I'm trying to remember, isn't Baseball HUGE in both Korea and Japan?
I just remember a lot of hot Asian pop stars making opening pitches that I assume it's big there so this probably helps in their American, Japanese and Korean markets while the Nijisanji NBA one I think appeals mostly to American Market, if at all.
Baseball, but yes absolutely. Baseball is to Japan as American Football is to the US.
Most of their biggest stadiums weren't even built for professional baseball, but for the national high school tournament, Koshien. The Hanshin Tigers, the professional team in NPB that does use that stadium is forced to do a road trip during the finals week because the Koshien Stadium is used for the finals.
In Europe, it's mainly that most of the big football/soccer teams (Real Madrid, PSG, Barcelona, etc) also have basketball teams. Luka Doncic came from Real Madrid's basketball team taking Europe by storm from the age of 16.
While Nijisanji's out here floundering with an NBA collab and intentionally left out their biggest basketball fan, Hololive has decided to have their three biggest V-Tubers collaborate with the second biggest team (by fanbase) in MLB.
Hololive is the largest/most popular V-Tuber agency in the world, with their three most popular talents (by subscriber count and streams of their music) being the three in that picture: Usada Pekora, Hoshimachi Suisei and Gawr Gura. Those are the names of their avatars from left to right, in the Japanese style of 'last name, first name'.
Hololive is a company that produces "internet idols." There's a few companies like this, but Hololive is probably at the top right now. It's basically just a bunch of internet personalities doing entertaining things behind anime girl avatars. Other companies include VShojo (Kson, Henya the Genius, Zentreya), PhaseConnect (Pipkin Pippa), and as people hesitate to say, Nijisanji.
There's also a couple of independent VTubers out there. You want a redpilled VTuber that still takes the time to do fun things? Look up Kirsche Verstahl. Rev is typically a one-note news reaction content guy.
In terms of indie Vtubers, I like to suggest Vedal/Neuro. They're big enough to have both clippers and fan content to check out, but still very much their own duo of programmer-and-his-yandere-evil-supercomputer-AI... Except that part isn't a characterization act, it's actually an AI he's developing, which gives an ongoing narrative that is very real. Lots of collabs too, so you see some other faces.
Very much non-political, though. Despite Neuro's best efforts sometimes to get into hot takes, Vedal's pretty fast on the filter button to make sure he isn't banned... again (to the point where she will use "filtered" as a protest and a swear word).
Neuro is the ONLY one I enjoy actively and sometimes even live. I follow a lot through clippers but Neuro is very well worth checking out both for Vedal who is hilarious when he has Neuro be snappy at him. Though Evil is probably my favorite of the 2 "daughters" he has.
The real last comment: I hope whoever their security is makes sure they don't get doxxed/revealed, because this is probably the one situation where someone would be most likely to be able to reveal who they are behind the avatars.
Possible but really unlikely. This is in the middle of a 7 game road trip. If they were playing LA on the 4th then maybe he'd come out, but the 4th is at the Rockies. He didn't even go to Fenway last week.
I'm trying to remember, isn't Baseball HUGE in both Korea and Japan?
I just remember a lot of hot Asian pop stars making opening pitches that I assume it's big there so this probably helps in their American, Japanese and Korean markets while the Nijisanji NBA one I think appeals mostly to American Market, if at all.
Edit: corrected mistake.
Baseball, but yes absolutely. Baseball is to Japan as American Football is to the US.
Most of their biggest stadiums weren't even built for professional baseball, but for the national high school tournament, Koshien. The Hanshin Tigers, the professional team in NPB that does use that stadium is forced to do a road trip during the finals week because the Koshien Stadium is used for the finals.
Corrected that mistake, actually trying to think about it, where is basketball popular other than the States?
Football is global, Rugby is quite big along with racing, I can't remember Basketball organisations as large as the NBA Internationally.
Europe, Latin America and Australia.
