I like to joke that certain figures comprise a pre-history of VTubers. Anyone who plays into the idea of a virtual character or alter ego, in part or in full, counts: the Wizard of Oz, Max Headroom, Sharon Apple (Macross Plus), Kevin Flynn (Tron), and so on. But one individual on my silly list is apparently making a comeback: Jem from Jen and the Holograms. To celebrate her 40th anniversary, she is returning with six new songs, including an extended version of the main theme from her original cartoon.
Jem and the Holograms is a TV series from the 1980s, targeted at a young female audience. The heroine is Jerrica Benton, the owner of a music label who also performs as lead singer of Jem and the Holograms. What makes Jem a “proto-VTuber” is the fact that she uses a special holographic technology, a sentient computer named Synergy, to create an alternate persona for the stage. Just like modern-day VTubers, she releases music videos of her original songs in this guise.
And while this might be mere coincidence, I noticed that the newly recorded rendition of the Jem and the Holograms intro is a length that has always been rare for American cartoons: about 90 seconds, the same as a a standard anime opening or ending.
(Or perhaps Synergy is the VTuber?)
Another interesting wrinkle is that, much like the return of the VTuber boss of bosses Kizuna AI this year, this Jem revival features her original singer: Britta Phillips. One of the biggest and most painful lessons the VTuber community learned in AI’s heyday is that the fans do not accept a different human behind the avatar. These entities are not viewed as “character designs” or “concepts” with interchangeable performers; the persona in front and and the person behind the curtain together form a VTuber. It’s more complicated in Jem’s case because she had separate singing and acting voices, and there was a 2015 live-action movie, but there’s still a sense here of the OG coming back.
Though certainly not intended to be an example of the future of VTubing, this Jem thing makes me wonder what will be possible someday. For a form of entertainment that is arguably not even 10, what will 40 years of VTubing even look like?
I attended Anime Central 2025 last month! I enjoyed it a lot and ate a decent amount of Chicago’s iconic foods, so expect some reviews and other coverage in the coming weeks (or maybe months). The last time I was there, I was very under the weather (later finding out it was COVID-19), so it was sure to be a better overall experience this go around.
Kio had a talk at a gallery, and tweeted his wishes for how Gundam GQuuuuuuX would go.
Closing
I hear that a funny VTuber that may or may not be part Shark, part Mackerel is on the horizon. I hope she’s gonna be a part of the upcoming Virtual Vacation 2025 concert…
Today is hololive VTuber La+ Darknesss’s birthday, and that has me thinking about her relationship with her fans. In a world that both passively and actively encourages talent and fans alike to fall into obsession, she rarely lets others dictate what directions to go.
I like watching new VTubers debut. Variety is the spice of life, and you never know who’s going to be a pleasant surprise. But I’ve also noticed something when looking at reactions to these reveals: There’s a certain kind of viewer who seems very eager to throw their full support behind someone or something. With just an initial introduction (or even less) to work off of, this type of fan behaves like they’re looking desperately for a conduit for their passion
This can be just another way of engaging with online personalities, albeit one that differs from my more hesitant “wait and see” approach. A forlorn heart might yearn to be recognized and have its intense feelings reciprocated, so having some kind of outlet can be healthy. The fact that this can turn into genuine feelings of attraction and affection can still be okay if there is recognition and understanding of the limits of this relationship.
Where it starts to get iffy is when someone either projects all their values and fantasies into a figure and fails to at least admit that this is projection, or when the eagerness to find a fandom turns into bitterness. That’s the point at which being parasocial becomes harmful, and I worry about both sides in these scenarios.
Some will play into this dynamic, but La+ has a bit of an unusual relationship with her viewers. She is herself an idol fan, and she has expressed empathy for those who have been hurt by an idol revealing that they have a significant other. She’s also a self-professed doutan kyouhi: a competitive fan who does not want to interact with others who share the same particular fandom. She knows what it’s like to be obsessed with someone…but she doesn’t actively seek to be that object for other people.
The way the holoX commander prefers to hold her fans at arm’s length has actually at times garnered her haters. They wish she was something she’s not trying to be, and the fact that she doesn’t conform to their desires bothers them. She’ll make connections outside of hololive in big collabs with people regardless of gender or genre. She’ll gush over Mai Shiranui from the Fatal Fury franchise, channeling the energy of fighting game fans who grew up in the 1990s and 2000s despite not being of that era. She’ll ask to be insulted by her colleagues in hololive with mature voices. She’ll even come up with an official name for her fans (Plusmates), but never actually use it. And when others talk about what La+ is like behind the scenes, they’ll mention how hard she works for herself, her peers, and her fans. That’s something I really appreciate about her: She does her own thing and appears to have a good time in the process.
