Category Archives: thought exercise

Sakamata Chloe, Ceres Fauna, and the View Beyond

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On Nov 29, 2024, hololive Japan VTuber Sakamata Chloe announced on her third anniversary that she would be ceasing her streaming activities with hololive at the end of January. As a Day 1 fan of her generation, holoX, I wanted to give her a proper send-off with a nice farewell post on this blog.

Then the next day came, and with it a second major bombshell: Ceres Fauna of hololive English’s Promise announced that she will be graduating from hololive at the beginning of January.

So as much as I would have preferred to write two separate pieces that shine the spotlight on each of them separately, these two departures feel so closely linked together that talking about one inevitably brings thoughts about the other. Consequently, I write this in the hopes that it can be both a celebration and a thinkpiece.

Looking at the Orca and Kirin

Sakamata Chloe and Ceres Fauna lore and approaches to VTubing are different. 

Chloe is an orca, and has been the “cleaner and intern” of Secret Society holoX, an organization ostensibly aiming for world domination. Based on her initial design, she seemed the most serious and mysterious of holoX, only for her to debut in the silliest way possible.

She’s known for her amazing and versatile singing voice that can switch from cute to sultry, her cheeky banter, her aversion to bathing, and her lack of prudence when it comes to things like fanservice (which her fans obviously love). 

Fauna is a kirin and the “Keeper of Nature” for a Council of primordial forces, before engaging more directly with humanity as part of hololive Promise. At first, she seemed like a nurturing “mother nature” type, but almost immediately revealed a mild, yet noticeable yandere undertone to her personality that eventually gave way to a cursed sense of humor.

She’s synonymous with ASMR aided by her incredibly soothing speaking voice, serious gamer attitude that pops up at unexpected moments, and an Extremely Online Millennial sensibility that makes her ramblings endlessly entertaining. 

But despite their differences, the two have some things in common that make their decisions to leave almost parallel each other. Their respective generations both debuted in 2021, a little over three months apart. Although Chloe was the fastest in holoX to hit one million subscribers on Youtube and Fauna still hasn’t hit that milestone, both are known for having an impressively large and consistent viewership, with very few peaks and valleys. Both have a knack for “piloting” their virtual selves in ways that make them feel more natural too. Also, in my opinion, their character designs are among the most beautiful in hololive, and were the ones I initially gravitated towards prior to their debuts. 

I bring up their similarities and differences not simply to compare the two, but to emphasize that both of them feel like consummate ideals of VTubers in their own ways, to the extent that their decisions to leave have been real shocks. Granted, one of hololive’s strengths is the way that each and every one of their talents feels like a pillar of the company in their own unique ways (be it through content, longevity, reach, support behind the scenes, etc.), which makes every exit feel like a big loss. In addition to having two back-to-back announcements, there’s also the issue that three years is both an eternity and a drop in the bucket in internet years. They’ve been around long enough to become part of viewer’s lives in significant ways, but then it feels like their careers were only just beginning. 

Circumstances

Chloe mentioned having to deal with ongoing health issues, the workload, and wanting to go a different direction than the one hololive is taking. Fauna cited disagreement with management as her reason, and specifically stated that she liked singing and dancing for the crowd as if to kill the idea that she hated doing idol stuff. Almost inevitably, there’s been a lot of catastrophizing and speculation as to what exactly this all means, and in response, a number of other talents (like Bae, La+, and Shiori) have given their own thoughts, reassuring fans that they are relatively happy and comfortable with being in hololive currently.

My feeling is simply that there’s one priority above all else: making sure these people behind the VTubers can live in ways they don’t regret. They are the core and backbone of hololive, and to neglect them would damage everything, including but not limited to their bottom line. Whether that means allowing talents to leave on good terms or changing things within the company to keep them from burning out or damaging their health, everything in their power should be done to make sure hololive is not the end of their careers for the wrong reasons. 

In this regard, I can’t help but also express concern over Kazama Iroha, who has had to go on hiatus because she’s completely lost her voice due to stress. A part of me worries that the increasing expectations for hololive members— regardless of whether those expectations might be from the company or externally from viewers—risk encouraging a form of ableism in VTubing, a field that has been great for people with disabilities and other health problems. The concerts are among my favorite parts of hololive, but I don’t want them to happen at the expense of the talents’ wellbeing. If safeguards are in place already, then great. If not, I hope they get some.

