What Happened to the Kagerou Project? The History of Vocaloid's Largest Multi-Media Franchise

The Kagerou Project was once the largest, and only, multi-media franchise stemming from vocaloid, yet it has seemingly disappeared from otaku culture in the modern day.

And after rewatching Mekakucity Actors, I had a question. Where was Mekakucity Reload? That simple question would spiral into a multi-week investigation down the rabbit hole.

カゲロウデイズの日
August 15th, Kagerou Daze no Hi

Originally, this video was going to be a simple unboxing for 8/15, but given how little the disappearance of the Kagerou Project is talked about, I decided to go over the history of the series instead.

The video isn't intended to be comprehensive, but focuses on the major releases and events and highlights some niche points that are often forgot about. A few notable topics that aren’t covered are wannyanpu and three physical media releases, daze/days, RED, and Mekakucity M's aren't covered, despite unboxing two of them during the video lol

Will Kagepro Continue?
Jin stated, again, that he wants to continue Kagepro in the 8/15/24 Livestream, so his tweet Mekakushi’ Completed most likely does not mean he's given up.

Really good comment by thekagepro24 catching my translation mistake in the tweet, says mekakushi not mekakucity

It's possible he's referencing the completion of a new set/series of songs for Kagerou Daze no 9, and announcing another "completion" like he did with Summertime Record.

Summering:
Summering may have been planned/considered to be a kagepro song before it's release. Jin talks about wanting to write a new "summer-ish" song on 8/15/2024, saying when- if* it can be released. Summering was then released 2 months later.
https://x.com/rei_rei_suruyo/status/1...

First Place Assumptions & Thoughts
I haven't seen details on how First Place handled the copyright issues, so correct me if I'm wrong.
I assume there probably was some discussion going on until the end of 2021-2022, before talks fell through.

Children Record Reboot
My guess is, Children Record reboot was either the catalyst or response, as it was a violation of the trademark, while the discussions regarding the copyright issues were ongoing.

It's also unclear if Jin knowingly, or unknowingly, violated the trademark with Children Record Reboot, but if he did it unknowingly, it was pretty poor timing and if he did it knowingly, I don't think he went far enough. Releasing all the remakes may have garnered enough public attention to force First Places hand, but a single video was not enough.

Copyright Transfer
Transferring the copyright without Jin's knowledge was also a strange thing to do if copyright discussions were ongoing, which is why my guess is the deal fell through sometime before then.

First Place's Contributions
To play devil's advocate a bit, First Place did foot a lot of the bill for the production, marketing, and publication of the Kagerou Project in the early days. Given when production on Kagerou Daze no 9 started, I would also assume they did invest a lot into that project as well. To First Place, it may seem like Jin used their money to get big and famous and leave for the better terms when the chance arose.

Jin's Contributions
IA most likely would not be as big as she is now, if it weren't for Jin, and First Place would not have been as big without the Kagerou Project. Unfortunately, unlike the tangible Kagepro Trademark Rights, these contributions to First Place can only really be guesstimated.

What Happens Now?
Without Jin and Shidu, there's nothing 1st Place can do. The hype has long since died down, so this depends on whether or not the person in charge, cares. Their only options are:
A. Work out a deal
B. Sell the rights
C. Continue renewing the trademark
D. Let the Trademark go
E. Continue the Kagepro without Jin or Shidu

Personally, I believe B is the most likely, as there are probably many companies that would be interested in buying the rights. If they had any intentions to work out a deal or let the trademark go, the Kagerou Project would have continued by now. Continuing Kagepro without Jin would be too much of a risk for both the company and any creators involved given potential backlash, and renewing the trademark without use can be challenged in court.

Either way, the deadline is 2028. We'll see something by then, so until then see you around.

0:00 Overview
1:37 The Beginning
4:18 Rise to Fame
9:57 Stardom
17:33 Reload
22:10 Disappearance
27:20 Conclusion & Thoughts

Translation credits:
  / x0401x  

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Links to stuff in the video
Glass Display Case (2 Detolf Size) - https://amzn.to/4ntpTqs
Remote Control Outlet - https://amzn.to/3IXmrp3
LED Spotlight (Cheap) - https://amzn.to/4nK9gqH

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