that is usually kept in two low-hanging twintails, kept up by black and white bows. Her eyes are a dark yellow color.

Her casual outfit consists of a beige colored jumper that vaguely resembles that of a Seifuku, along with a black frilly skirt and blue tights. Roco wears an assortment of accessories and bracelets on her wrists, as she likes to follow current fashions. She is almost always seen with her signature yellow headphones around her neck, as they are very important to her. Her shoes are vibrant pink sneakers.

## Personality

Roco is an eccentric young girl who believes that she was destined to become an idol in order to spread the power of her "New Wave" expression. A talented artist, she dreams of using her position as an idol to share her art with the world. As with many artists, Roco has a lot of interesting mannerisms and habits, the most notable being her way of speaking. She likes to mix English into her sentences, to the extent of sometimes making her impossible to understand. This has proven to be an issue many times, such as in the drama track for Live Theater Performance 12, in which Yukiho and Chizuru have a hard time understanding what she is saying, leading to communication issues. Roco quickly corrects herself if she notices she is not using a loanword, even going as far to create her own flash cards of English words for others to read. Her favorite word in particular is "Roconize", which is a word she invented herself to describe when she gets a spur of the moment hit of inspiration. However, when Roco goes into concentration mode, she'll revert to using normal Japanese, which implies that she is mindfully forcing herself to speak English as part of her artist persona.

Despite her oddities, Roco is quite the talented artist. She has been seen to be able to draw, paint, sculpt and design entire set pieces on her own. It is also implied that she could possibly sew. However, like most artists, her concepts are often hard to understand and it's usually pretty hard for the other members of the Theater to fully understand the meaning behind what she has created. Despite this though, everyone is usually very receptive to what she has created, with some characters such as Yuriko even going as far to help Roco out with a difficult task. Roco's sense of inspiration is often very erratic, she likes to act on her senses as soon as they hit her, often leading her to go about in a frenzy. This has lead to characters such as Chizuru making up nicknames for Roco such as "Koro-chan" because she "is just as hyperactive as a puppy". However, these nicknames are all in good fun, and no one holds any ill will towards Roco, and she knows this. Roco also likes to keep up with popular fashion, often wearing different accessories from whatever trend is big at the time. However, she won't be caught dead without her yellow headphones, and if she has to remove them for work, she prefers if the producer holds on to them. She is also seen to be a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to her art, sometimes staying up all night in the Theater just to complete her goal. During her MC's she likes to ramble about her art, which the audience seems to love, as her passion becomes visible as she talks. However, she often has to be interrupted or else she could go on for hours.

Although on the outside, Roco appears hyperactive and eccentric, deep down she has a lot of insecurities, and has also suggested that she has been bullied in the past. She is also very aware that her odd habits can occasionally alienate her from the other girls in the Theater, which makes her anxious at times. Although she acts confident in her art, she is very surprised and pleased when someone praises her, usually muttering "thank goodness" to herself. Roco is also very lonely at heart. Growing up she didn't have a lot of friends, which is something she still struggles with in present day. At one point Roco was even driven to tears at the realization that she didn't have a designated best friend in the theater. She has said before that "to be an artist is to be lonely" and that for a very long time, art was her only friend. Because of this, she created her eccentric artist persona, which turns out to be Roco herself. It is assumed that "Roco" isn't her real name, as Takane has (somewhat mysteriously) managed to pickup on, her real name could be Michiko. This is supported by the fact that her Kanji name can read as Michiko. In response, Roco freaks out and demands she be called by "Roco, not her real name". It is very apparent that Roco wants to leave "Michiko" behind, for whatever reason. Luckily, Roco was able to find a safe place and a bunch of supportive friends that love her through the Theater.

## Image Songs

* IMPRESSION→LOCOMOTION!
* STEREOPHONIC ISOTONIC
* ART NEEDS HEART BEATS

## History

#### **THE iDOLM@STER: Million Live!**

Upon first reading Roco's name on the list, the producer is confused about exactly what kind of idol they are given (as there is no last name associated with "Roco"). Before even introducing herself, Roco exclaims that the producer has "a nice first impression", all in English, throwing the producer off guard. This makes the producer ask right away if Roco is actually Japanese or not, to which she quickly responds that "Roco" is merely an artist name, and of course she is Japanese, however this is just how she talks because it's the language of an artist. Roco explains that she hopes to become an idol to further her quest in becoming "the Evangelist of art", which obviously requires the support of the producer as Roco's "partner". The producer is seriously confused, however believes that maybe Roco has the willpower to become a Top idol after all, and that maybe an eccentric idol is the key to success. Roco takes this on board right away and asks if they can hold a meeting in an hour or so, because she wants to start "scheming" for new ideas. Producer notes internally that maybe a Japanese-English dictionary might be necessary in order to work well with Roco.

