The Official HdE Does Anime Thread

[Lutga]

I never actually realised that Manga financed Dead Leaves - according to a recent article in NEO mag they even planned to release a game alongside it, but it got cancelled. For some reason, I always thought it was just an early Imaishi work, and didn't realise it had the added connotations of being some kind of last gasp effort of the 'old' violence and swears Manga UK before they transitioned into the more mainstream Shonen bread n' butter Manga UK we know today.

 

[HdE]

Right you lot! It's time for me to ask some semi important questions!

As you may have noticed, I've been laax about sharing updates or news in this thread for a few weeks. That's partly because I've run out of fresh material and only been re-posting stuff from the old channel, but mostly because I've been feeling KNACKERED. Some stuff's gone down as well recently (nothing serious, I hasten to add) that's basically sucked all my time away from writing and recording reviews, so i'm just dusting myself down now and taking stock.

First up some good news: I'd been saying for a while that there was a good chance the channel may not continue unless I started to see some fruit of my labours. I'd also mentioned that I was aiming for hitting the magic number of 100 subscribers by the end of the year.

WELL... here's how things stand right now. I saw today that the channel has attracted its 94th subscriber, meaning I'm near as dammit on target. Given that I've decided to take a two month hiatus through December and January, I think I can safely say that the channel will continue. Especially as I'm currently generating a fairly constant level of revenue from it. It's not much (about 10 - 13 pence per week) but it's an encouraging sign. Remember, guys - whitelist the channel in your ad blockers, and that helps IMMEASURABLY.

Moving forward, I have some set ideas about what I want to do. But I'd like your input on the following:

1. It seems clear that maintaining the weekly schedule I've been working to since July isn't sustainable. So I'm considering moving to either a bi-weekly schedule (like before) or a posting reviews on a 'they're ready when they're ready' basis. If I opt for the latter, it'll be with a view to resuming a regular schedule later on.

2. I'm looking into the possibility of funding the channel via Patreon - but most likely not until I've grown my subscriber base significantly. As of right now, I have no clear idea of what kind of incentives I could offer to Patrons. But I'm open to suggestions!

3. I'm also considering - for the sake of maintaning regular output - paring back the video content in my reviews. This is because curating all the material I need for each review is a very lengthy processs, which includes file conversion and manipulation to make sure I don't fall foul of the dreaded content ID system. I don't really want to do this, because working with video is actually fun. But I only have so many hours in the week. So please, let me know if you guys are enjoying teh current format of the videos and wouldn't want to see it changed.

It's honestly VERY tough to get feedback on the channel. Recently, I've deleted an alarming number of comments that simply spew juvenile bollocks without telling me anything (FYI, troll comments will ALWAYS be removed on sight, and persistently rude folks get banned. Life is too short, and I'm assured it won't actually do the channel any harm.) So please, do let me know what you think of the way I'm doing things. It's useful.

4. I've had some mixed feedback from folks offline about the intros to the reviews. Some folks really appreciate that I discuss the background of each show or movie. Other folks tell me they actively hate it. But I'm not really getting enough information to make a decision as yet about whether to keep that part of the review format or not. So please - let me know if it's something you enjoy or something you fast forward through.


Things are actually looking pretty positive for the channel right now. It's performing modestly, but it's got to a point where I can start thinking about where to go next with it. But I need to know what's working and not working for you guys before I make any big steps.


Anyways - I'm away to enjoy a weekend of doing bugger all but play video games and eat junk food. I'll check back in on Monday.

Luv ya!

 

[Lutga]

Personally I'd definitely be keen for you to keep it going - I watch a lot of different anime YouTube channels and the quality of your videos is pretty high - definitely higher than the number of views on them would suggest. I think the trouble is partly because that initial subscriber / view count is low, it means your content is served up less as a recommended video to other users - so a snowball action can't kick into effect. A lot of YouTube users are increasingly binge-watching on there, flicking from one relevant video to another, almost like watching TV - so stuff like that can really kick in there.

To be fair, the anime YouTube market is extremely competitive, and there's an insane spread of content out there if you really dive in. That said, one of the great things about it is it supports a really wide variety of voices and styles (and levels of quality) - so there's definitely room to standout if you have a particular niche. Personally I've seen a lot of people moving to longer 20-minute style video essays on there, but personally I prefer things kept around the 8 - 12 minute mark.

