ETi is a Magical Invader from space, and is the first virtual idol with AI capabilities! She's here to fill our hearts with melody and song.
ANNOUNCEMENT:
ETi's latest concert has been postponed due to threats and harrassment of the star.
Updates to follow...
★*~ETi's Official Profile~*★
☆Name: Magical Invader Virtual
Angel ETi
☆Age: 18 years old (5700 star
years)
☆Birthday: 22nd October
☆Star Sign: Libra
☆Height: 5'6
☆Weight: 124lb
SCROLL DOWN to read:
“It’s Scary and I Don’t Like it”:
The use of Sexism and Marketing in the Vocaloid Community
Latest Posts:
バーチャルエンジェル
エチちゃん
ETi's Favourites
Reviews
The star spikes were so helpful for kicking away a nasty stalker I had a while back! Thank you!!!!
★★★★★
The pins look really cute on my bag <3<3<3
★★★★☆
I bought the concert wand but the batteries died really quickly and the customer support sucks >:(
★★☆☆☆
I accidentally sprayed the pepper spray in my eyes and it stings like hell but at least I know it works
★★☆☆☆
Tired of not being able to go to ETi's performances? Do you ever wish you could spend time with your favourite virtual idol?
Buy our new DIY Idol Kit!
Coming out in time for Christmas
Pre Order Now
LB283382
Lydia Brown 601
2020
For this essay I will be exploring the ways in which the Vocaloid community uses sexism in combination with marketing to sell their product. Vocaloid is a voice synthesiser software that was popularised in Japan, and while it is extremely niche in its market audience, it became a worldwide phenomenon with the release of Hatsune Miku in 2007 (Okada, 2008). In its community it holds a group of people with similar interests who can share their creations and explore their taste in music and art. I became part of the community in my early teens, and it affected how I perceived myself as a young woman, as Miku’s image as an icon can often be found used in a suggestive and sexualised manner. In this essay I will investigate the idol industry and subculture in the East, using journals, articles and other books I have read on the subject. There lies a lot of sexism in this community, and it is important to debate how it impacts not just the audience, but the art itself. The aim of this essay is to discuss whether it is morally correct to represent teenage characters in suggestive contexts or poses, and the effect it has on the audience.
Vocaloid is a synthesising software that was made to allow music producers to create music even if they were not able to afford human voices for their projects.
The most recognisable vocaloid is Hatsune Miku: her pigtails and blue hair have become iconic to her look in the last decade. However, the program itself has origins prior to Miku’s initial release in 2007, with Vocaloid being in production as far back as 2003 (Werde, 2003).
The software began as a means of professional musical production within the industry, with the aim for it to be used as backing singers to accompany human vocals. Available for just $200, it was more affordable than hiring human voices.
Vocaloid was first developed at Pompeu University in Spain and was backed and funded by Yamaha Corporation. The project was known as ‘Daisy’, in reference to Bell Labs’ and their IBM 704 project that had a computer sing Daisy Bell. Their technology was very primitive compared to what is possible these days but was still incredibly ahead of its time. To make the program sing lyrics, phonetic samples are placed as notes on a midi keyboard. These samples are known as CV, CVVC, CVC voicebanks (Consonant-Vowel). This provides the voicebank to have a realistic, human feel to them. These days, many Vocaloids come with a variety of voicebanks to imitate different emotions for more effective singing and enjoyability.
Hatsune Miku is a character that is very appealing to a subculture in Japan known as ‘Otaku’, also known by the masses as geeky anime boys who prefer the company of 2D anime girls to real people and women. Those who know about this subculture in the east will know about Otaku’s fascination with images of young girls. This started with the ‘lolicon’ boom in the 70s and 80s. Lolicon comes from ‘Lolita’ and ‘Complex’, and is used to describe a fascination with young girls. (Galbraith, 2019, p22)
While the entire country does not share the same views as Otaku’s and is limited to a small percentage of people, this does have a significant effect on marketing, and similarly to sexism and how this affects women in the east (See ``Appendix A). In this statistic we can see the significant amount of money that Otaku’s spend on their favorite pastime. Idols being the most popular. It is also important to note that the survey was limited to respondents 15 to 69 years, and while that does not imply much at first, we can see that it means a fair amount of older Otaku’s spend money on merchandise relating to young girls.
