Opinion: Original Vtuber Music Videos Are The Best They've Ever Been Right Now

I'd say you'd be hard pressed to find a more competitive sphere than the Vtuber world. A field dominated by corporate-backed talents is also a huge draw for all kinds of streamers, with even predominantly on-camera streamers adopting Vtuber personas.

Yet, there exists one bullet that's sure to make you stand out among all the animated avatars- while a lot of Vtuber culture tends to revolve around covers- those that can put out an original music video, let alone song, are head and shoulders above others.

Dramatically Raised Stakes

In recent years it really feels like the field of Vtuber music videos is starting to hit its stride, and that's because it feels like they're being taken seriously as a medium. Don't get me wrong- I love the key art, maybe animated with a bit of Live 2D music videos too- but the amount of effort and talent that goes into a proper music video is on another level.

One of the biggest music videos to come out recently is Hoshimachi Suisei's Bibidiba– a Cinderella-themed music video that matches live action footage with 2D animation set to the kind of catchy beat you'd expect from the Vtuber starlet.

In a medium that's prone to being tropey, Bibidiba is fresh and unique. It's not just a centre-frame dance number, every shot feels deliberate in its design. It's got everything from different lenses to its own little mini-story as Suisei decks a stubborn director.

The ambition behind the video has obviously paid off- it's gotten over 30 million views since launch. But it's not just about the numbers- look on YouTube and you can find many people, from cosplayers to Vtubers doing their own covers of the song's chorus choreography.

In the Vtuber world, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If you can make something that will get covered it's a sign you've made it big. Just look at independent Vtuber Shigure Ui's Loli God Requiem– a viral sensation thanks to its animated dance featuring a smug child-version of the Vtuber dancing in the chorus.

Its popularity absolutely skyrocketed- All you need to do is google the song to find many more covers from other vtubers, all drawn in the same art style as the original.

I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with covers. Like I said, it's not like they ever harm the original. Covers invariably help the original- there's no street cred like being the song everyone wants to release a cover of.

A Salute To The Vtubers Doing Something New

Yet, knowing this, I've always personally felt disappointed by how derivative the Vtuber industry can feel as a result. There's a lot of great talent, but so much of the time sentiment among fans is boiled down to "I want to see my Oshi do the popular thing", rather than "I want to see them do something bold and new".

It's why I think we're in a renaissance of more bold, original Vtuber content. Just look at what some of the more senior Hololive talent in particular is putting out- Houshou Marine, the second most-subscribed Vtuber on the market right now has put out multiple back-to-back animated music videos, none of which scrimping on animation quality.

From I'm Your Treasure Box to her most recent outing III, Marine's discography looks like the upper limit of luxury when it comes to Vtuber music videos. It's not something I'd expect every Vtuber to have access to, naturally- each of these are produced in collaboration with talented studios like Kamiiru Studio, who worked on III or Treasure Box, which was multiple individual artists working together.

It's not just her, however- just look at Amane Kanata's Oracle. While this is a lot more economic, it's got all the makings of a potential smash hit. It's got a cute chorus line dance, a catchy beat and a pretty relatable set of lyrics coated in cynicism and self-loathing.

Despite this, it's not the formulaic approach that makes it good. The music video has its own vision, portraying the insecurities of the song's lyrics, whipping between different artstyles with a mix of limited animation to a full cutesy choreography.

What I really like about these 2D videos is that if the characters were marketed on their real, human features, the idea of a 2D animated video would be scandalous. It's the same reason why so many superhero movies have the hero lose their helmet in the final act- because you've got a face to sell.

With that in mind, the 2D music video embraces both the medium of 2D animation as well as the flexibility of Vtubers. It doesn't matter if Oracle diverts from the original art style for Amane Kanata- it has enough features going for it that you know it's her, then builds up on that with the music video's imagery.

Of course, it's not like the future of "good music video" is limited to 2D. Animator Kanauru is also the face of high-quality 3D work, producing segments for various Hololive talents 3D concerts to even music videos for Takanashi Kiara.

Analyzing Kanauru's work is always a treat because in his case, it's made with a complete reverence for the kind of Kpop style that define's Kiara's own discography. Yes, the music video is about an animated character who's simultaneously an immortal phoenix and also a fast food manager, but every technique feels like something employed in the Kpop genre.

From the camera work to the dance-focused shots, it's the kind of thrill you get watching Tokusatsu-inspired anime like SSSS.Gridman- the freedom of animation mixed with the rules of physical shooting.

Big Fancy Animated Spectacle Doesn't Come Cheap

Of course, it's always important to stress that once again, the ability to have extremely high quality is a privilege of working with a big studio. Given the "quantity over quality" mentality of most social media platforms, simply not being able to afford to do something wild and lavish is perfectly fine. It's part of why almost all these examples are from Hololive- they're a giant company and have the pull and resources to pull it off.

There's also the cost aspect to it- Hololive's Nekomata Okayu mentioned previously that the costs of these videos are out-of-pocket for the talents, so that restricts them to talents that are doing really well already, rather than as a way to vault yourself into popularity.

That being said, the fact that we're seeing more and more of these lavish music videos is a sign of how much the Vtuber industry has grown in the past decade. What I hope is that we start to see other Vtuber labels grow bigger too- be it agencies like VShojo or even potential new start-ups.

Does that mean that you're not a "real" idol if all you do are cover music videos or you only have static images? Of course not. Just like how the Vtuber industry has its fair share of every grade from PNGtubers to even hybrid on-camera and avatar streamers, I think all the elements that currently make up Vtuber culture will continue.

I'm also excited to see where this goes next- Bibidiba did a good job of already breaking out of the usual mold by telling a story on top of having a catchy dance, how much longer until we get the cinematic music video like bands of the early 2000s? Will we get the Vtuber equivalent of Panic! At The Disco's But It's Better If You Do? If it gets more animators paid, I'd certainly hope so.