#topic: holostars

[suzdotranslation]

[Interview TL] 4Gamer’s Weekly VTuber Files #21 - Rikka

source

Name: Rikka Company: Holostars (1st generation) Streaming platform: YouTube SNS: X (Twitter) Hashtags: Live #りつすた / Fanart #りつあーと / Clips #ちょこりっか Character/Model designer: Fuyuomi Debut Date: October 20th, 2019 Birthday Date: April 15th Height: 179cm Introduction: A "high-tech" Holoroid. Because his memory capacity is limited to 2GB, he can be a bit of an airhead. His main charm was the gap between his soft talking voice and singing voice. Currently working hard to share his songs around the world.

10 QUESTIONS FOR VTUBERS

Q01. Tell us your main (streaming) content! I mainly focus my streaming content on anything music-related. Things like making my songs, I also do tons of acoustic singing streams. I've also done music-related events/projects, with the recent one being The "VTuber Singing King" which is also my biggest project yet!

Q02. What was the cue that kickstarted your streaming activity? As I am a Holoroid born of COVER corporation's technology, I've been born a streamer. I began my streaming career in order to understand more about humans. There are times when my listeners are often more knowledgeable so everyday has always been a learning day for me.

Q03. Please recommend us your “newcomer’s friendly” videos or stream archive! I recommend my 3rd year anniversary live, I think from there you would be able to discern what kind of activities I've been doing up until now. I'm using "Live" itself as the concept for the stream, so you'll be able to see how I was from the start up until now. It plays basically like a rewind so I think it'll be an easy watch for newcomers!

As for games-related, I have a high preference for death-trap games so I think game streams I've done like "Super Mario Maker 2" will be fun to watch. Having to be stuck in the same area for so many times may not be good for the brain, but all those feelings get replaced with a cheerful sense of accomplishment the moment I manage to pass it. The gap between my music-related and game-related content is something that could be fun to watch I think!

Q04. Tell us things that you like or something you’re good at! My specialty is playing the guitar, making songs, and playing death-trap games. As for the things I like, it'll be chocolate, sake, and cats.

Q05. Tell us a hobby or content that has piqued your interest lately! I'm currently hooked with "Street Fighter 6". Some of the Holostars members were also as addicted to the point we were already holding our own tournaments with each other. I always strive to finish any games I've started so I managed to get into Master rank now. I also like watching professional SF6 matches and learning from them. As for hobbies, I like searching for B-grade horror movies. But rather than a documentary I prefer one that includes a lot of short footage. My favorite type of story is the one that depicts humans as the real terror itself.

Q06. Is there any VTuber around that has caught your attention? Let us know! Shibuya Hal-kun and Machita Chima-san, if it's within the Hololive Production then it's definitely Hoshimachi Suisei-san. Hal-kun is known within the VTuber-sphere as the organizer of one of the biggest gaming events, so I'm looking forward to what he could come up with next! The first time I heard Machita Chima's voice, her singing skill is great but more than that she's highly expressive in her tones, she's such a wonderful singer and one I respected a lot! And lastly, Hoshimachi Suisei-san is a talent and my senior from the same company, however just like her name-- she really gives an impact like a comet herself through her activities, I wonder how far those glimmers could take her, her existence is one I'd like to continue to observe and admire.

Q07. What are other things you’re paying attention to other than VTubers? I've had the honor to work with voice actors before, so there are instances where I would watch their streams or catch up on their activities as a reference when I'm planning for a project/event. The ones I pay attention to the most are those I've collaborated with before like Eguchi Takuya-san, Okamoto Nobuhiko-san, and Ono Yuuki-san.

Q08. Is there a recent thing that left a deep impression on you, and is there anything else you’d like to try out? I thought doing a PR for music equipment, instruments, or even a soundproofed room might be quite interesting. And I'm always open when it comes to death-trap type games (lol), my favorite is souls-like games.

Q09. What sort of content you’d like to challenge yourself for now? I'd like to challenge myself with a solo live. It's my dream to perform solo on a stage with elaborate production and songs as my fans were hyping together with me. I would also like to perform for anime/drama theme songs, or even for commercials!

Q10. Tell us your message to the readers! I would be happy if this interview gets you to watch my stream. My music streams are generally more toward the calming type, while my gaming streams are more stoic and fun. It would brighten my day if you could check me out, regardless of your gender.

[nitas-art]

Holoctober + StarlightScribbletober

Day 2: Bunny + Camping!

[davekat-sucks]

Remember when James was interviewed by a Vtuber, i've only seen clips of him but he seems to try a little too hard to be the Karkat of the group. He tries to say things that would get a reaction out of his genmates but then he goes on his zatsus (basically the Just Chatting category of twitch) to try to get on a moral highground. Like there is nothing wrong with that, but the way he is so aggresive about it irks me

Crimzon Ruze is obnoxious as fuck too on trying to speak about the problematic topics within the Homestuck series, despite that he would make similar jokes. Like hypocrite much? Also kind of interesting that James Roach happened to find a Vtuber that was into Homestuck when Toby Fox had been doing some music collabs with other Vtubers such as Amane Kanata and Marine Houshou.

Just sucks that James Roach could only find a Holostar Vtuber. Not even a big name one since it's mostly the girls that are popular. Worse is that not even Crimzon bothered to ask or commission a music piece from James Roach, because he knows his music is shit. ꉂ(≧▽≦)

[rev-feaw]

Vtubers and Their Unique Cycle of Derivative Works (the Mediaception)

an example of vtuber derivative work by.. me! HAHA

It's early 2020. The COVID was starting to emerge in Wuhan. I watched all of them from my flat screens, treated them just like an unknown being from another dimension that'd never break the 4th wall...

They broke it, the 4th wall.

As the virus was getting stronger, another being also started gaining success by diffusing two different worlds and dimensions, a unique phenomenon derived from stars-crossed destiny of the rise of digital life, pandemic, and weeb invasion: The Great Wave of Vtubers.

Vtubers was already gaining their recognition long before the pandemic. But it's not mainstream, they're like, only reachable when you've reached certain high stage on weeb level. I won't explain the history of vtubers here (just watch them on YouTube), I only want to highlight something interesting about their nature: the high dependency of community and derivative works.

Please note for this particular topic I'll only talk about corpo Vtubers (Hololive, Nijisanji, etc) with mostly HoloPro because that's where my rabbit hole is. Streamers that have L2D doesn't count here as they generally have different culture.

Now let's start! First, here's a clip that piqued my interest in this topic:

It's a very obscure clip, and from Holostars at that, but the topic is very intriguing! I don't understand how this ended up on my recommendations but I'm glad it did, because I've been thinking about this ever since I know vtuber for the first time.

Secondly, here's a quote from Amelia Watson of Hololive EN, another line that gave me the "buzz" in my head.

(Source)

I'll start from her statement. People often said that Amelia Watson is a genius, and I never really look into it until I read her interview. Vtuber is a gray area between a fantastical character and a real person, such a simple yet defining line.

So in this statement, we have two subjects that define vtuber as one: a fantastical character and a real person. These are important because to me, the combination of both is what makes them dependent on their community. A vtuber can have the freedom of setting up their character like an anime protagonist with real-time interaction ability as they're real humans. In short, they're roleplaying, like a puppeteer, with the similar exposure of fictional characters you usually would simp on.

Then, where are the derivative works coming in? This is tied strongly to how vtubers are very dependent to their community. I’ll attach another video and give arguments about this topic based on that.

The video above was a pretty good intro about vtubers for normies, however it also seems like made by someone who doesn’t watch vtubers especially the first half (I mean come on, Hololive Gen0 =/= first gen!). The second half though, their view was interesting.

They presented a term known in pro-wrestling: “keyfabe”, a fake act to connect wrestler and viewer. They also compared that nature in vtuber community, and said something along “it’s more acceptable because they’re already fictional character and people just willing to accept all fakeness”. 

