The Advent of Pitch Accent: Pronouncing FuwaMoco’s Names Correctly

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The new Hololive English generation, HoloAdvent, has made their debut after more than two years of waiting. Among the five Virtual Youtubers are actually a pair of twins—the Abyssgard sisters Fuwawa and Mococo, collectively known as FuwaMoco. And while there is a lot to potentially talk about (including the fact that Fuwawa is a Genshiken fan!!!), I want to focus on one thing: The pronunciation of their names.

During their inaugural stream, Fuwawa and Mococo made some requests to viewers about their names. First, their last name isn’t pronounced “a-BYSS-gard” but rather A-byss-gard.” Second, their first names are “FU-wa-wa” and “MO-co-co,” and not fu-WA-wa” and “mo-CO-co.” With those specifics, FuwaMoco has brought overseas Hololive fans back into the realm of “pitch accent,” a prevalent element of the Japanese language.

The Pitch Accent Rabbit Hole

Much has been said about Japanese and pitch accent already. Multiple language-learning Youtubers, such Dougen and Yuta, have dedicated videos to the topic. Use of pitch accent can differentiate meanings of words, but more often, hitting the correct pitches can make your Japanese sound more natural and easier to understand for native speakers. 

In the realm of Hololive, it’s one of the things that makes Inugami Korone’s regional accent so distinct. As heard in the above video, her pitch accents are very different from those of the more standard Japanese spoken by Murasaki Shion.

It’s even to the point that native Japanese speakers can have trouble with Korone. However, because pitch accent is hard to teach from a textbook and not as prominent in English, it can be a challenge for those going from English to Japanese to even pick up on the differences. Even in those Korone videos, there are comments from people saying that they can’t really hear the difference.

Nailing FuwaMoco’s Names

Incorrect pitch accent isn’t necessarily a deal breaker when it comes to learning Japanese, and how much you want to devote to it is a matter of personal priority. Is sounding closer to native speech more important than learning a wider vocabulary or memorizing kanji, for example? But if your goal is to pronounce FuwaMoco’s names correctly, then you can start from there.

Let’s first look at their family name, Abyssgard. While technically it’d be “Abisugaado” in Japanese, for our purposes, we can ignore those particulars (and in fact, FuwaMoco do the same.)

When focusing on the “Abyss” part of it, the incorrect pronunciation is “a-BYSS” and the correct one is A-byss.” When wrong, it sounds more like the English word “amiss,” while the right one is closer to how you’d say “pumice.” 

“Pumice Guard.”

“Abyssgard.”

You can then carry that distinction to their given names, Fuwawa and Mococo, because those follow a similar pattern: FU-wa-wa and MO-co-co.

Going Forward

Keep in mind that the above guide is not a universal rule or anything. If you continue to study Japanese pronunciation, you’ll definitely find plenty of words that don’t follow those specific pitch accents. Also, regardless of whether you can say their names perfectly without effort or you find it to be a struggle, it doesn’t make you less of a fan.

And in the meantime, let’s enjoy their singing.

Street Fighter 6 and the History of “Modern Controls”

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Street Fighter 6 has succeeded in its goal of bringing in new players through a simplified control scheme labeled “Modern.” The signature special inputs that Street Fighter pioneered are basically replaced by one-button inputs and cardinal directions, with the caveat that damage dealt is reduced by 1/5. The Modern control scheme has also spiced up discussion in the community as competitive players try to figure out if having your most powerful moves be instantaneous is a worthwhile tradeoff for having fewer options overall. But this is not the first time fighting games  have included easier inputs, and I think it’s interesting to see how past games have tried to incorporate more accessible control schemes.

In the GameCube Capcom vs. SNK EO and the 3DS Street Fighter IV, the advantages their shortcuts provide is tremendous. The only thing that kept them at bay is that they were not the “main” tournament versions; if they were, high-level play would be fundamentally worse because the characters were simply not balanced with instant specials and such in mind.

Another approach comes from Granblue Fantasy Versus. In that game, players have simultaneous access to both traditional specials and simplified ones (on a cooldown timer), with the expectation that stronger players will use the former and newbies the latter. In actuality, competitive players use both, recognizing that faster inputs are more reliable in certain situations.

Then there’s Super Smash Bros., a game franchise built around more simplified controls. When traditional 2D fighter characters became playable, the big question was how they would be incorporated into the Smash system. The answer, it turns out, was to allow everything—you can use Smash-style special inputs and classic fighting game motions, the latter rewarding the player with greater damage and KO power. However, no Ryu, Ken, or Terry Bogard players worth their salt play a primarily “Modern”-esque style. And unlike Granblue, the simplified versions are only ever used when recovering offstage.

