The "Virtual Kpop Star" is Troubling

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[@sinnamonroll2780]

Every time I hear a news reporter say "this is new and groundbreaking" when it comes to virtual artists, I think about how they're acting like Gorillaz doesn't exist. LMAO

[@grilledcheezfan]

literally that’s what i was thinking the whole time 😭😭

[@archivepostsexe]

so freaking tru

[@chailatte1234]

Yeah! On top of also hatsune miku + the entire vocaloid catalogue. Gorillaz even did the types of interviews Apoki is doing rn when promoting Humanz back in 2017-2018.

[@dee1418]

@@chailatte1234 those interviews were fuckin hilarious

[@pigeon3264]

Gorillaz also messed with the real time mocap stuff but ultimately doesn't use it and their stuff has and continues to look better than this

[@swaggerdagger8976]

Lets just hope Jarvis doesn’t get replaced with a neon hair virtual influencer

[@_owl_]

Mayonnaise is only acceptable on one thing and that’s shrimp sandwiches

[@greyisnthere]

it's okay you can say Drew

[@citrusune]

@@greyisnthere yeah, don't be shy

[@lossthesauceboss]

I'm thinking the “move” was just a cover. He's already been replaced.

[@lakeofrot4198]

With a breast milk addiction.

[@CariFavole]

As a voice actor, it kinda hurts that society is going back to discrediting the talent behind the character. It's speculated APOKI is voiced by U Sung Eun but there's just no information - who animated her, who voices her.... there are so many actual people trying to achieve their dreams, why do we need fake talent? Like Jarvis said, at least with VTubers, it's THEM just how they want to be seen. If APOKI was a singer who wanted to only be seen as animated, I could support it. This is just sad =/

[@jiaverse]

i think it is a case that she just wants to be animated though? she's apparently a real lady doing both the singing and dancing for her, they use her to track both body and facial expressions so it's eaally just her virtualized unlike polar or fn mekka where it was just a voice over and no more attachment

[@emerakii]

That IS what APOKI is though. She gets some bad rep, but she started just as a vtuber cover singer and her dancing is mocap too. She's v genunine :)

[@R.ivy.violeta]

FR

[@Pendji]

Back? The dudes behind Alien and most monsters never got credit lol

[@EntersilverHD]

@@emerakii Her dancing?? You know we talking about an animated character right?

[@seraphina1724]

I feel like K/DA needs to be brought up more when we're talking about virtual pop singers

[@Karina-wc8id]

Yep. And they actually make good songs

[@talb.1805]

but they're all real people who were famous before producing music and every performer has an avatar. it's not the same as using an unnamed voice actor and cultivating a character from nothing

[@matthewl5434]

k/da is a bit of a weird case because they are video game characters that then received kpop inspired skins that were then voiced by real, well known singers

[@galaxy_exe]

kda is the example of a virtual influencer like apoki done right. they had a basis (league skins) and their voice actors are credited, i’m sure their animators are credited, it’s just a better version overall

[@the.blood.son_]

There's also the fact vocaloid has existed since like 2004 and they have whole concerts and stuff

[@BobLogical]

It's insane how the original vtuber was literally a product of a corporation, and yet these people have still found a way to corporatize vtubers.

[@neraslight4997]

Yeahhhh, I’m chill with most I guess but nahhhh, that’s awful lmao

[@EmmaJohnsonShenanigans]

at least this is the first model that looked somewhat decent

[@sanssherif8452]

mmmmmmmmaaxxx headroom

[@JokeHatesItHere]

KIZUNA IS A PRODUCT?????

[@JokeHatesItHere]

@Hatsune MIku Yeah I Googled it to find out what was up and saw people talking about how she kinda lost that personalized feel that most KZbinrs have

[@tinymittensdesign]

As annoying as these virtual influencers are, I'll give APOKI credit: she's the best looking of the trio you've covered. Her model looks clean, she's well animated, actually has a cute design...definitely the best of the three EDIT: ok no wonder she's well animated, it's motion capture! she is actually a real person behind the bunny persona.

[@slowb4steady]

Her voice is decent, but her hair color is a no and her smile is horrifying. At least her design isn’t heavily based off another popular singer (polar *cough* Miku *cough* )

[@erxs]

@@slowb4steady what's wrong with the hair colour lmfao

[@nikko2469]

Yeah, that (and her beautiful voice) is what made me sympathize with her, but not enough to like the song itself.

[@Senae]

her head a baby head on a adult body. Cronenberg shit.

[@melonnnbread]

Dude I really love apoki her songs are lit and her dance animation is clean

[@Sakura-uo3qz]

Hey kpop stan here You are completely right to call out cultural appropriation in kpop there is a lot especially in the 2012-14 era there was a lot of appropriation of Black hairstyles and clothing Also the Aaliyah outfit does feel really disrespectful, especially because she died so young

[@nootnewt9323]

It was always like that. If you go back and look at the 90s like BoA, she took a lot of influence from Black artists.

[@yeonjunstea9618]

This is fking virtual character , it doesnt have a real gender , age or race shut up

[@Idengard]

So what

[@joshuamonroy2779]

The Aaliyah outfit was nothing more than a crop top and jeans, are crop tops cultural to black people bro? I mean, I don’t think If that was a black character wearing something an Asian or white person wore before you’d call it cultural appropriation, take your head out your ass.

[@ky_piece]

It's still like that today, but not as bad.

[@stacie1595]

Ad a kpop fan who has never heard of this thing, I can promise you virtual idols are not taking over. The only examples I can think of are K/DA which is an animated girl group but voiced by actual idols, usually famous in their own right, and Aespa's virtual members that everyone just kind of ignores because it's pointless.

[@myhopeworld]

isn't there another one from a boy group?

[@seungminmin]

@@myhopeworld I think they are called Superkind or smth and have an animated member. As far as I know he is the center of the group but Im not that sure about it

[@ayaanas1464]

There are 3 AI members in super kind. But there are also MAVE who are a girgroup consisting of 4 members who are all AI

[@spiritdraws1312]

Yeah, and I feel it's important for people to realise that while maybe a dozen or soai/virtual idols exist, most kpop fans don't like them for the sale of them being an obvious attempt at slowly changing the industry to being more virtual idol based, for the sake of not having to pay and respect real people who train for most of their lives compared to spending maybe a year working o the virtual idol. Obvi an idol hanging a virtual version for lore is different to things like Superkind and Mave: , but it's still a discussion that mixes the two together. Virtual idols are cool, but when large companies start doing it I truly believe it will become a problem because of trends influenced by those companies, but I think that's unlikely considering Korea music company's probably don't want to pay people to create it 💀💀 It's a weird thing. I'm pretty anti virtual / "AI" idols, since the current know ones like Superkind and Mave: are very obviously trying to replace people who could be in those situations with their real talent and training, plus the whole not being able to find the voice or body behind the motion tracking dancing and singing, but I think it could be a cute micro-niche in kpop if it's not used in a weird way. Anyways, most kpop fans I know may idly listen to the music, albeit a lot don't know they songs are made my virtual idols their just hear it and think it's good, but most are pretty anti the concept of virtual idols in their current form. Companies are always trying to find ways to exploit idols and make the most money they can for themselves, and virtual idols done wrong can be a slippery slope into that exploitation increasing further.

