It’s every streamer’s dream…a flood of purely positive comments!
As easy as professional YouTubers make it seem, the job can come with hours of preparation, research, and practice—plus the determination to keep going even through the rough patches. New streamers may find this out the hard way when they start up their recording software for the first time and stream to an empty audience, where they realize that keeping up an engaging patter is hard enough when no one is watching…and extra hard when people are.
Whether you dream of YouTube stardom or just have a passing interest in how it might feel, a new line of gachapon from capsule toy company Bright Link provides a risk-free way to give yourself the confidence boost of a popular live-streamer with none of the risks. The line is titled “Fan’s Mirror” (Fan no Kagami, a reference to the term fan no kagami which uses a different kanji and means “a fan that sets a great example to other fans”).
▼ There are five different designs in the set and it costs 300 yen (US$3.65) to receive one at random.
We had to purchase some for ourselves so that we could share them with you. You see, while these may look like typical gachapon, they have a special feature…
▼ Though considering the name of the line, we’re sure you already know what it is.
Each one has a tiny mirror, with a special design printed on the top. Peeking closer you can see that the frame contains an all-too-familiar red view bar, function buttons, and volume control. The little icon at the top right of the mirror, which indicates that a streamer is on the air right now, is familiar too.
And look, lined up next to the stream… Comments! They’re vague in nature but all enthusiastic and full of support.
▼ “Wub you!” “Can’t get enough!” “A pleasure for the eyes!” “So smart!” “I’m hyped!” “You’re a god on Earth!”
Can you imagine receiving so much adulation in one live stream? We certainly couldn’t. We had to step away from the mirror altogether, too shy to accept the spotlight. We granted it to Pennywise the Clown instead, who seemed like he could use the good press more than we would anyway.
▼ Pennywise: “I wub you too!”
With human tastes being as diverse and inexplicable as they are, we feel confident in saying that no streamer in the world receives such constant positive praise as shown on this mirror. What a sweet balm this is for the ego!
This second design that we won feels a bit more in-line with a certain Japanese broadcasting service, famous for its streams of user-submitted comments that scroll over the content as it plays. These are similarly enthusiastic, featuring common netslang compliments like “Here it is―――(ﾟ∀ﾟ)――――!!”, “sooo cute lololol”, “I love it all already”, and “well, aren’t you just an angel?” The final compliment might be a bit too enthusiastic for some: “I’m so happy to be alive at the same time as you are.”
▼ Pennywise: “Unfortunately, you may not be alive for much longer if we meet. LOL!”
The final design we received had a vertical design rather than a horizontal one, instantly summoning to mind a certain social media app that primarily uses vertical photographs and limitless scrolling.
This one depicts a stream from said app, with the likes flowing in from 7,530 active viewers. Three comments adorn the bottom of your screen: “Cuuuute!”, “Where’d you get that outfit?”, and “That hairstyle looks WAY too good on you.”
The idea of streaming and receiving so much attention with zero negative comments is almost too lovely to bear. With all the emphasis put on success in social media by today’s society, perhaps these gachapon might help you to feel a little better about not being a super famous YouTube influencer. Or relieved? Maybe just relieved.
▼ The other two designs star “not-Facebook Live” and a YouTube stream where viewers send you money.
The actual product is very, very, small, and thus makes it a bit difficult—if not impossible—to effectively capture your own face within its tiny borders. Still, reading all those sweet comments makes for a fun little pick-me-up, and you can always snap some streamer shots with your favorite horror movie figurines as we did here. Keep an eye out for them at a capsule machine near you, and remember to like and subscribe!
Related: Bright Link
Images © SoraNews24
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[ Read in Japanese ]