/vt/ - Virtual Youtubers

>>66981652
>>67010178
Disclaimer: I encourage anyone who doesn't want to sift through 4k characters to collapse my post. Also I started writing this last night then fell asleep. I wasn't gonna post but then Kiara basically touched on what I wanted to say and I felt encouraged to finish my thoughts.

I've been a serious serial shitposter this past week, maybe it's my own delirious way of coping, but I never ranted about how much wasted potential NijiEN was.

So here I go.

Unlike the catalog thread, despite being in the pipeline for closer to 2 years due to conflicts, I can believe work on the MV only started recently — and it was only prioritized now because of graduation. I also believe the delay wasn't out of malice or extremely gross negligence by any parties involved.

That said, this MV would have absolutely killed a year ago and even more so if it released in 2022. Everyone already loved it in her 3D. Now we only get to enjoy it as a swan song, completely emblematic of all the unrealized dreams of her tenure at Nijisanji.

Without further comment on how those girls handled it, the heavy hitters of NijiEN could have easily taken on the opportunities Myth received. Tourism ambassadors, promoting specific points of interests like world class aquariums, promoting flagship game series, there was no reason they couldn't stand shoulder to shoulder even at the height of EN vtubing, or rather, when these two JP mega corpos concentrated all the attention on them.

I'm not blaming specific individuals or specific groups. I get it. I've been part of organizations that are simply too big to be efficient, and I will say some of them were not even that large but could still surprise those from outside by their scale. People are just trying to hold onto their jobs by doing as directed by their superiors and in turn their superiors' superiors and so on. If you fought everything you disagreed with, you're not long for this world.

I'm not excusing individual pettiness, but the responsibility doesn't lie with workers nearly as much as it lies in the policies and strategies they're meant to follow. In other words, the problem starts at the top. Though it's not as extreme, the angel investor and startup hype of the 2010s (and the consequences we're still feeling) pointed out how a great deal of businesses and the industries built on top of them were never intended to last to begin with. Vtubing will remain resilient because it's so creator and fan driven, but it's awful how disposable it's treated and can feel. And we're talking about the people who have made it farther than most.

I'm willing to admit fault as well. Maybe others here or even some talents themselves can resonate: I was swept up by the culture and my expectations were too high. We eat up the glitzy concerts, we eat up the events, we eat up any proof that our idols are moving up in the world, becoming ever more successful. From my years of following vtubers now, though, the reality is that most in our periphery are content with their modest self-sufficient activities without needing to push boundaries. I would even say there are many fans who just want things to stay the same.

I don't begrudge any dream chasers though.
For some, vtubing is merely the format they, perhaps begrudgingly, found the most success with thus far.

From others, and this could be my own projection, I sense that vtubing was a culmination of all sorts of their otaku and adjacent interests. Even as vtubing matured and diverged, it's still an avenue to connect with like-minded people.

Pomu's orisong and what she's shown us of the MV so far are exemplary celebrations of what I just mentioned while being honest to herself. It should excite anyone to see the fruits of what happens when once plainsclothed fans collab with who and what they respect — that feeling of what if anime was something closer to us overseas, "what if anime was real?" Pomu really captured that magic and was capable of so much more. Even strictly related to Pomu, I think we all can name one very big chance that she could have done wonders with that went to someone who didn't have as deeply rooted interests as her. That's not what I want to dwell on but I feel like corpo vtubing could've bridged and fostered more of these fan to creator relationships where all parties win. Everyone is already always citing how her appreciation and adoration of other things is absolutely infectious. I think this was the real key to growth these mega agencies are missing but desperately desire and it's frustrating to watch them inadequately support the people who could have made it happen.

Sorry for shitting the thread.