Why Does Hoshimachi Suisei's Design Work? [VTuber Design Deep Dive]

[@MATTierial]

Fantastic video! I'm glad you looked at this with an objective eye. Suisei is one of the few corporate vtubers that focus on the idol aspect of the vtuber genre the most. She's not a Shark Girl, or a Dog Girl, or a Pirate... she's an Idol. She doesn't have a Trident, or a Pirate hat to help her silhouette stand out, she has to do it with idol specific imagery. So, because of that, I'm okay with the crown. Like you said, Simple and Elegant in a huge theme in her design! Now... i'm going to talk about how the subjective affects the objective design 😅 Let's be honest, she's certainly grown into the crown motif! Just about everyone in the industry looks up to her as one of the greatest singers/performers and a fantastic representative for both idols and vtubers alike. And her story is SO inspiring for anyone that has ever had a dream. There's something royal about rising above it all to be one of the giants of the medium. Becoming the destination that so many new creators strive to imitate. Ultimately, I think the best thing about Suisei's design is that it's hers! She came up with this concept by herself when she had no one helping her or supporting her dreams. It's the pure expression of who she wanted to become and the dream she made a reality through hard work and dedication. I'm SO glad that Hololive let her keep that identity, and gave her the tools, resources, and support to refine that dream into the incredible person she has become! Anyway... I have strong feelings about Suisei... rant over, thank you for coming to my Ted Talk 😅 This was an AWESOME video!

[@kimacid7618]

For me, suisei's design reminds me of a uniform of a high class school somewhere in europe. Which is why I like to imagine watson and her hanging out

[@YamAlbat]

While doing research on idol fashion for this video I learned that the type of tartan uniform Suisei wears is actually based on the school uniforms in the UK, more specifically Scotland! I found that pretty neat!

[@kimacid7618]

@@YamAlbat That's cool yam, somehow I think I remember an old anime based in Europe that's why I commented that, anyway I love how you analyze their design. I'm a new subscriber. Keep it up🙂

[@YamAlbat]

Wow thank you so much! I really appreciate the support~♡

[@ZenovazCh]

What a fun and insightful criticism video. I really think Suisei design is really simple yet really effective. From her first sight we can clearly see "she's an idol" and we know what to expect. goddess sing voice , an elegant performance, a psychopath persona... Wait that one isn't right...

[@YamAlbat]

Thank you! I was honestly a bit nervous uploading this one. I hoped I was being fair. In my research for this video I watched "The Story of Hoshimachi Suisei" and I actually started crying from how much her story touched my heart. After that it was hard to say that there's ANY flaws in anything related to Suisei! I stuck with it though, because I want to learn from the experts on VTuber design~☆

[@ZenovazCh]

@@YamAlbat Ikr She followed her dream and it became true working so hard for it too. And I'm just saying Don't be nervous sharing your opinion. You doing research and sharing your thoughts that's a fair criticism.

[@cybertygerva]

Wow, I don't have a critical eye for design, but this deep dive is exciting. And the scoring criteria are fun too XD

[@YamAlbat]

Thank you Cyber!

[@r1ppl3_13]

suiseis deisgn just gives that sense of elegance of a shining star, just like what shes based on. i love it

[@YamAlbat]

I love it too! This video was just an excuse to geek out about suisei... I admit it!

[@Spyduck]

I think one more interesting aspect, that's outside of the box of design, would be pioneer's advantage. I can't say for sure how many idol-like vtubers existed at the end of 2019 when she got the Hololive re-design for her outfit, but I still think she's got the advantage in this field - simply because Vtubers of any kind lean towards a few common themes - mythical, animalistic, fashion (of various subculture themes), or mainstream Japanese anime style. The appearance of idol designs are still exceeding rare despite youtube algorithms randomly showing me new vtuber channels for nearly 3 years straight. And despite the continuing vtuber boom, design choices are still leaning towards the amalgamation of the above themes I mentioned - and almost no other vtuber we know to date have "idol" as their primary design besides herself and AZKi.

