Publisher Summary
Collectively known as Secret Society holoX, their goal is nothing less than world domination! …But how exactly did they end up as Virtual YouTubers? Discover the origins of the self-proclaimed “rightful rulers of Eden’s planet” in this story based on the mega-popular stars of hololive. “YES MY DARK!”
Authors: COVER Corp. (original story), Omcurry G. K. (written by), Anmitsu Okada (artist)
Translated by: Jenny McKeon
Letterer: Adnazeer Macalangcom
I received this volume as an ARC from Yen Press in exchange for an honest review!
Background
This series is based on the popular vtubers (Virtual Youtuber) under the agency Hololive Productions, specifically, the 6th Generation group known as Secret Society holoX. The original story comes from Hololive's parent company COVER Corp.
This series first released in Shueisha's Shonen Jump+ digital platform ( which consists of such titles as Chained Soldier, Spy X Family, and Summer time Rendering) on November 1st, 2022. A few weeks later, the series then launched in Ultra Jump magazine (which contains series such as Black Night Parade and Jojo's Bizarre Adventures Part 9).
In July 2023, Yen Press announced that they acquired the English license to this series. This is a limited run series consisting of only 2 volumes.
Review
The first 4 chapters in volume 1 focuses on a single member of Secret Society holoX, so fans of a specific vtuber aren't left out. Although the overall story seems to revolve around Sakamata Chloe, other members are introduced to the reader through interactions with her.
Since I am unfamiliar with Hololive, I had to do some brief research on each character. The manga does a good job representing each of the stars. For example, Takane Lui acts like the big sister looking out for her "little sister" La+ (pronounced as "la plus") by doing all the heavy lifting. Looking up Takane's bio, this is how she acts on Youtube (corny puns included).
Chloe is a standard protagonist that you've read before. She's open, honest, friendly, and approachable. Basically, bright-eyed a bushy tailed character. She's down on her luck because she has been unable to get a job until being offered a position with holoX, even though she didn't apply to the role. She's the focus of the story being the new member of holoX. She's more of the breath of fresh air in the group, helping the other members where needed. She thinks this is her role as a cleaner: one to help "clean" up the problems plaguing the other members.
Led by La+ (pronounced as "la plus"), the Secret Society holoX's goal is world domination but not in the traditional sense. She wants holoX to be the world's biggest group. However, it's not going to be easy since she can't even get people at the park to take them seriously. The rest of the volume is about the group growing their fan base and recognition through odd jobs helping out the community and earn a little pocket money.
My only complaint is that I feel like there isn't much character development. La+ actually gets focus in 2 chapters but doesn't develop much, if at all. The cast seems very one dimensional. My guess is that this is to make sure that fans of the actual holoX group don't see a deviation in the characters from the manga when compared to the actual vtubers. This restricts the story's enjoyment (at least for me) and connecting with the characters. It really seems like a work specifically for HoloX's fans instead of for a broader audience.
Final Thoughts
If you're a fan of any of the HoloX members, this is a must buy. You will love the antics the characters get up to. If you're unfamiliar with HoloX or Hololive in general, you might find the humor a hit or miss, feeling like you're missing something to make this click.
Verdict: Pick it up on Sale
HoloX MEETing volume 1 from Yen Press is now available at all retailers
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