La+ Darknesss prefers to act as a fellow fan who has the privilege of doing idol-like activities, such as singing and dancing on stage. In this way, seems to look at the fans who might potentially become her most obsessive and parasocial supporters, and says, “I get where you’re coming from, but I can’t be that for you. I can entertain you, though.” That’s just fine by me.
The past two months or so might be the most significant period in VTuber history since 2020 and the pandemic. During this time, we saw major changes in every corner of the scene.
Roca Rourin of Idol Corp returned to social media after being hospitalized for months
Phase Connect debuted three new Phase Invaders: Clio Aite, Mari Mari, and Eepy Sleepy
The disastrous new tariff policies have made buying merch (including celebratory merch for graduations) devastatingly expensive for American fans
VTubers are leaving companies, reviving in new (yet oddly familiar) forms, making cameos in their old companies, and even sometimes getting dragged by their peers. So much has happened that it can be difficult to wrap one’s head around it all. The timing of it all might be coincidence or just the result of the Japanese fiscal year starting in April, but having it all hit at once magnifies the emotional impact. And this is without considering all the different big concerts or the departures and returns that occurred earlier this year!
Gawr Gura’s “Ash Again” came out basically on the same day as Michi and Kuro’s “Deja Vu.” Gura’s is an expression of the turmoil she felt while being in one of the top companies as one of the world’s most popular VTubers. Michi and Kuro’s seems to refer to their mutual pasts as part of another major VTuber company. The talk of pain and renewal from two or three different-yet-related perspectives feel as if they are engaged in a conversation, even if it isn’t intended that way.
Shion and Mumei graduated within 48 hours of each other, and both went out singing songs named after themselves. Shion’s is new and the kind of sweet but tearful tune expected of graduations, while Mumei’s is older but is still a moving song that talks about fading into and out of memory.
Gura and Mumei both had mini concerts instead of full ones, owing in part to the challenges faced by the hololive members who don’t live in Japan and therefore don’t have easy access to the company’s 3D studio.
With Matara Kan and the newest Phase Invaders, we see the exit of a member of a company that emphasizes independence, as well as the folding in of previously indie VTubers who largely hold onto their identity and don’t have to tiptoe around who they were before. The indie vs corporate line gets further blurred.
Amidst all this, seeing Ame and Chloe, even if only for a moment, was like a breath of fresh air. It also made clear what affiliate status can accomplish in hololive, as there was some uncertainty what it meant versus as a normal graduation. While some fans and talents might prefer a clean break, others might appreciate the possibilities that come with staying connected to hololive.
Meanwhile, Ruka and Nimi each showed off a model that was designed by an artist that has worked for hololive. The designs are different in many ways, not least of which are changes to the eyes and the subtle personality differences that are implied by those differences.
And while I’ve always wondered, given VTubing’s similarities to wrestling, what a VTuber heel would be like, I guess I’ve gotten my answer via the Sinder drama. Only, I wanted it more in the form of kayfabe and less in the form of backstage politicking.
Altogether, this feels like a reminder that VTubing is still a very young field of interest, realistically less than 10 years old. The most enduring people and groups might be gone tomorrow, and it might be better for fans to accept this possibility even if it hurts. But while it’s often said that fans should express their support for their faves because you never know when they might be gone, I think it’s important to show at least some moderation in terms of not letting an obsession turn into bitterness if things don’t happen the way you want. One should ideally emerge from this situation empowered by their time spent watching and cheering for talents, though I understand that’s not always possible, especially if the circumstances are extremely messy.
I have no idea what the future holds, but it might be good to step back and take a breath before moving ahead.
April was a hell of a month for VTuber fans. Between the departures from various major companies, a few surprise returns, and even a boatload of legitimate drama on the indie side, it felt like a nonstop rollercoaster. It has been (and perhaps will continue to be) such a frenzy of a time that I devoted more posts to the topic of VTubers than I usually would—a combination of things I had been wanting to write about, plus other things becoming more time-sensitive. Additionally, I want to write something encapsulating the tumult, because I think it deserves to be gathered together and contextualized.
The result is that many of the posts I had been working on that are more directly related to anime and manga have been pushed back. Hopefully, I can get some out for May.