[@galaxy_exe]

yeah there really aren’t that many examples. i can seriously only think about purty and yameii online when we’re talking about (relatively unpopular) virtual influencers

[@_Cotton]

I feel like Jarvis is the only person that can make his own joke funnier by laughing at it

[@OtherworldlyApollo]

Truer words have never been said

[@Lee-wf4kr]

This is so accurate

[@crispyliza7050]

Jarvis plus Shayne Topp from smosh

[@mariavaleriaperezsolis2837]

Yeah well, he and I.

[@cc.8805]

Him and Kurtis

[@howdykun4025]

Shout out to Jarvis's fro- shid looks voluminous, healthy, moisturized and soft as fuck- we love a king who can take care of his hair.

[@EmmaJohnsonShenanigans]

yes, we sure do

[@saintsea-hat7891]

It’s that Dr. Squatch deal! (Legitimately, their stuff is really good)

[@bachankilla123]

Why are you so corny

[@howdykun4025]

@@bachankilla123 why is YOUR MOM so corny? Got'em

[@crowfoot8059]

@@bachankilla123 why am I in your closet right now?

[@nueshb4797]

As someone who's been following Apoki for awhile for her brand of kpop, opening IG and seeing her in Aaliyah's tommy fit, gelled baby hairs and bamboo hoop earrings gave me whiplash and carpal tunnel. 😔

[@pasteldaze]

Okay since people in the comments are mentioning Vocaloid I feel obliged to tell you the story of Korean Vocaloid SeeU. Her most popular song, I=Fantasy (a banger if I do say so myself), was produced by a certain Hitman Bang. Who might that be, you ask? Why, he's the founder of Hybe - the company behind BTS. You can still find videos of a then pre-debut BTS doing some background dancing in SeeU's performances. Also on stage with them is the girl group Glam, BTS's label mates, as one of the members provided her voice for SeeU's voice bank. Unfortunately, Glam never managed to rise to the same heights as BTS - they disbanded just two years into their career after the member that provided SeeU's voice was sentenced to jail for blackmailing an actor. So basically, virtual influencers have been a mess since the beginning lol

[@kawaiibpanda6575]

Oh my god?? 😭 that’s wild

[@terra5857]

didnt seeU sing that copycat song? bc that connects a LOT bc i used to listen to that and im a kpop fan now 😶

[@youlocalityfujo7856]

@@terra5857 maybe you listened to a cover using See U cus copycat is sung by Gumi , a japanese vocaloid with an english voice bank.

[@terra5857]

@@youlocalityfujo7856 yes

[@acatandacat8044]

Didn't ask

[@pepawpe3973]

jarvis standing with the kpop stans is so funny

[@emankhan2140]

Ya gotta be careful with the volatile stans

[@whyiwakeup6460]

@@emankhan2140 “volatile stans” sounds like a souls boss subtitle

[@marianemarangao2840]

I lost it ngl

[@arkarts2987]

@@emankhan2140 as a Stan I request protection for this person from any angry fans that will probably read this. We are used to people generalizing our fandom by now and we need to stop going after every single person who says something remotely rude, it only adds to their argument. Your welcome buddy :)

[@ayakaimpacts]

@@arkarts2987 thank you for saying this I get that so many kpop stans are unreasonable, the ones who are actually nice get drowned out a lot

[@Vido_2]

how many virtual influencers are there going to be holy shit

[@Cloveistrying]

gappy the virtual influencer

[@cbarker8580]

all of them

[@vague_velleity]

too many

[@crypticshadows]

no one even likes them too lol

[@1e1001]

as many as is profitable

[@ShallowVA]

I’m so tired of companies taking something that already exists, slapping “Metaverse” on it, and acting like they invented the internet.

[@makeda6530]

I was into virtual idols since I was in middle school, 13+ years ago with Miku and Luka and other vocaloids and Utauloids. I even wanted to be one in my cringe years, I’m 27 years old now. This is so surreal.

[@monicarenee7949]

I grew up watching Cita’s World on BET, which premiered in 1999. Virtual characters are as old as email lol

[@kaz2726]

I love how these people forget that Gorillaz basically did this kinda thing first, but did it (and is currently doing it) WAY BETTER!! And they’ve been going since, like, 2000!!

[@nman551]

Don’t forget miku

[@InevitablyInevitable]

This comment makes me happy, I'm feeling glad.

[@feedesylvestre3200]

You can also count those singers who never appear in the public or the LoL singers. Like the list goes on and on. The idea of "woah! A fictional singer exists?" is such a 75 year old executive in suit thing.

[@fionn9852]

I feel like gorillas felt like a more multimedia art project than a soulless corporate 3d model

[@pov1742]

don't forget about Vocaloids too!

[@casualvices]

I just love watching them try to do what hatsune miku succeeded at 10 years ago

[@junaurrrr]

This right here ^

[@7ferrisarcade7]

This exactly!! These people are acting like it hasn't been done before but vocaloid and utau have been around for so long

[@Wandervenn]

Right Gorillaz is over 20 now I think

[@Live_Laugh_Loathe]

Hatsune Miku is still absolutely thriving and these people are banking off of negative clout

[@aporue5893]

the singer behind miku is such a talented lady.

[@mochirira]

every time i hear someone call these virtual influencers or whatever ‘revolutionary’ and ‘new new blah blah new thing blah,’ a little snippet of World Is Mine plays in my head. It always cuts off at the ‘Sekai’ part though. just “se-KAI-“

[@Roman_Adrian]

The one thing I do love about this "Virtual Artist" idea is the artists can focus solely on their art and not kill themselves to perfect their appearance.

[@MarillSweatshirt]

I never thought I'd live in a timeline where Jarvis informs me that E-40 has bought into the metaverse with a virtual K-Pop sensation committing cultural appropriation.......

[@Nuancednudibranch]

I hope this gets more likes because it perfectly captures my feelings watching this. 😆 Edit: I’m glad it got more likes. Haha

[@Dark_Red_Echo]

Yeah, as someone who remembers the 90s R&B videos these dance moves are ripped from, I’m just like “how did we f*ckin get HERE of all places?” I coulda never imagined I’d experience anything related to that in this unfortunate context.

[@AliRizwanMasood]

I may be in the minority on this, but outside of America, or maybe the Western segment of the world, is there any harmful output of cultural appropriation?

[@Bri-lk7re]

@@AliRizwanMasood Yes???

[@Nuancednudibranch]

@@AliRizwanMasood If it was called “cultural colonization”, which is basically what it is, can you understand the problem a bit more?

[@Strawnini]

Why are there so many “virtual influencers” popping out of nowhere😭

[@--Ch3rry-B1oss0m--]

money

[@thanatoast]

Cryptobros

[@danchen10491]

Trying to ride the trend of vtubers though they’re very late

[@eclownery]

ikr????? like nobody even cares about them why are there so many

[@SuzER08]

the frustrating thing is like...they're virtual, they're not bound by any real world limitations. It's like what Danny said in his Pixel Perfect video they could make these characters do literally anything. They can have them do impossible dance moves and acrobatic feats. They could have them shape shift and turn into mythical beings and shit. and instead they just make them very generic looking, grab from stereotypes or existing/past pop culture visuals, and do tik tok dances. the most outlandish thing they could come up with was "bunny girl"? come on.