The problem with idol culture and Otaku’s can be extreme, and the number of reported crimes related to young women being stalked and harassed has increased by 10,000 in the last decade (Otake, 2016). Despite this, the authorities still do not take these claims seriously and more often than not, this will end with a stabbing or some variety of harassment (Al Jazeera English, 2014).
As humans, we are drawn to faces through our natural instinct (McCloud, 1993). Despite Miku being a fictional character, she played an important role in the life of many people in the Vocaloid community - myself included. Apart from her appearance, Miku is a blank slate and this makes her an ideal outlet for many creatives to express themselves through song and art, however the implications of this means that Miku is often used as a tool to take advantage of a young girl's image without any criminal ramifications.
To explore this, I conducted a survey based on the box art of various Vocaloid characters. I am interested in the use of anthropomorphism that was carefully created to sell a product that was originally made for professional production, that instead led to a community of fans who adore the characters and assign personalities and traits to. It is such a niche product, yet it ended up with such a large fanbase. Many articles and journals have explored what makes Miku so captivating to many, and I want to explore the possible connection to many isolated cases such as idol stabbings.
While I do have a cultural bias, it’s not as if here in the west we are much better. We still have reports of many singers being targeted by fans and being stalked, such as Richard Lopez, who tried to kill singer Bjork after learning she was dating a man, and then killing himself (Hutt, 1996). This is merely to highlight the effect it has on young women in the idol industry in the east- specifically Japan.
-
Many people, even without knowing what Vocaloid is, at least recognise Miku’s character design. She has become very popular just for her look, rather than just the music generated from her software by producers. As she is a blank slate with no personality, the audience can decide how to use her image as they wish. She has been used across all sorts of media and merchandise, including race cars and her own set of video games known as Project Diva, a rhythm game with a dedicated fanbase (SEGA, 2020).
The first Vocaloids produced - Lola and Leon - were based on the vocals of a black Caribbean soul singer, and were presented at the International Music Products Association conference in Anaheim, California in January 2003 (Werde, B. 2003). Unsurprisingly, while the technology was considered amazing, the product did not sell well. This can be attributed to the marketing, the cover art and use of mascots, also that not using human singers can be off-putting to a general audience.
Vocaloid became a phenomenon with the release of Hatsune Miku with Vocaloid2, an updated version of the original software.
Hatsune Miku was released with her character design created by artist KEI. Her look was inspired by Yamaha’s DX7 synthesiser, released in 1983. Her sweet and cute anime appearance was key to her success. Miku has gone on to sell thousands of units, concerts, commercials and video games since her creation (Okada, 2008).
As Miku is a blank slate, we can often view ourselves as Miku. McCloud (1993, Pg. 36) theorised that as humans, we are made to find faces from abstract shapes through instinct. This comes from our days as hunters and gatherers, where we would need good face recognition skills to protect ourselves from predators. When it comes to media such as anime and comics, we like to find ourselves in the characters. Cartoon characters can be heavily relatable, this in part is due to the fact many cartoons use a simple style as it can be easier to draw and animate in. This simplicity allows our brain to view the cartoon as ourselves (McCloud, 1993). If we relate this to how we use Miku, a sweet anime girl with little to no distinctive facial features, we can see how she can be used as an outlet to express our feelings and identity. She becomes us and allows the music producer to experience little to no judgement from the audience because she becomes the viewer as well. She lets us become anonymous but understood.
