What can I say? There’s a lot of Youtube channels out there – more than enough for my usual twenty special mentions I like to have for a top ten, if the subject matter is prolific enough.

 

So these are the special mentions for my Top 10 Youtube list, all in one post (and page) compiled from their previous individual entries.  

 

 

 

 

(1) DOVAHHATTY (BRAZIL 2013)

 

“There once was a dream…a dream to purge this rotten world from the barbarians who infest it. A dream called Rome.”

Or at least a dream called the Unbiased History of Rome. I’m calling it now – despite being self-proclaimed satire and “a channel not for learning history…but to indulge in the sheer madness of it”, it is still the best introduction to the history of Rome from its legendary founding to the fall of the western empire.

And certainly the most entertaining – I never knew I needed Roman history as depicted by memetic chads, wojaks and virgins but there you have it. I desperately needed it and you do too. Note that it evolved over the course of its videos – all nineteen of them, from The Roman “Mythology” in Unbiased History of Rome I to The Fall of Rome in Unbiased History XIX – from simpler and shorter videos to more sophisticated and longer videos. For all his historical parody, Dovahhatty has an eye for attention to detail and his content appears comprehensively researched.

Narrator (no, not Dovahhatty as narrator appearing in his own videos as an horned overlord in purple but my own rhetorical narrator): “It is in fact not unbiased”.

Indeed, it is history as the Romans themselves might have told it, but even the most luridly over-the-top self-mythologizing Romans – looking at you, Virgil – might have blushed at it as “blatantly biased towards particular factions, sometimes even reinterpreting entire events in their favor”.

And by particular factions, I mean the Romans – but not all Romans, just the good ones, not the plebs. And by the good Romans, it means selected emperors, leaders and military commanders or other heroic figures, typically those who the Romans themselves saw as exemplary or heroic. Usually of the patrician class – with the occasional equestrian or even low-born figure risen through the ranks of the army thrown in.

Not so much the senatorial class or senators with occasional exceptions – after the Senate turned bad that is, conspiring against the emperors, usually in the same room each time as a running gag. Also not so much the Praetorian Guard – after they turned bad, which was almost immediately. And of course not so much Roman women – or foreign women for that matter – who constantly recur in something of a running gag theme as the eternal femme fatale for Rome, particularly the empire, although there are noble exceptions.

The good Roman men are of course usually portrayed as absolute chads – or the occasional good wojak. The bad Roman men are usually portrayed as memetic virgins – or the occasional bad wojak. Although Dovahhatty often has his tongue firmly in his cheek, portraying emperors notorious for their legendary cruelty and depravity as the divine chads they no doubt saw themselves as – Caligula, Nero, Caracalla and Elagabalus for example.

And that’s the Romans – you can imagine how hilariously biased it is against the various peoples Rome saw as their barbarian enemies. By Jupiter – it’s scathing of their “civilized” opponents like the Greeks, let alone when you get to the Persians or Germans, both of whom it literally demonizes.

Its portrayal of Germans or “Germs” is a particularly amusing highlight for me – typically horned and fanged with yellow or red demon eyes (except when they’re slightly more human wojaks with slasher smiles). And of course they’re mindlessly destructive, hating the barest hint of civilization or construction of anything less rudimentary than their wretched mudhuts, with a persistent desire to spread chaos and burn the world as they constantly clamor in (modern) German, albeit often as only single-word expressions of their chaotic evil – “toten”, “mord”, “zerstoren”.

Indeed – the only reason that Dovahhatty is my top special mention and not first in my actual top ten is that, sadly, he seems now to be dormant. That is despite continuing his Roman history with his Byzantine Empire Unbiased History (until the dawn of the Arab conquests) as well as a couple of other historical topics and media reviews – including one of Game of Thrones – all of similar high quality.

One simply doesn’t listen to a Dovahhatty video in the background (unless you’ve already seen it) – it’s important to actively watch for the in-video captions, usually the dialog of the historical characters and source of much of the humor, albeit often misspelt.

Speaking of captions, I’ll let Dovahhatty’s disclaimer which appears at the start of his videos speak for itself:

“Unbiased history is a work of historical parody…It seeks nothing, but to provide a severely distorted, and outright false rendition of historical events, producing heavily biased narratives for light-hearted critical reflection, and with luck, comedic effect…It portrays acts of sexual, vulgar, violent, and highly offensive nature. The topics it discusses are those of political intrigue, historical importance, and humanitarian tragedies”.

 

RATING: 5 STARS****

S-TIER (GOD TIER)

HISTORY (ROME)

 

 

 

(2) CINEMA SINS & TV SINS (USA 2012 & 2018)

 

“No movie is without sin.” Ding!

With over 9 million subscribers, Cinema Sins is the most popular (and prolific) film review or commentary channel in my top tens or special mentions by a long shot (probably among film channels in general for that matter) – and not coincidentally, the most contested. People seem to love or hate them online.

Haters tend to see it as nitpicking and to a clickbait formula at that – with some fairness to both claims, although as my top-tier ranked special mention would indicate, I think that’s taking the whole sin schtick too seriously.

I see their video content more as playing a drinking game while watching a film, even (or perhaps especially) films they like or enjoy, and calling out ‘sins’ for shots – with only a minority of sins as actual flaws in the film and the majority mostly running gags or just plain snark:

“Sins include continuity errors, research errors, anything that breaks willing suspension of disbelief, editing mistakes, instances of  “Dude, Not Funny!”,  instances of idiot ball or idiot plot, plot holes, deus ex machinas, logical fallacies, continuity lockouts, overused and misused tropes, or just anything the guys can make a snarky joke or reference to.”

I mean how seriously can you take such running gags as “Roll credits” (for title drops or where the title of the film is used in the film itself), or my personal favorite “Scene does not contain a lap dance” (for exactly what you think – an actress the narrator finds attractive is onscreen, usually in a titillating way).

