Overview
RIM is a next-generation virtual singer from KAMITSUBAKI STUDIO and a member of V.W.P. She debuted alongside the launch of the studio in October 2019 and quickly stood out for a vocal style that can feel transparent, mysterious, and emotionally sharp at the same time, often singing across multiple languages (Japanese, English, and Korean).
Within the Kamitsubaki roster, RIM is often one of the easiest artists to approach through the songs themselves. Her work has a strong pop-facing pull, while still fitting naturally into the larger unit and story-based structures around V.W.P. She is also the voice provider for the musical isotope RIME, holding the potential to cross both genres and borders.
Role and Creative Position
RIM’s singing balances softness with a sudden rise in intensity. That contrast is a big part of her appeal, especially in songs that move between private, restrained emotion and more dramatic release. Her collaborations with main composer Mao Sasagawa are especially important when tracing the shape of her core sound.
She also stands out for singing across Japanese, English, and Korean material, which has helped make her one of the more outward-facing Kamitsubaki members.
Musical Style and Production
RIM’s music is built consistently on the vocabulary of urban indie pop.
- Core production: the musician Sasagawa Mao oversees all of her songs, shaping a delicate, humid, faintly detached urban texture;
- Bilingual hybridity: her work moves freely between Japanese and English, forming the most distinctive “Anglo-Japanese urban indie pop” voice in KAMITSUBAKI;
- Keywords: night-city imagery, alienation, ambiguous emotion, light electronic textures set against live-band arrangements.
Open the arc of RIM’s representative originals
- 2019-10-18 — debut and first original;
- 2020-01-03 — “Carnivorous Plant”, her most widely heard song;
- 2020-02-04 — “Pillow Talk”;
- 2020-02-27 — “Flowering (with Misumi)”;
- 2020-03-02 — “Sotsugyou”;
- 2020-07-01 — “Cry Baby”;
- 2020-10-28 — “Luscious Lawless”.
Basic Profile and Character Setting
RIM is presented through a cool, mysterious visual language: blue-toned hair, layered multicolour eyes, a hood, and braided hair. Her public character balances a detached surface with songs that can become intimate, sensual, or emotionally intense. The school-uniform form belongs to her early student-singer presentation, while later designs are tied to specific live narratives.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Character design | PALOW. |
| Main imagery | Blue, hooded silhouette, layered eyes, nocturnal romance |
| Important collaborators | Mao Sasagawa, Guiano, Misumi, samayuzame |
| Voice extension | RIME, a musical-isotope voicebank based on RIM’s voice |
Forms, Setting, and Anecdotes
RIM’s forms should be recorded together with the work or live event in which they appear. A temporary account freeze caused by a copyright claim over older foreign-language cover uploads belongs to her account-operation history and should not be used to infer her attitude toward creation. Public interviews and published works are the appropriate boundary for personal anecdotes.
Visual Design Archive
| Element | Setting |
|---|---|
| Hair | Short blue hair with red inner streaks; one lock at the front left tied into a braid |
| Eyes | Concentric rings of yellow, red and blue — a visual motif shared with KAF |
| Accessories | Green diamond earrings on both ears |
| Outfit | A deep-red hoodie with purple stripes whose hood is shaped like a fish; the fish’s eye is a navy diamond. Navy hem and sleeves, a purple dress beneath with three pale-purple diamonds on the chest |
| Lower and shoes | Black tights, black short boots with red soles |
- High-school uniform look: partially revealed on 24 February 2020 and fully unveiled on 27 February — a light-grey blazer uniform with pleated skirt, short black socks, school shoes, and hair tied in a ponytail. The same day she performed her fourth original “Flowering (with Misumi)” in that uniform. On 2 March 2020, “RIM #12 Sotsugyou” marked her formal graduation from her JK (high-school girl) persona.
Companion: Hastur
The mysterious fish-shaped creature that accompanies RIM is named Hastur.
It forms a pair with KAF’s companion Laplace: each of the five witches of KAMITSUBAKI has a companion rooted in her own visual design, and Hastur is the origin of RIM’s fish-shaped hood.
Activity History
2019
- October 18: Debuted alongside the launch of KAMITSUBAKI STUDIO.
- December 20: Released her first original single “You & Me”.
2020
- January 3: Released her second original single “Carnivorous Plant” (Shokuchu Shokubutsu).
- August 12: “Carnivorous Plant” gained massive popularity on TikTok, triggering a viral trend. The video exceeded 10 million plays on TikTok, and its YouTube views surpassed 3 million.
- September 5: “Carnivorous Plant” surpassed 10 million views on YouTube.
- October 28: Released her original single “Luscious Lawless” (甘美な無法).
- December 20: Held her first cover streaming LIVE CHOCOLATE LIVE on YouTube.
