How the Kagerou Project Changed Vocaloid 

kagerou daze: exist the whole nico nico: *why do i hear boss music*

Jin single-handedly made me a fan of IA. His songs got me into Vocaloid in the first place too.

I never get tired of Kagerou project. Like if you don’t listen to the songs for some long time and then come back to listen to them, it’s a sweet sensation. Jin really brought me into the vocaloid community.

I'll admit, 'He was so happy he got hospitalised' got a chuckle out of me.

Jin wasn't the first Vocaloid producer to use music to tell a story; mothy did that first with the Evilious Chronicles. However, while mothy does have his share of fans, Evilious was a lot less accessible due the plot's extremely convoluted nature and the heavy emphasis on horror.

Kagepro was my entire childhood

This man sounds surprisingly indifferent about the subject he's clearly passionate about. I'll give you this though; you definitely know what you're talking about, kudos.

I swear this channel is underratedly good

“he was so happy that he got hospitalized” BAHAHAHAHAH XD but yo as a huge kagepro fanatic i’m so happy and grateful you made this video. It’s not as well known in the west so I barely have anyone irl to share this passion with, and i’ve tried gettting people into it but no one ever enjoys it as much as i do. Even though you don’t have as much views, i’m sure you’ve impacted a lot of people out there and sparked a lot of interest in topics or songs you cover!

I was a Kagepro fan in 2013 when Mekakucity Records became the first Vocaloid album to ever be #1 on Oricon's weekly album ranking. Has another Vocaloid album achieved the same feat since then? (I haven't been keeping up with it) Kagepro created the market, set the trend that led to Last Note's Mikagura School Suite and HoneyWorks' Kokuhaku series to receive anime adaptations, alongside other projects that got adapted into manga and light novels. I also follow K-pop and seeing groups such as BTS or LOONA succeed partly by using the trick of having fans lose their minds over the overarching narrative of multiple MVs, years after Kagepro did it, is incredible to me. Not saying they got it from Kagepro; if anything, I'm surprised no one went as all-out as Jin earlier. It doesn't take a marketing genius to see the formula's potential... Though Jin never realized he had a gold mine before success hit him in the face! I could write entire essays on Kagepro, thank you for making this video that revived my old feelings.

i got into vocaloid when kagepro was in full swing. at the time, it was really scary and threatening - so many songs, not enough answers. i didn't watch the anime or know anything of the songs. if anything, i listened to kagerou days religiously but never thought to look into the story more. the release of the new album was what got me into the series. over the course of around two weeks i inhaled all of the content and lore. i did it when i was at a bad place in my life, and the series, its message, the characters, the songs, got me through that rough portion of my life and i'll always be grateful it did, and sad that i couldn't have gotten into it sooner. thanks for the video!

I love how jin expresses so much in each of his songs. I have yobanshi decieve as my ringtone ^_^

I think in this context you have to talk about how after kagepro EVERYONE started to make vocaloid series. Shuuen no shiori, honeyworks and a bunch more started having related songs accompanied by mangas and light novels. It kinda killed the whole genre of vocaloid in which the characters in the songs are just the vocaloids themself, how I see it

This is so cool! Im a newbie and had no idea the Kagerou project even existed! Thanks for making this! (Also, I know this series is really confusing, but could you maybe talk about the evillious chronicles??)

This is super informative! I was aware of the kagerou project but never actually heard anything about it aside from a couple of the songs in it. I wonder if Mothy’s story of evil/7deadly sins would be a topic you’d made a video over? I’d love to hear you talk about it

I remember listening to kagerou project songs for quite a while and tried reading the light novel adaptation, I was actually invested in the light novel because it takes on the happenings inside songs. It is amazing that a narrative like this can be brought out of music

If anybody is wondering...the anime isn’t worth it as a good adaptation unless you want to hear good covers of the kagerou music

Now I want to hear all of the songs again shfkhss it's been a minute since the last time I listened to all of them in order

