Vtuber Maruma Discusses the God Artist Role
VTubers have moved beyond the “popular person on the Internet,” and are now active as commercials and image-enhancing characters for general companies, and their recognition is beginning to rival that of traditional idols and TV personalities.
Interesting talents are being discovered by companies, professional gamers are becoming VTubers, and a stream of stars is beginning to be born one after another. One such trend is the popular illustrators known as “god illustrators. They have become VTubers themselves, using illustrations they have designed as avatars, and are gaining popularity for their live-game performances, various projects, and live drawings that make use of their skills as illustrators.
This time, we will introduce one such illustrator, maruma, who is a popular illustrator at Comiket, where he has 292,000 X-followers and has released a book of his works this year. We asked Mr. Maruma, who has 292,000 X-followers and released an art book this year, about the current status of this divine artist and VTuber.
The Roots of His Activities” as told by a Divine Artist
–What kind of person is Maruma-sensei?
I usually work as a freelance illustrator, drawing illustrations for light novels, card games, and VTubers. I love beautiful girls, and I love to draw their cute gestures, embarrassed faces, school uniforms, maid uniforms, etc. My pen name is “maruma,” which is my pen name up to the end of the parentheses.
–What made you decide to become an illustrator, a profession that is admired by many people?
When I was a child, I drew a picture of my mother and she was very pleased with it. I can’t remember exactly how she was pleased, but she expressed her gratitude in words that even a child could understand. The picture I painted at that time has been hanging in my house for a long time.
That is when I began to think that drawing was fun. After that, I saw the cover of a light novel in the “Haruhi Suzumiya” series and thought it was really cute, then I watched the anime and became more and more of an otaku (laughs). I started to like drawing cute girls.
–A female illustrator says that she draws a type of cute girl that is “more for men. It seems unusual for a female illustrator to draw a type of cute girl that might be considered “more for men.
I think it’s partly because I myself have loved cute girls since I was a child. I have been looking at various manga and anime works, from the latest to the past, and I found “Little Busters! a bishojo game, I fell in love at first sight with a small, cute character with long, flaxen hair named “Noumi Kudryavka,” and I think that was a very big reason why I continue to draw cute girls. I think the charm of drawing is that the artist can freely express “cute,” “cool,” and “like.
–I see. So you started drawing cute girls out of your love for beautiful girls, and then gradually decided to become a professional illustrator?
Actually, I never intended to become an illustrator.
“It’s better to give up.”
-What do you mean, you never intended to become one?
I always wanted to be an illustrator and thought about going to an art school, but my teacher told me, “Only a handful of people can make a living doing what they love. But my teacher told me, “Only a handful of people can make a living doing what they love, so it’s better to give up. Looking back, I think she was thinking about my future when she said those words to me. Those words worked for me at the time. ……
I wanted to become an illustrator! I didn’t have any teachers around me who supported my dream of becoming an illustrator, so I thought, “I’m going to give up on becoming an illustrator. So I decided to become a trimmer who can work with animals, which I love. By the way, I really respected that teacher and, as a later story, when I told him that I had become an illustrator, he praised me very much and gave me a job.
–What made you decide to become an illustrator again?
One day, I cut the tendons in both hands in a fall and went to ……. When I showed it to the doctor, he said, “You should be an illustrator. When I showed it to the doctors, they told me that it would never come back. I was told that I would need surgery and that I would not be allowed to carry anything heavy after the surgery.
Trimmers lift all kinds of dogs, so it takes a lot of arm strength. So I had no choice but to give up on the idea of becoming a trimmer again. Then I had nothing left. …… So I decided to heal at least my dominant hand and paint the pictures I loved so much.
–After the surgery, it must have been quite difficult for you to be able to paint again.
I wanted to keep the feeling of painting and not forget it, so I kept painting with my left hand even after the bandages were removed. Even after the bandages were removed, I couldn’t hold a pen as well as I wanted to, even though it was my dominant hand. I continued to draw little by little, day by day, while I was rehabilitating, and I managed to get better at it.
–That’s a lot of passion, isn’t it? Why did you start experimenting with VTubering?
I started drawing while rehabilitating my drawings little by little. A long time ago, a creator whom I admired and respected I was impressed when I saw him create a wonderful work using Live2D, and from the knowledge I gained at that time, I thought I would like to try it too.
Then, as the world of VTubers became more and more fun, and I saw an illustrator I respected make his VTuber debut, I thought, “If I could take a girl I drew myself and put all the elements I like on her and make her move by myself, wouldn’t that be amazing? I thought, “Wouldn’t that be great? I wanted to start. But I couldn’t muster the courage to do it (laughs).
–(Laughs.) “Why did you start when you didn’t have the courage to start?
I wanted to present my VTuber figure because I was satisfied with the design I had created. I also wanted to increase the opportunities for people to get to know my drawings. I started it as a way to increase the number of entrances for people to get to know my drawings.
