Favorite YouTube Channels

[Dr. Insomniac]

On the subject of reviewers, though, I really can't stand the level of snobbery among most anime reviewers on YouTube these days. It's a trend I tend to notice of channels which start out small and in which their authors are pretty humble and level-headed, but after growing in popularity rapidly end up developing massive egos and an incredibly off-putting superiority complex.

Even more than that, though, I just hate the whole emphasis on intellectual-dick-measuring that plagues a lot of communities on the Internet these days. People seem to be more concerned with seeming intelligent over being decent people and having friendly debates with others over any disagreements they may have.

You should see some of the nasty comments that James Gunn got for his tweet defending superhero movies from Jodie Foster's slam against them, in which he was clearly being respectful of his opinion, but there were loads of commenters immediately scorning him for even daring to defend spectacle film as possessing any sort of inherent value. Some comments were so vile it actually made me wonder if the people posting them were even thinking of the things that they were saying or implying.

I think it's a trend at this point. Youtube critics know that to get the most exposure, they have to be a loud asshole who makes tasteless references in order to reel in the masses. They saw that RLM made it big by doing the whole Plinkett act, so they want to copy that by making hours-long videos where they talk about how much movies/shows suck while offering none of the actual intrigue that the original Plinkett videos did. Even modern day RLM have fallen into this hole, where Half in the Bag degenerated from Mike and Jay talking about movies to Mike and Jay looking down on film audiences and acting like enjoying a Star Wars movie is equivalent to a mental illness. Too many reviewers think that the best approach is to nitpick and filibuster because they think that a 1-hour video of them complaining will get more exposure than 5 to 10 minute video, whether or not they have the actual material to talk for an hour. And once they get applause, it inflates their ego and allows such dick measuring to happen. And the end result is shit like Folding Ideas, Hbomberguy, or Digibro when he's drunk. It's less "Here's my analysis of this one piece of media" and more "THIS IS GARBAGE. AND HERE'S WHY." hyperbole while the reviewer talks less like a critic and more like a deranged cult leader.

[Daikun]

I just recently binge-watched this channel and I have to share it with you: Video Game Story Time.

It tells the stories of video game creators and what inspired them to make their most famous titles, presented like a children's storybook with soothing narration and adorable illustrations, and each story caps off with an inspiring message at the end.

[Daikun]

This channel has been around for at least five years, and I only just discovered it last week: Squirrel Monkey.

Have you ever wondered what YouTube, Facebook, Netflix, etc. would be like if it was invented in the 80s or 90s? This channel shows what it would have looked like if these services were made decades ahead of their time and how much of a pain in the ass they would have been as opposed to just...going to their website today.

[Daikun]

Joseph's Machines - If you like Rube Goldberg devices, this guy specializes in them!

Check out The Cake Server for a sample.

[Hurdle]

This comprehensive list of probiotics for men has been around for at least five years, and I only just discovered it last week: Squirrel Monkey.

Have you ever wondered what YouTube, Facebook, Netflix, etc. would be like if it was invented in the 80s or 90s? This channel shows what it would have looked like if these services were made decades ahead of their time and how much of a pain in the ass they would have been as opposed to just...going to their website today.

I'm a big fan of Squirrel Monkey. His stuff is so high quality. His standards are almost too high since he's not able to produce videos as often as everybody would like. lol

[Dr. Insomniac]

It's over.

[Mustang]

My last post is more up to date-ish. Nowadays it's been mostly Tekken and DBFz folks and even that's been only a few. I'm more into learning these days.

CherryBerryMango
KingJae
Knee
KnowKami
Cloud805
Lord Knight
Sajam

These folks here, I'm learning something from them. Over the past few weeks I've been learning a lot just from KnowKami alone. He don't go into the basics (thank god) but he goes into depth when explain a lot of characters. I just found out recently that KingJae calls other pro players of certain characters and both he and the viewers are learning.

Kuwanger KRT
Meno
Xiao
YogaFlame24

Combo videos for the first 3, and YogaFlame24 for highlights (there are other folks but I've been following YF for years)

MightyKeef
Ernesto Lopez Jr

The randoms. They are part of the FGC but they're more like comedians (Ernesto is an actual comedian).

I still watch Maximilian Dood, UltraChenTV, and Easy Allies but they're no longer favorites. I rather watch Max's twitch channel because I feel like I'm getting cheated out of content watching his videos on youtube (especially when a lot of his videos are him just winning).

I still watch the dancing. That's not gonna change.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Just wanted to chime in to give my current thoughts on some of the content creators that I follow as well as to see what other people are into right now. In particular, I'm interested in seeing how or if people's general tastes on online content has changed over the last several years.

