Lucius Merryweather is an award-winning Webtoon author and VTuber from Denmark. He made his debut in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and is the head writer and owner of Merryweather Media, a visual entertainment studio based in Tokyo that specialises in webcomics. He recently made his first public appearance in Malaysia at the 3-day AniManGaki event, held at The Mines Exhibition Centre.
Known for wearing a mask of his dog persona during public appearances, the creator took to the stage at a launch-day press conference to speak about his career, his experience in Malaysia, and some of his upcoming projects. Here are a few of the questions he answered:
1. For those who may not be aware of who you are and your journey, could you share what inspired you to become a VTuber?
Well, I’ve been writing comics for many years since 2012, and one of the things about writing comics is that it’s kind of a lonely profession. Most of the time, if you’re writing comics professionally, you’re going to have contact with maybe an artist and an editor. Apart from that, you’d just be reading a bunch of comments on the internet, so it’s not really a very social profession.
However, during the pandemic in 2020, when a lot of people were inside, I saw this new thing that kind of came up, seemingly out of nowhere, which was VTubing. So I thought I should try it out; I learned how to stream, installed OBS, got a nice model made by a Japanese artist, and finally, it felt like I was in front of the audience. I was not creating content that was in front of the audience. For the first time, I was the content and I’ve enjoyed it ever since.
2. Since this is your first time in Malaysia, what was your first impression of the country? Have you tried any local food?
My experience with Malaysia so far is very good; it’s a very beautiful place. I love the vibe that Kuala Lumpur gives because I live in Tokyo, and in Tokyo, there’s the reality that there’s very little greenery in Tokyo but here in KL, there’s a lot of greenery. There are a lot of plants everywhere, and it’s very lively.
As for food, I’ve tried Nasi Lemak. I love that. That’s like my favourite thing right now.
3. You travel all over the world for conventions. What was your reaction when you got invited to come to Malaysia for Animangaki?
Well, I’ve already been to Singapore, and many people there asked me if I wanted to come to Malaysia. And as a result, it’s always kind of been one of those things I’ve wanted to do. I’ll say that it’s very warm here, but I’ve really enjoyed it so far. And I’m really happy that I got the invitation, it made me very happy.
4. How different are you from your VTuber persona from your real-life identity?
I think I’m very much the same person either way. Of course, I’m a little theatrical with my VTuber self. I mean, I am wearing a dog head, but I would say that there’s not much of a difference.
5. Let’s talk about your storytelling. In your world-building, it’s actually incredibly detailed and immersive. How do you usually start when creating a new fantasy world? Is it the lore, or the characters?
Usually, I begin with the character, someone whose concept really captures my imagination. Take Bianca from “Clinic of Horrors”, the comic I write. She’s a nurse who dresses in bright coloured clothes, but her personality is muted and stoic, which I found to be kind of interesting. From there, I asked myself: ‘What would Bianca be doing? She’s a nurse, so she’d likely be treating patients in a clinic. But what kind of clinic? What does it specialise in? How are patients treated?’
The story grew from there, eventually shaping the world of “Clinic of Horrors”. It’s a post-apocalyptic setting where everything outside one sprawling city has been left desolate and mutated beyond recognition. Bianca lives and works there, under the supervision of a mysterious doctor who treats people suffering from bizarre, otherworldly illnesses.
6. Have you ever had a story idea that was too weird, too dark, or too risky to publish? What happened to it, and do you have plans to publish it one day?
I’ve had a few dark stories that I’ve kind of played around with. I’ve published a few, actually. At one point, I received criticism for including a particularly grim arc in one of my comics, which dealt with bullying and other heavy themes. At the time, there were some readers who were quite upset about it because it was such a departure from where the story started. So, I’d say it’s important to be mindful when handling that sort of subject matter.
7. Do you have anything new that you’re currently working on that you can share? And are you open to collaborating with Malaysian content creators on a project?
I guess we have new things coming up soon, in general, for everything. Yeah, one thing I really want to go into is animation. So maybe that’s a little foreshadowing of something to come. As for the collab, maybe I already have.
