VTubing has cemented itself as one of the emergent forms of storytelling this decade. First capturing the hearts of Japanese audiences in the late 2010’s, it was the debut of hololive English Myth in 2020 that turned VTubing into a global sensation.
Among the members of Myth was Ninomae Ina’nis. Through her VTuber activities, you get a sense of her personality — both as a streamer and as a tentacle-controlling member of the occult. Recently, fans saw a new side of Ina in her second original song, “MECONOPSIS.”
In contrast to her energetic genmates, Ina was reserved and shrouded by the mystery of the Ancient Ones. Who was Ina when she joined hololive, and how has her story taken shape?
Find out how the lovecraftian VTuber took control over her own journey through storytelling, collaboration, and self discovery in our interview below.
In the world of VTubing, you can be anything you want. From being a time traveling detective to a rapping reaper, the only limit is your imagination and creativity. Many people around the world know you exclusively as Ninomae Ina’nis. How does it feel to be the lovecraftian priestess of hololive Myth? How does your personality shine through your many different outfits?
When I first debuted, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to convey being the priestess of the Ancient Ones very well, but… I think having a very big gap between being the priestess of the Ancient Ones versus being the laid-back floor-loving hermit ended up working out pretty well!
I mean, no wonder the world isn’t destroyed yet — the priestess is busy rolling around on the floor! I think having an amazing papa [Kuroboshi Kouhaku] who is a genius at coming up with outfits that fits not only my visuals but also personality really helped me feel more confident in my streaming activities too.
Through music, you build upon the lore surrounding Ninomae Ina’nis. “VIOLET” explores the origin of Ina the priestess who then breaks away from her duties in “MECONOPSIS.” Similarly, your cover songs explore self-contained stories of their own. What inspires your narrative? How does it reflect your personal journey as a VTuber?
I feel like music is a very powerful tool to tell a story, and it becomes even more effective when paired together with visuals! For example, I’ve always been fond of Vocaloid songs that have their own narrative. They branch out from just being “music,” and into a “story.” Being able to try this with my own originals or cover songs has been super fun!
I also really enjoy seeing fans try to decipher the story being told in the songs/visuals! Sometimes their ideas give me ideas for other projects!
In the words of M2U, “Music is an excellent tool for conveying emotions, telling stories, and connecting people.” Through your own music, you have brought together many talented creators to tell the story of Ninomae Ina’nis. “MECONOPSIS” is certainly no exception. What was the inspiration behind the song? What is it like to work with M2U?
For “MECONOPSIS,” I wanted a complete opposite, a darker themed song compared to my first song “VIOLET.” I really wanted a melodic yet powerful song that could convey the imagery I had in mind for the song. I have been a big fan of M2U-san for many years and have always loved his style of music, so it was a big honor to have gotten to work with him on “MECONOPSIS!”
The lyrical work of WUNDER RiKU tapped into your love of otaku music, and was filled to the brim with word play. Building on your mastery of puns, the chorus even opens with a powerful “INAFF.” What parts of Ninomae Ina’nis did you want to express through the song? How do you feel the lyrics captured your personality?
I really like giving the creators I work with a lot of freedom with the work, and they’ve always managed to add in little bits of details that amaze me!
I wanted to express the “role” of Ninomae Ina’nis as the priestess of the Ancient Ones more with the song, and I think WUNDER RiKU did a wonderful job of unraveling the story!
There is a great conflict within Ina, where despite being the priestess of the Ancient Ones, she doesn’t want the world to be destroyed or bring sadness to those around her because of their influences. I think the lyrics really captured what sort of decisions I would make if it came down to choosing one side or the other! (Or try to, at least!)
Alongside creating the idea for “MECONOPSIS” and performing its vocals, you also drew the illustrations yourself. Compared to your first original song, “VIOLET,” “MECONOPSIS” explores a starkly different theme through a sound of its own. What challenges did you face in exploring uncharted territory? How did the lyrics and instrumentals set the stage for your illustrations?