I’d argue on that, maybe to some people including the video maker they feel that way. But to me and maybe some other, it’s an act, not “fake”, they’re not using their real self anyway. And connection between vtuber and viewer is more complex than “just” wrestler’s keyfabe and this is where the derivative works coming in. 

To me, derivative works in vtuber community is a form of communication between vtuber and viewer, that can give similar and more impact than things like pro-wrestler’s keyfabe.

1. Vtubers and the hierarchy of media (as a subject or object)

This is how usually a media is consumed:Ok so I went for a mile and trying to deduct on how media works in vtuber community:

And this is where a vtuber character stands in that diagram if we only count their usual gaming/reaction streams:

Basically, a media born from a media, but with different kind of main subject. Well, actually the “vtuber” can fit in any part of the first main media cycle, like making the derivative works or doing reactions from the community but mostly their role is the user/player of the first main media.

Vtuber is an interesting “creature”, because they’re both the user (subject) and producer (object) of a media. I mean if you’re playing a game then you’re the game user, and the game is main media. If you’re making fanfic of your favorite character then that character is the main media and you’re making the derivative works. A vtuber has the ability to BOTH play games as user while their viewers can make fanfic out of them.

“But that’s just how every streamers are!!”

Yes but no, because a vtuber is a people-made character since the start. In corp like Hololive and Nijisanji, they’re already given form, name and lore. It’s up to them how to play that up. And one more specific thing: it’s anime. They’re born from anime culture which has it’s own characteristics. For easier imagery, imagine anime characters taken out from their story and became a streamer. Yes, that’s what’s vtubers are generally.

2. How does a vtuber survive?

I’ll summarize what Astel talked about in this section.

Generally, in that video there are three topics. First, about the vtuber as a person and character. Second, vtuber as a consumable. Third, vtubers as treasure trove.

a. Vtuber as a person and character

Vtubers in companies generally are variety streamers. They are watched by many people NOT because of what they play but because of who they are. Choosing games to play in their case is the same with building their personality, because in this media, games are the most effective way to introduce their self and personality to public.

Astel said there are two types of vtubers. First, the ‘NPC’ character. He said to treat this kind of vtuber as a fantasy being, a fictional character in which case the person behind it had to be less human and stay true in their given lore more. One of popular example about this trope is Hyakumantenbara Salome from Nijisanji. She managed to keep up her “Ojou-sama” image at front for almost every time.

Hyakumantenbara Salome, a sudden hit ever since her debut

Second, the ‘streamer’ kind. Astel said he belonged here with his long streams, thus more ‘humanity’ feelings attached. He said it’s a challenge to keep viewers and add new viewers. Doing Youtube shorts can make better exposures, but they don’t help much in general stream views. So what vtubers need to have is lasting impressions, something unique only to them.

b. Vtubers are consumables

Vtubers, unlike TV shows, can’t just be watched and done. Since they’re practically ‘born’ with lore but no plot, they have to create the plot themselves via their streams. However, they are still strongly attached to their lore especially regarding character design/model and such.

Astel gave an example about Aruran, a fellow Holostars Vtuber. Recently he had done a massive change on his model, from dandy ojiisan to a young man. It tied to his own “multiverse” lore, but some outsiders who didn’t very aware about his lore questioning that decision and some even gave him mean messages. That happened because the lack of “plot”, Astel assumed (well I’m the one who gave the term “plot” here though). The plot that made outsiders understand the lore.

The redesign of Arurandeisu (old left, new right) that sparked controversies

Then, what’s this “plot” he’s talking about? It’s the very derivative works we discussed earlier. The device that can be a good indicator of a vtuber’s success and how much of interaction they have with fans, also the main differentiating point between a vtuber and common streamers. Vtuber as in a corpo or vtubers with similar nature I mean, not a simply streamer with L2D.

Thus why Astel said “vtubers are consumables”, because the fans, especially creators, are “supposed” or “encouraged” to interpret their personalities and interactions with collab mates, resulting a brand new work. Shipping (u know, like, you think this character and that character looks cute together) also falls in this category, because Astel keeps saying “Derivative works are important, especially the ones with implied relationships.” (I think he wants to be shipped LOL).

One of popular example is Nijisanji’s ChroNoiR, consisted of their popular talents: Kuzuha and Kanae. The fan (derivative) works usually convey their bittersweet relationship between long-lived vampire and short-lived human, which was... pretty hard to be actually found on streams? Thanks to that interpretations, the fandom grew bigger and the vtubers gained more attention.

ChroNoiR tag on Pixiv. artwork

c. Vtubers as Treasure Trove

At last, Astel said vtubers are treasure trove. The vtubers work to provide "materials" for the fans, to imagine and to expand their work into more diverse works, to make better impression to even new viewers.

Since I watched a lot of Hololive and Holostars, which are basically “idols”, I can see that they adapted the usual real-life “idol persona” applied in idol/entertainment industry, where a person basically create a mask to show to public. This mask was even more apparent in virtual world, especially in Cover Corp (Hololive & Holostars company), where that person never even show their own face. This very mask is what they want their fans/viewers to interpret and exploit in some way, the treasure trove, the lore. The did gimmicks based on their “masks”, and provide a platform to let fans/viewers show their interpretations. The platform is usually on Twitter and using hastags.

Vtubers community generally encourage derivative works

3. The impact of derivative works

Derivative works are very impactful in vtubers community. Because as I’ve stated earlier, they’re living off of existing media to show their personality. Fanworks (I’ll refer derivative works as this from now) also existing media, if the vtuber still want to stream after a certain fanwork published.

Why I’m emphasizing this very much? Because look at these fanworks we got today:

A very popular derivative work, Holocure, that made its way to the vtubers' streams

Another very successful Hololive fangame that showed up on many streams: Idol Showdown

Yep! The “fanworks” is the “main media” now. Maybe if we take the earlier diagram it’ll look like this:

Notice the newest line on the bottom. They’re no longer just retweeting it like how they do to most fanworks, but able to stream it! Streaming is the main “job” of those vtubers, of course to see yourself interpreted then be able to treat it as equal with your usual media hits different. 

This is the “mediaception” I’m talking about in the title. A media that only able to born thanks to derivative works, works of interpretations, of giving plot to existing characters that can be easily be the “main” media. Unlike when you made fanworks of anime, movies, etc which have little chance to affect the main media, unless if you do Fate series because everything is canon.

Those games born because of vtubers’ reactions when they play games and collabs. Then they reacted to their interpreted reactions. Such mediaception.

Of course, it had to start somewhere. As we saw in Ollie’s tweet earlier, “fanworks” that affect “main media” were already there, when the vtuber said they’ll use fanart as thumbnail/schedule picture. Something like this:

Anya Melfissa’s schedule

And stuff like these:

Kobo's reacting to her fandom's various derivative works on her anniversary

We can see the relationship between the Vtubers and fanworks there, but not very interactive, although very entertaining. IMO, those media are still count as fanworks/derivative and I think they’ll never be able to be the main media, because of vtuber’s nature itself. That’s not a bad thing, it just, I think the fangames like HoloCure and Idol Showdown are the last stage of derivative works, because they’re no longer derivative only, they’re really the media that’s played by the vtubers!! Maybe we can explain this like:

Those different kinds of fanworks also usually complete each other, like clips for the animation’s voice over, or text/fanfic as the base for fan art. And at last, in a game a lot of fanworks’ types are covered.

4. Keep it DERIVATIVE

Another section to emphasize why “fanwork” is very important.

You’re on big company, can create your own game if you want to, but why still dependent on fans??

That’s because there are some major differences between FAN works and OFFICIAL works. Well, these are just my own thoughts, so:

You have to pay to create official works

Official works can be altered as much as the company/vtuber pleased

Fanworks are usually made with purely interpretations. If a fanwork became big, maybe that’s how the vtuber actually is. So, the vtuber themselves are able to identify their shown personality better.

