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One minute you’ll be scuba diving on a beautiful sunny day with friends, or having a lovely chat while you fix them up a virtual espresso… and the next you’re the pilot of an aircraft full of said friends, who are now screaming as you head straight for certain doom! Oh and also, one of those friends is a banana, the other is Shrek.
Released 9 years ago, VRChat has an estimated 7.5 million players, each with the ability to create their own content and worlds if they’d like. As you can imagine, there are communities for just about EVERYTHING you can think of, exactly like in real life! The main difference is that anything is possible, no matter where or how far apart you are! |
As a fan of all things kawaii, I couldn’t have been more excited when Sanrio announced Nakayoku Connect, a show held at the virtual version of Puroland in VRChat and the real-life Puroland in Japan at the same time. Upon entering virtual Puroland at one of the designated times, you walk across the bridge leading to the beautiful, rainbow palace-like building.
Magical sparkles lead you down the stairs towards the Wisdom Tree at the centre of Puroland, but instead of the usual scenery, you’re met with a geometric, fragmented slope leading down into a vast, digital expanse… after a few steps, you’re transported to the main stage where everyone is excitedly waiting, waving heart-shaped light wands! |
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It’s a seemingly empty space until it turns dark, and a futuristic platform rises from the ground delivering our host - Badtz-Maru! After an exciting introduction, he starts the performance, and the rest of Hapidanbui (Tuxedosam, Hangyodon, Pochacco, Keroppi, and Pekkle) appear from the sky on crane-like platforms. They all have cool hats on, and Cogimyun appears to sing with Badtz! I was starstruck, standing right in front of super cute Cogimyun!
The whole world is filled with beautiful lights and lasers, and together with everyone, you use the heart wands to put on a magical light show and open a portal to the REAL LIFE Puroland where you see Hello Kitty & Dear Daniel performing at the same time! |
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| As Kitty sings, a huge Wisdom Tree made of lights and lasers appears in the middle of the stage. It’s beautiful, and you could hear everyone around you saying ‘wow’! The whole theme of the show is connecting with friends across the real and virtual world, and it truly worked - as the show ended I was excitedly chatting with the other Sanrio fans, and despite the language barrier we were having lots of fun! Although it was a virtual performance, the excitement of everyone around you in the virtual world is very real. |
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| In November I was lucky enough to go to the real life Nakayoku Connect in person at Puroland in Japan! By chance I managed to get a great seat, and I cried super hard when Kitty was singing! It was magical seeing the performance from the other side, and all the Sanrio mascot characters like Cinnamoroll, Kuromi, PomPomPurin and My Melody dancing in their futuristic outfits was too cute! |
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Last weekend, Sanrio held another (and much larger) VR event - Sanrio Virtual Festival 2023! Once again held in VRChat, it was a music festival with 6 stages, featuring many big acts like Hatsune Miku, Tokimeki Sendenbu, SHOW BY ROCK!!’s Mashumairesh!!, livetune, and many more! Some of the visuals are so impressive, unlike anything you can experience in real life!
There was even a special performance from the Sanrio characters, and a magical ‘Musical Treasure Hunt’ parade featuring them too! I’ll never forget sitting in a beautiful field of magical, swaying flowers as Kitty & friends sang, when a lovely person dashed over to pose in the selfie I was taking! I’d tell you more, but that’d be a whole new article!
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If you'd like to see Nakayoku Connect for yourself, it's still showing, so definitely go check it out! You can attend in VR or as a desktop user. Alternatively, there are many clips on YouTube of the real life and virtual performances!
I’m so happy to see Sanrio embracing the endless possibilities of VR, as it gives me hope for a future where we can enjoy many more Japan-only experiences through the virtual world, no matter where we are. You can even explore the streets of Tokyo with friends, hold your own concert on the biggest stage, or go to a Japanese street festival and make your own virtual takoyaki. Who knows, maybe someday you’ll be able to visit virtual Tofu Cute from your sofa!
