Anime Recommendation: Virtual-san Looking

Virtual YouTubers have made their way to anime...

A couple weeks ago, I wrote a post highlighting the trend of virtual YouTubers, also known as VTubers, in the anime community. Besides watching videos from VTubers almost daily, I wanted to highlight that corner of the anime community because of an anime starring some of the most popular VTubers: Virtual-san Looking.

Virtual-san Looking is a crossover of over 30 VTubers, brought together entertain to the masses with their virtual antics. The main cast of the series are VTubers Cyber Girl Siro, Mirai Akari, Tanaka Hime, Suzuki Hina, Nekomiya Hinata, and Tsukino Mito. But other VTubers also make brief appearances every now and then, like Virtual Gorilla, Fuji Aoi, and Mononobe Alice, just to name a few. 

So this anime gives a lot of fanservice to fans of VTubers. You get to see some of your favorite characters come together for various skits and gags like "Hinata Heads to School", a segment where Nekomiya Hinata comes up with ways she might be ambushed PUBG-style while walking to school, and "Kerin Slayer", a kind of parody of Goblin Slayer with Tanaka Hime and Suzuki Hina. While some of these skits are hilarious and some are amusing, a lot are kind of meh.

The main appeal of Virtual-san Looking is the strangeness of seeing these YouTube stars goof around in an anime with no real plot. It's more of a spectacle than a series with an interesting plot or characters that go through any kind of development. That is why, at least for me, the show got kind of tiring after the first few episodes.

Obviously, I liked the show enough to watch all 12 episodes. It had enough funny moments that I enjoyed it enough to sit through the not-so-funny moments. I was also disappointed that some of my favorite VTubers, Kizuna Ai and Kaguya Luna, never made an appearance, though Kizuna Ai did sing the opening theme. On the plus side, Virtual-san Looking did introduce me to many more VTubers that I was not aware of previously.

I would recommend this anime to anyone who is a HUGE fan of VTubers, specifically the ones that make up the main cast. Otherwise, it might be something you just find strange and completely unappealing. However, the first episode is definitely an experience, so maybe that would be enough to at least add a little quirkiness to your day.

If you have seen Virtual-san Looking, let me know what you thought about it. Also if you know of any other anime with strange concepts or quirky hooks, go ahead and suggest them to me. And if you have a favorite VTuber that you think I should check out, let me know!