2021
- March 13: Formally announced the formation of the virtual artist group V.W.P (Virtual Witch Phenomenon) during KAF’s 2nd ONE-MAN LIVE Fukakai-Ni Q2.
- May 15: Held her 1st ONE-MAN LIVE NEUROMANCE.
- July 21: Released her 1st Album NEW ROMANCER.
2022
- April 16: Performed in V.W.P’s 1st LIVE Majo Shukai (The Witch Assembly) and Phenomenon.
- April 27: Reached 200,000 subscribers on YouTube. Released “Pilgrim” (theme song for HAL College of Technology & Design) and revealed her second outfit “The Cosmic Puppets”.
- July 17: Co-hosted the two-man live Singularity Live with fellow Kamitsubaki virtual singer Isekaijoucho.
- August 17: Released her original single “Tick Tock Boy” (ending theme for the TV anime The 5-Second Button).
- September: Travelled to the United States to study English abroad for approximately half a year.
- October 5: Released “Inner Child” (theme song for the TV drama Shonen no Abyss).
2023
- April: Returned to Japan from her study abroad program and resumed activities.
- December 6: Released her 2nd Album NEW ROMANCER2.
- December 16: Held her 2nd ONE-MAN LIVE NEUROMANCE II -Kamitsubaki City Ichibangai-.
2024
- September 14: Co-hosted the two-man live Singularity Live Vol.3 with KAF.
- September 15: Held her 3rd ONE-MAN LIVE NEUROMANCE III at TOKYO DOME CITY HALL.
2025
- During the year: Performed the ending theme “Senkou datta” for the third episode of the TV anime Kamitsubaki City Under Construction, and appeared at events related to Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai.
2026
- March: Held her first solo exhibition RIM Exhibition (理芽展) at Ebisu AL.
Discography, Live Performance, and Collaborations
“You & Me”, “Insect Plant”, and “Pillow Talk” are entry points, but RIM’s catalogue is broader than the viral circulation of “Insect Plant”. NEW ROMANCER and NEW ROMANCER2 establish two major solo stages. CHOCOLATE LIVE, NEUROMANCE, Singularity Live, and V.W.P songs show how her controlled vocal colour changes in duet and group arrangements. Sasagawa is a key solo collaborator; Guiano, Misumi, and samayuzame also appear across the catalogue.
RIM’s live work is not simply a transfer of music videos to a stage. New outfits, rearrangements, guest appearances, and spatial production give familiar songs a different emotional contour. RIME must be kept separate from RIM as an independent synthetic voicebank and character.
Voice Acting Roles
| Year | Work | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | KAMITSUBAKI CITY UNDER CONSTRUCTION | Yagoki Rime | TV anime |
| 2025 | KAMITSUBAKI CITY REGENERATE | Yagoki Rime | Game |
Yagoki Rime is RIM’s corresponding character within the KAMITSUBAKI CITY setting.
Live Performance Archive
RIM STREAMING COVER LIVE “CHOCOLATE LIVE”
- Date: 20 December 2020, streamed free on YouTube (OPEN 19:30 / START 20:00 JST).
- Nature: RIM’s first large-scale cover live, spanning Nanao Tavito, Tempalay, Kinoko Teikoku, Neru, RADWIMPS and King Gnu.
- Key guest: KAF appeared as a guest and the two performed “Carnivorous Plant” (feat. KAF) — one of the earliest prototypes of a “witch duet”.
- Closing song: “Flowering”.
Open the main set list of “CHOCOLATE LIVE”
サーカスナイト / どうしよう / クロノスタシス / ガランド / ロストワンの号哭 / melt bitter / 消えない / ゴールドフィンガーガール / 官能と飽食 (Sasagawa Mao) / 悪魔 (Sasagawa Mao) / me me she / 白日 / KISSのたびギュッとグッと / Youthful Strange (te’resa) / 告げ口 (HARUSARUHI) / 過去を喰らう (KAF) / くねくね (Onuma Parsley) / 透過夏 (Guiano) / 食虫植物 (feat. KAF) / Rollin’ Rollin’ / Flowering
RIM 1st ONE-MAN LIVE “NEUROMANCE”
- Date: 15 May 2021.
- Significance: RIM’s first solo one-man live, marking her transition from online uploader to arena-calibre performer.
- Highlights: opened with “You and Me da” and “Pillow Talk”, performed “Flowering (with Misumi)” alongside Misumi mid-set, and premiered the new song “Samishii Hito”.