[@YamAlbat]

Very great point! Honestly, I believe you’re right! When I think of idol vtuber, I still think of suisei first, even though many more have come after her. Thank you for your analysis!

[@benpurcell4935]

At least 7 either current or for VTubers were idol like prior to the end of 2019. I don’t know if you count vsingers so I excluded them.

[@MuddiedProphet]

This was a great and very natural feeling follow up to your previous video, 'What Makes a VTuber Design Memorable?'. As always, it blows my mind how much effort and time you had to have poured into your research for the video, particularly well-highlighted in the Unique Visual Identity section where you circled all the similarities between her and other VTuber designs. I mean, geez, that would have been a lot of time spent staring at different designs and comparing! While appealing to look at all around, I found myself feeling a bit more disappointed with the Top Half of the design because of the majority of the (in my eyes) standout components being in the lower half of the design. I really love everything that was colored that royal deep blue and would have loved to see more of that in the top of the design! Although, as you said, it doesn't matter so much since she does dance performances where you can see the entirety of her model. As you rated her for, I would also have really loved more interesting and easily standout-ish clothing design silhouette pieces on her torso area! Even though I have a slightly different personal opinion in that one section of the review and recognize that how I feel is entirely subjective, I felt this review was incredibly fair and all in amazing taste! It didn't come across as biased, whilst being respectful and that makes me appreciate it! I don't really know much in general about the big name VTubers so don't feel like I can make a request on who I want to see next, and yet, I'm really looking forward to how you will surprise us with further looks at different designs~ Thanks for another fantastic video!

[@YamAlbat]

Thank you for your insight! I totally agree that Suisei could use more of the gorgeous royal blue elements in the top half of her design! It's the highlight of such an outfit. I love how Teshima Nari was able to get all those patterned fabrics to mesh together somehow!

[@grinnazeed]

Do more of this so take your time! I prefer if you can do Calli's design since she's Suisei's partner.

[@YamAlbat]

Calli is a good reccomendation! Thank you~☆ These videos do take longer with the amount of research I put into them but I hope the wait for each one is worth it!

[@solpport4276]

This is a really cool video! As a loyal hoshiyomi, I think you nailed the important parts of her design! I would love to see an analysis on Shiki Miyoshino, since her design color palette is quite gorgeous and she has a very memorable design!

[@laethinfowler2317]

I liked the way you did this, and I agree it's hard to stay unbiased after knowing her whole story, but you did a good job! I would love to see Ollie's design next, I honestly think its pretty close to perfect under these criteria, and I would love to see you break it down!

[@YamAlbat]

I can't wait to get to Ollie!!! She's gonna be a hard score to beat

[@laethinfowler2317]

@@YamAlbat Agreed!

[@audreyboogy]

Wow so insightful, you are so good at articulating the details of of the VTuber designs!

[@YamAlbat]

Thank you!

[@amdrandom]

Really interesting video! I think this is a nice niche that I haven't seen yet. Of course, a lot of people might have reviewed vtuber designs. However, this format of having some objectivity guidelines and scoring system is pretty new to me. Thanks for the review!

[@YamAlbat]

Thank you! I hope that these guidelines I've set make it easier to stay consistent and objective as I continue the series! I've wanted to do this series for a long time but the scoring criteria took about 6 months of research to finalize!

[@okasch.8412]

Dang this is more than I've ever thought about color and shape 😳 Very informative! ty for this I have much to think about~

[@YamAlbat]

Glad you enjoyed it! I love going in depth~☆

[@YamAlbat]

thank you for the reccomendations!!!

