Creative Staff
Story: Wataru Akashingo
Art: Wataru Akashingo
Translation: Andrew Hodgson
Editing: Christian Knoll
Quality Assurance: Hendra Boerma
Cleaning & Redrawing: Claus
Typesetting: Christian Knoll, Kazushi Mizutani
Production Management: Garrison Denim
What They Say:
VTubers, these online entertainers have seen a sudden surge in popularity, capturing the hearts of millions.
But none of them have quite become as much of a household name as Kizuke Yai, the so-called ‘Queen of VTubers.’ Takashi, an average high-school student, is one of her biggest fans. He always tunes in to her broadcasts, and he might even have a little crush on her… Kizuke Yai is the real deal, an actual cute girl behind the screen, at least according to the rumors… But reality is often disappointing.
The Queen of all VTubers is actually Takashi’s dad.
The hapless youngster stumbles upon his old man’s dark secret, and soon finds himself flung into a nightmarish world of virtual song, dance, and endless cringe.
Will Takashi succeed in getting his dad to quit, or will he find himself drawn deeper into the booming virtual scene despite this disillusionment?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Takashi is a boy who’s really into VTubers. Hey, I can relate. In fact, I actually have the Hololive EN collaboration stream on in the background as I’m writing this review. I’m not even kidding. Anyway, Takashi’s favorite VTuber is Kizuke Yai. She’s known as the Queen of all VTubers. Also, Takashi may or may not have a crush on her. She is pretty cute. Although, he is aware that most VTubers out there are actually dudes. But he has faith that Kizuke Yai is actually a girl! And then he discovers that she’s actually his dad. Well, his dreams are crushed. I could literally hear his mind shattering when he discovered the truth. My condolences. Why is his dad even VTubing? In his dad’s own words, his panty shots have been putting food on their table for months, haha. All of this happens within the first few pages and I’m already dying of laughter. We’re in for a good time it seems.
So yeah, things are a little bit awkward between father and son. Takashi thinks it’s totally weird that his 40-year old dad is doing this kind of thing. First of all, he’s only 39! Secondly, his dad seems to be having a genuinely fun time being a VTuber. He loves putting a smile on people’s faces. Just let the man do what he loves! He’s not hurting anybody. He also recalls how one fan sent him a message that he was his first crush. Any guesses on who that could be? Yup, Takashi. He’s had enough of this farce! He’s going to tell his mom about his dad’s shenanigans. In yet another shocking twist, Takashi discovers that his mom is also a VTuber! Husband and wife don’t know that the other is a VTuber. This is getting complicated. While Takashi’s dad is the Queen of VTubers, his mom is an unpopular one known as Cry Tekari. Even though she’s an actual girl, everyone thinks she’s an old man, haha. My sides, they hurt. She also despises Kizuke Yai. Oh boy! Takashi is caught between a rock and a hard place. I don’t envy him. In the end, he decides to not tell his mom about Kizuke Yai’s true identity. As a result, he gets roped into helping her become a more popular VTuber.
If that wasn’t bad enough, Takashi is also forced to become a VTuber himself! Might as well make it a family business, huh? His dad has all the bases covered for him – equipment, character details, and avatar. Takashi shall be known as Yokuya Luna, Kizuke Yai’s little sister. She’s a tsundere bunny girl, pyon. The laughs never stop! Also, his dad is a genius. Unsurprisingly, Takashi isn’t on board with this idea. Why would he want to become the thing he despises? Guys shouldn’t be pretending to be cute, anime girls! Takashi needs to chill. Just let people do what they want to do. As long as they’re not hurting anybody. Takashi’s dad is very persistent and they end up doing a collab stream together. See? It wasn’t so bad. And you know what? It feels good to be cheered and make people smile. I think Takashi is finally understanding why his dad loves VTubing so much! He’ll never tell him that though.
But this story isn’t just about Takashi. There’s also his real-life crush, Maki. Yeah, VTubers aren’t the only girls on his mind! Sadly, VTubers are the only thing on her mind. Well, just one specific VTuber. I think you know who it is. Takashi can never catch a break, huh? His dad and mom are both very fascinating characters. His dad used to have an office job and he hated every second of it. He was pretending to be something he wasn’t. When he discovered VTubing, he felt like he could truly be himself. I, too, often feel like I should be an anime girl streamer. Don’t we all? Honestly, it seems like he’s truly happy VTubing. He’s always smiling around the house and he feels great that he can make people smile. Who are we to judge him? On the other hand, Takashi’s mom is always angry when she’s VTubing. Why does everyone think she’s an old man? I don’t know but she does get drunk a lot. She also wakes up extremely late. She also curses a lot and complains about everything. Okay, I can understand why everyone thinks she’s an old man. On the bright side, she slowly gains followers because everyone finds her to be an amusing geezer, haha. Honestly, my favorite interactions are when husband and wife are together. You can tell that they truly love each other. They’re always acting lovey-dovey. It’s nice to see.
In Summary:
The title of the manga tells us exactly what we’re in store for. Although, I wasn’t expecting Takashi to discover that his dad was the Queen of all VTubers on the very first page! Not to mention that it was the VTuber he had a crush on! Poor guy. I can only imagine the nightmares that haunted his dreams. I’m sure he’ll be fine, probably. As for his dad, I really liked his character a lot. Sure, it may be a little weird to some that he’s VTubing with a female avatar. So what? He’s genuinely having fun and that’s what counts. Who are we to tell someone that they can’t be true to themselves? Takashi’s mom is also hilariously great. She was raised in a manly home and it’s no surprise that people online think she’s an old man, haha. But she has always had this dream of becoming an idol and gosh darnit, she’s doing her best to finally make it happen! I believe in her. I wonder what would happen though if she ever found out that her husband was Kizuke Yai. I’m not going to lie, I really want to see that happen. It has to eventually, right? Also, Kizuke Yai is a great name. Kizuke Yai. Kizuna Ai. I see what you did there. All in all, My Dad’s the Queen of All VTubers?! was a great read. The comedy was on point and the characters were hilariously entertaining. I don’t think I’ve laughed this hard in a while! I’d even say that this was the funniest manga I’ve read this year. High praise, I know. If you’re into VTubers at all, I’d say give this a read. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go finish watching that Hololive EN stream.
Content Grade: A-
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: T for Teen
Released By: Kaiten Booka
Release Date: July 24th, 2020
MSRP: $12.99 (US)
