Fenomena Virtual Idol Hatsune Miku di Festival Salju Sapporo

Abstract

Virtual idols are fictional characters brought to life through 3D animation technology and sound processing software. One of the example was Hatsune Miku. Hatsune Miku was first introduced on August 31, 2007 by Japanese software company Crypton Future Media. This software was called Vocaloid with the cooperation of Yamaha Corporation. The software used the vocal voice of voice-over artist Fujita Saki. Hatsune Miku had another form called Snow Miku. The Snow Miku character was presented as a character who enlivens and promotes winter in Hokkaido, one of which was the Sapporo Snow Festival event in line with the support of the Transportation Bureau and the Sapporo City Tourism and Cultural Affairs Bureau. The purpose of this study is to describe the effects of the popularity of the Hatsune Miku craze in Sapporo and to describe the display of the virtual hologram idol Hatsune Miku at the Sapporo Snow Festival. The research method used is a qualitative method with a phenomenological and cultural theory approach. The results show that the popularity of virtual idol Hatsune Miku in the eyes of the people of Sapporo is enjoyed as well as the high enthusiasm of festival visitors through various promotional media carried out by the organizers. Hatsune Miku's popularity continues to rise and her virtual concerts remain the main attraction at the Sapporo Snow Festival to this day. Nowadays, Hatsune Miku had become a popular culture phenomenon in Japan