Cheering ’til the End

I come away from all this largely with fond memories of all the great times I’ve had watching both Chloe and Fauna. For Chloe, the first things that come to mind are all her 3D specials. There’s her getting pelted with fish during her 3D debut, her duet with May’n, and her performance of “Jouya Repaint” with all of holoX at 4th fes, among others. Chloe’s voice is one in a million, and I hope she keeps it safe for her own sake. 

For Fauna, the personal highlights are a bit more varied. Of course there’s all the excellent ASMR, but her April Fools 2009-era Minecraft stream (complete with crunchy audio/video quality, awkward mannerisms, and up-angled webcam) is an all-time great. I also can’t say enough about her performance with Shiori and Nerissa at Breaking Dimensions, as well as how Fauna’s “Stay with Me” showed just how much training she’s put into singing. 

Something else Chloe and Fauna have in common is that their respective lore each allows for goodbyes that create interesting stories. Chloe could move on from her holoX internship to a bigger “job” elsewhere. Fauna has implied that she’s actually an usurper of the true Keeper of Nature (her mascot character Nemu), and maybe Nemu could take back her rightful place. 

I hope that wherever they land, it’s someplace they can thrive and do what they want at a pace comfortable for them. 

The Insular Nature of VTuber Fan Humor

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I’ve been thinking more about one peculiar quality I see in the VTuber community: the extremely insular humor from the fans.

Sometimes, humor is meant to be broadly accessible, such as how a good stand-up comedian will deliver a joke with proper setup so that even a first-time audience can understand it. A lot of actual VTubers are also skilled in this regard because part of their goal is to grow their community by appealing to new viewers. However, from the fandom side, many things considered funny begin with what is the common refrain of the in-joke: “You had to be there.”

As a hypothetical example, a VTuber might have a four-hour stream, where halfway in, they mispronounce a word in a humorous manner. This might then get clipped into a concise form. From there, it becomes the subject of a hastily photoshopped image, and then another, until it’s so abstracted from the original that it’s nearly impossible to understand for anyone who isn’t in the know.

That’s not to say that this makes such humor objectively bad—there are plenty of VTuber memes that I myself find hilarious. But I also understand that I had to have been watching enough to attune myself to the wavelength of that humor. Unless something is general enough, it’s hard to create new fans when everything looks strange and obtuse.

The interesting thing about all this is the fact that it’s like a marriage between two popular forms of nerd humor—references and image memes—without fully possessing the traits of either. References are often practically reverent to the original source, either some combination of a knowing nod to a quotable line or perhaps a show nudging and winking while essentially saying, “Hey! Remember THIS?” Image memes are often so divorced from their original sources that they take on a life of their own far removed from however it began. But VTuber fan humor is both reverent and transformative, combining the best and worst of both worlds. It’s like Simpsons “steamed ham” memes, only restrained in specific ways to make it grow back in on itself and create an insulated shell.

Take all this as a very light criticism of the fandom. Humor is subjective, after all, and there’s nothing inherently wrong with jokes only understood by those who have the proper context. Ultimately, I think it just means that the VTubers themselves are the ones to bring people down the rabbit hole. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

Childhood Nostalgia, Fleeting Media Memories, and Gen Alpha

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Streaming is the norm now. Many media works even exist solely on streaming platforms. And as more of them get removed without any physical media, I start to think about how late Gen Z/Gen Alpha will remember the shows and movies they love. In fact, I wonder if history will repeat itself, and whether the kids of today will feel similar to how I felt as a 90s kid on the internet. 

When I first began going online, downloadable video was not especially common, and stable streaming in the vein of YouTube or Netflix was simply not a thing. In this environment, it was a dream to find fellow fans of the things I loved, and I have fond memories of those days. It also meant that when it came to older cartoons and other works that failed to make a big splash, fandom was experienced indirectly—through fragments, memories, and derivative works like fanfic. Over time, as sharing video became more feasible (better quality, larger storage space, faster internet, etc.), we started getting to actually see these things we might only vaguely recall having watched as children. Sometimes, there might actually be an official release. 

But now we have an industry de-prioritizing physical media. We also have a generation that apparently doesn’t know how to search for things, and search engines that are increasingly useless. And even the literal Internet Archive is constantly under fire. It feels like everything is being fragmented again, as the children and teens’ favorite shows become inaccessible to them. Perhaps they will have to work off memories within fan groups to share and express their passion. 

