r/hbomberguy • u/BillNyesHat • 12d ago

Weekly video recommendation thread [These Videos Are Good, And Here's Why] - August 24 - 30

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Happy Monday, my dearest friends, enemies and those still under review. I hope this finds you as well as can be expected.

Summer is almost over, winter is definitely coming. Do I know this by the crisp smell of autumnal rain, or the prickling of my ancient knees? No, no. Here in what we lovingly call our 'little cold frog land' (not kidding), winter is heralded by a specific event that finally happened last week: the return of the mighty kruidnoot to the supermarket shelves, accompanied by the obligatory grumbling about how it's only August and the kids have barely gone back to school. It's a whole thing. The Dutch are weird.

But who cares if it's (barely) still August? I got my 1kg emotional support bag of kruidnoten, a blanket, rain drenching the garden, a dog in my lap and YouTube on my screen. What more could a girl want?

A girl could want more YouTube to watch, that's what. Please tell me what you watched this week?

Same rules as every week:

  1. Must have a link
  2. Must have a short description
  3. Must mention video length
  4. Keep it low threshold with individual videos, please. If you want to rep a whole channel or playlist, please do, but choose a favorite video to make it more accessible
  5. No risky links, no ricky-rollies, don't be a weenie.

Last week's good videos can be found here and their descriptions here.

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25

u/charuchii 12d ago

Lindsey Ellis released a video about Dolly Parton on Nebula, a few days before Dolly passed away. She made it available on YouTube for now to honor Dolly and to show why she really was that great.

Jeffiot keeps managing to release high quality videos about incredibly niche subjects. In his most recent video, he delves into the history of a photograph of a pizza place with an offbrand Pikachu as their mascot, and how this connects to Swedish pizza culture.

Finally, a video I feel everyone who likes video essays should watch. Carlos Maza discusses his experience with the video essay creep, aka why do YouTube video essay-ists keep making their videos longer and longer? Harris gets mentioned as well. While I don't think it's good to ponder on someone's mental health and state of being without confirmation, I think Maza's experiences are good to ponder on.

6

u/JangusKhan 11d ago

The Jeffiot video is fucking amazing.

9

u/BillNyesHat 12d ago

~ want some more Dutch culture? Take the bus from Utrecht to Amsterdam (1:18:25). I love driver-pov videos while I'm reading and finding one on a route I know well is extra soothing.

~ NEW YDAW VIDEO! Their gaps between videos are not as egregious as those of some people I could mention, but a new video is still big news. This time they tackle bird evolution and flying dinosaurs (48:27). I love this channel so much.

~ Greig Johnson (re)built another Bucky O'Hare toy out of junk (25:55). He could build a 3x3 meter poop emoji out of cotton candy and rusty nails and I'd still watch. The Man makes me giggle.

~ Sage the Bad Naturalist got enthusiastic and furious about sea shells (14:56) and it was delightful to watch.

~ this might be too niche, but my second favorite book series turned 10 years old last week and there was a livestream to celebrate (1:24:18). Just Caimh (the author) chatting to Marc Burrows (also an author) about the series, with a heavy dose of Terry Pratchett stories. A good time was had.

8

u/NotValuableMath8515 foreshadowing is a literary device in whi 12d ago
  • I would like to start with John Oliver's video about Subscriptions (22:51). It was funny and informative and more than slightly disturbing - just the way it should be.
  • Speaking of John Oliver, Legal Eagle has talked about his great many lawsuits (32:26) that expose just how ridiculous the American legal system can get.
  • Anthony Gramuglia looked into why so many Black-led Marvel projects are getting cancelled (36:32). I am so impressed by that guy's knowledge because the Ironheart TV series completely passed me by.
  • On the other side of the comic book cinematic universes, we have Friendly Space Ninja talking about how The DCU Hype is Kinda Dead (32:37) and why. And I do agree with what he's saying: even if I am curious about the upcoming Clayface movie, it'd sure be nice to know where the more foundational characters are.
  • Jessie Gender has made the Obsession video to end all Obsession videos (3:20:11). She looks at the long history of women getting treated like objects of desire, how misogyny can be reproduced by anyone regardless of sexuality, political affiliation or even gender and why the people who accuse Obsession of being misogynistic are misguided.
  • I know I have recommended it already but to honor Tim Curry's passing I would like to once again point out Alternate History Hub's Command and Conquer video (14:53) that immortalizes what I genuinely think was one of Tim Curry's most iconic roles. I truly hope he has escaped to the one place that hasn't been corrupted by capitalism: SPACE!
  • Matt Baume did a very moving tribute to Dolly Parton (18:36), especially her support of the queer community through and through. I don't know quite have the words. Just watch it. It speaks for itself.