“Testing the water”, but for fans. The vtubers are usually able to commission the fanwork’s creator afterwards

Fanworks is there to show love, which is very obvious

Fancreators feel appreciated of their work and strive to make more

Fanworks can imply some relationships (at some length), when officially can’t since it's prone for riot

Lastly, the most important part: fanwork doesn’t have to follow the company’s rules. I’ll explain about this below.

The last part, fanworks are usually works to make fans enjoy. Vtubing can be a difficult thing to handle, as we can see how often graduations (retirements) and stuff happened. If the person behind the avatar did some messed up things, they even can be discharged forever and thus their name will be treated as non-exist by the company.

One of the most apparent case here is an item in HoloCure game that referenced a terminated vtuber: Uruha Rushia. She was terminated from Hololive forever because she broke the NDA some time ago. Her channel and contents and her character are all gone. However, her fans are still there, and they’re pleased to see Rushia is still living as a reference in HoloCure. Well, losing an oshi, especially vtuber is a hard thing, because the persona is gone forever. Here’s a good video about it:

And here’s the cutting board that took her as reference:

Cutting board, visualized from a certain running gag of Uruha Rushia, who’s already considered never exist in the company. This kind of thing wouldn’t be allowed if HoloCure was an official game. (x)

TL;DR: so fanworks can keep the memory of graduated vtubers alive. They maybe left the mask forever, and the company won’t involve themselves with them anymore, but the lingering memento is still there. This is very unique to vtuber culture, due how they blur the line between “anime” and a person. Maybe similar with when your favorite character is dead, but I think this is more painful and bittersweet.

5. The lighter the light, the darker the shadows

An anime character that can interact with you in real-time? No way! That sounds too good to be true... wait, it's true?? I can talk to my waifu/husbando for real now??

Welcome to the vtuber's worst nightmare: parasocial relationship. Since they're anime that can actually interact with people, while in the previous segment this acted as an advantage, this method also has its flaws... and one of the most popular case is parasocial relationships. I won't say much about this, just watch this video:

Yea I watched Nousagi’s videos A LOT lol

Then what’s the correlation with fanworks?

I think fanworks contributed something here. It depends on the community though, but maybe fanworks spice up some stuff. I created a comparison between an anime character and a vtuber here:

I think fanworks help to fill things in red box, because I guess if a vtuber given clear plot they’ll become more like a fictional character, as I said before in the beginning:  they're roleplaying, like a puppeteer, with the similar exposure of fictional characters you usually would simp on. And when they became more like a NPC, like what Astel said in section 2, people maybe forgot that they’re human too, thus the parasocial happened worse because viewers treat human as the same with fictional character. Well, this is just my speculations. Maybe things are actually different.

So, I think that’s why sometimes vtubers and companies also regulate fanworks including shipping.

6. Conclusion

Derivative works are like symbiotic mutualism between vtubers and their creator fans. Personally I like this kind of interaction, and it’s so fresh. Here’s some pros and cons based on my opinion:

Pros:

Everything I wrote until point 4

Cons:

Can be a trigger for point 5

Very platform dependent. What will we do when twitter completely collapsed?! And don’t let me start with socmeds’ chaotic algorithms.

Sometimes can be demanding for the fans. Need a good understanding for each parties for proportional attention for fanworks and the creators.

In the end, I think this is one of top defining feature of vtuber culture. It helps blurring the line between fictional character and a person. Vtubing is a hard thing to keep it together. You need artist, modeler, hi-spec PC, money to buy games & the permissions, viewers, interactive community, sponsors, and so many more. 

Personally I respect the ones who run vtubers company and still get it together, because on how complicated and how it looks “trivial” to many people. I wish a good luck for all vtubers talent out there that deserve it and thanks for reading.

My oshi?

I mostly follow HololiveID, but individually my favorite ones are: Ina and Kobo! Ina was my gateway to today’s vtuber (if we don’t count Kizuna AI), because her papa is a FGO illustrator LOL

7. Personal recommendations

If you’re curious about vtuber cultures and the fan, since it emerged from Japan I think read/watch some stuff about Japanese idols can help to understand more. Personally I understand it from Oshi no Ko (manga) and freaking FGO idol event 😂. There are a lot of media about Korean idols too, I found plenty of them in Webtoons.

Sorry for bad grammar and if there are misinformation. Once again...... thanks!

[uh-e-rinnie]

📌

Hi, I'm Rinnie. My preferred pronouns are They/Them but I'm honestly good with anything. FUB free. English / Cebuano / Tagalog is 👌

My art tag is: #rinart

My writing tag is: #rindoc

PLEASE DO NOT REPOST MY ART OR WORKS, even if you plan to give credits. Ask first, let me know.

This blog is dedicated to sanders sides but I may post other things I am interested in, occasionally.

twt: @/e_rinnie (Holostars/V-tubers Only, where I'm most active)

insta: @/an_e_rinnie (Holostars, Sanders Sides + Mixed)

ao3: tentative (separating it from my Holostars Ao3)

I recently rekindled my interest in Sanders Sides, and my fingers had been itching to draw for the series again. So here I am. This isn't my first time in the fandom and I'm relatively caught up with the series. I also plan on writing a bit in the future.

If you intend to follow me, please read below:

Note/s:

📌 I use a lot of sarcasm/sassiness when I speak, and I have a tendency to forget capitalization and punctuation when I'm ranting.

📌 I don't post nsfw here, but I may sometimes create art that have a darker vibe or theme.

📌 My stance on shipping remains the same for every fandom I am part of: I don't mind it, I just don't actively participate in it (I may on occasion), I don't have anything against it. If asked to draw or write for it, I will consider it. I don't like incest, pedophilia, you get the gist.

📌 If you notice me deleting text posts, rants or wips, that is my usual practice and you can observe it in most of my socials. I like to keep my accounts neat and clean so I tend to delete random posts of mine ever so often.

📌 DNI if you promote: Racism, Sexism, Exclusionism, Homophobia or Transphobia all the stuff that goes against basic human rights and decency.

📌 Sometimes I may approach a situation (usually through rants) with a lack of solid knowledge, usually it's just my opinion. I am open to learn and am interested in civil conversation regarding a topic. Anything hateful will be ignored.

📌 When I say no, or refuse something, it's final until I take it back or say otherwise.

[mothgodofchaos]

Welcome

Hello! I’m Chaos or Meg! I post my own art and writings here, in addition to reblogging others’. Focus for my writings is mostly gender neutral sfw stuff, but I’m willing to write gender specific for a request. Please check my list and tags for the egos before making a request. I reserve the right to choosing if I take the request or not. 

I do not include trigger warnings in the tags, but I tend to try to stay away from incredibly sensitive topics and post all fics behind a cut. If seeing the trigger warning in the text of the post isn't enough for you, perhaps my blog isn't for you.

I absolutely appreciate and encourage any works inspired by my art or writing. Just please tag me!

My art is only posted here and BSKY, and my writings are here. You do not have permission to repost or steal my art to post to other platforms. Tags: #chaosort: things I’ve drawn that I like enough to post on the internet #chaosfriends: mutuals I’ve reblogged #otherort: other people's ort I’ve reblogged #chaoswrites: drabbles and other writings #chaoscanons: headcanons #chaosanswers: anon answers #otherwrites: other people's writing I've reblogged #chaos.exe has stopped working: rambles, announcements, etc. Side-blogs: @spicy-moths: 18+, minors/no age will be blocked @holomoths-en: Holostars EN brainrot @spiced-koi-friend: Holostars EN writings @moth-grumps: Game Grumps brainrot Events: #100 Follower Event #150 Follower Event #200 Follower Event Iplier Masterlist: Part One Iplier Masterlist: Part Two JSE Masterlist Series Masterlist Nightmare AU Masterlist Monsterfucker Month Date Night November Headcanons Requests

[xb-squaredx]

Rise of the V-Tuber

As a platform, YouTube has gone through a variety of “eras,” wherein a particular trend catches on and defines the website for some time. In the early days, you had funny cat videos, then Let’s Plays of video games became rather popular, and now we seem to be deeply entrenched into a new era that has exploded in popularity as of late. If you’ve frequented the website at all in the past few months, it is almost inescapable. Cutesy, anime-styled avatars that play games, sing, chat with viewers, or even cook! What does it all mean? Where did they come from? Are they here to stay? Most importantly, how does one crawl out of the rabbit hole once they fall into it? All that and more will be revealed as we delve deep into the wacky, wholesome and sometimes worrying world of V-Tubers. (photo credit YuuGiJoou. Check her out on YouTube, Twitter or Twitch!) 

