Welcome to this week’s VTuber News Round-Up, prepared a week after going to the polls. Shout-out to all Filipino friends who are reading this, especially to fans of indie VTuber Bao who refers her Pinoy fans as “Balut Besties,” and Feebee for representing the country for Twitch’s Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month feature. Shout-out as well to Saruei and Zenith who are lending a hand to Filipino artists by opening Twitter threads to show their art samples and rate cards. Thank you for your support.
In the Southeast Asian region, VTubers had to be wary of spam bots messing up YouTube channels to the point of banning—this is ugly and hideous, as Kobo Kanaeru got her channel banned TWICE. You can read our separate report on this matter prior to another Kobo incident. We wish Kobo peace and stability as she plays games while waiting for her channel to be reinstated.
In Japan, the AFP (short for Agence France Presse) news agency briefly reports on VTubers—perhaps the first newswire to do so, complete with materials which newsrooms like Singapore’s CNA and the South China Morning Post have used. This feature puts the spotlight on voice actress and DIALOGUE+ member Mayu Iizuka, who is the soul behind VTuber (and sometimes Tiktok personality) Yume Kotobuki. Kotobuki has just celebrated her 4th year anniversary last month.
In China, we got hold of the news that VirtuaReal’s Qilou has passed away. As we write this week’s edition, we pay our respects to Qilou, who has a notably soft singing voice.
We’ve got more news stories coming up, so, let’s get down to business.
We begin this segment health issues, as Murasaki Shion receives medical treatment, Elira Pendora recovers from a painful ear infection, and Usada Pekora suspends activities for around 1 to 2 months as she heals her vocal cord nodule. We wish all of them a speedy recovery.
We’ve followed the story of Cimrai, who had an ugly turn of events leading to her decision to limit her activities to just being a character at Weary 101. From what we know, this situation started when Cimrai got Saruei as a guest on her stream. Trolls ganged up on her afterwards.
Like a domino effect, Cimrai had to deal with them, until one of them decided to commission a sketch from an artist (who has no idea about the whole brouhaha), getting her face drawn in a child-like style. This led her to rethink her approach as she puts IRL self and her children first. “My community who has stuck by me, will know where to find me moving forward,” her announcement reads. You got this, Cimrai.
As Ayana Lush tells her followers that she is formerly the boba demon and notable community figure Taro Tapioca, she warns her followers that someone got hold of Taro’s Twitter username and posted an announcement saying Taro “redebuts” on May 16. If the plan is to get followers using a familiar name, wipe all tweets, and then rebrand to the actual identity, then we can conclude that this is a clear act of impersonation.
Kara de Hestia warns everyone using registered intellectual property without permission and then monetizing it. She then clarifies that her statement is directed to those who roleplay as anime characters (like Pikachu or Deku). I remember one good example—a Live2D render of Marin Kitagawa—from 10 weeks ago.
Last on this segment is the sudden retirement of Randon Neuring from VTubing. Thank you for sharing your time and energy.
Hololive is getting more into gaming lately as three JP talents will be part of the voice cast for the Little Witch Nobeta game: Shirakami Fubuki as Monica, Shirogane Noel as Vanessa and Omaru Polka as Tania. Hololive English’s Takanashi Kiara and Ninomae Ina’nis are also appearing on A-Team’s Valkyrie Connect game alongside Usada Pekora and La+ Darkness.
Himemori Luna has a different game though, as she guested on radio to promote Yamaha’s Electone piano. She was asked what she would like to do with the Electone in the future, she answered: “I want you to see me perform (the Electone) in VR up-close!” Yukihana Lamy’s wine game is so strong that her original daiginjo wine Yuki-Yo-Zuki in collaboration with Meiri Shurui is awarded the bronze medal in the daiginjo sake category of the International Wine Challenge 2022.
Speaking of celebration, cosplayer Nekonoi Katsu (who cosplayed Kureiji Ollie this year) slices a cake using her Ollie sword prop.
Rohto Pharmaceuticals (who also has its own VTuber) collaborated with six Nijisanji talents to promote their C Cube Eye Drops. We gathered the video tweets so you can watch them sing to the tune of the product’s jingle in one sweep.
Alpha Intel reports that Chihiro is the second-most watched female Apex Legends streamer for Season 12 (856,000 hours) as logged by Twitch stats and analysis platform Sully Gnome. Also, Luxiem’s Shu Yamino is interviewed by Japan’s PASH magazine for its June 2022 issue (on sale May 10).
The biggest news coming from Nijisanji EN is another Foxy Bakas collab, this time adding Mika Melatika and Professor Oliver Evans in the mix. The next big news is the 1st Year Anniversary of Lazulight, which also marks one year since the debut of Nijisanji EN in general—Elira Pendora thanks everyone for sticking with them.
Nippon TV announces the Nittele VTuber News Twitter account, where a VTuber will be assigned to bring the news weekly. The TV station’s Every. news program will announce who takes over the said Twitter account every Monday. This is no surprise coming from the organization who built what is now referred to as ClaN Entertainment, who has a partnership with VShojo.
Alongside this announcement, Kousaka Daimaou (who portrays internet sensation Piko Taro) were present at Nippon TV and DMM’s VCTEC 2022 business event. Kousaka was asked if the rise of VTubers spell danger for IRL celebrities:
“Actually, I thought that my work load increased more than expected” he said. “30 years ago, gamers and Tiktokers did not exist”. In a sense, our options increased even more. “I felt that even people who miss appearing in front of others, can do stuff like stream to the world from their house” they said, believing in the development of the same industry they shared with VTubers.”
Excerpt from a story published on Nikkan Sports, translated by AC staff
Congratulations to the following VTubers for their debut and milestones:
If you are someone who stumbled upon this community, you are hereby reminded to strictly follow stream etiquette, understand the situation before sending your first big super chat, and calm down—not “down bad,” but “hold your horses”—you’re most likely in a community amplified by the algorithm. Stay safe online and offline!
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. Catch you all next week!
Read the Previous Editions of the VTuber News Round-Up:
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Banner Photo: Bao the Whale, Ironmouse, Feebeechanchibi