Granted, the internet itself is very different from 25 years ago. People are perpetually connected, and kids grow up in a world where easy access is the norm for much of the world. Instead of screenshots of questionable quality, clips are the norm. They might be able to retain the visual memories much better as a result. Even the struggle over dealing with apocryphal information might occur in a new context, given how easy it is to proliferate falsehoods.

Nostalgia is always powerful, but it might be especially strong for a generation whose visual record is being restricted to the point of complete obfuscation. 

A Few Words on the Election

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The events of the past few days have me switching constantly between grief and rage over the fact that the US re-elected a man whose party and policies are aiming to cause harm to so many people in both marginalized groups and the people who voted for him.

I know that there are a lot of people who voted to stem the tide of unchecked crony capitalism and fascism, but it deeply bothers me that so many either don’t seem to realize what they’re unleashing upon the world or don’t seem to care. Some things are based on very disparate belief systems, and some are just aggravating nonsense. Do people really want the FDA to not exist, right as we have deadly diseases contaminating cold cuts and fast food—things that are most reliably eaten by working class people? 

We already have unavoidable climate change happening at a rate faster than predicted, and now we’re getting an administration that either doesn’t believe it’s real or knows but would rather line their own pockets and that of corporations and billionaires. Then there are people who escaped authoritarian governments in other parts of the world who don’t seem to realize what is coming for them, or believe that they’re safe because they’re the “good ones.” Whether it’s the model minority myth or the actual belief that one’s proximity to whiteness will protect them, I’m worried that too many people will realize that they’re still seen as an “other.”

For some, a horrifying future is actually what they want. Others likely just focused on what they think would keep them safe and secure. I understand that it’s hard to think of greater problems when things like the cost of a meal have risen to untenable levels. Nevertheless, the result is the same, and I worry for myself and those who will face far greater challenges than I likely will.

In my monthly update post for November, I encouraged people to vote and didn’t give any recommendations. I felt it wasn’t my place, and that as long as I’ve made my position known, that was for the best. I sorely underestimated how poorly actual news reaches people, compared to propagandistic cable news and social media scams. People are subsisting on a junk diet of conspiracy theories and disinformation, and they don’t even realize it. Gen Z voted well in favor of the right, and that is the saddest thing to see of all because it means we as adults failed to educate them. 

While not apolitical, I’ve kept Ogiue Maniax relatively light on politics because I wanted it to first and foremost be a space to talk about my hobbies. That’s still my intent, but I now understand just how much actual factual information is simply not reaching people. I thought I could leave that aspect of the fight to others, only to now realize that I can’t take knowledge for granted. I thought that ignoring the problems would minimize their reach, but all that really happened was that the influence got stronger.

So as limited as my reach is, I feel that if there’s a topic I can address in a way that I think could contribute to a better world, I should probably do it. I just hope I have the courage to always speak truth to power. And I’ll try to do more outside the blog too—because I can rarely expect people to come to me.

VTubing and the Dancer’s Conundrum

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With the 3D debut of hololive’s ReGLOSS, we have the arrival of another fantastic VTuber dancer. Todoroki Hajime might very well be the best yet, her experience as a professional backup dancer coming through loud and clear. She’s mentioned her love of dance since day one, and other talents have praised her abilities along the way, so there was a good deal of anticipation for Hajime in 3D.

It was well worth the wait, but I have to think about the fact that the wait happens in the first place. Being a VTuber known for dancing comes at an inherent disadvantage.

Almost all VTubers these days begin with 2D models; it’s the faster and more economical option compared to 3D. The drawback to this approach is that movement is much more limited. Certain skills are not really affected by this—singing, chatting, and gaming all work similarly to what non-virtual streamers do. 

However, dancers cannot show their strength at the start. They require a 3D model plus more advanced motion tracking, as well as literal space they can move comfortably in. For indie VTubers, this can be a very tall order, with the technology being very expensive. Even in a more established company, talents rarely get them any time soon. hololive, arguably the best place for virtual dancing, still has a typical lead time of around 7–12 months, with Hakos Baelz especially delayed (18 months!) due to restricted travel to Japan resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Brave Corporation—owners of VSPO, V4Mirai, and more recently IDOL Corp—often have the shortest lag time, but even that is measured in months. The early period starting from debut is a vital time to make an impact and establish one’s image, and a reputation for dance is harder to include when the audience can’t see it.

