On 18 and 19 December 2021, Comic Frontier held their second virtual event Comic Frontier Virtual 2 (Comivuro 2) on Discord and Youtube. The event featured various virtual talents, including Hololive virtual YouTubers Ayunda Risu and Pavolia Reine. Risu wad presented as the MC on Sunday, while Reine held a Japanese language class for the fans who bought a special Meet & Greet ticket.
After the event, KAORI Nusantara had a chance to talk with both Risu and Reine. In the interview, we discussed about their creative process, the difficulties of becoming a virtual talent, and some tips to become a Hololive talent. Here is our interview with them.
Hello, thanks for your time. First question, both of you have been invited as MCs for various events, including this Comifuro Virtual 2 event. Tell us how you feel.
Risu: There is a significant difference between being an MC for Comivuro and a normal streaming experience. Streaming feels slightly different since we usually handles most of the stream flow and technical stuff by ourselves. On the other hand, being an MC means we are following a certain flow of an event, while also being aware that we are also representing the name of the event itself. Both are fun as they require similar but different kinds of public speaking skills.
Reine: Of course, it’s different. If you stream, it’s your own stage. If you’re invited to be an MC, it’s someone’s stage. The treatment will automatically make a difference, right? There’s always something new. We have the opportunity to do new things, we can learn many things and also meet and work with new people, and it’s always a delight for me. The trust from the event organizer, who has entrusted me to be an MC, is very valuable for me. But despite its differences, I will still give 100%, both when streaming on the YouTube channel and when appearing in other places.
Being a virtual YouTuber, it’s clear you need both hard work and creativity to create the best content possible. Is it tiring? How broad is your creative freedom and how do you plan to produce more content in the future?
Reine: There are some great things to come. So, let’s just see!
Risu: While I always believe that creativity has no boundaries, it has its own “patterns”. My willingness to try and be creative, as well as my creative boundary, are entirely dependent on my own “characteristics”. As I am aware of what aspects of my life people have familiarized themselves with, I hope everyone can welcome it if I’m trying something slightly different in the future.
But is it hard to create such content consistently? Both of you have been working hard as content creators. Things must be really busy for both of you. How do you plan to manage it so far or how you’re balancing between your free time and work time?
Reine: I always remind myself that there must be at least one proper vacation time where I’m 100% rested. Even though something might happen during the holiday, the priority must be determined. If it’s too difficult, it should be shifted or juggled as much as you can. Indeed, there are moments that will definitely be busier than usual, but for me, the most important thing is to take care of my health.
Risu: As a content creator, I always want to create content that is aligned with my interests. So, I treat streaming and content creation as a way to have a relaxing time. To balance my business while still having time for myself, I always provide a clear routine on when I’m going to release my content so that my fans can follow my schedule. It would make me less worried to take my time off because the fans already understand my schedule.
When you interact with viewers as VTubers, sometimes you also have to deal with their specific requests. How do you react when you have an audience that you want to stream in a certain language?
Risu: It is always nice to be able to listen to fans’ voices and opinions towards us, but this is not a matter that I could solve on my own. If I encounter such an occasion, I’d love to have a light discussion with the fans about the issue. But if I could give my opinion myself, I don’t think people do that often since what matters most is the content we bring forth, not the language.
Speaking of language, Reine’s Sunday Indonesian classes prove to be one of the most interesting stream content Reine has been created. It builds a friendly interaction between your senpais and kouhais. Outside of your usual stream, do you often teach them more Indonesian too?
Reine: Yes, but it’s usually informal. So, for example, if there is an opportunity or discussion outside of a formal setting, I sometimes say, “Oh yes, this is Indonesian of X, you know”. If there is a relevant context, that’s all. It’s not just for senpai/kouhai either; the viewer is sometimes active as well because when I stream my free talk, I frequently share things about Indonesia, such as food, culture, funny things, and so on. Moreover, I am also interested in learning other languages. There are some Hololive members who are multilingual, which influence me to learn other languages, even in informal situations.
So, Risu’s KING cover proves to be one of the most viewed song covers you’ve published so far. When it comes to covering a song, how do you choose a song that you’re going to cover?
Risu: When picking a song to cover, I usually think about whether I would feel the process will be enjoyable or not. I would like to imagine how the song is going to sound when I cover it. Most of the songs I have covered are the songs that have always been on my favourite playlist. Because I listen to those songs a lot, it makes me think how nice it would be if I could listen to the songs in my own version.
Next page: Music production, reaction to YouTube clippers, and tips for joining Hololive