[@bethanybrookes8479]

the thing is, she's got a cute design... they could easily have just, you know, made a cute virtual singer and not have dragged in the problematic parts. or heck, released her as a Vocaloid, there are only two with Korean voice banks at the moment. and the character concept didn't have metaverse in it... why cant we have the cat girl robot and rabbit girl alien together?

[@emerakii]

As a huge fan of APOKI who's also black, I did have mixed feelings abt some of the design choices for this MV lol. But APOKI is definitely different to a lot of other falsely advertised virtual stars. While a lot of them appear from nowhere with ads trying to make them seem like they're forgetting vocaloids and gorillaz and such exist- Apoki started as a regular Vtuber cover singer, you can find all her old videos in her channel ! :) She's always been a v genuine person who just wants to sing but behind a virtual model, which is fine. She got signed to a Kpop agency later and the music she's released with them has always been good with great vocals, this one just rlly,,, missed it w the appropriation 😭

[@syd1541]

Seizure warnings at 1:41, ends at 2:00 4:09, ends at 4:18 Stay safe out there :')

[@boxeswithfoxes]

Pin this lol

[@user-yz4jg7xl7u]

Thanks!

[@lukedavies3654]

Glad to see someone considering people with photosensitive epilepsy, have a great day!

[@awtumn]

Thank you for this!

[@chandlenian]

boost !!

[@3bugsinatrenchcoat]

11:03 art student here to over-explain the uncanny dance. they tracked the original forever young dance with apoki's model without really changing it. the dance was obviously choreographed for people, so although it is weirdly smooth you know that blackpink can do it because of practice and editing. however, with apoki, her movements are so smooth it feels even more robotic, especially given the softness of her model - you can't really tell what her joints are doing because they are so undefined. so in this case, a slightly off or sharper dance would've worked better because it would have felt more human. also, she holds direct eye contact with the camera, which is uncomfortable regardless of the dance. please lmk if i was wrong about anything, i'm still learning :)

[@MlNORlTY]

long time APOKI fan here. she's a real woman that sings and dances while her body and face are motion captured and applied to the 3D model in real time. all covers, vocally and physically, are done by a real woman. including her 2 backup dancers, they are real dancers that are motion captured. the covers look janky, yes. but her original music and mvs are much more polished and impressive. my personal fav is "Get It Out". I loved APOKI for years, but after "West Swing" was released, I just feel really disappointed and unsure if I can keep supporting her. she did listen when me and other poc asked to change the hairstyles at least... but idk, she's still treading on thin ice for me.

[@3bugsinatrenchcoat]

@@MlNORlTY that makes sense! personally i think the idea of a korean vpopstar is a good one so i hope she's managed better :/ it's sad to see companies doing such shitty things to a character that could've been really good

[@silvercarroll2352]

@@MlNORlTY As someone who's been subbed to apoki since 2020 (not a huge fan, just aware of the project) I think jarvis is overreacting a little just cause she's virtual. She's just a regular kpop singer with the gimmick that she's motion captured. Not really comparable to Polar imo. I think he wouldn't be as adamant about her animation being uncanny if he heard of her in a different context from the whole ""metaverse virtual singer"" bullshit.

[@MlNORlTY]

@@silvercarroll2352 I agree. tbh I think this video was really lazy and very ill informed. The fact that he even said he wouldn't be bothered as much if she was more of a vtuber... which she is basically... and judging her voice from an AI perspective rather than a real person actually singing... big yikes.

[@creamymintchicchip8454]

So it’s so good it’s terrible

[@osmanthuswine190]

I remember Apoki just doing this fun Kpop song and dance covers - realizing it, it was clear the animation and rigging was getting way too good for just a 3D rabbit girl doing covers. They got to make Apoki do her own stuff, I was watching them improve 😭 😂 And also, Apoki's singing is good. At least basing on her covers back then 🥲

[@panevan767]

As a kpop stan I recognized her from doing TikToks with actual idols. It’s so weird that this company is doing this. There’s actually groups with vtuber like concepts like aespa and superkind but they seem to have put in actual effort to make it their concept unlike this which is poorly designed…

[@rhea5185]

This series of videos is just Jarvis buttering us up for when he releases his own virtual influencer

[@jesuswasgay]

Moe Jarvis VTuber when??

[@PokebellasWussy]

Oh no, imagine tho.

[@turtleyamazing6091]

Fr tho, with his track record of making his own animated story channel I wouldn’t put it past him

[@ayakaimpacts]

ngl i would dig on vtuber jarvis as someone who's not a big fan of virtual influencers

[@jamestomato1744]

Jarvis, not the marvel Jarvis, but the youtube Jarvis - but he still functions mostly as a google assistant competitor.

[@randommeasures4618]

The Aaliyah aspect is uncomfortable because while we've seen outfit reproductions on digital characters, notably Resident Evil VIllage's Lady Dimitrescu (an unnamed woman from the 1930s) and Silent Hill's Maria (Christina Aguilera), they weren't explicit efforts of promotion. Tommy Hilfiger is still an active brand, which means the use of the outfit likely saw money exchange hands with more than just Sony (consider the outfit chosen for the Aaliyah Funko Pop in comparison). So, the overall vibe bends toward exploiting Aaliyah's image rather than being an homage; and, the exploitation of black icons and culture is often accompanied by appropriation, i.e. tone deaf application of cultural iconography with no deeper understanding of their function or importance.

[@LordRydag]

No it’s just cheap and lazy rip-off’s of any video they can find and steal. Like, it’s annoying to see some nobody copy a copy of a copy of a copy of a TikTok, but it’s an entire new level to have to render a imaginary animated ‘artist’ doing the same thing. Cringe.

[@rubymckenna5169]

I’m not sure if you’ll see this, but Thanks for this explanation! I was actually just scrolling through the comments trying to find an explanation regarding the cultural appropriation aspect (I’ve never heard of Aaliyah before, and while it’s clear it was icky, I was curious as to find out why) before I found this one! You explained things very well and really clearly, and I’m happy I managed to come across this comment!! Anyways, thanks for the brief explanation, and have a good day/night kind stranger!

[@universeobserver3710]

This is a really good explanation. Looking at it makes me feel bad, but I couldn't come up with a good explanation as to why... Also on top of everything you said, the audience of a virtual star like Apoki is more likely to trend on the younger side. So they won't even know who Aaliyah is, and that makes it feel worse to me. It's hard to claim they paying homage when they should know damn well their audience is too young to recognize where the outfit comes from.

[@LegendaryDorkKnight]

I hate this argument. I also don't like the idea of using a dead person's image for monetary gain, but the appropriation argument is always so shallow. She seems to be paying homage to an era as a whole and doesn't seem to be making a mockery of the style. This isn't her doing some caricature or minstrel show where she makes fun of the original artist or style.

