On January 7, 2023, the number of Hololive Vtuber personalities joining the English Holostars Tempus group grew by four, with Gavis Bettel, Banzoin Hakka, Josuiji Shinri, and Machina X Flayon all joining the “guild.” While all of their debuts were fairly typical affairs, one really stood out. Flayon’s performance kicked off with a comprehensive and detailed animated segment, then followed up with what seemed like one of the best and most accurate teases from what to expect from the new performer.
When any Vtuber’s debut stream begins, you typically see a brief segment offering a hint at what to expect from the character. For example, Josuiji Shinri’s opening kicked off with a soothing story, establishing the fellow Tempus guild member as a calming presence and showcasing his voice. When it came to Hololive’s Machina X Flayon, the Vtuber kicked things off with what was essentially a whirlwind. Consider it a stream of consciousness, brought to life by established artist and fellow Vtuber Kurono Gomi, heralding not only his chaotic energy, but his range. This is due to it jumping from action to drama and comedy, with Machina X Flayon providing all voice acting for the affair. It was stunningly substantial, and that alone would have been a fitting way to introduce the performer to the world.
This led into a more informative, and also hilarious, introduction to Machina x Flayon, and again the Hololive Vtuber’s debut involved surprises. The new Tempus member isn’t just showing off and performing as himself, but while also using a “mech” known as the R-Trus. Part of this showcase involved looking at perhaps what it is like if “we” are in the robot alongside the guild’s “Customer Support” member. He showed us around “Xenokuni,” with a surprise “cameo” by Banzoin Hakka. The shifts in perspective were so much fun, really helping establish the character portrayed.
I’d also say Machina X Flayon’s initial schedule is a hint at his potential too. There’s a level of variety there that you might not expect from a newcomer. Instead of going with some big name titles like Gavis Bettel, counting on games like Fall Guys and Phasmophobia to bring people in even if they might not be convinced about him yet, he went with the indie horror adventure Angels of Death, the Japanese minigame Kuukiyomi, the mech action game Daemon x Machina, the hilarious and notorious otome visual novel Hatoful Boyfriend, and Mega Man Zero 1. Based on the likes presented in his debut stream, it feels like Machina X Flayon is showing us who he is and playing games he enjoys and loves. Not to mention there is a karaoke stream on January 16, 2023, to further display his range.
Another thing that makes following along with Hololive Vtubers and groups like Tempus is witnessing the Interactions with other members. Even before he debuted, Machina X Flayon was playing well alongside and off of his contemporaries. He gave Gavis Bettel vocal warm-up advice, with some of it being genuinely helpful! He tormented/treated Banzoin Hakka to his mellifluous voice. He dealt with Magni Dezmond’s advances.
Genuinely, every new Hololive Tempus Vtuber went out as they joined the ranks of the Holostars. Gavis Bettel followed his debut with a great surprise showing his comedic range. Banzoin Hakka released the original song “Raven’s Paradigm.” Leaning in to the jokes, Josuiji Shinri performed a cover of “Daddy Daddy Do!” But after seeing the range Machina X Flayon displayed, he’s someone people may want to pay extra attention to as the weeks and months go by.