A popular Vocaloid producer in the community, known as Wowaka, produced a number of iconic songs in the Vocaloid fan base. A notable example being Rollin’ Girl, a song about dealing with depression while also trying to recover and overcome having a mental illness. Wowaka unfortunately died suddenly on the 5th of April in 2019 (Strawhun, 2019). Wowaka is fondly remembered and has been paid tribute to in many Miku Expo concerts since his passing. While it is unfortunate that he died so young, his work is a reminder that there is someone out there who understands how you feel inside. Rollin’ Girl is also a good example of how Miku is used as an outlet, as she does not exist, she can be used as a cover for the producer to express themselves. The song is iconic to the Vocaloid community, and fans still express their admiration to Wowaka on his YouTube channel. “We're rolling for you, Wowaka. We still missing you.” - a comment left by user An Avocado! Thanks! On Wowaka’s YouTube channel (Wowaka, 2017). His work lets many fans escape from their lives and personal struggles, and to feel like they belong in a community with others who understand how they feel.
On the other hand, a character design that is drawn in a detailed and more realistic way is seen as a separate entity by the brain, and therefore different from us, and its own being (McCloud, 1993). The manga artist KEI was chosen to design Hatsune Miku. “I chose KEI because I was fascinated by the transparent style" (Mr. Sasaki, 2008).To sell a product such as Vocaloid, character design is very important, and needs to be considered carefully. There are currently a few dozen Vocaloids that have been for sale over the years.
Her futuristic design is very captivating but also cute, it draws in the viewer before they even understand what the software is used for. Miku’s appearance brought the software a whole new level of success and Vocaloid became a worldwide phenomenon. Despite there being anime cover art for earlier Vocaloids such as KAITO and MEIKO (released in 2006 and 2004), they brought in a relatively small number of sales compared to Miku, who brought in a whole different level of success and started a new trend in the last decade (Okada, 2008).
To see how people react based solely on the box art for the product, I conducted a short survey (See Appendix B) asking for the opinions of people on the cover art for various Vocaloids, including V1 Lola, V2 Hatsune Miku and V2 Sonika. As software, Lola sold poorly (Okada, 2008), and I was not surprised to see why: Lola’s art uses a stock image of real human lips (See Appendix B). All respondents to the survey were not interested in buying her based only on her cover. Some comments left included that it made them uncomfortable, and that at first thought they viewed the product as something sexual. They cannot be blamed seeing the product as such, for lips can be viewed as being suggestive.
Opinions on Sonika were more positive, although her cover uses a more realistic (but still stylised) illustration, so many people were turned off by the design: “The miku cause it wasnt [sic] a gross 3d rendering or some gross lips”, instead opting for Hatsune Miku instead. Many felt like Miku looked more accessible as a product; her sweet look is calming and makes her appear to be more user friendly: “[Miku], looks cute and seems more accessible” I found this a fairly interesting observation, as I had not previously considered that a friendly character design could make someone believe a product is easier to use. Obviously character design is important, but I believed more people would want to know how Miku’s voice sounds and if it fits their music taste before buying her just based solely on her character design.
Looking deeper into how we see Miku as an Idol in her own right, she can seem very real to some people, and many fans dedicate an enormous amount of time just celebrating Vocaloids. Some may see this as weird or disgusting behaviour, as Nakamori infamously wrote about during the Lolicon boom (Galbraith, 2019), but it isn’t much different from how most people consume celebrity media such as the Kardashians, or any other singer or social media influencer.
However, the life of an ‘Otaku’ can sometimes be more extreme than just clicking the follow button on your favourite celebrities’ Twitter page.
Otaku does not have a direct English translation, or agreed upon meaning, but is commonly used in English to mean anime nerd or geek. A stereotype is that otakus are lonely men who are unsuccessful with women and therefore stick to worshipping their favourite 2D anime women. In Japan, Otaku was coined around the 1980s with the Lolicon boom.
Many men read manga magazines made for young girls as a way to escape toxic masculinity. Around the time that the lolicon boom was in full swing, many manga made for men were about macho, Rambo-style manga characters who fought the war and won the girl. As access to alternative media was difficult in the 70s compared to the present, men who weren’t interested in this type of manga escaped to women’s manga for comfort (Galbraith, 2019).
