[Weekly Update] April 19, 2021

Not a lot to update this week. Everything is up and ready to go for a Thursday video. Looking forward to heard your reactions!

ABOUT CHANNEL

• Ou channel growth has slowed down significantly over the past two months. It appears format fatigue has set in. Admittedly, our videos are getting a bit too formulaic and predictable. It is as if I have taught everything I wanted to teach.
• I think one of the main problem with our video is how intimidating it can be. Big topics taken completely seriously. The audience may feel like they need to pay attention fully, and that's not usually how people watch YouTube.
• And so, I think it's time I adjust the video style a bit. The main thing is humor. We'll be adding some jokes here and there to break up the pace, giving audience more time to digest the content. Don't worry, we won't change into a comedy focus channel. I'm just not funny enough to get there. But some pop culture reference and memes may be added.
• If you have nay suggestions regarding our channel, leave a comment and let us know!

ABOUT MEDIA

• If you follow me on Twitter, you'd heard me gushing about Godzilla Singular Point by now. It's not often I find myself being interested in long form entertainments, but wow, Godzilla S.P. really pulled me in.
• In terms of atmosphere and setting, it is closest to "Giant Monster All-Out Attack" of the millennium series, directed by Shusuke Kaneko, of Heisei Gamera trilogy fame. If you know me, you know I love the Gamera trilogy.
• In the anime, the return of Kaiju is a calamity, foretold by a lost prophecy. This is where G.S.P differs from other Kaiju films the most: It's not about fighting back the Kaiju themselves. It's about investigating the mystery surrounding this prophecy, and fights the ARRIVAL of Kaiju.
• This is a genius move with two major benefits:
• Firstly, It makes the characters much more active. Usually, in a Godzilla film, Godzilla appears, and people react. Scientist tries to understand the physiology of Godzilla, and find a solution to defeat him. Godzilla has the initiative. The scientists usually don't make the different until the very end.
• But in G.S.P, since the main characters know what Kaiju are coming, they have the initiative. They can actively prepare and fight against the monsters. As a result, their action influences the monsters, and the monsters in turn affects their next goal. There is a tug of war dynamic between the humans and the Kaiju. This makes things way more interesting.
• The second benefit is that it really builds up the Kaiju to be this destructive force. It's like Thanos chasing after the infinity stones, you know what is going to happen when he arrives, and you do not want that to happen.
• In a lot of Godzilla films, especially the millennium series, Godzilla's arrival is just sort of... expected. Neither the character nor the audience treat it as anything extraordinary. It's just an expected part of the film.
• So to see a series treat Godzilla's arrival with an apocalyptic reverence is kinda cool. His appearances is preceded by a lot of strange phenomenons and mysteries. Radio plays a weird song with no origin. The oceans turn red. Fluorescent lights flickers and turn on by themselves. It's an interesting way to show Godzilla's effect on the world without even showing Godzilla.
• That said, there are bound to be fans who complain about Godzilla's limited screen time. Godzilla's fandom is fundamentally diverse. The series has been so long running, with so many different films, each having a different style, it's impossible to satisfy everyone.
• But if you are willing to engage Godzilla Singular Point on its own merit, watch it for what it is, instead of hoping to see Godzilla and nothing else, you'll find a genuinely well paced, well written mystery monster series.

And that's the update! Our next video will be up either Wednesday or Thursday. See you then!