Last month, I mentioned thinking about allowing tips directly through WordPress. I don’t really see Ogiue Maniax as my primary source of income, so I’m not desperate for more ways to make money, but it might be a way for readers to show support without having to use Patreon. I do technically have a ko-fi gathering dust as well, but maybe folks would prefer less hoops to jump through.
Hololive’s Gawr Gura, the world’s most subscribed VTuber, recently released one last project before her departure from her agency: a music video for an original song titled “Ash Again.” It’s a powerful work that Gura described as essentially baring a piece of her soul to the world.
Since then, I’ve found myself playing it over and over again. I dwell on its haunting tone and lyrics, to the extent that I even woke up one morning with its words in my head. “And they all say, tear it down, burn it down.” And as I’ve listened, I’ve also come to a conclusion: “Ash Again” is art in the truest sense.
I generally have a very lenient definition of “art,” and don’t need things to be deep or abstract or be worthy of a museum or even a refrigerator door; expression creates art. That said, I think VTuber music exists in a space where lots of elements mingle. There’s the influence from Japan’s idol culture. There’s the clear overlap with Vocaloid culture, including the fact that many VTubers (including Gura) often cover Vocaloid songs or have Vocaloid producers make new songs for them. There’s the fact that VTubing is a space where one person might perform as a way of emulating the glitz and glamour of a professional or as a present to their fans, while another person releases critical hits on a regular basis. Deeply personal and melancholy songs can come from a dedicated musician or even someone who is much less musically inclined.
It’s therefore not fair to judge all VTuber music by one standard, but it also means that a lot of VTuber music isn’t aiming to communicate complicated emotions like the ones found in “Ash Again.” The song conveys a pain so specific to Gura that, while likely relatable to many people on some level, could not have been made by anyone else.
For me, what is made crystal clear by this song is that Gura has often been in a dark place these past five years, and that she has both gained and lost a great deal. The opening lyrics talk about how she’s always being told that the memory of her is fading, and that she’s heard it all before. The music video shows her trapped in an enclosed, barren room as she struggles and lashes out while trying to create. It seems to say that there has been a crushing mixture of internal and external pressure on Gura, yet the fact that the outside forces are never explicitly identified makes me wonder what she has witnessed and experienced.
I’ve seen the negative comments towards Gura: the ones filled with venom from trolls who acted like her absences were grave sins against their very existence, the ones that accuse her of being lazy and ungrateful, and the ones that try to argue that her success was all a matter of lucky timing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the line “Don’t tell me everyone around is waiting” might also imply that the fans who were trying to be supportive with the best of intentions inadvertently added to her anxiety. The words could even be interpreted as coming from hololive itself, as many talents from the company have said that there’s a lot more to working for them than just jumping in front of a screen and streaming. This ambiguity opens it up to a lot of readings, but it also gives this sense of an amorphous demon of the mind.
The music video features two versions of Gura fighting each other. One of them wears what I see as an Atlantean outfit, while the other is in her familiar and iconic hoodie. The former looks beaten down and fed up, while the latter is concerned but still possessing light in her eyes. I see the former as not just representative of her negative emotions, but also her past self before she became “Gawr Gura”—the person who was once blessed and cursed with a different form of success, and who she might return to being when she leaves hololive. I think the fear expressed by the hooded Gura is the notion that this figure we’ve all seen these past five years is fleeting and that her “true” and troubled self is what will remain.
But then, as she sinks deep into the ocean naked, the lyrics give a sense of a girl who’s slowly realizing that what she’s accomplished is as much a reflection of herself, and that her accolades are anything but empty. “No more hands upon my words, they only speak for me” seems to imply that she’s felt the need to keep quiet about some things until now. Then comes my favorite lines of the entire song: “For all the ones who try to silence thunder, I’m the wave that pulls you down and under.” It’s as if this is the moment that she realizes how strong she really is, and that she’s bigger than the voices trying to hold her back or drag her down.
This is followed by silhouettes of all her genmates in hololive English’s Myth supporting her and bringing her back to the surface, and crucially, this includes Gura helping Gura herself. When the hoodie Gura re-emerges from the sea, she’s able to overwhelm and defeat her other self, who is shown to be more frightened and tired than bitter and angry. In contrast to her violent rejection at the beginning of the video, Atlantean Gura then moves to embrace hololive Gura, and the two seemingly become one. Now solely in her Atlantean form, she makes her way to a door and opens it to leave. I interpret this as Gura finally accepting that who she’s been in hololive is as much her true self as anything that came before, and that she realized this with help from her friends in hololive.
