2025 ┋ 2024

UPDATE 22 JULY: this whole list is drastically outdated. I'm trying to go back in my YT watch history to pull links and include them here; hopefully by the end of this month it will be all good! Pending videos to be added can be found here.

I'm addicted to long video essays. Here's a brief list of some of the 2025 watches I did and recommend to expand your knowledge and understanding of media, storytelling, culture and society.

✦⸻ video essays

• The Persistence of Decay by Sarah Davis Baker ▸ this is some next level shit; it incorporated one of my favorite books with the most intriguing concept humans have to deal with.
• how mary-kate & ashley built a billion dollar empire… twice by ModernGurlz ▸ just mildly interesting; I don't really care about the Olsen twins, but their non-tragic child-star trajectory is one for the books.
• We Need to Talk About Bop Houses by Khadija Mbowe ▸ once again being educated by the internet; had no idea "bop houses" were a thing... also thought the word "bop" only applied to music.
• The Internet Used to Be a Place by Sarah Davis Baker ▸ I love this, it touched my heart.
• does originality still exist anymore? by Mina Le ▸ I was putting off watching this one bc I'm a little tired of the discourse around "originality", but as always, Mina brings a lot of poignant takes to the discussion.
• Why Severance is One of The Best Looking Shows Ever - Spoiler-Free by Thomas Flight ▸ watching Severance and Silo simultaneously really highlights (pun intended) how different Severance is shot from other shows.
• The Death Rituals of a Grieving Mother Orca by Caitlin Doughty ▸ I almost skipped this one, animal suffering does a number on me. But there's such a good, important message here. Highly recommend.
• why is social media not fun anymore? by Mina Le ▸ it took me a while to get to this one, it seemed too similar to what I was already reading/listening about, but it's a solid take on the topic of sincerity on the internet.
• How This Comedian Created The Biggest Sitcom In The World by ALXI ▸ a video essay in english about el chavo del ocho/chaves? sign me up. this was a lot more emotional and less analytical than I expected, but still enjoyable.
• How We Came to Hate Technology by chon ▸ a good summary of why everything sucks online and why I did make a good decision back on October 2024.
• The Disappearance of Third Places by chon ▸ the concept of non-paying third places is near and dear to my heart. Luckily I live close to a few of these spaces around my city, but the idea that they can disappear is scary.
• ok but "Cozy Game" influencers are the literal worst lol by Not Malcolm ▸ just a rage-bait video that applies to literally any content creators out there, there's nothing specific about cozy game influencers despite what this dude is saying.
• Emilia Perez: The Chaotic Union of Netflix and French Cinema by Alice Cappelle ▸ good take on the mess that is that movie and its nominations.]
• How a Superstar Doomed a Japanese TV Station Overnight - The Fuji TV Scandal by Mujin ▸ I hit play thinking "is it misogyny" and... yes, in Japan, the answer is always misogyny.
• Sims 1: A Masterpiece of Satire by enclave here ▸ it's short but such a good explanation of how TS1 was first and foremost a wink wink nudge nudge game that lost it's original approach.
• How An Obscure 70s Genre Has DEFINED Modern Music by Bandsplaining ▸ I wasn't familiar at all with the concept and loved learning about it. I only knew about the composer behind the DW opening music.
• How Sociopaths Actually Work by Insider ▸ I'd watched another video on the topic, but this one is very interesting and more in-depth.
• Emilia Pérez es peor de lo que imaginas by Woshingo I just had to watch a Mexican person shit talking this movie from hell. It's different than American reviewers with specific insights.
• The COOLER Internet by green hoodie cat ▸ an awesome explanation of the internet of yesteryears AND a cute animated character story? Cooler indeed.
• Sprinkle, Sprinkle: Femininity Channels are...interesting👀 by Khadija Mbowe ▸ "we need to critize and unpack where ideas come from"... the terrifying mix of transphobia and racism in "femininity" discourse.
• Goodbye fillers, hello... facelifts? by Mina Le ▸ lots of thoughts on this one; I like Mina's take here and it's so nice to see her change and grow from being beauty-obsessed to... not that; I disagree, however, when it comes to The Substance (or maybe I'm too infatuated with it for now).

✦⸻ other interesting videos

• My Dream Productivity Device Just Got Better by Ashtf__ ▸ As a eink lover, I'm fascinated by this little gadget. I hope it becomes a reality!
• Looking for a Creative Way to Protect Your Loose Papers? by Ido Agassi__ ▸ I'm so doing this when I go back home in August.
• How to Fix Grocery Stores | Smartypants Presentation by Dropout.tv ▸ as a book nerd, including the Dewey-Decimal System for grocery stores is amazing. Albeit I doubt it would apply to more local, small grocer's with unique foods and stuff.
• I Spent 30 Days in a Dead Game by globert ▸ this was a beautiful experience, and it goes further than the "click baity" title. the early 2000s nostalgia is my drug of choice.
• Trump 2.0 by Last Week Tonight with John Oliver ▸ best summary of the mess the US is going through. There's always that certainty that if/when they crumble, they'll take us with them.
• Sims 5 is dead. Now what? The Sims 4: 10 Years of Meh by LGR ▸ I share a lot of the sentiment here, but as builder-only player, I suffer much less than him. Maybe I wouldn't be such a builder if the game was better?
• Finding Fukue by CBC Docs ▸ rewatch. I'd totally forgotten most of it. It still makes me sad how Fukue feels so defeated as an adult. :(
• The developers of this farming game are lying to you | Moonfrost by Miss Bubbles ▸ it's NFTs on an video game that looked actually real cute, but what a weird choice to make it sound even more scammy.
• I Made a Tool to Debloat Windows in 2 Clicks by totallynotk0 ▸ living for ppl who give us normies/dummies tools like that. I'm excited to see this working. (and here's the update)
• The Substance - Making Of Featurette on MUBI ▸ they finally realized we as a society deserved this.
• THE SUBSTANCE | Q&A with Coralie Fargeat & Guillermo del Toro on MUBI ▸ loved this whole talk, but was especially moved when Del Totoro said what I realized halfway through this movie: this is a fairytale, and an original one at that. Love this shit.