After these dancers (or any other very physical performers) show the world what they’re capable of, they still face hurdles. Namely, they often simply cannot dance as frequently as others engage in other methods of performances. For hololive, proximity to their studio in Japan is a major factor—those living overseas have to invest a lot to even be there, and if anyone wants to dance more often, they basically have to stay in Japan. I have to suspect that this has been a factor in both Bae’s, hololive English’s Koseki Bijou, and hololive Indonesia’s Vestia Zeta’s decisions to move to Japan. And even after that, they have to deal with well-known scheduling issues when it comes to booking studio time. Other companies have to rent out dedicated spaces that specialize in 3D motion capture.

Even in a stream to stream comparison, dancers have it tough. A karaoke session can go for hours, bringing attention and even money through viewer donations. Dancing, in contrast, is much more physically demanding while also having to deal with cumbersome and costly equipment.

The upside of being a dancer is that one does finally get the chance, it makes a hell of an impact. There is probably nothing that shows off better the concept of a VTuber as a bridge between the real and the virtual. Hajime’s debut performance of “Bandage” has done incredibly well, with her clipped VOD (see above) already close to 2 million views. I have zero doubt that she’ll get some of the loudest cheers when she appears at the annual holo fes concerts.

There’s definitely value to building up hype over many months for a 3D debut, and wowing viewers with an incredible choreography and sheer ability. At the same time, though, it does give those who shine brightest through their footwork and movement something of a slow start. While I know it isn’t realistic, I do wonder how things would be if VTubers could stream dancing on a whim, or at least as easily as they could do anything else. 

My Challenges Writing About VTubers (It’s Not Just About VTubers)

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I’ve been struggling a bit with the blog lately.

I decided to re-read some of my posts from the last year or so, and I noticed that my writing has been lacking in certain areas. In particular, I think I could do a better job with VTubers, and that what I write can sound a bit too uncritical. There’s nothing inherently wrong with saying “I liked this,” but it’s not being executed well.

A few months ago, Youtuber Dan Olsen released a new video essay called “I Don’t Know James Rolfe.” It’s difficult to describe succinctly, but it’s essentially a look at how Rolfe, aka the Angry Video Game Nerd, occupies a position where people project onto him their desires for what a veteran internet celebrity should be. The essay is also introspective, as Olsen struggles with the fact that Rolfe the creator seems to be both an ingenious pioneer of online media and someone whose knowledge of the filmmaking process is a little half-baked, only for Olsen to point the lens at himself and reveal his own insecurities about not being a “real filmmaker either.”

I watched AVGN almost from the start. I remember visiting the Cinemassacre site over the more unreliable YouTube of the late 2000s. One of my most popular posts ever was finding a reference cameo of him in an anime. For years, I kept up with every release and update, so I am very familiar with the character. But the video is less about the biography of Rolfe and more designed for the viewer to bring themselves into it. And in this instance, I had my baggage in tow: my concerns over where I am as a writer, the difficulty of writing about creative people in a world increasingly full of extreme opinions, and a growing concern for media literacy. As a blogger for over 16 years now, I feel a connection to Olsen and Rolfe as creators, but also to Olsen and Rolfe’s followers as commentators.

To put it differently, I realized that I’m walking on eggshells a bit when it comes to VTuber commentary, and it’s because, like Rolfe, their fans and anti-fans can be rather intense. You go from effusive praise to just toxic hatred that veers into both misogyny and misanthropy via bizarre conspiracy theories. If I want to do a comparison or say something came across as weaker than I expected, I don’t want to give ammo to the caustic haters even if it only amounts to a single tossed pebble (and not the fun Biboo kind) in the grand scheme of things. The parasocial aspect is even stronger with VTubers, and it can be worrying, even if I think there are lot of positive aspects to that community.

Adding to all that is a constant worry that I’m stagnating as a writer, that I overly rely on the same basic structures and phrases. I definitely think I’ve improved in some respects over the years, but I’ve never dedicated myself to improving this as a craft, and I think it shows. And because VTubers are such a new topic, I feel myself under-equipped to discuss them, especially compared with how much I’ve dedicated my time to anime and manga. 