This is because the aforementioned distinction between damage and KO power is an important part of Smash. In SF6, your Shoryuken taking a bit less off might just mean you need to land one additional hit. In Smash Ultimate, it might mean not being able to finish off the opponent at all. The fighting-game characters are balanced around their ability to take stocks relatively early through their “true” specials, as they’re called by the community.

The saving grace of SF6’s Modern controls is probably the fact that they’re part of the game from the very beginning, and they make players feel powerful without going overboard. Unlike some games, you cannot have your cake and eat it too with respect to accessing both modes, and Modern comes with drawbacks that feel neither ineffectual nor overly harsh. Efficacy seems to vary from character to character, and players have to be cognizant of what they give up to obtain instant specials and supers—advantages the opponent can know about and play around. I expect them to be a staple of Street Fighter going forward, and are one big step in helping to chase the elusive specter of accessibility all while maintaining competitive integrity.

Breathing Room: Ogiue Maniax Status Update for August 2023

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After the whirlwind that was July, I’m genuinely glad that things are slowing down for me. That said, I’ll be writing and posting my review of Otakon 2023 (as well as three guest interviews), so while I physically won’t be doing a lot, I’m still gonna have to hunker down and do some serious blogging.

Hopefully, you’ll all enjoy what I have to offer.

Thanks to all my Patreon subscribers. I hope you’re doing okay in this weather.

General:

Ko Ransom

Diogo Prado

Alex

Dsy

Sue Hopkins fans:

Serxeid

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

Blog highlights from July:

Gattai Girls 13: “Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury” and Suletta Mercury

A full review of The Witch from Mercury and the first Gattai Girls in many months.

I Was There: Hololive EN Connect the World

My firsthand experience at Hololive English’s debut live concert. Spoilers: It was rad.

New Yuusha Robot Announced: Brave Universe Sworgrader

A new Brave series! Who knew?!

Kio Shimoku

Kio talks about movies and stuff.

Apartment 507

My review of the Rokudo’s Bad Girls anime.

Closing

I stopped putting my little messages at the end of my posts asking people to check out my Patreon, thinking that it was probably annoying people more than anything. Would readers mind if I included it again?

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights July 2023

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Kio watched a bunch of movies this month.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1675729678353698817

Kio attended a live screening of the newest How Do You Like Wednesday?, which included people from the cast. It was a fun and unusual experience. He did not attend in Ikebukuro.

https://twitter.com/hecky_mitsuo/status/1576190793223933952

The raunchy gag manga Enomoto had an anime announced last year, and Kio only found out about it this past month.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1676983471712112642

Kio made this Ohno samurai drawing as the basis for a paper relief sculpture. One fan of his showed off their version.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1677669769447903233
https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1677673296173887488

Kio made these Madarame drawings as part of a special collaboration with the series Love-yan, which features a protagonist who resembles Madarame. Kio also vaguely denies knowing about the Rocking Spark attack from Ultraman and how similar it looks to Madarame’s pose.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1677962715552448513
https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1660946124340092930
https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1677965174068895745

16 more finished pages of Sister Wars, Kio’s Star Wars parody.

Kio recalls how tough it was to live on the top floor (6th) of a building because of how hot it got in the summer. He tells fellow manga creator Kusada to take care of himself amid some very high temperatures.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1678662967506923526
https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1678684842538704897

Bikini drawings of Ohno and Saki for an old Afternoon calendar.

Kio remarks that the new Miyazaki film, The Boy and the Heron (aka How Do You Live?) Is a whopping 124 minutes long.

https://twitter.com/KEUMAYA/status/1679401237845012480

The first tweet states that really good artists can draw Image B, where the frame is mostly taken up by the left leg. Kio says that he tries to draw B but can only really do A.

Kio is going to see the Chinese animated film I Am What I Am, and then The Boy and the Heron. He’s also been exhausted by having so much.

Kio reacts to a Genshiken fan’s shrine, saying that the fan has posters even Kio doesn’t.

Kio missed his chance to see Akira in 4K.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1680094283934892032
https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1683028503070113795

Kio advertising a 50% off sale on his erotic doujinshi, It’s All Your Fault, Sensei.

Kio watched The Pope’s Exorcist and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny on the same day, and being in the theater for so long chilled his body.

Kio has played Elden Ring for over 50 hours and is over Level 50, but only just reached Limgrave.

He can’t get the timing for rolling and such down, and while he played King’s Field, he hasn’t played later FromSoftware games aside from Shadow Tower and Dark Souls.

Kio put his unused winter futon back into vacuum-sealed storage.

Anime Central 2023 Interview: Tanaka Rie

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Tanaka Rie is a veteran voice actor with over two decades’ experience in anime.

