Realism Was Not Important: Is It About Emotion or Technology?

Article published: October 31, 2023

Original source: https://m.entertain.naver.com/article/629/0000246369

English translation: plaveintl

PLAVE, IITERNITI, MAVE:, and Other Virtual Idols: Different Yet Alike, Ultimately Pursuing Communication Popularity

"Breaking the prejudice that virtual idols have limitations within their virtual realms, they've stepped into the offline world. Though they're still out of reach, they've proven their ability to captivate fans in concert halls. While there's an inherent gap between the virtual and the real, they've come so close to fans' hearts that the boundary between the two seems insignificant. What on earth are virtual idols, anyway?"

Nevertheless, when you watch the grand K-pop stages of the 5-member boy group, PLAVE, and the solo concerts of the 11-member girl group, IITERNITI, their enthusiasm is on par with established artists. 

Virtual idols share the virtual aspect, but their creation methods differ. The conventional approach involves real individuals with bodies and voices to which virtual characters are added. Furthermore, it's now possible to implement their form and voice using AI. Virtual idols are born by combining various technologies, such as motion capture, face change, and generative AI.

From a developer's perspective, it's crucial to know which technologies were employed, but for consumers, it's challenging to discern the specifics.

Some may be curious about the end result, implemented to the point where it's difficult to distinguish from real individuals, just as Rozy was. Yet, some are captivated by virtual idols who are clearly distinguishable from actual people. Fans continue to express their enthusiasm while being fully aware of their virtual nature.

For virtual idols, consistently releasing songs is important, but what bridges the gap between the virtual and the real is emotion. In fact, even the technical prowess is necessary for conveying that emotion to the fans.

A case that best illustrates that emotion is more crucial than how closely synchronized virtual idols are with real people is PLAVE. PLAVE has created members' visuals like characters from an animation, earning them the nickname "a virtual idol who appears to have stepped out of a comic book". Even their mouth movements don't always match when they speak. However, this doesn't pose a problem for PLAVE.

An official from VLAST, the entity behind PLAVE, explained to The Fact, "Korean webtoons are an essential field in the globally hot K-culture. Observing how Korean webtoons create a significant impact not only within the country but also abroad, we anticipated that when combined with K-pop, it could become a highly influential IP. 

Resemblance to real life wasn't a primary focus during the planning phase."

He continued, "Like other entertainment companies, we selected members based on their singing ability as the most important criterion. Members Yejun, Noah, and Eunho are capable of composing and arranging their own music. The sincerity of the members towards their music seems to have resonated with the fans, leading to considerable popularity."

PLAVE consistently engages with fans through various content and real-time live broadcasts, and during this process, their distinct characters have been formed, even down to the smallest habits of each member. As a result of emphasizing an environment where members can comfortably showcase their human charm, PLAVE's YouTube channel has approximately 490,000 subscribers.