Japan’s Biggest Virtual Youtuber Is Getting An Anime

These days, conversations regarding Youtube have been downers. Controversy about Logan Paul and the site’s own notification system has turned off many, but Youtube may reel in some of its lost anime fans soon. After all, the site’s premiere Virtual Youtuber is getting an anime of her own.

You’ll need a cable subscription to watch this program though. Don’t expect this series to be a Youtube Original.

Over on Twitter, the page for Kizuna Ai revealed the virtual girl is getting an anime this year. The show, which is set to debut this April, will be the first of its kind and be categorized as a variety series (via ANN).

For those of you unfamiliar with Ai, the girl is rather famous in Japan. As one of the first virtual Youtube personalities to debut, Ai is known for doing Let’s Play videos and various vlogs. She has amassed a huge number of followers on Youtube as Ai hit 1.4 million not long ago. Now, the girl hopes to take over network television in Japan with her anime.

According to current reports, it seems the show will be formatted like her vlogs. The topical series will see Ai talk about Youtube trends and cover everything like walkthrough videos, music, other anime, and more.

The anime’s producer says they were inspired to create the show after seeing Ai on Youtube. The creator and their team were impressed by the girl’s concept. At first, they intended to make the program a web-series, but the project’s scale and costs forced it to air on TV.

If this series takes off, the rising trend of virtual Youtube personalities may take off more than it has already. Japan is the first country to embrace the trend as a slew of Youtubers are making motion-captured characters for their videos. Stars like Ai are made using motion-sensing tech that converts human Youtubers into an anime character. The process gives creators control over their brand’s face while securing privacy for themselves. So, you never know… The person behind Ai could be a 60-year-old man who really loves pink ribbons and experimental anime.

Have you caught up with Japan’s virtual Youtube trend? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!