THE ORIGIN

To begin properly, let’s define the subject. A “V-Tuber” is a “Virtual YouTuber,” someone who streams on YouTube (or any other streaming platform) using a digital avatar as a proxy. The streamer in question typically uses face-tracking software so that the avatar can emote (or at least attempt to emote) to match their own reactions as they provide entertainment for their audience. While it may seem as if V-Tubers are rather new, in doing research on the topic, you’d be surprised how far back things go.

For starters, the concept of a virtual celebrity has been around for a while, with one of the most notable efforts being Hatsune Miku, a Vocaloid voicebank program. Hatsune Miku is every bit as famous and beloved as a flesh-and-blood singer or entertainer despite being nothing but voice synthesizer software. Vocaloid got its start back in 2000, eventually being reworked into a commercial product in 2004, though it wasn’t until the programs started receiving anthropomorphic character designs that it took off, with Hatsune Miku’s own debut in 2007, and the rest is history.

Many will consider “Virtual Idol” Kizuna Ai as the true pioneer of what we call a V-Tuber today, making her debut in 2016, however one could make an argument that Ami Yamato, a 3D-animated vlogging channel debuting in 2013, beat her to the punch. Honorable mention of course goes to Any Malu, a Brazilian animated YouTube vlogger who debuted in 2015 and eventually gained her own show on Cartoon Network Brazil. While Ai may not be the first, she is undoubtedly considered to be the codifier that many later V-Tubers would follow. Ai’s entire shtick was being an AI program that wanted to connect with humans, playing games, singing or interacting with fans. Following her explosive popularity, it was clear that other companies would follow the model established by Ai, with their own spins on it of course.

Nijisanji, established in 2018, proved that this trend could be incredibly profitable, becoming trailblazers in their own right as they established various “branches” of their company in several countries with their own unique performers that could cater to a wider range of viewers. As of this writing, Nijisanji employs over 164 “Virtual Livers,” most of which come from their Japan branch, alongside their Korean, Chinese, Indian and Indonesian branches. Similarly, there is the Hololive corporation, which saw substantial growth throughout 2020 in particular. Established in 2016 originally as Cover Corporation, at first Hololive was the name of an app meant for use in 3D motion capture, though following Nijisanji’s success, Hololive was rebranded as a V-Tuber competitor and also features a variety of colorful characters spread across many different main branches. There is of course the Japanese branch, as well as Hololive Indonesia, the relatively new (and highly successful) Hololive English, a defunct Chinese branch and an all-male Holostar branch in Japan.

Other, smaller V-Tuber groups have sprung up alongside the corporate powerhouses, such as VOMS Project, established in March of 2020, as an independent trio of streamers, and more recently at the tail-end of 2020 with V-Shojo, featuring a group of Western streamers (who ironically mostly stick to Twitch). Outside of this of course are the countless independent streamers who utilize avatars for one reason or another across many different platforms. Even prominent Twitch streamers seem to be getting in on the act, such as Pokimane, though that one has not come without some backlash. So consider that a rough history of how V-Tubers got started in Japan but how did they gain a more global fanbase? Well, in a word…”memes.”

GOING INTERNATIONAL

I won’t deny there had to be at least SOME overseas fans who enjoyed watching V-Tubers before they became more well-known, but for many Western fans their introductions to V-Tubers in general typically came from viral videos taken from various streams that spread like wildfire, eventually getting people curious enough to check them out. For Kizuna Ai, her playthrough of Resident Evil 7 gained notoriety for her mimicking the cursing of the English-speaking player character, and for Hololive, arguably the first real Western breakthrough for the company came from a now infamous moment from Sakura Miko’s stream of Grand Theft Auto 5. 

Also from Hololive, Inugami Korone in particular had a variety of memes spread about her due to playthroughs from various games that even got acknowledged by the developers themselves. Her playthrough of DOOM 2016 resulted in a short-lived Easter egg implanted into DOOM Eternal, and her video on Banjo-Kazooie (and the animated Eekum Bokum fan video that spawned from that) got the attention of Rare, Xbox and even Grant Kirkhope, the composer for the original game.

Honestly, the real unsung heroes of sorts for V-Tuber popularity might just come from foreign fans that would clip and translate various moments from streams that helped to build an international audience. There are dozens of Twitter handles and YouTube channels that specialize in spreading these clips around and if you factor in the YouTube algorithm, once you see one video your feed will be flooded with similar videos. It is no surprise fans call getting into the fandom “falling into the rabbit hole.” When you look at the more popular members of Hololive, often the ones with various viral clips have the higher subscription counts. In the case of Aki Rosenthal, one of the older members, her sub count exploded after a fan translated a section from a then-recent stream in which she talked candidly about her less-than-stellar growth as well as the difficulties of standing out in general. While at one point having the lowest amount of subscribers (well below 200,000), in the months since that video her sub count has more than doubled going past 400,000. Sometimes the talent needs a little push.

Now, within Hololive itself, I think Kiryu Coco is also partially responsible for expanding the fanbase, being one of the few employed talents with the ability to speak English (likely a native speaker), she gained a large international fanbase as she would work to translate what she or other members were talking about on the fly, and later on established an ongoing series where she would directly engage with fans over websites like Reddit and “rate” the various memes they would send in. Coco also pushed for establishing what would become Hololive English, which has proven to be a gigantic success, each member of that branch blowing past more established talent’s subscriber counts, with Gawr Gura becoming the first Hololive V-Tuber to pass one million subscribers and just recently passed the two million mark. So yeah, V-Tubers are a big deal now but…what is about them that makes people want to watch them in the first place?

THE APPEAL

So, right off the bat, if we’re going to ask why someone would want to watch a V-Tuber I think it’s fair to ask that of virtually ANY internet personality. The reason why someone would watch Game Grumps or Pokimane or Jojo Siwa or whoever else is the same reason they’d watch Kizuna Ai or Inugami Korone or Ironmouse: they’re entertaining. I guess that seems like a bit of a cop-out answer, right? There MUST be a reason why V-Tubers have blown up in popularity over the last few years, so are there things that make these particular Internet entertainers stand out from the crowd?

Undoubtedly, the fact that these streamers are playing a character is a deviation from the norm, though the dedication to staying “in character” seems to vary from person to person, and over time many V-Tubers tend to open up and are far more genuine. At any rate, even the best actor out there can’t possibly make up various daily happenings or childhood stories for their characters on the fly, day after day, stream after stream. Still, I’d imagine the decision to use a proxy as opposed to their real self can be liberating, a mask they can wear to speak more freely or a role they can play up for entertainment. For the most part, I think the persona aspect is mostly harmless fun that makes the streamer seem more distinct; ask yourself which is more eye-catching: some normal human playing a game and occasionally cracking a joke, or a one-eyed pirate girl discussing her raunchy past? Or maybe you’d rather watch the grim reaper practice her raps? Even talent that don’t really play up their character much still often have interesting character designs; we have princesses, dragons, devils, robots and more. A little something for everyone!

