Let’s Talk About Anime YouTubers

Look, I enjoy thoughtful analysis. The problem that no one seems to address is the value judgment that seems inextricably linked to it. I’d love for channels to do a critical reading of anime, breaking down the themes, using different theories to pick apart the structure of the narratives and writing. I’d love to hear people discuss Narrative/Database Consumption, the Media Mix and Phallic Girls. But the arrogance that comes with it just annoys me to no end. The elitism, the pontification, the proselytizing, it’s so grating.

Why would any serious anime academic listen to these YouTubers when they could just read the works and theories straight from the source? I’ve had a much less stressful time reading Marc Steinberg, Ian Condry, Azuma Hiroki, Otsuka Eiji, Susan Napier, Anne Allison, Sharon Kinsella, Koichi Iwabuchi, Thomas Lamarre, Saito Tamaki, etc… They don’t spend half the book criticizing their readers (most of them, anyways) and I think anime YouTubers could stand to learn a thing or two from them. Cut the bullshit, rein back the pride and pretension and maybe people will be more interested. If you want to teach people something, the last thing you want to do is to make them feel stupid.