How would you describe the voice acting industry back when you first started versus what it’s like today?

I feel like I’ve only been in the industry for 25 years, so there are other people who are much more senpai than I am. But back when I first started out, voice actors wouldn’t show their faces in the media a lot. Now, though, you see voice actors doing media, movies, TV shows, photo books, and such. So you start to see that it’s much more out there in the media. There are a lot of young kids nowadays who are really excited about the prospect of being voice actors, so in that sense it’s changed quite a bit.

You graduated from the famous Yoyogi Animation School. Are there any particular things you learned there that you feel have helped you greatly in your career?

I feel very fortunate and very blessed that I was able to attend Yoyogi Animation School. I only went for one year’s curriculum there, but I was able to gather a lot of experience. That’s because it’s very different when you’re a voice actor because in order to be a pro, you have to gather experience. And so even if you go to school, even if you go through a curriculum, and even if you graduate, you still have to get that experience at doing that job. But I do find that one thing that was really great was being able to be around other people who were also looking to be voice actors—that friendly competition, that rivalry. We also had auditions at school. 

When I originally went to the school, though, I debuted as a singer and not as a voice actor. I was with Sony for three years as a singer, and then went from there to being a voice actor. I feel that it was a very good experience. I’m glad I went to a vocational school.

When I think “Tanaka Rie,” the first character that comes to mind is Lacus Clyne from Gundam SEED. How did you approach playing the character, as well as Meer Campbell in SEED Destiny?

Lacus Clyne is the most difficult character I’ve ever played. She’s not a regular human, but rather one of a variation called Coordinators. They’re like a third era of humanity who are born having been adjusted and “coordinated,” and so Lacus’s emotional expressions were extremely challenging. Even through the full range of emotions, not much changes. She’s a human being, but she doesn’t emote in a very human way. In times of sadness or in times of joy, I had to portray her intense emotions in a calm and reserved manner. Whether she’s happy or crying, she doesn’t falter. 

Her name means “lake” [in Latin], and the director told me that the image of her is that of a tranquil lake that calms. Having to keep that image in mind was incredibly hard.

Lacus was a character in both SEED and SEED Destiny, whereas Meer Campbell debuted in SEED Destiny. People who’ve never seen these shows might be wondering who the heck Meer is, but she’s a copy of Lacus Clyne—a fan of Lacus who was surgically altered to look and sound like Lacus because Meer wanted to become her. She was a fake Lacus who was deceived by the villain of the series, Durandal, into believing she could become the real deal. 

Meer is actually a powerless and utterly normal human being, and so she has this very human quality to her. I found that it made her an incredibly easy character to play—Meer’s so human that it hurt. As a girl, she has a certain way of being and a strong personality. This comes out when she says, “I am Lacus!,” due to her brainwashing, and even when she’s confronted by the real Lacus Clyne, she still thinks, “I was Lacus, wasn’t I?” I loved Meer.

As I played her, I thought, the character of Meer really is a complicated girl. While Lacus was difficult to play, Meer was the opposite: a woman who was all too human. I could really empathize with her as a normal person. I approached her as a character one could easily empathize with. That’s what made Lacus so much more difficult, whereas when playing Meer, I could use the emotions I had going into the studio that day and put them into the character because she’s such a human character.

You were involved with the Precure franchise very early on in the role of Shiny Luminous. Do you have any memorable stories from working on Max Heart, and how does it feel to see Precure going for this long?

Luminous is not technically a Precure, and she’s actually a queen in that world. When I got the part, I thought she was a Precure, but in actuality she wasn’t. It was tricky in the sense that she’s a character who can transform like a Precure but isn’t actually one and doesn’t refer to herself as one. 

She transforms with a shout of “Luminous Shining Stream!” using her mascot Porun as a compact, but that doesn’t mean that she’s powerful. Precures fight using martial arts, throwing punches and kicks—that’s how they show their strength. Luminous can’t fight physically, though. She’s a character who runs away and guards using barriers, and thinks, “I’m going to protect everyone!” after she’s transformed. Luminous really tries her hardest, and because she can’t fight directly, she strives to safeguard Nagisa and Honoka, Cure Black and Cure White. However, when the time comes, all three are within her barrier to perform the attack Extreme Luminario. When that happens, all three are truly united.

When she’s Kujou Hikari, however, she’s just a normal schoolgirl who works part-time as an apprentice at a takoyaki cafe, and is rather shy. Playing her ended up requiring a lot of effort.

You play many “big sister–like” characters, such as Suigintou in Rozen Maiden, Maria in Hayate, Akira in Yamato 2199, and Maho in Girls und Panzer, yet you’re able to make them sound so different from one another. Do you have any advice for newer voice actors who would like to be able to diversify their style?

