Kara Dennison
August 16, 2021 
This month, your favorite VTubers unite for Hololive ERROR: an interactive horror story in a virtual space. With a trailer and a single installment out, we’re getting an idea for what lies in store. But there are plenty of questions, too. What’s the “Error”? Why did we transfer to Hololive School? And why is Tokino Sora stalking us?
The answers will all become clear in time. For now, we’re taking our first (limited) deep dive into the new horror series.
Virtual Stars
Hololive ERROR is a brand new horror story set in a Japanese high school, starring some of Cover’s most popular VTubers. So far the cast includes members of the company’s first and fifth generations (and one more… but more on her later). The VTubers step into the roles of students at Aogami High School, meaning they get to flex their acting muscles.
It’s an idea 20 years in the making, funnily enough. Back in 2001, after Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, CG heroine Aki Ross was earmarked to be a virtual star. Plans fell through for several reasons, but it looks like the idea might have legs, after all.
You’re in the action.
There’s one more big star in Hololive ERROR: you! The project’s first trailer implied that you would experience its horrors firsthand, and the first episode confirms it. Released as a 360-degree YouTube video, the new installment puts you face to face with Hololive’s stars in Aogami High.
You’re a transfer student, and everyone’s falling over themselves to be nice to you. Is it because they’re just that nice? Or could it be that whole urban legend about how horrible misfortune will befall you if you’re not nice to transfer students. It’s hard to tell. Regardless, you’ll want to keep your wits about you. While this first episode isn’t especially spooky, there are things going on in the background. We’ll likely need to keep our eyes and ears open to take in everything the series throws at us.
Return of the 0th Generation.
Amidst all the other VTuber stars, there’s one significant presence in Hololive ERROR that’s highly visible but remains unaddressed. Tokino Sora, the group’s very first talent, stars in the project’s trailer, and in the key visuals on the official site. There appear to be two versions of her. One is quiet and a bit creepy in the Aogami High uniform. The other, in a completely different uniform, smiles in the midst of a wrecked classroom. (This is the same uniform she wears as she follows you around in the trailer, asking if you’ll always be her friend.) What does it mean? Well, we don’t know just yet.
What we do know about the series is its overarching theme: that one small bug in a system can lead to “a cycle of terror and misfortune.” The only solution? Fix the error.
Also worth noting is the occurrence of flower vases. In the first episode, we can hear Aki and Lamy’s characters conversing in the background about flowers — specifically the presence of vases of them around the school. In Japan, a vase of flowers is placed on a student’s desk as a memorial. Placing a “memorial” on a living student’s desk for them to see could be considered the same as being told to kill themselves. The full-sized versions of both key visuals feature a vase: an empty vase on a desk in one, and a smashed one next to a red flower in another. Could Sora’s character have been bullied? Or could she have incorrectly believed someone wished death on her? Either way, we know there’s an “error,” and that it will need “fixing.” It just remains to see what that is.
Keep your eyes on Hololive ERROR for more scares in the coming weeks!
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