[@cottonhairedaesthetic2005]

@@LegendaryDorkKnight this means you just dont understand what cultural appropriation is. What you mentioned at the end is just straight up racism LOL

[@kylier404]

They're really out here saying she's "new" and "unique" when Riot made K/DA which is both made of *actual* kpop stars and has way better animation, and Riot is a *video game* company 😂😂

[@blooostarz]

This just reminds me of the kpop group super kind who have a literal AI Member and the behind the scenes stuff/ practice dance videos are actually so well done for this day in age. The real life members know what to do to interact with the AI member and it’s almost freaky but in an intriguing way

[@terra5857]

i forgot about them 😭😭😭😭😭😭

[@trxced]

so as a kpop fan, i have never heard of her which is strange considering that aespa is so huge and a lot of ppl were dunking on superkind. the likes and comments not reflecting the views makes me think this is absolutely bought views.

[@jaash7981]

Eternity is the only virtual kpop group I know, and they had a little bit of publicity. This one though is weird. Also can't wait till Jarvis learns about Kwangya

[@ainultasneem7536]

Apoki was fairly infamous around a year or two ago during the pandemic for being a virtual idol and was even on M2's dance relay and It's Live. Completely forgot about her but crazy to think about it now

[@unofficialmajima617]

L

[@honestival]

I've been a fan of APOKI since the beginning and still love her. Her songs are amazing. My favorite is coming back and shut up and kiss me

[@unofficialmajima617]

@@honestival major skill issue

[@grahamiii]

I’m 25 and may sound like a boomer too Jarvis but, I totally agree. I think we should stop personifying these virtual artists/ influencers that are “corporate” or purely profit driven.

[@artnerd3727]

I'm 19 and I agree, and I'm a huge vocaloid fan these just aren't the same

[@kai_fatallysapphic]

@@artnerd3727 yeah the whole appeal of vocaloid (and other such voice synths) is the amazing artists in the community that create songs, artwork and even stories about the characters that aren't controlled by the companies that make them, it's the community that makes voice synths special in a way, and these "virtual influencers" will never have that.

[@cottagecoregoth5481]

@@kai_fatallysapphic yeah not to mention vocaloid’s and utau’s (I think that’s how you spell it) usually are easier to access compared to having to pay a real life singer to do a song. Vocaloids are like.. blank canvases many can put their own experiences on and still remain Anonymous. That’s literally what her song “odds and ends” is about and these pre-made popped out the womb to capitalize on the whole metaverse shit just.. isn’t it

[@THICCTHICCTHICC]

They personified the weirdest things too. Realising her dream of being a singer? She was literally a 'singer' from the second she was invented. It doesn't even make sense.

[@feedesylvestre3200]

Ironic because I'm 18 and I'm here thinking it as a "fellow kids" moment.

[@soshiangel90]

oh so...we're just not going to talk about how DEMONIC ahe looks at 8:08?!?! O.O

[@sydneyandgraceful]

The non-kpop enjoying Jarvis fans seem to underestimate the amount of kpop enjoying Jarvis fans there are, just like in every other online community i'm in outside of kpop

[@xxRAINA1xx]

As someone who’s interested in becoming a Vtuber these virtual influencers are SO mid it’s ridiculous.

[@junaurrrr]

Frrr. I feel like they’re just a weird ploy to cater to “the youth” (and also make more money bc that’s what it’s all about). Also, I’m sick of them trying to sell us these metaverse “influencers” as if Hatsune Miku doesn’t exist like bruh

[@jifij89]

what on earth is a vtuber

[@junaurrrr]

@@jifij89 Virtual KZbinr. People like Korone, Vox, Gura Gawr (sorry if I butchered her name), and Calliope

[@xxRAINA1xx]

@@SOodd14 i’ve always wanted to do KZbin but I’d like to remain anonymous while also being able to show parts of my personality that I wouldn’t be able to show without some type of avatar.

[@neraslight4997]

@@xxRAINA1xx Kinda want I wanna do, it just looks very fun

[@lemonythicket1406]

I’m sick and tired enough of every company having cartoon mascots already, and now we’re going to have to deal with companies having their own v-tuber type tiktok mascots

[@secretlybees]

I love your username c:

[@smoppet]

Imagine if the geico gecko decided to become a virtual influencer LMFAOOO

[@admiralmeow3161]

@@smoppet the only acceptable virtual influencer in my opinion

[@lungulavinia]

The thing that saddens me as a kpop stan myself is the amount of CA..these companies and idols never learn..

[@DarkOmicron]

Its because you're applying a western standard from western culture and history to an eastern culture. Of course idols and companies don't understand silly things like "cultural appropriation" because that shit doesn't exist over there. They just see stuff they like and emulate it, happens a lot in Japan with people dressing up like Elvis actually. They don't live our culture and its unreasonable to want to force them to live by our standards and culture. Ironically the very thing so many people here are complaining about, they are just as guilty of by pushing their ideals and standards onto a different culture and society.

[@margaesperanza]

@@DarkOmicron Asian here, and that is not true. They definitely know cultural appropriation, there is just a racial barrier that makes it unspoken in our region. Just read up what normal Knetz think of African Americans, and how they treat children with mixed heritage, it's depressing. The Guardian made an article about Tiffany Red, who wrote music for NCT and Micah Powell who wrote and choreographed for SM Ent. Both are black and got screwed over or barely compensated for their work in Kpop. If kpop wants to be relevant and global, then they have to learn to play the game. Treat their black talents better, because they won't make it without them.

[@narwhalgirl12]

6:11 I feel like everyone, especially kpop fans, forget that kpop would not exist without black hiphop culture. early 90s kpop was filled with appropriation and korean people blatantly copying black rappers and calling it their own. even bts started out as a hiphop group. I’m not saying it’s completely wrong to be a non black rapper or hiphop artist, but it’s wrong when you don’t even know where what you’re doing came from, or you claim it as your own.

[@rellimeelrahc]

No, actually, once I heard about Apoki, I literally rolled my eyes. Though it’s not a new thing for K-pop (like with K/DA or Aespa), it’s still a new low bc I feel like she was made solely just for capitalizing on TikTok views that are bought anyway 💀💀💀 the industry is rough enough as it is for the actual human kpop idols

[@vetreas366]

Humans are just outdated. They can't keep up. They have actual lives and needs and wants and faults and stuff. CGI though? Endlessly exploitable.

[@kirbyteeth]

dude i feel so dumb right now - is aespa not made up of real people?? i guess i haven’t watched their mvs but i do listen to their music often

[@hoeblin]

@@kirbyteeth they have virtual counterparts, but are also real

[@LetsSaboogi]

Yo you're so right. Companies are so money-hungry that they're pumping out these virtual performers, of which they'll have an infinite amount, and who will never get tired or need to be maintained in humane ways. It's unfair competition in an already brutally competitive industry.

[@yourbanhmi]

jm sorry but KDA was actually done right & looks much more natural than all these other companies trying to do it.. 😭 coming from someone who loves Vocaloid growing up & KDA (played LoL for 11 years)..

[@vaethia8908]

What really upsets me about this is that everyone acts like this is something new. Fictional characters used to represent music artists have been around for a while, example gorillaz. Its super upsetting for people to treat these company driven things like they are revolutionary.

[@beetleiuice]

Put some respect on Miku

[@firefly620]

I get what you're saying, but do those virtual influencer thingies actually have people behind them? Aren't they fully computer generated or at least run by a whole team? It's not lile the gorillas where their avatars actually represent them

[@Whereyoureyesdontgo]

@@beetleiuice they are? im confused

[@beetleiuice]

@@Whereyoureyesdontgo it was a funny haha

[@rayraymind]

@@firefly620 consider: miku

[@spinestealer8129]

6:50 this news reporter looks like the most miserable man on earth, he knows the end is neigh.