Thank you for reading, and don’t forget to react for your free Tomodachi points! See you soon, and stay cute~
Images via: Kawaii Characters Japan, livedoor, Sanrio |
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One minute you’ll be scuba diving on a beautiful sunny day with friends, or having a lovely chat while you fix them up a virtual espresso… and the next you’re the pilot of an aircraft full of said friends, who are now screaming as you head straight for certain doom! Oh and also, one of those friends is a banana, the other is Shrek.
Released 9 years ago, VRChat has an estimated 7.5 million players, each with the ability to create their own content and worlds if they’d like. As you can imagine, there are communities for just about EVERYTHING you can think of, exactly like in real life! The main difference is that anything is possible, no matter where or how far apart you are! |
|
As a fan of all things kawaii, I couldn’t have been more excited when Sanrio announced Nakayoku Connect, a show held at the virtual version of Puroland in VRChat and the real-life Puroland in Japan at the same time. Upon entering virtual Puroland at one of the designated times, you walk across the bridge leading to the beautiful, rainbow palace-like building.
Magical sparkles lead you down the stairs towards the Wisdom Tree at the centre of Puroland, but instead of the usual scenery, you’re met with a geometric, fragmented slope leading down into a vast, digital expanse… after a few steps, you’re transported to the main stage where everyone is excitedly waiting, waving heart-shaped light wands! |
It’s a seemingly empty space until it turns dark, and a futuristic platform rises from the ground delivering our host - Badtz-Maru! After an exciting introduction, he starts the performance, and the rest of Hapidanbui (Tuxedosam, Hangyodon, Pochacco, Keroppi, and Pekkle) appear from the sky on crane-like platforms. They all have cool hats on, and Cogimyun appears to sing with Badtz! I was starstruck, standing right in front of super cute Cogimyun!
The whole world is filled with beautiful lights and lasers, and together with everyone, you use the heart wands to put on a magical light show and open a portal to the REAL LIFE Puroland where you see Hello Kitty & Dear Daniel performing at the same time! |
|
|
As Kitty sings, a huge Wisdom Tree made of lights and lasers appears in the middle of the stage. It’s beautiful, and you could hear everyone around you saying ‘wow’! The whole theme of the show is connecting with friends across the real and virtual world, and it truly worked - as the show ended I was excitedly chatting with the other Sanrio fans, and despite the language barrier we were having lots of fun! Although it was a virtual performance, the excitement of everyone around you in the virtual world is very real. |
| In November I was lucky enough to go to the real life Nakayoku Connect in person at Puroland in Japan! By chance I managed to get a great seat, and I cried super hard when Kitty was singing! It was magical seeing the performance from the other side, and all the Sanrio mascot characters like Cinnamoroll, Kuromi, PomPomPurin and My Melody dancing in their futuristic outfits was too cute! |
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Last weekend, Sanrio held another (and much larger) VR event - Sanrio Virtual Festival 2023! Once again held in VRChat, it was a music festival with 6 stages, featuring many big acts like Hatsune Miku, Tokimeki Sendenbu, SHOW BY ROCK!!’s Mashumairesh!!, livetune, and many more! Some of the visuals are so impressive, unlike anything you can experience in real life!
There was even a special performance from the Sanrio characters, and a magical ‘Musical Treasure Hunt’ parade featuring them too! I’ll never forget sitting in a beautiful field of magical, swaying flowers as Kitty & friends sang, when a lovely person dashed over to pose in the selfie I was taking! I’d tell you more, but that’d be a whole new article!
|
If you'd like to see Nakayoku Connect for yourself, it's still showing, so definitely go check it out! You can attend in VR or as a desktop user. Alternatively, there are many clips on YouTube of the real life and virtual performances!
I’m so happy to see Sanrio embracing the endless possibilities of VR, as it gives me hope for a future where we can enjoy many more Japan-only experiences through the virtual world, no matter where we are. You can even explore the streets of Tokyo with friends, hold your own concert on the biggest stage, or go to a Japanese street festival and make your own virtual takoyaki. Who knows, maybe someday you’ll be able to visit virtual Tofu Cute from your sofa!
Thank you for reading, and don’t forget to react for your free Tomodachi points! See you soon, and stay cute~
Images via: Kawaii Characters Japan, livedoor, Sanrio |
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