I think I just want a space where discussion of VTubers (or any other topic) can be somewhere in the middle between the two extremes of obsessive love and all-consuming hate.

Fear and Loathing, and That’s It

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September 11 is a day that always makes me just a bit more introspective. Sometimes I express it on this blog and sometimes I approach things more lightly—it’s really all about my mood in the moment. But given that we have another US presidential election in a couple months being preceded by a whole host of changes, it’s been making me think about how powerful fear is. 

In the face of danger to your very way of life, either real or perceived, what extremes might a person be willing to go in order to deal with those negative emotions? How many people find themselves ready to throw others under the bus in times of desperation? And how many are all too willing to do so and just need an excuse? Why do we get scared of foreigners or the poor because of the possibility of petty and violent crimes, while scammers in nice suits pick our pockets under the guise of the law? And why is it so very easy to become cynical and jaded to the point of stasis and inaction, or to eagerly conflate justice with vengeance?

As frustrating as all this can be, I think I need to remember that we’re all human, and I don’t mean that in any lofty sense. Humans are both simple and complicated, and we really don’t know what anyone will do when push comes to shove. I can think all I want that I would do the right thing, but maybe I wouldn’t. Maybe I’m not. And perhaps past generations are perpetuating what worked in the past, only they’re introducing a whole lot of generational trauma in the process.

I think my wish is that whether it’s the tragedies of the past and the present, terrible actions do not instill in us the desire to take away someone’s inherent personhood—as if we’re just waiting for a group of people to do something bad so that we can paint their entire group with one brush. Criticism is important. Protest is vital. Even anger should not be smothered out just because it’s a negative emotion. But I just want people to start from the position that humanity is not a zero-sum game.

I Want a Jet Alone Isekai

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I’ve come to realize that I like isekai spin-offs that are about giving lesser characters another chance. After all, they’ve got the skills, and are often just overshadowed by the heroes. It’s why the Fist of the North Star Amiba spin-off is so enjoyable—it takes a relatively minor and seemingly irredeemable villain and gives them a new world that they can help, but can also handle their shit.

That’s why, if ever they made an Evangelion isekai, I would want to see one made about Jet Alone.

Technically, Jet Alone isn’t even a character. It’s a radio-controlled, nuclear-powered giant robot that is meant to supplant the Evangelions before it goes haywire and has to be stopped. Ultimately, this turns out to be a scheme by the EVAs’ own organization, NERV, to remove competition. 

Jet Alone could’ve been helpful in protecting the planet, but just never got the chance. But what if the robot were transported to another world and got to be its defender? You could even have someone controlling it remotely like Shoutarou in Tetsujin 28, fighting giant monsters or solving crimes or whatever. 

Any number of settings could work: a magical world that contrasts with the technological Jet Alone, an alien invasion of a different kind, maybe even some mega-sized martial arts tournament. 

In another time, I might have been more compelled to turn this into a fanfic. Never say never, I guess.

PS: I happened to find this animation by KGBlagden featuring Jet Alone to the tune of Jet Jaguar’s theme in Godzilla. In a smilar vein, it gives some props to a mecha so unceremoniously squashed.

Deku and a Culture in Conflict: The End of My Hero Academia

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My Hero Academia by Horikoshi Kohei is a manga that has stood out thanks to its gorgeous art, variety of memorable characters, and exploration on what it means to “do good” and “be a hero.” It ties together the popular genre of the shounen battle manga with the classic American trope of the superhero, and provides a simple but profound setup that evokes the best of both. Now, after 10 years, the series has concluded, and the reception to its ending seems to be rather mixed. While that is likely a case of “the loudest voices” in online discussion, it’s also a reflection of how MHA has long attracted a variety of readers with values that conflict a great deal.

Warning: Spoilers for the entirety of My Hero Academia

Plot and Circumstances

My Hero Academia is the story of a boy named Midoriya Izuku, also known as Deku. In a world where superhuman powers referred to “quirks” are commonplace, Deku dreams of becoming like his idol, the #1 hero All Might. Unfortunately, he discovered at a young age that he is entirely quirkless, all but dashing his hopes. But a chance encounter with All Might leads to the living legend transferring his power to Deku, making the boy the latest in a long line of individuals to carry a mysterious power called “One for All.” This sets Deku on a path towards entering UA Academy, Japan’s most prestigious school for aspiring heroes. Over the course of the series, Deku and his friends learn the ins and outs of being a hero, but also the fact that there are profound disagreements as to what that entails.The emergence of villains, including ones with ties all the way back to All Might’s prime years, adds a thread of history that connects past to present.

