Interview with hwikky: Bringing hololive Experiences to Life Through Video
Content creation comes in many forms, but video is one of the few mediums that can truly bring viewers along for the ride. Through video, you can hear the chants of fans, see the excitement on their faces, and experience the energy at that very moment, capturing something that many fans may never get to experience firsthand.
Within the hololive community, vloggers play a key role in documenting both official and unofficial events. By sharing their stories through real-time visuals, they help preserve the emotion surrounding concerts, convention panels, fan gatherings, and more. Their work tells the story of hololive beyond official announcements, through the eyes of fans themselves.
For our third guest in this Interview series, we’re excited to feature a creator well known for putting in the miles (quite literally) to capture the moment at some of the most exciting hololive events. Please join us in welcoming hwikky (@hwikkyOG)!
Over the years, hwikky has built a dedicated community around his life content and streams, sharing his experiences as a hololive fan by documenting events and fan moments across multiple countries. In this interview, we talk about his journey from a small creator to a familiar face at hololive-related events, explore the behind-the-scenes of his video-making process, and reflect on some of his most memorable moments as a hololive fan.
hololive TODAY / hT:
Welcome, hwikky! Thank you so much for taking the time to interview with us at hololive TODAY. You’re our third guest in this interview series, and we’re really happy to have you here!
hwikky:
Thank you, and hello everyone! I am happy to be here.
hT:
To start things off, could you tell us a bit about yourself? When did you first become involved with hololive and the hololive community, and what initially drew you in?
hwikky:
My name is hwikky, and I stream and make videos on YouTube mainly covering hololive/VTuber events and talking about random things that I like.
When I was stuck at home one day during the pandemic, YouTube recommended me hololive fan-animation videos by 2ManySnacks. I remember them being about Korone and Polka making funny noises. Then I naturally got bombarded with hololive clips leading me to learn about hololive English Myth that just debuted at the time. I was a casual enjoyer until I watched hololive Myth's first year anniversary stream. This was when members were unable to meet each other in person due to Covid. I saw Ina crying and hugging the rest of Myth members in a VR space and this was when I realized that this VTuber thing is more than just a gimmick and these talented members really mean what they are doing.
hT:
Who in hololive is your oshi?
hwikky:
Takanashi Kiara. She da GOAT
hT:
Out of all the content Kiara has released, what would you say is your favorite stream and your favorite song (or album) of hers?
hwikky:
Kiara once made a video called "am frog." It's her becoming a frog making frog noises. It is absolute peak of humanity.
Jokes aside all of her music videos are high quality and I appreciate the amount of work that she puts in everything that she does. Her effort in choreography is impressive. Witnessing her giving the absolute best on stage as an idol is amazing, but it is equally nice to see her return home, relax, and enjoy games that she really loves.
I admire both sides my boss; glowing idol on stage and cuddling with her cats at home.
hT:
For viewers who may not be familiar with you yet, could you tell us about the kind of content you create within the hololive community?
hwikky:
Of course. I travel to different countries making videos about my experiences at IRL hololive/VTuber events and concerts sharing my excitement of being there in person and interacting with fellow hololive fans. I also stream on YouTube every week talking about many different things in and outside of hololive. I am working on doing more IRL streams at countries and events that I visit.
hT:
You capture the video material, edit it all yourself, and even make time to livestream! Assuming we don't know anything about creating video content, what does a typical day (or multiple days) of your process look like?
hwikky:
It is true that I do everything myself. It is also true that majority of my day is on trying to figure out what the heck I am even trying to do, because I never had any professional background in content creation. So please consider this while you listen about my process lol.
Everything starts with the question, "Is there a story worth telling?" Just because an event is labelled as hololive doesn't mean I will go. An event or a topic needs to have a convincing reason for me to check out or talk about. Now this "story" doesn't have to be anything deep. Is it fun? Is it interesting? Then it may be good enough for me.