I’m also a fan of their recurring gag for “the Prometheus school of running away from things” for the infamous scene in the film Prometheus for running away from the crashing ship in a straight line (and failing), as opposed to taking a few steps to the side. Also their sin “they survive this”, for scenes in which the characters should have died.

And speaking of “they survive this”, you know their takedowns of the Fast and Furious franchise as cinematic trash is absolutely right, even if I have seen (and will continue to see) every film instalment in that franchise.

They do remove sins from time to time for things they like about a film or that it does well (like having Natalie Portman curtseying in kinky outfit in V for Vendetta).

They’ve had several spin-off channels, but the most enduring (and one I like the most) is TV Sins, which adapts the Cinema Sins formula to episodes of TV series.

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

POP CULTURE, FILM & TV – COMMENTARY

 

 

(3) WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE (USA 2014)

 

 

“A friendly desert community, where the Sun is hot, the Moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass overhead while we all pretend to sleep. Welcome to Night Vale.”

 

Surreal horror and humor podcast from 2012 (uploaded to Youtube from 2014) styled as a community radio broadcaster in an American desert town – although my familiarity with it is more from the novels, which served as my introduction to the Night Vale setting, a desert town where all conspiracy theories are real, as well as other urban myths and other surreal fantasies.

 

In other words, a fantasy and conspiracy kitchen sink setting, where the laws of time and space and nature in general don’t apply, or apply only spasmodically. The citizens of Night Value simply roll with it, accepting surreal fantasy side by side with mundane reality.

 

“The news from Lake Wobegon as seen through the eyes of Stephen King”. Alternatively, the Illuminatus Trilogy filtered through H.P. Lovecraft (well, more so than the Illuminatus Trilogy itself) and crammed into one desert town. Or the surreal dream logic of David Lynch on crack or acid flashback (or both).

 

The Sheriff’s Secret Police along with all the other government surveillance agencies and spy satellites, Old Woman Josie surrounded by angelic beings all named Erika, the Glow Cloud (all hail the Glow Cloud!), and plastic pink flamingos that warp time and space.

 

And then you have the really dangerous entities and eldritch abominations – the car salesman loping like wolves through their yards, the mysterious hooded figures in the town’s forbidden dog park, the City Council (in the council building draped nightly in black velvet) and worst of all, the Library and its most dangerous part, the fiction section filled with lies…

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

FANTASY & SF

 

 

(4) MILITARY HISTORY VISUALISED (AUSTRIA 2016)

 

 

“This channel features Military History ranging from Classical Times up to contemporary conflicts. The focus is to keep it short, visual, analytical and entertaining. Since around June 2016 almost every video uses mainly academic books as sources, if possible. The sources are always provided in the description.”

 

What else is there to say apart from the channel’s own description? Something of a rarity on Youtube (or at least my experience of Youtube) – a serious history channel that cites its sources (usually in the video itself as well as the description) with a focus on military history in general and the Second World War in particular.

 

And by a serious student of military history to boot – with his academic qualifications cited in the channel description.

 

He also has a second channel Military History Not Visualized, which “focuses more on experiences, museum trips, military equipment and personal delivery”, often including interviews of other historians.

 

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

MILITARY HISTORY (WW2)

 

 

(5) TIER ZOO (USA 2017)

 

 

All animals are equal but some are more equal than others – some are just higher tier or OP.

 

That’s essentially the schtick right there (and in the channel title) – looking at animals as if they were video game characters, ranked by tier or power. Obviously that’s in terms of how well they are adapted or “fittest” for their survival – or used their “evolution points” for their character build as the channel puts it.

 

It’s an entertaining schtick with an entertaining delivery – and not coincidentally the only science channel in my top tens or special mentions, although I am open to other entertaining science channels.

 

I’ll let the channel description tell the rest –

“Hi everyone, welcome to TierZoo, the web show which seeks to analyze the meta to determine the best current builds. I talk about the special abilities and build stats of various prominent animal classes and show people things they may have overlooked when specing their character”

 

“Okay but actually my goal is to get gamers interested in zoology, since there’s a ton of amazing aspects of life on Earth that go underappreciated. Evolution has produced some bizarre traits, strategies, and life cycles that I feel need to be given the spotlight once in a while. I don’t shy away from keeping the brutal with the beautiful, so if you’re new to my content, be warned. Expect two videos per month. The good thing about my topic is that there’s potentially limitless content and I’m more than willing to provide it. Hit me up with all of your suggestions! I’ve gotten some amazing ones so far.”

 

The usual videos are tier list rankings of various classes of animal or whether certain animals or animal attributes are overpowered.

 

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

SCIENCE & OTHER

 

 

(6) PAX ROMANA (USA 2020)

 

 

“The guy who updates you daily on the status of the Roman Empire, now brings you his sh*t posting in video form.”

 

How it started – it’s gone.

 

How it’s going – it’s still gone but mostly on X (not the Roman numeral but the artist formerly known as Twitter).

 

It all started with the Daily Roman Updates page on F-book and the first post “it’s gone”, echoing the rise of Rome itself from humble origin to empire as Daily Roman Updates grew to a virtual empire of humorous memes on Roman history. First in the Italy of F-book, through the mare nostrum of social media on Twitter and Instagram, and ultimately to the titular Pax Romana of Youtube.

 

Sadly, this Roman memepire – and yes, I borrowed that from the title of one of its videos – has declined and fallen somewhat, not unlike the empire itself. The Youtube channel is presently dormant, not unlike that other Roman special mention Dovahhatty but in Pax Romana’s case apparently due to demonetization. Hopefully to rebound like the empire did (until it didn’t) but the beating heart of Daily Roman Updates remains its profile on X, in terms of post activity and subscribers.

