VTuber Yozora Mel‘s Contract was Terminated by COVER Corporation on January 15, 2024. While Listeners and Fans Expressed their Surprise and Sadness, the Words of Gratitude sent to Yozora Mel by the Company’s President Tanigo Motoaki (nicknamed YAGOO) and others have been Attracting Attention.
© 2016 COVER Corp.
COVER announced on January 15 that it has terminated the talent contract with Yozora Mel, a talent of Japanese female group “hololive” of the company’s VTuber agency hololive Productions. The company stated, “Due to the breach of contract, such as leaking confidential information and correspondence obtained from the company to third parties without permission, we have determined that it is difficult for us as a company to continue management and support, and we have chosen to make this decision upon agreement with the talent in question.“
Meanwhile, it has come to our attention that COVER CEO Tanigo Motoaki “YAGOO”, and Harusaki Nodoka, have sent their “Thanks” comments to Yozora Mel.
We regret to inform you that we have decided to terminate the contract with Yozora Mel. We would like to thank all of our fans for their support. We would also like to thank her for her past efforts.
COVER CEO Tanigo Motoaki (YAGOO)
Thank you so much to all the fans who have supported us. Thank you, Mel, for all the memories.
Harusaki Nodoka
These are more like words to be given to a graduating talent rather than to a talent whose contract has been terminated.
It is unusual for the head of the company to give a “Word of Thanks” to a celebrity whose contract has been terminated for a serious violation. Normally, it would be unthinkable for a talent who has caused serious damage to a company to receive a word of thanks after the announcement of contract termination. This is also clear in comparison with the past case of Uruha Rushia.
This is only speculation, but… the way YAGOO and Harusaki Nodoka are acting this time, it seems as if they made a “Painful Decision” as if they “Did not want to terminate the contract if possible, or wanted choice to graduate if that was not possible”. Perhaps Yozora Mel may have fallen into some unexpected trap and unintentionally leaked confidential information to the outside world.
However, COVER has made the same decision this time to protect its “Compliance and information management systems, which have been strengthened based on lessons learned from past scandals,” “Relationships of trust with talent, employees, listeners, and fans,” and “Its responsibility to fulfill its external social responsibility as a publicly listed company”. In order to protect these non-negotiables, the company has made the same decision this time as it did when it terminated the contracts of hololive Production’s talent in the past. This is a firm stance that “In the event of a serious breach of contract, we will terminate the contract without hesitation, even if the talent has already gained popularity and sales (Never overlook a breach just because it contributes to popularity and sales)” and it also reflects a great deal of trust in the talents and employees.
Image Credit: Official Site
© 2016 COVER Corp.
Yozora Mel is without a doubt one of the most important talents in hololive’s 1st-gen, the first of its kind to make her debut, and one of the most important talents in the company’s history. As the remaining 1st-gen talents streamed, she has been active in hololive Production for about 5 years and 8 months, and is an old talent for the VTuber industry as a whole. Needless to say, the shock and sorrow of her disappearance is irreplaceable.
And the legacy that Yozora Mel has left behind for hololive Production and VTuber industry as a whole will continue to inspire many more talents in the years to come.
We sincerely hope that COVER’s heavy decision will have a positive impact on the future of the company, hololive Production talents, and VTuber industry.
YouTube / X (Twitter) / hololive Production
Announcement Regarding Termination of Contract with Yozora Mel
COVER Corporation
(P2y.EN)
