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INTEREST: Kizuna Ai Insists Her Voice Actor Was Never Changed in Recent Video




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TheMorry



Joined: 08 May 2014
Posts: 660
PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2021 3:32 pm Reply with quote
Haha, is this even really a thing? This video made me laugh fuuuu youuu xD
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12skippy21



Joined: 25 Nov 2008
Posts: 785
Location: York, England
PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2021 4:11 pm Reply with quote
Just from my personal experience, I got bored with her content long before the multiple versions thing. I think the success of vtubers comes from the cult of personality like with standard youtubers and Twitch streamers.

There is a fine line to tread between being a person and being a product in these situations and you just need to sell enough of your own person to then sell the character and the subsequent merchandise. That is where Hololive have flourished, each one is a weirdo and a dork in their own way, which generates a connection with an anime fantdom which often falls into these categories. Kizuna Ai felt like a product long before being a person.
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YoshiChao



Joined: 22 Dec 2020
Posts: 44
PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2021 6:46 pm Reply with quote
12skippy21 wrote:
Just from my personal experience, I got bored with her content long before the multiple versions thing. I think the success of vtubers comes from the cult of personality like with standard youtubers and Twitch streamers.

There is a fine line to tread between being a person and being a product in these situations and you just need to sell enough of your own person to then sell the character and the subsequent merchandise. That is where Hololive have flourished, each one is a weirdo and a dork in their own way, which generates a connection with an anime fantdom which often falls into these categories. Kizuna Ai felt like a product long before being a person.


Pretty much this yeah, it also helps the modern day Vtubers are part of the streaming generation and not the video clips generation that Kizuna Ai debuted in

I remember she did a stream back in 2017 or so and it was considered such a big deal cos “how is she meant to control the 3D model live without it messing up”, and shocker it did mess up its body many times. Much in the same way the same thing happens in basically every Hololive 3D thing.

I’m glad they’ve gotten Kizuna Ai back to the one voice, but it definitely feels like she’s a thing of the past when it comes to modern day, and 100% just a brand or whatever and not actually her own character.

Hell, I reckon she suffers from the same problems a character like Mario does where she’s not allowed to go too extreme on something as she needs to maintain a broad brand image that doesn’t dislike mainstream or things she could be used to market.
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NormanS



Joined: 15 Aug 2014
Posts: 167
PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2021 7:40 pm Reply with quote
TheMorry wrote:
Haha, is this even really a thing? This video made me laugh fuuuu youuu xD


Yes because there was an actual replacement of voice actors for a different Vtuber project called The Game Club Project (ゲーム部プロジェクト) where in june 2019 the voice cast were slowly replaced. The controversy pretty much killed the channel as the subscribers and viewership dropped immensely, as of now they haven't released a new video in 8 months.
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Misharu



Joined: 29 Aug 2020
Posts: 4
PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2021 11:18 pm Reply with quote
I'm sorry but that still is not the original Kizuna Ai. Reacting to a video to "prove" that there was never a change is pointless because voice actors can do that with enough practice. They sound similar but they are not the same. After all this time they tried the multiple Ai thing, why say this now? Because their little project failed and now want their old viewers that they lost back.
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TheMorry



Joined: 08 May 2014
Posts: 660
PostPosted: Sat Jan 23, 2021 3:11 am Reply with quote
NormanS wrote:
TheMorry wrote:
Haha, is this even really a thing? This video made me laugh fuuuu youuu xD


Yes because there was an actual replacement of voice actors for a different Vtuber project called The Game Club Project (ゲーム部プロジェクト) where in june 2019 the voice cast were slowly replaced. The controversy pretty much killed the channel as the subscribers and viewership dropped immensely, as of now they haven't released a new video in 8 months.
I meant a virtual anime youtuber. Can't believe that this would be entertaining and actually make money. I rather watch anime xD however that little rant in the video did make me laugh
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That's Big!



Joined: 23 Jan 2021
Posts: 20
Location: Japan
PostPosted: Sat Jan 23, 2021 4:32 am Reply with quote
I was a big fan of Kizuna Ai years ago. It seems weird to say I find it too corporate these days considering HoloLive is the very definition of a manufactured content and corporation, but the HoloLive personalities appeal to me more these days.
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not wise



Joined: 23 Jan 2021
Posts: 1
PostPosted: Sat Jan 23, 2021 1:35 pm Reply with quote
Misharu wrote:
I'm sorry but that still is not the original Kizuna Ai. Reacting to a video to "prove" that there was never a change is pointless because voice actors can do that with enough practice. They sound similar but they are not the same. After all this time they tried the multiple Ai thing, why say this now? Because their little project failed and now want their old viewers that they lost back.


The said video is aimed at people like you, who didn't do their research. Yes, at some point there are 3 Ai voices but the original va never left and now it's back to one. She's the most busy with events and singing related works. For some reason this misinformation about her va leaving is very hard to dispel.


#920369 wrote:
I was a big fan of Kizuna Ai years ago. It seems weird to say I find it too corporate these days considering HoloLive is the very definition of a manufactured content and corporation, but the HoloLive personalities appeal to me more these days.


Yeah, I can relate to this opinion. Following the vtubers casually since Kizuna Ai era, I also see Hololive content is also very corporate. They switched gear from Kizuna Ai idol-like Tokina Sora to streamers following Nijisanji back in 2018 iirc. The top streamers no matter where they come from know how to produce content people like from them and that's fine. It's entertainment after all.
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KabaKabaFruit



Joined: 20 Sep 2007
Posts: 1896
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
PostPosted: Sat Jan 23, 2021 11:24 pm Reply with quote
I love how the attitude in here is indirectly like "Kizuna Ai is so 2016!" because she is not of Hololive Rolling Eyes

It doesn't matter to me whether the character is not her own due to lack of streaming and was just a product to help sell the next evolution to anime. Kizuna Ai IS iconic and deserves her place in the tapestry of history next to the likes of Hatsune Miku and Eilene! She was entertaining and a new way to experience voice actor and character together without the need for arbitrary direction.

The Multiple A.I. project definitely killed the magic as it served to undermine the intelligence of the audience over how Kizuna AI can be presented without the performance of the original VA. The fans, and reportedly Kasuga Nozomi herself were insulted by Yuichi Soejima's controversial direction and rightfully so. You can't expect your audience to be thrown a facade and be told it's just as good as the original. It's the textbook definition of patronization!
12skippy21 wrote:
There is a fine line to tread between being a person and being a product in these situations and you just need to sell enough of your own person to then sell the character and the subsequent merchandise. That is where Hololive have flourished, each one is a weirdo and a dork in their own way, which generates a connection with an anime fantdom which often falls into these categories. Kizuna Ai felt like a product long before being a person.
To be fair, nobody at the time could've foreseen how big Kizuna AI would really become. For all intents and purposes, her presence and popularity could've been relegated to a handful of YouTube subscribers and that's it. Honestly, the product aspect is irrelevant as many saw her as her own being that couldn't be achieved with Vocaloids like Hatsune Miku and that touched the interest of a lot of people and opened the floodgates to more VTubers like Kaguya Luna and Mirai Akari.

Plus, I've never liked the whole "the actor is there to sell the character as a product and ONLY as a product" excuse. Some actors can make the character their own to the point that only their performance can be the definition of the character.
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