One thing I'd say though is ask yourself why you're doing the channel. If you're finding it a chore and having to really push yourself to make content there / having to weigh up skimping on quality to save time, then it's probably best not to push it - I'm not sure there'll be much satisfaction that way, and the 'hits' won't just magically start coming in one day. The brutal truth is that most of the YouTubers who get big numbers are either unemployed, or do it as their full time job, so have the time to work on it 24/7.

I think either sticking to working on individual pieces for pleasure and uploading them when they're ready is fine - it helps develop a distinct tone. But also looking at what's out there, what's doing well, and seeing where elements of that can be worked in. I know one thing that really seems to be a flavour of the moment is mini-essays on particular themes or characters, which'll show up well in search results - ie. when Berserk 2016 was airing, there were a load of character analysis pieces on the dynamic between Guts + Griffith, or which version of Berserk was the best.

 

[Professor Irony]

When watching or reading a review, I like a bit of background, personally. Not to say that we shouldn't judge anything purely on its own merits, but if the reason for the avant garde flying sequence in Schoolgirl Milky Crisis wasn't grand artistic vision, as much as the fault of the storyboarder getting trollied and breaking his wrist while staggering out of the pub, I appreciate that context.

I also like the full video approach, but I completely understand if you want to cut down on the amount of footage you're using. Aside from my own strife with the youtube po-po, the other big thing that puts me off doing reviews any more is simply the amount of time involved in gathering and editing clips. Unfortunately, I can't offer much advice about getting around that either. I always liked Yahtzee's solution of using generic stick figures and adding relevant graphics around them, but even that's a lot of work when you've got ten minutes of audio to cover.

I think Lutga's comment about standing out if you have a particular niche is on the money though. I've done a couple of anime horror review videos for my friends at Ghastly Tales and both of those have done fairly well. This could be a complete coincidence (their narration videos are popular so they have a good channel audience generally), but I'd like to think it's because there was a gap in the market for videos pitched at horror fans who don't normally watch anime, but might be curious about the ultraviolent, 'blood and thunder' productions of the '80s and '90s. I suppose there is always the danger of narrowing things down too much to the point where you're limiting your own options, but it seems like maybe developing different strands of related videos that can appeal to specific audiences could be the way to go.

 

[HdE]

Thanks for the posts, folks - this is exactly the kind of input I'd hoped to get. It's all useful!

I've only got a short window to post anything here for tonight, so I'll most likely come back and make a more comprehensive response later - hopefully somebody else mght have chimed in by then.

One thing I will reply to here, though - and I hasten to add this won't be by way of a direct response to Lutga - is this:

One thing I'd say though is ask yourself why you're doing the channel. If you're finding it a chore and having to really push yourself to make content there / having to weigh up skimping on quality to save time, then it's probably best not to push it - I'm not sure there'll be much satisfaction that way, and the 'hits' won't just magically start coming in one day. The brutal truth is that most of the YouTubers who get big numbers are either unemployed, or do it as their full time job, so have the time to work on it 24/7.

This sort of speaks to a minor personal frustration I've had with the channel. And I should point out, this obviously isn't what Lutga is saying here, but it kind of fits in the same pigeonhole, so to speak.

It seems almost impossible to put across to some folks - usually people who have no real knowledge or investment in how Youtube works - that channel performance is a real issue. Any time you even mention the word 'revenue', there seems to be somebody ready to accuse you of only doing it for the money. Youtube would have to offer a LOT more for that to ever be the case, I think!

That said, I've always had a clear goal and clear cut agenda with the channel. Monetization's part of that, but not the be all and end all. My concern as far as that goes is that I'd prefer the channel to be earning SOMETHING to make the effort that goes into it worthwhile. That's a pretty common motivation among Youtubers who are trying to build a channel, I'd say.

Really, though, what I want to do for the time being is just concentrate on building up a volume of material so that the channel is worth folks visiting in the first place. And I think, to attract the kind of numbers I'd ideally like to see, I need to have a lot more stuff there for them to peruse. Even though I the number of reviews I've posted is pretty healthy, it's still small fry.

You might have seen in a recent review that I parodied the intro of Classic Game Room, which is a fun channel that's been going for literally decades and has a massive library of content. What I'd really like to do is make HdE Does anime a similarly comprehensive channel in time. I think that, inevitably, as the channel grows in those terms, everything else will fall into place.