It’s very possible that all of what I wrote is me projecting onto Gura what I want to see, and that it’s just another example of parasocial behavior. At the same time, it’s undeniable that what “Ash Again” conveys is not the same as the other final songs from graduated talents. While it does express sadness and gratitude, the primary feeling is not one of nostalgia, but one of fighting inner demons—or as Gura would put it, brain worms.
I ultimately was compelled to write about “Ash Again” for a couple of reasons, despite having just posted my tribute to Gura days earlier. First, the song simply struck a chord with me on a very deep and resonant level, and I didn’t want to leave these feelings undefined. Second, amidst all the negativity that can persist in a space like VTubing, I’ve been wanting to more concretely praise the people who have decided to challenge this vast frontier, and who have inspired me in their own ways. After seeing all these graduation, hiatuses, and even sometimes tragedies, I want the people behind these VTubers to know that they’re appreciated.
Enigmatic Recollection is an “alternate universe” project by the VTuber agency hololive that is hard to describe, but one thing that became clear is that it can be a powerful focal point for creativity.
Official art and music is released, fans are inspired to make works of their own, and even the talents involved get to flex their imaginations. In fact, Part 1 of ENReco was a real success in terms of popularity and attention, and a major component of this is the improvisational role-playing involved. What started out as a way to play off a premise of amnesiacs in an isekai setting became a chance to showcase how each participating VTuber approached this open-ended “assignment.”
Within that setting, everyone seemingly took on new personalities, but there were a couple specific instances in Part 1 that turned out to be otherwise. Two of the girls—namely Nanashi Mumei and Shiori Novella—never actually lost their memories.
I actually think this was really clever on the part of both girls because the decision to make this part of their ENReco “characters” work with their respective lore in hololive.
It should be noted that “canon” is a very nebulous concept with a medium like VTubing, even putting aside the kayfabe aspect of it. Not only does base lore sometimes not match what the talents themselves come up with, but the “returned memories” of ENReco are a variation of their own (like how Kiara created a burger shop instead of specializing in chicken). That said, a look at the official profiles of the aforementioned two is a good place to start.
First, Mumei:
“The Guardian of Civilization, a traveling owl who has borne witness to numerous events.
Even though glimpses of past memories—seen and forgotten throughout her endless journey—occasionally surface, she is now a lovely girl who relishes each and every day.”
Basically, Mumei is supposed to be the most extreme example of someone who forgets more than you will ever remember because she carries all the memories of civilization. Experiencing amnesia is just a common occurrence for Mumei, and it wouldn’t be surprising that she has some way to recall her true identity, no matter what is causing the memory loss in the first place. She had a built-in defense against whatever afflicted most of the other girls.
Next, Shiori:
“Driven by her thirst for knowledge, Shiori Novella is “The Archiver.” She turns her favorite stories and treasured memories into bookmarks and saves them.”
Moreover, Shiori’s 3D showcase was all about how she travels to different worlds (fictional and otherwise) to collect stories, and her holo no graffiti debut shows her extracting other people’s thoughts as bookmarks. This implies that she’s accustomed to the isekai process, and that she also has some means to safeguard her mind when traversing planes. And given Shiori’s love of fiction and the way she encourages it among her fans, I have very little doubt that she didn’t consider all this when deciding on her ENReco persona.
I don’t know what will carry through to the later parts of Enigmatic Recollection. However, amidst all the attention placed on other storylines, I wanted to draw attention to something I especially enjoyed from Mumei and Shiori. You can even see them both acting a little suspiciously throughout, as if they were merely feigning memory loss. Mumei would constantly change her name, for instance, and Shiori gave the impression that she was just “playing along” in some way.
The end result for each was a “revelation” that made me simply enjoy ENReco all the more. I don’t know what Part 2 will look like, but I’m eager to see what energy the girls and the fans alike bring. And while we won’t be seeing Mumei join in going forward as a result of her graduation, I can at least look fondly back at the memories she helped create.
PS: Just last week, Koseki Bijou had a special birthday stream that involved her fighting her fellow hololive members to free them from being mind controlled. Among them was Shiori, who immediately recognized Bijou and then pretended she didn’t. (Mumei was an ally and unaffected.) So at the very least, this immunity to memory manipulation is not a one-off thing for the leader of Advent.
Gawr Gura of hololive, the most subscribed VTuber in the world, has announced her graduation, set for May 1 Japan Time. As one of the biggest gateways to VTubing, her influence is almost impossible to overestimate. And while Gura’s infrequent streams made people wonder for years whether her departure was impending, to see it actually happen hits like a shockwave nevertheless.
