Anime Herald Talks With Cover USA's Max Kim

Note: Due to the time-sensitive nature of our coverage, this will debut on the main Anime Herald site on August 30. We apologize for the inconvenience.

• Interview Date: 7/5/2024

• Interview Location: Anime Expo 2024

• Interviewer: Seth Burn

Anime Herald: How did the collaboration with the Los Angeles Dodgers come about?

Max Kim: We have an event team in our company. They handle special events. They were able to connect with the Dodgers. We jumped on the opportunity. We felt this was a good way to connect with our fans, and a new audience as well.

Anime Herald: Did you attend the game?

Max Kim: Yes, I was there.

Anime Herald: Were you able to see the lines for the cards?

Max Kim: Yes, I did.

Anime Herald: Apparently they were the longest merch lines in Dodgers history. There clearly is some demand for them. How do people get these cards, or were they only available at the game?

Max Kim: As per our agreement with the Dodgers, they were exclusive to the game. It was designed to be memorable. We did the tee shirts, the trading cards and caps. We wanted to commemorate this event.

Anime Herald: Can we look forward to more trading cards from you in the future?

Max Kim: This has already been announced in Japan. We are going to have our own hololive trading card game.

(Editor's note: I initially thought he was referring to the Weiß Schwarz release, but Max confirmed over email that he's referring to a different product. It appears that this is the release in question. You can follow the hololive OFFICIAL CARD GAME on Twitter)

Anime Herald: Do we have a rough timeline for when these will be released in America?

Max Kim: Not yet, but it’s something that we surely want to look into.

Anime Herald: Can you talk about your collaboration with Anime Expo?

Max Kim: Sure. Anime Expo is one of the largest anime conventions in the US. We were here last year, as well. We’ve been going to a lot of conventions around the world and the US. We want to reach out to the fans, and give them an experience they can’t have elsewhere. We have a booth where we have exclusive streams. It’s not on YouTube or streaming; it’s exclusive for the fans here.

The very interesting thing is we have a camera set up so our talents can see and hear the audience cheering for them. It’s a different experience for them. Normally, they can only see the YouTube comments in the chat. Just text-based communication. Here, they can see the crowd cheering and singing along and responding to them. It’s been a unique experience for our talents and the fans.

Anime Herald: Have there been any opportunities for them to communicate directly?

Max Kim: Yes. We’ve done some question-and-answer sessions. It all depends on what the talents want to do. They’ve done karaoke, Q & A’s, quizzes...

The love and engagement, not just for our talents… Our CEO, Motoaki Tanigo, or better known as YAGOO, is very well-loved by our fans. And not just him, other staff in our company as well. The love and engagement our fans have provided is very overwhelming. We are very grateful for that. We are glad to have been able to engage with our fans in different ways.

Anime Herald: Have you had a chance to stop by the shrine?

Max Kim: Yes. A-Chan.

Anime Herald: If I recall, her retirement was announced June 28th, and she retired June 30th. Not a lot of time for people to prepare.

Max Kim: Yes, indeed.

Anime Herald: This was a rare case. I don’t think anyone expected A-chan to be as popular as she was. A larger role was crafted for her because the fans loved her.

Max Kim: Yes. She took a very active role in terms of communication from the corporate side as well. She was a spokesperson for hololive production. Not just on the JP side. She tried very hard over the years to learn English as well. That gathered her affection from the English fans as well.

Anime Herald: A big loss.

What is your personal role in the company?

Max Kim: I lead the sales and licensing for the US office. We launched the office this year.

We’d been doing a lot of this from Japan. There’s been a lot of collaboration on licensing and promotional work with game companies. We work with iBUYPOWER. I was in Japan leading the overseas business department.

With the growth of English fandom, we felt we needed a dedicated branch in the United States. For example, I had to join a call at 2:00 AM in the morning. It was difficult to work with the East Coast. The West Coast was a bit easier. That kind of communication had to happen. To make it more fluid, we wanted a US branch. I am here as the Cover USA sales and licensing director.

Anime Herald: What new events is the US office planning? What’s in the pipeline?

Max Kim: I can’t share many details.

Anime Herald: Just in general, then.