Girl’s manga let them come to terms with enjoying cute or feminine things, as opposed to the usual manga aimed at the male audience. It was also used by the Japanese queer community to read love stories between men. It allowed them to explore their sexuality in a safe and personal way, as gay love stories are not uncommon in girl’s manga (Galbraith, 2019).
While this community started off with humble beginnings, it did launch an empire of ‘Lolicons’ – controversially also known as paedophiles. Lolicons comes from ‘Lolita-complex’, or a fascination for young girls. The boom of lolicons allowed for more men to openly express their attraction, not only to cute things, but also young girls. It acted as a gateway for men to prey on young girls. In many manga magazines, fans asked for less photography of real women in favour of illustrated girls. (Galbraith, 2019)
“They can’t even talk to real women … they gravitate toward idol singers that don’t really appeal as women” (Nakamori, 1983)
The appeal of Hatsune Miku to subcultures such as Otakus can be boiled down to sexism and the fascination with young girls, and the inability of many otakus to speak to real women (Galbraith, 2019) . Black discussed (2006, Fibre Culture Journal FCJ-054) that the separation of a voice from a body - or lack of one, creates an ideal woman in the eyes of many. Miku encompasses many features that are considered very appealing to straight men in Japanese society: she is ultra-feminine, slim and young. Miku is consistent - she doesn’t talk back at you, she doesn’t disagree with your opinions, and she doesn’t age. The fact she is presented as a young woman is what many men are interested in, as in Japan, innocence is what a lot of men desire (Al Jazeera English, 2014). This can be compared to a deranged sexualised view of virginity in the eyes of many. For many Otakus who struggle with talking to real women, a robotic one is a happy alternative. You don’t need to worry about her dating other men or celebrities because she isn’t real. You’re free to imagine what a life with her would be like if you could date her, without fear of being rejected simply because she can’t reject you. She is the perfect woman and ideal girlfriend to many Otaku (Galbraith, 2019).
-
It could seem a farfetched claim to some, to say that Miku's design perpetuates the idea that a woman is only commercially viable if she appeals to a male audience. However, her success and popularity amongst men would suggest this to be true. However, the head of Yamaha Corporation said, "It's raw when it's taken live-action. It's Japan, and I think it's better to have an anime-like appearance." (President Ito, Okada 2008) As Ito was discussing the failures of Lola and Leon, it is important to remember the theory discussed by McCloud (1993) The lack of human features can make this product feel very alien and creepy. This idea was also reflected in my survey, with responses saying that they felt the images were uncomfortably sexual.
Yamaha did try to fix this marketing issue when they began developing Japanese voicebanks. A couple of Vocaloids were released with anime characters on their box art before Miku, but they failed to draw the same level of success. MEIKO and KAITO had anime characters on their cover, but they were not meant to be an official mascot for the product;the characters were simply being used to try and appeal to a wider audience. The number of sales dwindled, and was considered a failure (Okada, 2008) MEIKO, a mature female voicebank, initially sold 3000 units as of 2004, which was a decent amount at the time. KAITO, however, the male vocaloid, failed as a product - only selling 500 units in 2006. MEIKO and KAITO both slowly began to draw more interest from fans after 2007, when the Miku phenomenon rapidly spread across Japan and subsequently across the globe (Okada, 2008).
Yamaha knew from here they needed to step up with Vocaloid2 and put more emphasis on the character design (Okada, 2008) . Many ‘idols’ in Japan are young women and often dress in cute and feminine clothing, and Miku’s design potentially reflects the view of idol groups and their appearance at the time in the mid 2000s (VICE News, 2015).