Speaking a bit more personally, I find it interesting to watch streamers from an entirely different culture and how they interact with fans or engage with games. I find it funny when Inugami Korone or Sakura Miko plays more Western-oriented games like the DOOM series or Grand Theft Auto V respectively. Often times they’re blown away by the culture clash, or they view these games through a different lens since it’s so different from what they’re used to. In particular, those two are just genuine goofballs that are funny all on their own. More chat-focused streams are an interesting view into daily life in Japan, such as the stories Houshou Marine tells, though obviously a given V-Tuber’s viewpoint isn’t a metric you can apply to the whole country, but she’s still interesting to listen to. Takanashi Kiara is also notable for her multilingual skills, which has helped her bridge the gap a bit more between the various Hololive members through her Holotalk segments where she interviews other V-Tubers. Outside of Hololive, Amano Pikamee from VOMS Project is just a bundle of energy that’s fun to watch as she rages in Super Mario 64 or Super Mario Sunshine. Her tea-kettle laugh is also just kinda charming. The V-Shojo group stands out for being super vulgar compared to the more corporate V-Tubers and while I don’t watch them all that much, there’s still some fun chaos to be had. Still though, I think there’s one big elephant in the room that would also help explain V-Tubers catching on at this specific point in time: the pandemic. Streaming is one of the few jobs not really affected by the pandemic, and with people stuck inside, they’re more likely to scroll through YouTube or Twitter and find a funny clip and then���well, you know… It’s one bright spot in an otherwise dark time…but I’d be lying if I said it was all sunshine and rainbows.

THE DARK UNDERBELLY

The overall idea behind V-Tubers, at least in Japan, seems to be an extension of Idol Culture…and uh…if you know anything about Idol Culture in Japan, it is all kinds of scummy. Exploitative, filled to the brim with harmful rules and regulations and largely catering to some vary unsavory “fans,” I’ll make it no mystery that I find it incredibly distasteful. Look no further than what happened to Minegishi Minami from the idol group AKB48. To keep a long story short, the obsession with “purity” and being this idealized Japanese beauty means idols are effectively locked into their work, unable to discuss or in many cases partake in romantic relationships, as that would make them less “desirable” to their audience. This unfortunately does at times extend to V-Tubers.

Take Tokoyami Towa, who was suspended for some time and forced to make an apology video for…having some male voices briefly heard over Discord during an Apex Legend stream. She even lost a lot of subscribers and support from Japanese fans following this, though once learning of this, Western fans flocked to her as a show of support. Hololive has also dealt with a variety of issues coming from Chinese fans; though that’s a particular hornet’s nest I don’t want to delve into here too much. To sum it up, fans can get obsessive and toxic, which can lead to the talent being harassed. It is for this reason, it is generally agreed upon by fans to not delve too deep into the personal lives of the V-Tubers, for fear of being doxxed and the illusion being broken. These kinds of issues certainly bring up some interesting questions regarding how talent should be treated moving forward.

Are these V-Tubers characters or just alternate sides of real people? Where does the fantasy end and reality begin? Ultimately, the lines are somewhat blurred. Talent certainly brings some of their own personality into the performance, but they are forced to remain anonymous and as can be seen in the case of Kizuna Ai, they are not always in control of the character they’ve been given. Kizuna Ai’s initial actress was for a time replaced, and “clones” of the character with different voices and personalities started to spring up, likely as an attempt to compete with the likes of Nijisanji and Hololive. In cases where V-Tubers retire from the industry, or “graduate” as some call it, all of their hard work cultivating a fanbase might end up being for nothing as they were forced behind a proxy that isn’t truly themselves and I imagine it can be hard to start over again from square one. Never mind the attempts to step out of the shadow of your older work. Man, Perfect Blue was downright prophetic at times, huh?

I don’t want to dwell on the negatives too much though. It’s worth noting for one thing that Nijisanji seems relatively lax regarding how their talent operates, whereas it seems Hololive is the standout for adhering to the idol ideal, though considering how some of the talent acts (in particular Kiryu Coco), one has to wonder if they’re softening their stances a bit. Many V-Tubers generally talk about the positive aspects of the industry and being given the opportunity to reach people from all over the world. Shortly after Ina’s debut in Hololive English, she was actually brought to tears when told her art streams convinced people to get into (or back into) the hobby, which had been one of her goals for becoming a V-Tuber in the first place. Ironmouse, now a member of V-Shojo, has an immune system disorder that keeps her bedridden and forced to stay inside, so the opportunities afforded by this particular type of streaming has allowed her to reach out to others and as per her own words, has changed her life for the better. While there are definitely “fans” that go too far, corporate practices that are outdated, or harmful and a slew of potential unfortunate implications, ultimately I think most people out there are just looking for quality entertainment, and these digital proxies give these entertainers an outlet to connect with fans in a way that they might not have otherwise.

CONCLUSION

V-Tubers are in a bit of a boom at the moment, though I can’t imagine it’ll last forever. We’re quickly approaching market saturation and after a point, people can only follow so many streamers at once. Hell, as I was editing this up, it seems as if prominent YouTuber Pewdiepie is about to step into the ring, so who knows what kind of shake-up that could bring. The bubble will undoubtedly burst and what becomes of V-Tubers then is still up in the air. Or who knows, maybe V-Tubers will endure and replace all entertainment and we’re just watching the beginning of a cyberpunk dystopia. Stranger things have happened! Considering the world is still reeling from the effects of the pandemic, that should largely have an impact on the popularity of V-Tubers for some time to come, though as we emerge into a “new normal” in the world, it’ll be interesting to see how these entertainers continue to evolve. Now, I suppose there is one question I never quite went over before now, isn’t there? How does one escape the V-Tuber rabbit hole? Well, I’m sorry to say but there is no escape.

Enjoy your new home!

-B

[peppopopopo]

About the Aristo Pa fic:

> Please do keep in mind that this story is mostly (if not all) self indulgent, I will only update when I feel like it.

The characters here are from a V-tuber branch (Holostars).

> This is set in a world that I built by myself, I will be open to asks and questions, criticism is alright as long as it is polite. It takes the theme where its around the 1800′s along with aristocrats. I will also post small trivia’s about them.

> Topics I touch in said world might not be to your tastes, please do not hesitate to block me if you do not like it.

> There are OC (or OC’s) of mine that I will put there, whether it be one or more.

until_3_am ™ (do not redistribute or copy my work.)

Little trivia: Avian is a Genus where it’s basically just humans with wings (and to some extent, animalistic behaviour)

> I have no official knowledge (i.e research to the best I can do) so feel free to point out my mistakes through asks (kindly please)

Reblogs are very appreciated :D and feel free to drop by and ask me about things relating to this fic, or the world I am currently using as setting

Masterlist

1. Meeting

2 Business

3. Back and Forth

4. Last Batch

5. A Break

[miyus-mind]

Dear past self

The future of me right now is having a dramatic life. It means that I'm living a life full of stories. For example, how my friends talk about their relationships with their partners or how my relatives ask if or when am I going to have a boyfriend. All I say “It will happen eventually when the time comes.”

The relationship is not the topic I want to talk about but the life I’m having right now is something that no one expected until 2 years ago. There is a virus called “Covid-19” which already happened for almost 2 years. Because of the pandemic, we all have to stay at home to attend our classes and work from home. From that, I learned a lot of things. I will only say 2 things that affect my life in these 2 years.

The first thing that I learn the I first had my Online Learning Classes is that I can’t get inspiration for my assignment. Even though we can get some inspiration from a website, I feel like it’s more effective if I go out and look around and get inspiration easily because I don’t think I can get any inspiration unless I experience them myself. That’s why I had a hard time doing my assignments for staying in a small space since the pandemic started. In order not to let my weakest stop me from continuing my studies, I asked my friends and advisor for some advice during the pandemic. I’m grateful they help me when I having a hard time.

