Hakos Baelz Talks About Tanya the Evil, the Yakuza Games, and Being a Bit Chūuni
Recently, I was able to sit down with Hololive's Hakos Baelz in preparation for their 4th English group concert, “Serendipity. We got to talk about Tanya the Evil, The Yakuza games, and what it means to be “chuuni”. We also discussed her experience as a dancer and being able to speak multiple languages (Japanese, Cantonese, Korean). She also shared her favorite way of drinking coffee after her many debates with Cecillia Immergreen: that it's better than tea.
So Hololive's 4th English Group Concert “Serendipity” is coming up this July. What makes this particular concert stand out from prior concerts here?
Hakos Baelz: For me, I think every year I try to put more of myself in my performances. Whether through practicing the vocals or practicing the dance, everyone's working really hard to make sure that it's a bigger and better performance for all our fans and everyone who comes to support it. I hope it does become a standout concert. One can only hope. We're all trying. We're all practicing really hard.
You mentioned before that you choreographed your own dance sets. Is there a different mindset involved when it comes to choreography compared to freestyle?
Hakos Baelz: Yes, I've choreographed some of my own original songs, most recently being my newest song: “Snake Eyes”. I'm not really much of a freestyle dancer. It's never been a specialty of mine. But when it comes to virtual motion, I guess choreography does work differently. There are limitations in movement. Being able to show off what I want to do and what I can do has been a great challenge. I also want to continue creating more and more to see how far I can push the limits of virtual technology.
Speaking as the Rat of Chaos, have you always had a bit of a “Chuuni” side to you? For those who don't know, Chuuni is basically that feeling in middle school when you get tired of playing the hero and want to be more like the demon lord.
Hakos Baelz: I think so. I didn't know it was called Chuuni. It was just a natural phenomenon to me. I've always wanted to feel like there was something more. I've always been known to daydream, and that's at the center of it. That is what being Chuuni is. There is the image of the whole middle school. “I have secret powers” type of thing. But at the end of the day, I just want an escape and want to feel special or different. And part of it is hiding it from the world, which is the schtick. For me, it's always been about wanting to escape to my own little world. As I grew and understood the meaning of Chuuni, it has evolved to what it is now. I've always had a part of that in me somewhere.
So people often joke that alongside HoloEN, you're actually kind of a member of HoloJP due to how good your Japanese is. You've also spoken some Cantonese and Korean. How did you pick up on so many languages?
Hakos Baelz: The Cantonese part was from the rat birth rat family. I was very lucky to be born into a family that prioritized both English and Cantonese. Korean isn't really at a speaking level. It's very much a passion. I learned that in school, along with Japanese. Granted, I spent many, many years practicing and learning Japanese. Honestly, it's not perfect. I wish it were actually at a higher level than it is now. But I'm getting by.
You've also showcased many Australianisms (Vegemite, Ken the Spider). The “witness me” in your intro is a Mad Max reference. Has it been fun sharing that side of you?
Hakos Baelz: Yeah, it has. It's been really special to me to be able to share my Australian-isms, as you call them, or my love for Australia. It's the country where I was born, and I'm very proud to be an Australian. We have a lot of things that the rest of the world finds a little bit strange or interesting, and I want to share that with the people around me, whether to my senpais, people I work with, or my friends. It's fun, and it makes me who I am. Australia for life.
That's also what led to McDonald's run turning into Maccas Run to becoming JDON MY SOUL.
Hakos Baelz: Logically, I don't know how that moment has become that or how that moment did become that. But I'm very grateful that my Australian-ism led to probably the biggest meme in my entire career.
You've also gotten kind of famous for your “zoomer” moments. Whether it be shows or tech, it feels like you're learning something new every day. But was there a particular boomer fact that just kind of blew your mind?
Hakos Baelz: Well, first of all, learning something new every day: Bless education! But referring back to my Boomer Zoomer collab that I did once upon a time, the pager thing really… I wouldn't say it blew my mind. I think it's hard for me to wrap my mind around that, and also dial-up. I don't really understand how that works and why it was connected to the phone line. It's hard to understand with the efficiency we have now.
I've noticed one of your favorites when it comes to anime is Tanya the Evil. With Season 2 finally coming this summer, what got you hooked on that particular series? Was it Aoi Yuuki's Performance?
Hakos Baelz: When I first discovered Tanya, it was very much an offhand thing of scrolling for new anime to watch. The first time watching it, it kind of blew my mind just with the whole storyline and the performances and everything. But the more I watched it, the more I realized it was Aoi Yuuki's voice acting that blew my mind. I'd been such a big fan of hers for so long. Specifically for Tanya, it's hard to wrap my head around the character. Tanya is a reincarnation of a middle-aged salaryman in a little girl's body, so being able to see those two personalities so clearly? It's not an easy performance, and she nails it every single time. Every single time I rewatch the anime, I have a newfound respect for her performance. So I'm really, really excited for season two. I wonder where it's going to go.
Are there some other favorite anime of yours? Have you gotten into any of the newer stuff?
Hakos Baelz: I have not. Unfortunately, it's been really difficult, time-wise, in recent years for me to sit down and enjoy an anime series because I'm a binger. I don't like unfinished anime, so it has to be a finished series, and I have to watch it in one go. It takes time for an anime to become a favorite of mine. I have to rewatch it many, many, many times. Similar to Tanya, there is a newfound appreciation for anime that I watch over and over and over again. So a lot of my favorites are from the golden era of anime. The two big ones are InuYasha and Fullmetal Alchemist - Brotherhood.
Have you seen the original Fullmetal Alchemist as well?
Hakos Baelz: Yes. I don't have anything against the original FMA. It's really funny, and it was a really good introduction to FMA for people who were watching it at the time. If you're interested in the actual story, it's pretty much covered in the first ten episodes of Brotherhood. But I will say the antics in the 2003 anime are very, very funny.
You've actually also managed to, within the span of a couple of years, binge all of the mainline Yakuza games. Which would you say are your favorites?
Hakos Baelz: Favorite has always been and will forever be unchanged: Yakuza 0. That game is a masterpiece. The next stand-out would be Yakuza 6. Since it was released right after Yakuza 0, you can tell how much the writing has improved over the years.
Is there one you'd consider a bit underrated?
Hakos Baelz: Yakuza 3 wasn't bad. There's a character called Mine in there, and I really, really liked that character. I think certain aspects of the game were a little bit redundant in terms of gameplay, and I think the mobs were slightly difficult to deal with. But story-wise, I think it's been underrated. Yakuza 3 doesn't get enough love.
Something I personally got invested in was your battles with Cecillia Immergreen over Coffee and Tea. What are your favorite ways of enjoying coffee?
Hakos Baelz: I normally stick to Lattes or Black Coffee daily in Japan. When I'm overseas, I appreciate a good Flat White just to test the barista's skill. I'm not a coffee elitist, though. I would drink anything and everything.
There's a certain gap moe between how you stream and how you perform. Despite all the goofy antics you get into, you also manage to have this commanding presence on stage. How do you manage to keep that balance between the two?
Hakos Baelz: It's similar to the whole Chuuni aspect where, if there's a way that I want to be perceived on stage or in music videos, it's like putting on a different persona. When I'm on stream, I'm very chill, and my brain is very questionable at times. But when it comes to performances, there are a lot of things that I take into consideration on stage. The hard work that comes from practice and wanting to put on the best show that I possibly can for all my fans. That just naturally becomes this presence that everyone sees on stage, which I'm very grateful for. I can only hope that every stage performance that I continue to do from here just gets better and better. I'm glad that people appreciate that there are different sides to me.
Watch the full video interview here:
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