Location Shoot Project Born from the “Ice Cream Cake Debate”
— The two of you were involved in this location shoot project, but have you had any opportunities to work together before this? Could you tell us a bit about your working relationship?
Program Director K: I work as a program director for NIJISANJI EN-related productions, mainly creating official EN programs. I had previously worked with C-san on “Terrasanji,” an improv theater project by Yu Q. Wilson.Besides that, I’ve also been involved in producing official projects like “NIJI ENprov Night” and “NIJI Mix EN’ Match! in 2D × 3D”, so I often cross paths with C-san, who is one of the managers supporting the NIJISANJI EN Livers.So I think this project naturally grew out of all the conversations C-san and I had shared about wanting to create and deliver even more fun and exciting content from NIJISANJI EN.
— I see! Could you walk us through how “Krisisis Explores Mt. Fuji and COOKS!” first came together as a project? Also, how did the idea of collecting ingredients through challenges and ultimately making an ice cream cake come about?
Program Director K: It all started with the idea of doing a location-based project featuring the NIJISANJI EN Livers, and eventually Krisisis was chosen to be the cast. Whenever I put together a project, I always try to create something that really brings out the featured Livers’ personalities and strengths to the fullest! So this time as well, I started by thinking about what makes Krisisis unique.
This is just my personal impression, but one of Krisisis’ defining dynamics is how Vantacrow, Claude, and Wilson are always playfully messing around together, while Vezalius watches over them with a laugh going “Hahaha.” Even during their collaboration streams, I often noticed fans filling the chat with popcorn emojis (*1), and I remember thinking, “This really captures Krisisis’ vibe.”
*1→ The popcorn emoji comes from the phrase “get the popcorn!” Just like watching a movie at a theater with popcorn in hand, it’s used when people excitedly watch arguments or playful drama unfold.
Ice Cream Cake⁉️🍰 #Krisisis Explores Mt. Fuji and COOKS!
Program Director K: I also looked into how the name “Krisisis” came to be, and I found that its origin traces back to what was referred to as the “Ice Cream Cake Debate” (*2). That whole discussion really captures their dynamic, and I personally love the atmosphere where Claude, Wilson, and Vantacrow are getting lively and chaotic, while Vezalius just sits back and calmly goes, “Where’s my popcorn?” That balance of energy felt really perfect to me, so I decided to build the entire concept of this project around that idea, and that’s how this structure came together.
*2→ A moment during a collaboration stream in which the members discussed their strong opinions on ice cream cake, including whether sponge cake should be included, their ideal texture, and how ice cream cakes should be stored. The members’ differing views of what constitutes an ice cream cake, stemming from where they grew up and their cultural backgrounds, sparked a lively and humorous debate.
Program Director K: The core idea of the video was to build on the “Ice Cream Cake Debate,” and in the end, I wanted the members of Krisisis to bond together while creating their “own ice cream cake together. ” Rather than focusing on a fixed definition of what an ice cream cake is, the idea was to have everyone collaborate and create something that felt like their own version of an ice cream cake (laughs).
— From your perspective, C-san, having supported all four Krisisis members, what do you make of K-san’s description of the dynamic, with three energetic members and Vezalius observing them?
Talent Manager C: I completely agree with that perception (laughs). Wilson is very reactive and has a great sense of humor, so he often ends up being the one everyone teases. It’s like Wilson gets playfully picked on by Vantacrow and Claude, while Vezalius watches over them calmly, eating popcorn with a laugh going “Hahaha.” I think that really describes their dynamic well.
To add a bit of context, before Claude debuted, since both Wilson and Vezalius are native French speakers, Vantacrow was apparently quite aware of the cultural dynamic and felt the difference between his American background and the other two’s French backgrounds.
When Claude joined, another member was added from the American side, bringing the group into a 2-2 balance. Because of this, I think another defining characteristic of Krisisis is this split between an “American side” and a “French side”!
Their First Reaction Was “Krisisis is real?”
— In the video, Krisisis took on three challenges which were zipline charades, cow milking, and toy block stacking (stacking blocks while completing the tasks written on each one), all in pursuit of the goal of making an ice cream cake. Could you tell us why these three challenges were chosen?
Program Director K: Firstly for the zipline, we wanted to highlight Wilson’s strong point which is his expressive reactions. We chose ziplining, a full-on scream-inducing attraction, as it would be perfect to bring out his totally natural, unfiltered reactions!
