The VTuber Who Changed My Life is Gone

Nene Amano’s Influence

Yiman reflects on how VTuber Nene Amano helped him feel seen, build confidence, and pursue his creative work. Their first meeting at Anime NYC in 2022 became a turning point. Nene’s encouragement and appreciation of fan creations inspired him to post edits of her content. After she praised his work, Yiman became one of her main editors and reinvested his earnings into making his own videos.

At a fan meeting, Yiman nervously presented Nene with a PowerPoint about her YouTube thumbnails. He had studied her designs and noticed her use of the golden ratio. The experience also led him to share two practical lessons about making videos:

• Create a thumbnail that catches viewers’ attention and makes them want to click.
• Don’t focus on the thumbnail alone; watch time matters too.

Finding a Community

Attending Production Kawaii’s concert at Los Angeles’s El Rey Theatre on July 1, 2023, made Yiman a fan for life. Despite severe social anxiety, he flew to Los Angeles alone and found a welcoming fan community.

Yiman describes an oshi as more than a person or character: it can be a community, culture, and shared atmosphere—something Nene had nurtured over time.

A Shared Interest

When Yiman returned to the Javits Center during Comic Con in 2026, he revisited the place where he first met Nene and reflected on the years since. Nene-themed T-shirt merchandise also brought his family together: his father’s company produced it, his mother handled website logistics, and his brother shipped orders. Yiman sees this as a meaningful sign that his family had come to share an interest they once didn’t understand.

Looking Ahead

As Nene prepares to graduate, Yiman calls it the end of an era. He plans to keep building his business and developing a film about VTubers. He thanks Nene for encouraging him to create, embrace his interests, and be bold about his ambitions.

Notable people, places, and products: Nene Amano; Yiman; Production Kawaii; Anime NYC and the Javits Center in New York; El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles; Nene-themed T-shirts and merchandise.