Max Kim: I think a good example is what we’ve seen with the Dodgers. We also have a collaboration with Tsujita Artisan Noodle (in LA, and then Fort Lee NJ). Pop up stores, or collaborations with cafes or restaurants. That’s something we’ve been doing in Japan and throughout Asia. They are familiar with it. That’s a case where the community can gather and talk with each other, and from time to time, trade and exchange goods as some of our merch is random. It’s something we’ve done a lot of in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and the rest of Asia. Hopefully we can replicate that in America. Opportunities where the community can gather.

Anime Herald: Were you familiar with the Fox television show “Alter Ego”? There were singers performing, but the image wasn’t of them. The show does not appear to have lived up to what Fox was hoping for as it didn’t come back.

It feels like VTubers connect with younger generations who understand it immediately. The older generations are like “What is this?”

Max Kim: (Laughs) Yes.

Anime Herald: Is this a case where you’re constantly introducing people to the concept of what a Vtuber is?

Max Kim: Absolutely. The concept of a VTuber, while it has become mainstream in Japan, is still something that older generations in the US can find a bit strange. It’s a Japanese subculture. The look and feel of anime is still something very foreign for the mainstream.

Actually, the situation was the same in Japan four or five years ago. When VTubers first came out, there was a visual appeal, but the concept was something new. Around 2017, 2018. What we did was collaborate with some of the large mainstream companies and games to increase visibility and exposure. Food and beverages, instant noodles, convenience stores. Increase exposure to the mainstream and build familiarity with the concept of VTubers.

I think, ultimately, what we want to achieve in the US is to try and replicate that success. We want to introduce the concept of VTubers to wider audiences. Hopefully we can do that through our collaborations with the Dodgers and Tsujita Artisan Noodle, and other large corporations going forward. I think such collaborations can help us reach that goal.

Anime Herald: I am a New York Mets fan. I think a hololive night at Citi Field would be very popular.

Max Kim: We were very surprised by how many fans turned out at the Dodger game. It was surreal for us.

Anime Herald: You didn’t know what to expect. You did not expect this.

Max Kim: We didn’t expect it to be this engaging for the viewers.

In Japan we’ve done partnerships with the Pacific League. We had two talents per team. If we can do that with Major League Baseball, that’s something we’d love to do.

Anime Herald: Are there VTubers who are huge sports fans that might be perfect fits for this?

Max Kim: We have 89 VTubers. Every one of them has different tastes, hobbies, strengths, and experiences. There are VTubers who love certain sports and teams. For example, Kiara (Takanashi), was doing a watch-along for Euros, rooting for her country.

(Editor’s note: Takanashi Kiara speaks German, English, and Japanese.)

I think sporting collaborations are something we can surely do. We want to reach out to the mainstream. I think this is a great way to do that.

Anime Herald: You’ve had a chance to receive some feedback from the fans. What have you learned that might change how COVER Corp. operates going forward?

Max Kim: We hear from fans all the time, over the years. If there’s one thing we’d want to enhance, it would be for users in the West to have better access to our merch and content. That’s one of the reasons I’m here. We have our own merchandising, as well as merchandise that we create via licensing. Watching the stream is one thing, but also being able to buy their goods.

In Japan we call it “Oshikatsu.” Supporting the talents that you love, not just by watching online, but participating in various activities. It’s very difficult to do that in the West. The shipping fees are high. It takes time. It’s difficult for fans to get their hands on the official goods.

That’s why some of the collaborations here in America were successful. We could provide the licensed merch for the fans, so they could wear it to the anime conventions and show their support. We want to make it happen more frequently so it’s easier for them to get their hands on it.

Anime Herald: That sounds a bit like Japanese idols. You support your favorites by buying the merch, or the chekis.

Max Kim: Yes.

Anime Herald: I can imagine why that would be a tricky culture to recreate in the US.

Max Kim: At the same time, here in the US, sports fans buy their merch. You watch them on TV. It’s not just about watching. I don’t think it’s as foreign as idol culture. It’s just physically difficult right now.

Anime Herald: In America, with rock bands, you buy the tee shirt, you buy the album, you go to the concert.

Max Kim: Yes.

Anime Herald: Is there anything else you’d like to discuss?