I’ve done so many roles, and when it comes to being a voice actor, we do a lot of solo recording these days. But before COVID-19, it was common to do voice recording as a group, and for like 23 people to share three mics.

When it comes to differentiating roles, well, there’s only 24 hours in a day. For example, you might have one project that goes from 10am to 3pm, and then another 4pm to 9pm, and you have to try your best to do well in both roles during those 24 hours. In that hour between, I make that “switch” inside me, like when I’m eating. While it’s tough to do so, being able to just go “I’m triggering that switch” is what being a professional voice actor is about. 

When I think about it, though, I don’t know for sure how I accomplish that. It’s true that my normal speaking voice isn’t the one I use for my characters, so perhaps it’s like putting on one mask and then switching to another. So it’ll be like: “Today I’m Nishizumi Maho.” “Today I’m Luminous.” “Today I’m Lacus Clyne.” I might be doing it unconsciously. But being able to “switch” like that is very important.

Those aiming to be voice actors shouldn’t just focus on voice acting but should learn from many things and observe more broadly. You often hear it said that you need to start your voice acting career in your teens, and if you wait until you graduate, it’ll be too late. They’ll even say that in the voice acting schools. But you’ll have some who start voice acting in high school, while others might go to college first or switch to becoming voice actors from a different career. It’s really about your own life, and the timing with which you decide, “I want to do this thing!” becomes important in terms of how you study and learn about the world and society. Between a voice actor who knows nothing of the world and one who has all kinds of experience, I find the latter more impressive. That’s what my senpai have always said as well, and it makes one want to try to have many different experiences.

Mobile games have become a major part of the entertainment industry, and you have worked on a great many. Do you do anything differently when voicing characters for mobile games versus anime or more traditional video games?

When it comes to mobile games, anime, and more traditional video games, the approach doesn’t really change. However, what is different is dubbing foreign media—dramas, movies, and such. That’s because they don’t want me to use “anime character voices” but rather something closer to my real voice. So the approach to voice acting for a TV show from abroad is different compared to doing something for a work that’s originally Japanese. 

In recent years, you started your own YouTube channel, playing games, releasing music, and showing your cosplay. What made you want to start streaming yourself?

During the coronavius pandemic, I thought, “Why not try?” but actually, the suggestion to make a YouTube channel began before COVID-19. I’d never done YouTube before, and between my main job as a voice actor and having to provide deliverables and content, I wasn’t sure if I had the capacity to handle doing it all. But I’ve always loved video games, and so when COVID-19 happened and things couldn’t continue as they had, I thought, “Well, guess I’m doing this.” But also, I thought about how I couldn’t interact with the fans—the tens of thousands of subscribers—and how hard it was for them, as well as how sad it made me as well as Vega-chan, who’s been working with me all this time. In terms of the scope of what we could do, we started with streaming from my home, and as things have opened back up, I can do more and even find sponsors. That said, things didn’t totally open back up, meaning it’s still a bit hard. So this is a kind of fanservice so I can connect to the fans through my voice, and I can give them joy through my broadcasts, where I deliver content twice a week. I love video games, and the fans like seeing me play them, so that makes me happy.

You are known for having a love of Indian curry. Do you have a favorite type of Indian curry?

Cashew curry! It has cashew and chicken. I always make sure to have cashews in my curry, and I love the spices. Indian food in Japan is amazing! I love it.

Would you like to give a message to your fans reading this interview?

I really cherish all my fans. Even if there are times you can’t hear my voice in anime or video games, I’ve been working hard with Vega-chan on my YouTube channel for a long while now, and fans can interact with me there. Also, there will be a lot of big projects coming up where you’ll be able to hear me again, and so to my fans not just in Japan but all over the world as well, please continue to support me. I look forward to seeing you all soon.

Ogiue Maniax Panels at Otakon 2023

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A screenshot from Super Robot Wars featuring the robot Might Gaine. Its pilot, Maito, says "Justice, proceed! Evil, stop!"

Otakon 2023 kicks off this Friday, and I have two panels over the weekend!

Giant Train Robots of Anime and More

Friday July 28, 2023 10:15 am to 11:15 am

Trains and mecha are two tastes that go great together. Discover “rail robots” from all across Japanese media and learn for yourself how awesome they are!

Densha Otoko: Train Man, Otaku Myth, Internet Legend

Saturday July 29, 2023 8:45 pm to 9:45 pm

Once upon a time, the story of a nerd helping a girl on a train changed the otaku world forever. Come and (re)discover the true (?) story of Densha Otoko, its many adaptations, and its legacy 20 years later.

