A Pre-Debut Meeting – Having Grown Alongside Him, His Manager Describes Him as a Friend

— Let’s start off with a question for the both of you. Could you tell us about your first impressions of each other? Looking back on the time when you first started working together as Liver and Manager, what memories come to mind, and how would you describe each other’s personalities now?

Yu Q. Wilson (hereafter, Wilson): I remember when I first met Manager-san (hereafter, Mane-san), they were still training. Another manager introduced us, and we didn't talk for too long at first. I don't think they were supposed to be the Krisis manager back then, or at least we weren't told. But it was cool having Mane-san in our meetings. Even though they weren't talking much, I could tell they were really learning about what sort of Livers Krisis were. That definitely shaped our conversations when they eventually became our manager. Mane-san is super good at listening to us whenever we're worried or have questions. They explain things really clearly and always give reasons for their answers, never just saying, 'I don't know.' Plus, Mane-san is really fun to mess around with. I never feel like I have to hold back.

Of course, there are times to be serious and plan things like a normal workplace, but with Mane-san, I always felt like I could joke around and lighten the mood. It's something that's really grown on me, and it's made me a lot more playful while still being professional.

Wilson’s Manager: I remember when we first met, it was in an online meeting, and another manager who was looking after you introduced us. I joined the company right before Krisis made their debut, and since I was assigned to manage the group, I had to learn all about the three of you. Wilson, you came off as a bit shy and quiet at first, even though you were the most talkative of the three in Krisis. You were different back then—I felt like you thought a lot before speaking to me. But now, you just mess around! Like during your 3D debut recording, you kept accidentally hitting me with your sword.

Wilson: That's not true!

— It sounds like both of you, with Wilson pre-debut and your Manager just joining, started on the same page and grew together. That sounds like a great working relationship.

Wilson’s Manager: Yeah, I learned so much preparing for Krisis's debut. I grew with Krisis, learning all the rules and things we needed to be careful about.

Wilson: It's a strange feeling looking back because Mane-san practically joined at the same time Krisis did. And like Mane-san said, it was so interesting to have us, a group and a manager, learning together. But Mane-san never seemed incompetent, not once. If they weren't sure about something, they'd always double and triple-check and update us with the answer we were looking for. Even in training, Mane-san was professional. And of course, they're no less professional now, though maybe I sometimes feel a little less so! But yeah, it's definitely interesting to compare now to before.

— This next question is also for both of you. Within the range you're comfortable talking about, could you tell us what your day-to-day interactions are usually like? We would also love to hear any memorable episodes or stories from your time working together.

Wilson: To be honest, to this day, it still feels crazy to say out loud, but I feel like I treat Mane-san pretty much like another Liver, in very friendly terms. But if Mane-san tells me to do something, I'll do it. So, it's kind of like... I don't want to say something like a friend in the student council, but it’s kind of like that.

— That's an incredible way to put it!

Wilson: Yeah, I think we’ve built a really good relationship where I always feel like I can interact with Mane-san casually, but most of the time, I know when to focus on my work. But I've never felt intimidated by Mane-san. As much as I joke about it, I always feel like Mane-san is there to lift me up if I need help or give me as much support as possible if I'm not in a position to do everything I want. They're just a very reliable friend, that's how I'd describe it.

Wilson’s Manager: For me, when I interact with Wilson, he feels almost like a sibling to me. I manage his schedules, and I'm always worried he might forget something. Normally he replies to me everyday, so if there’s a time where he doesn't react as quickly as normal and he's missed something, I just have to work under the assumption that he’s forgotten about it and remind him about it.

— So you’re the sibling who also happens to be the student council president, we can surmise. Any memorable episodes?

Wilson: Anytime we’ve ever met in person and spent time together, really. Like messing around on the set of my 3D debut, or just hanging out in the waiting room next to the 3D studio, those are memorable to me. Since I’m living in Japan now, I don’t get many chances to do this anymore, but meeting the people I’ve worked with remotely and seeing what they’re like in person, in their natural habitat, really changes your perspective. And just casually discussing favorite foods, your favorite anime, what game you're playing, if you liked this or that. It's just very, very comforting, you know. As much as I love to talk about work, some of my most memorable moments with Mane-san are just casually talking.