Then I start a spreadsheet to plan my trip. If a video doesn't involve travelling then I type down simple overviews and scripts of what I want to talk about in which order. I shoot as much video as I can using my camera. I back up all of my videos to cloud at the end of each day and skimp through every file to organize and label them.
Once I return home I make a quick list of how I want the video to flow, then begin editing. I also live stream during my travel to share the hype with fellow fans and at home after an event to talk about my opinions and show off all the merch I got.
And the cycle repeats.
By the way, people often ask me what I use to make my videos, and I think it's worth sharing some of the things I use in case anyone is interested.
hwikky gear (early 2026)
main wide shot camera: DJ Action 5 Pro with DJI Mic Mini (don't even bother with GoPros, also tested the latest Action 6, but not worth jumping over from Action 5 Pro)
close up shot camera: Galaxy S25 (avoided iPhone due to intense lens flare when facing direct lighting, didn't get S25 Ultra because portability and money)
portable battery: Anker Prime A1336 (expensive, but worth it. Mine is last gen so get the newer Prime models if you can)
PC for streaming and editing: Lenovo Legion Slim 5 14APH8 (bought this laptop used and I do absolutely everything on it taking it with me on trips)
mouse: Logitech Lift Vertical (saved my wrist and will save yours)
video editing software: Adobe Premier Pro (easy to find tutorials about it)
emotional support: Takanashi Kiara hololive Friends With U Plushie attached to my backpack shoulder strap with two zip ties (because you need your oshi to watch over you)
Hope this helps someone :D
hT
I really like that mindset, asking whether or not there's a story worth telling before deciding to fully dive into something. With my work at hololive TODAY, I've found myself adopting a similar thought process over the years when deciding which stories to cover.
Especially as official hololive news sources have become better in covering their own announcements, I've gradually leaned toward stories that don't always get the same spotlight. Things like personal accounts from fans, fan experiences at events, and moments that capture what it feels like to be part of the hololive community. So I strongly sympathize with that approach.
Also, thank you for sharing your gear list! I'll have to take notes myself; this could really help me with the kind of content I'd like to try creating in the future
hT:
One of your earliest uploads related to hololive was a video titled "I Underestimated hololive", where you covered the ANIPLUS x hololive English Myth Collaboration in Busan. Calli commented on the video, and Kiara even watched and shared the video with the rest of KFP. Could you tell us what you remember from that whole experience?
hwikky:
At the time I never imagined how that one video would start it all for me.
I originally began as a tiny streamer on Twitch playing rhythm games. At the time my life was stagnant and I felt the need to smash through my comfort zone, but didn't know what to do. I am still a tiny content creator today, but back then I was SUPER tiny with about a hundred subscribers on YouTube and well under ten people watching my stream.
Then I remembered how sincere the hololive Myth members were during that first anniversary stream and their stories of overcoming challenges together. Coincidentally I came across Kiara talking on her stream about an event happening in my country, Korea. This happened to be the first-ever official hololive event in Korea. So I decided to pick up my old GoPro that was just sitting and collecting dust and go check it out.
Back then hololive was still new outside of Japan and I arrived at the event location thinking it will be chill. But no. It was absolutely packed with literally hundreds of people on a week day. It wasn't just me that was shocked. All the hololive fans that visited that day thought they were one of the very few fans in this country only to find out they weren't alone. This day was when I realized... this hololive and VTuber stuff... is big and here to stay. The excitement that day was addicting, bumping into fellow hololive fans, sharing merch, taking pictures... it was so cool that I thought 'It will be a waste not to share this experience with the rest of the world.'
I returned home and started on making the video. I've done simple cut edits for my gameplay videos before, but never a complex vlog. It took me several weeks of struggle, trial, and error to learn the basics of video editing watching countless tutorials. I finally finished the video, uploaded it, and laid down to go to bed. Then I started getting YouTube notifications like crazy. People were flocking into my video telling me "boss Kiara sent us here." Kiara happened to watch my video on her stream and tell her fans about it.