Otakon always has a million things to do, but if you just so happen to stop by, I hope you enjoy yourself.

Gattai Girls 13: “Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury” and Suletta Mercury

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Introduction: “Gattai Girls” is a series of posts dedicated to looking at giant robot anime featuring prominent female characters due to their relative rarity within that genre.

Here, “prominent” is primarily defined by two traits. First, the female character has to be either a main character (as opposed to a sidekick or support character), or she has to be in a role which distinguishes her. Second, the female character has to actually pilot a giant robot, preferrably the main giant robot of the series she’s in.

For example, Aim for the Top! would qualify because of Noriko (main character, pilots the most important mecha of her show), while Vision of Escaflowne would not, because Hitomi does not engage in any combat despite being a main character, nor would Full Metal Panic! because the most prominent robot pilot, Melissa Mao, is not prominent enough.

— 

I truly believe that Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury will go down as a pivotal work in anime history. There are the surface reasons, of course: It has the honor of being the first mainline Gundam anime to feature a female protagonist with a same-sex primary romantic interest. It’s also the first main Gundam to be only 24 episodes when even the next shortest series still got 39. But the core of why I think Witch from Mercury is a game changer is that it ncludes many elements unfamiliar or in defiance of Gundam that manage to tell a compelling and thought-provoking story that carries both idealism and realism in its narrative.

Witch from Mercury takes place in a world where Gundams are forbidden, even though they were originally based on research to help people with disabilities. Years after the banning of Gundams and the seeming purge of all involved, a shy and awkward girl named Suletta Mercury arrives at Asticassia Academy, a mobile suit school for the elite where student matters are officially resolved through giant-robot duels. Suletta wins a match in her Definitely-Not-a-Gundam, Aerial, ends up engaged to the daughter of the school’s owner, Miorine Rembran, and in doing so inadvertently steps into the complex corporate, social, and political forces at play.

The anime starts off reminiscent of both Revolutionary Girl Utena and G Gundam, but ends its first half throwing the relatively isolated nature of Asticassia into stark relief with the world at large, whether it’s the crushing disparity between Earthians and Spacians, the specter of war and how the parents of all the kids have a hand in perpetuating military conflict, or the realization that Suletta’s naivete isn’t merely an innocent quirk but points to an unusual and possibly even disturbing past.

The second half seems to calm down, only to ramp up even harder and throw the established order into further disarray. Things that other series might have left linger for 10 episodes are brought to bear in a fraction of the time. The anime can actually feel pretty rushed as a result, but in certain ways, I think this actually works out in its favor. Gundam series often meander and plod as they get into the latter 25-ish episodes as they try to incorporate extraneous characters and merch-friendly elements, whereas this one cuts out a lot of the fat, albeit with some of the flesh as well. The outcome of all this is a Gundam where I would get genuinely surprised and shocked, especially in terms of character deaths)—feelings that were often missing from my viewings of Gundam anime that have come out in the past 15 years.

The characters, especially the women, are memorable and one the best parts of Witch from Mercury. Suletta is a unique protagonist, both in comparison to her Gundam predecessors and in general due to the way she has to grapple with her own upbringing and the way she ends up establishing her own identity. She takes the viewers on a rollercoaster of a personal journey that makes her position as first heroine much more than a cynical decision for the sake of diversity. Similarly, Miorine’s aggressiveness makes for a great companion and foil, and the way she navigates her privilege and her desire to do more for humanity is wonderful. And Suletta’s mom Prospera is not only the best Char Aznable in ages, but shows the quiet fury of a woman who will do anything for her child.

As for minor characters, there are plenty of examples regardless of genders. Chuatury “Chuchu” Panlunch is refreshingly no-nonsense in a way rarely seen in anime. Guel Jeturk, a rival/potential love interest of Suletta, goes from annoying dude to endearing guy—something that actually happens more often than not with the cast. A number of characters are on the larger side but are not treated as jokes. And while Secelia Dote only has seven minutes of screen time across the entire series, her snarkiness manages to steal the show every time. I could keep going.

One of the more amazing things about Witch from Mercury is how well it strikes a balance between having ubiquitous mobile suits and incorporating them into the story and setting. They’re also very aesthetically pleasing, particularly the Aerial. It’s identifiably a Gundam, but its proportions and flourishes give a slight feminine feel without going straight into Nobel Gundam territory. I also enjoy the way it contrasts with other mecha, as it makes the Aerial come across more something that will disrupt the status quo. Moreover, Aerial is also a rare instance of a mobile suit basically being a character unto itself—something that has serious consequences as the series progresses.

