Virtual-san wa Miteiru (Virtual-san Looking)

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Alternative Titles

English: Virtual-san Looking

Japanese: バーチャルさんはみている

Information

Type: TV

Episodes: 12

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Jan 10, 2019 to Mar 27, 2019

Premiered: Winter 2019

Broadcast: Thursdays at 00:00 (JST)

Producers: Dwango

Licensors: None found, add some

Studios: Lide

Source: Original

Genres: Comedy, Music

Duration: 24 min. per ep.

Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Statistics

Score: 5.41¹ (scored by 1,332 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #10119²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #5910

Members: 6,848

Favorites: 21

5.41

Ranked #10119Popularity #5910Members 6,848

Winter 2019TVLide

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Episodes: /12

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Synopsis

Virtual-san wa Miteiru is an anime that brings Virtual YouTubers to life.

The term Virtual YouTuber, or VTuber, refers to a YouTuber who shows themselves as an animated character, hiding their true appearance but still bringing joy to viewers. VTubers featured in Virtual-san wa Miteiru include Hime Tanaka and Hina Suzuki, who together make the rhythmic music duo HimeHina; Siro, the cyber girl, who definitely, certainly, positively has never murdered anyone; the lazy, FPS-loving Hinata Nekomiya; the upbeat Akari Mirai who sexually harasses her juniors; and the lightweight Mito Tsukino, who has a serious superiority complex.

In every episode these VTubers perform nonsense together in skits filled with slapstick, puns and fourth-wall-breaks. From the parody space adventure "Virtual Wars" to the nameless skit about bouncing gorillas, these absurdly funny segments are brimming with excitement. Virtual-san wa Miteiru is a one-of-a-kind comedy certain to bring delight to any fan of Virtual YouTubers!

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

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Episode Videos

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Related Anime

Side story:	Virtual-san wa Miteiru Specials
Other:	Hitogata

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Staff

Kizuna, AI

Theme Song Performance

Nakata, Yasutaka

Music

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Opening Theme

#1:"AIAIAI feat. Yasutaka Nakata (AIAIAI feat. 中田ヤスタカ)" by AI Kizuna (eps 1-6)
#2: "Ai ga Tarinai feat. Yasutaka Nakata (あいがたりない（feat. 中田ヤスタカ）" by Virtual Real (バーチャルリアル) (eps 7-)

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Ending Theme

#1: "Hitogata (ヒトガタ)" by HIMEHINA (Hime Tanaka + Hina Suzuki (田中ヒメ+鈴木ヒナ)) (eps 1-6)

More reviews

Reviews

Mar 27, 2019

12 of 12 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 7

cuteisanarchy (All reviews)

15 people found this review helpful

If you’re reading this review then chances are you have some idea what a Virtual Youtuber (hereafter “VTuber”) is. At the very least, you’ve likely seen a Kizuna Ai screenshot float across your screen at some point, and maybe even watched a video or two. For those living under a rock, some searching on Youtube might provide a better explanation than the brief one here.

In short, starting with Kizuna Ai in 2017 and expanding exponentially there’s been a trend of people who utilize VR technology to manipulate avatars to make entertaining videos. As the name suggests, these videos often live on Youtube. These people are the stars of Virtual-san, the first feature-length show dedicated entirely to VTubers. As with many trends there’s plenty of non-virtual money floating in the air, and popularity has combined with profitability to produce Virtual-san wa Miteiru.

(Before I go further, it may be worth noting that Kizuna Ai, who has been outspoken about staying on the platform after which she styled herself the first “Virtual Youtuber” for her videos, isn’t actually in this show, though she does sing the first version of the OP where she jokingly remarks that there “isn’t enough love” (that is, “not enough ai”).

For those who already familiar with the content (or if you’re not and are just going to watch it regardless), how does this first foray into an exclusive television feature fare? Putting the haters aside (and as the score for this show as well as the various negative reviews it’s received elsewhere indicate, there are more than a few), the answer will likely vary depending on who you are. If you’re someone who’s actively engaged with any of the wide cast of VTubers – and there are many here, including some of the most popular – you’ll likely enjoy seeing your favorites on screen. If this is your first time dipping your toes in the virtual pool, unless you’re particularly patient you’ll likely be lost.