That's how it all started.
hT:
You seem very "boots on the ground", often traveling to different countries to attend hololive events and capture fan experiences for your vlogs. That sounds like a lot of time, effort, and maybe even money. How do you make it all work?
hwikky:
Oh yes, it's a massive headache. When I say I do everything myself, it's not just making videos and yapping on streams. Planning, researching, and budgeting are the biggest chunks and more work then the videos and streams themselves.
Planning - Events, flights, hotels, food on exactly what time, date, and location. Getting into humongous lines for this merch, allocating budget on that food, thinking on what to say about this concert, improvise because this event closed early, all while shooting videos.
Researching - Gears I use to stream and make videos, countries and events I need to visit, etc. The most recent example is me trying to put together an IRL stream system. Because my budget is limited I have to look for cost-effective ways rather than putting down thousands of dollars on a ready-made solutions. But budget options often require more research and labor on my end eating away time for making content.
Budgeting is big - As you would guess, a small content creator doesn't have a big bank to work with. People often speculate that I am mega rich but I just put a lot of responsibility (or lack of) on my credit card while I live in my parents' basement (we don't have a basement but you get what I mean). I also do freelance work, but it's never enough. There really is no sugar-coating it. It's a struggle. The question is "How do you make it all work?" and the answer is "barely."
The biggest reason I am still here is the moral support from my family and viewers. I am extremely lucky to be surrounded by good hearted people like you reading this right now. Many of you also support me financially through YouTube membership, superchat, Patreon, and Ko-fi. I also pick up a few advertisements from time to time, but I haven't done too many because I want to have confidence in what I promote.
I want to be clear though. I chose this path, and I am happy that I did. I don't complain because I made the choice... okay I do complain a lot actually on stream but I try to not do it too much lol.
hT:
From all the experiences you've been a part of, from collaboration cafes, concerts, offkai, talent appearances in conventions, amusement parks, and so much more. What experience has stuck with you the most so far?
hwikky:
Gawr Gura's Aquarium collab event in Sendai, Japan. You can watch my video of it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCsb-APHanc
This event is the most memorable for me that I still think about. It was a perfect storm of Gura's personality, uniqueness of the location, and passion of her fans. Everything came together like magic. The theme was perfect and the vibe was surreal with blue shades of water reflecting off of me as I listen to Gura sing. It was so cold in Sendai, but I really didn't care. Everyone involved clearly worked hard on making this event happen.
I remember some people saying how this event won't do so well because it was at a random city far from Tokyo. But it exceeded all expectations including how many people showed up just to hear and see Gura. I highly recommend you watch my video on it. And you know what? hololive events today are great in their own, new ways, but I honestly believe that they may never be able to replicate the magic of that day in Sendai..
hT:
This is actually one of my favorite videos of yours as well. As a huge fan of aquariums, and an even bigger fan of Gura, learning about the aquarium collaboration was both exciting and a little bittersweet for me. At the time, there was just no realistic way for me to fly to Japan and experience it myself.
So watching your video gave me a glimpse of what it might've felt like to be there. Everything from ordering Gura's curry meal, to listening to her audio guide narration for the giant isopods, dolphins, penguins, and so much more. Hearing her narration over the sardine tank, with "Reflect" playing in the background, is something I remember the most from your video.
While I couldn't be there myself, your video let me experience even just a piece of it, and for that, I'm really grateful. So thank you for covering it!
hT:
Since this is our third interview, we'd like to introduce a special segment in the hololive TODAY Interview series, where we invite a previous interviewee to ask you, our current guest, a question of their own! A fellow KFP, Gurumie (@gurumie1229), wants to know the following:
"You've been to many different countries as a Hololive fan! I believe there are a lot of fans who would like to travel the world like you, but feel hesitant because it could be an overwhelming experience.
What advice can you give to encourage them to take the first step? And what are the good things that could come out of it?"
hwikky:
Hello Gurumie! I love your art. Thanks for the question.