[@n4musica]

I live in Japan and this MV is played on KZbin ads like EVERYDAY. It’s always creeped me out 😂

[@Broeckchen]

Former animation student here. The dancing is so unnatural because they basically just mo-capped the moves of a normal person, but never adjusted them for how they would be affected by the weight of the enormous head. Heads are already exceptionally heavy, and we instinctively know this - we *have* to, in order to walk on two legs. Hers would add up so much weight that it would strongly change her overall motions, and we feel that. It'll be especially obvious if you compare this dancing to, say, the dancing in Disney's Encanto, where professional animators handcrafted the motions. You'll see each character move a bit differently depending on their proportions. It's literally the third or fourth big exercise we did in animation class.

[@supotter377]

I don’t think she would be able to even hold that head up which doesn’t usually matter with animation, but this weird “irl” cgi shit makes it feel so much worse

[@superskh]

She's just so poorly designed. Like even as a rabbit girl her proportions are so bizarre and not optimized for the amount of movement they want from her. If they gave her more natural, human proportions, especially with the size of her head to her body, it would make the dancing look less strange. But these are clearly pumped out so fast by huge companies looking to be "the first" to do this. When as we all know, Hatsune Miku has been there, done that, and killed it. For a virtual influencer/pop star to get off the ground, they need real talent and passion behind the project, and not just an attempt to be "the world's first" whatever.

[@ArtsyStarleta]

Not even kidding, if they let even one furry on the design team it woulda looked a whole lot better. Most furries know character design well, even for more human cartoons.

[@nman551]

Very uncanny

[@Wandervenn]

I dont even think it's the design. I've seen similarly proportioned characters... the anination is just bad. The movements are really stiff and lack gravity.

[@Banoffee_Animations-Portfolios]

@@Wandervenn this one

[@cassualtea2040]

@@Wandervenn should have given her face more than just the minimum amount of polygons but thats what people who care about quality do.

[@miqnight7601]

I feel like the reason vocaloids are appreciated is because they don't try and pretend to be people. Also the first music video was lagging (?). If companies actually want this metaverse singer thing to succeed, they need to reconsider their uncanny valley designs and cut back on making being virtual the singer's entire personality.

[@mayo5524]

As a k-pop stan, let me make it very clear, several of the points made in this video are EXTREMELY valid. I think everyone outside k-pop is terrified to speak up because of backlash (like jarvis was saying) but the thing is many ARMYs like myself agree and actively discuss about this, and also we aren’t mindless drones attacking LMAO. That was just sparked out of the artists we liked being bashed with xenophobic insults and people encouraging it instead of acknowledging it (think of news reports, grammys, just radio play of k-pop). Honestly we’re the only ones willing to call it out and support them, which is why we garnered such an intense reputation but we really aren’t, I swear. But you are correct, K-pop is highly influenced by black culture and even though people are starting to address it (mostly BTS LOL) due to fan pressure and also just more knowledge about it, there is lots of appropriation, not just from black people. Colorism and just stereotyping cultures is very common and is a huge problem. Also, while k-pop hosts some amazing singing (that is often reduced to just “fangirl music” because of xenophobia and people just hating on popular things and the interests of teenagers who “obviously don’t know better”), there is a huge rise in just bad music. Like companies are trying to cash in on k-pop and bring something new but just make pots and pans clanging together. But there is real talent in the industry, and I want people to remember that these idols are real people who have trained their asses off, so stereotyping it as bad singing is pretty out of touch. And finally, there is something off about this whole thing. Like the dance and singing seem fake, but that’s reasonable because they are.

[@ayakaimpacts]

but honestly, jokes aside, kpop is very rampant of culture appropriation - one that comes on the top of my head is nature's rica rica. the company behind nature made the shittiest move by appropriating aspects of indian culture to fit the aesthetic of rica rica's concept (which is absolute garbage, and hurts even more since their release before rica rica was stunning) and then blamed the girls for it. for the longest time, I love kpop, but its problems are really hard to make me stay invested.

[@crazyowlgirlcncowner]

I love KPop so much, and will probably continue to for a while, but OMG every single cultural appropriation situation hurts so much. Like, they should really know better.

[@xannythaboy]

as a black kpop stan, you’re so right. i love kpop so much, but it’s really frustrating to see people appropriate your culture. love the music and love what they do for the music industry, but yeah. also 😅😅 i’ve known about apoki for a year or so now. i think she’s cute

[@fluffy5310]

I agree with you in every aspect, what with the somewhat mixed feelings and appreciation for her design.

[@MlNORlTY]

Hi! It's so rare to see another APOKI fan. but yeah, her newest song was so disappointing. like imagine having the ability to create absolutely anything you could dream of, the possibilities are endless in a virtual space... yet they choose cultural appropriation. tired

[@KIxYOSHI2077]

The sad reality is, a huge part of east Asia has no concept or understanding of cultural appropriation and even to an extent racism. You'd expect them to know since especially kpop is so international now, but it's still a thing. Like, it can be discussed how much style and outfits are appropriation, but it goes far beyond that, especially in normal society. I can't speak directly on S.korea, but I lived in China for some time. You cannot believe the amount of kids/teens there, especially boys, that listen to black american rappers and will go running around saying the n-word, calling every black person that etc. They get cornrows etc done and more. They don't understand how inappropriate it is, they literally have no concept of that.

[@greyskymy]

@@KIxYOSHI2077 I think it's something related about people not making programs or spreading awareness on topics related to racism and cultural appropriation. If there's many people giving them knowledge about this, then that won't happen like in your case.

[@KIxYOSHI2077]

@@greyskymy Oh yeah for sure. If they had more exposure to people that would tell them and explain them, then this wouldn't be as much of an issue. The problem is just, who's supposed to tell them uk? I can count the amount of non asians I saw while being in China on one hand, me being one of them.

[@rabbitrian6734]

I've seen APOKI before on TikTok where she basically dances, I loved her videos cause of how attractive all the elements looked. Her model, her design, her animation, etc. But I never explored her other socials, never knew she turned out like this lol Also, Sony wtf, as if you don't own a fucking VOCALOID that you made just to abandon it. Need I remind you Utatane Piko who was released on VOCALOID 2 engine?? If you only had given him consistent updates, you could probably hire a producer to make the song and an animator to make the video. Ffs there are people who do that shit for free cause it's literally their hobby. You had resources, Sony.

[@stonykark]

7:46 this whole segment is just a corporate PR press release dubbed over some random news broadcast footage

[@CraftyCheshire]

"Virtual influencers are now becoming a thing." I'm offended on the Gorillaz behalf.

[@ellifsyaa]

and all vocaloid 😭

[@CultoftheSpiral]

people acting like gorillaz doesn’t exist so they can push the “brand new” virtual singers:

[@realestredacted]

😂🥴🥴🥴😂🥳

[@informalnarwhals]

right like we did not wait near-decades between masterpiece albums and watch them kick off holographic concerts with miku just for people to praise one-song-a-year-if-any digital billboards 😭

[@KIxYOSHI2077]

Ok so the thing is apoki really has been around for a while, and she has been well liked too. She just started out as a project of animated kpop dance covers. Only somewhat recently she started with her own music. If you wanna cover a super like uncanny valley thing, look into the kpop boy group Superkind. They have a fully animated member paired with a bunch of real humans.