A common criticism of Gundam as a whole is that while it generally contains anti-war messaging, the cool factor of the mobile suits can end up drowning it out. Although the designs in this particular series are indeed among the best ever, Witch from Mercury is also the first to establish that the technology did not begin as a military endeavor, and this helps throw the use of mobile suits as weapons into stark relief. It’s also part of a greater look at the inequalities and inequities suffered by those who lack the financial and familial might to make the world care—a world where even the children of those in power feel the burden of having to deal with their parents’ bullshit.

On that note, corporations play a major role in the series, and I’ve seen people get extremely confused with all the different alliances and factions. While I won’t say it’s simple to keep track of everything, one way to navigate that web is to understand that many adult decisions are the result of corporate greed, and trying to find positions to have the best profits with the least accountability. This is what makes Miorine’s ultimate decision all the more satisfying, as she throws that structure off kilter using the means available to her. Gundam series often feature politics because of how they take place on grander scales.

These two elements together help Witch from Mercury’s politics feel very contemporary and relevant to our times, instead of coming across as dated or tepid.

Witch from Mercury brings a new sense of what Gundam can be. It possesses many of the franchise’s well-worn tropes without being beholden to them. It breaks boundaries of all kinds, whether through its unique cast of characters, its central same-sex romance, or its perspectives on conflict and humanity. I truly feel that what we have is a turning point in Gundam and anime as a whole, and I’m hopeful it’ll be for the better. Suletta is the first main Gundam heroine, but she won’t be the last.

New Yuusha Robot Announced: Brave Universe Sworgrader

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This past week, the Gaogaigar 25th Anniversary Exhibition in Japan featured a surprise announcement: A new entry in the Brave Series has been greenlit! Brave Universe Sworgrader is heading our way, albeit with a caveat. Unlike all its anime-based predecessors, it will debut as a web manga.

Sworgrader isn’t totally alone in regards to not coming out the gate as an anime. The sequel to Gaogaigar Final, King of Kings: Gaogaigar vs. Betterman, started off as a web novel series before being adapted into a manga. Other old anime have also received novel-only nostalgic sequels, such as Raijin-oh and even the magical girl title Ojamajo Doremi. One major difference is that Sworgrader is wholly original, though the teaser art and the whole “Brave Universe” thing seems to imply that the previous Brave Robots will somehow be involved—even the shelved sequel that only ever got a spotlight in video games, Baan Gaan.

I do feel a mix of joy and sorrow in all this: It’s great to see Brave franchise make something of a comeback, but also a shame to know how diminished it is compared to its heyday. I suspect that something like a 90s throwback robot toy franchise isn’t going to attract the massive kids market that was tuning into Exkaiser and such thirty years ago (otherwise this would at least be a mobile game). It’ll mostly be banking on the adults who had grown up with the old shows, and merch will probably be premium figures and model kits, as opposed to children’s toys. 

That all said, it’s worth pointing out that despite likely having more “Big Friend” appeal than anything else, the main characters are clearly cut from the traditional Brave cloth: They’re kid heroes through and through. So many retro-style series prefer to have characters who are at least in their late teens in order to be more relatable to that older audience, but I kind of admire the creators of Sworgrader for trying to be faithful to the Brave spirit. Gaogaigar really hit its stride once the shackles of toy advertisement were loosened, and Sworgrader is potentially going to be like that from Day One.

In addition to overseeing the entire project, Gaogaigar director Yonetani Yoshitomo is also the lyricist on the main theme for Sworgrader; something he’s had experience doing thanks to Gaogaigar and Betterman. In fact, similar to Sworgrader, Gaogaigar vs. Betterman has “opening” and “ending” themes despite there being no anime. The theme will be sung by Tamaki Nami, who got her debut in anime singing the fourth and final Gundam SEED opening, “Believe.” All this takes me back to my very first time in Japan in 2005: a year when Gaogaigar: Grand Glorious Gathering was on TV, and I could hear Tamaki’s SEED openings while in the supermarket.

And while I believe a Sworgrader anime will have some trouble coming to fruition, not all hope is lost: One of the credits on the project is Aono Yuka (Shinkalion Z, Brave Beats) as “Animation Character Designer” as distinct from “Character Designer” Tsunashima Shirou, the artist of the Jinki franchise (talk about another throwback). Similarly, there are separate credits for “Mechanical Design” (Ookawara Kunio, Miyauchi Toshinao) and “Animation Mechanical Design” (Mutaguchi Hiroki) Maybe we’ll see some cool shorts, at the very least?

Whatever form Sworgrader takes, I look forward to seeing its arrival. I will neither automatically love it or hate it, but I do hope it brings joy and excitement to all.

I Was There: Hololive EN Connect the World

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Concerts are normally not my thing. I’ll attend them at anime cons as an extension of my greater fandom, but I typically don’t travel specifically for music events.