*Laughs in the servant of evil series* What Jin did wasn't entirely unique. There were already those before him who wrote elaborate stories into their songs and engaged a varied fan base into theories, some even had light novels but never an anime. But how he produced his songs and PVs for the most part is done with quality to the point people really wanted it become an anime til it did. In a way, he saved vocaloid for a while around at a time successful vocaloid producers were leaving it. That, and also the fact that he most likely introduced us to/inspired the isekai genre with the merciless Truck-Kun

I remembered how I first got introduce to this series. Lost Time Memories was the first song that I watched. I read the comments on the video and I was curious about these characters... I mean the protag was given a name, and funnily enough, that intrigued me. Usually, the OCs in vocaloid music were the singers themselves or unnamed OCs, but this one has a full story behind it. More and more names kept popping up in the comments like Ene(which I thought was just Miku re-skinned), Ayano etc and that's when I started digging into this series. Years later and I'm still a fan. Can't wait for Mekakucity Reload

I think when talking about overarching plot lines in series of songs people always forget about mothy/akuno-p. His worldbuilding and narratives are just brilliant and he's been doing it since 2008!

I remember watching Kagerou Daze for the first time and got completely hooked with the song and then hooked on storyline of the project. This is a really interesting video and really great finding out more on how it started

Ayano's Theory of Happiness still makes my eyes water.

I was extremely into Kagerou Project back in 2013-2014, it was how I found a group of friends who I am still close to to this day. I think a lot of us saw our own struggles in the characters and the songs, and through them we were able to find each other and form really tight-knit bonds we still have nearly a decade later. I very likely would not be alive if not for them, so I am extremely grateful to Kagerou Project, and to Jin.

I remember when i first came across kagerou project, i actually had no interest in vocaloids before that. I always appreciated just how much it tells even if when you couldnt understand the lyrics. I became a big fan overtime and i have to say that kagerou project is one of my favorite series of all time. the way jin writes his characters is something i always look back and reference too. i wish people had more interest in it like it was before because the new album is so good.

Rather than all of the people saying the anime isn't worth it at all, please understand: I do not think the anime was done well, by any means. I feel as though SHAFT did not care about their project, as they were working on Nisekoi at the time- a mildly generic shoujou anime, because they knew something like that was more likely to grab the public's attention. So, that's what they dumped their budget onto. They really did Jin dirty, imo. BUT. I do still enjoy the anime, as it definitely does have its good bits. Why I said it's bad (aside from.. you know.. episode 9..) is because it was not intended for newcomers. Mekakucity actors serves as the "final timeline" of the series. A series that revolves around murder, death, and multiple timelines- each bout of media was a separate timeline. The songs mainlined one timeline as well as backstory on a lot of characters, the novels were another timeline, giving us new situations in bigger detail, and the manga showed off two separate timelines so that we understood where the loop was going. The anime, finally, served as the last timeline, in which we are supposed to have context of the previous ones, going into it. I personally had no issues with it, as I knew almost everything about Kagerou Project, I was a huge fan, but it definitely upset me that newcomers could hardly get into it properly (if at all). I wished Jin had a different animation studio do the anime, because SHAFT did him so unfairly ! This was not a story that could be fit into a measly 12 episodes with a small budget. But, Jin's writing is very good, and his music is outstanding. For any of you who are curious about other works, or what he's done recently, he's got a manga series called NIRVANA which is wonderful! It's very fun and unique, and he's doing the writing while Sayuki does the art. Sayuki did the art for the manga of Mikagura Gakuen Kimikyoku, and that's another series developed in VOCALOID that got an anime, too. The series is by Last Note., who is a wonderful producer, as well! Please give both NIRVANA and Mikagura a chance if you have the time! Also, Dai Sato (of Eureka Seven and Cowboy Bebop) has recently collaborated with Jin in Jin's new anime called LISTENERS. It's very music based, and super dystopian / mecha / steampunk ! It's a very fun watch so far, and still airing (as of this moment, at least), I highly recommend it! And lastly, don't forget- Kagerou Project is getting another anime, which will answer more questions about the kids after the events of Summertime Record ^^

I really love your work. It keeps me well informed and I'm just a new fan who joined a year ago. It honestly just surprises that me the you only have 100 subs. Your vids are so well thought out and looks like a lot of work was put in.