So much of MHA reflects the period and circumstances in which it ran. In 2014, titans of Shounen Jump like Naruto and Bleach were in their sunset years, and these series had helped popularize massive casts of uniquely powered characters through which readers can find their own favorites. MHA is cut from this cloth, with all of Deku’s friends and teachers providing a veritable smorgasbord of possibilities. Then there’s Deku himself, with his pure heart and humble desire to help others, who was one of the vanguards of a generation of “good boy” leads. And back when the series began, the Marvel superhero movies were truly a global phenomenon; I suspect that their cultural penetration in Japan is part of why readers gave MHA a chance. 

But a lot changes over the course of a decade. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has dragged on and suffered from all the problems that plagued the overly convoluted comics. Antiheroes never fell entirely out of fashion, and there has always been a contingent of readers who see Deku as boringly naive and someone who needs to learn how dark and difficult the world actually is. His rival Bakugo, a former friend turned bully, is hotheaded and violent, and one of those characters whom certain fans saw as the real star. 

A big question surrounding Bakugo’s popularity was the degree to which fans liked him because they saw him as someone who could change (particularly in regards to personal redemption for his terrible behavior towards Deku), and to what extent people liked him precisely because he’s an asshole. When the series then brings a more extreme version of this dynamic, the question of whether someone deserves forgiveness or a second chance becomes a lot more fraught: The hero Endeavor has a history as an abusive father, for instance, and the villain Shigaraki (responsible for many evils) is himself a product of generational trauma and manipulation. MHA seems to touch directly and indirectly on many cultural flashpoints of the past decade by virtue of being a series that 1) wants to portray a bunch of powerful and attractive guys and girls, 2) is very much centered around different ideas of hard work, camaraderie, and justice, and 3) is a long-running shounen series with lots of plot threads, which means pacing becomes an issue at some points.

The Ending

So when the final chapter came out, it was perhaps inevitable that the reaction would be mixed. There are too many different people with their own perspectives reading this series in their own ways. Even so, it still surprised me how much disappointment seemed to resonate through the fandom. Some interpreted his new life as a quirkless UA Academy teacher to be a bittersweet outcome. They saw it as unfair that a guy who saves the world gets little fanfare and legacy, especially because he loses his powers leading the charge to defeat the ultimate villain of the series, All-for-One. Even All-for-One apparently falls short as a major villain. Other criticismsI’ve seen include the lack of resolution for romantic shops, that outside of a brief period as a vigilantes, Deku never develops a “dark side,” and that having his old classmates develop a Batman/Iron Man–esque super suit for him is a cop-out ending.

Yet the ending is so appropriately Deku. It’s fitting that he would accomplish arguably the greatest feat his world has ever seen and then recede from the spotlight, only to be pulled back into it by the people whose lives he changed. Deku goes through a great many ordeals throughout the entire story, and while he learns that the world presents some complex moral quandaries, those tribulations also reinforce Deku’s inherently kind nature. He sacrifices All Might’s gift to him, One-for-All, to get through to his primary nemesis and rival, Shigaraki. He ultimately reconciles with a changed Bakugo, but not without taking many lumps in the process. In the aftermath of the final battle, he even encourages a villain to write a book about his perspective on why Shigaraki was the greatest, because Deku wants to hear the story he has to tell. And while Deku isn’t holding hands with Ochako (the #1 romantic prospect in the series) by the end, he does call her “his hero.” Even if they’re not officially together in the final chapter, they’re still only in their early 20s, with plenty of life ahead of them. 

It reminds me of the backlash against the ending of Gurren-Lagann, which was also a series where fans loved seeing the hero reach ever greater heights that all seemed to lead to a perfect happy ending, only for a slight twist at the end to break the tidal wave of endorphins the series had been generating at the end. I saw fans at the time its last episode aired express such anger and frustration at its ending, while missing the fact that the hero’s actions signify that the errors of past generations won’t be made by him.