[@shandya]

I kinda like Apoki at the beginning when she was true to her character (bunny kpop girl, etc.) but this last comeback is kinda… eh? :/ She has been well liked but I think not really commercial success, I guess the company was frustrated or something that’s why they jumped into the appropriation alley.

[@ruum9]

super kind is definitely so uncanny and honestly i feel like they could've done so much better if they let saejin debut as a solo virtual artist instead of making him the center of a group with 4 human members its unfair and unbalanced and they're literally getting popularity just for being uncanny

[@HetaClaude]

to be fair to superkind, saejin *is* an actual member's virtual avatar, who allegedly didn't want to show his face yet (which is not really a new concept either other than the virtual part, since PinkFantasy has this concept for one of their members as well). though how much of that was that member's decision or a company's idea, we can never know (though it's easy to assume which it is)

[@shandya]

@@HetaClaude but isn’t it kinda unfair to the rest of the members? They trained hard to sing and dance day and night to debut, only to be sidelined by a virtual idol. Even worse, they have to accomodate him by talking to air & pretend that they’re interacting to him on the training videos, just to keep the concept alive

[@HetaClaude]

@@shandya i mean i can't say for certain that's what the members feel bcos i don't know them personally but ykno... they signed the contract knowing what they'll be doing so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@scavorthespacecowboy2096]

0:58 LOL YOUR LIL DOG STANDING THERE SO SILLY

[@Bepis-Boii]

You know to give APOKI some credit, she feels a lot more genuine than a lot of the other virtual influencers out there. However even as a fan of her music, I do find some of the outfits she has on in her posts on Instagram as a little questionable. West Swing was the one time I genuinely got uncomfortable with an outfit of hers.

[@blink182izawsm]

It. Not she.

[@Briebeell]

K-pop has a big CA problem and the fact that they showed that with the K-pop inspired idol is insane to me

[@m3ani172]

@@Make_AWish Cultural appropriation

[@crazyowlgirlcncowner]

Seriously! Like it's bad enough that real idols culturally appropriate, but for the virtual one to do so as well is WILD

[@catcactus1234]

Is it mainly with the hair styles? Or have they done something else I haven’t heard about?

[@crazyowlgirlcncowner]

@@catcactus1234 Usually it's a lot of wearing cornrows, dreads, the durags, lipsyncing or singing the N word, just doing stuff to seem "swag", or I even saw one group they were saying a member had a confederate flag jacket during a performance. 😭 It's a lot of stuff. Or there were like a couple of groups that essentially did blackface as well. I once heard of a girl group that was being derogatory to Mexicans as well. Oh and a lot of essentially mocking Desi culture and dances for the aesthetic.

[@catcactus1234]

@@crazyowlgirlcncowner Wow that’s wild! I only heard of the issues with them wearing cornrows and dreads. There’s actually Kpop stars that sung the n-word? Is that common or more of a rare issue? Really a shame that stuff like that has happened.

[@sootekken]

I'm actually really sad about this bc I really liked APOKI when they first started releasing mvs and music bc it was cool and different and the singer was talented. But with the weird CA and NFT stuff they've started doing I just dont know about supporting anymore :')

[@gayforhyuna]

Thisss! I really loved Get it out and her covers, but seeing this is pretty disappointing

[@shandya]

Same :( but I guess she was not a commercial success that’s why the company made these questionable decisions to make her stay afloat

[@DanasGoneCrazy]

same!!! I was a fan, I'm not anymore.

[@adrianen4644]

Apoki popped up on my insta doing tik tok dances a while ago. The red flag that made me avoid her was the fact they started promoting/selling NFTS

[@corndogonasticc]

Its sad seeing new people try to get into the virtual idol/vtuber community starting off their first favorite idols with these, so called "first virtual popstar". Without knowing hololive, nijisanji, gorillaz, k/da, etc...

[@cosmicrays3472]

i remember seeing this on kpop twt a while ago.. the fact that they made a virtual bunny do ca is..... i think it really just shows how black culture has just become so commodified in sk (and worldwide) and its concerning

[@cosmicrays3472]

on the topic of giving homage to black artists, i remember seeing a tiktok by jarredjermaine where he compared blackpink's pink venom to countless songs from very prominent black artists (rhiana, 50 cent, notorious b.i.g, etc) and its sooo obvious that teddy took those progressions and lyrics from those songs without even hinting that it was a homage or at least inspired. literally just stealing ideas from black artists without crediting them at all

[@cosmicrays3472]

@@honestival literally where? there are no credits in the mv and the only people credited as the lyricists are teddy and danny chung. correct me if im wrong bc i rly dont keep up with the pinks but have any of them or the producers talked about the lyrics being a homage? bc i havent found anything anywhere

[@0xD1CE]

I gotta ask, at what point is it gatekeeping vs appropriation? I get that there are a lot of black caricature in todays media but a lot of it is also portrayed by many black artists themselves. So when an Asian tries to emulate this style, why is it appropriation? Btw this is just genuine curiosity.

[@ms.ferretmanthing2404]

@@0xD1CE ever heard of olly London?

[@honestival]

@@cosmicrays3472 can't find it and both of my comments got deleted for some reason. But its not stealing or copying. It's homage, they are showing respect to legends. A lot of artists do that. It's to show respect to the kings and queens who became before them, to the people who inspired them. A KZbinr name MONQ TV said it was homage and that it was cultural appreciation.

[@Samhams]

Virtual influencers are slowly trying to take over but are a menace to society

[@stop--]

They're really not though. The corporations pushing and advertising these virtual influencers intentionally make it look like they're "blowing up" or whatever but you would be hard pressed to actually find anyone in real life who would know what the heck these things are. Heck, *I've* never heard of *any* of these virtual influences outside of Jarvis's videos.

[@Samhams]

@@stop-- ik but they might just try to blow up the internet

[@blessedcocoa5729]

@@stop-- I've ever heard of this till this video, cause I haven't watched him in a while.

[@DarkOmicron]

@@Samhams Blow up the internet? Are you 12? You can't just blow up the internet, if it worked that way, China would have done it decades ago already.

[@touch_tone_telephone347]

They say its so groundbreaking as if miku hasn’t been around since 2007 lol

[@cicadathegod8277]

There’s already been a virtual kpop star for years her name is SeeU. She’s a Vocaloid and has been used in advertising for over 10 years

[@nerdymooncat4210]

Vtubers exist, why can't we stop having new bad virtual influencers that try to copy Vocaloid? 💀

[@unofficialmajima617]

both are bad

[@MsMvsc]

vocaloids aren't the same as vtubers or virtual influencers, at all

[@ShrooMIR05]

Vtubers are essentially a streamer so yep

[@feedesylvestre3200]

@@MsMvsc And did they say that both are the same?

[@oakleyves]

i have no problem with vtubers but i also don’t watch them . they’re not doing anything wrong so there’s no reason to hate on them even if they’re not your thing

[@krymsn884]

As a bay native and a kpop stan Ive been wanting E40 to collab w a kpop group or soloist but.....not like this man...never like this.