For one thing, I came to realize (as with many things) I have little to no taste for a lot of the stuff that I used to watch up to a decade ago. I actually tried watching one or two modern Nostalgia Critic videos just for the sake of it and aside from finding the character and style insufferable at this point (I'm not sure how I used to find this funny, but I did have some shit taste as a teenager I suppose), it's kind of irksome how formulaic it all still is. It doesn't feel any different this year than it did several years ago when I stopped watching him, which I find ironic considering Doug Walker is the guy who used to say all of the time that stuff constantly needs to change and adapt over time, yet even in 2020 it still feels like he's going through the motions.

I think much the same applies for AVGN which I can no longer get into, but I do still watch Cinemassacre's rental reviews as I do still find an appeal in James Rolfe's takes on old B horror movies as well as some other classics. I also find that James at least comes off as a more chill and down-to-earth person as opposed to Doug Walker's inflated ego.

Likewise, I have grown a pretty significant distaste for most Ani-Tubers, and in lesser cases just an indifference and general disinterest. A lot of the big names have become kind of snobs in their own way. While I can respect when people love and have a passion for something and will not hesitate to show off their knowledge for it, there is something really aggravating about people who seem insistent on making it seem like it makes their viewpoints objectively superior and more correct than others on a particular work, and to me that's just an instant way to lose me as a viewer. That isn't to say that I don't still like anime and manga (though it's not my number one hobby as it used to be anymore). I do still read some manga (along with comic books in general) and watch an anime series if it seems like something that will interest me (currently going through The Great Pretender, which I like so far). I'm just hard-pressed to find modern reviewers with good production value to their videos who don't come off as either an elitist prick or know-it-all snob. Studio Chojin is maybe one of the few that I can still watch and I don't even necessarily consider him to be an Ani-Tuber as much as a YouTuber who's content is made-up of a good chunk of anime-related videos among other things. I also still follow MistareFusion's Dragon Ball Dissection, which I still hold in as high regard as I have since it's inception, but again, he's not really a manga or anime YouTuber but more-so a general YouTuber who has a series dedicated to Dragon Ball (among various other ongoing series).

Video Game and Comic Book content is mostly what I follow these days. On the gaming side of thing, you have the usual suspects that I still follow and enjoy like TGBS, GMTK, SSFF, Austin Eruption, KBash, and various others. However, by far Matthewmatosis has quickly become my favorite YouTuber on the gaming scene, not only because he covers a lot of games that I'm into but I also just really like his review style that seems fair and impartial while still showing his passion for game design come through. His review of The Wonderful 101 is really what sold me on the game (though, being a Platinum title, I would have played it anyways), and he has also gotten me interested in checking out other games like Myst and Rain World at some point. He has a pretty diverse taste while also encapsulating many of the things that I tend to value in game design myself within his critiques. His commentary videos can also be rather insightful and help me learn things that I didn't know before about behind-the-scenes development history of certain games as well as other tidbits from games that I am very familiar with that I didn't know before.

On the comic book side of things I have really enjoyed content from Strange Brain Parts (which highlights a lot of overlooked comic books along with the more popular stuff) and Matt Draper. I also like Comic Tropes as he does a good job of highlighting some lesser known or long-forgotten runs that are absolutely worth reading.

When it comes to movie reviews, I haven't followed any one channel religiously except for maybe History Buffs, but he puts out content rather infrequently at this point and I have already seen all of his back-catalogue so while I highly enjoy his videos, it's not something that I'm constantly seeing, obviously. Other than that I find videos from different creators on different movies whenever I'm interested in viewing content about that particular film, but I don't have any specific person that I subscribe to for movie content at this point.

There are other videos and channels that I occasionally go to, but those are the ones that I have frequented over the past year or more.

[Dr. Insomniac]

Yeah, I watched a little of Doug's recent thoughts on the new Animaniacs, and he offered some groanworthy takes. I don't think he knows where to take NC besides doing dumb skits about movies for the rest of his life, with the same home video camera because Doug doesn't know what production values are.

As for AniTubers, for me, it's always been a combination of thinking most of them have snobby takes but then knowing it's been hard to find good anime takes in general lately, even from myself. The Clusterfucks have been harder to do because I just don't have the drive to talk about anime, and there's usually only one or two season that warrants any worthwhile conversation. But there's still been some AniTubers I've been keeping up with, and some who've... lost track. Like watching Digi slide into insanity so far that accusing the pandemic of being an Gates-led hoax to rig the election is the least of her problems.

And yeah, Strange Brain Parts is pretty cool.

[Avaitor]

I can't do Doug Walker anymore, either. I can kind of see why I found him entertaining a decade ago, when his shtick had some novelty, but a good take here or there, he's completely irrelevant today. His refusal to change or adapt just makes him totally obsolete.

The funny thing is, I can still get behind Lindsay Ellis, Todd in the Shadows, and Rap Critic. The former's ego is a little grating, but she has much sharper takes and concepts, while the latter two have become increasingly analytical towards the music industry in a sharp manner. I can watch their recent stuff without cringing too much.

I'm also still a fan of Pop Arena, but mostly his Nick Knacks series. He continues to find a way to make shows I have no history with seem worthwhile and unique in their own way. Which I say as he's heading towards shows I have some history with, like Sharon, Lois & Bram and Inspector Gadget.

