From another thread…
This clinches it: Kaede is my new favorite.
Ishida was my favorite up until now, even though I never really declared it. I just enjoyed the whole "Daaisihi feeling" phenomenon while it lasted. But she's grown up now and more in control of herself since she has so many juniors looking up to her. In fact, her character is changing into something like post-graduation Nakazawa, which is fine for what it is but not what I'm looking for in a favorite.
Kaede, tho… I've liked her ever since I saw her reaction(s) to being announced as a new member, how grateful and relieved she was to finally make it. Then I saw her dancing in "BRAND NEW MORNING"; she was the only other one besides Ishida who did the knee thing properly, and that earned her a center position. Then I saw how adorkably bad she is at telling jokes during MCs. Then I saw more of her dancing in the Dance Club. Then I saw she's an anime/manga geek who even does GunPla, not because she's been challenged to do it (like other members) but simply because she enjoys it. And now here she is, cosplaying one of the most badass and tragic female characters in recent anime/manga…?
Yes, tragic. It gets much worse in the later volumes of the Attack on Titan manga, stuff that has not yet made it into the anime. Hint: There is a reason why she and Captain Levi both have the family/clan name "Ackerman".
Also, it makes me smile to remember that she's friends with Maria and Rikako. I really don't know why — there are plenty of cross-group friendships in H!P — but the image of the three of them walking down the street together in their casual clothes just strikes me as something that people would stop and turn to look at.
Or maybe I'm thinking of this instead…
https://youtu.be/SXnPHihz4bE?t=140