#### **THE iDOLM@STER Million Live!: Theater Days**

 The producer is hanging around after a 765 Allstars event, when he finds a young girl still lingering in the audience stand muttering words like "excellent" and "sensitive" to herself. She seems very moved by the performance, watching the now empty stage with a gleam in her eye. The producer asks Roco if she intends on going home, to which she responds that "she wants to leave, but she can't quite bring herself to". Roco gets excited as she explain to the producer that it's the first time she's ever seen song and dance express itself as a form of art. She beings to ramble, talking in swift English about how inspired and motivated the performance by Allstars has made her. The producer is very confused, but manages to gather that Roco found the performance inspiring and "fun". It is here that Roco exclaims that one day she hopes to stand on a stage as a fellow artists and express herself. She says this because she feels that there is something on that stage that she hasn't been able to feel for herself yet, so she feels that becoming an idol weill help her reach that feeling of "Installation". The producer mutters to themselves that they have no idea at all what Roco is saying, but the feeling is there. The producer is sure that Roco has untapped potential, and pulls out a business card to offer to her. At first, Roco is taken aback that the person she has been speaking to is actually a producer, but slowly a grin grows across her face and her words turn into giggles. She exclaims that the producer must be quite good at their job to be able to "recognize Roco's artistic talent just from a glance". Roco tells the producer that together they should be able to create a "Big wave" in the idol world, then actually remembers she hasn't introduced herself yet. She tells the producer her name is "just Roco". The producer notes to themselves that Roco is an interesting girl that will have to handled carefully in order to make her shine, and the two agree to meet up again in the future. Roco is unique from the other girls in Theater Days in that she doesn't go through the audition process.

The day of Roco's promotional photo shoot arrives, and the producer struggles to find her at first, only to see her staggering through the door slightly late, carrying a large amount of heavy looking bags at her feet. It turns out that the bags are full of what Roco calls "Roco art", her prized pieces of art all crafted by herself. Roco confidently exclaims that she would like her Roco art to be featured alongside her in the promotional photos for "maximum success", simply meaning she wants them to be shown off just as much as her. The producer notes that Roco is very proud of her art, but gently lets her down by telling her that they require photos without flashy backgrounds and art. Roco objects, explaining that these artworks represent her personality, and that it "wouldn't be a good Roco photo without Roco art". The producer has to explain that the purpose of these photos is to showcase what kind of person Roco herself is, for companies that may be interested in working with her. Roco hums this over for a bit, but then decides that the producer is right after all, and that she will aim to embody the art that she loves so much.

The photo shoot goes ahead, and the cameraman is very pleased with how Roco expresses herself, calling her poses "artist-like". Roco laughs, saying that "you've got it wrong, sir! Roco isn't "artist-like", Roco IS an artist!!". She then says that it seems like the artist has been "Roconized", so all is well.

After the shoot, Roco and producer look over the photos. Roco seems quite proud of herself, mentioning she thinks she captured "the perfect artist form". However, she is still upset by the exclusion of her Roco art, so she makes the producer promise that they will use them next time. Still, she thanks the producer for offering her smart advice today. The producer notes to them-self that they are thankful they could help Roco, and that her talents are really starting to come through.

The night before Roco's debut performance, the producer finds her sitting in an office block all alone, late at night. She is muttering to herself in broken English, seeming to be in full concentration. When asked what us wrong, Roco says that she is "trying to actualize a spirit", but she isn't getting any good ideas. Simply, she is trying to create a new piece of Roco art. Roco asks the producer for a "thinking session", at this very moment. The producer reminds Roco firmly that tomorrow is the day of her debut, and she should be heading home. Roco rebuts this saying that she is in full inspiration mode from the sheer excitement of her performance tomorrow. Producer looks over in the corner to see that there is an assortment of other Roco art sitting there, which stirs some sort of emotion in them. Thus, the producer agrees to help Roco out. Roco gets super excited, saying that "she knew the producer had something special in them". Roco thanks the producer for helping out, and promises that they'll be the first to know when she's done, so the producer leaves Roco alone for some time.

Checking on Roco a bit later, she is still working hard on her Roco art, late into the night. Seriously concerned this time, the producer asks Roco to go home again, reminding her that personal health is an important part of being an idol. Roco, who wasn't even aware of the time, freaks out at how late it is. Although disheartened, she agrees that she'll work on the piece after the show, because in the end "the most important project right now is Roco's debut". The two tidy up, and Roco heads home for the night, leaving the producer to lock up.

## Relationships

Akane Nonohara

Roco is often shown to be hanging around with Akane, which makes for a chaotic duo as the two are both very hyperactive and eccentric girls. The two have been presented as close friends in many forms, most notable being the Million Live 4th Anniversary PV. In it, Akane and Roco are seen talking together, when Roco pulls out a very odd piece of art that is meant to represent Akane. Despite how weird it looks, Akane praises it anyways. In the cover for Theater Dreamers 05, Roco is seen painting a golden statue of Akane, that Akane adores. When Roco is around Akane, her anxiety and fear seems to vanish, and its hinted that because Akane is also an eccentric girl, she easily understands Roco which makes the two click so well. The two also have a duo titled "Fruity Love"

Subaru Nagayoshi

Subaru is considered one of Roco's closest friends in the theater, which started from Subaru dragging her around outside a lot. Roco is thankful for this however, because thanks to Subaru dragging her around, she was able to talk to everyone a but more, thus calming her anxieties. The two make a comedic duo of energetic girls who are often causing some soft of chaos when they're together.

Takane Shijou

Chizuru Nikaido

## Quotes

* "Let Roco be a part of that project as well!"
* "Roco is aiming for a niche group, but still wants many fans!"
* "Producer...shouldn't you be focusing on your work-life balance? Roco sure is."
* "Producer!! You should try adding a beard to your style. Roco thinks you'd suit it."
* "Roco wants to focus really hard right now, so please remind me of the time every so often."
* "This tea....it's Roco faaaavorite~ Who brewed this?"
* "Stop!! Don't move!! That on the floor is one of Roco's masterpieces, so please don't touch it!"

## Trivia

* Another popular nickname for Roco is "Croquette", also given to her by Chizuru, because of Roco's love for the meat.
* Roco's love for pigeons has somewhat become her symbol. with pigeons appearing in many of her cards and even on her SSR outfit in Theater Days.
* Roco refers to herself in the third person, using "Roco" rather than "I".