This week’s edition of VTuber news round-up is both a recognition of the milestones made by the large names in the VTuber industry, as well as the ingenuity the wider community has to offer. Ranging from colorful fan initiatives to honor their favorite VTubers to our independent players doing creative ways to stand out from the rest, here’s what we got from this flourishing online community:
Top VTuber Stories: On VTuber-Artist Relationship, ANYCOLOR Financial Results, Gawr Gura Milestone, and Nihmune New EP “Carry Me Home”
How Should the VTuber-Artist Relationship Work: A Case of Availing Services
There has been discussion lately in the VTuber community about commissioning services from artists–well a bit of heated discussion to be specific. For context, a particular VTuber complained about the high prices of commissioned art, as well as fees on commercial usage of said art. The complaint was posted on Twitter (now deleted) caused a huge backlash in the online community, with online artists standing up to defend their work and pricing rightfully.
Entities such as Monchipon, Layna Lazar, Novaj, and even Merryweather himself have voiced out their concerns regarding these complaints, with rightful defense of saying they have built their reputation from these own works; hence artists have the rightful thing to do of setting up prices based on their experience, style, and reputation online.
Following the huge backlash, the VTuber has written out an apology for her actions, which weirdly included that most of her tweets are pre-scheduled to begin with. Either way, we agree with the larger artist community: they have the right to change their prices and terms of services regarding their work. As obvious as it might seem, VTubers do rely on great artists to execute their presence and persona online, and that artists in the online community deserve better.
The VTuber has also since then announced a temporary break from streaming this week following continued backlash online. We also hope the VTuber will be well on her break and truly ponder on these past takes.
ANYCOLOR Releases New Financial Results, Detailing VTuber Business Roadmap
Following ANYCOLOR’s recent initial public offering (IPO) at the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the company that handles Nijisanji has released its financial results for the fourth quarter of FY2022. As it is in English, we are interested in several information we have gathered from the report:
NIJISANJI EN proved to be a driving force for ANYCOLOR as a company. Since its debut from LazuLight to Noctyx, significant growth has been seen for its English division. As a matter of fact, Nijisanji English is taking a small yet significant portion of ANYCOLOR’s revenue for FY2022, aside from the general commerce offerings and promotions.
In expanding NIJISANJI EN’s business, livestream still takes the large slice at around 51.8%, and 45.1% on merchandise and digital contents, and 3.0% on promotion and tie-ups with brands.
Promotions-wise, NIJISANJI banks on brands that are related to gaming, lifestyle, and consumer goods such as perfume and snacks.
Nijisanji’s growth strategy is a three-pronged process: VTuber units with multiple VTubers, training of next generation VTubers, and expansion of overseas business.
We’ve got more news on Nijisanji and ANYCOLOR during the next segments of this round-up.
Gawr Gura Still World’s Most-Subscribed VTuber, Now at 4,000,000 Subscribers
Amid all of the 16,000 VTubers globally according to UserLocal data, Hololive English’s Gawr Gura remains the most-subscribed VTuber online. And that has been cemented once again with her latest milestone: reaching 4,000,000 subscribers on YouTube.
The adorable shark VTuber is most known for her infamous line ‘a’ during an issue on her debut stream. She also released her first single titled Reflect and has collaborated with Mori Calliope on the track Q. Congratulations once again Gura!
Akuma Nihmune Releases Newest EP “Carry Me Home”
Popular indie VTuber Akuma Nihmune or most commonly known as “Numi”, has announced her second EP titled “Carry Me Home”. This is part of Numi’s expanding discography, including her past two EPs titled “Perceive Me” and “Slightly More Depressing”, both of which were released in 2021.
Another track, “Plants” was released along with a music video, which you can watch below:
We got the chance to catch up with Numi regarding the EP release:
Well, one thing is that it started out as an EP then turned into a full-fledged album—which is insane to even think about! No song is like the other. I always love to experiment with different genres! Expect getting whiplash in the form of different sounds such as: going from a happy pop song to a more fun, yet aggressive rap lust like my previous releases though, these songs all have to do with me and my growth as a person, so I truly hope everyone enjoys it!