 

[Lutga]

I think one video a week is fine, as long as you stick to it - the regularity helps build familiarity and keeps people coming back. They know there's something to look forward to. Even some of the biggest channels only really do one 'proper' video a week - and if they do more than that, it's one proper video and then a series of to-camera 'vlogs' that are just speaking about a subject (although I think too many of these can water down a channel).

But yeah, I think building up a catalogue is really important - and it's where the hits will hopefully start to kick in - ie. across a wider spread as opposed to mega hits on one single video (to begin with at any rate). But yeah, inventive video titles and catering to niches not currently served - all stuff to help appear more highly in search results.

Funnily enough, I got thinking about the anime YouTubers I follow - and there's one guy who probably only posts a video every three months or so - but his niche is Captain Harlock - and they're pretty much the best mini-documentaries on any classic anime I've ever seen, so I know as soon as he posts one, I'm going to enjoy it. Another channel I really like the style of is Anime Everyday.

 

[Smeelia]

There are really only three channels on YouTube that I at least semi-regularly watch videos from and one of them is your channel. That probably makes me a bad candidate to comment, since I probably have more specific taste and less idea of what everyone else is doing. I think the other two channels are probably fairly similar really, mostly talking and a similar sort of humour as well.

While I'd probably prefer content being available when it's available, I think there might be an advantage to having content come out regularly that would probably make that the better option for the channel. If content appears regularly, then people know they can log in on a particular day for the new content (or at least that they can check in any time after the regular update). I suppose that probably works best with weekly content, since it's easier to keep track of a single day of the week rather than remembering if there was an upload last week or not. Still, having a regular schedule means that you don't have to feel obliged to put out content as quickly as possible and can relax if your content is ready to go in good time. If you're often struggling to make the schedule, then you probably just have to set it to be less regular.

In terms of the video content, I do think it's useful and adds something to the videos. You probably could afford to cut back, as long as you have something to fill the time. The graphics and text you use seems to work reasonably well so you could simply use more of that (assuming that'd be an easier option). Alternatively, you might need to look at some other options like filming yourself talking or having something else interesting for people to look at. I do think some kind of movement is probably the best option, unless you want the channel to become something that people can listen to in the background (though I guess that'd make it a podcast or similar).

I find that I generally enjoy the intros, although some may go on a bit too long before getting to the show. It can be interesting to know what sort of things the directors and other staff have been involved in previously, that's something I tend to overlook unless it's pointed out to me. I think the better videos are the ones that spread that information out a bit if there's a lot to cover. It might be best to focus on a few comments on the director or franchise and then put any other relevant information in a bit later. I suppose most people would be coming for a review of the show first and to learn about the show second, so maybe that should be the priority. Realistically though, maybe it's just a case that you can't please everyone.

I do enjoy the videos, so I hope that things continue to improve and the channel keeps being worthwhile to you because that way I can keep enjoying it.

 

[HdE]

I think one video a week is fine, as long as you stick to it - the regularity helps build familiarity and keeps people coming back.

Funnily enough, I got thinking about the anime YouTubers I follow - and there's one guy who probably only posts a video every three months or so - but his niche is Captain Harlock - and they're pretty much the best mini-documentaries on any classic anime I've ever seen, so I know as soon as he posts one, I'm going to enjoy it.

Maintaning a regular schedule has always been a goal of mine, but to be honest, one review per week as I've been doing them isn't something I can keep up with. I'm thinking I might coast on an irregular basis for a little while before building back up to bi-weekly updates. That seems more manageable. Plus, the work that would go into getting material ready on a weekly would be back breaking. Quality would most DEFINITELY suffer if I aim to do that right now.
It's kind of interesting to consider right now just how important a regular schedule might be. I've had literally one post on the channel where somebody mentioned they'd noticed I was posting weekly. I'm not presently convinced that regular updates equate to channel growth, though - my day one views on a lot of videos recently - including brand new ones - appear to be typically levelling off around 25 - 30. Considering I have 94 subscribers, that's not especially encouraging. Although I have noted a trend whereby views tend to pick up over time. That's useful, as views over a prolonged period are much better than getting them all in one lump and then watching as the video plummets in search ranking.

TL;DR - I'm not sure that weekly updates are really an issue if two thirds of my subscribers aren't watching my videos until weeks after they're posted.

