History Webcomic / NextSoundOfTheFuture

** O-Len’s job as a talk-show host was prompted by a viral meme of a girl passing out in his lap with a huge {{nosebleed}}.

* CastOfSnowflakes: Every Vocaloid, no matter how little screen time they get, has an entirely different eye shape and distinct hairstyle. Each character is recognizable solely by their eyes, helping the reader tell Vocaloids of the same type apart.

* JerkassHasAPoint: Roll tells Shine that she shouldn't be an idol in her usual BrutallyHonest way, pointing out that she has no useful connections to any idols, is notoriously unlucky, and doesn't have any way to stand out from the hundreds of other Mikus in the industry. Although Shine initially argues against her, she does agree with Roll's suggestion for her to try and get a famous Miku's contact information, and later confesses to Gumiya that she feels like Roll was right about her not being suited to being an idol.

* MyCard: Hakase gives Shine their business card [[spoiler: when offering to fix her voicebox]].

* NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity: [[spoiler: In chapter 10, Shine]] doesn’t want to go on O-Len’s show [[spoiler: based on the viral video of her falling off a bridge]], but Roll urges her to do it anyway since she’ll still be put in the public eye even if it’s not for the reason she wants.

** After Shine’s [[spoiler: second run-in with Tech where they have an argument]] she says aloud that it’s possible but unlikely that she’ll run into her again while she’s in the area, though her luck would have to be really bad for that to happen. [[spoiler: They do, indeed, run into each other again while she's in the area, although they have a positive interaction.]]

* RidiculouslyHumanRobots: The all-android cast eat, sleep, drink, and look similar to humans. According to WordOfGod, androids InUniverse have an UncannyValley effect that makes them stand out from average humans, but due to the {{Animesque}} art style this isn’t noticeable within the comic itself.

* BaitAndSwitchComment: In chapter 7, when Hakase tells Shine that [[spoiler: the solution for her faulty voicebox will cause her voice to stop working entirely in six years]], Shine starts out seeming disturbed... Until she finishes her sentence by saying how she's not worried about it at all.

* RealPlaceBackground: The background images are based off of real locations in Japan.

* SpeechBubbles: Hakase has differently shaped speech bubbles than the other characters, being boxy rather than round. According to WordOfGod, this is because Hakase is speaking Japanese with an English voicebank. This can also be seen with Luka in the afterword of chapter 8 when she's speaking in English, along with her text being in a different font.

* BokeAndTsukkomiRoutine: Hasami and O-Len have a comedic dynamic where O-Len says something ridiculous and the serious Hasami corrects him. Hasami even as an InUniverseNickname of "Tsukkomiku".

* AccidentalCelebrity: [[spoiler: Shine’s always dreamed of being famous, but she doesn’t expect it to happen by a popular Youtuber filming her falling off a bridge and posting it on social media, earning her the attention of celebrity talk show host O-Len.]]

* AmusingInjuries: Downplayed when Shine is knocked off a bridge in the first chapter. Her being knocked over is played for comedy, but she is realistically shown to have gone to the doctor's afterwards and does face physical repercussions, like when she falls asleep later in the chapter due to her extreme fatigue. However, she is still better off than a real human would be.

* ApologyGift: [[spoiler: IdolSinger Tech gifts aspiring idol Shine with a song she wrote for her to apologize for harshly trying to stop Shine from being an idol]].

* TalkShowAppearance: Hatsupress (sans 39FS) appearing on an episode of O-Len's talk show is what launched them into their height of fame and made them be thought of as a group in the public consciousness.

* EarlyBirdCameo: During the afterword of chapter 2, Gumiya and Roll are used as examples of how naming conventions work for Vocaloids before the two are fully introduced in chapter 4.

* FantasticAbleism:
** Vocaloids who have problems with their voiceboxes not only face a significant barrier to fulfilling their intended purpose as singing idols, but are also barred from legally being able to fix them due to their voiceboxes being copyrighted.
** During her idol training, Shine was ostracized by her classmates because they thought that she was disrupting the class by singing badly on purpose and refused to believe her when she told them she was physically unable to stay on pitch.

* FlashbackCut: During Tech’s explanation about why she’s no longer an idol there’s two panels showing her past self, one where she’s wearing her idol outfit standing normally and another where she’s on the ground looking up in despair with her face covered in shadow, before the scene returns to Tech and Shine in the present.

* TheIdolsBlessing: When Shine meets her favorite IdolSinger Tech in chapter 2, she tells her that while she admires idols she feels like she could never be one. Tech responds that she should always pursue her dreams and chase happiness, which makes Shine regain her desire to become an idol. [[spoiler: Subverted in chapter 7, where Tech is shocked Shine took her speech that way. She actually hates the industry and doesn't think Shine should be a part of it, telling her that her dream is impractical]].

* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: When Shine doubts her ability to become an idol in chapter 5, Gumiya challenges her insecurity by revealing to her that he used to be one, and that when he quit to become an accountant it was Shine's act of kindness towards him when she gave him her umbrella on a rainy day that encouraged him to not give up on his dreams. He reassures to her that she had a profound influence on his life whether she realized it or not, which is all she needs to be good enough.

* ArtShift: In chapter 5, there's a panel where Hatsupress are drawn as silhouettes inside of golden frames with 39FS getting a full body shot where she's drawn in a different art style to show how revered she is as a Miku.

* DontTryThisAtHome: After mentioning in chapter 5 that he used to bind his chest with bandages, Gumiya addresses the audience in the afterword and tells them that its dangerous and they shouldn't do it.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: In chapter 2, Shine remarks that it’s common for humans to credit Vocaloid songs to "Hatsune Miku" generally instead of the one who actually sang it, similarly to the RealLife FandomEnragingMisconception of people crediting Vocaloids instead of actual music producers.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: The reveal that Tech [[spoiler: ghostwrote for FSE]] in chapter 9.2 was hinted at on her character profile, where Shine has a note listing [[spoiler: possible ghost writing within FSE]] as something Tech might be responsible for.

* InfoDrop: The character profiles have miscellaneous information about the characters like their serial codes, likes, specialties, graduation dates, etc. Tech’s also has a bunch of sticky notes written by Shine with some theories about her retirement and rumors about her career, including {{Foreshadowing}} for [[spoiler: her ghost writing songs for her idol agency]].

* MutualEnvy: In the afterword of chapter 8, a Miku, Rin, and Len are jealous of Luka because she was programmed to be bilingual, but she's also jealous of them because they get to hang out with their English counterparts when they go overseas.

* DysfunctionJunction: The main cast include Shine, a Vocaloid with a faulty voicebox who was ostracized by her classmates and has chronic self esteem issues as a result; Roll, a cynical 14 year LittleMissSnarker who regularly breaks the law; Tech, a retired IdolSinger with perpetual DullEyesOfUnhappiness who [[spoiler: used to love music but can’t sing anymore after an unspecified traumatic experience]]; and Hakase, a MadScientist with questionable ethics whose main priority is convincing people to let her install body mods on them. Even Gumiya, easily the most well adjusted main character by the comic’s present, has a DarkAndTroubledPast where he was treated poorly for trying to be an accountant as an android created to perform music.

* BilingualBonus: The text where Tech asks Shine if her name is pronounced the same as "die" is in Japanese is left untranslated to English.

* SureLetsGoWithThat: In chapter 8, Shine goes along with Roll’s assumption that her disappointment at the true character of someone she knows is about an online friend, [[spoiler: even though she’s actually talking about Tech]].

* FunWithAcronyms: [[spoiler: The device Hakase creates that allows Shine to sing]] is called the Corrective Larynxial External Fastener or CLEF, a reference to clef keys.

* SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids: [[spoiler: Retired IdolSinger Tech, who is one of oldest Vocaloids currently in existence,]] believes that becoming an idol is an impractical fool’s errand that will only end with being torn apart by idol agencies and fans, a view informed by their own experiences in the industry. [[spoiler: They desperately try to convince the younger and more naive Shine that it’s only her lack of knowledge about the industry that’s making her think that she should be one, refusing to support her dream. Unfortunately, her [[MoreInsultingThanIntended unfortunate choice of words]] just amplifies Shine’s insecurity and makes her [[DramaticallyMissingThePoint gloss over Tech’s points]] about how awful the idol industry is.]]

* SureLetsGoWithThat: In chapter 8, Shine goes along with Roll’s assumption that her disappointment at the true character of someone she knew is about an online friend, [[spoiler: even though she’s actually talking about Tech]].

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: In chapter 2, Shine remarks that it’s common for humans to credit Vocaloid songs to "Hatsune Miku" generally instead of the one who actually sang it, which is very similar to the real life phenomenon of people crediting Vocaloids instead of the producers themselves, something of a FandomEnragingMisconception.

* DecompositeCharacter: Music/{{Vocaloid}}s in RealLife typically take on different images and sounds based on how their producer wishes to use them. Even despite this, different takes on a Vocaloid are still viewed as being that Vocaloid. In the comic, the Vocaloids are instead split off into thousands of individual androids that embody different traits unique to them, with Producers seeking out the Vocaloid who fits the image they want for their song instead of molding their voice and image to their desires.

* GuiltInducedNightmare: Tech's FlashbackNightmare in chapter 9 is caused by her guilt towards [[spoiler: Shine, whose dreams she tried to crush in the previous chapter]], which is why she apologizes to her at the end of the chapter.

* HorribleHollywood: In Tech's view, behind the glittering stage of idols lies overworked talents who can't express their feelings or individuality due to the pressure from their agencies and fans, who are then immediately discarded when they're no longer seen as having value.