 

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

HISTORY (ROME) 

 

 

(7) ADAM SOMETHING (CZECHIA 2013)

 

Who’d have picked that a moderate leftist Youtube channel with a focus on environmental policy and urbanism would have 1.2 million subscribers?

What can I say? He grows on you. It helps that he has a verbal stylistic flair while tearing vainglorious engineering mega-projects and other environmental or planning pretensions a new one, with a particular focus on cars and transportation policy.

A rarity among my Youtube viewing tastes as a channel featuring political and social commentary, albeit through a narrow lens of environmental and technological commentary.

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

SCIENCE & OTHER

 

 

(8) TRUTH IS SCARIER THAN FICTION (USA 2014)

 

“Welcome. For many people, the closest they want to get to true fear is a scary movie. Sadly, that is not always the case for some people. I will do collabs, projects, shout-out and others.”

The Youtuber also known as Legendary Cryptids on X – although there’s also an account for the channel itself.

The channel is somewhat broader than legendary cryptids, featuring other scary truths, but a special focus remains the cryptids or cryptozoology that is the raison d’etre of the Legendary Cryptids account.  The channel also has the same personal highlights as the account on X – cryptid maps, tier lists and ‘iceberg’ memes that in the style of such memes look at increasingly deep or esoteric cryptid lore the further you go below the surface. Hot damn – I love a good iceberg!

 

RATINGS: 4 STARS****

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

SCIENCE & OTHER

 

 

 

(9) DAN DAVIS HISTORY (UK 2016)

 

“Welcome to my channel featuring history and prehistory documentaries. I am not a historian or an archaeologist but you will find all my historical sources in the video descriptions. I am an author of historical fantasy and science fiction novels”

Or as per his more succinct bio on X – “Video maker of history and prehistory documentaries. Author of bronze age and medieval fantasy and science fiction novels”.

He has a particular focus on the Bronze Age and even more so Bronze Age Europe, which is intriguing for me as I know little but the most basic facts or usual highlights of it – mostly on the Greek (Minoan and Mycenean Greece filtered through the Iliad and Odyssey) and Middle Eastern (filtered through the Bible) or Egyptian side of things.

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

HISTORY (BRONZE AGE)

 

 

 

(10) MAIORIANUS (GERMANY 2021)

 

“This channel is dedicated to Julius Valerius Maiorianus, the hero emperor who almost managed to restore the Western Roman Empire, against all odds. He truly deserves a channel, that has the goal to increase his legacy so that his deeds shall be remembered. In many videos, we shall explore how and why the Roman Empire fell, and how it could have been saved by heroes like Majorian, many times”

Yes – it’s another Roman history channel, albeit a somewhat recent latecomer (heh) aptly enough with a focus on the late Roman Empire, a niche among historical Youtube ch .

And what can I say? I do have a soft spot for Majorian (to use the less Latinized version of his name), wildcard tenth place in my Top 10 Roman Emperors. I also have a soft spot for the late Roman Empire, something of a niche on Youtube as Maiorianus himself laments, finding its decline and fall fascinating – as I do for most empires but particularly the Roman Empire.

I’m not sure whether the later Roman Empire could have been saved, by Majorian or otherwise, as the channel banner profile proclaims, or indeed whether it should have been. Perhaps more prolonged than saved?

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

HISTORY (ROME)

 

 

(11) GIGGUK (UK 2005)

 

“Just a guy who likes to talk about Anime and has been doing it for way too long.”

Indeed he’s been doing it for almost two decades from his Youtube channel banner – and moved to Japan at some point to do it as well if I recall correctly from his videos.

I would describe myself as dabbling in anime, usually those films or series that stream on Netflix, although I dabbled in it more in a phase coinciding with my discovery of Evangelion.

So I don’t often go down into that underworld these days but when I do I use Gigguk as my guide. Indeed I often just watch his videos rather than the anime series themselves, except for those that particularly engage my interest from his videos (usually the more fantasy or SF titles).

He combines a meticulously informed fandom of anime with a healthy sense of humor about the medium – not least a self-effacing sense of humor about how silly anime or its fandom can be.

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

B-TIER (HIGH TIER)

POP CULTURE, FILM & TV – COMMENTARY (ANIME)

 

 

(12) TOMINUS MAXIMUS (2008)

 

“Dedicated to Ancient Rome, 753 BC – AD 476”

 

Yes – it’s yet another Roman history Youtube channel, one that is similar to my favorite Roman history channel Dovahhatty in humorous tone but not quite as comprehensive.

 

In fairness, few Roman history Youtube channels are as comprehensive as Dovahhatty, who after all did his Unbiased History of Rome from its founding and fall (and beyond to Byzantium).

 

Also in fairness, Tominus has a flair at looking at overlooked but intriguing aspects of Roman history such as why the empire had to fall or why the Praetorians were such degenerates – or the burning question of who was gayer, ancient Romans or Greeks (made more memorable by the Roman’s distress – in the form of the soundbite of Darth Vader’s “NOOO!” – at having his catamite booted by his wife once Christianity came into play).

 

I’d rank him higher if he had more videos as the more substantial videos he does have are top notch – but sadly he seems somewhat semi-dormant lately, albeit not as dormant as Dovahhatty.

 

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

B-TIER (HIGH TIER)

HISTORY (ROME)

 

 

(13) MAULER (UK 2014)

 

 

“Film Connoisseur, Video Game Critical Analyst, Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes TM, Video Essay Analyticalyst and Co-Founder of the Intellectual Gaming Community”

 

Also known as Longman, for the notorious length of his videos and even more so the Every Frame a Pause or EFAP streams he hosts.

 

Mauler comes very close to being added to my holy trinity of Youtube caustic critics from the British Isles – which would have nicely added his Wales to Despot’s Ireland, Critical Drinker’s Scotland, and Reaper’s England. (Of course, it also would have made it a holy, ah, quadrinity rather than holy trinity – although perhaps the better metaphor would be a Catholic spin with Mauler as the Mary to the holy trinity).