Kagepro gives me so much nostalgia. It’s what got me DEEP into vocaloid and not just a casual listener. This analysis is great!

i remember the day i first listened to kagerou days and i was FLOORED!! the composition of the song, the lyrics and story it told, and the implications of the cliffhanger ending just get me every time and i immediately listened to his other songs

i think one of the best things in vocaloid is the series, musics that tell an intricate history like kagerou project, like 7 deadly sins, like the series of evil and so on. i've always been in love with vocaloid series since the history itself was made out of theories from forums thet decrypted the history from it's verses. and kagerou was no exception until the making of the manga and then the anime which are awesome

The anime was probably the biggest disappointment I've ever had in my life. I loved the songs and enjoyed the manga at the time, so when the anime was announced I was extremely excited. I waited for what felt like years in anticipation (looking at the timeline I dont think it was?), but when it finally came out it just wasn't that good. The anime itself probably wasn't that bad, but the contrast with what I had been expecting just destroyed the series for me. Even now, it's always in the back of my mind when I listen to the songs, even though they're still really good.

kagerou project was a big part of my life.. thank you for covering this!!!

kagerou project was one of my first forays into niconico. when you talked about the feeling of "being okay" the nostalgia hit me like a truck. thanks for your hard work. its an absolutely unappreciated channel but you are needed and loved. thank you so much.

ah man this reminds me of being obsessed with putting together the plot with my friend

Hopes and support to Jin during his legal battle with 1st place

Keep up the great work, i have no doubt you're about to blow up in popularity!

These videos are all I’ve wanted for a while! I’ve seen so little video essays in vocaloid, from an actual full vocaloid fan, and I’m so happy you make these! One question, another series I’d see similar to kagerou is Evillious, however it’s much more complex and confusing. You should check it out if you haven’t:D

I've been a kagepro song for so long and the songs are still some of my favourites today. For anyone whos wanting to get into the story i don't reccomed the anime. The light novel/manga is definitely way better and is easy to understand

Between you and Orangestar resurfacing, my love for vocaloid shines anew!!!

Kagerou Days is literally the reason why I got into Vocaloid, it was my first time listening to any of their songs, I loved it so so much I even learned the whole song at 10 y/o lmao, I kept on listening and listening, I show the song to my mom, I can still remember that day, I would even DREAM about this song and as soon as the anime came out I just HAD to watch it, I LOVED the characters as well, yes i was really invested into all of them lmao, i swear i love this awesomeness, it's so greeaat, aaah the nostalgia ~~!! 😍🥰😭😭😂😂💜💙💚🧡❣❤💟💘💗💖💕🖤💛💞💝💓💌 Seriously thank you so so much for all these videos, I really didn't expect to FINALLY find someone who'd talk about it, thank you very very much !!! I especially liked Shintaro the guy talking about his lies (I'm not wrong am i ? It's been such a long time haha)...etc aaaah I miss it! You just made me want to go watch the anime once again and to listen to all the songs again, you made me want to invest myself into it all over again haha, I mean it's not like I stopped listening because I wanted to, I just had to...f#ck depression ! I love Vocaloids and the Utaites covers, I love all of it and I miss the times I used to listen to those songs, I miss VIPtenchou and I'm sad I couldn't be here when he left, I feel bad and guilty, I thought I'd just happily go and listen to their songs again but once I saw most of them disappeared and the channels with the lyrics translated got taken down I really couldn't help but cry, I was so sad, but now I feel comforted again seeing your channel and watching your videos, thanks a lot for everything, I honestly appreciate all the hard work you put into each one of them, thank you so much, thank you so so much for reminding me of what I truly like and that it's okay to like it, that it isn't weird or anything else I just love those songs, the producers out so much work into I love all of it and I shouldn't be ashamed if it, thanks for everything my friend, thanks for existing!