Max Kim: In the end, what enabled us to do the Dodgers collaboration, the Tsujita Artisan Noodle collaboration, what enabled us to grow this big, to have this kind of presence at Anime Expo, is our talents, and the support from our fans. As I mentioned, we grew in Japan by growing our exposure. It was a cycle we created. We’d like to replicate that in the US.

Anime Herald: Do you ever go online and interact directly with the fanbase?

Max Kim: Oh, no. I try to stay away from that as much as possible. I go into the community to read what they are saying but I try to stay away from typing anything there.

Anime Herald: That’s a very interesting answer you just gave. There was a reaction there.

Max Kim: Yes. (Laughs)

Anime Herald: Is this a situation where you feel like if they knew you were there, they’d all have questions for you?

Max Kim: That’s one thing, but it’s more… how can I say… I don’t want to make comments on what I know, because it will be a different perspective from what fans know.

Of course, monitoring the community is a very important part. Making sure we know what the fans are talking about, and how they are reacting to our content. That feedback helps us improve. But me typing there, and making comments is something I want to stay away from. I come from a gaming background. It’s something I learned from there as well.

Anime Herald: Do you have any questions for us?

Max Kim: We are just getting our foothold in the US. We would love to find more connections and partners who we can work together with. We want to expand the culture of VTubers. It could be sports, or entertainment, or major brands. The question I always have is how can we find them and talk to them and make them interested in what we have to offer?

Anime Herald: In that case, I have a couple of questions for you. What are you looking for from your collaborative partners? The Dodgers are quite famous, and have a major Japanese connection via Shohei Ohtani. Tsujita Artisan Noodle company is clearly a well respected ramen company. For a company that doesn’t have a Japanese connection, what are you looking for from them?

Max Kim: As I mentioned, we want to expand beyond the Japanese anime community. While VTubers look and feel very close to anime, it’s also a streaming culture. That’s something that is spreading in the US as well. If a company is looking for a way to engage fans, especially younger generations, I think that’s a way we can work together.

Anime Herald: So, one of the things you’re looking for is companies looking to engage with a younger fanbase. You’ve heard of Carnegie Hall.

Max Kim: Yes.

Anime Herald: There’s the famous line. A tourist asks a street musician in New York “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” He responds “Practice, practice, practice.”

Is that the kind of venue where you’d look to host a live event?

Max Kim: Of course. Last year we did a concert at the YouTube Theater in LA. This year we are doing a concert at Kings Theater in Brooklyn during Anime NYC.

In Japan, we have our annual FES (hololive SUPER EXPO 2024). This was our fifth FES expo. We sold out our offsite concert, 56,000 tickets. We also sold out of our tour packages for our audience from overseas. Last year we sold out the YouTube theater, 6,000 tickets. This year, we sold out King’s Theater, 3,000 tickets for each show, sold out.

What we are trying to do in the US is let people know what VTubing is and what potential we have. To reach out and engage younger generations. You talked about Carnegie Hall, but there are a lot of prestigious concert halls.

Anime Herald: Of course. I assume hololive production can sell out any concert hall in the US. I’m not sure if you’d want to try to sell out a stadium like the Meadowlands. I’m guessing Kings theater sold out within a few days.

Max Kim: We do want to go bigger. It was very difficult to get the tickets at Kings Theater. It sold out quickly.

Anime Herald: There are concerts that we watch live at movie theaters. There are a lot of movie theaters, so you can sell a lot of tickets overall.

Max Kim: That’s something we’re doing right now. When we have a concert in Japan we’ll do two things. The first one is sell online tickets through a third party platform where you can watch the concert live online.

The second is live viewing. We have partnered with theaters. We’ll send the signals to theaters in Japan and overseas, to Korea and Indonesia just to give a few examples. We did this with the FES earlier this year. We had on air, live, in the theaters. People who had tickets could come in, with their glow sticks and whatnot. Not just watching it alone at home, but with other fans.

Just watching it online is one thing, but like with Anime Expo, being able to get together with the community is a big part of the experience. Sharing the love for the performers. Finding more opportunities where people can do that is something we’re looking into.

Anime Herald: Thank you very much.

Max Kim: Thank you.