 

And yes – I like his plummy accent and the observations or opinions in his video content. It’s just that there’s, ah, too much of the latter. Or more precisely – it’s too long. Yes – it’s the length thing. While I don’t dismiss them for their length – the self-effacing joke of the title he assumes as Longman as well as the long form media discussion right there in his channel banner – it does cost some points in my rankings. My own thought is that he should break up his videos into series of smaller bite-sized videos, which is how I tend to watch them in any event. He’s much more concise in his segments on streams with other commentators.

 

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

B-TIER (HIGH TIER)

POP CULTURE, FILM & TV – COMMENTARY

 

 

(14) GLIDUS (2014)

 

 

“I like dragons and good characters”

 

Or as his Twitter bio states – dragon enthusiast. Glidus has carved out his own niche in pop culture commentary, focusing almost entirely on Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon or George R. R. Martin’s literary works they adapted.

 

And what a niche it is – the best and funniest Youtube commentary on Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon, and in general with the exception of the equally niche and equally Australian Natalie Bochenski. (At least, I believe Glidus is Australian).

 

Nuff said!

 

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

B-TIER (HIGH TIER)

POP CULTURE, FILM & TV – COMMENTARY (GAME OF THRONES)

 

 

(15) SK MEDIA (USA 2014)

 

“Welcome to Spaghetti Kozak media. I’m a former journalist, war reporter, researcher, and now once again a soldier. Decided to start making videos about games, movies, history, and maybe some other stuff down the road”

And there’s not much more to say than that bio!

Sadly the channel updates rarely these days as he has better things to do. That’s not sarcasm – he updated his bio as to what he’s doing and hopefully he will see that through to better days, whether to return to his channel or otherwise.

In the meantime, he is active on Twitter and entertainingly caustic in service of his cause.

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

B-TIER (HIGH TIER)

COMMENTARY

 

 

(16) PSA SITCH (USA 2016)

 

“I make funny videos about politics and stuff”.

Well not so much these days – ideally I’d like to see him make more funny videos although he is more prolific in posts on Twitter.

And more “stuff” than “politics” these days as well – and by stuff, I mean pop culture commentary, which suits me as it’s where I think he really shines. His videos on Game of Thrones and Rings of Power were right on point for me.

More, please!

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

B-TIER (HIGH TIER)

COMMENTARY

 

 

(17) POTENTIAL HISTORY (USA 2017)

 

He brought the Bob Semple tank – “the best tank ever built” – to my attention, deserving special mention for that alone.

His Twitter bio is brief and to the point – “I sh*tpost about history on Youtube”. As for that matter is his Twitter handle – Tank memes. A history channel with a focus on World War Two, particularly the tanks of World War Two, often told through memes – and much to my delight, usually skewering Wehraboo delusions or pretensions about Germany or its tanks.

Hence the adaptation of Palpatine’s dialogue for his Youtube bio – “Did you ever hear the tragedy of King Tiger the heavy? I thought not. It’s not a story the Panzerwaffe would tell you. It’s a Wehraboo legend. King Tiger was a Heavy Tank of the Wehrmacht, so Armored and so deadly he could use his cannon to influence the 88mm shells to Burn Shermans… He had such an unnecessary amount of armor that he could even keep the ones who crewed him, from dying. The German tank design theory is a pathway to many monstrosities some consider to be under powered. What happened to him? He became so up-armored and heavy… the only thing he was afraid of was destroying his transmission, which eventually, of course, he did. Unfortunately, he taught his adversaries everything he knew, then his adversaries copied the good parts of his design after the war. It’s ironic he could save others from damage, but not himself.”

Sadly somewhat dormant for the past year or so, although he has posted on Twitter

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

B-TIER (HIGH TIER)

MILITARY HISTORY (WW2)

 

 

(18) SPECTRUM (PORTUGAL 2018)

 

“I do Rome vids mostly”

You have to respect that Youtube channel bio – it doesn’t get much more to the point than that.

Yes – it’s another Youtube history channel. And yes – it does indeed “do Rome vids mostly”.

A personal highlight for me was its ranking of Roman emperors, apparently his most popular video, hence prompting videos for the Byzantine emperors (and the emperors of the western empire before its fall) – and beyond to Portuguese kings (not surprisingly given his country of origin), Spanish kings, Russian tsars, English monarchs, French kings, and Ottoman sultans.

And of course my other personal highlights are its top ten lists – ten underrated Roman emperors, ten worst Roman defeats, and ten reasons the Roman Empire fell – and tier rankings for the performance of combatant nations in both world wars.

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

B-TIER (HIGH TIER)

HISTORY (ROME)

 

 

(19) HATEWATCHERS (USA 2022)

 

“Here at HateWatchers we have a simple goal to let you, the fans, know if the current movies & shows put out are worth your time; and to have a little fun while doing it. Let us do the hate watching for you.”

 

“From Star Wars to Game of Thrones, from Lord of the Rings to Marvel, we do comedy reviews of any TV show or movie that’s in the culture & entertainment headlines. Through our comedy review & breakdown of new episodes, we’ll let you know if the show or movie is a GreatWatch or a HateWatch.”

 

I discovered this channel through its hatewatching of The Rings of Power – a TV series it was only possible to watch with hate, at least to keep watching it to the end.

 

However, as the channel bio states, it watches TV series or films with both praise and criticism. And with weekly updates as well as monthly roundups, it’s a good overview of recent pop culture offerings even if you don’t agree with their opinions.

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

B-TIER (HIGH TIER)

POP CULTURE, FILM & TV – COMMENTARY (GAME OF THRONES)

 

 

(20) KIWIANZU (NZ 2023)

 

My most recent Youtube discovery – a channel that only started up in 2023 and one that has yet to acquire the number of subscribers it deserves.