I’ve been binge watching this channel since you appeared on my recommendations. I’ve never watched someone with a really good ratings as well as being an informative/ entertaining video essays as well. Well done sir 👏👏

Kagepro was home to me when I was 12-14. The music, the characters, everything. I never fully read the manga due to unstable platforms, but years later, I’m considering buying physical copies to finally get the full, real story. Maybe all of this is the reason I’m now a Loona stan, lots of theories + eye abilities :)

Kaguero Project was actually the first vocaloid songs I listened too!

IA's name is pronounced eeeee-yaaaa not eye-aye

'I.A' .. ... **inhales** *REEEEEEEEEE*

You talk about all the things I've loved for years with such depth and care I am really crying here.

Mekakucity Actor is my first anime :)

Jin made using vocaloid as a medium of storytelling a super hit, without having to focus on the vocaloid character. In Kagerou project I focused not on the voice or the mega popular celebrity associated with it such as Hatsune Miku or IA (back then I had no idea IA exists yet) but the tragic story it tells. I find it liberating and gives more creative freedom as a producer and song-writer since I noticed many producers need to use Hatsune Miku or anything associated with her company to make it big. It's like watching a movie because it stars a mega-celebrity, than the story, cinematography, acting.

Man when i was a teenage haze days was one of when me and my best friend found

I was so obsessed with Kagerou Project and I really think that I still am. All those hours watching MVs, reading the manga, and waiting for the anime to drop (which that’s a whole conversation for another time lol) Who’s an OG who’s been here since it was a baby project? I really want to bring the hype back. 💗

thank you for making such a detailed analysis of jin's work! i think shidu/sidu and wanyanpuu's mv works were a part of the revolutionary aspects of kagepro too

I remember listening to kagepro song years ago and I love it so much it's one of my favourite vocaloid projects...I watched the anime and read the manga and I really love the plot and how all the songs tie in together. Thanks for making this video it really is informative I enjoyed watching it ^^

Thanks for talking about the Kagerou project. I knew I wasn't the only one who thought that it was revolutionary.

Woah, so much time had passed since the madness that was kagepro on niconico douga. You are absolutely right about the appeal of the project, actually, songs with stories and continuity were the reason myself got interested in Vocaloid years back of that and it's not surprising people got invested as well. Unfortunately for my experience I was left off with a sour taste for the project caused for the influence of burnout with its massive popularity. I understand how vocaloid fans turned negative towards this series. I started a habit of watching the vocarank since its 121th week and the kagepro songs were very much welcome on the rankings at first, mostly because it was refreshing to see a newcomer and the usage of IA who was just released at the time. But as you said the songs FLOODED the rankings everytime they came out, and people were mad about it because they "stole places" for other known producers' songs that came out on those weeks. The atmosphere on the ranking videos' comments was pretty pessimistic at those times, although it was kinda exciting to hope for a song that could "defeat kagepro" each week. I remember that one of the points on the particular video which started the controversy of "vocaloid is dying on niconico" pointed at series like kagepro for using Vocaloid just as a mean to gain recognition and the producers didn't care for the vocaloid themselves and promoted original characters instead, and apparently a great amount of people agreed of the sentiment and some even thought kagepro tainted the very image of IA. It was a very depressing moment to being part on the vocaloid fandom at that time and couldn't help but resent kagepro as well but putting everything in hindsight, people were too harsh about it. Jin didn't have ill intentions he just wanted share his ideas and music like every other vocaloid producer and fans specially the most influenced for the vocaloid anime characters sometimes forget vocaloid was created to be another instrument for musicians to use on their own creativity boundaries.

Finally! A channel that appreciates vocaloid!

You’re putting out great stuff... Keep it up!!! We need a voice like yours!

