Anycolor General Meeting 2024 Q&A’s


Special thanks to @atmp_awtai2 for providing this thread. You can view the thread starting from here.

A word of warning: These have been translated from Japanese using a combination of DeepL, Google Translate, and manual checks. This information will not be 100% accurate, and should be used as reference only.

- UnstoppablePhoenix

Question 1

Are the reasons for selecting Mr. Suzuki [Takato Suzuki, Executive Officer] as a candidate for director valid?

Looking at his career, it's mostly in the game industry [former Lead Data Scientist for Cygames, Inc.], so his knowledge of the entertainment industry is limited, and each of his terms is only around one year, which may lead to the conclusion that there are no more talented people in the company.

→ Judging from his efforts since joining the company, we have high expectations for his future.

Question 2
About the Anti-Defamation Team:

Does it fall under the category of non-practicing law?

→I will refrain from expressing my opinion on the appropriateness of this matter in light of the law. We will continue to make every effort to combat slander and libel.

Question 3
Impact of the Nico Nico Douga Attacks on Business Performance

→ I will refrain from commenting on sales, but our company will also be conscious of measures against cyber attacks.

Question 4

The share buyback was completed quickly, but was there any intention behind it? Can't we allocate more of our company's investment to human resources?

→ We will invest in human resources and equipment, and use the remainder to return profits to shareholders.

Question 5
About graduation:

What do you think about the graduation of old-timers such as Chihiro [Yuki Chihiro], Utako [Suzuka Utako], and Aki [Suzuya Aki] who interacted with you [Mr. Tazumi]?

→ I don't want to touch on each individual, and I think the reasons for graduation are different. It may be that compliance and other issues are making it difficult for them to continue, but I want to support the activities of our livers by providing more support.

Question 6

What do you think about the future of the VTuber market?

→We believe that the market has spread from anime and has the potential to expand globally. We believe that we can broaden the base of VTubers by supporting them to be active in various genres and stages.

Question 7
I think the sales ratio by business segment is biased towards commerce, but how do you plan to expand this to 60 billion yen?

→ I think that being biased towards commerce is a characteristic of our business. I want to achieve this target by continuing to develop each of these areas.

Question 8
Isn't the average length of service of 2.1 years too short for a young company? Is there anything we can do about it?

→We are working on the retention of excellent human resources by reviewing the evaluation system and revising the treatment according to the growth of the employees.

Question 9

AI Investment Policy

→ I don't think it's something we should make public, but I think it will have an efficiency boost and we'll consider adopting it. We'll continue our research in-house while also taking into account reputational risks.

Question 10
How do you consider and deal with geopolitical risks regarding expansion into Greater China?

→ We will develop the project while carefully assessing cultural differences and the situation.

Question 11
Regarding the changes to the company's internal structure, I would like to know if Mr. Tazumi has any reasons or visions for what he will be focusing on.

→Originally, Mr. Suzuki and I shared roles and responsibilities. While I can't give you the details, we will continue to share the responsibility of executing operations.

Question 12
You mention strengthening the sales of each individual liver, and there are many references to VTAs [the Virtual Talent Academy], but how do you strengthen the old ones?

→How do you strengthen the old guard? We believe that expanding development in order to broaden the fan base will lead to this.

Question 13

I was wondering if the VTuber version of “UUUM” will have a similar stock market decline? It is something to be concerned about.

→ I think the difference is that we're not just making shows or following trends, we're creating content.

Question 14
I would like to hold a Q&A session for individual shareholders who want to make proposals to increase the number of shareholders, rather than just asking thank you questions about their own stock. If we do this, let's collaborate with organizations like Kabu Berry and Shonan Investment Study Group [both are IR societies], which can keep costs down.

→We recognize the importance of this for individual shareholders. We would like to have some positive considerations on how to do it in future.

Question 15
About VTuber Branding

→We will provide support on YouTube and deal with each liver's branding policy.

Question 16
What measures are being taken to address the decline in live streaming revenues?

→We are aware that the decline in live streaming revenue, especially in overseas markets, is having a negative impact. However, we feel that memberships are growing due to changing trends. We will continue to focus on content creation and other efforts from the perspective of fostering fan communities.

Question 17

English roles seem to be reopening after what appears to be a hiring halt in the Asian region. What are your plans for this?

→We are thinking of responding by hiring more English speakers, and putting more emphasis on non-verbal content, such as music and performances.

Question 18
Since Dinamis [accessory brand] is involved in the company as a subsidiary, isn't this stealth marketing for them?

→ I will refrain from commenting on my views here, but I will cooperate with my lawyer and strictly comply with the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions of Japan.

Further question from the audience member: Does that not constitute unauthorized practice of law? [re: Question 2]

Question 19

I would like to know the atmosphere in the company from directors other than Mr. Tazumi. Please introduce yourself and your enthusiasm.

→ Mr. Tsurui [Shinya Tsurui, CFO]: There is a good balance between men and women, and there is also a good balance between the business, creative, and corporate sides. He believes that many people work for the company because they love its content (he spoke very calmly).

→ Mr. Maekawa [Shunsaku Maekawa, Outside Director / Full-time Audit and Supervisory Committee Member]: What outside directors do is audit the directors' execution of their duties. The majority of the board of directors are company directors. The internal directors are young, but they are always debating what they want to do with the company and the VTuber business.

(I got the impression that he was a man of the Showa period when he was talking, in contrast to the way he was sitting.)

Question 20
About the new studio

→Hiring is underway for steady utilization.

It is difficult to say how this will affect our business performance, but we are aware that the number and breadth of contents we provide will expand.

Question 21
I've been a shareholder starting from this year. What is the timing for returning profits to shareholders in the form of dividends?

→ Since most of the dividends go to me (Mr. Tazumi), we have decided to return profits to shareholders by acquiring treasury stock, which has an impact on minority shareholders as well. We would like to consider this depending on future developments.

Question 22
About board members:

Do you have business people as well as entertainment-focused personnel? How do you plan to incorporate them into your operations?

→ We are aware of the importance and are working on it. We will focus on recruiting not only creative-centric people but also global human resources.

Question 23
How do you differentiate yourself from the competition, like Cover [hololive] for example?

→ I think that the strength of the company is that it has a diverse and well-balanced lineup of live streamers, including many male streamers and mascot-like live streamers.

Question 24
About VTA:

I would like to see streams for these again.

→We are strengthening training for compliance and skills. We are promoting training for mid-to-long-term success. We would like to consider this internally.
Refer to Question 14 (individual shareholder briefing sessions).

Comments from the original thread author:
People in Q1 and Q’s 2 & 18 wanted to ask more questions, but they were cut off due to time constraints.

Greetings from the newly appointed Suzuki, who is said to be in charge of domestic livers. I'm a bit worried about his unhealthy appearance.

After the presentation, the person asking the first question from the audience spoke quietly to the audience, "I think there are some management issues. Do you all think it's okay?"