With the 3D debut of hololive's ReGLOSS, we have another great VTuber dancer. Todoroki Hajime may very well be the best, her experience as a professional back-up dancer comes through loud and clear. She's mentioned her love of dancing since day one, and other talents have complimented her abilities along the way, so there's a lot of anticipation for Hajime in 3D. .
It was worth the wait, but I have to think about the fact that the wait happened in the first place. Being a VTuber famous for dancing has an inherent disadvantage.
Almost all VTubers today started with 2D models; it's a faster and more economical option than 3D. The drawback to this method is that movement is much more limited. Certain skills aren't really affected by this—singing, chatting, and gaming all work similarly to what non-virtual streamers do.
However, the dancers could not show off their strength at the start. They require 3D models plus more advanced motion tracking as well as literal spaces in which they can move freely. For independent VTubers, this can be a tall order and very expensive technology. Even at a more established company, talent rarely gets them early. hololive, arguably the best place to dance virtually, still has a typical lead time of around 7–12 months, with Hakos Baelz being particularly delayed (18 months!) due to travel to Japan being delayed restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Brave Corporation—owner of VSPO, V4Mirai, and more recently IDOL Corp—usually has the shortest latency, but even that is measured in months. The initial period after debut is an important time to make an impact and build one's image, and dance reputation is harder to build when the audience cannot see it.
After these dancers (or any other physical performers) show the world what they're capable of, they still face obstacles. Specifically, they often cannot dance as often as others who engage in other methods of performance. For hololive, the proximity to their studio in Japan is a major factor—people living abroad have to invest a lot to be there, and if someone wants to dance more often then basically they must stay in Japan. I have to suspect that this was a factor in the decision to move to Japan by both Bae, the British Koseki Bijou and the Indonesian Vestia Zeta. And even then, they have to deal with notorious scheduling issues when booking studio time. Other companies must rent dedicated space dedicated to 3D motion capture.
Even when comparing flow to flow, dancers have difficulty. A karaoke session can last for hours, attract attention and even make money through viewer donations. In contrast, dancing is more physically demanding while also having to handle bulky and expensive equipment.
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The advantage of being a dancer is that one finally gets the opportunity, which has a huge impact. Perhaps nothing better represents the concept of VTuber as a bridge between reality and virtuality. Hajime’s “Bandage” debut performed extremely well, with her clipped VOD (watch above) reaching nearly 2 million views. I have no doubt that she will receive the loudest cheers when she appears at the annual holo fes concerts.
There's certainly value in building months of hype for a 3D debut and wowing viewers with some incredible choreography and sheer ability. At the same time, however, it gives those who shine the most through their footwork and movement a slow start. While I know it's not realistic, I still wonder what it would be like if VTubers could stream dances on a whim, or at least as easily as they can do anything else.