[@sigh824]

Rip

[@loganpraz2566]

7:31 I hope fucking not these people are ridiculous to keep supporting this and treating them like real humans these virtual people are getting rights way faster than anyone has in this country

[@sem9546]

there's something about Jarvis' sponsor segments that just make me watch the whole ad, he always sounds so genuine when reviewing the product get that bag Jarvis!!

[@ihrtsza]

the outfit, the braids, the edges..everything about that is literally cultural appropriation. Im not surpised another "virtual influencer" who culture appropriates is here 😭

[@cryaboutit7499]

Watch them do something racially insensitive towards black people. I’ve noticed that with CA in kpop, the racism follows on😭

[@zizi6538]

Mfers can't be original to save their lives litteraly all they do is recycle shit Africa Americans have already done but rebrand it as "trendy" I'm not even AA but even I notice

[@gahyeonsgf2685]

hey they made it accurate to actual kpop idols!

[@bitter_sweet_sorry119]

@@gahyeonsgf2685 LMAOOOO

[@deltasaves]

I really liked all of Apoki's stuff until this West swing era. Not only was the song not good at all, but then the visual. Like there's a way to pay homage to the 90s new jack swing sound and the fashion without doing what I felt had crossed a line into appropriation. I won't even speak on E40s trash flow.

[@minikawildflower]

Love how Jarvis is now the lead reporter on virtual influencers

[@ot9twicee117]

Fr 😭

[@admiralmeow3161]

i never hear anything about virtual influencers. only time i hear about them its from jarvis, only way i can digest the cringe of virtual influencers

[@gamermonkey153]

All this virtual influencer stuff feels like the problem is them being literal industry plants built in some office not the fact that there virtual and the fact that there acting like this is revolutionary when it so clearly isn’t

[@clairedeluneee]

So I listen to a lot of Korean music, and on Spotify I get recommended a ton of Korean artists that I've never heard of before; sometimes I want to look into an artist more and save more of their music, and sometimes I'm content with the one song or album I've found from them. As soon as you mentioned APOKI, I thought the name sounded familiar. Looked in my liked songs and there was "Get It Out" by APOKI, and I really enjoy this song. Had no idea the artist was a virtual singer (although that is far from new in K-Pop), but whoever is voicing APOKI on "Get It Out" has a really nice voice! Also turns out that quite a few Korean commenters believed APOKI to be voiced by a runner-up from a season of "The Voice: Korea" almost ten years ago; if it's actually her, that'd be some crazy detective work

[@silverlu8085]

Omg it's so frustrating that these news people treat these made up characters like they're real

[@MlNORlTY]

APOKI is a real woman though. She sings and dances while her body and face are motion captured and applied to the 3D model in real time. The same for her 2 backup dancers, they're all real women behind the models.

[@DarkOmicron]

@@MlNORlTY People don't care, most people still have caveman brains and can't understand nuances like that. They see something animated so it must be purely that, people forget the amount of hard work and effort that goes into such projects because they are too caught up in their "eat the rich" tunnel vision and attack anything corporations do or back.

[@iOysterZ]

since the last two videos i started playing a Hatsune Miku DS game, and holy shit it’s so fun, the music is so good, and i have so much more respect for vocaloids than ever. i’d hate for someone to confuse them with these fake v-tuber animations.

[@whyteboywasted]

was it project mirai / mirai dx? cuz if so then agreed cuz I have dx and it's SOOO fun

[@0xD1CE]

Haha yeah Mitchie M made a lot of good songs for that game.

[@axuwu6939]

I just got the game a few days ago, I need to go play it now to cleanse my eyes and soul after seeing these “virtual influencers”

[@iOysterZ]

@@whyteboywasted Project Mirai DX for the 3DS!

[@cottagecoregoth5481]

Have been a fan of miku since elementary. I’m now in college.. literally all her games go hard af and since she’s virtual and kind of just a blank canvas she can be whatever anyone wants which is probably why people like her so much. These corporations miss the mark by making these new v-tuber like idols by already setting in stone what they are like, their hobbies, how they dress, how they talk. Miku? You can put her in anything, have her sing any gene and you still know it’s her. She’s someone you can put yourself in in a sense as she can be this gothic, hard rock singer or this cute pop style idol. Idk I love her so much sorry for the rant 💀

[@shiachan32]

I refuse to acknowledge them as kpop stars 😂 been in this shit since ‘03, these 3D OCs are not kpop stars 😂😂😂

[@joedyisonfire4903]

As a kpop stan, none of us want this. Part of the appeal of idols is their interactions with fans, and this totally depersonalises it. Also the songs are bad.

[@idkbabesidk]

I know for a fact that the kpop stans are going to rip her apart 💀

[@_kpopclown_]

We absolutely will😭 To clarify: I was joking. I don’t care all that much for her.

[@jayzfan2001]

twitter is going to eat her alive

[@noodroid6736]

she's been around for a while, apparently. she's also done some tiktoks with some groups lately. shes a novelty rn, she'll disappear into the land of Nugu-dom soon.

[@unofficialmajima617]

@@_kpopclown_ L

[@honestival]

as a kpop fan, I love her and will support her. She's got to dance with other kpop idols.

[@shadowroxili123]

the uncanny valley comes from the realistic body with /mostly/ realistic proportions doing mocaped dances that just has a big fat expressionless anime rabbit chibi girl head just plopped on top without any tweaks to make them fit. it looks kinda like those (kinda creepy) anime cosplays where they wear a fake anime head with the character’s face on it

[@nman551]

It’s creeping me out fr

[@avs.12_]

words of a kpop fan i guess: in kpop land we don't mind Apoki, we see her as a avatar for the real artist and it works because she is a soloist, she has this song "get it out" which she promoted on music shows (like real idol do), that's all i know her for... dO NOT get me started on Superkind though, they do that "he is an ai" play and it's so embarrassing, also the cringey comments from people going "he is so handsomeee i wish he was realll" or worse "i totally thought he was real like i had no idea wooww", but most importantly, the fake member gets more lines than the other dudes💀 but at least they do make content for these two, because then we got Aespa and their æ-members that don't do nothing... i mean, if you're going to do smth weird at least take yourself seriously 🗿 virtual people are a thing in kpop since K/DA, i fully blame league of legends for all this. also i noticed kpop artists tend to cover songs as similar to the original as possible, idk why, it might be a culture thing (bc they're into respecting seniors and elders) but it could just be that they don't want to get things wrong because they don't know the language

[@umbral_echo]

on the cover thing: i think that could be true although i also notice it in American song covers (or more broadly western i guess ^^;), I think it might also have to do with that it can be difficult often to find a balance between keeping your own style while also properly covering the original. i've seen a lot of covers that do try to do it differently end up with a lot of negative feedback because people wanted/expected it to be close/same as the original. one example of an k-pop idol that has tried it and faced some of that kind of feedback is Kim Hongjoong's cover of Space Oddity by David Bowie- at first it seemed there was quite a bit of negative comments who didn't like that it was recreated in the different format and style from the original and that he had added his own verses onto it. There's mostly positive feedback on that video now, even from older fans of David Bowie. anyway, that might play a large part in why people (especially k-pop idols who already face crazy intense pressure) would often steer away from experimenting with song covers. There's many people who don't like change or what's unfamiliar to them (and those song covers that change something familiar to them to something different would thusly make them also new and unfamiliar), so i could see that kind of thinking leading to backlash/harsh comments.