Other Thoughts

I know that some of the problems were caused by questionable fan translations that made Deku seem a lot sadder than he actually was. But even taking all that into consideration, it’s strange to me that “teacher at UA Academy” is joked about as being some kind of perverse punishment. It allows Deku to apply one of his greatest strengths—his love of studying and analyzing quirks—in a way that connects to his inherent desire to help others. Deku’s humble nature is central to his being, and while I don’t wish to analyze the readers themselves, I can’t help but wonder how many people dream of being showered with praise for doing something great, and feel at odds with Deku’s values. If Deku has any great flaw, it’s his willingness to sacrifice himself at any moment, and even that is turned on its head by the fact that his friends found a way to make him a superhero again. 

It also juxtaposes him against All-for-One, who is ultimately shown to be a lifelong sociopath and the embodiment of selfishness. Speaking of whom, I can understand why readers might be disappointed that All-for-One turns out to have pretty uncomplicated motivations instead of those of a true mastermind, but I also think that contrast makes for an important point. For all his power and influence, he was ultimately no better than an emotionally stunted individual whose infamy and accomplishments masked an otherwise naked avarice. “Wasn’t he just a big baby in the end?” Yes, both figuratively and literally, and I can think of a couple real world examples who are exactly this way. The idea that great evil doesn’t need great motivation is deceptively simple.

Final Thoughts

With a series like My Hero Academia, it’s impossible to satisfy everyone who read it, especially because so many disparate groups came to this series. For some, it was a breath of fresh air in manga and comics. For others, it was their introduction to anime and manga. It was a mix of two of the world’s biggest genres with a few others thrown into the pot, and it went on for 10 years. Did it drag at times and leave some plot threads untied? For sure—that was almost inevitable. Yet I do feel that My Hero Academia successfully kept its core intact. There is growth, but growth doesn’t have to mean tossing away everything that made you who you are. For all the ups and downs, I think Horikoshi stuck the landing by remaining true to the hero he created.

Early-ish Thoughts on hololive EN Justice

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It’s been almost two months since hololive debuted its 4th English generation, Justice. Now that I’ve gotten to watch them for a bit, I wanted to give some general impressions and other thoughts.

Justice consists of the warrior singer Elizabeth Rose Bloodflame, the violin-playing automaton Cecilia Immergreen, the gamer gremlin Gigi Murin, and the artist panther Raora Panthera. Their backstory involves a mission to pursue the fugitives of the 3rd generation (Advent), but all of them are just using that as a pretense to get closer to their “targets” and become actual friends. It’s a fun way to add some flavor that makes it easy to both incorporate and ignore their own lore.

One of the biggest changes with the 4th generation is that most of them are European-coded, and they’re generally present during Europe-friendly hours. Elizabeth comes from Great Exardia and has a very British accent. Cecilia is from Immerheim and is natively fluent in German. Raora hails from the Romance Empire, where the local tongue is Italian. The only exception is Gigi from Freesia (which is so full of Freedom), but she streams at the same general time as the others. 

There’s long been a lull in the day because hololive focuses on North American and Asian viewers in terms of timing, with only Takanashi Kiara and Kaela Kovalskia around during prime CET hours. Having new girls help fill that void creates opportunities to gain and keep new fans. Also it lets more people feel both the joys of being near the same time zone as your favorite and the agony of that not being the case.

Something I find notable about Justice is that they’re the first English generation where none of them possess strong Japanese skills. Myth has Kiara and to a lesser extent Calli, Promise has IRyS and Bae (with Kronii putting in work), and Advent has the twins FuwaMoco. This is not a knock on any of the 4th Gen girls or any other hololive member. Rather, I think the fact that Cover Corp didn’t feel the need to include at least one person fluent in Japanese is a sign of how much more global hololive has become. Might we reach a point where we have hololive talent who knows neither English nor Japanese?

Currently, I think I like Raora best. Her food tangents are very enjoyable, her voice is very soothing, and the fact that she so readily draws fanart of herself means that she and her fans can appreciate her design together. The other three have their merits too. Elizabeth has an uncanny talent for voice impersonation that she uses in delightfully devious ways. Cecilia has a dry and absurd sense of humor that sneaks up on you. Gigi’s wit and ability to banter are both top tier, and I learn a lot every time I watch her.

I’m curious to see how they’ll be a year later, or whenever they receive their 3D models. 

(Actually, I just want to see Raora’s hand talking in all its glory.)