Hololive VTuber viewers are a unique breed of anime enthusiasts who, in their spare time, are either creating impressive community content or fantasizing over the last time their favorite virtual idol sneezed. They occupy an exotic realm of the anime cyber-society where a VTuber’s curious guttural noise or bizarre vocal utterance can become a viral phenomenon. Our newest contender is the affectionate phrase, “Hi, Honey!”—two words by which every moe lover now dreams their sweetheart will use to greet them.
The expression saw liftoff after VTuber Suisei from Hololive’s 0th gen echoed the phrase during one of her Duolingo streams. For those unfamiliar, Hololive JP members will often broadcast themselves casually studying and practicing English. In this particular lesson, the context was a son revealing to his mom that he had recently gotten married. However, before his son could say anything, his (surprise) wife enters the scene, greeting her husband with a pleasant “Hi, Honey!” Of course, Suisei saw this as the opportune moment to bestow on her viewers the most blissful “Hi, Honey!” a virtual anime goddess could conjure up. The ‘thirsty’ fans swooned over these brief few seconds of fanservice, spreading the clip across the Hololive community’s media in no time.
Other Hololive members caught wind of Suisei and her honeyed words and collectively contributed their own versions of “Hi, Honey!”
These kinds of “shared impromptu memes” are the essence of Hololive Production and other VTubers alike. As previously mentioned in our brief introduction of Hololive, this collaborative spirit of the members is what fuels the vibrant energy within their lively fanbase. The moments a virtual talent makes a whimsical joke, comical remark, or even display of lewd behavior is what makes them so down-to-earth and enjoyable. Fans want to see their anime influencers as less like “divine idols” and more like themselves, playful albeit genuine human beings.
Hi, Honey ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
— 星街すいせい☄️ホロライブ0期生 (@suisei_hosimati) April 23, 2021
As cliche as this “Hi, Honey!” situation might appear within the VTuber community, Suisei has shown that even an activity as ordinary and mundane as studying a foreign language can unfold into an entertaining viral sensation. Do you follow Suisei or any other members of Hololive? What are your thoughts on how VTubers specializes in making the ordinary comical or exciting? Let us know in the comments!