Talent Manager C: Wilson also showed some really funny reactions during BY THE BEAT’s debut program, “Music to Your Ears! ‘BY THE BEAT’ VTuber Debut Program,” didn’t he?
Program Director K: That’s right (laughs). Actually, at that time, we had parts in the script where it simply said “Wilson (Reaction),” leaving certain reactions up to him. Each time, Wilson delivered a uniquely energetic response. In particular, during the segment introducing Kaelix Debonair’s debut stream, he really latched onto the Liver color and went all in, shouting things like, “Wow! Yellow, yellow!” and “He’s yellow, just like me!,” bringing a lot of energy to the program and really lifting the atmosphere (laughs).
Music to Your Ears! “BY THE BEAT” VTuber Debut Program hosted by Wilson & Claude【NIJISANJI EN】
Program Director K: The cow milking challenge was actually inspired by Wilson’s “Moo” cow sound imitation meme as well. His cow impression had become something of a running joke within the NIJISANJI EN community, so I really wanted to incorporate it into the program somehow! Conveniently, there was a ranch near the filming location, and since milk was also one of the ingredients needed for the cake, we thought it tied in perfectly. That’s how the cow impression mini challenge came about.
As for the toy block challenge, we originally wanted an activity that could be done indoors. But rather than simply stacking blocks, we added more emotional elements, such as having the members give compliments to one another, and elements that create a lively and chaotic group dynamic such as doing impressions of other members and saying pick-up lines to the person next to them,so that fans could enjoy it more.
— So each element was designed with the goal of helping the Livers shine in their own way.
Program Director K: We really put a lot of thought into it. I always want to include as many elements as possible that can bring out each Liver’s unique charms!
— How did Krisisis react when you first approached the members about participating in the location shoot video this time?
Talent Manager C: When reaching out to them, the first thing I did was create a group chat for the four members, and I named the channel “Krisisis.” It really stuck with me how excited the members got when they saw it and started asking things like, “Wait, are we actually being invited to something as Krisisis?” and “Krisisis is real?”
After that, we shared the project proposal with them. Vezalius and Vantacrow immediately replied saying they were on board, while Claude simply responded with, “WHAT” (laughs).I think his surprise came before anything else, but it was definitely a positive reaction.
Then finally, Wilson replied entirely in all caps with: “WE’RE MILKING COWS AT MOUNT FUJI???? AWESOME!!!!!” He was absolutely thrilled! I remember thinking, “Out of everything, including the zipline and all the other activities, that’s the part he reacts to?” (laughs).
Staff Share Chaotic Behind-the-Scenes Stories from the Krisisis Location Shoot
— From here on, we’d like to go through the video chronologically and ask about memorable moments from each segment, as well as what the Livers were like during filming. First, Krisisis took on a zipline charades challenge at MISHIMA SKYWALK. While riding the zipline, they had to guess what gesture was being shown from the suspension bridge side. Looking back on this segment, what stood out to you the most?
Program Director K: C-san and I were actually split up in different spots during filming. I was at the zipline starting point, while C-san was waiting over by the suspension bridge. What really stuck with me was when Wilson shouted, “I am Tom Cruise!” Also, it was hilarious how Claude just quietly started sliding down without saying a single word (laughs).
Talent Manager C: Right! Even though we literally told him, “Please say something to the camera before you slide down!” (laughs)
Program Director K: Exactly (laughs). But I was really surprised by how athletic Claude was. I actually tried the zipline myself during the location scouting, and normally people end up landing facing backward. But Claude landed so smoothly, almost like “tap tap,” while still facing forward (laughs). Both his takeoff and landing were incredibly smooth and it felt very Claude-like.
Talent Manager C: And yet his reactions were still pretty subdued (laughs).
— So that’s what was going on behind the scenes (laughs). How about the team watching from the suspension bridge side?
Talent Manager C: Vantacrow and Vezalius were worried that their gestures weren’t getting across (laughs). When Wilson took on the challenge, the only thing they could hear was him screaming, “I am Tom Cruise!” so from the bridge side, they had no idea whether he had actually seen the gestures properly or not.
The same thing happened with Claude. He ended up gliding all the way through without much reaction, so Vantacrow and Vezalius started worrying that they may have failed the challenge (laughs). While riding the zipline, it’s actually pretty difficult to turn your body around, so looking toward the bridge side wasn’t easy.