[@krissydiggs]

The one thing I have a hard time with about K-pop… they copy a lot LOT of black media and culture but rarely interact, collaborate or even acknowledge the black artists that laid the path for it. Especially with the feelings some Korean people have a bout black people.

[@februerik]

7:02 "she realised her dream" *SHE'S NOT REAL, WHAT DREAM??*

[@Fad1220]

I think the difference between apoki and other virtual influencers is that she wants to be animated while also hiding her identity, (because we know how the press is and their stalking). She isn't being as weird as the other virtual influencers. Her design could be better tbh.

[@talb.1805]

I don't understand so you're saying apoki is a singer and the bunny thing is an avatar she chose for herself to hide her face? bc I was sure this entire thing was carefully cultivated by a cooperation

[@Fad1220]

@@talb.1805 It's the kpop industry sure but i do think she had some say in her avatar. She is definitely an idol, she does TikTok dances with real people but instead of seeing her, we see her avatar, honestly some of the fakes shadows are more obviously fake than others. It's like a vtuber idol except professional and run by a company that also manages other idols.

[@talb.1805]

@@Fad1220 I still don't understand so theres a real apoki person? Who chose to have an avatar?

[@Fad1220]

@@talb.1805 Yes, she even has a little talk show called Talky Tokki where she jokes around a lot with her backup bunnies. But ofc the set is also animated. I feel like it would be a hassle to do all the movements if someone wasn't doing them.

[@mooggroog]

Ty for covering these virtual artists because no one else I follow is talking about them! 😭

[@chuuyuz]

4:25 how dare they disrespect kpop

[@gildedpeahen876]

A lot of instances of appropriation *could* be considered homage but when u take into account how openly racist Korea is towards black people, this is NOT an homage this is 100% appropriation.

[@kokorobread5243]

It's not gonna stop either. K-pop is relatively new and if you look back to the people who started it they admit they basically took from black American and Jamaican culture. They weren't tryna hide it either. Quite obvious to us black folk

[@gildedpeahen876]

@@kokorobread5243 as Paul Mooney said, “the black American man is the most imitated on this planet” I think he meant man like human bc it obviously goes for black women too. Style, music, attitudes, FASHION … there is so much black inspiration-but if it isn’t acknowledged, inspiration turns to appropriation.

[@favour911]

oh nah, Apoki's music is actually okay 😭 I like to think this is the way of the singer behind her voice doing what she wants without the draw backs of regular kpop artists. People should give "Get It Out" a chance because she's pretty cute and all things considered, she's far from the worst virtual artist. Her recent career moves haven't been great but it makes me sad all her past work is erased because of this (sadly, extremely common) cultural mistake.

[@deltasaves]

This west swing era just seems poorly thought out and executed. It took me a while to listen to this particular song and watch the music video. As someone who grew up through the '90s listening to New Jack swing, I was horribly disappointed with the song. They really had a chance to represent that era in the '90s so well and dropped the ball

[@smwatertasteslikewater]

Are you deaf?

[@jt8594]

😐

[@Toy_freddyofficial1]

Hatsune miku better

[@45juushi]

there's this one kpop boy group called superkind that has just one virtual member and the rest are just like. normal people and when i tell you it's the most awkward thing i've ever seen

[@himignicest1571]

like im just gonna say, i literally adore this virtual influencer so much just on an eye-level, like sometimes i just wanna enjoy somee good animation schmack and not have to think about cOrPoRaLiZaTiOn and cOnTrOvErSy.

[@Ari180_RE]

So for the background on Apoki: 아뽀키 started out as a cover channel for Kpop songs where her online persona is a bunny. She started 3 years ago and got consistently good views, but I think only within the last year and a half has she gotten signed and this big. I guess she debuted recently too but the switch was odd in my opinion. She's definitely more solid than Polar but some aspects of her career isn't that favorable, such as the NFTs.

[@sugarsweetasmr]

뽀? wouldnt that make the romanization Appoki?

[@Kittysbelle]

@@sugarsweetasmr Technically, yes. But it's not uncommon for the chosen romanized name of a song or artist to not line up with the technically correct romanization: take Sunmi's Pporappippam (보라빛 밤) or IU's Ah puh (어푸)

[@Ari180_RE]

@@Kittysbelle Correct. Romanization of Korean gets really tricky going from Hangul to Latin script since English just doesn't contain the same sort of sounds that Korean does. I believe the 뽀 comes across as a "stronger" 'p' that makes up 'Apoki'. Though I'm still an intermediate learner.

[@VonderfulVal]

You ever seen KDA?? Its a virtual kpop group made specifically for league of legends . Tbh their song Pop stars is amazing and the art and graphics are incredible.

[@DanasGoneCrazy]

I was a fan of apoki when they first started. when I saw the way they made her look this latest comeback I was made incredibly uncomfortable. she has a great voice but I couldn't get behind the cultural appropriation. Edit2: I also couldn't get behind the nft and metaverse shit. (Edit1: I'm a Kpop fan, so unfortunately I'm aware that this is common in Kpop...)

[@waz-cav0]

The whole reason VOCALOIDs and UTAUloids were (and are) so appealing is the space for community contribution. Miku was just a mascot for a vocal synth, and it was the community that formed around the software that made her a star.

[@milkemoments1366]

In all technicality we had SeeU and Uni as Korean virtual singers in the form of Korean voice banks before the whole k-pop wave even started (Ik there was a huge thing with SeeU's BC but ik those two are like the most known)

[@makeda6530]

Gosh, I loved SeeU before I fell off Vocaloids years ago. Her song ‘Alone’ is still one of my all time favorite vocaloid somgs.

[@milkmatcha3698]

specifically they're just mascot for audio tools and never marketed as an virtual idol in the first place.

[@mskittygemma]

Happy to see that someone mentioned SeeU and UNI. These two are technically the OG of virtual Korean singers.

[@yourlocalasshole352]

@@milkmatcha3698 no SeeU had concerts and even bts members were her back up dancers before they were a group 😭

[@vanillaamai4506]

I actually kinda like her, I mean, at least she's not a blatant Miku copycat and they made her more unique, but she's still uncanny valley cause her body proportions are too realistic for her stylized anime bunny face

[@Gfreak250]

Jarvis has gone from talking about software engineering and coding, to talking about troom-troom, 5 minute crafts, Love Island, Darr Mann and now virtual K-Pop stars in the span of a few years and that's why I'm subscribed. You just never know what direction he'll go in next.

[@monbebechicken]

the only thing i know about apoki is that she has been on youtube for a while...pretty sure she started out as a cover only channel; but appropriation in kpop is, omg as a kpop lover, hella normalized its insane

[@karkatvantas1482]

Watch, there’s gonna be a virtual influencer house

[@lutherabrahams3617]

I first read this as "horse" and I clicked like.. I'm not taking it back now.

[@maloo538]

I don’t understand why companies dont just make animated videos instead if doing whatever this is

[@Greg3706]

I love the canine skin rug, it really adds a lot of personality to the room

[@araminata]

when jarvis finds out kpop has been trying to actively test like metaverse additions to their groups 😭😭