Meimei's Musings

Technically the first vtubers I've ever seen were Kizuna Ai and Ironmouse. My first thought was just "oh that's interesting" and I even found it endearing and hopeful how it's something that supports Ironmouse through her chronic illness. And yet...their content just didn't really click with me enough to go into the rabbit hole.

What was it about Jurard, then? 1) The Pinoy baiting worked and 2) as I binged clips of him, I was feeling vibes similar to one of my favorite Tales Of characters (Vicious from Tales of Crestoria). I wasn't aware he had a consistent schedule so it was only by chance I found an ongoing livestream one day. So I decided to lurk and I was flabbergasted at how long he could go and that he stayed entertaining to me the entire time. Seeing the same charisma I had seen in clips showcased live got me hooked, and I wanted to catch his lives more.

The more I watched him, the more I came to observe a stark duality about him. His schtick is about acting like a red flag and his humor is in the gutter half the time, but when a topic is serious he shows he actually has a good heart. 🥺 And while he presents as stupid on the surface, his mind parses media in an interesting way. It's been fun to listen to his thought processes through movie watchalongs. He became the first one I would call a kamioshi.

For a while I watched only Jurard, but I got interested in the rest of Armis after seeing clips of his dynamic with them. And it was there that I found again an energy I had been missing for a while, because subconsciously I never really left my "loud dudebros dynamic = funny" era. 😂 (Prior to getting into vtubers I enjoyed Markiplier and his collabs with his friends, SMM troll level/romhack players, and Achievement Hunter.)

What I ended up loving about them individually:

Crimzon Ruze - eloquence, emotional intelligence and maturity, the occasional random wisdom drops, has a deep respect and appreciation for artists, it's really amusing to listen when he starts yapping very passionately about his interests, he is literally Karkat IRL lmao.

Goldbullet - his streams are such comfy vibes! Listening to him yap feels like being in a safe space, but he's also prone to verbal slip-ups. 😂 Not only does he respect artists, he IS a cracked artist himself!

Octavio - admittedly...the Pinoy baiting worked a second time. 😂 But he's also the cracked musician of the group, and it's been intriguing to observe him his thought processes on how to promote himself and his colleagues to the fullest.

👆 That original song is the result of a batsu (penalty for losing a competitive event). He went so hard on what was expected to be a shitpost.

After getting well acquainted with Armis, I started noticing the other Holostars boys who'd often be streaming on the same days but at different timeslots. Most frequently, I caught Hakka's and Bettel's.

Banzoin Hakka is fucking hilarious and the energy he gives off can make one feel energized too. His karaokes are so fun! He's also such a big sweetie and it's very endearing how humble and appreciative he is of his fans. I often hear him ending his streams thanking every kind of Hakkito; from donators to artists to chatters and even down to lurkers. 🥺

Gavis Bettel's jester-ringmaster aesthetic is my JAM, like holy shit I love all his outfit designs. I found his nervous energy hilarious and relatable. I sensed common grounds he had with Jurard (frantic boyfailure energy, don't look like leader material on the surface but really are) yet he was entirely his own thing, which was fresh. And his singing voice and choice of covers touch on a happy nostalgia for me! His sound takes me back to what I liked to listen to in high school. When I was gifted a menshi and caught one of his practice karaokes, I felt I had found my second kamioshi.

So far they are the ones I watch the most, but I do tune in to Altare, Axel, Flayon, and Shinri's streams sometimes and find them just as entertaining. 😊