The debut album by supercell is a classic Vocaloid story. The composer and lyricist behind the group, Ryo, started uploading songs to Nico Nico Douga — an early competitor to YouTube and Japan’s most popular video platform for a long time — using the Hatsune Miku voice bank in place of a human vocalist. On Ryo’s breakout hit, the soaring J-rock anthem “Melt,” he used an uncredited illustration of Miku by artist 119 (pronounced Hikeshi), then wrote to him to apologize. They started working together, and supercell was born. They sold their debut release at Japan’s Comiket convention for self-published works in 2008, continuing to gain popularity until they attracted the attention of Sony Music. Later that year, the album was remastered and expanded for a major label release. Several songs on supercell would not only remain the group’s most popular, but would come to define the identity of Hatsuke Miku herself, becoming permanent staples in virtual concerts and rhythm games. An inspiration for anyone making passionate fan works.