The dividing line here is, funny enough, its faithfulness to the medium it’s reproducing. The comedic sketches which make up the show often adopt the same loose formatting as many VTuber videos, meaning a lot of ad-libbing among the more scripted segments. The directing style of some of the sketches is also loose and can also feel amateurish, with scenes oddly drawn-out even after the punchline has been delivered. Dedicated fans will likely take much of this in stride – in a medium populated by amateur talent where uneven delivery is the rule, Virtual-san will feel familiar. Whether this familiarity is a good thing is another matter and will vary by viewer, and there will be those who expect something a little tighter to suite a full-length TV show.

Something which is faithful but notably better than average is the animation – Dwango has used the Unity engine to create something which looks cleaner and smoother than many VTuber videos, and certainly better than the VRchat to which it’s sometimes compared.

But beyond the actual content of the sketches, part of the fun of Virtual-san is the look it offers at a distilled version of a growing cultural phenomenon. In addition to the main cast, we’re treated to a host of other VTubers around the edges. Whether it’s the rotating cast of guests on Tsukino Mito’s quiz show, the 30-second introductions from amateur VTubers in the “Minna no Virtual-san” corner, or those who might just walk through and say the name of the show in an eyecatch, the show does a good job in providing a snapshot of how big and diverse this trend is.

Regardless of the actual quality of the series, Virtual-san is important as a proof of concept, with a 20-odd minute show dedicated entirely to VTubers airing on television alongside other otaku fair. Yes, it’s a little rough in execution, and the often hit-or-miss subs by Crunchyroll don’t help – but much like the often rough-cut introduction videos of many VTubers themselves it’s not hard to see where its potential lies. And given that there are at least two shows and a movie starring VTubers on the way, Virtual-san looks to be just the beginning. In the end, it will likely be seen as an important first and predecessor to other, stronger works starring VTubers which are yet to come.

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Jan 30, 2019

5 of 12 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 6

LeoPerdomo (All reviews)

30 people found this review helpful

Preliminary

Obviously, this "anime" is for fans and people who know about the "Virtual Youtuber" trend, although the story may seem somehow messy and movements sloppy, you have to actually know the characters to really get into this series, I personally find it fairly amusing since I follow these characters on YouTube and it is obviously not vying for the title of "anime of the season", but I think it's mostly directed towards the people who already know the characters, and a way to introduce the characters to other people who may not even know who these "people" are, I can assure you that at least read more

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Jan 31, 2019

4 of 12 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 1

forster82 (All reviews)

28 people found this review helpful

Preliminary

You guys know VRChat? Well what if we turned VRChat into an anime. Sounds like a great idea right? *Spoiler alert: It isnt.
I honestly dont understand how this thing (I cant even get myself to call it an anime) was released.
It seems like there wasnt even a production value for this "thing", like honestly... just straight up open VRChat on Steam and start recording with OBS some random bullshit and then get yourself a 10 year old to do the editing and BOOM! You got yourself this anime.
Absolutly everything in this "thing" is non existant; the story is just a complete pile of read more

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Feb 3, 2019

4 of 12 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 6

PandicMan (All reviews)

12 people found this review helpful

Preliminary

"Another weird Bad-CGI anime" is probably the first thing that comes to your mind when watching the first episode, especially if you don't know anything about Virtual YouTubers (VTubers) like me.

So after researching this topic, I've got a very different view on it.

First there is the art style, which is mostly CGI, sometimes mixed with other elements like real-life footage.
Most people would describe it as "Bad-CGI, I, however think that the artstyle is actually good, considering the style of Virtual YouTubers. At the end there is no objective good or bad style, but you can say that the used style simply fits the read more

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More news

Recent News

Live Anime 'Virtual-san wa Miteiru' Gets Specials

The official website for the currently airing Virtual-san wa Miteiru live anime has announced Blu-ray discs information. There will be six volumes total released, w...read more

Jan 9, 2019 8:24 AM by tsubasalover | Discuss (0 comments)

Live Anime 'Virtual-san wa Miteiru' Announced

Dwango Anime Conference (Temporary) held on Tuesday has announced a new live anime featuring 30 virtual YouTubers. Titled Virtual-san wa Miteiru (Virtual-san Lookin...read more

Dec 18, 2018 6:15 AM by tsubasalover | Discuss (29 comments)

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