Program Director K: It definitely wasn’t an easy challenge, which made it even more impressive that both teams ended up getting the correct answers!
Talent Manager C: I was really surprised during the answer reveal too (laughs).
— It was definitely a very difficult challenge, but both teams managed to pull it off successfully. Next, the Livers visited a ranch where they tried milking a cow and competed in a cow impression challenge. Their interactions with the animals were really heartwarming to watch. Could you share any memorable moments or behind-the-scenes stories from that day?
Talent Manager C: There are so many behind-the-scenes stories (laughs). For the cow milking challenge, we actually started filming first and then said, “Alright, let’s begin.” Vantacrow, who went first, didn’t know when he was supposed to stop milking, so he just kept milking the entire time (laughs).
Program Director K: But honestly, everyone was surprisingly good at it despite it being their first time!
Talent Manager C: Vezalius struggled just a tiny bit though. Usually he’s the type who can do anything skillfully.
Program Director K: With cow milking, if you’re too gentle, nothing really comes out. That probably says something about Vezalius’ kind personality.
Talent Manager C: Walking the goat was pretty difficult too (laughs).
Program Director K: Those goats wouldn’t move an inch unless you showed them food (laughs). So Claude and Vantacrow were basically luring them along with the feed, while Wilson and Vezalius were just being pulled along by the leads (laughs).
Talent Manager C: After it was over, Claude and Vantacrow’s hands were completely soaked with goat drool (laughs).
— I can really picture everyone struggling through it now (laughs). The cow impression challenge was also a huge hit!
Program Director K: The members were pretty embarrassed about having to do cow impressions right in front of the ranch staff and they were like, “Seriously…?” (laughs). I was expecting Wilson to do his signature high-pitched “Moo,” but surprisingly, Vezalius ended up doing it first, which was really unexpected and hilarious. And on top of that, everyone was way too good at the cow impressions!
C’mon, Doo it! @YuQ.Wilson 【NIJISANJI EN】
Talent Manager C: The ranch staff were seriously evaluating them as well (laughs).
Program Director K: After filming, while I was checking the audio from that scene, I actually got confused and thought, “Wait, were the cows at the ranch really making that much noise?” That’s how high the quality of their impressions was (laughs).
Talent Manager C: Then there was also the cheese incident. Claude opened up the cheese he had won from that mission and started eating it right there on the spot. Later during a break I asked him, “Sorry, can I borrow it for a moment to take some shots of the product?”. He was holding onto the half-eaten cheese carefully and responded with, “You’ll give it back right?” He was so protective about it (laughs).
— Sounds like the cheese must have been that good (laughs). After that, the Livers moved on to the toy block challenge. While taking on a variety of prompts, they worked together to stack the blocks, and at one point Vantacrow also shared memories involving each of the members.
Program Director K: Everyone really ended up with great prompts! Vezalius’s Vantacrow impression was hilarious, and Wilson’s “speak in Japanese only” prompt was great too. It was also perfect that Claude got the “add ‘nya’ to the end of your sentences” prompt, since it showed a side of him we don’t usually get to see!
Talent Manager C: I was trying so hard not to laugh (laughs). Claude actually started blushing when Vantacrow complimented him. Another moment that really stood out to me was when Vezalius got the “say your best pick up line to the person next to you” prompt. He ended up flirting with Wilson, but since Wilson was in the middle of the “speak in Japanese only” prompt, he could only respond with “Sugoi…” (which means “wow” in English) (laughs).
Program Director K: If he could’ve been speaking normally at that time, he might have brushed it off with a joke, but since he had to speak only in Japanese, it felt like a lot of different thoughts got packed into a simple “Sugoi…!” (which means “wow” in English), which was really funny.
— It was really memorable seeing him doing his absolute best to stick to Japanese the whole time (laughs). Lastly, the members took on the challenge of making an ice cream cake. Each member decorated the cake with their own distinctive toppings, and cookies designed to resemble each of their faces were included as well. Everyone looked like they were having a great time, but what was the atmosphere on set like?
Talent Manager C: For this segment, I was actually the one who decided the order in which everyone would make the cake based on the recipe steps. I placed Vezalius first since he’s done cooking streams before, and intentionally put Wilson last because he seemed like the type to have his own unique theories about ice cream cake (laughs).