Wilson’s Manager: I remember that the first time we met in person was when I picked you and Vanta (Vantacrow Bringer) up at the airport.

Wilson: I remember that too, yeah.

Wilson’s Manager: I think your flight was delayed or something, so Vanta and I waited for you for a long time. And that was your first time in Japan too, right? So that must be a big memory for you.

Wilson: Oh, it is! First time in Japan, meeting Vanta for the first time, meeting you for the first time, meeting a lot of people for the first time. Yeah, it's going to be hard to forget. It's pretty much a core memory at this point.

Wilson’s Manager: I remember you got sick that time.

Wilson: Yeah. You really had to take care of us then. It was our first time in this country, so we had no idea what we were doing. You helped get me and Vanta tickets for the subway, get us to the hotel, and everything. That's also a core memory of mine, too.

Wilson’s Manager: I went out to buy food for you because you were sick and I was thinking, 'Oh, what food would be better for a sick person?'

Wilson: Do you remember coming to the clinic with me?

Wilson’s Manager: Yeah, I remember. That was a really long time ago, right?

Wilson: Yeah.

Yu Q. Wilson Shares His Streaming Philosophy and Reveals the Behind-the-Scenes of A Certain Massive Project

—This next question is for you, Wilson. You seem to enjoy incorporating original ideas into your streams, such as categorizing EN Livers into various tier lists or hosting themed Minecraft streams. When planning a theme for your streams, what do you consider most important?

Wilson: I'm glad you asked! I love talking about my streaming philosophies. When it comes to ideas for streams, I tend to divide things up like a skill tree in a game and if I'm doing a solo stream, I ask myself what to prioritize. For example, reaction-related content, like a horror game, is really good content because it focuses on me as a solo streamer. Sometimes I even implement a cool concept that might interest viewers.

I also value talking about how I see the other Livers and sharing my thoughts about them. For example, I talk about what I think about my EN friends and where I'd put them on a tier list, what kind of person they are, then it can really catch the viewers’ attention. They could find themselves curious about what I think about their favorite Liver, or just how I view someone in general.

Another thing I prioritize is viewer interaction. Going back to those tier streams, if I put someone in a certain tier, the chat can surmise that it’s because of a certain stream or event, then I can reply telling them if they’re right or not. Encouraging viewers to participate can lead to a healthy community that’s always willing to interact and show interest in what you’re doing. That’s something I focus on a lot for solo streams.

When it comes to group content, I try to think of something that can both encourage Livers to interact more with each other and make viewers really excited to watch. As of right now, we're doing a roleplay Minecraft server (NIJI ENchanted*) with a lot of people, and I remember discussing this with Luca (Luca Kaneshiro) months ago. We talked about how we could build on NIJI ENchanted to make it even more fun for both us and the viewers, then decided that it’d be best to just reach out to as many people as possible to make it feel even bigger, better, and more exciting than before. Those are the main sort of things I focus on.
*'NIJI ENchanted' is a NIJISANJI EN roleplaying Minecraft server opened on March 3rd, 2025, using the Cottage Witch modpack for a magical atmosphere.)

— It’s apparent how much you care about not just the people who watch your streams, but also other Livers and how to create a feel-good, wholehearted experience. You mentioned discussing a successor for NIJI ENchanted a few months back, so would you mind giving us some insight into how long you typically plan these ventures before starting them?

Wilson: Great question! For something like Terrasanji*, I'd usually break the process down to about three or four stages. First, I'd make a rough draft of my idea. Like, a quick script, story overview, how many Livers I'm picturing, and potential roles. Roles refer to the actors, directors, assets creators, individuals in charge of music, etc. I’d use that to see if both the Livers and staff were on board. The staff are incredibly helpful and kind, always willing to listen and show interest in helping me make it all come together.

Wilson:Once the pitch is done, I'd reach out to more Livers and let them know the staff is interested, then ask if they want to jump in as actors or help behind-the-scenes. Once I’ve got a list of people, I’d assign them roles based on what fits them best. Let’s say Vanta, for example. In his case, I feel it’d be funny to throw in jokes that resonate with him and his audience. I want the fans to have that experience of watching their favorite Liver play another character, but understanding that it’s still them at their core.