In Europe, it's mainly that most of the big football/soccer teams (Real Madrid, PSG, Barcelona, etc) also have basketball teams. Luka Doncic came from Real Madrid's basketball team taking Europe by storm from the age of 16.
Can’t remember the name but there is a good anime about a high school baseball team
While Nijisanji's out here floundering with an NBA collab and intentionally left out their biggest basketball fan, Hololive has decided to have their three biggest V-Tubers collaborate with the second biggest team (by fanbase) in MLB.
NBA collab? Eww. And drama on top of it? Peasant-tier.
NRA collab? That's the money, someone get Pippa on it!
What is Hololive exactly?
Hololive is the largest/most popular V-Tuber agency in the world, with their three most popular talents (by subscriber count and streams of their music) being the three in that picture: Usada Pekora, Hoshimachi Suisei and Gawr Gura. Those are the names of their avatars from left to right, in the Japanese style of 'last name, first name'.
Thanks! I’m a big baseball fan and an Ohtani fan. I’ve mentioned before I collect baseball/football/hockey cards. You collect any?
Nope, and idk why I just didn't see this comment until now. I already play too many gacha games so I mainly stick to Yu-Gi-Oh.
Understand. At my card shop those cards and Pokémon are very popular
Hololive is a company that produces "internet idols." There's a few companies like this, but Hololive is probably at the top right now. It's basically just a bunch of internet personalities doing entertaining things behind anime girl avatars. Other companies include VShojo (Kson, Henya the Genius, Zentreya), PhaseConnect (Pipkin Pippa), and as people hesitate to say, Nijisanji.
There's also a couple of independent VTubers out there. You want a redpilled VTuber that still takes the time to do fun things? Look up Kirsche Verstahl. Rev is typically a one-note news reaction content guy.
In terms of indie Vtubers, I like to suggest Vedal/Neuro. They're big enough to have both clippers and fan content to check out, but still very much their own duo of programmer-and-his-yandere-evil-supercomputer-AI... Except that part isn't a characterization act, it's actually an AI he's developing, which gives an ongoing narrative that is very real. Lots of collabs too, so you see some other faces.
Very much non-political, though. Despite Neuro's best efforts sometimes to get into hot takes, Vedal's pretty fast on the filter button to make sure he isn't banned... again (to the point where she will use "filtered" as a protest and a swear word).
Neuro is the ONLY one I enjoy actively and sometimes even live. I follow a lot through clippers but Neuro is very well worth checking out both for Vedal who is hilarious when he has Neuro be snappy at him. Though Evil is probably my favorite of the 2 "daughters" he has.
Thanks!
I read this, and the first thing that comes to mind...
"Usinger's sausages, it's not baseball without it." - Bob Uecker
Fortunately it's a road game so it'll be Grindle & Maurer.
Dancing with normies. We know how this tale turns out in the end.
Contreras and Yelich combine for 7 hits and the brew crew wins 8-1?
One more thing I forgot to mention is that Anime Expo is also this same weekend in LA, where there is going to be a heavy Holo presence.
The real last comment: I hope whoever their security is makes sure they don't get doxxed/revealed, because this is probably the one situation where someone would be most likely to be able to reveal who they are behind the avatars.
Holy shit, they're playing the Brewers that night so we might get to hear Bob Uecker talking about vtubers.
Possible but really unlikely. This is in the middle of a 7 game road trip. If they were playing LA on the 4th then maybe he'd come out, but the 4th is at the Rockies. He didn't even go to Fenway last week.
https://www.youtube.com/live/9r_tOM7lVUw?si=2eGqHnE3p0rKG5pX
One last thing, the actual announcement livestream, hosted by Gura, Pekora and the translator, Ushino Mai.
Yay, supporting compulsive-gambler Ohtani!
Throw another staffer under the bus to save your own ass, Ohtani! Totally won't bite you Pete-Rose-style later!