That all changed with Hololive English’s inaugural live concert, Connect the World. Well, sort of. Attending a Virtual Youtuber concert can be viewed as a natural consequence of being an otaku, but it’s also akin to seeing a KPop and J-Idol group. Either way, my fondness for the stars’ antics outside of musical performance was just as much a motivation to see them as the concert stuff. And as the very first Hololive concert to be held in the US, I felt that I had to at least try to go. I might never have such an opportunity again, because as much as I’d love to attend the Holo Fes events in Japan, it’s just not realistic for me. 

So with a bit of luck and perseverance (and lots of angry cursing at Ticketmaster), I managed to secure myself a ticket and a pretty decent seat. Fast forward a few months later, and there I was with penlight in hand, cheering alongside 5,999 other Holo fans. It was a fantastic overall experience, and I’m grateful to have been a part of this moment in VTuber history.

Summary

Connect the World began with a message in English from A-chan, whose role in Hololive can be described as the ultimate behind-the-scenes pillar. A central figure in the development of Hololive from its humble beginnings, she has garnered a fandom of her own that made itself known through enthusiastic cheers. The concert then went into full swing with a full-roster performance of the Hololive signature theme “Shiny Smily Story,” followed by ten individual performances from the EN girls, two guest numbers by reps from Hololive Japan and Hololive Indonesia, three generational songs, the titular  “Connect the World,” and then an encore with “Kirameki Rider.”

Unlike later Hatsune Miku concerts with full-on 3D holograms, this was done with a flat projection screen and additional monitors on the side—similar to what is done even in the Japan events. So it wasn’t the fully immersive experience one might expect, but I think part of the “live” feel actually comes from being shoulder to shoulder with one’s fellow fans. In other words, we help make it “real” just as much as the VTubers.

The Opening Acts Were Made for Me

I feel incredibly blessed that the first couple of solos were by two of my favorites in EN. The first, Hakos Baelz, is nearly undisputed as the best dancer in Hololive EN (as well as being one of the strongest in Hololive as a whole), and I couldn’t help but be drawn to her as she killed the dance floor. Even basic movements, like swaying left and right during “Shiny Smily Story,” carried a sense of poise and confidence when executed by Bae, and she continued that same spirit into her original song “Psycho.” Almost as impressive was her singing, which possessed a powerful throatiness that I enjoyed a lot and fit the song well. Someday, I’d love to see her more energetic movements alongside the amazing rhythm and fluidity of fellow dancer extraordinaire La+ Darknesss. 

I’ve read people’s complaints about how the camera work didn’t do Bae’s self-designed choreography justice, and I can sympathize. Seeing it live really drove home how beautifully she moves, and I feel fortunate to be among those who could witness it straight on and uninterrupted. That being said, I feel like the criticism of the camera can be overly harsh, not only because I think it has its moments but also because the approach taken is meant to play it safe. In other words, it’s better at hiding flaws than accentuating strengths—sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t.

The second star on stage, Amelia Watson, went with her first and only original song, “Chiku Taku.” For Amelia, neither singing nor dancing have ever been her strong suits, but part of the joy of witnessing Amelia on stage is in experiencing her energy and seeing the strides she has made with respect to the “idol” aspects of being a Hololive VTuber. The highlight for me was the kicking motions in her dance—what I’ve since learned is ska dancing, or “skanking.” 

Having both of the above performances be in the free YouTube preview works out in my favor, as it means I get to revisit them as much as I want. The fact that Bae was also part of the free preview at the Holo 4th Fes Deco*27 stage makes me think that they know full well what a draw she is.

Other Favorites

One stand-out moment was IRyS’s “Gravity,” which is my favorite of her originals, as well as one of the Hololive songs I love most. I was happy to hear IRyS herself say that she’s partial to “Gravity” as well. The song just accentuates her talents as a vocalist, especially because it has that illusion of effortlessness that only comes when someone is immensely skilled at something. I feel like I achieved something just by hearing it live. 

Later when the EN girls did their group songs, IRyS actually ended up with another solo performance just because she’s technically a generation unto herself. This has led to multiple jokes from fans and from IRyS alike—“Who do you like more, IRyS or IRyS?” Incidentally, prior to the start of the concert, I was chatting with a friend about her, where I mentioned wanting to hear “Gravity,” and in response, he said that he really wanted her to sing “Caesura of Despair.” That just so happened to be her second song, and while we had no actual say in the song list, it’s fun to pretend that we willed it into existence. Between both tunes, they really show off the crystal clarity of IRyS’s voice.

