Alice Magic is a talented independent animator with skills that are on par with any animator producing works for TV or movies. Besides his own projects, he’s worked with a notable VTuber and grown a following of 239K subscribers on YouTube. VTuber animators such as Alice Magic and itsMeanWaterfall really make the VTuber community the fun place it is. We were fortunate enough to sit down with Alice Magic and discuss his enjoyment of VTubers and his work as an animator.
Who’s That Oshi?
Alice Magic names his oshis.
Kasaix: I first found your channel with the incredibly funny and unique series “RPG Heroine Who Looks Giant On The World Map But Actually Is That Big.” I was equally happy to see you put your incredible animation talent to work featuring stellar VTubers like Gura, Marine, and Korone. What first piqued your interest in VTubers? Was it someone in particular?
Alice Magic: Oh, I’ve been following VTubers since the Kizuna AI era and even drew some fan art of hers back in the day, before I started animating. I started watching Hololive around the time Gen 4 debuted, with Korone and Miko being some of my first favorites.
Kasaix: Oh, you’re a veteran in the VTuber community. That’s awesome. Are Korone and Miko still your favorites?
Alice Magic: I still watch them a lot, but I have too many favorites to just pick one, honestly. I’m also a fan of Subaru, Marine, Gura, Bae, Ame, Koyori, and really anyone who grabs my attention.
Kasaix: Ah, the plight of the VTuber enthusiast, we have too many oshis to count. What’s your favorite stream from any of those girls? One that stands out that you revisit from time to time.
Alice Magic: Korone playing weird niche games is always a treat. Her Pepsiman stream in particular comes to mind, especially after one of the cutscene actors reacted to it. There was also a stream where Gura directly called out my animations, and that’s probably something I’d never forget, haha.
Kasaix: It’s great that Gura directly called out your work. You definitely earned that recognition. Has anyone else reacted to your animations?
Alice Magic: I’ve had a few comments and reactions from some talents, ranging from ones I’ve featured in my animations like Luna to ones from outside Hololive altogether who just stumbled upon my animations. It’s very humbling and surprising. I was likewise stunned when Bae approached me to work on an MV animation with her, which ended up being a really fun and unique project to work on.
Kasaix: Bae as in Hakos Baelz?
Alice Magic: Yeah, for her cover of A Million Miles Away.
Recommended Viewing
Alice Magic’s stand-out animations.
Kasaix: That’s amazing! You did an incredible job with that video. Besides that, which do you consider your most popular animation?
Alice Magic: I think it’s one of my Hololive Wars videos (Kaiju Wars, Sea Battle, and Space Odyssey), all of which I’ve put a ton of effort into and am pretty proud of how they came out myself.
Kasaix: Those are great videos. I’ve watched and rewatched them a few times myself. Could you give your fans an idea of what will be featured in your next video?
Alice Magic: I’m currently working on an original animation that’ll be based around God coming down to earth as a cute girl. As far as VTuber-related projects go, I’d like to eventually do something with the HoloAdvent girls, all of which I’m a fan of.
Animation Process
Alice Magic discusses his process for planning out and animating a video.
Kasaix: I can’t wait to see those. How long does it typically take you to finish a video?
Alice Magic: It greatly depends. Generally a month at the minimum, and up to 3, 4, or even 5 months in extreme cases.
Kasaix: Quality of the level you put out takes time. It’s professional level at least, the same level people might see on TV or in movies. How do you plan out your videos?
Alice Magic: It’s pretty freeform. I generally come up with a very rough storyboard for what I want to draw, and down the line I make adjustments when I get a clearer picture of how the final animation will probably turn out. This wouldn’t work very well in a group setting, but I animate alone, so my workflow is pretty erratic.
Animation Inspirations
Alice Magic discusses what inspired his to become an artist and animator.
Kasaix: It would take pure creative freedom to make the “RPG Heroine Who Looks Giant On The World Map But Actually Is That Big” series. What inspired you to take up animation, and how long have you been animating?
Alice Magic: I think since 2019 or so. I’ve been drawing for a while before that, and then I branched off into pixel art, which is a format that lends itself to animation very easily. It was pretty fun, so I decided to try incorporating animation into my normal drawing sessions, which later led to learning how to edit and make videos with sound.
Kasaix: Are you self-taught?
Alice Magic: Yes. I started off drawing as a hobby, and never really expected to one day branch off into animations, let alone taking commissions and working on a more professional caliber. It’s been wild, but fun.
Kasaix: That’s incredible! You should be very proud of what you managed to accomplish. What advice would you give to someone looking to get into animation?
Alice Magic: I think jumping straight into it is important. I’ve avoided animation for a long time simply because it felt like “the next step” after drawing, and that I “wasn’t ready yet”. In reality, they’re more like two completely different fields. I think anyone can jump right into 2D or 3D animating with little to no prior experience in other mediums. It’s more accessible than it looks!
Kasaix: That’s great advice. Just jump right into it without fear. I’d hate to take up more of your time, so let’s wrap it up for now. Do you have any final thoughts for your fans?
Alice Magic: Giant girls are good and important.
Kasaix: Preach that most important of gospels!
Alice Magic: Thanks for having me!
Kasaix: It was my pleasure. Thanks for taking the time to chat.
We here at J-List would like to thank Alice Magic once again for taking the time to chat with us. If you’d like to follow his work, he can be found on YouTube, Twitter (X), TikTok, and Patreon.
If reading about VTubers has piqued your interest in more VTuber merch, J-List has you covered. The Inugami Korone POP UP PARADE Figure from Hololive is now available for purchase.
Editor’s Note: This interview was edited for clarity.
