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https://xtrend.nikkei.com/atcl/contents/18/00988/00005DeepL
Hololive prepares localization of MD and license for VTuber global expansion
As various types of Japanese entertainment such as movies and anime are once again recognized as the "world standard," the VTuber scene, which refers to virtual livers, is rapidly gaining momentum.
Looking at the world ranking of VTuber channel subscribers (according to user local research) as of February 13, 2024, 8 out of the top 10 are talents affiliated with Hololive. Also, in 1st, 6th, and 7th place are talents from Hololive English and Hololive Indonesia, which are professional overseas groups
It was around 2019 that we started to see a reaction from overseas. Hololive's 3D animation content “Holo no graffiti'', which was launched in May of the same year, had a major influence on this. Through these videos, overseas users who learned about Hololive's talent gradually became aware of the appeal of the long-term live broadcasts, known as the “Hololive Swamp.”
The regions with the most responses were several Asian countries, followed by the United States.
Also, Hololive's first talent to become popular overseas was Shirakami Fubuki. She was praised for her cute voice that goes well with the anime look, and for singing “Scatman” with that voice.
The most important thing for domestic VTubers to expand overseas is not to aim,'' Tanigo said. Even when auditioning for talent, he doesn't really care about the overseas reception. “People overseas want to watch it “as it is.” Their popularity has increased around the world. As for VTubers, their core fans from overseas want to be able to follow the same timing as Japanese people. I've been aware of this since the time when there was little access from outside the country."
Hololive Indonesia was launched in 2020 as a local expansion for the world, and Hololive English was established in 2021. “If we don't have local talent, we won't be able to provide a lot of
content.It would be unrealistic to translate all of the huge amount of Japanese content that is uploaded every day into the local language, so in the end, it would be easier to see and listen to it if it was distributed in the local language. So we hired local talent and expanded locally."
Currently, the overseas ratio of monthly views of Hololive Production's overall YouTube distribution remains at 30-40%. In Japan, VTubers have already begun to penetrate the general public, but regarding the recognition of VTubers overseas, there is a possibility that they will become a category first for anime fans and game viewers, but they are not as popular as they are in Japan. Regarding the possibility of this becoming common, Tanigo says, “It will take some time.''
