VR company VARK and popular V-Tuber idol company hololive are back again for a second season. Not long ago the two companies banded together to bring the Cinderella switch live concerts starring two members per concert in a highly immersive 3D virtual reality atmosphere. Season One brought the pairs of Kanata Amane and Marine Houshou , Towa Tokoyami and Roboco-San, and Flare Shirakami and Watame Tsunomaki. This time the adorable pair of Luna Himemori and Matsuri Natsuiro looks to kick off Season Two with a bang.

I wanted to mention that since the high success of the previous season, the virtual “crowd” artificial intelligence has been upgraded with several new reactions including laughter and a bit more of a lively reaction.

Luna Himemori took to the stage first, with Matsuri taking the crowd stage side. As someone who’s knowledgeable of Luna’s previous antics, I was really excited to discover which songs she would be choosing due to her very cutesy vocal style and range. Oh, and the banter between Matsuri and Luna served as a nice intermission while Luna was taking a break.

Onto Luna’s songs. She started off with a banger of a track with “Wai Wai World” which really showed off the real, raw side of her along with that “princess” style of vocals which the character is known for. Watching this did make me worry, though, as she does push herself very often, especially with this being a 3D live. However, Luna really held herself together with her cutesy aura. She kept the party going with a more dance style track with “Ugoku, Ugoku”, which really showed off the amazing stage presence she had throughout the performance. That along with the mix of impressive camerawork the team has improved on since Season One was really refreshing. She stuck to her guns with a bubbly style of composition with an amazing finale in the song “Luka Luka Night Fever”. This one showed off Luna’s vocal range, though it might be a bit much for some; it paired well with this track, though. Overall, Luna did an incredible job with her performance and I can’t wait to see what she has cooking up next.

Then Matsuri Natsuiro was on the grand stage and Luna was crowd side. Now what’s interesting was the positioning of Luna at times, since she was facing more toward the camera. This gave the illusion of her streaming so fans of hers would be able to interact more with her through things like virtual high fives and such. She was also a great crowdside with her added sound effects such as clapping at the right time and she cheered on Matsuri when needed. I was very intrigued having Matsuri at this venue as I wasn’t too knowledgeable about her singing before this performance; however, if it is anything like her singing here, I’m gonna have to start paying attention to her a bit more closely. What was really enjoyable was that she started off with “Shiny Smily Story”; and it was very refreshing. This track is usually sung in a group setting, so for Matsuri to be able to sing it solo was a great way for fans like myself, who don’t keep up with other members, to be able to hear how an iconic song from hololive is done. Her follow-up song was nice as well because it was “S(mile)ING”, a track Matsuri really likes, which in turn really helped to bring up the quality. While it was a bit of a mid-tempo track I ended up liking her rendition of it, and the way she acted several times was very cute. Matsuri then kicked it up a bit with the high energy song “U & I”. I absolutely loved her rendition of it as it matched her vocal style so much. It in turn made me want to listen to the original again as well. Matsuri finally left fans wanting more with “Fansa”, another amazing rendition, and she really got the crowd involved. The amount of energy “Fansa” emanated was incredible and really left an impression on me. I just loved Matsuri’s performance and it was one of the most enjoyable acts compared to the previous volumes, believe it or not.

Like the previous seasons, Volume Four also included an after-talk segment and the duo started by talking about how enjoyable the performance was. The conversation was very fun and really showed that the duo are very close to each other. The girls also went into the crowd for the usual fan service, and it was very humorous when Luna was trying to show off her design for head patting and Matsuri tried to block her by making a T-shaped pose. This one moment was hilarious and one of my favorites of the performance. The pair also announced that they will be holding a Volume Five which will take place on April 24. It will star Fubuki Shirakami and Mio Ookami.

Overall, Season Two of this collaboration between VARK and hololive started with a bang with great performances by Luna Himemori and Matsuri Natsuiro. Matsuri really surprised me with her singing style and vocal range and left me wanting more. While Luna’s performance was also very strong, I enjoyed my time with Matsuri a bit more. Just from watching these two alone I can’t wait to see how Volume Five will stack up against them and this makes me hyped for the upcoming duo.

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