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unpopular vocaloid opinion: the pressure to depict Hatsune Miku and other VOCALOID "characters" only within art styles readable as "anime" is detrimental to the creative freedom+diversity that VOCALOID culture encourages and diminishes the value of visual art within the community
anime is still legitimate art and the term encompasses a broad variety of "styles," but time and time again i see an artist depicts Miku in a way that deviates from the representational spectacle+beauty anime is usually concerned with and people imply their Miku is 'ugly'
like the limited edition concert posters from Miku Expo 2016 were shat on and sold poorly because Miku looked "western" and "not cute, it's not anime style." i feel like people FORGET this is that Miku Expo official concert art looked like originally
VOCALOID, as far as the musical arts portion of the phenomenon is concerned, is no stranger to EXTREMELY obscure and experimental genres, or blend elements of a variety of genres together to create "unique sound." experimentation in the visual arts should be encouraged too.
I understand there are concerns of whitewashing and cultural appropriation, and those concerns should be heard and respected. It's a messy topic sure, and made even messier in the context of a socio-cultural-technological arts scene, but it shouldn't go unaddressed.
But I also feel more people need to understand that Hatsune Miku is a real-world transnational media+arts icon more than she is a "fictional character" all things considered (as in, she functions more as a cultural phenomenon than she does a piece of intellectual property).
those last few works are some of the more "experimental" (or ARGUABLY """non-anime""") depictions of Miku i could remember and track down, so. i hope you sort of get what i mean?
"psychedelic" wasnt just music genre, it was visual arts genre too. experimentation and "obscure" depiction shouldnt be relegated to just music, i want to see it across visual arts, the over-reliance on "anime" in the VOCALOID community limits that and i think it's unfortunate
VOCALOID isnt just about music. VOCALOID works are more often than not AUDIOVISUAL in presentation. PVs. music videos. there is a sonic component AND a visual component simultaneously and imo? each is just as important.
when i say "Rolling Girl" you think about black+white, a battered girl holding up her hand, two speakers. when i say "Matryoshka" you think about yellow, hoodies with faces on them, and pointing gloved hands.
the visual aspect is key in the impact of these works and regardless of whether or not it's "official" or "unofficial" work, it forms collective memory and cultural legacy and i hope that's powerful enough for you to understand why visual art in VOCALOID needs to be valued
