It’s been a long time coming, but the first wave of NIJISANJI’s English-language virtual YouTubers are finally here!
Initial auditions were actually held all the way back in December, but we didn’t hear anything about the project for a while… until now. Yesterday evening, it was announced via the official Twitter account that the first three members of NIJISANJI EN will debut as part of a group: named LazuLight, their designs appear to be themed around various aspects of mythology.
Here are your first three members of NIJISANJI EN first generation: Elira Pendora, described as a ‘Solar Sky Dragon’ who has the ‘kindness and receptiveness that makes the light of a sunny day fall equally on all.’ Then there’s Pomu Rainpuff, a ‘Forest Fairy’ who is ‘supple like a flower in the breeze, cheerful and optimistic.’ And finally, we have Finana Ryugu, a ‘Tropical Mermaid’ who is said to have ‘a heart as clear and pure as the calm and beautiful sea.’
All three personalities will debut this weekend as part of a special program on the official NIJISANJI English YouTube channel, alongside a music video for their debut single ‘Diamond City Lights.’ Given that it will be produced by famed utaite singer Mafumafu, this is an uncharacteristically high-profile initiation for a company that usually debuts several personalities per month without much fanfare.
Taking a look at the company’s strategy as a whole, it’s clear from recent moves that NIJISANJI is serious about capturing the English-language VTuber market. Just last week, they launched a new 3D anime series called Chokosanji: not insignificantly, each episode is also subtitled and available in English. As a result, English-speaking fans can now get to know the company’s personalities better than before without having to worry about the language barrier.
Undoubtedly, the long-awaited debut of NIJISANJI EN first generation is just one more part of this, and the company is right to think that there are serious gains to make in the English-language space: the phenomenal success of Hololive EN proves this.
Make sure to tune into the debut this weekend!