Mochimochi Sakura Learns Her Channel Has Passed 1,000 Videos During Lunchtime Singing Stream

HOSHIMEGURI GAKUEN — Mochimochi Sakura, a singer with Hoshimeguri Gakuen, found out during a Thursday singing stream that her YouTube channel had already passed 1,000 videos, a number she said she had been working to avoid. She had been holding the count at 999, she told viewers, by setting older archives to private.

The stream began as a surprise at midday Japan time, about an hour after she announced it. She said she planned to sing for roughly two hours before an evening errand, and opened by reading viewers’ names and chatting about the cold weather, plum kelp tea and a new desktop PC she bought and has not yet switched over to. She sang her first song, an Official HIGE DANdism number, about 25 minutes in.

“I’m trying to keep my YouTube video count from reaching four digits, right now.” — Mochimochi Sakura, on her channel’s video count

The video count came up around the 34-minute mark. She explained that she wanted to be the first to announce a milestone like 1,000 videos, and that being told by viewers first would be frustrating. Chat then told her the count had already gone over. She laughed it off, though she said she was disappointed. She also said she privately archives older streams because YouTube can flag songs, and because a channel that does many different things is harder for the platform to recommend. Among the streams she had set to private were some she called embarrassing past material, including an earlier alter-ego persona. She said she might one day hold a stream digging them up, and that she would want viewers to be kind about it.

She sang ten songs in all, including Frederic’s “Odoloop,” a Maaya Sakamoto song she sang while drinking plum kelp tea, a demon-themed song, the “Devilman” theme, YUI’s “Rolling Star,” “Algernon” and, as the closer, “Ame to Cappuccino.” She said fans at monthly one-on-one events often tell her they like her Devilman, which she said she does not mind. Partway through the oni song, a phone call interrupted the stream, and she briefly muted her mic before returning.

Before the final song she ran through upcoming items: the third-anniversary stream of the group Dekoboko Quartet on Nov. 5, and a radio show she had co-hosted that month, which was to air its final episode at 12:30 a.m. that night. She said she planned to stream again in the evening and closed by thanking viewers for turning out for a short-notice broadcast.