 

[HdE]

I find that I generally enjoy the intros, although some may go on a bit too long before getting to the show. It can be interesting to know what sort of things the directors and other staff have been involved in previously, that's something I tend to overlook unless it's pointed out to me. I think the better videos are the ones that spread that information out a bit if there's a lot to cover. It might be best to focus on a few comments on the director or franchise and then put any other relevant information in a bit later.

These are always the hardest parts of new videos to judge. I'm always looking for ways to keep them on point without doling out information that isn't especially relevant. It's tricky in some cases, because certain shows offer up a wealth of stuff to discuss, and some of it is just too juicy NOT to share. others are a real struggle, though - some shows and movies are EXTREMELY tough to dig up info about. So it's a bit of a victory when I can find something.

That said, it might be woth sharing that I'm always trying to keep videos between 7 - 10 minutes in length. And this part of the video is usually where the most judicious cutting gets done to bring things down to a manageble size.

I suppose most people would be coming for a review of the show first and to learn about the show second, so maybe that should be the priority. Realistically though, maybe it's just a case that you can't please everyone.

This - one hundred percent.

I've deleted a few unpleasant comments under videos recently, one of which read along lines of 'you're f*cking boring - I don't care about the director.' To which my response was 'And you're f*cking rude - I don't care for your posts if hey're going to be like that.' One whack of the banhammer later, and that was sorted.

Basically, my chosen format is something that I'd hope could establish the channel as its own entity. I'll happily tweak and change things if I think I can improve the experience for more viewers. But as somebody else recently said to me, the channel 'isn't for Narutweens.' So if folks aren't interested in 90 seconds of background info, I'm currently leaning in a direction of saying that the channel isn't for them.

 

[HdE]

New review is up! And this one's clearly going to be a controversial one (It attracted a dislike almost immediately and has evidently cost me a subscriber - I'll take that as validation that Im doing Youtube right!)

This time, I take a look at GOLGO 13 - THE PROFESSIONAL - which I'll unashamedly describe as an objectively bad movie.

"B-but, H!" I hear some of you cry "Isn't this film regarded as a classic?"

Wanna know why I hate it so much? Check out the review!

 

[Professor Irony]

"Objectively" bad? I thought more highly of you than to trot that one out, man :/

Seriously though, I would question how many people actually regard the film as a classic, at least within the usual anime viewing circles. I know many of the critics trashed it back in the day and even Helen McCarthy ranked it as her personal worst at one point, which surprises me, given some of the things she goes to bat for.

Your point about its misogyny is fair, I'll grant you. My usual counter to that is that no-one is safe from Golgo's orbit, with pretty much everyone remotely likeable in this film ending up dead or worse, be they man, woman or otherwise, but its treatment of women is deplorable, even if it isn't as graphic as some of the most notorious anime nasties. I think Vash still refuses to speak to me after watching this one.

There is something to be said for the film's doom-laden atmosphere, which I think recalls the ultra-nihilistic thrillers coming out of the US after Watergate, but as you say, the most redeeming thing about the film is its visuals. For me, along with the Space Adventure Cobra movie, this is the absolute high water mark for Dezaki's unique directorial style, and some of the finest action direction I've yet seen in an anime film. Dezaki was clearly a man who liked to experiment with different techniques and this was the period when he was given the opportunity to push things as far as he could.

It is a staggeringly bleak film with plenty it should be apologising for and, I must confess, I hated it the first time I saw it, but I think The Professional still has a raw power about it that makes it more worthy of consideration than many of its peers.

 

[HdE]

I always get a kick out of reading your thoughts in this thread, Prof. I'll never have a problem with folks disagreeing with one of my reviews if they can articulate their own thoughts even half as well as you do.

Although:

"Objectively" bad? I thought more highly of you than to trot that one out, man :/

And now you know better!

Basically, if it weren't for the visuals, I'd find this film nigh irredeemable. I've got no problem with other folks enjoying it, as I've said in the video itelf. In fact, I've made a motto out of 'like what you like, because that's all that matters.' But again, as I say in the review, this is my isolated opinion of the movie.

It is a staggeringly bleak film with plenty it should be apologising for...

