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Virtual YouTubers, Singers Will Get Their Own Kōhaku Music Contest
posted on by Kim Morrissy
The NHK's yearly Kōhaku Uta Gassen ("Red and White Song Contest") contest pits two teams of female singers (the red team) and male singers (the white team) against each other. The 70th Kōhaku Uta Gassen will take place on New Year's Eve, but virtual YouTubers like Kizuna Ai are getting their own Kōhaku program on New Year's Day where they'll be pitted against flesh-and-blood singers like Yoko Takahashi (who is best known for singing the Neon Genesis Evangelion theme song). The program will broadcast at 11:10 pm on NHK General TV on January 1.
The red team consists of Virtual idols, and will include: Kizuna Ai, Punky Fine featuring Cyber Girl Siro, Higuchi Kaede, HIMEHINA (Tanaka Hime + Suzuki Hina), Pinky Pop Hepburn, and Fuji Aoi. The white team consists of Masayoshi Ōishi, SkyPeace, Yoko Takahashi, Takanori Nishikawa, Takashi Hosokawa, Hiroko Moriguchi, and RINGO Chan.
The red team's announcer will be Sen Odagiri, while the white team's announcer will be Nonoka Akaki. Virtual YouTubers Tsukino Mito and Shirakami Fubuki will also be providing commentary in a supplementary sound channel.
The contest is the third to take inspiration from Kōhaku Uta Gassen this year. The first Seyū Red and White Contest helmed by Jouji Nakata was a roaring success earlier this year and a manga artist version will follow the same format at the Asagaya Loft on December 30.
Source: Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan-Web