Furthermore, I found something interesting on Youtube which is something called Vtuber as known as Virtual Youtuber. They are using an anime character like a 2D live model as themselves without showing their real face to stream things to entertain people and viewers. I found out it’s really entertaining and fun as if I am having interaction with an idol. The Vtubers I used to watch are Kanae and Kuzuha from Nijisanji and Astel from Holostar. They are all from Japan. Even though I don’t understand what they are talking about the first time I watch them, I start to understand a little by learning Japanese because of them. It’s fun to watch them and I learn a lot from them. Not just those, they also brighten up my mood and give me the strength to do my work and do what I like to do.

From those 2 things that happened during a pandemic, I learned my weakest at the same time strengthened me up mentally. I wonder what will I learn in the future. There is only one thing I want to say to my past self.

“Just enjoy what you want to do and feel like doing because you learn more from experience than just listening and reading. Life is much for fun and adventurous than you think.”

Don't you think so?

[suzdotranslation]

[Interview TL] 4Gamer’s Weekly VTuber Files #29 - Minase Rio

Source

Name: Minase Rio Company: Holostars (UPROAR!!) Streaming platform: YouTube SNS: X (Twitter) Hashtags: Live #燐央顕現中 / Fanart #燐央絵 / Clips #お試し燐央 Character/Model designer: KEKI Debut Date: March 30th, 2022 Birthday Date: July 26th Height: 170cm Introduction: "You can see me too? This place is quite lively and fun, it's where I truly belong." A ghost who previously died carrying his determination to be an idol. Since then, he has spent the days lingering around, but Fuma's invitation made him walk toward the path of an idol once more. He doesn't like scary things and ghosts beside himself.

10 QUESTIONS FOR VTUBERS

Q01. Tell us your main (streaming) content! I mainly do singing and gaming streams! For singing, a lot of the songs I picked are pretty uncommon for male singers because they often use high-pitched tones! As for gaming stream, when I was still alive I grew up in a household that rarely gives me the opportunity to play games, so now I'm using all the time I have now to experience different kinds of games! I especially like those that focus on the storyline.

Q02. What was the cue that kickstarted your streaming activity? When I became a ghost out of nowhere, I received an audition invitation from my then-genmate Yatogami Fuma!

Q03. Please recommend us your “newcomer’s friendly” videos or stream archive! If you like singing streams then I recommend you to check out my recent 3D live from February this year "Live Without Limits", and my 3D debut live as well! But if you prefer gaming streams, my short horror-game streams and the currently ongoing (as of the writing of this article) streams for Persona 3 Reload are my recommendation! I like to challenge a lot of things like collabs and stuff I've never tried before for this year, so please look forward to any cover uploads too! There are so many things I want to show to everyone…! (lol)

Q04. Tell us things that you like or something you’re good at! Related to streaming, I love story-focused games a lot! I started my activity with no prior experience in playing games, so I've been enjoying my time starting all these popular titles for the first time. It's easy for me to feel empathetic towards the stories so oftentimes my knowledgeable viewers (who have played the game) have been kindly watching me through with a smile. Outside of streaming activity, I'm good at cooking! Although rather than making a fancy-looking meal, I'm good at cooking something tasty with whatever ingredients I have! (lol)

Q05. Tell us a hobby or content that has piqued your interest lately! Both of these are manga but I just really wanted to introduce these titles to everyone…! The first one is "Kemonokuni/Beast Country"! It's a gut-wrenching series about a human who becomes a slave to a beast, every character is really charming, and it's a really interesting series that makes you ponder about the feelings of both humans and beasts alike. It's updated biweekly every Wednesday so I've been reading it diligently! The second one is "Omae, Tanuki ni Naranee ka?/Would you like to be a Tanuki?"! I first started reading it because I find the Tanuki cute!! But more than that, the characters who appeared in the series are also as lovely, and the stories are mostly very heartwarming. Some stories are pretty light-hearted and short, but other times you'll find some chapters that allude to the next one with apt foreshadowing which makes you interested in the continuation!

Q06. Is there any VTuber around that has caught your attention? Let us know! If I started talking about all of the seniors and juniors from the same company I'm in, I wouldn't have enough time to introduce them all. So I'd like to introduce someone outside of it or rather, someone that I'm not personally involved with yet… To be honest, recently I've been paying attention to Kannagi Tenri-san. I always like watching streams of people with good singing skills, be it from my seniors/juniors, other companies', or even indies. Among that, I found out about Kannagi-san– not only she is an overwhelmingly skillful singer, but she's also capable of conveying the emotion of the songs in such graceful ways in my opinion.

Q07. What are other things you’re paying attention to other than VTubers? Within the music industry it's Yuuri-san, while in voice acting it's Chiba Shouya-san! I've been a fan of Yuuri-san's songs from the start, and I've probably sung his songs a lot in most of my singing streams already. Even after he became a successful artist, there are various projects done over at YouTube including discovering new-gen talents, as a performer there are many things I could learn from him. I've known Chiba-san after knowing he was cast as the protagonist of a certain game. This opinion comes from my amateur self but, I thought of him as someone who’s capable of bringing the character’s emotion alive, making his performance a marvelous one. It’s also thanks to his wonderful performance that I’m able to find many amazing works!

Q08. Is there a recent thing that left a deep impression on you, and is there anything else you’d like to try out? Since I worked mainly while utilizing my voice, I'd like to challenge myself with other things besides singing! Also, I really like tea so I'd like to have a job where I could introduce various tea variants as well as make my own flavored tea.

Q09. What sort of content you’d like to challenge yourself for now? Maybe performing on a live stage outside of my own company, I'd like to sing in various places! For that reason, I also want to make more original songs!

Q10. Tell us your message to the readers! Thank you to everyone who has been reading up on this part!! If anyone here holds an interest in me after reading this article, feel free to drop by my stream! Besides me, there are also many other Hololive Production talents you can see almost everyday! It makes me happy if you were able to find “someone” who could bring out the colors of your life. Even more if that “someone” happens to be me! (lol)

[suzdotranslation]

[Lyrics Translation] One Arms Reach from Laika - Kanade Izuru (feat. Kagamine Rin)

English Translation:

A space rocket launched by someone impatient Ended up chewing half of the moon alone And the radio cassette we were listening to– suddenly flew away

The neighborhood gathers as if they're cornering a bad witch from fairytales A space doggie was running towards, like a dressed-up basketball Foolish and slandering conversation quickly exhausted the mood Let's talk about something more interesting, time to catch the slope with both of your hands

After that some time passed, and as for that space rocket Took back half of the moon away No one surprisingly suspected anything, as they have accepted this change

Would you care to wait at the moon, perhaps I'll throw you praises for the cute astronaut suit you have The two juices I brought on a whim, though getting a sweet one may have been careless of me I wonder if I have gotten more gentle A melancholy mood has made me a big eater recently, you see Ah fly away, let's fly away

Before I knew the forgotten bookmark had sent us to a different worldline Was the love not enough or the heart is simply too heavy to bear, a splendid tug-of-war Though afraid of the upside-down views we saw of our city through the window Recently I had a lingering thought, that perhaps we should be apart

Would you care to wait at the moon, perhaps I'll jump straight so catch me with a swoop Hiding my unkempt hair and walking, maybe one day you would accept my everything And if I happen to be much gentle Let's stuff everything I've had until now including these game consoles And so we fly, so wait for me

A space rocket launched by someone impatient It said that they took half of the moon away And the chattering by those big-wigs quickly fades away

Would you care to wait at the moon, perhaps I'm gathering all of your love from this letter With the inflated balloon at hand, I found you who has been waiting at the back of the moon "See you!"