Once everyone has their roles, I get started on scriptwriting. Terrasanji's script wasn’t an easy one. If I remember right it was around 60 pages of text, dialogue, and descriptions. I had a lot of late nights trying to hit my page goals, but it wasn’t always successful. I actually wrote too much and had to cut some of it out by the end, too.

After the script was finished, I remember organizing a big read-through session so everyone had the chance to get a feel for the flow, how they’d project their voices, or just, like, their general acting style. This was going to be completely live, which was probably the scariest thing for both the Livers and the fans. But the beauty of Terrasanji, for me, was that I wanted it to feel like an amateur outing. Kind of like when you were a student watching your friends act. And that’s sort of what makes EN, well, EN in the first place, right?

I wanted the other Livers to just embrace who they are while also diving into a new character for a fun play or just to have a good time. I feel like giving Livers exciting events and projects makes them happy and gives them something to look forward to. That’s why I want to create more events in EN; it’s something that makes me happy, and I've heard it makes the other Livers happy too, so it's a win-win situation.

— Since you've talked about how you approach scriptwriting when working with other Livers already, how would it go if it was a script that you wrote purely for yourself? What would you place the most importance on, and how important do you feel it is to have those scripts that you personally wrote in the first place?

Wilson: If I'm writing a script for myself, especially for my own dialogue, I try to focus on being as clear as possible. Sometimes I have a hard time expressing certain things, so when writing scripts I try to make it clear and straightforward. Like, if there's a joke or something’s going to happen, I'll have notes saying stuff like 'After you say this, something is gonna happen,' 'use this camera angle,' or 'this sound effect or this music plays.'

I often write down what emotion someone should be feeling after a certain line. It could be someone feeling shocked, angry or sad, but I’ll go into detail if that emotion is meant to be exaggerated or more subtle. That kind of detail is important because it really makes the difference how much emotion you put in, such as whether you’re aiming for something serious and authentic or just completely over the top and unserious.

At the end of the day, you want your vision to be as clear as day so people understand the approach you’re going for.

The Perks of a Main Character-Like Presence and How Practical Advice Supports the Liver

— This one’s for your Manager: what do you consider to be most important when it comes to supporting Wilson?

Wilson’s Manager: Even though Wilson sees me more like a friend he can mess around with rather than a manager, I still consider his feelings as most important when talking to him. Because while he’s easy to work with and easygoing, I know both him and other Livers can be going through a lot at any given moment. So I remind myself every day to take care of his feelings when I talk to him. He's actually a bit more sensitive than he lets on, so I try to cheer him up when he needs it and just make sure he's doing okay emotionally.

— It sounds like you're good at picking up on when Wilson's holding back and making it easy for him to talk about anything. Moving on, what do you think are Wilson's biggest strengths or most appealing qualities? And has anything about his personality surprised you over time?

Wilson’s Manager: I feel like his biggest strength is that he feels like a main character straight out of an anime or manga. If I send out a message to the Krisis channel, he's always quick to reply with really positive messages and general support. If I suggest some ideas, he’s always really positive about them regardless of if he agrees or not. He’ll even help brainstorm new ideas if he’s not on board with the initial suggestion. The HEROES off collab last year probably wouldn’t have happened without him, either. I was the one that suggested an off collab when Krisis visit Japan, but I don’t think it would have happened if it weren’t for his help, especially with stuff behind the scenes. As for any surprising sides to him… I’d say he's pretty consistent, so no.

Wilson: I wear my heart on my sleeve, you know.

— It almost sounds like you play catch with ideas; one of you throws something out, another adds to it, and then you both build on it. Wilson also seems to be something like a magnet in the way he draws people in.

Wilson: I don't even try to be like that. I just do what I think would be fun, but people always seem to gather around me or whatever I'm doing, even in the big group collabs.

— That makes sense, given your Manager's comment about you being like an anime main character. Given that innate ability to get other Livers on board for projects and collabs, is there anything you'd absolutely love to do with everyone else in the future?

