 Mika Kagehira |
|---|
| |
Having had fervent admiration for Shu Itsuki's artwork in the past, he is now in the process of pursuing his own form of art. He has a gentle disposition, but there are times when his nature as a natural airhead comes out. His ability to focus is sometimes showcased when he's making an effort to improve himself. He has a gracefully tender singing voice and performances that are elegant while still standing out from the crowd.
Mika is a member of Valkyrie at COSMIC PRODUCTION. He aims to be an idol who can present the best art possible to the world for the sake of making children smile. He's still weak in many areas, so he's started doing things such as cooking in order to overcome those weaknesses.[2]
I'm Mika Kagehira o' Valkyrie in COS PRO. I work together with Oshi-san in the unit Valkyrie. The art Oshi-san makes is perfect—the best ya can find. I'm workin' hard every day ta be an artist worthy of standin' by Oshi-san's side. We're always tryin' ta create the best stage possible an' tell the world, "We are here." I'm happy t' see ya supportin' us![2]
ShuI've known Kagehira for quite a long time now. Beyond just unit activities, we also do many things together in our private lives. We've taken one step towards becoming artists and are now actively involved in things like performance production. It is precisely because it is the two of us—Kagehira and I—as Valkyrie, that I can say its worldview is complete.[2]
Quick Answers
Why does Mika Kagehira idolize Shu Itsuki?
Why does Mika Kagehira keep referring to himself as a doll?
Why does Mika Kagehira dislike his own eyes?
Appearance
Mika is a young man with a skinny build. He has mid-length tousled black hair which resembles the feathers of a crow. It appears dark green and sometimes even brown in certain lighting. His eyes have heterochromia iridium; his right eye is a light golden color, while his left is aqua. At school, he wears his school blazer unbuttoned over his navy blue sweater. His white shirt is untucked and unbuttoned at the collar, and he wears a black long-sleeved shirt underneath. He wears a green tie loosely around the collar, purple sneakers and loose plaid pants.
Mika is a young man with a skinny build. He has mid-length tousled black hair which resembles the feathers of a crow. It appears dark green and sometimes even brown in certain lighting. His eyes have heterochromia iridium; his right eye is a light golden color, while his left is aqua. At school, he wears his school blazer unbuttoned over his navy blue sweater. His white shirt is untucked and unbuttoned at the collar, and he wears a black long-sleeved shirt underneath. He wears a blue tie loosely around the collar, purple sneakers and loose plaid pants.
On stage, Mika wears Valkyrie's uniform. It consists of a black, dark-rose colored coat over a buttoned black shirt and a dark-rose ribbon around his neck. His coat has three-quarter length sleeves, and he wears long black leather bracelettes on his forearms. He also wears a black stud earring in his left ear and a black feather earring in his right.
Personality
He is not good at controlling his emotions; most of the time, they control him instead. As he is dependent on Shu, he has shown that he can also accomplish many tasks on his own but is afraid of failure.
He describes himself as not being able to accomplish anything and that he is only a "doll" used to obey orders, however, it has shown that he is able to complete many things on his own without the guidance of any others.
He is also an extremely hard worker, and often finds it hard to take breaks. He even goes as far as working on his own birthday to get money for his unit, which is in a bad financial crisis. He shows signs of fatigue and has even fainted from the poor condition his body is in. Many friends have expressed concern of his condition, some saying he gets thinner each time they see him.
He shows extreme amounts of loyalty to his friends and will do almost anything for those he cares about. For example, he was willing to put up any kind of fight to protect his unit which was in critical danger of being shut down. When he loves something he never lets it go and never takes back his word.
While he may be bad with expressing emotion, his true intentions always get out sooner or later whether it's on accident or on purpose. For example, he used to treat the Producer harshly, as Shu would, and would say that Valkyrie does not need a producer. However, as time passed he got more friendly with the Producer and has told her a lot of his true opinions.
Etymology
Mika's first name (みか) is written in hiragana and is considered somewhat girly.[3] It sounds similar to the archangel Michael, which both Nazuna and Leo have mentioned.[4] It may also come from 三日月 (mikadzuki), meaning "crescent moon," as this pun on his name appears in his first solo song, Kohaku to Ruri no Rondo. "Kage" (影) in his last name means "shadow." This could refer to how he used to be Shu's backup dancer when he first entered Valkyrie, essentially standing in his shadow. His solo song may imply that the full meaning of his name could be "the slice of shadow cast by the crescent moon."
Family
- For more information, see Mika Kagehira/Family.