When the night comes, I'll go and see you As the city starts to be covered in shadows, I look over to that film's one-scene And so we fly, so wait for me Ah fly away, let's fly away

Romaji Lyrics:

Asetta dareka ga tobashita uchuu roketto ga Tsuki no hanbun wo kajiritotte Futari de kiiteita rajiokase ga fuwatto uita

Ehon no naka no warui majo mitai gokinjousan ha minna atsumatte Fuku wo kita basuketto booru uchuu inu wo mezashichattenzo Tawai no nai kaiwa mo dareka no chiisana waruguchi mo issho kuta ni shite Tanoshigeni hanasuyo suroopu wo ryoute de tsukamaete

Arekara jikan dake tatta uchuu roketto ga Tsuki no hanbun wo motteitatte Bikkurishichatta dare mo utagawanai henka wo ukeireteiru

Tsuki de matteitekureru ka na Kimi no kawaii uchuufuku wo homete Ki wo kikasete jyuusu mo futatsu amai no wo eranda no ha ukatsudatta no ka Karukunattekuno ka na Yuutsu mo saikin no tabesugi mo katte ni tashichatte sa Tondeikeyo tondeikou

Shiranai uchi ni wasureteitta shiori ha futari de betsu no sekaisen Ai ga karui toka kokoro ga omoi toka zenbuzenbu soudai na tsunahiki Mada kowainda mado kara mieru sakasama mitai na machi mo bokura mo Futari de nakamahazure ga iina dokoka saikin ha ukareteru

Tsuki de matteitekureru nara Tobikomu kara fuwari to uketomete Kusekke ha kakushite ikou itsuka ha subete uketomete moraitai na Karukunatteku to shitara Geemu-ki to boku no koremade zenbuzenbu tsumekonde ikou Tondekuyo matteteyo

Asetta dareka ga tobashita uchuu roketto ga Tsuki no hanbun wo fukitobashita koto Eraihito-tachi no iiau koe ha sugu ni tookunatteiku

Tsuki de matteitekureru ka na Kimi no tegami kara koi wo atsumete Fuusen ha fukurandeiku tsuki no ura de matteiru kimi mikaketa “Jyaa!”

Yoru ni nattara mukauyo Machi ni kage wo otoshinagara ano eiga no wanshinn nazotte Tondekuyo matteteyo Tondeikeyo tondeikou

[suzdotranslation]

[Lyrics Translation] Reveal - Kageyama Shien

Requested by anon

English Translation:

A maddening pale night, shown towards me With a sweet scent enough to set my heart throbbing

Such pale expression, its heart waiting to be unlocked 「 What do you want? What do you need? 」 Tell me your wish, come on

Our instinct blended as the chains undone An invitation to heaven

Let this growing impulse engrave itself As we awaken…

Bare it all now Through the Night A Naked Dive like you were just born Tonight Tonight Tonight, release all those desire

Once you feel it, Breaking Down A burning passion, Burning Heart Tonight Tonight Tonight, we'll pour one out into this dryness

No logic could compare, an intertwining of souls Tonight Tonight Tonight, feel it through the deep

Driving through this desert-like city Finding You is like meeting a lonely Oasis A Sweet Juice so maddeningly alluring Further obsessing such rough Seduce

Our temperature mixed in, like a heated instinct Bloods boiling, a blurry mirage Love or like it matters not, as we're just stealing hearts from each other There's no escape once you wander into this labyrinth

Raise Your Voice, Let me hear it Can You Feel It, as you please Raise Your Voice, Let me hear it Can You Feel It, as you please

This body yearns for it You can't lie to your urges Tonight Tonight Tonight, let me hear those instinct

Drowned by those Sweet Words Teasing you Slowly Tonight Tonight Tonight, until you fall here

Bare it all now Through the Night A Naked Dive like you were just born Tonight Tonight Tonight, release all those desire

Once you feel it, Breaking Down A burning passion, Burning Heart Tonight Tonight Tonight, we'll pour one out into this dryness

No logic could compare, an intertwining of souls Tonight Tonight Tonight, feel it through the deep

Free your soul. Don’t stop now. Free your soul. Don’t miss it anymore Free your soul. Don’t stop now. As you please

Free your soul. Don’t stop now. Free your soul. Don’t miss it anymore Free your soul. Don’t stop now. It's time to release it all

Romaji Lyrics:

Kawaita yoru kuruwasu hitomi ni miserarete Amai kaori de hibiku mune no kodou

Utsumuku yokogao kokoro no kagi aketakute 「 What do you want? What do you need? 」 Koe wo kikasete yo hora

Kusari tokihanachi majiriau honnou Izanau rakuen he

Fukure agaru shoudou kizamitsukeru hora Mezamete yuku

Sarakedase ima Through the Night Umareta mama ni Naked Dive Tonight Tonight Tonight yokubou toki hanate

Kanjiru mama ni Breaking Down Netsu wo agete Burning Heart Tonight Tonight Tonight kawaki nomihoshite

Rikutsu ha iranai tamashi kasanete Tonight Tonight Tonight kanjite fukaku made

Sabaku no you na kono machi wo Driving Mitsuke You like a kodoku na Oasis Majiwari kuruwasu Sweet na Juice Nagashikomi muchuu abarete Seduce

Karamitsuku ondo netsu obiru honnou Ketsueki ga futtou kasumu shinkirou Ai ya koi kyouminai kokoro ubaiaitai Mayoikonda Labyrinth mou nogasanai

Raise your voice koe kikasete Can you feel it kanjiru mama Raise your voice koe kikasete Can you feel it kanjiru mama

Karadajuu ga motometeru Shoudou ni uso ha tsukenai Tonight Tonight Tonight hibikasete honnou

Torokeru you na Sweet words Jirasu you ni Slowly Tonight Tonight Tonight ochiru tokoro made

Sarakedase ima Through the Night Umareta mama ni Naked Dive Tonight Tonight Tonight yokubou tokihanate

Kanjiru mama ni Breaking Down Netsu wo agete Burning Heart Tonight Tonight Tonight kawaki nomihoshite

Rikutsu ha iranai tamashi kasanete Tonight Tonight Tonight kanjite fukaku made

Free your soul Don't stop now Free your soul Don't miss it anymore Free your soul Don't stop now Kanjiru mama

Free your soul Don't stop now Free your soul Don't miss it anymore Free your soul Don't stop now Toki hanatsu no sa

[suzdotranslation]

[Lyrics Translation] Rikka - Afterwards

Requested by isanallite @ X

English translation:

With a simple flick of emotion-filled words, I reconfirm our connection Touching an eternal photo in the camera roll Don't try to insert yourself onto me with every 5~6 seconds of gaze at each slide However, don't ever stop

Don't ever stop…

Who's to blame for my whimsical crush on you? Was it only me? But I'll continue to dance as you wish until I'm no longer drunk (for you)

TAP RAP SLAP parabellum[1] an alcohol mixed with lies A dream-like place that trapped us in a daze for a moment GAP RAP SLAP parallel did you know? It's because of you As for the payment– well, that can come later

If only I could take back everything and pretend it never happened, But even if such things are possible– I still can't stop (it all)

Let's form a love as easily as letting it all go soon afterwards A whimsicality so addicting it's no longer normal

TAP RAP SLAP parabellum thrown around by such a rare case Indulge in its fleeting moment, absorbed by the enigma GAP RAP SLAP parallel do you see? You cannot turn back no more Since you've fallen now, what reward you'd like to see?

