Contempt for the Creator – Reflecting on Video Essay / Long Form Analysis Culture

Adam Lauture

11 Nov 2025 — 7 min read

Image by Lukas Bieri from Pixabay.

Disclaimer: I ended up having to shelve an earlier article / editorial I made due to the climate surrounding Toei tokusatsu not being the best at the moment, and I’ll likely publish it on a later date. In the meantime, I’d like to throw my hat into the ring regarding something I can comment on from my own experience, video essays. I also won't be referring to the creator directly, or linking them.

It seems that this sub culture on YouTube has really exploded over the past couple of years especially in a “post-pandemic” world. Watch time is king, so videos with huge runtimes often have a lot to say, and people genuinely like hearing people’s perspectives on other pieces of media or subcultures that they may not have been aware of previously. Honestly, I completely understand this, as someone who not only has been watching video essays, retrospectives, and general media analysis for years… but for someone who’s made media analysis. I’m also confident to say that it wasn’t great analysis either, especially in my earlier years.

For context’s sake, I was originally a cartoon reviewer after being inspired by many creatives that I had originally discovered in the 2010s, who were making videos for years at that point. What drove me to these videos was a sense of wanting to know more about animation, and since I couldn’t go to a college for it I had to take what I could get when learning more about how my favorite shows were made. While there are absolutely lapses in my knowledge in comparison to the average college graduate from a school focused on art / animation, there was a surprising amount of knowledge I did gain through just doing my own research from a bunch of old tumblr blogs, articles, and videos. I do think that the “cartoon community” (a nebulous term in of itself) isn’t immune from criticism, but I would like to say that a lot of people are operating in good faith, even though the type of analysis you normally see in these spaces admittedly is lesser than what you’d see in film reviews, or even typical anime reviews that I normally watch. 

I’m going to name drop people that I’ve had in my sub box for years, but people like Bennett the Sage, Geoff Thew of Mother’s Basement, and Totally Not Mark are really good writers and often display knowledge of not just anime/manga, but media in general and will use that to enhance their critique when they are talking about their subjects. On numerous occasions, all three of them have shown to be good at talking about media in general, not just Japanese media. Whether the subject is Invincible, Scott Pilgrim, SWAT Kats, or Gravity Falls, their perspective is engaging to listen to. It’s a bummer that I haven’t seen that from western animation critique, which focuses on overviews, episode breakdowns, retrospectives, or character analysis and tends to focus more on either currently airing or ‘nostalgic’ kids animation. It would be unfair to say deeper analysis doesn’t exist, but I do think that when anime analysis can go deep into production pipeline details and break down specific storyboarders and key animators by scene… western animation fans deserve better than just “hey, remember this show from your childhood?”

Of course, video essays aren’t solely meant for media analysis, but the label has broadened so much that people are so eager to find long form videos without realizing there is potential for misinformation. It’s already a problem with film and game reviews, but I do have to remind people (including myself) that reviews aren’t primary sources for research and people should be encouraged to find their own experiences with the media that connects with them. Misinformation isn’t always intentional, but when you combine an underdeveloped thesis and a lack of research about a niche subject, it’s common for you to be on the receiving end of hate from people who are much more knowledgeable. That doesn’t mean it’s good.

Speaking as a tokusatsu fan, I’ve seen many times people get information that I see as basic wrong, and while it is frustrating I do have to remember that I once was just as clueless. As a kid with a narrow worldview that didn’t span outside of America, I genuinely thought Kamen Rider Kabuto’s English dub was airing on US Cartoon Network, I just never saw it for myself. In reality, it was exclusively in southeast Asian territories. While I DO agree that being more knowledgeable about tokusatsu can help one’s broader understanding of Japanese media, (just like having a better balanced media diet can help with media analysis in general), I don’t think that harassment, especially at the expense of smaller creators, can help with the issue of dissonant perspectives between people of differing backgrounds when talking about Japanese media, especially when American perspectives on anime can already vary greatly depending on factors like age, gender, cultural background, the ability to access media, etc.