In Japan, many young girls often have after school jobs in the JK business (Joushi Kousei/School Girl) where they put on pop shows for men dressed in extremely feminine costumes, often looking like real-life anime characters (VICE News, 2015). After the show, the fans can pay to spend time with the girls and take a polaroid with them. While this sounds relatively innocent at first, it is more disturbing when you realise the men who come to see them are much older than they are and could possibly be their father’s age. I believe that this is wrong on many levels. Older men should not be queueing up to watch young girls sing and dance. It has gross pedophillic implications underneath the surface. I personally would not want to find out that any men in my family were going out to young idols. I see it as morally wrong.
JK girls are often from venerable backgrounds and tough family situations. Many see this as a way to earn extra money but can often become exploited. The businesses these girls go into are very sketchy and more than likely fronts for human trafficking (VICE News, 2015).
Japan as a society, treats women very poorly and is one of the most sexist societies in a developed country (Otake, T 2016). Cases of stalking and domestic abuse are commonplace, but are seen as very shameful, so many victims do not come forward with their stories to the proper authorities. Often, Japanese police will make the stalker sign a letter promising to not continue stalking the victim. This is in no way a punishment in the slightest (VICE News, 2015).
A man, known only by the name of Hiro, spoke about his attitude towards his wife in an interview that exemplifies, to me, the issues with sexism in Japan. that he viewed his wife as his property, and that he grew increasingly angry after she asked for a divorce. The rage he felt from the idea of his wife leaving him for another man drove him to seek to kill her (Al Jazeera, 2014). Fortunately, this was not the case and he received medical help. While this is a more pleasant end to Hiro’s story, many victims are not so lucky. In 2014, a JK pop idol group called AKB48 - one of the world’s largest pop groups, with over 100 members - had a handshake event, where fans can meet and talk to their favourite idols (Agence France-Presse in Tokyo, 2014). A deranged fan attempted to murder a member with a handsaw. While no one was killed, two girls in the group were seriously injured - the members being only 18 and 19 respectively. The mental shock of the attack led one of the victims to leave AKB48, because she could not recover from the trauma.
Due to the nature of the men who follow the band, many attackers feel that the members have ‘wronged’ them or betrayed the group for having personal lives and romantic pursuits (Otake, T 2016). In contracts, some idols are even banned from dating to keep the fantasy alive for fans.
The implication of this is that they are not allowed to be their own person, or to explore their own needs and wants. This really reflects the attitude towards women in Japan. It highlights Japan as one of the most sexist societies in the developed world. Women are not respected (VICE News, 2015).
Fortunately, I was not able to find any crimes or attacks made due to any Vocaloid characters, the only event of note being an Otaku marrying a Miku plush toy in a non-legally binding ceremony. If you look at the way the girls in AKB48 are treated, they are almost treated exactly the same as Miku. They are more of an item and a commodity than their own person. You do not see the idols outside of their work or in casual attire (See Figure 1, of idol Kyary Pamyu Pamyu on stage), they are not even supposed to talk publicly about their personal lives. They are there to provide an ideal life and woman for you, she is meant to serve you.
Looking at what Miku wears, it is clear to see a connection, bright, colourful but striking outfits. The original illustrator who designed Miku is artist KEI, who draws in a very stereotypical manga style with big eyes and bold colours.
If you look at Fig. 2 (KEI, 2008), Miku is not overtly sexualised as you may have been led to believe while reading this essay. On a surface level she looks quite innocent, and rightly so, as her official character profile states she is 16 years old (Piapro, 2020). She is also wearing what appears to be a futuristic school uniform, complete with mini skirt and school tie.She may not be a real girl, but it does not make it any less disturbing that she is sexualised even when she is portrayed as a minor. As a fan of Vocaloid, I enjoy Hatsune Miku and the media that comes from the community, but I will still make the argument that it is peculiar to have Miku’s image be used in a sexual way. While Fig. 2 is comparatively tame, Fig. 3 is more suggestive. Miku is drawn in a suggestive pose, blushing and is turning away from the viewer.
Knowing that Miku is technically a minor, the art becomes a lot more uncomfortable and controversial. The artist KEI would have also been an adult at the time this was made, and of course this is not suggesting that KEI harbours any sexual feelings or desires towards the character (or towards young girls in general). My point is more that in the East- specifically Japan, this is seen as a normal way to portray teenagers in the media (VICE, News 2015). Of course this is not true for the whole of Japan. It is at least considered normal while walking down the streets of Akihabara - the JK business hub.
