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Crunchyroll, Crypton Future Media Criticized After New Hatsune Miku Concerts Forgo Transparent Displays

Crunchyroll and Crypton Future Media have been facing criticism from Hatsune Miku fans after the "HATSUNE MIKU EXPO 2024 North America tour powered by Crunchyroll" concert tour started in Vancouver, Canada on April 4.

According to fans who have attended the concerts so far, the concerts seem to be using a LED screen instead of the trademark projection on a transparent screen that Crypton Future Media has used in the past. (The technique, often erroneously described as "holographic," is similar to the Pepper's Ghost technique used in other virtual events and Disney theme parks' Haunted Mansion.) Fans have posted examples on Twitter of what the current concerts look like.

Fans also claim that they were not made aware of the change before they purchased tickets to the concerts.

In February, the Ticketmaster page for the tour did state about Hatsune Miku on Tour, "The trilingual, holographic Miku has long sold out arenas in her native Japan, so international fame was inevitable." The sentence is no longer available on the current page.

A Change.org petition asking for refunds has so far garnered more than 6,400 signatures as of press time. The petition also addresses other concerns such as limited stock of merchandise.

Hatsune Miku also performed at the 23rd Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Friday with a non-transparent screen, and the event was live-streamed.

ANN reached out to Crunchyroll regarding the situation, and Crunchyroll directed ANN to reach out to Crypton Future Media instead. ANN reached out to Crypton Future Media, who gave the following response:

We appreciate the fan feedback regarding MIKU EXPO's North America tour and will continue to refine our show experience with our audience in mind.

To celebrate MIKU EXPO's 10th anniversary, fans across North America and Europe can continue to expect the same high-energy concert experience featuring the LED screen technology that fans have enjoyed across other MIKU-related events.

For future updates to MIKU EXPO, fans can keep an eye on our SNS Channels or can share feedback with us directly via https://www.crypton.co.jp/cfm/inquiry-aboutus_en

We thank everyone for their continued support of Hatsune Miku and MIKU EXPO.

The North American tour took place or will take place at the following dates and locations in April-May 2024:

• April 4: Vancouver, Canada - Thunderbird Arena
• April 6: Portland, OR - Keller Auditorium
• April 8: San Jose, CA - San Jose Civic
• April 9: San Jose, CA - San Jose Civic
• April 14: Phoenix, AZ - Mullett Arena
• April 22: Denver, CO - Mission Ballroom
• April 25: Dallas, TX - The Factory in Deep Ellum
• April 27: Austin, TX - H E B Center
• April 30: Atlanta - Gateway Center Arena
• May 2: Orlando, FL - Walt Disney Theater
• May 5: Washington D.C. - Anthem Arena
• May 7: Newark, NJ - Prudential Center
• May 9: Boston, MA - The Wang Theatre
• May 12: Detroit, MI - Fisher Theatre
• May 14: Chicago, IL - Auditorium Theatre
• May 16: Toronto, Canada - Coca Cola Coliseum
• May 21: Mexico City, Mexico - Pepsi Center

The tour is also scheduled to take place in six cities in Europe in October and November.

The concert tour is the first since 2018 in North America, as it was canceled in 2020 during the pandemic. The tour was still held in Europe in January 2020. The current tour marks the 10th anniversary of Miku Expo.

Crypton Future Media developed Hatsune Miku from Vocaloid technology. The name refers to both the software voicebank and its anthropomorphic mascot, who is marketed as a virtual idol.

Source: Change.org petition