Gather around, because this is an odd one. I came across one of these during a mindless scrolling session on YouTube Shorts, or was it Instagram Reels? I’m not sure. But I do remember seeing this 2D animated character dance around a very well filmed automobile, while an absolute bopper played in the background. There was nothing to it, it was very low effort, but incredibly watchable. I didn’t think much of it, and scrolled on, staring blankly at my screen. And then I saw another, then another, and enough anothers subsequently, of the same format, for my trend senses to start taking notice. Was it something I should pay attention to? Why was there an anime character in my car culture videos, dancing to the same song? So I looked at the description for the first time, it said - ‘9mm Go Bang - Shigure UI Loli Dancing’.
“Loli??”, I internally flinched, “In mainstream? That too openly? On car showcase videos? What is going on here? Am I looking at a MAP psyop?”. It was way too many overlaps for it to be accidental, and it was way too innocuous to come across as sinister. And thus, my rabbit hole into this utterly strange and probably unique occurrence in the online meme culture began. Here is what I found, which I have tried to lay down as based as possible.
(Context - The term Loli, comes from Vladimir Nabokov’s infamous book ‘Lolita’, which is about a man in love with an underage girl. Which was later improvised for adult oriented anime, that showcased highly sexualised underage girls - a vile genre called Lolicon.)
The Origin of Shigure UI Loli Character
Anime Overlap - Loli God Requiem
This particular Anime character was first created by vTuber Shigura UI in a music video called Loki God Requiem, which was in Japanese and was created at a jibe at the underbelly of Japanese anime culture, that promotes and consumes Child p*rn adjacent content. (You can also find an English dub of the same on Youtube if you want to search for it.)
Hip Hop/Gangsta Culture Overlap - Memphis Cult 9mm
Which was then used by an YouTuber IDLEGLANCE in a fan edit for the recently released Memphis Cult song called ‘9MM’. Which is a strange choice to say the least, since the track is quite an explicit one. The inclusion of a young girl dancing in what will most definitely fall in the NSFW category, should had been a red flag. But you know what, the edit is not creepy, it’s actually quite wholesome. In fact, Shigure UI is added into a very graphic, gangster prevalent video in the most nicest way possible. YouTube channel ‘Lessons from a Meme’ has done a really nice coverage of it, and I recommend it to anyone who is further curious about this topic.
To be honest, the internet has always created some of the best medleys. I call it ‘Pop-culture Vandalism’, and I look for them vehemently. But I have not seen such a seamless merging of so many opposing genres in this smooth a way since ‘DOOM CROSSING: Eternal Horizons’.
Car Culture Overlap - Underground Vibe
Somewhere along the line, Shigure UI & Memphis Cult was promptly adopted and used the car lovers. Ten of thousands of reels showcasing that combination cropped up, almost overnight. These are very simple pieces of content, but strangely, maybe because of the odd concoction that they are, the vibe is extremely underground. Like the old NFS days, back when bagging a car meant something.
And I think this is intersection I find myself in. I have almost no connection with anime anymore. I like hiphop, I like my suggestions be interesting and I absolutely adore automotive culture. But I suppose a lot of other people also paid attention to this trend, the influencer economy that is. Thus began new dance trend on TikTok, pushed further up the ladder when Bella Poarch decided to join in. You can find compilations of this on YouTube if your search for it. I wonder if anyone really knows where all this began, or how beautifully these varied internet cultures melded together to create what is now a dance challenge.
Internet meme culture is fascinating to me. Because it is so far removed from reality, yet such a precise reflection of who we are. It’s the tearing down of old guard in a way never seen before. The new generation dunking upon the old tired tropes is comedy gold. The inherent nihilism of Gen Z is also a source of constant amusement, when put through the filter of meme culture. It’s creator democracy at its best. And it’s satire at its finest. The 9mm Shigure UI trend however, is peak internet niche, which will inevitably fall prey to our collective ADHD sooner than we imagine.
Wananadang!
*The views expressed in this article are personal. They do not reflect the opinions, beliefs, or positions of Vygr and Vygr Media Private Limited.
