Consider yourself nerdy, but not too nerdy? Well, strap in for this article, cause it’ll really test you. Crunchyroll’s brand mascot, Crunchyroll-Hime, is now a vtuber. Well, she has been for just about a month now.
Vtubers saw an explosion of popularity when the pandemic first started, slowly rising through YouTube and Twitch streaming to be some of the most popular content creators on those sites.
It’s the first time I’ve seen a brand jump on the Vtuber trend, apart from Cloud9’s own vtuber content creator.
Yup. The future is now.
What the heck is a vtuber?
Don’t know what a vtuber is? Well, a vtuber is a “Virtual YouTuber” that creates content online, similar to how a YouTuber or Twitch streamer might.
The difference between a vtuber and a content creator with their face cam turned on is that vtubers use detailed 2D or 3D models, effectively becoming a character. There are some creative ones out there like whale vtubers, glitch vtubers and even lamp vtubers, but really it comes down to how fun they are to watch.
The anime streaming service Crunchyroll is now following the vtuber hype with its own character – Crunchyroll-Hime, a cute anime girl with a bright personality. She was originally designed as a mascot for the streaming service back in 2012, but now she’s a full on vtuber. She has been keeping it up for about a month now, so it seems like Crunchyroll-Hime is here to say.
While Vtubers are often sponsored by companies (in particular with game companies who partner with Vtubers to play their games) it’s super interesting (and a little weird) to see a brand go THIS hard on it.
Crunchyroll-Hime often appears in advertising for the company, on the company’s social media pages and just recently, in promotional material for an Xbox Game Pass deal. Giving her the extra personality of a vtuber is certainly a choice.
Starting today, @XboxGamePass Ultimate members can get more out of anime with 75 days free of Crunchyroll Premium: Mega Fan through Perks. Details here: https://t.co/oFUk75qOhI
— Xbox Wire (@XboxWire) November 9, 2021
Gaming, anime and vtubers exist in a lot of the same circles, so it makes sense for Crunchyroll to jump on the trend in some way. It’s certainly one of the more creative ways I’ve seen a brand follow a trend.
It’s hard to call it out as ‘brands being brands’ too. People genuinely like watching Crunchyroll-Hime and her content (or at least her active YouTube live comments sections indicate). She often plays games for two hours at a time and her streams have racked up hundreds of thousands of views ever since she debuted in October.
So to summarise – Crunchyroll-Hime is a vtuber character and mascot of Crunchyroll, who appears in ads for Crunchyroll and has her own loyal following.
Have people gone crazy in lockdown? Probably not, but vtubers appear to be big business.
Yes, you can shout “Blade Runner predicted the future!” at the top of your lungs, but you can also watch Crunchyroll-Hime live on YouTube.