Vocaloid fans were left furious after attending Miku Expo 2024, which showed the virtual idol on an LED TV screen instead of her usual iconic hologram.
Vocaloid is a prominent musical software that was first developed by Yamaha back in 2003. It’s generally used by music producers to digitally add vocal tracks to songs, and features a variety of different ‘singers,’ AKA ‘Vocaloids.’
Over the years, a slew of Vocaloids have been released, the most popular of which is undoubtedly Hatsune Miku, a blue-haired, pigtail-wearing virtual diva who has become the undisputed face of the software.
In 2014, the first-ever Miku Expo was held, featuring eye-popping technology for the time that allowed fans to see Miku and other select Vocaloids perform in-person thanks to giant, motion-tracked holograms controlled by a performer backstage.
Accompanied by a live band, Miku Expo brings Vocaloids to life in a spectacular fashion… but this year, things were a little bit different.
2024 marks the 10th anniversary of Miku Expo — but instead of the visual feast fans got at events like Magical Mirai in 2023, they were treated to a video of Miku being played on an LED screen far smaller than her iconic, massive hologram.
The experience left many attendees feeling like they’d been ripped off, with plenty taking to forums like Reddit to vent their frustrations with Miku Expo, which was sponsored by anime streaming service Crunchyroll.
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In fact, one user even started a petition demanding refunds for their tickets specifically because of the LED screen.
“We were literally ROBBED,” they wrote. “NOWHERE did Crunchyroll LLC or the Miku Expo team CLEARLY tell us that it would be an LED TV and not the iconic hologram we all know and love.”
“For many people, including me, this was going to be our first Cocaloid concert. We paid to see THE miku expo and its holograms, NOT a TV. People paid hundreds of dollars on tickets, flights, hotels, and merch. This is unfair and we can’t just allow them to do this.”
Even more users are currently selling their tickets on the r/Vocaloid subreddit, while others are sharing the drastic difference between previous Miku Expos and this year’s event.
Thus far, Crunchyroll has yet to comment on the situation, leaving fans even more outraged and demanding answers.