Turns out that was what I wanted all along, but what do I know. I mostly watch Nihmune these days.
Remember when in sci-fi we thought people were going to get artificial partners? I feel like that's gradually coming true with VTubing, but back-to-front. People want intimacy more than anything else; the Kizuna Ai style of prerecorded and heavily produced content gave way to streaming style because even though it's less "good", it feels more like a real social connection. The more people move away from playing a character and just talk about their life, the more true that becomes. I honestly find the more popular VTubers much less interesting to watch because the chat moves too fast and there's so little chance of them responding to anything you say, you might as well just watch the VODs/clips. If anything that makes me more hopeful that the future won't just be a few big agencies and big superstars.