[@gokbay3057]

Hmm, while I agree that she leans into idol fashion, which impacts her unique visual identity score I personally would probably still give her a 5 or 6 there rather than a 4. While the elements may not be individually unique I think they combine to form a relatively unique, recognizable and iconic whole. 1:52 Also the star on her kneesock and necktie come from the older model (the one on the right) where it is on the skirt and the thighhighs. I think my own ranking (doing my best to remove the "Suisei is perfection" bias I have) would be (thought of course I am in no way actually trained in art, and it is mostly in line with your ranking with two exceptions as I think you judged her fairly and made your points well.) Silhouette 07 Top half concentration 08 Colour 10 Clarity 08 Unique visual identity 05-06 Total 38-39/50

[@YamAlbat]

Thank you for taking the time to leave your own analysis here! Also very good catch with the kneesock and necktie! Overall I agree with your own ranking of Suisei too! It all depends on perspective. Personally I'm quite strict with the unique visual identity category just because I have some other VTubers who do it well in mind to compare Suisei to. But I agree that the combination of her features are unique!

[@neeevirus]

fun fact, teshima nari also designed the characters from the relatively recently finished Girls Band Cry series!

[@YamAlbat]

Oh dang! That’s pretty cool~ thanks for sharing!

[@レオ-s9m4o]

Very insightful and interesting. I have saw multiple videos commenting on vtuber's model, but this is a great one.

[@YamAlbat]

Thank you! I love doing these detailed breakdowns!

[@takodachi8283]

I love your voice and your videos, and these reviews are so useful. Thanks for your hard work, Yam sensei.

[@yukikahoney]

7:41 the one with the yellow item on shoulder is lize helesta from nijisanji a vtuber group

[@YamAlbat]

Thanks for mentioning that!

[@caitiesith]

Loved this deep dive! She's not a VTuber I keep up with so it was really cool hearing all the little details of her outfit - it definitely pinged on the 'school uniform' radar for me as a Scottish person, though I don't think I've ever seen a uniform that pretty or intricate IRL.

[@AltheaGray24]

i would love to see a kind of video series of this! im not sure who i would want next, i still dont know alot of vtubers. maybe peko? i really love her design. the carrots in her hair is such a great idea!

[@dognationgaming172]

Suisei is the one that dreams and actually reaches it.

[@centurion911]

I would love to see a deep dive on Vox Akuma's design for Nijisanji. Not only is his design praised universally overall, but his absolute explosion in popularity along with Luxiem means it will almost assuredly inspire artists to pull from his design.

[@YamAlbat]

I’ve already got the script half written 👀 LAM is a wonderful VTuber designer. She’s done Ollie and Vox and many other amazing designs

[@raimerina111]

@@YamAlbat do u still plan on making videos like this? or have u abandoned the idea?

[@YamAlbat]

Hi thank you! @@raimerina111 I have continued this series via livestreams! You can check it out on the Live tab on my channel!

[@raimerina111]

@@YamAlbat are u referring to VODs? cuz i can only find the holo myth and irys ones and no vox or nijisanji ones. can u pls provide me the link or maybe the title of the stream or the date(how long ago?) cuz i can't find the live vod

[@YamAlbat]

Yea the holo myth one is the only one ive gotten published so far... unfortunately I am in youtube jail right now, so we will have to wait to continue the series until youtube releases me :( I appreciate your interest, and I will get through all of hololive and nijisanji EN someday! @@raimerina111

[@ShikikanZer0]

Would love to see a review on her SiC outfit

[@acutelilmint8035]

Another good aspect is u can instantly link a colour

[@yuuschzhie8822]

I'd agree that when put to score, it's not unique. I'd also say though that the design simplicity in itself is an extension of this sort of "confidence statement" that the overall design exudes which is accentuated by the colour choice. It complements her strong singing very well. I don't really know how else to describe it other than this sort of "I know I will always stand out" sort of aesthetic focusing that has to be matched by the person wielding it. I don't think the crown part is quite royalty, the miniature-angled-side-crown thing is an idol design element that I see quite a lot.

[@YamAlbat]

Thanks for adding your own analysis ☺️

[@spleenrippasgubbinz2178]

Interesting analysis, and while I agree with the point that her idol theme acts like a double-edged sword (easily recognizable as one, but very saturated market in asia), can't say I agree with your example of a good Unique Visual Identity. Beast-persons are probably the single most overused character design in vtubing, anime/manga and mobile gaming combined so unless they have something extra (like Pekora's hair carrots) that really catches the eye, I personally consider beast vtubers an automatic fail in that category.

