Thank you so very much for picking up volume 8 of VTuber Legend. I’m the author, Nana Nanato.
Dagger was undeniably the star of this volume. I aimed to add a touch of warmth and fuzziness to the usual chaos, something akin to chicken soup for the soul—quite a departure for this series, TBH! The inclusion of three different Castella Q&As at the end was meant to give some of the otherwise absent characters some screen time. Hopefully I’ll be able to do this for all of them one day! Just as the main volume was packed with turmoil, the epilogue hints at more to come. Expect the next volume to be an emotional roller coaster, featuring a mixed bag of senpais and kouhais. (Though, let’s be honest, this is VTuber Legend we’re talking about, so any drama will likely still be overshadowed by the comedy.)
On an unrelated note, I apologize for the delay in Awayuki revisiting her first stream! I initially planned to write it much sooner, but then some things happened, and the original plan didn’t come to fruition. I then thought that was no big deal and I could revisit it later, only to promptly and completely forget about it. I only remembered this was even supposed to be a thing when I was doing some prep for the anime. Completely my fault. But I will get around to it. You have my word. For those looking forward to it, please hold on just a little while longer.
As is now tradition, I’d like to share some insights into the writing process. This time, I want to talk about “the chat.” It’s an element that has been around since the start of VTuber Legend and has brought its fair share of frustration. What could there be to think about regarding the in-universe stream chat, you ask? Well, the question of whether to make it realistic or not.
On a real stream, it’s uncommon to see discussions forming between chat messages. It’s almost discouraged to write a message responding to another message. There’s also a time lag before messages appear, making it challenging for the streamer to respond to specific comments. These were elements I considered reproducing when I started writing VTuber Legend, but in the end, I decided on a no-lag chat that I can only describe as a hybrid of YouTube, Niconico, and anonymous message board comments. The reasoning was simple: I believed this would be a unique and engaging narrative tool that suits the novel format.
While some may argue that a faithful recreation is the sincerest form of respect for the medium, to put it bluntly, it doesn’t matter how respectful I make it if the audience doesn’t find it entertaining. Because even though VTuber Legend has come into its own by now, it is ultimately still an entertaining literary portrayal of an audio-visual phenomenon. I beg your forgiveness on any such changes I had to make for the sake of crafting a good read. In this way, VTuber Legend is a result of near-constant trial and error, a reminder that personality and quirkiness can arise from how you choose to express something.
The whole reason I started writing this series was to create my ideal group of virtual streamers. At the time, the idea that a streamer might make it big by forgetting to turn off their stream was almost antithetical to the scene, where “fans” piled onto streamers at the slightest controversy. For better or for worse, I stuck to my vision, and this is what we ended up with.
But now, this creation is no longer just my own. Visions now intertwine, an important sign of growth as these humble novels expand to manga and beyond. There are limits to what one can achieve alone, so I embrace this change willingly.
I will continue to give my all to this series!
Lastly, to everyone who participated in the production of volume 8, as well as to all my readers who’ve supported me, thank you so very much as always. Let us meet again in volume 9.