I've been watching VTubers since 2017 when Kizuna Ai started a new era of vtubers. At that time, I thought it would be just a gimmick accessible to those with a studio like her. If you told past me that 7 years later, they would be a juggernaut in online entertainment, spawning a powerful company able to take over American stadiums, video games, multiple manga and light novels, and even an anime that would reference years of history, I would think you were crazy.
And that leads me to today, the final day of "VTuber nanda ga Haishin Kiri Wasuretara Densetsu ni Natteta (VTuber Legend: How I Went Viral after Forgetting to Turn Off My Stream)" airing. Writing a review to try and collect my thoughts on this series.
I'm of two brains on this as both an anime fan and a VTuber fan.
As an anime fan, I really don't think this anime is anything special. It had moments of being funny, but a lot of that was due to the voice performances of the extremely talented voice actors behind the cast of live-on girls.
Outside of that... Animation-wise, it's fine. The plot is non-existent, it never once pauses to ask any serious questions about VTubers or the people behind them. And the comedy is only "occasional giggle" funny, especially after the shine of a very drunk Ayaneru saying she's going to goon wears off.
As a matter of fact, I'd say the worst thing about this show is the lack of any real hate-able traits about the show. At the best of times it's giving you a decent relationship between two characters with a LOT of tension, at the worst of times they make an episode revolving around the character's weird baby complex that isn't anything really new in the world of anime (especially after watching MahoAko earlier this year).
It's obvious after the first episode that this episode isn't going to be about "the shocking truth behind vtubers" nor the work that goes into being an online content creator in the current day or how the concept of "being an idol" has changed in an age where you can shine while being alone in a dark room with a single computer (thanks for that metaphor, Minato Aqua.) Hell, in the real world sections of the show, they still use their models to represent them. If I didn't read the light novel, I wouldn't know that Kokorone Awayuki's real name is Yuki Tanaka!
So, it's not an effective advertisement for VTubers, nor is it a good anime on its own. So, why would anyone watch this? Why would I, anilist user Moetrash, take hours of my life to watch a show that I can admit is just "whatever"?
Well, I need you to stick with me here. It's because this show is a celebration of the cultural zeitgeist that are VTubers.
How could a show this unexceptional be a celebration of one of the biggest things to happen to the internet since vlogging?
Well, as unhelpful as it may be to say - "You just had to be there to get it".
Live-On may be a fake company with fake talents, but many of the events that take place in the show are inspired from years of VTuber content going viral within the community.
Many of the characters have traits you can see coming from other VTubers who were popular over the last few years, for example - Utsuki Sei design wise just looks like a redesign of Dola from Nijisanji. Matsuriya Hikari looks like the love child of Natsuiro Matsuri and Sara Hoshikawa. The protagonist of the show, Kokorone Awayuki, is a snow themed fantasy character with a penchant for getting drunk, much like Lamy Yukihana. But her personality while drunk reminds me more of the aforementioned Natsuiro Matsuri, or even the similarly horny Houshou Marine. To those who never watched VTubers or just started recently, these may sound like vaguely familiar names, but for people like me who've stuck around for years, this is like seeing an event on the news getting referenced in some late night television show and going "heh, I know that".
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy is a classic trial that many vtubers go through at least once, Sausage Legend is a game that was brought to millions of eyes because a certain duck really liked dick jokes. Desert Werewolf is just a reskin of Project Winter, a game that was popular during the era of among us, and especially famous for revealing a twisted side behind a certain stellar suicopath.
I'm sure there are stupid references I missed just from how many vtubers there are to watch through the years and the amount of content I can consume with my limited Japanese skills.
This show is on a timer, it's a love letter to the VTuber community of the past few years buried underneath fictional stand-ins for these very real idols. And as this community knows, within a few years, VTubing can completely transform again (Truthfully, the Live2D models showcased in the show are actually pretty aged by today's standards too. Most VTubers stopped being so stiff two years ago!). The events referenced in the show will fade to time, leaving behind only a mediocre story (with some really good Yuri) that isn't even worth a hate watch. But the final sequence of the show where they show some real VTubers reminds fans how far we've come, and how much further we could go.
Sure, this anime isn't the greatest thing ever, and it won't change many lives. But as someone who's supported VTubers for years, it's a fun trip down memory lane, and a reminder of how fans like me are the only reason these misfit idols have been able to make it as far as they have. For that small audience, I think it might be a fun show to turn your brain off and watch to remember the good times.
Also, there must be a Rosetai in the production studio who put in so many Aki Rosenthal shoutouts, you're doing God's work, random staff member.
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