This illustration and the JK industry give us a view into the lives of idols in Japan. Fortunately, we do not have to worry about Miku’s safety because she is not real. It does not really matter if she gets sexualised by the people that draw her because she does not have any feelings on the subject, and she never will. This does not mean it is ok, as it will normalise how people view young girls. Normalising the sexualisation of minors will also warp how men view girls and expect them to act. The real idols do have feelings, but they are not allowed to say anything about it, or they risk losing their jobs and reputation. Being in the idol industry is a dangerous way to make a living behind the scenes, and the exploitation of these girls needs to be known by the public (VICE News, 2015).
-
To reflect my research in my practical work, I decided to play around with the program UTAU during the summer of 2020. UTAU is a free software that is essentially the same as Vocaloid, but allows the user to download other people’s voicebanks and to make their own. You can make your own songs and post them on the internet for others to enjoy.
The voicebanks in UTAU are of a lower standard to Vocaloid, but with practice, you can make something of quality.
Making a voicebank is not the easiest thing in the world, and it takes a long time to record phonetic samples and edit them to be used in UTAU. It is a long and difficult process as I have personally experienced with making my own voicebank with the software.
After giving it a good run, I decided to move my attention to the character designs of many voicebanks. There is a certain look to Vocaloids which could be described as robotic and futuristic - part of Miku’s iconic look are her hair, boots and sleeves. You do notice when you look at a lot of “Fanloids” (fan-made Vocaloids and UTAUloids) that they use Miku’s design as a starting point, often encompassing the same features in their designs.
When creating my own character for my practical element, I did not want to just make a Hatsune Miku recolour. I was interested in creating a parody character, commenting on how idols are treated and viewed by the communities that follow them. Being a fan of Vocaloid from a young age, I know the community fairly well, so I felt that I was in a good position to make critical commentary on the issues that exist within Vocaloid and Idol culture. To avoid making my character look too much like Miku, I went in a different direction and made my character based on retro space and sci-fi, inspired by how Miku is based on androids and synthesisers. My character is called ETi (pronounced Eh-tee), like E.T., but more feminine to fit her cute aesthetic which typically appeals to the idol audience.
I have been interested in how women in the eastern idol industry are treated, after reading about some pop group members who had to apologise for having romantic relationships. This would anger fans so much that one idol even shaved her head in remorse (BBC, 2013). It is horrific and disgusting how this is normal to treat women in the Japanese idol business. Over here in the west, we are not exactly innocent either, with ‘call-out’ culture on the rise and making celebrities accountable if they do not publicly share their views on any given subject, personal drama or political.
To explore this, and the sexism involved in the Japanese Idol industry, I portrayed ETi as an android to express how idols are not seen as women, but as a fantasy to comment on the illusion of an ideal woman as portrayed in the Idol industry, but to also humanise Vocaloid characters. In one of my pieces, you can just see her as a decapitated head being held by a silhouette. She has wires coming out of her neck to make it look creepy because it would be worse if she was a real person. I was originally going to include a box of parts in the illustration, so it would look more like a DIY idol kit, but I left it out last minute because I felt it made it look more suspicious and up to interpretation. Is he just a fan building an idol, or is he a deranged fan who stole part of her body to keep all for himself? It is up to the viewer.
I did really enjoy creating the practical work while researching for my essay. I liked putting a sinister twist, contrasting the cuteness of the illustrations with the serious topics, and this is something I like bringing into my practice. I did a bit of self-reflection and came to the conclusion that this project has really helped me express my frustration with cuteness and femininity, and with how the male gaze often exploits this way of expressing yourself as a woman - cuteness is often sexualised and taken advantage of. Personally, I feel like I have been demeaned many times for my appearance or perceived ‘softness’ as a woman, or looked down upon for my fondness for cute things which in my experience is looked down upon by society.
