Pink-haired musician and live-streamer Mori Calliope looks just like a character from an anime cartoon, brought to life on stage through a hologram-like illusion.
Platforms like Netflix have helped take Japanese anime mainstream – and Calliope’s Tokyo-based talent agency wants its roster of virtual YouTubers, or VTubers, to be the country’s next big cultural export.
“I don’t really like most streamers, but then when I discovered VTubers, I realised, ‘hey, you know, I’m actually into this’,” said Calliope concert attendee Luigi Galvan.
“They look like anime characters, I like anime, so it was easy to get into the VTuber format that way.”
The actors behind VTubers use motion capture techniques to communicate directly online with fans, who can pay to highlight their comments to the character and other viewers.