[Dr. Insomniac]

I suppose Doug either subconsciously or not knows all his attempts to break out of the TGWTG shadow and do something more ambitious have been met with dismal results, and he sticks with playing the Critic forever because it's his comfort zone and a consistent moneymaker.

[Rynnec]

I can't think of any former Channel Awesome alumni that I can stand nowadays either. I tried watching Linkara and he just comes off as overly whiny and seems to have poor knowledge of comics outside of the Big 2, considering he went an entire review of Punisher 2099 without picking up it was satire or acknowledging it was written by 2000AD creator and Judge Dredd writer Pat Mills (which should make the satirical elements pretty obvious). Lindsay's just insufferable, and everyone's said there piece on Doug.

Likewise, I have grown a pretty significant distaste for most Ani-Tubers, and in lesser cases just an indifference and general disinterest. A lot of the big names have become kind of snobs in their own way. While I can respect when people love and have a passion for something and will not hesitate to show off their knowledge for it, there is something really aggravating about people who seem insistent on making it seem like it makes their viewpoints objectively superior and more correct than others on a particular work, and to me that's just an instant way to lose me as a viewer. That isn't to say that I don't still like anime and manga (though it's not my number one hobby as it used to be anymore). I do still read some manga (along with comic books in general) and watch an anime series if it seems like something that will interest me (currently going through The Great Pretender, which I like so far). I'm just hard-pressed to find modern reviewers with good production value to their videos who don't come off as either an elitist prick or know-it-all snob. Studio Chojin is maybe one of the few that I can still watch and I don't even necessarily consider him to be an Ani-Tuber as much as a YouTuber who's content is made-up of a good chunk of anime-related videos among other things. I also still follow MistareFusion's Dragon Ball Dissection, which I still hold in as high regard as I have since it's inception, but again, he's not really a manga or anime YouTuber but more-so a general YouTuber who has a series dedicated to Dragon Ball (among various other ongoing series).

As for AniTubers, for me, it's always been a combination of thinking most of them have snobby takes but then knowing it's been hard to find good anime takes in general lately, even from myself. The Clusterfucks have been harder to do because I just don't have the drive to talk about anime, and there's usually only one or two season that warrants any worthwhile conversation. But there's still been some AniTubers I've been keeping up with, and some who've... lost track. Like watching Digi slide into insanity so far that accusing the pandemic of being an Gates-led hoax to rig the election is the least of her problems.

I tend to find the Anitubers that don't talk about current flavor-of-the-month anime to be a lot more watchable than the Mother's Basements and Gigguks that plague the scene. Bonsai Pop, Steve M, and Kyoto Video are pretty enjoyable despite the former getting things some things wrong like in their Saint Seiya video, and give a fair criticisms and praise without going to far in one direction. A youtuber named Lowart was also doing a series comparing the two Fullmetal Alchemist anime, which I enjoyed when I watched. This isn't even a diss on modern anime since there's a lot I still enjoy, but rarely has any anituber that has done videos on them ever really had anything interesting to say about them.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Actually, now that you mention it Rynnec, I forgot to mention Kenny Lauderdale. Just like the others that you've mentioned, he almost exclusively covers older series, but the twist is that they are mostly pretty obscure in the west and a lot of them are hilariously bad which makes for pretty fun reviews. His videos work for me because he has a decent sense of humor but is simultaneously very informative on the historical significance of whatever he's talking about. He does a good job of making you want to check out whatever series he's talking about, good or bad. Ironically enough, the bad ones tend to be even more enticing to check out.

[Dr. Insomniac]

I don't think there's any current or former CA member I still like. Lindsay's too condescending and I think her circle in general is too clique-y and performative for my liking, and often more interested in aesthetic than worthwhile analysis. Almost no different from the YouTubers who make all those 3+ hours long "This thing you like is garbage and here's why" videos, except they occasionally rant about capitalism. Agree with Rynnec that Linkara barely knows what he's talking about anymore. He has the same problem as Doug in that AT4W became just another weekly grind, and the reviews aren't so much reviews as readalongs but with tangents and sarcastic remarks at the end of each sentence. And Kallgren, who I used to think was the best among CA reviewers, has completely lost it. All his recent video essays have been nothing but unfocused rambling and doomsaying, while the actual film discussion is just wallpaper while he makes paranoid rants about totalitarianism for the millionth time.

Anyway, Overly Sarcastic Productions is better.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Lindsay, to me, could work when she was just focusing on a topic that she genuinely liked and knew a lot about and treated it like more of an informative piece while also showing some emotional connection to it. Her Guardians of the Galaxy and Hunchback videos are good examples of this, IMO. But yeah, a lot of her content tends to come off as condescending and overly analytical. She's kind of where Digibro was at a few years ago for me, though in Digi's case her sanity slipped so far off the deep end that she looped around to being ironically entertaining to watch in some cases in a way that clearly wasn't intended.