Seishin 精神

One of the most buzzed about developments in online culture in Japan over the past 12 months has been a boom in virtual YouTubers, animated characters operating their own channels, upon which they behave much like their human counterparts. They play video games, partake in memes and provide meta commentary on their existence.

The top virtual YouTuber in Japan at present is Kizuna AI. She kickstarted all this and boasts several million subscribers spread out over two channels. Due to her popularity, she’s shilled for SoftBank and the Japan National Tourism Organization, among others.

A new kind of interactivity. Some like, others can’t stand it. Like Hatsune Miku singing, you like it or you just switch off. I like watching it from time to time and receive the news in a virtual or gamified way. Some episodes are simply hilarious, it is great to relax after a long day at work.

Kizuna AI, was recently the object of controversy – The virtual YouTuber appearance at NHK sparked controversy in Japan (mainly men watching episodes, the “sexualisation” of 2D characters. etc…..) – Kizuna AI was picked to appear on an NHK show about this year Japanese winners of the Nobel Prize. She asked prize-winning scientists questions, which they answered in detail. Why not?

After all, it could be fun to have a virtual “Teacher”/”YouTuber” to make some science subjects more interesting 🙂

Image credentials: Kizuna AI & 360 TV
Copyright: Kizuna AI & 360 TV
All information belong to Kizuna AI & 360 TV