It gets my subscription for its skewering of the Rings of Power, episode by episode – which apart from a video about the Netflix live adaptation of One Piece, is its entire oeuvre to date. And one might think well-deserved and poetic revenge by New Zealand on behalf of the Jackson film trilogy to the interloping series that sought to desecrate it.

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

X-TIER (WILD TIER)

POP CULTURE, FILM & TV – COMMENTARY (RINGS OF POWER)

 

TOP TEN YOUTUBE (SPECIAL MENTION)

 

S-TIER (GOD TIER)

 

(1) DOVAHHATTY

 

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

(2) CINEMA SINS & TV SINS

(3) WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE

(4) MILITARY HISTORY VISUALIZED

(5) TIER ZOO

(6) PAX ROMANA

(7) ADAM SOMETHING

(8) TRUTH IS SCARIER THAN FICTION

(9) DAN DAVIS HISTORY

(10) MAIORIANUS

 

B-TIER (HIGH TIER)

 

(11) GIGGUK

(12) TOMINUS MAXIMUS

(13) MAULER

(14) GLIDUS

(15) SK MEDIA

(16) PSA SITCH

(17) POTENTIAL HISTORY

(18) SPECTRUM

(19) HATEWATCHERS

 

X-TIER (WILD TIER)

 

(20) KIWIANZU

 

 

BY SUBJECT MATTER:

 

5 – HISTORY (ROME)

3 – SCIENCE & OTHER

2 – MILITARY HISTORY (WW2)

1 – HISTORY (BRONZE AGE)

 

3 – POPULAR CULTURE, FILM & TV COMMENTARY

1 – POPULAR CULTURE, FILM & TV COMMENTARY (ANIME)

1 – POPULAR CULTURE, FILM & TV COMMENTARY (GAME OF THRONES)

1 – POPULAR CULTURE, FILM & TV COMMENTARY (RINGS OF POWER)

2 – COMMENTARY

1 – FANTASY & SF

 

Yes – it’s my top ten of the Tube!

 

Alternatively, my top ten Tubers – Youtubers or Youtube channels.

 

You all know what it is – after all, it is the second most viewed website after Google Search – the American online video sharing platform, launched in 2005 and purchased by Google in 2006.

 

Since my Youtube viewing tastes are predominantly reviews or commentary of popular culture, particularly film or television, my top ten exclusively consists of reviewers or commentators in popular culture, film or television. I do have Youtube viewing tastes in history and other topics which I feature in my special mentions – indeed more than half of the entries there. 

So these are my top ten video producers or channels sharing their videos on the platform, all in the one post compiled from their previous individual entries (and also in their own page).

 

 

 

(10) SUPERCUT DELIGHTS (USA 2019)

 

 

“I primarily make video essays and the occasional meme video on popular shows and movies. I used to make supercuts / minute-straight videos until transitioning into what the channel is today.”

 

As per the bio and channel name, this Youtuber started off with ‘supercuts’ or short ‘clip’ videos – splicing together clips from television or film, usually to a running gag or theme, with the most common being “devoid of logic” as demonstrated from recurring video titles e.g. “Season 8 of Game of Thrones Being Devoid of Logic”.

 

And as that sample video title indicates, the original focus of the channel was Game of Thrones – and while that (and House of the Dragon) remains a substantial focus, the channel has long since branched off into other TV series or film.

 

While my favorite type of popular culture criticism remains that of sarcasm and snark – what TV Tropes dubs the Caustic Critic, something we’ll see much more of in this top ten – Supercuts Delights is perhaps the most measured reviewer in my top ten as well as the one with least of an ax to grind, often alternating positive appreciation with negative criticism, even on the same subject or in matching videos. For example, he did a video on the Top 10 Characters Ruined by the Last Seasons of Game of Thrones – as well as a video on the top ten characters that weren’t. Similarly, for an example that does not use Game of Thrones, he did a video of the top ten best changes made by the recent Netflix live-action series of Avatar: The Last Airbender – and a video of the worst.

 

There’s not much more to say – I’m always a fan of top ten or similar lists, but contrary to the impression you might have from the video titles I noted above, he does more straightforward reviews as well. He also tends to be admirably compact, keeping his video content relatively short and without any bloat in duration.

 

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

POP CULTURE, FILM & TV – COMMENTARY (GAME OF THRONES)

 

 

(9) ROBOT HEAD (AUSTRALIA 2018)

 

“I’m a guy that’s been lucky enough to create a Youtube channel that people seem to actually like. My YouTube videos are highly edited and draw on many years of watching movies to point out how some films are very good while others are very, very bad. (I’m looking at you, Last Jedi). Cheers!”

He’s Australian, with that Aussie accent proudly on display in his videos – and he’s an Archer fan, borrowing Archer’s cartoon likeness (from Archer’s ‘space’ season) for his video avatar at one point. What’s not to love?

He’s also on Twitter X, where he has the occasional epic battle in replies.

The first but hardly the last caustic critic in my top ten – with a particular focus on the Star Wars franchise, particularly for his more caustic criticism.

Also the first of two antipodean popular culture critics in my top ten – yes, I have a New Zealander entry to add to this Australian one.

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

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POP CULTURE, FILM & TV – COMMENTARY (STAR WARS)

 

 

 

(8) JUST SOME GUY (USA 2017)

 

“I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.”

 

Yes – that’s from Bilbo’s birthday speech in the opening of The Fellowship of the Ring. And yes – somehow it seems as apt for his style of snark as it did for Bilbo’s speech.

 

And yes – he’s another caustic critic in my top ten, albeit even-handed in his caustic criticism between left and right in the so-called culture war. As the Bilbo in his bio suggests, he has a particular focus on The Lord of the Rings franchise – his epic takedown of The Rings of Power TV series was a thing of beauty to behold.