Wilson: I like that question. There’s a lot of things I want to do with everyone. I've always been open about how my favorite part of NIJISANJI/NIJISANJI EN, even before I joined, was the group stuff that they did together. It’s kind of embarrassing, but that was something I always wanted to be a part of since it sounded so fun. All my big group project ideas come from my desire to plan something that would be fun for everyone. Most of the things currently happening are things I've always wanted to do in large groups, like the current Minecraft RP VCraft server. I also really want to do a big GTA RP server, kind of similar to what a lot of JP Livers did recently*. More 3D projects would be great too, since 3D is just so exciting for both fans and Livers. A 3D play like Terrasanji is probably the biggest thing I can imagine doing right now. It’s hard to imagine feeling more excited to produce and make something more than that, but if it’s possible to top it, then I absolutely want to.
*”NIJISANJI GTA” was an RP server using the FiveM mod, hosted and run by Hoshikawa Sara and Kanae between June 15th - 25th, 2025, in which over 100 Livers participated.

— Let’s run with that idea for a moment. If you were to do another play, what would you like to theme it around?

Wilson: I actually already know what the theme would be! A lot of people have asked about a Terrasanji sequel, but my stance on that is pretty firm; it was always meant to be a one and done with no sequel, especially with how well the ending wraps everything up. While making Terrasanji though, I was already thinking about a murder mystery play. Those are pretty popular in theater I believe, and I’ve got this idea for a steampunk-ish setting. A murder mystery would be super dialogue-heavy, full of intrigue, cliffhangers, and twists, which sounds super fun to write.

— There’s no doubt that a lot of people would be excited by that prospect. Now then, Wilson. Could you share a time when your Manager's support really helped you out, and any memorable words that stuck with you?

Wilson: Mane-san is always helpful, to be honest. Whenever I'm worried, they don't just tell me that everything will be fine or that I’m doing good as-is. Instead, they give me real solutions and advice on how to fix things or see them differently. I really appreciate how they don't just tell me what I want to hear, but give me actual steps to follow if there’s something I’m frustrated about or want to change. We have a really healthy relationship like that, and it shows just how much they care about me doing well and being happy as a Liver.

There was this one time I was really frustrated about something I was trying hard to achieve. Mane-san showed me how to make it work, how to reach my goal, instead of just telling me that it’ll all work eventually or something similar. They guided me on how to get better or approach it from a different angle. The way they help me out like that always makes me feel way better and not stressed, which I always appreciate.

— It sounds like they’ve managed to strike the right balance between constructive feedback and genuine support, without just saying empty nice things.

Wilson: Yeah. I know that they care. We know when to have fun, when to be serious, and when to sit down and plan things out. Their feedback has always been positive and helpful. Honestly, I've never had a bad experience with Mane-san.

— I'm sure your Manager is thrilled to hear that. Speaking of, is there anything that you’d like Wilson to work on when it comes to his Liver responsibilities?

Wilson’s Manager: Oh, hm. Maybe don't show up to meetings at the very last minute. You’ve got a habit of streaming right up until the meeting starts, so we always worry that you might’ve forgotten. Maybe we can adjust the time, or you can try not streaming so close to the meeting (laughs).

Wilson: I'll work on that. I think I’ve gotten a little better about it, at least.

Wilson’s Manager: A little. Though you were the same today.

Wilson: Oh. I love to stream, Mane-san (laughs).

— Now then. Wilson, do you have a message that you’d like to share with your fans? And to your Manager, do you have any words of encouragement for Wilson?

Wilson: Thank you all for putting up with my sometimes dumb ideas and stupid jokes that I feel don’t land the way I want them to. Thank you for enjoying my interactions, messing around with me, and tuning into my streams, whether it's a chill horror game or something bigger like Terrasanji or my 3D. I always deeply, deeply appreciate our interactions on stream, and I always look forward to them. I really hope we can have more. Thank you so much.

Wilson’s Manager: Wilson, now that you're in Japan, I hope that someday we can do Terrasanji, but in 3D. Let's make it happen.

Wilson: Yes, let's totally make it happen!