Hololive revealed the long version of the anime trailer for the Hololive Alternative VTuber project, with several popular Virtual YouTubers including Houshou Marine and Nekogami Korone, and a new theme song by Mori Calliope. Here's an explanation of the whole project if you've been out of the Hololive loop.
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What's Hololive Alternative?
The Hololive Alternative project was first announced in February 2021 with the launch of its official Twitter. Long story short, it's a project that will use Hololive affiliated Virtual YouTubers as characters in brand new original media works, including games, anime and manga.
A short anime teaser was published when the project was first announced, and now on May 21, the full version of that trailer was revealed. You can find it below.
Is this a new anime series with Hololive VTuber?
It's important to note that this anime trailer is for the Hololive Alternative project as a whole, not for a specific anime or game in development. This is why the trailer features both modern and fantasy settings. In other words, don't think too hard about it.
Cover, the parent company of Hololive, plans with the Hololive Alternative project to make original stories featuring the VTubers. Sometimes with new facets of their lore, different than in their streams and already ongoing content.
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How Hololive Alternative can affect the VTuber scene, anime and manga
Personally speaking, overall, it feels like Cover, who is now swimming in cash with the global success of its Vtubers, in Asia in particular, is now trying to rake in even more with anime and game projects. It's interesting to see that VTubers are ultimately entering the anime and games scene.
With names like Kizuna Ai, the concept of Virtual YouTuber became huge worldwide. And even though it wasn't particularly novel, as virutal idols and similar things already existed for over a decade on NicoNico Douga, everyone started following the trend and making their own VTubers.
These past few years, many different game or anime IPs turned their most popular characters into VTubers. Lina Inverse from Slayers most notably had a virtual concert this May, with her seiyuu Megumi Hayashibara singing.
Now, it's characters who started as VTubers who are getting their own games and anime. Following Hololive, it's likely Nijisanji and other big VTuber agencies will start similar media mix projects. I'm worried this might end up overshadowing independent and smaller VTubers even more. We'll see how the whole thing develops.