I think when I was working on the visuals for “VIOLET,” I had a very clear vision of what the art would look like. For “MECONOPSIS,” I remember I struggled a lot to find the right inspiration for the illustrations. I definitely wanted to have an overall muted/darker atmosphere, but the details of the outfit or poses didn’t click until much later. M2U-san has an amazing, melodic style of music that gets my imagination going, but it also left me with too many options to really choose THE design. I think it really wasn’t until the lyrics were completed and music production neared completion that I finally nailed down a design for the illustrations.
The release of “MECONOPSIS” was a treacherous one, with multiple setbacks delaying its debut well past May 2023. You ended up performing the song during your Neverland Paradox live in December, ahead of its official launch. How does it feel to finally release the song? What was it like to see LUMINA’s work on the MV for the first time?
I’m really relieved and happy it’s finally released!! I remember feeling very anxious and apologetic that I couldn’t release the full song close to the first time it was performed! But after seeing it all put together, I think I’m glad we had the time to put out something everyone can be proud of!
I’ve worked with LUMINA-san before on different projects before and am always impressed with the quality and thought put into every single one.
I think the work they put into the “MECONOPSIS” MV is above and beyond any of the previous works they’ve done. I was blown away by how fast and stylish the MV was!
During a hololive Myth offcollab last year, you shared a story about almost withdrawing from the hololive audition process. How do you feel you have grown since your audition? If you could send a message to past Ina, what would it say?
For a really long time in my life, I didn’t really steer my life in a direction I wanted, but just let things happen as they went along. In the beginning, I think I had a “I’ve come this far; I’ll just go along with it until I can’t” mindset. It kind of felt like getting on a boat and just letting the water take me wherever it flows. However, interacting with other members, staff, and fans really made me realize it’s okay for me to start setting a goal and start steering my own ship towards it! There are a lot of things that I can achieve during my time in hololive that I shouldn’t be afraid of ending up going “nowhere,” since if I keep trying new things, I’ll eventually end up “somewhere”!
If I could send a message to past Ina… I’m not sure she’ll really listen! I guess the best I can tell her is to “BUCKLE UP!!!” Because I think the hardships and lessons I learned along the way was what makes me who I am today, so I wouldn’t want past Ina to miss that opportunity!
Your fans, the Takodachis, are a particularly creative bunch. Your debut rekindled their interests in hobbies like drawing. Since then, you have inspired many more to embark down a range of creative pursuits, including a yearly birthday tribute they make together. What do you think about the positive impact you have had on your community? How do you feel when you see them thrive in their creative endeavors?
I always feel so honored and happy whenever someone tells me I helped them rekindle their interests for hobbies! For me, I also grew up admiring a lot of creators and I get this warm feeling whenever I get to see someone who did the same while watching me as well. I am so happy that I could be a small part of their own journey, and I’m cheering for them as much as they cheer for me!!!
You held your official 3D showcase in February last year, but the use of your 3D model dates as far back as hololive 3rd fes. Since then, you have performed at hololive fes. every year, such as hololive’s first US concert -Connect the World-, two solo lives, and many more events! What is it like to perform on the big stage? How have your dancing lessons been going?
There was a time where I faced a really big burnout on top of having health problems and had to halt my activities for a while. I thought it would be really difficult for me to return quickly without fixing my problems, and to be honest it really wasn’t going too well at the start.
Learning that we’d be performing at fes. and then having our 3D showcases, I really didn’t want to miss the chance to do it along with the other Myth members and definitely didn’t want to keep my fans waiting longer (since our 3D showcases were delayed back for years due to different circumstances).
After reaching the studio and seeing how much the behind-the-scenes staff are passionate about their work, on top of being able to meet other members who were very enthusiastic about the work, it really rekindled my motivation and desire to resume my activities! I think without their enthusiasm, I wouldn’t have had the courage to sing and dance in front of so many people too!
World domination has been a goal since your debut in September 2020. What progress have you and your Takodachis made since then?
I chuckle whenever I hear about wild Takodachi sightings all over the world at different locations and events. Great job everyone! World domination… slowly! (But surely!)
Ninomae Ina’nis can be found on YouTube and X (formerly Twitter).