It's nonsense to look back now, even if you're trying to be reborn at this moment I won't be satisfied in a world where I wouldn't get addicted to you, so I'd rather stay this way ah

TAP RAP SLAP parabellum an alcohol mixed with lies A dream-like place that trapped us in a daze for a moment GAP RAP SLAP parallel did you know? It's because of you As for the payment– well, that can come later

[1] Para bellum, is also a latin word for "prepare for war"

Romaji Lyrics:

Flick de uchikonda moji ni kanjou wo nosete Kimi to no tsunagari wo kakunin shiteita Camera Roll no kesenai shashin ni furete 5~6 byou nagamete sore wo slide saseru Nando mo boku no naka ni hairikomanaide Demo yamenaide

Yamenaide…

Utsurigina kimi ni ochita no ha dare no sei? Boku no sei? Kono yoi ga sameru made kimi no omoidoori ni odoru yo

TAP RAP SLAP Parabellum alcohol ni uso wo mazete Ittoki no yume ni madoromi futari no mahoroba GAP RAP SLAP Parallel wakatten no? Kimi nandayo Sekinin ha sou da ne atobarai demo iiyo

Zengen tekkai shite zenbu nakatta koto ni Sonna mushi no ii hanashi ari mo shinakute Mada yameranai

Nadeta ato ni tsukihanasu you ni aisarete aisasete Kimagure sa ha chuudoku tekiryou ni ha sude ni hodotooku

TAP RAP SLAP Parabellum rare case ni furimawasare Ittoki no etsu ni hitareba nomerikomu enigma GAP RAP SLAP Parallel wakatten no? Modorenai yo Tokoton ochita ne gohoubi ha nani ga iino?

Kaeremiru nante nonsense konse raise tensei shite mo Kimi ni hamaranai sekaisen sonnan ja mou monotarinai nara isso kono mama

TAP RAP SLAP Parabellum alcohol ni uso wo mazete Ittoki no yume ni madoromi futari no mahoroba GAP RAP SLAP Parallel wakatten no? Kimi nandayo Sekinin ha sou da ne atobarai demo iiyo

[suzdotranslation]

[Interview TL] 4Gamer's Weekly VTuber Files #11 - Hanasaki Miyabi

source

Data

Name: Hanasaki Miyabi Company: Holostars (1st generation) Streaming platform: YouTube SNS: X (Twitter) Hashtags: Live #生き花 / Video #花咲日和 / Fanart #みやびじゅつ Character/Model Designer: hou Debut date: June 8th, 2019 Birthday date: March 3rd Height: 174cm Introduction: A pretty boy with a flower hairpin as his trademark. A fluffy-like person who has a gentle personality. He works hard every day to become a great idol. He loves gaming to the point he gets really engrossed and forgets about time. Because of his weak physical condition, he often stayed at his home. Sometimes when he went out, his weaknesses would show up immediately.

10 Questions for VTubers

Q01. Tell us your main (streaming) content! My main focuses are gaming, chatting, and singing streams. Sometimes I also uploaded Vlog content (outing series with on-the-spot footage)!

Q02. What was the cue that kickstarted your streaming activity? I once aimed to become an idol under Hololive Production, so I tried auditioning there!

Q03. Please recommend us your "newcomer's friendly" videos or stream archive! That would be my "Hanasaki Miyabi outing series"! It's a Vlog series where I visited various places and posted a video about it! The project combines VTuber with real-world immersion so please check it out!

Link to Miyabi's 2023 Birthday Stream and Eating Vlog

Q04. Tell us things that you like or something you're good at! Obviously game (all genres) comes first, then movie and musical appreciation, I also like to eat! I'm pretty good at playing Final Fantasy XIV especially!

Q05. Tell us a hobby or content that has piqued your interest lately! Lately, I've been really into playing "Twisted Wonderland", "Blue Archive", "Call of Duty", as well as "Final Fantasy XIV"!

Q06. Is there any VTuber around that has caught your attention? Let us know! That would be Azuma Lim. Although I also created and filmed my own Vlog content, Azuma Lim's on-the-spot videos always surprise me. In my opinion, being able to do that type of video content as a VTuber is the pinnacle of one's career as well as showcasing their editing and film shooting ability, I learned a lot from her content.

Q07. What are other things you're paying attention to other than VTubers? Cinnamoroll's Cinnamon-san! They recently started a cooking program and uploading cover videos, it's hard to predict what they'll come up with next so I'm always looking forward to it.

Q08. Is there a recent thing that left a deep impression on you, and is there anything else you'd like to try out? Something like game sponsorship or a Vlog project to introduce local shops are some things I'm interested in trying next!

Q09. What sort of content you'd like to challenge yourself for now? I'd like to show more things I could not do back then!! Be it singing or dancing, I also would like to do overseas Vlog content as well!!

Q10. Tell us your message to the readers! Hello to everyone reading this 4Gamer article! KonMiyabi! I stream on YouTube, usually focused on making game commentary streams!! I really love gaming so I streamed various types of games, if I happen to play your favorite game, or are just interested in me please don't forget to check my stream!!

[suzdotranslation]

[Lyrics Translation] Aragami Oga - Faker Faker

English Translation:

Words gathering like intertwining vines Trying to strangle me by the neck Looking for a way to sever everything So let's beat em’ all

Even if dark thoughts started crawling in The people-pleasers are still gathering Even crooked looks are a thing of beauty Or was it just someone’s preference

Well now, love-hate, delusion Be sure to savor it as you'd like

As we slowly Falling, Falling Into the deepest darkness of the night It’s like this body was just rotting fruits

A malice that Calls in, Calling Turn itself into ashes inside this hell This is all just one horrible dream after all A Fake rumination

A sweet talk that feels like a lie Quietly amused by the constant switch Deceiving one with such petty tricks Why don't we let it go

Even those piled-up logic of yours It has formed into an absurd fairy-tales Even if happiness is formed by different means Nobody would notice it

Ah, today too is another free-for-all Now that's one splendid idea

It's a rather Noisy, Noisy night As the warning keeps ringing on Not even it could grant you a satisfactory end

That's why we should Take it, Take it And let the masses in No reason to think about it This is a neverending Raid

Crushed by a flawed justice Rowing this ark into the worst possible future

Falling Falling Into the deepest darkness of the night As the backlight slowly disappears Eaten by the void

A malice that Calls in, Calling Turn itself into ashes inside this hell If this is all just one horrible dream We can paint over it as if it’s never there To be a Grey-ish sin and punishment

This reality is just a Fake

--

Romaji Lyrics:

Karamiau kotoba ha tsuta no you ni Jibun de jibun no kubi wo shimeru Raku ni natte isso araizarai Buchimakeyouze

Dosuguroi shikou ga habikottemo Happoubijin-tachi ha muragaru Ibitsu na katachi ga kireida to Dareka no shumi de

Saa, aizou mousou Go katte ni meshiagare

Sonomama Falling Falling Yoru no soko made ochiteku dake Kono karada mo kusari kaketa kajitsu mitaida

Akui ga Calling Calling Jigoku no naka de hai ni nattate Douse subete ga usuyogoreta yume Hansuushiteru Fake

Odaterareta no ga uso no you ni Kyouzamete tenohira wo kaesu Kozaiku tsukatte damashi damashi Yarisugosouze

Uzutakaku tsumiageta ronri mo Koutoumukei na otogibanashi Shiranai hou ga shiawase dato Dare mo kizukanai

Aa, kyou mo bureikou Gorippa na shisouda ne

Konya ha Noisy Noisy Nariyamu koto nai keikoku sae Shitagattemo roku na saigo ni naranai kara

Aruiha Take it, Take it Uzoumuzou mo torikonde Kangaeru koto mo yameteshimaeba ii Mata kurikaesu Raid

Ikasama no seigi de kowareta Hakobune de saitei na mirai he kogidashite

Falling Falling Yoru no soko made ochiteku dake Kiekaketeta backlight mo Nomikomarete

Akui ga Calling Calling Jigoku no naka de hai ni nattate Douse subete ga usuyogoreta yume nara Mienai you ni nuritsubuseba kitto Tsumi mo batsu mo Grey

Genjitsu dake ga Fake

[suzdotranslation]

[Translation] Holostars Highschool Holography - Vol. 1 and Vol. 2

Requested by anonymous This translation served as means to preview the contents of the CD tracks, if you'd like to give it a listen while reading through the translation you can still buy the CD itself on holoshop (Vol.1 and Vol.2)  or any physical animate store! The translation is hosted on my dreamwidth journal due to its massive length, you can find the masterlist link below. Have fun reading and let me know if there are any mistakes or if you'd like to leave feedback!

Highschool Holography Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 Masterlist Post