This was such a good video essay! Can't wait to see more from you!

GOD I swear I almost thought this was just something I experienced this series in a fever dream 😭

This made me happy, you’re great I never thought more about the kagerou project than “I like these songs they are cool” this made me apreciate everything so much more and put a huge smile on my face, thank you!

Ive listened to a few projects before, like kemu voxx, heisei project, team kamiuta, diary of oblivion, bookmark of demise, and kagerou project. And i have to say if i were to put these in a specific order of favorites it would be 1.) Kagerou project 2.) Team kamiuta 3.) Diary of oblivion 4.) Heisei project 5.) Kemu voxx 6.) Bookmark of demise.

good stuff! You brought back good memories!

ahhh,,, kagepro,,, the first fandom i was bullied out of on Tumblr JHSDFHJKDJKGJ lmao But fr, this series means the world to me, i hope that it continues being appreciated for many more years to come--because it REALLY did do something special. Even in the US I remember the giant boom of interest in JubyPhonics kagepro covers,,, nostalgia.

I can't believe it, finally the youtube vocaloid analysis channel I always dreamed of!!! Thank you very much, binge watching incoming...

Gosh, this needs to be a big vocaloid channel! You analyze it so well!

Thank you for making such great videos!

You only had 100 subs 5 months ago. Wow, I'm really glad to see you growing so quickly!

i just found out about your channel and i absolutely love your videos! kagerou series was a huge part of my teen years, and someone like you talking about it makes my heart warm, and brings back memories of when i was completely absorbed by this series ♡ thank you so much

kagerou project scares me because of how large a project it is, but seeing your video definitely incites me to check it out! Thanks for the video! :)

I must simply say: thank you ! Because of your videos I rediscovered Vocaloid and man I love it again ^^

THANK YOU FOR TAKING THEIR NAMES WITH ACCENTS

i’ve been getting recommended kagerou project by my friends for years, and after reading the manga, listening to the songs and watching the anime i love it. i still need to read the light novels, though. children record was my first song, but my fav is outer science

I'm falling back down the vocaloid rabbit hole after having moved on for a decade, and it's soooo good to come back to all these amazing songs (and the nostalgia's hitting extra hard, ngl)! Kagerou days has always been one of my fav song and projects, and when I heard that riff at 3:09, I thought my heart stopped for a minute. It's so good! Like sooooooo good! How can you not be hooked on the song after such a riff ?? Anyway, this video is great, the one you did on Wowaka was great too (it brought me here), so props to you for doing such a great job !

I really enjoyed this video. Aside from understanding Kagerou Project more, a lot of ideas about the innovation of it and how it affected the Vocaloid community gave me a lot of insight to how I want to go about approaching my own ideas as a content creator too, even though it’s not concerning Vocaloid nor music directly. Thank you so much for your thoughtful analysis!

Now i wanna watch Mekakucity Actor. Now that i know the story behind it. Good adaptation or not.

Ayano's Theory of Happiness hit me the most. keep up the documentaries, the info you provide will help others discover vocaloid!

No offense to Jin, I like his music, but I’ve heard that the Kagerou Project actually had a negative impact on VOCALOID overall. In 2015, someone uploaded an NND video titled something along the lines of “Why VOCALOID has declined and popularity,” and it explained that Kagerou inspired many producers to make their own original series with original characters. This took the focus away from the VOCALOIDs themselves, who traditionally were the “characters” of a song’s story. Because so many people began focusing on original series and characters, VOCALOID couldn’t draw in as many new fans or keep the interest of old fans because a big part of fandom culture, the characters, was pushed to the side. People were interested in the producers and their songs but not the VOCALOIDs themselves, leading to a decline in the fandom. Btw, “IA” isn’t pronounced “eye-aye,” but “ee-ah.” It’s just the Japanese pronunciation of “ia.”