My answer is this. Take it slow and simple. Focus on having fun in your own ways. You don't have to replicate what I do in my videos. Your experience will be different from mine, and that is okay. Talk to fellow fans. If you are not ready yet, walking around alone is perfectly fine too.
The point is to take it all in at your own pace. As you do that you will realize how your hobby is so much more than what's happening online. There are real people enjoying real things. You will remember this, and you will become a better human being because of it.
hT:
What are your current interests, both inside and outside the hololive community?
hwikky:
I like many things; cars, technology, games just to name a few. What's amazing about hololive/VTuber space is that it brings in people with a wide variety of interests. This sparks fun talks on my streams leading to unexpected tangents. For example, by recent stream started out with us talking about hololive stuff, then an orange Lamborghini, then a meowing cat server robot at a restaurant that ran away with my food, which led to me getting peer-pressured by chat to order hololive cards online.
Things like this happen regularly on my stream. I think this is where my next phase of content creation is at. Tangents that inspired by our hobbies that sprout a new segue to expand our interests including and beyond hololive and VTubers.
hT:
What’s something you’ve learned about yourself through creating content, especially hololive-related content?
hwikky:
I learned that I am very bad at setting up a daily routine. My typical day is really all over the place as I attempt to juggle between videos, streaming, freelance work, and family stuff. I am slow as a result. This is massively discouraging to me because I feel like I should upload so much more often.
But I also learned to keep going. Gigi recently said that life is a marathon. Ina also told the fans that a single line on the canvas is still a step. Kiara herself fell countless times but stood back up year after year.
Consistency is everything. You are winning as long as you are still going at it.
And it's better to put together something and throw it out there rather then never showing what you have to the world trying to perfect it. It will never be perfect.
I put massive pressure on myself saying 'I am too slow' or 'this is not good enough.' This is what I need to breakthrough and I hope you watch me do it.
hT:
And for our final question, do you have a message you'd like to share with your followers, fans, or the broader hololive community?
hwikky:
It is simply a miracle to have you all.
The fact that I am still here after a total of five years since my very first stream on Twitch, surviving through the pandemic, moving to YouTube due to sudden Twitch shutdown in Korea, to my very first vlog and Kiara sending over her beloved fans over, and leading me to travel to many countries meeting many fantastic people... AND to have all of you watching me do it.
I legit thought I wouldn't last a year. And I still I lie down to sleep every night thinking how the world is moving on so fast yet how behind I am. Every video, every stream, I am afraid that it will be my last.
But you the hololive members and community gave me the courage I didn't have before. Inspiring stories of the members, and passion shared by the amazing hololive fans. They all came together to cheer me onward to a life I never thought possible.
I am going to continue smashing through that comfort zone like I did with my very first vlog, like how members of Myth smashed through their challenges ultimately changing all of us forever. There will be trials and errors as I explore things in and outside of hololive and I hope you tag along my long journey ahead.
hT:
That's all we have for you today, hwikky. Thank you so much again for taking the time to speak with us and for sharing more about you and your experiences in the hololive community!
hwikky:
That was a good talk.
I wish the absolute best to hololive TODAY and everyone reading this.
Kindly check out my YouTube channel as well (youtube.com/@hwikkyOG).
Thank you so much!
And thank you, the reader, for checking out our third interview! We’d like to once again thank hwikky for taking the time to share his experiences, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to learn more about his come-up as a content creator, the behind-the-scenes in his creative process, his personal experiences at events like Gura’s Aquarium collab, and his personal journey as a creator in the hololive community.
Be sure to check out and support his work on YouTube and social media below.
YouTube Channel: youtube.com/@hwikkyOG
X/Twitter page: https://x.com/hwikkyofficial
As we mentioned, this our third interview so far, but we’re still looking forward to sharing your stories! So stay tuned as we continue to showcase more artists, fans, creators, and voices from across the hololive community. Who knows, maybe you’ll be our next guest!