I expected that we’d get some surprises at Connect the World, but I didn’t expect the debut of two new original songs, one by Gawr Gura and the other by Ouro Kronii. Truth be told, I don’t listen to enough Hololive songs to always know what is a cover, what is an original, and what is brand new, but they both sounded unfamiliar to me at the time. Gura’s “Full Color” and Kronii’s “Souten ni Moyu” both fit their respective characters, personalities, and voices very well, and I think they’re each VTuber’s best songs to date. Neither has an official release yet, but I’m definitely looking forward to them.

The Teaser

After the encore was a mysterious teaser that had the audience clamoring. Featuring stills of fiery imagery and ending with a symbol that somewhat resembles a toothy grin, the natural assumption is that this is the long-awaited next generation of Hololive—the first since 2021. With no other info at this point, it’s anyone’s guess as to what it all means.

Given the dark tones of the teaser, my hope is that it’s some kind of heel faction. Obviously it wouldn’t work quite like pro wrestling—you don’t actually want the viewers to despise them—but I imagine them dropping in to interrupt songs as they begin and talking smack as they belt out some tunes. Hololive EN also has a tendency to start with elaborate lore that then falls by the wayside, so I don’t know if they could maintain that sort of gimmick for long.

Issues

There were a few hiccups at the event, and I don’t just mean Amelia’s at the end of “Chiku Taku.” 

The first was that the monitors on each side were off-sync from the main screen, which made looking back and forth between them kind of awkward. The second was that the singing could sound a bit chimpunky at times. Was it the audio equipment at the venue or maybe something else, like use of pitch correction? I don’t have the knowledge to diagnose that sort of thing, so I’ll leave it to the experts.

Technical problems aside, I had also hoped to see more interactions between the different branches English, Indonesia, and Japan, but there wasn’t any mingling. I suspect that they wanted to just do the basics and save stuff for future concerts. I recall a similar situation with JAM Project’s first US appearance at Otakon 2008, where it was almost like an introduction to the American audience.

None of these things are deal breakers, particularly because I understand that the sheer complexity of trying to pull off a huge concert with 3D models means something might not work as intended. Take these as minor quibbles among an overall great experience.

Final Thoughts

I’m proud to have been part of this first Hololive concert in the US. I feel content knowing that I got to see some of my favorite entertainers shine on stage. I do hope we get a blu-ray soon, though, as I would like to have a permanent physical way to re-watch it. Then again, the 4th Fes blu-ray isn’t even out yet, so we might be waiting a good while longer. 

I hope we get to see more international concerts in the future so that others have the opportunity to go in person, even if I end up being personally unable to attend them. Of course, depending on location and lineup (Haachama and La+ in particular), I might just have to find a way again.

And now that I’ve gone to a concert for virtual idols, who knows what’s next? Maybe I’ll attend some concerts by 100% flesh-and-blood musicians as well. Ironically, the VTuber rabbit hole might just lead me back to the real world.

The Fun of Finding Your Style in Multiplayer Games

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When I was playing Splatoon 3, I would do something that I barely attempted in previous games: try out as many weapons as I could to get a feel for them. Because upping a weapon’s “Freshness Rating” is how you get tickets to obtain other weapons, it’s both a welcome system and an opportunity to experiment. Combined with the forgiving leniency of Open Anarchy Battles, and I could even do so without worrying that it’d tank my rating. 

This relates to a topic I always find fascinating: How people figure out what “feels right” for them and why. It extends to just about any game where players have the freedom to choose their tools. The considerations one makes about skill level, comfort, satisfaction, community consensus on what’s strong and weak, etc. all factor in. 

And then there are all the attempts to help people figure out where they are. The famous Magic: The Gathering psychographic profiles, i.e. Timmy, Johnny, and Spike, are meant to be broad categories to designate how different cards appeal to different players. YouTubers create videos to help anyone who’s unsure of what weapons work for them in various shooters. Fighting games like Guilty Gear STRIVE and Street Fighter 6 now include in-game basic descriptions of how characters play so that newcomers can more quickly pick the archetype that appeals to them.

I think what fascinates me in particular about the whole “trying to find what fits you” aspect of multiplayer video games is that just because something is the “best” doesn’t mean it’s right for you. The example that immediately comes to my mind is the Smash Ultimate player, MKLeo. Despite Pyra and Mythra being widely considered a top tier character, they don’t quite click with MKLeo’s play style for some reason, and he’s actually gotten better results with the theoretically weaker Byleth. Even a player who had been undisputed #1 for years, can’t automatically go with the “superior” choice.

I love to watch videos discussing choice of weapon or character. I love discussions about it, salt and all, even in games I don’t actually play! I think it’s the way these choices are conduits for personal expression, and it’s what makes games beautiful.