Debuting in September 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic as part of Myth—hololive’s first English generation—Gura brought comfort and humor to many while shattering virtually every record under the sun. Whether it was her simple-yet-effective character design, her sense of humor, or her remarkably soulful singing, the shark girl from Atlantis helped propel hololive into an international success story.
Gura is often cited as a major inspiration for others to become VTubers themselves, but there really is no one like her. She has that undeniable “it” factor perhaps more than anyone else in this sphere, and while I don’t know if I can fully explain the magic, I do think there is at least one important factor that makes it all click: To this day, even as she’s improved in so many ways, Gura still feels like an amateur.
As creators and personalities gain fame and influence, they often change in ways that reflect their greater status. This is not necessarily a bad thing, nor is it inherently a sign of selling out or inauthenticity, and this transformation often shows up as a greater image of confidence and a more polished presentation. But whether deliberate or unintentional, Gura always comes across as the same goofy and nervous, yet charming and witty girl who’s still fumbling her way through. The way she banters with her chat, the rough edges and scuff that still show up on stream, and even her singing are as if she’s performing for a small audience in a humble little room. Gura somehow manages to work as both an effective source of background noise while you’re doing other things, and as a primary thing to focus on and get lost in her ramblings. It’s like she draws you into her world, but leaves it up to you how far you want to fall in.
I still remember the handful of times she’s actually responded to me in chat despite the sheer size of her audience and despite me often not being a paid member of her channel. I have to admit that it made me feel a little more special.
(I’m the Shrimp in that clip asking what’s the best thing she ate.)
During Gura’s graduation announcement, she mentioned how the thought of having so many eyes on her would often make her so nervous that she had trouble eating. And in one of her final streams with her friend and genmate Amelia Watson, Gura also revealed that she would ask Ame for advice, all while Gura was seen as the more successful of the two overall. I don’t know if that’s anxiety, humility, imposter syndrome, or simply an open mind and heart, but I can’t help but wonder if this is what gives Gura that “professional amateur” energy.
I’m going to end this by simply linking two of my favorite things she’s ever done. The first is her 2024 birthday concert, titled “Shark City.” She begins with a surprise cover of the first Legend of the Galactic Heroes opening, sings multiple City Pop and City Pop–inspired hits, and even collabs with the soon-to-be-graduating Murasaki Shion along with one of my favorites in La+ Darknesss.
The second is the final Myth song with all five members, “The Show Goes On.” I still think it’s their best full-gen number.
Thank you, Gura. You’ve literally changed lives, and I hope you find the peace and balance you need to thrive, no matter where you end up.
Kizuna AI, the Virtual Youtuber who coined the very term itself and was once known as the big boss of VTubers, made her return last month after a three-year hiatus. While she has announced that she won’t be doing things the same way this time around, one major change is that she’s using an entirely new model that makes her look more mature. She’s been likened to a mom, and even a former delinquent turned mom.
VTubers upgrading or even changing models isn’t all that rare. Some even drastically change appearances while under the same identity. But it feels different with Kizuna AI, and I think it’s because with her, it’s almost like a timeskip straight out of anime and manga.
Unlike most other VTuber makeovers, in which the switch happens almost instantly, AI was gone for three years. An actual significant amount of time has passed in the real world, and now she has the aura of someone who is at a different stage of her life. In a space where it’s still standard to portray more youthful characters regardless of the actual performers’ ages, having the figure most synonymous with VTubing break away from that trend (if ever so slightly) is a fairly big deal.
Perhaps allowing VTubers to reflect the growth of the performers has its own merits. As Houshou Marine once put it, “the age of 30 is in demand,” but maybe 30 is only the start.
Spring Anime is here! Between Gundam GQuuuuuuX, Kowloon Generic Romance, and Anne Shirley, it feels like we’ve got lots of shows that touch on nostalgia but aren’t necessarily nostalgia-grab shows. I just wish these anime could appear on more than one platform, so fans can support the ones they prefer. Exclusivity is a pain in the ass.
Thank you to my Patreon supporters. With the season in full swing, I hope you’re doing well, and haven’t been too thoroughly bamboozled by April Fools.
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I’ve also been thinking of enabling fan donations on WordPress, but I’m not sure if it’s a good idea. Any feedback is appreciated.
This past week, VTuber Nanashi Mumei of hololive English Promise announced that she will be graduating from hololive primarily due to throat-related health issues. I don’t know if I’m going to write anything about her in particular, but I do have a post partially about her that I had been saving up. Expect to see it in the coming days!
OGIUE MANIAX 