-
Throughout my research and practical exploration of my essay, I believed I already knew a fair amount about Vocaloid and its use of marketing due to being part of the community for so long. I thought I had a clear idea of where I wanted my project to go but it completely changed during my writing stages. Before embarking on this project, I had not fully considered why I like to draw cute things with a hint of creepiness behind it. Making the practical work for this project helped me realise how much of what I draw is really just me venting my frustrations on the treatment of women in the industry. Being able to display the sinister dark side to communities like Vocaloid I feel is key to preventing any more children being harmed by older members of the fanbase. I do feel like the way I perceived myself was affected by how many people in the community use Hatsune Miku’s image.I do feel like it is not said enough that the way a woman’s image in illustration and media such as Vocaloid still has an effect on a person’s self-esteem and it is not acknowledged enough. The representation of Vocaloid idols can also have harmful effects on men, as it gives them a warped idea of how a woman is supposed to act.
If there was anything I could have done better with my practical work it definitely would have been the amount of outcomes I was able to produce. I was so caught up in my research and writing I found it hard to sit down and experiment fully with my ideas. Due to the time constraints, I stuck with gouache and collaging. These are the mediums I enjoy using most, and what I am most comfortable working with. I am pleased with the few pieces I was able to make in the time I was given for this project, and do not regret deciding to focus on what I am best at. I feel like the work I made was at a high standard because I enjoyed the subject matter.
As for my primary research, I was able to find what I was looking for in my survey. I grew accustomed to Vocaloids at a young age so I do not find them particularly disturbing like other people do. Getting that insight into how people who are not part of the community I feel was an eye opener for me. The responses collected were significant to the aspect of my writing, and how I proceeded to continue my research. I personally believe that the sexism in Japan was key to the success of Vocaloids like Hatsune Miku, along with the theory McCloud (1993, p. 36) discussed, with simple facial features in character design fuelling the fantasy that Miku could possibly be their girlfriend or lover if she was real. Like all humans, we all have our individual desires and needs. Personally, I do not believe it to be acceptable to draw teenage characters in suggestive poses and mannerisms, whether or not anyone agrees with me will not matter, as it is not easy to change a person’s perspective on this issue, no matter how I feel about it. Nevertheless, this need should not be fulfilled by harming young girls in the process, and should have never existed in the first place.
“It’s Scary and I Don’t Like it”:
The use of Sexism and Marketing in the Vocaloid Community
Word Count: 5499
Lydia Ann Brown
LB283382
Appendicies
Appendix A
Appendix B
Bibliography
Agence France-Presse in Tokyo (2014) ‘Japanese girl band AKB48 attacked with a saw at fan event’ The Guardian (26th May) Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/26/japanese-girl-band-members-attacked-saw-fan-event (Accessed: 16th November 2020)
Al Jazeera English (2014) ‘Japan’s Stalking Crisis | 101 East’ Youtube (18th December) Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehbNJoxhkG8&list=PLX7vNIv8l1czwyUZf67k1dydyfi9y9Aup&index=1&t=663s&ab_channel=AlJazeeraEnglish (Accessed at 12th November 2020)
Black, D (2006) ‘Digital Bodies and Disembodied Voices: Virtual Idols and the Virtualised Body’ Fibre Culture Journal Issue 9, FCJ-054. Available at: http://nine.fibreculturejournal.org/fcj-054-digital-bodies-and-disembodied-voices-virtual-idols-and-the-virtualised-body/ (Accessed: 3rd November 2020)