This just comes to show that a newbie can do anything if they put their mind to it

5 months ago : 100subs Now : 7k subs. *bruh*

Several years later, and I'm still thinking about the impact Mekakucity Actors had on me. I didn't know anyone who watched it back in high school, so it felt like my own little treasure. To see that the Kagerou Project originated from the Vocaloid scene made me so happy, and I hope that you can continue to share projects like this for all to see

WHY I STARTED CRYING FROM NOWHEREEEEE IM SO ATTACHED BY THESE WORK, kagepro really saved my mental health thanks lord

Theses song are too good !

Jin has no memes some of the best riffs i have ever heard. Like holy fucking shit Lost Time Memory, Konoha's state of the World and Kagerou Daze will probably be stuck in my brain 'til i die

This be the first time I’m hearing of this story Glad I finally herd about it

I love Jin bro I got into this last summer and my favorite songs are Momo’s songs, imagination forest and Gunjou rain

Losstime memory is my roman empire tbh

Man I remember being part of that group that waited for a new song then watched it multiple times to catch everything. Kagerou project is still one of my favorite Vocaloid series and it cemented IA as one of my favorites.

I genuinely never could figure out where or what the Kagerou Project was, where it begun, everything! I had no clue it had to do with Mekaku City Actors, or it started with that one song (AMAZING song), but this video genuinely clears all this up si well and in a simple way. Your videos are amazing and I love your insight and what you have to say, and how open you are!!

😭 I miss my weeb days. I didn't know all this. I never got into it because, I couldn't figure out the order of the songs. I really got into Nico Nico once I saw my friend play Osu. Great video. I'm subbed for sure.

The kagerou project meant so much to me at the time when it first came out. I first discovered it through its Manga form and then fell down the music hole and was so excited when it was becoming an animation ^^

I'm loving all of your videos! Could I recommend you Kemu's Pandora Voxx saga for an analysis? I'm not sure if there's enough info on it, but I clearly remember all those videos being connected and telling a story in some way. Plus all the songs in that saga are incredible.

Vocaloid was a huge part of my life. Back in 2013, I came across awesome songs like Outer Science, Kagerou Daze and Yuukei Yesterday, and by reading the comments on YT I got to know that these songs were connected, and were part of a saga called Kagerou Project, which is still to this day, one of my favorite vocaloid sagas of all time. I love the story behind the songs, the characters, everything. These songs changed my life in a lot of ways, they made me improve my art, connect more with my friends and get to know other awesome Vocaloid songs and artists. They were a part of my childhood, and Im glad they were :')

I got to knw abt the kagerou project through the anime years ago and it's been one of my favs. Smthng abt it is just so good

only recently got into kagepro because i realised how much of a banger ayano's theory to happiness was and then i got sucked into the lore and now i am trapped in the kagepro pit

I still remember during my middle school summer break when the PV for Heat-Haze Days was released and was randomly recommended on the front page. It's truly ingenious that Jin uses Vocaloid as a way of storytelling in conjunction with hand-drawn music videos. It's so simple, yet it's mesmerizing and intricate in ways that makes listeners and viewers interpret the stories in different ways. Even people who have never looked into the KP are able to come up with their own deep connections from just a 3 minute song and PV.

its been more than a year by this but i wanna say. a few months before i watched this video i was recommended by spotify, one of jin's albums, mekakucity records and i fell in love with the first song "headphone actor" covered by Lisa. That was where i started getting addicted to vocaloid songs. Thus ending me here to discover more of Vocaloid

id watched the show a while back right around when i started listening to vocaloids the first time never knew it was related til now when im going back to listen to stuff again, crazy how that happens. ima need to watch the show again.

Your video brings me back, fellow vocaloid historian. please make a video about Kemu next

I've listened to individual songs from the project but never even knew they were strung together. heck, I didn't even know some of the songs were produced by Jin. I just heard some extremely familiar snippets and freaked out about never knowing the backstory throughout this video. Thanks for that!

Oh my god, this project brings so much memories😭😭😭

11 year old me was sooo obsessed with kagerou project!! Soo many memories❤