Mika has stated that he does have adoptive parents, but has not gone into much detail about them. In order to live close to Yumenosaki Academy, Mika lived with Shu during his 2nd year. He lives in the Seisoukan Dorms during his 3rd year.
Trivia
- During the "Ensemble Stars!" era, Mika was one of the first additional main characters introduced into the game and storyline.
- Mika made his "Ensemble Stars!" game debut in the company of Shu Itsuki, presenting to audiences as Valkyrie for the first time on March 2, 2016. His unit was the first official unit to be announced after the initial release of "Ensemble Stars!".
- His late entry to the series makes him one of several characters to be revealed after the game's release, also notably including the idols belonging to Switch, MaM, and Eden.
- He is the youngest and shortest member of Valkyrie.
- Mika speaks in Kansai dialect.
- Mika often carries around candies to eat. He has stated that nice sweets make his stomach upset, and prefers things that an amateur would make, such as half-burnt cakes and cheap candies.
- Shu states that the candies he carries around are usually strawberry or melon-flavored.[5]
- He is similar in looks and personality to Suzu Kuromori from Ensemble Girls!. This has been stated many times by other characters (by Anzu in Mika's first sub-story, by Chizuru Yakumo in the light novel, and by Mika himself in Milky Way). It is implied by Suzu's dialogue in Ensemble Girls! that he may be her long-lost twin.
- He was able to quickly recognize a book as being an old English manuscript of Mabinogion (and not a diary as Ritsu had believed), which implies he likely has a decent interest or knowledge in European history.[6]
- He has a duller sense of pain and often doesn't notice when his hands have been pricked by a needle while sewing.[7]
- He is extremely night-blind and has trouble seeing anything in the dark, to the point that it restricts his movements and abilities and often causes physical injuries.[8]
- Sora described his color as "Murky, but hiding a strong, beautiful light within — like a volcano storing magma in its chamber[9]."
- Mika has a picture of Shu he took that he carries wherever he goes.[10]
- Mika repairs and names stuffed toys he finds at the garbage dump.[11] He also mends clothes from the garbage to wear as pajamas.[12]
- Mika speaks the Kansai dialect rather than standard Japanese. An example of it is his constant usage of the word "akan" meaning "no good" which comes from the said dialect.
- Mika's live stream username is "@MIKA_KAGEHIRA".[13]
Commentary
Voice Actor Comments
"I'm Jun Oosuka, the voice of Kagehira Mika. I did a double take when my manager sent me a message saying, "You're going to be in Enstars!" When they showed me the character settings for Mika-kun, I had to do a triple take. I don't even remember how many times I had to look at the script when they gave it to me… I think I must have stretched out my neck with all the double takes (laughs). Mika-kun... He's a good kid, admirable and lovable. He's the sort of guy you wouldn't be able to take your eyes off if you had him as a friend. Please show him some love and produce him. (In Kansai Dialect) Valkyrie is the best!" (Enstars!)[14]
"I look forward to seeing more of Valkyrie's "art", and Mika-kun's as well. Mika-kun! Show us what you've got!♪"(Enstars!!)[15]
Main Scenario Writer's Comments
"In his very first establishment materials, it had said that "he persecutes Nazuna alongside Shu," you see. I had wondered how it would affect him since he was to be a regular character, so I tried to come up with reasons to sympathize with him, but then it ended up making Nazuna look like a villain instead... Finding a balance is really hard." —Akira (Official Works, Artbook)[16]
 Mika Kagehira
| ||
|---|---|---|
| Sub Story • Management Story • Mini Event • Intimate Event • Greeting Event • Produce Course | ||
| Valkyrie | Shu Itsuki • Mika Kagehira | |
References
- ↑ "DREAM LIVE 4th Tour Prism Star!" Character Interview and Dialogue Pamphlet
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Official Profile
- ↑ Mika Kagehira - Sub Story
- ↑ Teddy Bear - Thread Scars 3
- ↑ Human Comedy - Tragedy 11
- ↑ Mika Kagehira Sub Story - Mabinogion
- ↑ Reminiscence＊Marionette - Girl's Talk 1
- ↑ Steampunk Museum - Chapter 8
- ↑ Rainbow - Revival 29
- ↑ Mika Kagehira Idol Story - The First Outfit 1
- ↑ Mika Kagehira - Management Story 6
- ↑ The Long Pajama Dream - Chapter 8
- ↑ 2025 Birthday Campaign
- ↑ Enstars! Official Profile
- ↑ Commemorative Release Message
- ↑ Ensemble Stars! Official Works vol. 1