Nico Sekai is a creator who thrives on making the impossible possible. With a deep love for anime and a drive to push creative boundaries, he has built a unique space in the digital world, proving that you don’t need to be a professional musician to create a song, or a filmmaker to bring a vision to life. His journey from conceptualising an anime-inspired song to curating a Japanese festival in Switzerland is a testament to innovation, passion, and the power of storytelling.
Nico’s journey with KIRAI started with a simple yet ambitious goal: to prove that it was possible to create a song without being a musician himself. He reached out to talented individuals across the globe, bringing together a writer, a musician, and a singer to craft an anime-style opening theme. “The lyrics, which are in Japanese, talk about how hard it is to be a content creator on platforms that don’t really care about you or your mental health,” Nico explains.
Initially, he planned to shoot the music video in Switzerland. However, fate had other plans. “The song was completed just while I was on a trip to Japan, so I finally decided to make the music video there!” The result was an authentic, visually striking production that perfectly matched the essence of anime opening sequences. Shooting in Japan not only added an extra layer of authenticity but also allowed Nico to immerse himself in the environment that had inspired his creative journey in the first place.
Nico’s YouTube channel is a playground for anime and manga lovers, but he doesn’t just stick to conventional content. His approach is fresh, engaging, and highly interactive. “I try to differentiate myself through the type of content I produce,” he says. KIRAI was a way to show that an anime-style opening could be created from scratch. But beyond that, he takes fans on real-life journeys—visiting locations that inspired famous manga, recreating iconic anime objects through DIY projects, and even testing how much anime a person can binge in 24 hours.
What sets his content apart is the balance between the digital and physical worlds. “Most anime content creators shoot indoors, but I try to be outside, traveling to create my videos,” he shares. This unique perspective allows viewers to experience anime not just as a form of entertainment but as a culture that extends beyond the screen. By incorporating real-world locations, Nico makes the anime universe feel tangible and immersive, bridging the gap between fiction and reality in a way that few creators attempt.
For KIRAI, Nico was adamant about keeping the song authentic. “I didn’t want to create anything else but a song in Japanese,” he says. While anime theme songs exist in various languages, he felt strongly about sticking to Japanese, ensuring an experience that felt true to the genre. His attention to detail extended beyond the lyrics—he even collaborated with a Japanese guitar player to capture the exact sound he envisioned. Rather than opting for convenience, he prioritized authenticity, creating a piece of work that felt like it belonged in the world of anime.
Bringing a project to life is rarely smooth sailing, and KIRAI was no exception. The biggest challenge? Coordination. “I had one person writing the lyrics in French. Another person translated them into Japanese. Then there was the singer. And someone else playing the guitar. None of these people knew each other—I was the only reference point,” Nico explains.
The process required meticulous attention to detail. He had to ensure the lyrics fit the instrumental, and then that the singer’s performance aligned with the composition. It was a puzzle, but with persistence, Nico managed to assemble all the pieces into a song that resonated deeply with fans. Every element needed to fit seamlessly together, from the emotional weight of the lyrics to the energy of the melody. Managing multiple contributors across different time zones added another layer of complexity, but the final result made the effort worthwhile.
For Nico, connection with his audience is everything. “I engage a lot by making short videos. I’m not trying to play a role—I stay myself, and I’m honest with my community. That helps a lot!” His authenticity is a major reason fans gravitate toward him. Rather than creating a persona, he embraces his real self, making his content feel personal and relatable.
At Made in Asia, a convention where he was invited to meet fans, he didn’t perform KIRAI, but the experience was still surreal. “I was only there to sign autographs and discover my fans,” he shares. Events like these serve as a reminder of how much his content impacts people, and how anime has the power to bring people together. Seeing firsthand how much his work resonates with others reinforced his passion for creating content that speaks to anime lovers worldwide.
Anime opening songs hold a special place in viewers’ hearts. From Dragon Ball to Naruto and One Piece, these themes transcend time, becoming part of fans’ lives even years after they first hear them. “Listening to anime openings can be really nostalgic,” Nico says. “When I created KIRAI, I wanted it to be as close to what a Naruto song could be like.”
His goal was to capture the emotions that anime openings evoke, the thrill, the excitement, and the deep connection fans feel with the shows they love. And by all accounts, he succeeded. KIRAI taps into the essence of what makes anime openings so memorable, using soaring instrumentals and heartfelt lyrics to create a sense of adventure and longing that anime fans instantly recognise.
Nico doesn’t overthink his aesthetic choices. Instead, he simply follows what he finds visually appealing. “I don’t really pay attention to this, to be honest. I just think Japanese visuals are cool in general, so I pretty often inspire myself with Japanese content!” This natural admiration for Japanese culture and design translates into his work, giving it an unmistakable anime-inspired feel. From his video thumbnails to the way he edits his music videos, everything carries a distinct Japanese influence that feels organic rather than forced.
Despite its Japanese influence, KIRAI was mostly embraced by his French-speaking audience. “As my community is mostly based in France, I didn’t have a lot of international reach with this song,” he admits. But the reception was overwhelmingly positive. What started as a fun project turned into something people genuinely enjoy. “Some people listen to it really often, which is so cool!”
Beyond content creation, Nico is also an event organiser. He founded Kiyo, a festival in Switzerland that recreates the charm of Japanese summer festivals, or matsuri. Now in its third year, Kiyo is a massive event, welcoming 6,000 attendees over a weekend. “We have Japanese food, singers, and animations, and when the sun goes down, we watch a Japanese animation movie on a big screen, open-air style,” Nico describes.
Managing an event of this scale is no small feat, and with each year, the festival grows. Organising such a large-scale event requires coordination with multiple vendors, securing venues, and ensuring an authentic cultural experience. To make things more manageable, Nico is working on Mini Kiyo, a smaller version of the main event that focuses solely on the movie screening experience. By scaling down, he hopes to bring the magic of Kiyo to even more people in a more intimate and accessible way.
Through his content, music, and events, Nico Sekai continues to blur the lines between creator and innovator. Whether he’s orchestrating a full-scale anime-inspired song, taking fans on real-world manga adventures, or bringing a slice of Japan to Switzerland, his work is a celebration of creativity and passion.
With an unwavering belief in pushing boundaries, Nico is proof that you don’t need to fit into a conventional mold to make a mark—you just need the drive to create, and the courage to bring your ideas to life. His journey is an inspiration to aspiring creators, showing that with vision, determination, and a little bit of risk-taking, anyone can turn their passions into reality.