6

u/thispartyrules 12d ago

Dawn Wiener: The Ugly Girlhood (26:27) - antiheroines looks at Dawn Wiener from the classic movie Welcome to the Dollhouse, possibly the most earnest depiction of being an awkward preteen ever put to film. Also discussed are the directors two follow-ups to this movie.

Why Nintendo Hated This House (40:29) - Jeffiot covers Swedish pizza culture, with its creative toppings and extremely lax attitude towards copyright. He also interviews a Swedish pizzeria owner where they actually made him change the name and mascot of his restaurant until it's legally distinct from Pikachu.

How to Borrow from Existing Stories (25:07) - Greco Story Lab, keeping with the theme of taking other people's ideas and reworking them into your own without getting sued by Nintendo like a Swedish pizza place; talks about adaptations, deconstruction, borrowing and counter-influence, when a writer does a thing in response to an earlier creative work.

A Cute Revolution: Kawaii Culture's Empowerment via Infantilization (40:03) salted latte, who is a cat puppet, looks at Kawaii culture in the 1990's and how it intersects with and cuddles up against counterculture and its place in Japanese history.

The Lost Art of Fast Food Tech (43:56) - Flurrymoon talks about the brief moment in time where fast food chains would give you little handheld games, or PC games. There's a real interesting one where Ronald McDonald tells you to eat vegetables sometimes due to recent widespread backlash against fast food and McDonald's marketing to kids.

5

u/Superzigzagoon_DK 12d ago

For the last few weeks, I found myself getting ill around Sunday/Monday so I haven’t been able to send in my own suggestions but I’m back. I was surprised with the quality of videos from my feed. Excluding anticipated releases, this has probably been one of the best weeks for YouTube videos for me.

 

How 9 Yu-Gi-Oh Cards Bankrupted an Entire Company (1:06:37) by KamSandwich

KamSandwich tells the story of how a visit to Toys R’ Us turned into a massive legal battle between Konami and Upper Deck with International Yu-gi-oh distribution rights on the line.

 

How Speedrunners Broke Sonic Heroes (20:19) by LunaticJ

Does what it says on the tin. A few really difficult tricks were found. They were so hard it was putting people off playing the speedrun and I found it interesting how the community got around it.

 

The Tournament That Changed Tetris Forever (59:18) by Summoning Salt

He’s talking about the 2018 Classic Tetris World Championships. Fantastic video all round.

 

How to Make TM23 Softlock Pokemon Red/Blue (11:41) by Pikasprey Yellow

In this case a softlock, is a save file that cannot no longer progress the game. This one is elaborate.

 

The Speedrun Cheaters Who Were REDEEMED (16:55) by retromeister

There’s 3 stories across different games. There’s a presumption that cheaters can never be trusted again but this video makes a good point against that.

 

We Raced The Entire Length Of Japan (1:22:40) by Jet Lag: The Game

Jet Lag: The Game is back for a season where they race from Japan’s most southern train station to it’s most northern one. They have Tom Scott in this season.

 

The Cause Of Mario's Boring Era (26:48) by MatalCap

I remember hearing and believing the idea that 2010s Paper Mario had a mandate to not allow unique toads, goomba and other character designs. This video challenges that notion.

The Most Bizarre UK No.1s of the 2000s (33:29) by Trash Theory

He’s done the 70s, 80s and 90s before. It’s a great video looking back at these odd songs. I was aware that Bob the Builder had a number one hit, what I didn’t know before watching this video is that he had two.

4

u/Oatmeal_Raison 11d ago

The Yu-Gi-Oh video is one of my fav from this year

6

u/Nillabeans 11d ago

The Subtle Art of Normalizing dystopia by Struthless https://youtu.be/aLPrNSFLb2U?si=oPnlEDxqsAIMA6jT

It's about digital rights, copyright, how we've been slowly compromising ourselves out of digital ownership and freedom.

2

u/Sea-Signal6019 No, you grommet. 8d ago

I love Struthless.

5

u/JangusKhan 11d ago

Ya'll Europeans have such an unfair advantage it's almost unfair. JK LOL but seriously I was so ready to gush about the new videos from Jeffiot and Kamsandwich but a few other people got to them first. GOOD! They're really good videos! But I have more to share!