Which is why I don't like it. Add to this that it's cornier than a field in Texas, does nothing interesting with the way its plot develops and has one of the most stupid 'twists' in its closing scenes I've ever seen in any movie, animated or otherwise, and... I could go on. But really, that's what the video is for. Like any individual who consumes entertainment, I have my buttons. And this film leans on them too hard for me to overlook its flaws.

I think, when I sat down to watch it for the review, it was probably the third time I've seen the movie. Interestingly, I have the opposite reaction to yourself. It gets worse for me with each viewing. I don't even own a copy of it any more as a result.

 

[HdE]

Good news, people!

This means I'll be continuing from February next year, with videos posted every two weeks, all being well.

Sadly, I've already felt the need to block one of my new subscribers. But I guess that means I'm doing Youtube right!

 

[HdE]

Howdy doodle, peep-holes! Time for a quick update, I think.

As some of you may have noticed, I haven't posted anything on the channel for a while - not to fret. No dire reason for this. I'm on a short break until the end of February, during which time I'm working on new material, getting some stuff in place for a brand new channel, and working on comics until I die. Apparently.

Now, here's something I may have mentioned before:

I've been thinking for a while about setting up a Patreon page. It won't happen until I go over a certain subscriber threshold. But I'm already thinking about rewards I can offer for backers.

One idea I've had is to offer a newsletter every two months, professionally produced and supplied as a PDF. I'd make it more regular, but I know that my main line of work will make that tricky to achieve. The newsletter would divulge behind the scenes stuff to do with the channel as well as a feature article each time. I'm also thinking about other features I could include (there are a few ideas I've got, but they're all still being tinkered with.)

My thinking is that I'll make this available for those who donate £3 - 5 per month. But as I say it won't happen untll I have a comfortably sized viewer base and enough of an idea of what to do to make the newsletter, y'know, *actually worth having.*

Also, if anyone has any ideas about other kinds of rewards you'd like to see me offer, let's hear them. Everything's going into the big ol' mental melting pot right now.

 

[IncendiaryLemon]

I suppose an obvious one is requests. Obviously this wouldn't be a reoccurring award, but, say, if someone pledges £20 a month, you could cover a show of their choosing.

 

[HdE]

I suppose an obvious one is requests. Obviously this wouldn't be a reoccurring award, but, say, if someone pledges £20 a month, you could cover a show of their choosing.

That's a neat idea, although (at present, at least) I do encourage folks to leave suggestions for shows to cover over on the channel's discussion page.

It's certainly something I can think about, though. I can see some reasons why it might not be entirely practical to offer such a reward (such as how long it takes me to get a series watched, the cost of procuring the shows, etc.) but those are all things I can take into further consideration.

Thanks!

 

[serpantino]

I am a little disappointed. I just noticed this on the main page with the topic title: "The Official HdE Does Anime Thr" and I was hoping the cut off bit would read "Through The Medium Of Dance" I will have a look anyway but consider that a future offshoot and watch the punters roll in!

I'm a bit old fashioned normally. I prefer reading to watching (I really hate how so many game walkthrough, guides etc are videos nowadays.) You do have the voice for video reviews though and after watching a couple they are well laid out and concise.

 

[HdE]

I am a little disappointed. I just noticed this on the main page with the topic title: "The Official HdE Does Anime Thr" and I was hoping the cut off bit would read "Through The Medium Of Dance" I will have a look anyway but consider that a future offshoot and watch the punters roll in!

Hey - who says I DON'T do anime through the medium of alternative dance? I'm limbering up in my leotard as I type this!

(That comment will earn me a weird message or two, I'm sure.)

Glad you're diggin' what you've seen so far. Oddly enough, I've just logged in after taking a break from getting the latest review ready. I should have an interesting crop of old and new shows to start talking about come February's end.

 

[HdE]

Good gawd! What's this? A new video?

It is indeed! I dusted off my old copy of the Read or Die OVAs for my first review of 2017.

One thing, though:

It unfortunately looks like I'm going to have to put out videos on a 'ready when they're ready' basis for the foreseeable. My workload in comics is threatening to eat me at the moment, so I'm hard pressed to find time for anything else. I seem to be in demand to draw those speech balloons and things.

New content's still coming, though. I just have to direct my attention elsewhere for a bit.

 

[HdE]

Got a brand new video up on the channel. This one's an impromptu, quickly pulled together review of the Dreamworks Ghost in the Shell movie.