 

However, his prolific video content goes well beyond The Lord of the Rings – comics are another particular focus but he ranges throughout popular culture and social commentary. He also has one of my favorite opening sequences in my top ten Youtubers. 

 

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

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POP CULTURE, FILM & TV – COMMENTARY (LORD OF THE RINGS)

 

 

 

(7) IT’S A GUNDAM (USA 2015)

 

 

“The voice of a disenfranchised generation. Culture critic, trash comedian, failed musician. I’m the triple threat.”

 

Perhaps the most caustic of the caustic critics in my top ten and the most wide-ranging in his criticism, which might be broadly characterized as extending throughout online or social media controversy, popular culture criticism and social commentary.

 

He has a particular focus on the, ah, questionable aspects to be found among the perpetually – and, ahem, progressively – online, especially on Twitter or X as something of his happy hunting grounds for subject material for his video content. However, I can’t help but laugh as he nails the absurd outrage and indignation you see hyped online. Whatever you may think of his content, he does have comedic style.

 

No doubt he thrives on the outrage – particular highlights for me in his content are where he uses clips as running gags to mock the incoming outrage at someone daring to say such things, such as Sansa Stark saying “he’s a monster” (or more recently a clip of unknown origin to me – “Stop him!”). Also his running gag of calling to his poor overworked video editor – Stu? Stew? – “EDIT THAT OUT!”

 

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

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POP CULTURE, FILM & TV – COMMENTARY

 

 

 

(6) MEDIA ZEALOT (NEW ZEALAND 2014)

 

“Media Zealot casts judgement on all things entertainment related. Prepare thyself for lashings of over-analysis, questionable criticisms, and uncomfortably long tangents, all held together by a relentless barrage of semi-satirical cynicism. Your sacrament is a grain of salt.”

The second of my antipodean popular culture critics in my top ten – although dare I say it, from the Lesser Antipodes that is New Zealand as opposed to the Greater Antipodes that is Australia. (Cue the esoteric bad geography joke on the Lesser and Greater Antilles. Yes – they’re a thing. Look it up!)

Anyway, the particular focus of Media Zealot is on cinematic fantasy and science fiction – with his two long-running playlists of videos, Villains Too Stupid to Win, and SF Civilizations Too Stupid to Really Exist, which are each pretty much exactly what they say on the tin.

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

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POP CULTURE, FILM & TV – COMMENTARY (FANTASY & SF)

 

 

(5) PITCH MEETINGS (CANADA 2022 – formerly part of Screen Rant USA 2008)

 

 

“Actually it’s going to be super easy, barely an inconvenience.”

 

Instead of the channel blurb, I couldn’t resist quoting its signature catchphrase – indeed so signature that the videos even originally went by the title Super Easy, Barely an Inconvenience – Screen Rant Pitch Meetings.

 

That catchphrase is routinely invoked by one of the duo of characters that appear in each video, the screenwriter played by Canadian comedian Ryan George, when pitching his film or TV series script in the titular fictional pitch meetings for popular films or series to the second of the duo, the film producer also played by Ryan George.

 

Invoked that is, by the screenwriter to dismiss the apparently irreconcilable narrative conflict or obstacle into which he has written his characters when the producer queries that very point – and seemingly accepted without any further argument by the producer.

 

Indeed, much of the exchange between them is the producer querying issues – being surprisingly “adept at spotting the problematic aspects of whatever he’s being pitched” – but fortunately for the screenwriter, is also easily distracted or deflected, usually by love of money as “a profit-obsessed doormat”.

 

One of my favorite aspects is how the screenwriter and producer seem to alternate playing the straight man to the other’s absurd thought processes or enthusiasm, only to be distracted or deflected by ulterior motives – usually profit for the producer and pride for the screenwriter, often to the detriment of the final product.

 

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

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POP CULTURE, FILM & TV – COMMENTARY

 

 

(4) HONEST TRAILERS – SCREEN JUNKIES (USA 2008)

 

 

“Enjoy our warped take on film & TV with a steady stream of pop-culture parody, original series, thoughtful commentary, and whatever we can think of next…Trailers that tell you the TRUTH about your favorite movies and TV shows: Honest Trailers. These are the hilarious trailers the producers don’t want you to see”

 

Similar to the fictional pitch meetings in my previous entry, the framing device for the video content here consists of fictional trailers – if they were honest about the plot holes and other issues in their films, although often still positive about the film itself (in the style of what TV Tropes – with which they seem to overlap at times – dubs affectionate parody).

 

Highlights include the starring credit puns – and of course the narration by Epic Voice Guy, whose voice is so epic fans write in asking him to narrate things at the end of each video.

 

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

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POP CULTURE, FILM & TV – COMMENTARY

 

 

 

(3) REAPER (UNITED KINGDOM 2022)

 

 

“Christ – who wrote this?!”

 

And now we come – perhaps aptly enough given the featured tagline for this entry – to my holy trinity of Youtube popular culture criticism, all hailing from the British Isles interestingly enough, one from each of its holy trinity of England, Scotland and Ireland.

 

(Sorry, Wales – you miss out. You’ll just have to make do with Mauler, the only Welsh Youtuber I know – and whom I like well enough, except I tend to skip out on the notorious length of his content).

 

All three are classic caustic critics but Reaper is perhaps the most entertainingly embittered of them, often in the most, ah, incorrect ways. He does profess to like a few things, or at least occasionally comment on positive aspects or potential, but mostly he is tearing whatever film or TV series he is reviewing a new one – and hard!

 

He’s the English member of my holy trinity of caustic critics by the way.

 

If nothing else, he put me on to The Inbetweeners, the British TV comedy series with its delinquent high school cast of characters – and particularly the toweringly sarcastic teacher Mr. Gilbert (played by Greg Davies, funnily enough an ex-teacher turned actor and comedian).