The ice cream was melting more and more by the second, and the other members were pressuring him way more intensely than what you see in the video, so Wilson was getting pretty flustered. But from an entertainment perspective, I think it absolutely worked out, so I’d say I did a pretty good job deciding the order of the members (laughs).
Program Director K: It was excellent work (laughs). The members all did surprisingly well too. I remember thinking they were genuinely good at cooking!
— The decorated cookies looked adorable too!
Program Director K: Those cookies were actually made based on illustrations drawn by Vantacrow. I had previously seen the artwork he drew of all the EN Livers for the “Art Room Exhibition” for NIJIFes, and I remember thinking it was really great.
Talent Manager C: There’s actually a funny backstory about those illustrations too… When they were asking members whether they wanted to participate in the “Art Room Exhibition”, Vantacrow himself hadn’t actually applied for it. But Wilson went, “Vanta’s art style is really unique and cool, we should totally exhibit it!” and apparently submitted the application on his behalf without asking him first. Vantacrow was like, “Why would you do that?!” but he still went ahead and drew everything properly in the end (laughs).
And on top of that, while everyone else’s drawings were just headshots, Vantacrow and Claude were the only ones drawn full-body. When I asked Vantacrow about it, he said, “At first I planned to draw everyone full-body, but then I realized they were only going to use bust-up shots, so I stopped after Claude!” So in the end, only himself and Claude ended up getting these fully detailed, cool-looking full-body illustrations… (laughs)
Program Director K: Thanks to Vantacrow’s illustrations, the cake ended up feeling really special. We got to try it ourselves too, and it was delicious with just the right amount of sweetness!
Talent Manager C: Everyone was really digging in too, probably because we were all pretty hungry by that point!
Program Director K: Also, when they were choosing toppings for the cake, Claude and Vantacrow picked dango, but if you look at the final photo of the completed cake, the dango are nowhere to be seen. Fans who watched the video were guessing, “They probably ate them halfway through, didn’t they?” and that’s actually exactly what happened! They were sneaking bites the whole time (laughs). The “LOVE” topping stuck into the finished cake was added by Vezalius.
A Location Shoot Project Brought to Life Through the Manager’s Vision
— What impressions do you both have of each of the members and of Krisisis as a group? Their close bond really stood out in the video, but how did it feel seeing them interact in person during the shoot?
Program Director K: It really made me feel just how close they are. Even after filming had wrapped up, they were all gathered tightly around the lodge’s campfire together. Watching the four of them huddle close to keep warm was honestly such a heartwarming sight.
Talent Manager C: I feel like the bond between Krisisis has only continued to grow stronger over time. They’ve grown beyond being simply coworkers and have become true friends.
— K-san, from your perspective, were there any unexpected sides to the members that stood out to you?
Program Director K: They’re all incredibly cool people. But every now and then, there are moments where you start to think, “Wait… are Krisisis actually kind of charming and goofy?” (laughs). You can even feel it from the vibe of the thumbnail for the location shoot video! It has this sort of gyaru-like (a Japanese subculture known for its vibrant, flashy fashion and unapologetically bold, high-energy attitude) vibe to it.
Talent Manager C: Somehow, whenever they all get together, they just end up becoming adorable (laughs).
— Finally, are there any moments fans should keep an eye out for when watching the video to enjoy it even more?
Program Director K: Throughout this interview, we’ve talked about various past streams that inspired different parts of the location shoot video. I think fans might enjoy the video even more if they check out those past streams first and then come back to watch it again!
Talent Manager C: Honestly, a location shoot video is something we have been wanting to do for a really long time. Vezalius and I would even talk about things like, “Someday, we should go to a deserted island.” Ever since then, I’d always hoped we could make a location-based project happen, so being able to finally bring this project to life thanks to the support of so many individuals was genuinely very moving for me.
Program Director K: Thanks to the trust C-san has built with the Livers over time, the project ended up having a lot more depth to it. As a director, I’m really glad I had the chance to work together with C-san to create this video!
Also, if streaming is part of the Livers’ “ordinary day to day”, then projects like these location shoots are, in a way, “out of the ordinary”. I think that by giving them new experiences and fresh stimulation in an environment like this, it can become a source of inspiration, motivation, or energy that they can carry into their future activities.
Of course, it also makes us happy when videos like this encourage fans to think, “Maybe I’ll check out this Liver’s streams.”But more than anything, if these experiences can inspire the Livers themselves and lead to something meaningful in their future activities, then I think that would make us happiest as the production team.
AloJapan.com