Happy New Year everyone! We’re now in another year of struggles, perseverance, and yes: Virtual YouTubers.
Now, to see how I did with my simping superchat posting in 2020: I spent more than Php3,000 on Vtubers which should have ended up to Pat who is hosting this website. After the 10th year anniversary stream of DTV Pilipinas last night, I jest that Pat should be a VTuber so I can simp and at the same time pay the hosting expenses (lol).
So, whose VTuber I supported the most?
YouTube gave me a list of transactions I had, and based on the list, I gave my cash to 21 Virtual YouTubers, majority from Hololive and the indies. Here’s a list of VTubers ranked by how much I spent my hard-earned cash the most, except that I won’t be flexing how much I spent for them because that’s too much:
- Lyrica
- Kiryu Coco
- Ayunda Risu
- Takanashi Kiara
Akai HaatoHaachama / Kaheru / Hoshimachi Suisei- Mori Calliope
- Shishiro Botan / Dola / Shiranui Flare / Shirakami Fubuki / Hana Macchia / Airani Iofifteen / Amane Kanata / Kureiji Ollie / Usada Pekora / Omaru Polka / Tsunomaki Watame
- Akirose / Mochi Huechi
My favorite Superchat Moments
Side note: I left the idol community as soon as Faith graduated from MNL48. While I didn’t felt I had a contribution to that community, all I did is spend on cheki, CDs with handshake tickets or a voting code, secure a media partnership, and still I felt that I didn’t have the full experience.
While I try my best to deny it, I’m still stuck to idol culture no thanks to Hololive production’s “idol” branding, which is Yagoo’s dream all along.
Still, I felt much comfortable with virtual personalities, idol or otherwise. It’s because the entry price to get noticed by your idols is not that steep.
Imagine sending a superchat for Php50 (US$1) at the right place and time (here’s how to send yours), and you will be called with your message. The huge audience interaction these virtual personalities do – reading all of the superchats for the rest of the stream, some even reaching three full hours until their throats dry out is no small feat.
That said, here are my favorite superchat moments which are documented on my YouTube channel as VTuber clips:
Kiryu Coco: Pork Adobo Gang
There are times I reaaaally want to meet Kiryu Coco in person. The Philippines had its own VTuber guesting through Mirai Akari, one of the four heavenly kings, at Cosplay Mania in 2019. Should this pandemic ends and things go very well, I will call on all the Pork Adobo Gang for a grand meetup. I wish that happens.
Akai Haato: I ate Chickenjoy at Jollibee
If I understood it correctly, Haachama, when she was in the Philippines, ate Chickenjoy at Jollibee. If she tags along with Coco as Hololive’s “EN Gen 0,” I wish we could have a dinner with her at Jollibee and introduce to her the CHAMP, which is the first burger I ate for 2021. Again, this is wishful thinking.
For the record, it was in the Philippines that she got hospitalized for the first time. Years passed, and we’ve seen her eat edible tarantulas with her ramen. For this, I will claim that Haachama was made in the Philippines. Started from the bottom, now we’re here, bro.
Lyrica herself
While I don’t have a single documented clip of my superchat experience, you can hear Lyrica give me a shoutout in some streams of hers last year. For the forever-69-year-old Lyrica, who is perhaps one of the successful local VTubers based in Canada next to Kaheru and Inukai Purin, she cherishes each interactions with her grandsons and granddaughters.
Dola looks for the meaning of “Behind the Scenes”
Since I’m too much on Hololive to the point that I’m shilling them, I’d like to thank all the Nijisanji shills who help put balance in this world. I mean it, thank you from the bottom of my heart for standing on your ground and saying “we have other choices.” Nijisanji became my refuge when Hololive was shitting on themselves.
That said, allow me to introduce everyone to Dola, who shared to us how she designs her stream graphics. It looks like I’m the only non-Japanese-speaking viewer at the time I posted my superchat, so I was flustered when she read mine – only to find the meaning of what I was saying.
Pavolia Reine introduce us to her mom
As Pavolia Reine debuts before the year ends, she introduces us to her mama, the famous Iida Pochi. Pochi-mama (we’ll refer to her as Pochi-mama now) was doing a stream party as well. Mix two and two together and you get this clip, which exceeded the amount of views I had when I posted MNL48’s audition tour in Tutuban by 1.5 times.
The fans request for the full clip and so I delivered. It was at this moment I knew how in-demand VTuber clips are on a perspective of a content creator. While this is not “original content” by my standards, putting this clip on my channel eases the burden of finding the suitable clip as well as the timing of the said moment.
Looking forward to more VTuber experiences in 2021
Virtual YouTubers helped me survive 2020 on an emotional scale. VTubers have been my refuge when I was looking for something to watch. Telenovelas are just fictional mirrors reflecting a majority of the viewing public, and it’s not my cup of tea. VTubers is where I’m at.
Unlike in local idols, I kept watching VTubers despite all of the bad stuff they had. I’m confident to say that I can accept this community even at its worst.
By this year, I expect to spend less (?!) on VTubers, but if my goal is to have my VTuber experience leveled up, it’s time to make some louder noises.
Bring it on, 2021 – we have VTubers who will continue to be beside us.
In case you don’t see me here often, go look at Anime Corner and see if I pop up there with new stuff.