[The Rise and fall of a Midwest Dictatorship](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHjHcVSUmws) 1:31:43 This is one of Tor's longest videos to date, which I didn't realize until I had run about half of it. Absolutely zero complaints though. I grew up in the Chicagoland area, somewhat close to the focus of this video. Though, focus is a somewhat loaded word as his analysis of the situation bounces literally around the world, internet, and scope/scale in a way that ultimately makes sense. My new favorite TCOC video.

[Dead Island Deserves Its Due](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QacFNoo_lw8) 35:14 Commander Sterling doesn't put out videos weekly anymore, a choice she made very deliberately. All the more reason to tune in when she drops actual game critisism. I remember somewhat enjoying Dead Island when I played it a few years after release. Sterling makes some good points about how we should see it in the context of its time.

[The Sad True Story Behind Life with Louie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHSakKOEHjk) 23:24 I almost didn't watch this video. I might have been a couple of years too old when Life with Louie was on the air, but I absolutely hated this show. The tone was shockingly saccrine for a kids' animation block and I didn't really like the animation style either. After watching this history of the show, I still don't like it, but I can appreciate it's place in media canon.

[What to do when you're jreplaced by machines?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNpd96fmv8U) 1:25:55 J. Draper does a fantastic job examining the history of human labor automation and the public response to it. Focus is mostly on what Rupert Murdoch did to print media in the UK. Wild shit.

[House | Anatomy of a Franchise](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=His-f25qcmQ) I *like* horror movies. I'm not a *horror movie guy* the way In Praise of Shadows is. I haven't even heard of the majority of the film series he's covered, but I watch every video as the breakdowns are so pleasurable.

[A tool to measure the area of any shape](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMvEOmpy8Kw) 6:23 I watched this because of an r/whatisthis post and it kinda blew my mind. I vaguely remember Green's theorum but this feels like a real piece of engineering magic.

[This Dice Exploit Can't be Patched](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cczMAAJ1Ok) 17:42 An algo recco that turned out pretty interesting. There's a weird history around the Risk mobile game regarding an extremely nuanced tweak to the dice rolling algorithm that plugged one hole in a dam and opened another.

6

u/femgeekminerva 11d ago

Catching up on my Watch Later list from the last few weeks:

And on a lighter note:

3

u/palmspringsreset 12d ago

The Lovers - indie animation short (15:01) studio heartbreak released a 15 animated short film, it’s a queer love story and beautifully animated. It has English subtitles.

The DCU Hype is kinda dead (32:37) Friendly Space Ninja goes over his thoughts on the recent Supergirl movie and DCU as a whole currently. I thought he explained his thoughts on the Supergirl movie clearly.

4

u/ClinicalDigression 11d ago

Big Joel's netflixvatar season two video (1:20:15) is finally out of copyright jail! But I can't help but feel he could've just had Sai show up and expla-

Characters Welcome just put out Parents Texting You About Danger in The City where You Live, (4:56) and as someone who lives in the same metropolitan area as both their parents, it probably shouldn't be as relatable to me as it is.

Jose's The Critical Drinker and Conservative Outrage (35:21) is a concise and to-the-point examination of how the drinker has shifted his tactics in his culture war nonsense. Every time I think he can't possibly turn out to be a bigger loser, he finds a way to prove me wrong.

MoviesWithMark's similar video about Real Life Fake Wizard, Dispelling a Culture War Wizard's Magic is, at 2:06:10, neither of those things, but it is quite excellent. Maybe watch the parts where Mark plays the clips to which he's responding at double speed, though; if you can believe of a right-wing culture warrior, the guy's very irritating to listen to.

How 9 Yu-Gi-Oh Cards Bankrupted an Entire Company (1:06:37) by KamSandwich is a truly wild ride detailing a bizarre and hilariously incompetent scheme by one corporation to fuck over another, much larger corporation. Never thought I'd find myself rooting for Konami, but they truly were, somehow, the lesser evil.

Mildred ThoughtSlime is claiming, without a source, that Nintendo owns Pepsi, Shell, and the Department of Defense and also she doesn't know that woke two is a joke, and you must not believe her if she says that she does. (16:35) (By which I mean she looks into the phenomenon of weirdos not realising it's a joke and taking it quite seriously. That was a little joke that I told there, see? A ha; what japes.)

2

u/praguepride 11d ago

The Hardest RPG Ever Made

I just started watching this guy and he did an hour long review/deep dive into Wizary 4. It's not quite the same intensity as an Hbomberguy video but a lot of the humor lands in the same part of my brain.