 

That’s a quote from Mr Gilbert in the featured tagline – from a brief clip that Reaper plays as a recurring gag for, you guessed it, flaws that he perceives in the writing for film or TV scripts.

 

Unfortunately, the mere quote does not convey the sheer tone of annoyed exasperation in its line delivery, prompting me to quote it regularly in my office – rivalled only by the quote by Matt Berry from “What We Do in the Shadows” (I think) which Reaper often uses as conclusion for his video reviews, “it’s a piece of sh*t!”.

 

 

RATING: 5 STARS*****

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POP CULTURE, FILM & TV – COMMENTARY

 

 

(2) THE CRITICAL DRINKER (UNITED KINGDOM 2006)

 

 

“I drink and I say things. I’m here to deliver reviews, breakdowns and analysis on modern entertainment media. Expect a healthy dose of sarcasm, biting criticism and low-functioning alcoholism.”

 

The second of my holy trinity of Youtube popular culture commentators hailing from the British Isles as its Scottish member – and Youtube alter ego of writer Will Jordan. He perhaps prompts the most controversy of the trinity, given that he has a profile of an entirely different higher order of magnitude than the other two – closing in on 2 million followers – and people online seem to love him or hate him with little middle ground.

 

I fall somewhere in between, although obviously falling more towards the former, given I’ve placed him second in my Top 10 Youtube rankings. The fact that there is such a divide – and that it is so intense – between his fans and his critics may well illustrate his recurring theme about political messaging in entertainment media (or as he puts it in his videos, the MESSAGE!), as his fans and his critics are usually on opposite sides of that message.

 

I often don’t agree with his criticism or for that matter his recommendations but I usually find them entertaining, which is my primary criterion for these rankings. The usual example off the top of my head is his criticism of Midsommar – I agree that film is flawed but for different reasons than the Drinker and which do not detract from my appreciation of the film as a whole, particularly for its visual and stylistic elements.

 

Similarly, the points where I disagree with the Drinker do not detract from my appreciation of the Drinker’s video content as a whole, including the persona he adopts for it – “a Scottish drunkard with a crude attitude, a penchant for black comedy, speaks in biting sarcasm and snark, and frequently uses running gags and catchphrases” as well as a “snide demeanor…juxtaposed by his intelligent critique of the art of filmmaking and storytelling.”

 

Although he can be as caustic as the other two members of my holy trinity of caustic critics from the British Isles, he is perhaps the most positive of them – with videos appreciating or recommending films or TV series, including some that might surprise those on the other side of his caustic catchphrases “updated for modern audiences” and “reflecting the world we live in today”, as well as videos proposing ways to fix the issues he criticizes.

 

Also I have a soft spot for Tatiana, the Critical Drinker’s fictional muse and with whom he is said (by himself) “to live out many of his most perverted desires”.

 

 

 

RATING: 5 STARS*****

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POP CULTURE, FILM & TV – COMMENTARY

 

 

(1) DESPOT OF ANTRIM (SOUTH KOREA 2019)

 

“You will hear my thoughts on movies, TV shows, media companies and the cultural and political influences that go into them.”

Shortened to the Despot, just as my previous entry is shortened to the Drinker, his accent reveals him as the Irish member of my holy trinity of caustic critics hailing from the British Isles, although his Youtube bio has his location as South Korea. That – and the reference in one of his videos to Taiwan – might well originate from his former life as a teacher, to which he also has referred.

I can’t help but feel that his former life as a teacher is also revealed in the analytical style and sequence of his video content, such that you can almost see his video scripts in the same style as lesson plans. I’m a sucker for a systematic logical sequence, although the downside is that his video content tends to be by far the longest of my holy trinity. And I’m a sucker for a black sense of humor with an Irish accent – both of which you get in spades in his videos, or “taking the p*ss” as he puts it.

I’m obviously not the only one – as at April 2024, he released videos for the milestone of 10 and 1,000 subscribers respectively only a year previously but his channel subsequently ballooned to 86,800 subscribers.

His epic takedowns of film or TV are things of beauty to behold, often released with subtitles “Anatomy of a Disaster” or “So Much Worse than You Think” – my absolute favorite was his annihilation of Rings of Power, but other highlights include his videos savaging Bros and the Netflix Cleopatra documentary.

Oh and I looked it up – Antrim is actually a town (and district) in Ireland. So there you go.

 

RATING: 5 STARS*****

S-TIER (GOD TIER – OR SHOULD THAT BE DESPOT-TIER?)

POP CULTURE, FILM & TV – COMMENTARY

 

 

TOP 10 YOUTUBE (TIER LIST)

 

S-TIER (GOD-TIER)

(1) DESPOT OF ANTRIM

(2) CRITICAL DRINKER

(3) REAPER

 

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

(4) SCREEN JUNKIES – HONEST TRAILERS

(5) PITCH MEETINGS

(6) MEDIA ZEALOT

(7) IT’S A GUNDAM

(8) JUST SOME GUY

(9) ROBOT HEAD

(10) SUPERCUTS

ALL 10 – POP CULTURE, FILM & TV COMMENTARY

1 WITH FOCUS – GAME OF THRONES (SUPERCUTS)

1 WITH FOCUS – STAR WARS (ROBOT HEAD)

1 WITH FOCUS – LORD OF THE RINGS (JUST SOME GUY)

 

(20) KIWIANZU (NZ 2023)

 

My most recent Youtube discovery – a channel that only started up in 2023 and one that has yet to acquire the number of subscribers it deserves.

It gets my subscription for its skewering of the Rings of Power, episode by episode – which apart from a video about the Netflix live adaptation of One Piece, is its entire oeuvre to date. And one might think well-deserved and poetic revenge by New Zealand on behalf of the Jackson film trilogy to the interloping series that sought to desecrate it.