Signature Song Milestones
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2020-08-12 | ”Carnivorous Plant” drew large attention on TikTok, surpassing ten million plays there and three million on YouTube |
| 2020-09-05 | ”Carnivorous Plant” passed 10 million YouTube views |
| 2020-10-24 | The same song passed 20 million views |
| 2020-10-18 | KAMITSUBAKI’s special programme “Hanatachi to Tsubaki to Kimi.” aired, celebrating KAF’s second anniversary and RIM’s first simultaneously |
| 2020-07-03 | Opened a TikTok account together with other KAMITSUBAKI members |
RIM was among the first in KAMITSUBAKI to achieve cross-community reach on short-video platforms; the explosive spread of “Carnivorous Plant” became a key model for later overseas expansion.
Representative Works and Related Entries
Expand full albums and EPs
Albums & EPs
| Release date | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-03-24 | Live album | CHOCOLATE LIVE |
| 2021-07-21 | Studio album | NEW ROMANCER |
| 2022-11-23 | Live album | Singularity Live |
| 2023-09-20 | Studio album | imagine |
| 2023-12-06 | Studio album | NEW ROMANCER2 |
| 2024-02-28 | Live album | CHOCOLATE LIVE2 |
| 2025-04-23 | Live album | CHOCOLATE LIVE3 |
| 2026-04-29 | Live album | CHOCOLATE LIVE4 |
Expand full singles list
Singles
| Release date | Title |
|---|---|
| 2020-04-10 | 透過夏 (feat. RIM) |
| 2020-07-01 | クライベイビー |
| 2020-07-22 | ユーエンミー |
| 2020-08-11 | 食虫植物 |
| 2020-09-02 | ピロウトーク |
| 2020-09-30 | Flowering (with Misumi) |
| 2020-10-28 | 甘美な無法 |
| 2021-01-20 | 法螺話 (with Guiano) |
| 2021-04-28 | 胎児に月はキスをしない |
| 2021-06-09 | 十九月 |
| 2021-07-21 | 宿木 |
| 2021-07-21 | NEUROMANCE |
| 2021-07-21 | いたいよ |
| 2021-07-21 | さみしいひと |
| 2021-07-21 | やさしくしないで |
| 2021-07-21 | ラヴソング |
| 2022-03-09 | 舞 feat. 理芽 |
| 2022-04-27 | ピルグリム |
| 2022-08-17 | チクタクボーイ |
| 2022-10-05 | インナアチャイルド |
| 2023-01-18 | 狂えない |
| 2023-08-23 | えろいむ |
| 2023-09-20 | 人生は映画じゃない |
| 2023-09-20 | 言っちゃいけないことばっか浮かぶよな |
| 2023-09-20 | 空っぽなら、踊ろうぜ |
| 2023-09-20 | 絵画のように美しくいたかった |
| 2023-09-20 | 詞を書く化物 |
| 2023-09-20 | 傷は増え続ける、だけどそれでいい |
| 2023-09-20 | 想像して、創造して |
| 2023-09-20 | いつもシミュレーション |
| 2023-11-01 | ルフラン (feat. 笹川真生) |
| 2023-11-01 | ルフラン (feat. Mao Sasagawa) |
| 2023-12-06 | 生きているより楽しそう |
| 2023-12-06 | 百年 |
| 2023-12-06 | おしえてかみさま |
| 2023-12-06 | デイネイ |
| 2023-12-06 | どくどく |
| 2023-12-06 | ファンファーレ |
| 2023-12-06 | フロム天国 (feat. EMA) |
| 2024-05-29 | ハネムーン feat. 理芽 |
| 2024-09-16 | きみが大人になったんだ |
| 2024-11-27 | アイノ最適解 |
| 2025-07-30 | 閃光だった |
| 2025-10-15 | ノマネ |
| 2026-03-11 | ぷれいや |
| 2026-08-19 | ハウメニ |
Anecdotes and Community Culture
- Companion lore: the fish-shaped creature beside RIM is named Hastur, an essential part of her visual iconography.
- Study and activity in parallel: on 2 March 2020 she formally “graduated” from her JK persona with “Sotsugyou”. Her real-world timeline running in step with her character’s growth embodies KAMITSUBAKI’s strategy of growing alongside its observers.
- Community: RIM’s fans have their own grouping name, paired with KAF’s “Observer Hanagumi” to make up V.W.P’s five observer cultures.
Related Projects / Setting
RIM is active both as a V.W.P member and as the voice provider behind the musical isotope RIME. That gives her a double role inside the Kamitsubaki ecosystem: performer on one side, creator-facing source voice on the other.
References
- KAMITSUBAKI STUDIO official artist page: https://kamitsubaki.jp/artist/rim/
- KAMITSUBAKI STUDIO official V.W.P page: https://kamitsubaki.jp/artist/v-w-p/
- Wikipedia: Rim (singer): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rim_%28singer%29
- Chinese Wikipedia: V.W.P: https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/V.W.P
