Brief Summary
Tatsubaki San discusses her experiences in VShojo, including the company's predatory contracts, financial mismanagement, and toxic internal culture. She expresses her anger and disappointment at the recent news of VShojo's charity fraud and recounts her personal struggles with the agency, including being denied sponsor payments, villainized for seeking legal advice, and emotionally abused by the CEO. She also shares how the experience affected her mental health and her hopes for the current talents to receive the money they are owed and find closure.
- Tatsubaki was in VShojo for 2 years and 5 months.
- She signed a strong NDA, but after research, she felt it was okay to talk about her experiences.
- She was owed tens of thousands of dollars by VShojo before she left.
- She was villainized for seeking legal advice on a predatory contract.
- She was emotionally abused by the CEO during the Wizard game stuff.
Intro
Tatsubaki San begins by expressing the difficulty of finally being able to discuss her experiences with VShojo, where she was a member for two years and five months. She had resigned herself to never speaking about it due to legal concerns and a strong NDA. However, recent events and research have led her to believe it's now appropriate to share her side of the story. She emphasizes her love for her current community and acknowledges the positive aspects she gained from her time in VShojo, despite the challenges.
Initial Thoughts on Recent News
Tatsubaki expresses her shock and anger regarding the recent news about VShojo, particularly the charity fraud. She sympathizes with the talents and communities affected, highlighting that VShojo held a special place for many despite its long-standing issues. She condemns the act of stealing from a charity as the worst possible offense and criticizes VShojo for taking advantage of the people they were supposed to protect. While she acknowledges that not all VShojo staff were malicious, she points to significant mishandling of business operations and incompetence in leadership.
The Beginning of VShojo
Tatsubaki recounts the early days of VShojo, when it was everything she had dreamed of. As one of the founding members, she describes the initial excitement and sense of family among the group. They were promised cool projects and events, but many of these never materialized. Despite the initial positive atmosphere, Tatsubaki notes that the original contract was predatory, lacking an exit clause, which she had to push to include for all members.
Financial Issues and Predatory Contracts
Tatsubaki reveals that before leaving VShojo, the company owed her tens of thousands of dollars. She explains that the company would make excuses for delayed sponsor payments, making it difficult to track the missing funds. She was never paid for several sponsorships, including Ironside PC and Advanced GG. Tatsubaki contrasts this with her experience in Mythic, where she earned more in a few months than she did in her entire time with VShojo. When new contracts were being issued, Tatsubaki consulted a lawyer who deemed the contract the most predatory she had ever seen. VShojo refused to adjust the contract and villainized Tatsubaki and others for seeking legal advice.
Warning Other Talents and the Threat of Legal Action
Before her departure, Tatsubaki warned other talents to check their payments, as she suspected they were also owed money. However, she couldn't publicly warn anyone due to the power and influence VShojo held, along with the very real threat of being sued. She recounts an instance where VShojo contacted her lawyer and threatened to sue her for simply mentioning in her Discord that she was stressed.
Internal Culture and Emotional Torment
Tatsubaki describes the internal workings of VShojo as "messed up," causing significant emotional torment. The talents were lied to, misled, and pitted against each other. The agency used internal leaderboards to foster competition and discouraged talents from discussing sponsorships or sharing information. This created a culture where talents felt trapped and had to constantly seek approval from the agency, which positioned itself as indispensable to their success.
The Breaking Point: Treatment During the Wizard Game Incident
Tatsubaki reveals that the culmination of her mistreatment occurred during the Wizard Game controversy. She was told by the CEO, Gun, that she was a "damage to the brand" and a "disappointment." She was also told that her being harassed was an inconvenience to the other talents and was suspended from streaming. This experience shattered her trust and perception of the agency, leading to her decision to leave.
Aftermath and Slander
After Tatsubaki and others left, VShojo discredited them to the staff and other members, portraying them as troublemakers and greedy individuals. The agency intentionally announced Tatsubaki and another member leaving at the same time to create a false narrative. VShojo also advised talents to stop associating with them and slandered Tatsubaki to musicians, artists, and companies, ruining potential business partnerships.
Impact and Mental Health
Tatsubaki expresses the profound devastation she experienced due to her time in VShojo, describing it as the darkest period of her life. She felt isolated and worthless, as the agency had convinced her that she was alone and undeserving. The burnout and sadness she experienced were immense, and she struggled to hide it from her audience.
Hopes for the Future and Final Thoughts
Tatsubaki hopes that the current talents can receive the money they are owed and find closure. She emphasizes that the talents are valuable and have support outside of the agency. She expresses relief at finally being able to share her experiences and hopes that the situation will bring about change for the future. She also mentions that VShojo had her mom sign an NDA even though she wasn't her manager. She ends by expressing her shock and disappointment at the extent of the company's actions, particularly the charity fraud, and her hope that those responsible will be held accountable.