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

X-TIER (WILD TIER)

 

 

(19) HATEWATCHERS (USA 2022)

 

“Here at HateWatchers we have a simple goal to let you, the fans, know if the current movies & shows put out are worth your time; and to have a little fun while doing it. Let us do the hate watching for you.”

 

“From Star Wars to Game of Thrones, from Lord of the Rings to Marvel, we do comedy reviews of any TV show or movie that’s in the culture & entertainment headlines. Through our comedy review & breakdown of new episodes, we’ll let you know if the show or movie is a GreatWatch or a HateWatch.”

 

I discovered this channel through its hatewatching of The Rings of Power – a TV series it was only possible to watch with hate, at least to keep watching it to the end.

 

However, as the channel bio states, it watches TV series or films with both praise and criticism. And with weekly updates as well as monthly roundups, it’s a good overview of recent pop culture offerings even if you don’t agree with their opinions.

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

B-TIER (HIGH TIER)

 

(18) SPECTRUM (PORTUGAL 2018)

 

“I do Rome vids mostly”

You have to respect that Youtube channel bio – it doesn’t get much more to the point than that.

Yes – it’s another Youtube history channel. And yes – it does indeed “do Rome vids mostly”.

A personal highlight for me was its ranking of Roman emperors, apparently his most popular video, hence prompting videos for the Byzantine emperors (and the emperors of the western empire before its fall) – and beyond to Portuguese kings (not surprisingly given his country of origin), Spanish kings, Russian tsars, English monarchs, French kings, and Ottoman sultans.

And of course my other personal highlights are its top ten lists – ten underrated Roman emperors, ten worst Roman defeats, and ten reasons the Roman Empire fell – and tier rankings for the performance of combatant nations in both world wars.

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

B-TIER (HIGH TIER)

 

(17) POTENTIAL HISTORY (USA 2017)

 

He brought the Bob Semple tank – “the best tank ever built” – to my attention, deserving special mention for that alone.

His Twitter bio is brief and to the point – “I sh*tpost about history on Youtube”. As for that matter is his Twitter handle – Tank memes. A history channel with a focus on World War Two, particularly the tanks of World War Two, often told through memes – and much to my delight, usually skewering Wehraboo delusions or pretensions about Germany or its tanks.

Hence the adaptation of Palpatine’s dialogue for his Youtube bio – “Did you ever hear the tragedy of King Tiger the heavy? I thought not. It’s not a story the Panzerwaffe would tell you. It’s a Wehraboo legend. King Tiger was a Heavy Tank of the Wehrmacht, so Armored and so deadly he could use his cannon to influence the 88mm shells to Burn Shermans… He had such an unnecessary amount of armor that he could even keep the ones who crewed him, from dying. The German tank design theory is a pathway to many monstrosities some consider to be under powered. What happened to him? He became so up-armored and heavy… the only thing he was afraid of was destroying his transmission, which eventually, of course, he did. Unfortunately, he taught his adversaries everything he knew, then his adversaries copied the good parts of his design after the war. It’s ironic he could save others from damage, but not himself.”

Sadly somewhat dormant for the past year or so, although he has posted on Twitter

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

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(16) PSA SITCH (USA 2016)

 

“I make funny videos about politics and stuff”.

Well not so much these days – ideally I’d like to see him make more funny videos although he is more prolific in posts on Twitter.

And more “stuff” than “politics” these days as well – and by stuff, I mean pop culture commentary, which suits me as it’s where I think he really shines. His videos on Game of Thrones and Rings of Power were right on point for me.

More, please!

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

B-TIER (HIGH TIER)

 

(15) SK MEDIA (USA 2014)

 

“Welcome to Spaghetti Kozak media. I’m a former journalist, war reporter, researcher, and now once again a soldier. Decided to start making videos about games, movies, history, and maybe some other stuff down the road”

And there’s not much more to say than that bio!

Sadly the channel updates rarely these days as he has better things to do. That’s not sarcasm – he updated his bio as to what he’s doing and hopefully he will see that through to better days, whether to return to his channel or otherwise.

In the meantime, he is active on Twitter and entertainingly caustic in service of his cause.

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

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(14) GLIDUS (2014)

 

 

“I like dragons and good characters”

 

Or as his Twitter bio states – dragon enthusiast. Glidus has carved out his own niche in pop culture commentary, focusing almost entirely on Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon or George R. R. Martin’s literary works they adapted.

 

And what a niche it is – the best and funniest Youtube commentary on Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon, and in general with the exception of the equally niche and equally Australian Natalie Bochenski. (At least, I believe Glidus is Australian).

 

Nuff said!

 

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

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(13) MAULER (UK 2014)

 

 

“Film Connoisseur, Video Game Critical Analyst, Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes TM, Video Essay Analyticalyst and Co-Founder of the Intellectual Gaming Community”

 

Also known as Longman, for the notorious length of his videos and even more so the Every Frame a Pause or EFAP streams he hosts.

 

Mauler comes very close to being added to my holy trinity of Youtube caustic critics from the British Isles – which would have nicely added his Wales to Despot’s Ireland, Critical Drinker’s Scotland, and Reaper’s England. (Of course, it also would have made it a holy, ah, quadrinity rather than holy trinity – although perhaps the better metaphor would be a Catholic spin with Mauler as the Mary to the holy trinity).

 

And yes – I like his plummy accent and the observations or opinions in his video content. It’s just that there’s, ah, too much of the latter. Or more precisely – it’s too long. Yes – it’s the length thing. While I don’t dismiss them for their length – the self-effacing joke of the title he assumes as Longman as well as the long form media discussion right there in his channel banner – it does cost some points in my rankings. My own thought is that he should break up his videos into series of smaller bite-sized videos, which is how I tend to watch them in any event. He’s much more concise in his segments on streams with other commentators.

 

 

RATING: 4 STARS****

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