Introduction to "The Philosophy of VTuber" – The Diversification of VTubers & Avatars as "Bodies" (Hiroki Yamano)
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What exactly is a VTuber?
Recently, virtual YouTubers (VTubers) have been gaining increased attention. Their presence has spread beyond the online world, infiltrating our lives through collaborations with various companies and media expansions.
Hiroki Yamano from the University of Tokyo is working to philosophically explore VTubers and establish a new academic field called "The Philosophy of VTuber." What does it mean to philosophize about VTubers, and what kind of world can be seen through this lens?
In this article, we present the introduction to "The Philosophy of VTuber," which is deeply reflective of Yamano's own "VTuber experience."
PROFILE
Hiroki Yamano
Born in Tokyo in 1994. Graduated from Sophia University Faculty of Humanities, Department of History in 2017. Completed the Master's program in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tokyo, specializing in Comparative Literature and Culture, in 2019. Since then, he has been a special researcher for the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science DC1 (finished his term in March 2022). Currently, he is in the doctoral program at the same graduate school. His specialization is philosophy (particularly the thought of Paul Ricoeur). He began research on "The Philosophy of VTuber (VTuberの哲学)" in 2022. His main work is "独学の思考法" (KodanSha Gendai ShinSho, 2022). He received the Japan Philosophical Society Excellent Paper Award in 2019 and the Young Researcher Encouragement Award from the Japan-France Philosophical Society in 2021. Under the philosophy of connecting the knowledge of philosophy with real society, he is dedicated to widely disseminating the "significance" and "attractiveness" of philosophy. (Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ricoeur1913)
(Profile photo: Rena Shimada)
In a room of a ryokan in Oita Prefecture, the hometown of Shirogane Noel, I witnessed a historic moment. It was the moment when Usada Pekora's channel surpassed 2 million subscribers. I happened to be present when Usada Pekora, the mood maker who always lifts the atmosphere and behaves brighter than anyone, revealed her "true feelings" to her listeners.
The purpose of this article is to provide an explanation of the latest academic field "The Philosophy of VTuber." It is written in a way that can be read even by those who are not well-acquainted with VTubers, so anyone interested in "philosophical research" is encouraged to give it a read.
This article is composed of three topics:
(1) Why did I decide to study VTubers philosophically? (2) What is "The Philosophy of VTuber"? (3) What does 'body' mean for VTubers?
I would like to explain each of these one by one.
(1) Why Did I Decide to Study VTubers Philosophically?
“Do you know any famous people from Oita Prefecture?”—When I read the text of that pamphlet in the ryokan room, the first name that came to my mind was Shirogane Noel.
In fact, I couldn't think of anyone else except for that name (I was quite surprised to learn that Yusuke Santamaria and Eri Fukatsu are also from Oita Prefecture). This is because it was this silver-haired, emerald-eyed lady who first introduced me to the charm of "VTuber culture."
On May 27 last year, when I casually opened YouTube, I was recommended a live stream from Usada Pekora's channel. Upon closer inspection, it was titled "Official Mirror Distribution of the 'Dragon Quest' 35th Anniversary Special Program." Having just started graduate school and having completed "Dragon Quest XI," I was drawn to this live stream because of the name "Dragon Quest."
Among them were two VTubers, Usada Pekora and Shirogane Noel. I had only vaguely heard the term "Virtual YouTuber" from Kizuna AI's videos, but I didn't understand much more than that; it was the first time I had come across their names.
Somehow, I had the image of "Virtual YouTuber" as a sort of "new two-dimensional character." Kizuna AI's polished behavior appeared to me, at least, as a character that was an extension of anime.
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