BBC (2013) ‘AKB48 pop star shaves head after breaking band rules’ (1st February) Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21299324 (Accessed 3rd December 2020)
Galbraith, P W. (2019) ‘Otaku and the Struggle for Imagination in Japan’ UK: Duke University Press
Hutt, K (1996) ‘Man Obsessed With Bjork Mails her Chemical Propellant, Kills Himself’ AP News. Available at: https://apnews.com/article/9be12ef9e8342984673ea498d21d1a30 (Accessed: 3rd December 2020)
Otake, T (2016) ‘Is Japan waking up to the menace of stalking?’ Japan Times (10th September) Available at: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/09/10/national/social-issues/japan-waking-menace-stalking/ (Accessed 12th October 2020)
Piapro (2020) ‘Hatsune Miku and Piapro Characters’ Available at: https://piapro.net/intl/en_character.html (Accessed 23rd November)
Radovic, S. (2008) ‘First Computer to sing – Daisy Bell’ Youtube, (9th December). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41U78QP8nBk&ab_channel=SlavenRadovic ( Accessed 10th October 2020)
SEGA (2020) ‘Hatsune Miku Project Diva: Mega Mix’ Available at: https://miku.sega.com/megamix/ (Accessed 3rd December 2020)
Statista (2018) ‘Average annual amount spent per otaku (geek) on fandom merchandise in Japan as of October 2018, by category’ Statista (October 23rd 2020) Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/692686/japan-otaku-spending-on-fan-goods-by-category/ (Accessed 3rd December 2020)
A, Strawhun (2019) ‘Remembering A Vocaloid Legend Behind Some Of The Best Hatsune Miku Songs’ Kotaku (4th September) Available at: https://kotaku.com/remembering-a-vocaloid-legend-behind-some-of-the-best-h-1833912736 (Accessed 23rd November)
Thesupermat (2012) ‘Kyary Pamyu Pamyu en concert à Japan expo 2012’ Available at: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Japan_Expo_2012_-_Kyary_Pamyu_Pamyu_-_002.jpg (Accessed: 3rd December 2020)
Kenmochi, H. (2010): ‘VOCALOID and Hatsune Miku phenomenon in Japan’, In InterSinging-2010, 1-4.
Kei, G (2008) ‘KEI Garou: KEI’s Gallery’ Tokyo: BNN, Inc.
Nakamori, Akio. (1989) ‘Boku ga ‘Otaku’ no Nazukeoya ni Natta Jijou.’ Otaku no Hon, edited by Ishi’I Shinji, Tokyo: JICC shuppankyoku
McCloud, S. (1993) Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. New York: Harper Collins Publishers.
VICE News (2015) ‘Schoolgirls for Sale in Japan’ Youtube (20th July) Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NcIGBKXMOE&ab_channel=VICENews (Accessed 12th November 2020)
Werde, B. (2003) ‘MUSIC; Could I Get That Song in Elvis, Please?’, New York Times (23rd November) Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/23/arts/music-could-i-get-that-song-in-elvis-please.html?pagewanted=print (Accessed October 10th 2020)
Wowaka (2017) ‘wowaka 『ローリンガール』feat. 初音ミク / wowaka - Rollin Girl (Official Video) ft. Hatsune Miku’ Youtube (5th September) Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnw8zURAxkU&ab_channel=%E3%83%92%E3%83%88%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A8%2Fwowaka (Accessed 23rd November)
Yuka, O (2008) ‘Hatsune Miku opens the “door of creation” (1/2)’ IT Media News, (25th February) Available at: https://www.itmedia.co.jp/news/articles/0802/25/news017.html (Accessed 12th October 2020)
Yuka, O (2008) ‘Until “Hatsune Miku” is made (2/2)’ IT Media News, (22nd February) Available at: https://www.itmedia.co.jp/news/articles/0802/22/news013_2.html (Accessed 12th October 2020)
Yuka, O (2008) ‘Until “Hatsune Miku” is made (1/2)’ IT Media News, (22nd February) Available at: https://www.itmedia.co.jp/news/articles/0802/22/news013.html (Accessed 12th October 2020)
Zoladz, L. (2014) ‘Hatsune Miku Is a Piece of Software. She May Also be the Future of Music’, New York Vulture (14th November) Available at: https://www.vulture.com/2014/11/hatsune-miku-the-future-of-music.html (Accessed October 10th 2020)