I bring this up because the discussion of a certain video done by a smaller YouTuber that made its way over to Bluesky from Twitter has been.. Kind of a nightmare. While I disagree with the claims about magical girls that were made in this video, including opinions on sexuality, otaku, and the male gaze, the reception to the video feels inconsistent. It ends up coming from three different places.

• People highly passionate and knowledgeable about Magical Girls who are tired of misinformation running rampant and are dealing with the issue at the source

• Seasoned people who are knowledgeable about anime in general and are also tired about misinformation

• People who generally want to shut down any sort of critique through a progressive lens and are doubly motivated to shut discussion down to discourage a “tourist” from bringing the vibes down, and the fact that there were research based errors about magical girls in the video is the perfect smoke screen, though some people don’t even try to hide the fact that they’d be happy if this user didn’t make another video again.

I think the fact that it’s the norm for people to have highly edited, highly researched video projects that can span multiple hours has made breaking into this niche incredibly intimidating, which is something I can entirely understand! I also think it’s just generally a shame for this user to be seen as a punching bag. Some critiques even have the tone of “well if you didn’t want to get this treatment, you should have actually researched what you were talking about”.

The issue of having someone poorly represent a topic you’re passionate about (regardless of if there is malicious intent or not) cannot be solved by punching down on someone who was trying for the first time.

My last attempt at a researched video essay took me many months and in spite of all the effort I put into it, I still don’t think it is representative of my full potential. I know it’s probably incorrect in some aspects, but it’s the best I can do and I’m happy for that. 

The primary source issue I discussed earlier also comes into play, for some people it’s easier to listen to someone talk about media than to watch it and have an opinion on it themselves, and I honestly wonder how much of that blame can really be put on those who make long form analysis like that, or if it’s something worth considering with the way we treat analytical media in general. Again, there is no judgment because I am guilty of doing the same thing. We all need a “yap session” in the background while we do chores or eat dinner.

I’ll fully admit that I’ve always wanted to find a way to come to terms with video creation and accept it as part of me, and maybe this article will help me with that. In spite of me wanting to make my own art in a traditional sense, I still feel passionate about writing and deeply respect people who are able to do analysis of media and art that resonates with them. I was just as passionate about writing as a child as I am now, and seeing those old cartoon reviews made me feel “Hey, I can do that.”, and not in a way that could prove that the YouTube meta is “easy”, but feeling genuine inspiration to want to put my voice out there. 

In spite of it being taboo to some, those old cartoon reviews I made still put me onto the path that I’m at now and to brush my earlier attempts to the side would just be unfair, and I think the threat of harassment plays into my own anxieties when it comes to creating art. If it’s not great out of the gate, you’ll get misinterpreted and harassed, and some people who experience that never pick up a pencil again. I’m empathetic to this user because of the fact that I’ve faced death threats over my insanely amateur videos, whether it was trying to spread word of a show I enjoyed or if I was forming my political identity and felt emboldened to want to contribute SOMETHING to the dialogue. 

Seeing other people face harassment for wanting to express themselves through their analysis has also made me frustrated, and I think we need to have a serious reflection internally as to why it’s apparently inevitable that people can get harassed for putting something out there, and if they can’t grit their teeth through harassment then they can’t “take criticism”. It doesn’t matter that there is genuine criticism there, the issue is that the harassment is the loudest. Do not take this as me saying that anyone criticizing a creator for spreading misinformation, or simply disagreeing with their perspective, is the same as a harasser, by the way. 

I do want to pose the question, is there a genuine motivation to want to discuss perspectives and come to an understanding? Or do you just want to stop someone who had a “bad opinion” from having any sort of opinion ever again? I don’t believe it’s good for anyone to immediately assume the worst intent from opinions from people who are branded by “tourists”.

The barrier for entry for making YouTube videos has always been low, by design. I don’t believe that everyone will know everything, but if there is a genuine motivation to learn more through improving at researching and refining the writing process, people should be encouraged to continue. 

In spite of this incident reminding me of my own baggage regarding publicizing art of any form online, it’s also reminding me that I’m still trying, in spite of my slower speed, and that should count for something. I wish luck to that creator, and I also genuinely think that making your own analysis instead of contributing to the internet hate machine can have a much better impact on your own mental health, speaking from experience.