Introduction post?

All good things must start

Seven years ago, on the 1st of December 2016, Kizuna AI uploaded her first video.¹ In it, she coins a new term, one that she proposes be used for her unique self: Virtual Youtuber.

That, to many, marks the beginning of VTuber history. Sure, some preceded AI (it’s written with capital letters!!) in presenting themselves as 2D anime girls, and animated characters posting YouTube videos wasn’t exactly something new; but the Virtual Youtuber phenomenon, as we know it today, started with this pink ribbon wearing girl in her virtual white space.  

Now, if you’re reading this, you probably already know that much. You’re also likely aware that, in 2020, Hololive quickly gained massive popularity, introducing much of the West to the Virtual YouTuber phenomenon. After all, a lot has been said and written about both the inception of VTubing and its sudden growth and explosion that arguably continues to this day.

But there is very little information on what went on between those two points, at least in the English-speaking parts of the internet. What was happening in those nebulous years between 2017 and 2020, when Virtual YouTubers were still largely unknown in the West, when even communities focused on popular Japanese culture viewed it as a small unpopular niche? Who were the most popular VTubers? What were the big events? Did an English fan community exist, and if so where was it? What about corporations? What were the dramas? Was the 2019 anime Virtual-san Looking ahead of its time, or did it just suck? These, and many other questions, are what I’ll try to answer in this Substack.

Peak culture.

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Hello, good morning, good evening, and good night. My name is Conspo. I made this Substack because, as I said, I feel like there are plenty of interesting tidbits of VTuber history that have just been forgotten and that I think some newer fans would be curious to know. I thought about making a single gigantic article, but I don’t even know where I’d publish it, and I’d likely get demotivated before it was even halfway done. Similarly, a video would probably attract a bigger audience, but I don’t know how to edit, nor do I have the confidence to talk into a mic. Also if I write it here I can afford to be more informal and talk about my personal experience. 

I don’t have any special secret insight into VTubers though. I’m just someone who followed the community since its very beginnings and accompanied it as it grew to something larger than I ever thought possible. I’m by no means the only English-speaking person who followed VTubers religiously early on, and I’m definitely not the most qualified to talk about this. Even so, I hope you enjoy my ramblings.

I’m also known for having uploaded the original Sakura Miko n-word clip on YouTube. It’s not really something I can brag about for obvious reasons, but I am happy it made some people get into VTubers. 

I’m still not sure how often I’ll end up posting, but I’ll try to keep a somewhat regular schedule. The articles themselves will probably not follow any sort of timeline; I’ll write about whatever I remember and feel is interesting enough to post.

Thank you so much for reading this far. If you have any suggestions for topics you’d like to see covered, please leave a comment (is that how this works?). I’ll do my best.

1. I never understood why her second video shows up as having been published on the 29th of November. She even has a note in the description saying it was published on the 2nd. Youtube bug?