We also got a song recommendation from Numi herself:
My favorite songs are either “Vegas Woes” or “Feelin’ Dandy.” They’re both very different from each other but scratch that itch in the back of my brain whenever I listen to them. “Vegas Woes” is also the most “Numi” song on the album, so I think my listeners will love it just as much as I do.
The “Carry Me Home” EP is available on Apple Music.
Bad VTuber Updates: Slip-Offs, Bans, and Bad Experiences
We start off this segment with an apology from Nijisanji following an inappropriate and racist remark made by one of its talents Lauren Iroas during its streams. The talent has also apologized for his actions. This was not Iroas’ first issue this year, as he came under fire for illegally possessing AV material, even receiving a call-out from the actress herself. Over at Nijisanji still, Roha Lee has announced a hiatus from her streaming activities.
Numi got a double whammy this week as she been temporarily blocked on Twitch (it has been now restored). Worse, her PayPal got unfortunately blocked. Meanwhile, independent VTuber Guppy has announced that she has fired her manager Gigi and is working independently again.
Interesting VTuber News: The Industry–According to a Census, Fan Initiatives, and How to Apologize
In the large scale of VTubers worldwide, it is undeniable to state the fact that independent and small VTubers really take up the industry population. But what does the VTubing community really think about their craft? To answer this, the VTuber Network has released its newest census for Spring 2022. We dived into their data to see some worthy insights:
VTubers continue to grow, and by the time of this writing, the census has recorded more than 700 debuts in 2021. Particular updates that pushed this growth include Hololive English and VShojo debuts, and availability of VTuber Studio and VSeeFace.
The VTuber community is a diverse and inclusive community. In fact, 69.4% of its respondents say they are part of the LGBTQIA+ community.
By the demographics, the large age group of VTubers belong around the 22-30 age gap and 48% of the respondents say they stream using a female character.
Despite the large popularity of agencies and VTuber companies, 87.5% of their respondents are indie VTubers, and around 600 of the respondents say they have no interest in joining any agency.
Another Sidenote: WWE 2K22 and its custom mods are so entertaining. Sir Wheatbread created a full-on stream to showcase a WWE mod featuring wrestling matches of independent VTubers, while most of us have seen Sakura Miko and Gawr Gura produce their own lineup of matches.
Fan initiatives never cease to amaze us. We’ve got a cart designed with NoriPro’s Shirayuki Mishiro motifs, and Tsukumo Sana’s fans launching a weather balloon at the edge of our atmosphere to send a birthday message to her.
We end this segment with a great Twitter thread from Zenith regarding how to own up to one’s mistakes and hold yourself truly accountable for issues before making a genuine apology.
Hololive News: Brand Collab With Nissin Wins YouTube Award, Mori Calliope Concert, Merch Availability
We’ve got a full load once again of great updates from VTuber agency giant Hololive. Here are this week’s updates:
Hololive’s brand collaboration with Nissin for its Nissin Curry Meshi Beef Instant Curry Rice has won an award in the “YouTube Creator Collaboration” category as part of YouTube Works Awards in Japan. For context, YouTube Works celebrates the best ad and marketing campaigns hosted on YouTube by brands. According to the spotlight video, the campaign was able to generate over a million views solely on its ad.
Mori Calliope’s upcoming concert “New Underworld Order” on July 21 is building more hype, as she announced her guest line-up that includes Hoshimachi Suisei, Gawr Gura, Tsunomaki Watame, and TeddyLoid.
New Hololive-related merch updates include:
Weiss Schwarz EN x “hololive production” Premium Booster card set, now available on the Bushiroad Global Shop.
Hololive t-shirts can be bought through the Merch by Amazon on-demand service.
Shirogane Noel’s Milk Shochu Ranch Dream sake is now available for purchase, where the sales will be used to contribute to those affected by the recent rainfalls in Japan.
Minato Aqua’s original song “Aqua-iro Palette”has been nominated for “Music Category” on Tiktok Japan.
Hololive has released new terms and agreements regarding fan-related work, including clipping. According to the new guidelines, sourcing the original video is a must and that COVER has the right to take down clips if these clips do not follow their guidelines. However, Hololive has also made it clear that it is allowing monetization of these fan-made clips.