I also wanted to express myself in something other than illustration (games, etc.), which also led me to think of ……. Talking about taking the plunge, I have a complex about my voice, …… but I took the plunge after much deliberation. Once I started, I found that it was much more fun than worrying about it.
–Did you have a strategy when you started VTubing?
I only think about doing something fun as an illustrator, now and then. ……!
–What do you do as a VTuber now?
I mainly distribute games. Sometimes I also deliver illustrations. Announcements and so on! In the future, I’m thinking of using an ASMR microphone that can pick up realistic sounds, such as the sound of me drawing illustrations or the sound of my keyboard while I’m working, to live-deliver them. I’m thinking of all sorts of things.
–So you also like games?
Yes, I love games. Monster Hunter, Pokemon, horror games in general, and The Legend of Zelda series are my favorites.
My character “Nekomiya-san” gave me courage.
–What do you need to distribute your works?
For chatting, I need myself, a camera (smartphone or webcam), an account on a streaming site (YouTube or Twitch), a microphone, and OBS (software for streaming). Nowadays, there are many ways to get started on social networking sites.
For game distribution, it would be like adding a capture board for Nintendo Switch or smartphone games. ……? Sorry if I’m wrong, I’m not in this business! Then again, you might need a lot of PC power. I use a pretty high-powered PC for painting, but my computer is heavier when I deliver. ……
I’m thinking of distributing “Monster Hunter Wilds,” which comes out early next year, and that requires a lot of performance just for the game to begin with, so I’d like to buy a new PC, but the recommended specs are great …… (laughs).”
–How do you come up with the ideas for your illustrations?
In my case, I have an idea in my mind of what I want to draw, and I immediately write it down in rough form, then add lines, colors, and draw it. When I am thinking, “Let’s draw a picture,” the idea comes to me! When I am thinking, “I’m going to paint a picture!
Only when I am so sleepy that I can’t fight the urge to sleep, or when I don’t have my notepad with me, do good ideas come to me (laughs). I immediately jot it down in rough form …… in my notebook because I like analog, and then I make a drawing of it. The frustrating thing is that the pictures I see in my dreams are so much better than in reality. I think that if I can draw in my head, I should be able to do it in real life, but it’s difficult (laughs). (Laughs.) I would like to catch up with that dream.
–You are currently garnering a great deal of acclaim.
I have had many setbacks. One time, I drew an original work, and it was a very bad defeat, so bad that it felt good (laughs).
–(Laughs) – Now you are actively drawing originals, but did you have a turning point there as well?
Yes, there was a turning point. One time, during the Christmas season, I drew an original character named “Nekomiya-san” and uploaded it. I hadn’t drawn many originals before, but I wanted to, so I decided to! I decided I wanted to draw it, so I did it. It was very well received, and it was the first time a creative character was exposed to the light of day! That event was very big for me and gave me courage.
I get support from my inner self.
–When did you think, “I can do this as an illustrator now! When did you feel that you could make it as an illustrator?
I still don’t have confidence in myself, but the fact that Nekomiya-san appreciated my work gave me great courage. I would be happy if my original character had a voice and if I could see my body in action, I would be happy if it became an ……… anime.
There are many other things I would like to do as a VTuber, such as “singing it out” and making figurines and plushies of my original characters. ……
–What advice would you give to people who want to become an artist and VTuber like you?
“Be positive with a strong mentality! That’s all you need to do first. It is very hard to start, but it is also even harder to continue. I feel that it is important and wonderful to keep going with a real commitment to everything.
When it comes to illustrations, when I can’t draw the way I want, the time I spend worrying about how to make it better is lonely and sometimes a little painful. But if I get over this, I can become more powerful! and my inner self cheers me on, and I find enjoyment and keep my hands moving.
–What is the best part of being an illustrator?
I am really happy when people say, “I am glad I commissioned maruma-san” when I hand them a picture I have drawn. Illustrations not only allow people to see my expression, but also give me a lot of connections and inspiration through the pictures. My illustrations always save me a lot.”
–What are the advantages of being both a god illustrator and a VTuber, and what are the challenges of continuing to do so?
I have never looked for merits in both my illustration and VTuber activities. If I start thinking about seeking merits, I will not enjoy my activities. I enjoy both activities.
If I have a little trouble, I can’t deliver when I’m drawing …… pictures! That’s a great problem. I want to deliver more! I regret that I only have one body.
–Finally, do you have a message for the readers of Friday Digital?
Thank you for reading this far. There are several places where we are active, so I hope you will check them out! This year, I was asked to compile the path I have been taking with my drawings into a single volume, which was published as an art book called “Koi Barretto.
It includes Nekomiya and three other original characters. There are also detailed individual profiles. If you are interested, I would be happy if you could pick up a copy. ……!”
MARUMA
X: ID
YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@maruma_Ch
FANBOX
Art book: “Koi Pallette
Interview and text by： Miyu Kurusu
