How Has Miku Influenced Society? By Stryger

Early in 2004, a certain Japanese corporation called Yamaha released a brand new product unlike anything the world has ever seen before (technically). It was the beginning of a line of voice-synthesizing engines we know today as Vocaloids. These products suffered from a rough start, they sold well in Japan, but not so much overseas. A dramatic change occurred in mid-2007 with the release of Vocaloid 2, and with it, Hatsune Miku by Crypton Future Media. Since then, the its popularity has been rising steadily across the world. But how, exactly, did this software influence society?

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As with every other softwares out there, a vital part of the product is its community, and Vocaloids has a very passionate one. Some estimates say that at least one Vocaloid song is published daily, be it an original song or a fan-made cover. As a result, there are thousands of Vocaloid songs out there. But that is not all, it is common to see people dressing up as Vocaloid characters in anime-related conventions too. In fact, it is guaranteed that you will meet at least 2 Vocaloid characters for every convention.

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The popularity of the Vocaloids also has a big influence on businesses too. Many new Vocaloids are being released annually, such as the recent Hatsune Miku V4X. There are numerous Vocaloid merchandise too, ranging from T-shirts to figurines and even mobile phones. Many different companies have also used Vocaloids to advertise their own products such as Domino’s Pizza and Toyota.

Concert

Finally, there is Crypton’s own highly popular Vocaloid concert: Magical Mirai. Magical Mirai has been a large-scale event held in Japan annually since 2013, it features a live concert and many booths featuring Vocaloid-related products such as the upcoming Hatsune Miku Live Concert VR and smart-dolls. Crypton also prepared many different things for each Magical Mirai such as all the different Hatsune Miku designs and a life-size figure of each design.

The introduction of Vocaloids has changed society in some ways like its passionate community, the business opportunities it offers, as well as the live concerts. Its invention might not have changed the world in a big way, but it succeeded in changing the world of many individuals, for better or worse. At least, that’s my conclusion, what do you think?

Sources:

[Featured Image] 星空のメロディ

[2] Ofclboxart cfm Hatsune Miku.jpg

[3] Vocaloid Group Cosplay – Miku Cosplay Project