Professor Lando: An “Educational” Deep Dive
One of the best things about VTubing is being able to see and meet some of the most interesting individuals on this side of the internet. And no, we’re not just talking about the talents themselves. From the artists, the musicians, those who work behind the scenes, and even the supporters, the community seems to bring out our wacky and enthusiastic selves.
This surge in popularity for VTubers has also captured the attention of other streamers and content creators. It’s amazing to see how varied the people are who associate with our colorful characters. Today, we’re highlighting one such person – Professor Lando!
Learning Lando
Professor Lando is an American content creator of South Korean descent who does art, animation, YouTube videos, and Twitch streams. His YouTube channel describes him as someone who is “educating the masses on every single subject and discipline imaginable.” His content revolves around explaining internet culture, particularly Japanese media, streaming, and memes. He presents all of these in a classroom setting, and in true educator fashion, his viewers are known as the students of LIGMA University.
Prior to his successful “educational” career, however, he and a few of his friends ran a channel called Lethal Soul. It featured comedic content like anime and cartoon parodies, as well as commentary videos. Unfortunately, the channel and most of its videos don’t exist anymore.
It’s quite difficult to find Lethal Soul-related content on YouTube nowadays. The results mostly show Lando’s collaborations with another cosplayer named D Piddy, or clips of their old videos uploaded by someone else. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that his old channel was quite popular since D Piddy’s collaboration videos with him reached as high as 11 million views.
He is bisexual and currently in a relationship with yuukacos, who he met through a mutual love for Berserk. Yes, that Berserk created by the late Kentaro Miura (bless his soul). He also worked a side job at a diner during a content creation hiatus he took mid-2022.
Professor Lando and Internet Phenomena
As mentioned earlier, the bulk of Lando’s content involves videos and streams educating people on internet culture. This is often met with hilarious results. One early example is his video about what a weeaboo is. Though there is a fair amount of humor mixed in, he actually does an excellent job explaining the term. He goes so far as to acknowledge its evolution. It went from something derogatory to something people either fully embrace or use in an ironic sense.
The fun part is how he really leans on his “professor” shtick. He uses illustrations and other visual aids to help his viewers better understand his “lessons”. His diagram on the brain of a weeaboo was fantastic. The effort he made to make sense of anime tastes and popularity deserves special mention, too. Think about all the good anime you’ve watched that never got a second season. Once you’ve done so, check this video and you’ll find that the bell curve he made was oddly realistic.
The professor also tried his hand at discussing the subject of VTubers. He first explains what they are as well as how they’ve risen in popularity. Next comes the origin of the term, even noting that Kizuna Ai may have been the first VTuber (or the first to adopt the term). Then, he talks about how VTubing works. They start by adopting a persona, then do live streams and other forms of online content. All of this is part of the experience that a VTuber provides. Afterward, he goes on to talk about how 2D models are better than 3D due to their charm and expressiveness. Personally speaking, I agree!
The best part is when he talks about what the mainstream doesn’t understand about VTubers, which is immersion. He points out what differentiates VTubers from other streamers. Some examples include having their own lore, character background, and themes. Combined with their avatars, they create an experience that’s pretty similar to a play.
He cites Hololive’s own Houshou Marine as an example of how all of this comes together. Also, he adds how VTubers (and other streamers) are “products” all competing in a saturated market to get viewers, so there needs to be something that distinguishes them from other content creators. There’s a surprising amount of depth in his discussion which makes it worth watching.
Another one of his prominent videos talks about “femboys”, men that exhibit feminine traits or wear feminine clothing. Like the term weeaboo, it was initially a derogatory term but evolved into something more positive over time. After this, the discussion takes a hard left turn and delves into an attempt at explaining what the “bussy” is. It would then make mention of the köçek, males who were hired as entertainers and performed dances while dressed in female attire. He mentions that people have fought over them and made massive commotions, which is historically accurate.
Next, he goes on to talk about how he doesn’t like the word “trap.” It’s one of those negative terms associated with femboys because apparently, they trick other people into thinking they’re girls (this is definitely not the case). Weirdly enough, it is one of the most wholesome parts of the video. He shows a lot of support for men expressing themselves however they want. Yes guys, you can display some feminine qualities and you’re no less of a man for it.
Then of course, in true Lando fashion, he ends on the topic of Astolfo from Fate/Grand Order being the gateway drug of femboys. He proved that by showing his own Astolfo cosplay. He also cited other femboy examples such as Hideki from Blend S and Venti from Genshin Impact. In a sense, this video best captures the Professor Lando experience: a constant whiplash between the educational, the wholesome, and the downright absurd, all wrapped in a classroom setting.
While most of Lando’s videos are way more informative than they have any right to be, lots of them are clearly just him having fun. His “bro code” video contains the rather infamous “three urinals” problem and a short message to not be “that guy.” He doesn’t specify what “that guy” is like, but everyone just knows. Don’t be that guy.
One of the top comments in that video probably has the most useful piece of advice in the bro code, however: “You don’t hit on someone who your bro has a romantic interest in.” Another video of his about NFTs is clearly just him poking fun at the entire thing, but this comment sums it up best: “I’m amazed how he’s saying the wrong thing in the right way.”
That’s what makes Professor Lando so fun to watch. He has an amazing level of commitment to his character and is so good at making anything he says sound factual and educational. He can make a lecture out of anything while saying the weirdest things, and people will still thank him for a great lesson.
VTuber Collaboration
Lando has had many opportunities to collaborate with content creators in both the anime and VTubing communities. If you have watched the video he did explaining VTubers, then you’ll know that he’s a huge fan of Saruei. It’s gotten to the point where he calls her the “ultimate VTuber” and says outright that she is his favorite content creator. In fact, on her birthday, Lando made artwork of her and sent a personal greeting while wearing a Shadow the Hedgehog cosplay.
He is also good friends with Bao, and he buys her merchandise. He managed to meet her at TwitchCon 2022 as well as other content creators. Some of them are The Anime Man (from the Trash Taste podcast) and Senz (the leftmost person in the photo above).
From Professor Lando to Alchemist Vtuber?
There’s been a lot of speculation about what happened to our dear professor when he went on an extended hiatus in May 2022. Lots of people think that he took up a new job and actually became a VTuber. Nothing is explicitly stated, but he apparently is a publicist currently working for one of the largest VTubing companies in the world. It’s also said that he’s a skilled alchemist, but nobody knows exactly what kind of alchemy he does. He does have a lot of successful business ventures, if you can believe that.
He debuted alongside 3 other VTubers (a gladiator, a scholar, and an adventurer). They only had a lukewarm reception at first, especially compared to other talents in this company. The good news is that fans have since warmed up to them. Their streams have become the stuff of legend, especially the collabs. In which case, that’s awesome to hear.
I’ll just give you something to think about: Have you ever seen Professor Lando and this alchemist VTuber in the same stream? It’s true that he’s done collaborations with other VTubers, but why not him? Don’t fret too much, though. There’s definitely time to see them both appear at once, and I could be wrong about all this.
Wrapping Up
Professor Lando had a magnificent return from his hiatus last January, and he “built” his own school to commemorate it. I think both old and new viewers are going to be in for a treat, because the programs offered seem to be a lot more… comprehensive. Let’s call it that. He currently sits at 667 thousand subscribers on YouTube and 107 thousand followers on Twitch, and I’m sure that number will grow even more this year. Personally, I’m just glad that LIGMA University is back, and I can return to class. Hopefully, you can attend too!