Several Hololive VTubers are part of online events, including Capcom’s Spotlight Event and Project V4, alongside a yet-to-be announced guest from Nogizaka46.
Two updates from Kureiji Ollie: a new fan chant to be used, as well as subtle yet worthy updates on her current model (insert Ollie smug face here).
Takanashi Kiara has launched a new YouTube channel dedicated to German streams as well as German-translated clips.
Usada Pekora launches a contest in search of the “most explosive TNT cannon on Minecraft.”
Natsuiro Matsuri and Shirakami Fubuki are going live at Cinderella Switch on the VARK platform on August 27.
The recent ANYCOLOR listing at the Tokyo Stock Exchange has resulted in a market capitalization of around ¥100,000,000,000. However, as of this writing the company has closed at 7,320.00, a -17.01% dip.
Nijisanji’s Luxiem VTuber group is teasing an update on the 27th, although no information has been given about the nature of this update.
VShojo Updates: Melware, Anime Expo, and Advertising
VShojo will be present at the upcoming Anime Expo event, along with their CEO Justin Ignacio. In addition, Ironmouse and Nyanners join the CEO of the Good Smile Company for a meet-and-greet event during the Expo.
The agency has posted another teaser on Twitter, featuring a “key.” There’s a possibility that this announcement is for a new member of the team, but there’s no official word as of this time.
Ironmouse announces a new collaboration with the game Obey Me!
Other VTuber News Updates
The Itasha Tengoku 2022 has been held recently, with car designs including VTubers from Hololive and Nijisanji.
Merryweather’s latest Minecraft Anime casts VTubers as dub actors, with names such as Bao and Haruka Karibu.
Kanbutsu Himono showcases her Live2D model with glasses (just utter perfection).
KoMETA’s Virgil is being greeted happy birthday by Vergil voice actor Daniel Southworth (of course, she loses it–just like how Bao lost it with Elden Ring’s Blaidd)
Shiori Pon is one of the many VTubers who will participate in the upcoming VTuber Summer Slam hosted by GamersOutreach.
How to spice up a Q&A stream? Let the fans have control over your questions–quite literally. This is what PRISM Project’s Naki Kamizuki did, and we hope it ends well.
VTuber group VT Rainbow was interviewed by Dexerto on how their group is doing its mission to change the LGBTQIA+ VTubing scene on Twitch.
Two updates from Onigiri: she will be attending Anime North 2022, and she is on the hunt for video editors for YouTube and TikTok.
MyHoloTV’s Virion Kisei shares helpful tips for aspiring VTubers who want to apply as the agency’s next new talent.
The latest VRoid Update [v1.8.0]: added the new long boots pattern to shoes
VTuber duo Ojiki and Reiny are launching their dakimakura merchandise.
Latest VTuber Music Releases
“Rise of the Monarch” by Multiverse Monarch aka AmaLee, to be released on June 27
We wanted to close off this VTuber news round-up with an interesting quote yours truly learned from a HubSpot executive: Nothing sticks in your head better than a story. Stories can express the most complicated ideas in the most digestible ways. We’re already midway in our quest to source out the most interesting and noteworthy updates within the VTuber space. We are not stopping despite setbacks.
The VTuber scene remains diverse and a hotspot for some of the most creative personas in the online space. Again, this is not a message of stopping midway—this is a declaration of moving forward, and we hope you can follow us in this content journey of ours. See you all next week.
For your feedback and suggestions, email the section editor: jay.agonoy [at] animecorner [dot] me. Follow us on Twitter, @VTuberSection. You can also tag us with any activity you have, and the best ones will be included in the next VTuber News Round-Up.
Teddy Cambosa is a freelance writer and journalist who is currently a final year student at the Batangas State University, where he is studying Biology. He is a senior writer at marketing publication MARKETECH APAC, and also contributes to several online outlets such as PAKSA MNL, Outbreak News Today, and VTuber NewsDrop. He loves to talk about things related to marketing, advertising, branding, VTubers, astronomy and music.