[@YamAlbat]

Thank you for your contribution! I see where you're coming from!

[@TheLordPolar]

I think Vienna would be a great next breakdown.

[@passivenootmare2253]

I thought suesei's design reminded me of a star detective because of the patterns on her clothing and yellow complimentary color.

[@mayuravirus6134]

Because she made it herself all this time and she was or is still the only exception COVER allows her to make it herself

[@YamAlbat]

Thanks for the comment! Suisei truly is Cover's exception in many ways yes!

[@ikr9358]

Since you asked... there are plenty of amazing designs out there in and out of Hololive, but I would like to request a video about Aki Rosenthal, since she's my oshi. I would really like to hear your thoughts precisely because I honestly think her design is a relatively weak one.

[@YamAlbat]

Weak design oshi club! Id love to do Aki, because even though she isn't the strongest design, she's definitely got her own charm. Honestly I believe the earlier holomems were designed on the safer side as 1) VTubers weren't widespread so they wanted a very wide appeal with each talent, which ended up giving them a more generic appearance and 2) The technology was still new so the designers definitely played it safe and didn't want to push the boundaries too hard! For that reason I always want to celebrate them for being trailblazers first, and then take apart their designs second~☆

[@shinkenneth]

At least she got the short and long hair thing going on which I've never seen before. Glad to see there are fans though.

[@YamAlbat]

@@shinkenneth Agreed! I like her hair!!

[@ikr9358]

@@shinkenneth Her hair pods really are wonderful, but they aren't something a person really notices on first glance. I wish they'd do more with them; I once saw a fanart that had a single one done as a ponytail which was really cute.

[@sihiau]

in my opinion, i wouldve rounded it up a little bit and give her a 40 out of 10 but this video is great though so cant complain

[@YamAlbat]

Thanks!

[@YourRyeBread]

😭 Suisei's name in auto captioning

[@williamadiputra2850]

what about irys? her design put me off at first, but idk why i have come to like it. but maybe it's because her personality.

[@YamAlbat]

I've wanted to talk about irys for a while now! I'm considering holding off until her "big change" occurs so that I may compare and contrast the two designs.

[@Ucj334esd]

SAME, Now I just see it as adorable

[@MysteryMedia2001]

Well we’ve had a hololive member, so if you continue this design series why not cover a nijisanji member next. I imagine someone from en like selen, elira, or mysta would give you some talking points. And if you wanted to go to vshojo I would love to see you cover ironmouse or zentraya

[@YamAlbat]

Yes! I plan to alternate between hololive, niji, vshojo, and show some of the smaller agencies some love too! Thank you for the suggestion~☆ I thought about doing Ironmouse but it'd be so hard to pick which model to use, I may have to structure her video a bit different than everyone else's!

[@alfianfahmi5430]

Here's a joke : If you want boing-boing Suisei, go to Azur Lane and get St. Louis 😂🤣

[@YamAlbat]

🤭 how clever. Thank you for your comment!

[@lexi1337-r6s]

Not trying to be mean but you are in no position to rate the design of anyone if you are using your current model....

[@takazo7158]

Suipiss

[@dragoxphere3341]

What is wrong with you?

[@laethinfowler2317]

@@dragoxphere3341 there always has to be one

[@karoAps]

no

[@gokbay3057]

Not the place

[@Ucj334esd]

Nice try, but wrong sub.

[@Aniian_n]

This is story about all Ukrainian vtubers. Usually, we all doing our vtubers (from model design to rigg) just ourselves, and dreaming about muchmoney investor for our models 😂🥲

[@Aniian_n]

i have a big problem with my redesign right now, and your video give me much more information to thinking, thank you!

[@YamAlbat]

Models turn out a bit more personal and fulfilling when you do them yourself! Warm wishes of success to you and all ukrainian VTubers!

[@Aniian_n]

@@YamAlbat Thank you so much! 😘

[@workernetZX]

That was pretty good 🙂👍 Hope to see Salome someday

[@YamAlbat]

SALOME! now that's a great suggestion!