The Problem With Problematic Media - You (Probably) Aren't a Bad Person 

Thanks for the video! Also, quick correction at 15:50 maybe, or maybe just a mistake: It was the director of MMO Junkie, Kazuyoshi Yaginuma, who made all the anti-Semitic tweets. The author of the original manga, Rin Kokuyo, I couldn't find much on her but I don't think she's ever expressed similar views.

Gushing Over Magical Girls makes me constantly ask the question: Authors Fetish or Legitimate Worldbuilding

The realization that men do not exist in the gushing setting was one of the greatest media moments I've ever had. I hate, hate, HATE how good it is

"I am troubled by the word “problematic,” mostly because of how fundamentally undescriptive it is. Tell me that something is xenophobic, condescending, clichéd, unspeakably stupid, or some other constellation of descriptors. Then I will decide whether I agree, based on the intersection of that thing with my particular set of values and aesthetics. But by saying it is problematic you are saying that it constitutes or presents a problem, to which my first instinct is to reply: I hope so." - Jen Silverman, Swimming in It: Art and (Im)Morality (Please go read this article its fucking fantastic)

the cake metaphor is perfect for this - youre an adult, you are capable of making your own choices but the problem comes from making the cake accessable to those who can be easily hurt by it.

So basically, it's ok to like problematic media as long as you are willing to put in the critical thinking and media analysis work to recognize the problematic elements of it in order to consume it without internalizing those elements. And as long as you don't irresponsibly share the media with others who might lack the ability or willingness to do the same.

The last time I watched anything by you was your SAO Abridged videos and you jokingly lamented about "being alone while drinking booze in your apartment in Belgium" or something along those lines (hilarious bit lmao)... and now you're MARRIED? Congrats honestly, but this was the most shocking point of the video haha

as a long time anime fan with both horrendous moral scrupulosity/harm ocd and a love for media analysis, this video is really comforting. more people need to hear the message this video concludes with

I was in the BDSM community. The show isn't just depicting it, Gushing over Magical Girls is truly resonating with the emotions people feel of when then get into BDSM. Why would somebody want to be blindfolded? Why would they want to be powerless? Why would they want be hurt? The show portrays this perfectly. The blindfold scene blew me away. If you were going to make high art about that sensation specifically, then that scene would have been it. Even if you're not into "capital K" Kink, I think people can still resonate with those emotions. The same way you don't have to be into martial arts to resonate with an anime protagonist pushing past his boundaries. Because honestly, that's a major part of what genuine BDSM is about. Pushing past personal boundaries. Honestly, I'm only on episode 3, but I immediately got what the show was about.

Gushing over magical girls might be legit the very first fanservice heavy anime i ever watched, where i was unironically more entertained by the character writing and story instead of the intended main appeal of those shows lmao

I'm just a few seconds in And the fact that anyone could hate Marcelle fills me with violent rage. I might move a table or eat your pudding or something.

This video can be summed up to simply "It's okay to have guilty pleasures, but don't assume others will share in your enjoyment of said guilty pleasure."

Mushoku Tenshi, Made in Abyss and Gushing Over Magical Girls are two shows that fall in the most annoying category of shows. "Great Shows I Cannot Recommend to Others." I adore these shows but they all just have some aspect of them that makes it impossible for me to ask other people to watch them and if someone has watched them and told me they cannot get past X I just have to be like "yeah, fair." Also Gushing being on the cover of HiDive is fucking crazy, who the fuck allowed that, lmao.

I think something that makes Gushing Over Magical Girls different is that it is how the settings suspends reality. It is not set in our world but with magical girls. It is set in a world where magical girls have managers. Where the "fight" between good and evil is mostly performative. Where are bad guy doesn't use mind control magic but social media. "Join the side of evil" is given the same social power in this world as "lie to the unpopular girl" does in a 90's rom com. This is also a world with no men. Not even in the background. Not even young boys. This is also a setting where the magical girls allow these things to happen because busting out the big gloves of punching is bad for the brand. From jump it is driven home that the stakes in this setting are wildly different from the ones we know. It is a nakedly indulgent exploration of fetishes from the perspective of characters discovering their relationship to these fetishes. It is blatantly pornographic and focused on titillation. It is easier to enjoy because it is not slipping these things into a story where we are expecting someone's mental health to be in danger. The emotional consequence of sexual assault in this "grrr I'm embarrassed" That isn't the world we live in but it is the world the show is set in. No one is freaked out by these super powered fights in the show. They watch them like entertainment in the show. That makes all of this easier to enjoy because they just shamelessly made a porn universe where the pain from our world doesn't exist. Mushoku Tenshi wants us to think about trauma. It has a universe like ours where the result of sexual assault mirrors the damage and pain of our world. So it's harder to let it slide.

As someone who's been enjoying the Gushing over Magical Girls (still can't say I like that title) manga for a few years now, this hits the nail on the head. What started out as "I had a bad day and want to read a bad ecchi manga" turned into a weirdly engrossing series that I've been more excited to read the newest chapter of than most actually "good" manga. I had similar hangups about enjoying it (dubiously aged, no consent, just straight up porn, I'm not even into BDSM/exhibitionism and not particularly into yuri) but something about the underlying plot, good comedy, Azul's character _development,_ the Loco/Leber relationship, Enormeeta in general etc etc kept me coming back. It's weird and made me question some things, but I'm happy it's still going. Keeping Korisu out of any level of sexualization really helps the conscience, though.

6:13, you can enjoy garbage, even if it's the worst crap ever.

Fetish porn creators are just lightyears ahead of everyone else on this; we already had this fight and solved it forever ago. TAGS. Put tags on things! Encourage websites to allow tag filtering and tag blocking! As soon as the individual is able to curate their own experience according to their preferences and dislikes, all of this endless moral equivocation becomes unnecessary.

Showing Love-Chuu season 2 when you said unnecessary SENT me 😭 Also I'm not calling it X.

What a well-reasoned and nuanced take. I do a lot of work in both kink education and with young queer adults, and find myself having oddly similar conversations in those spaces about what people feel good or bad about enjoying or identifying with, why that is, and what they feel it says about them. I've settled on the stance that thought crimes aren't real, and things you like or enjoy don't necessarily say anything about you as a person. Morality and ethics are inherently linked to social interactions anyway, not individual joys, regardless of how odd those joys might be. Watch things wisely. Well said.

The nicest people I've met online make some of the most bizarre, messed up pornography, and the worst, aggravating, taxing, awful people I've met also often hate porn.

One thing I've personally noticed with problematic media is framing. How are you framing the problematic element you are showing. Are you framing it as the bad thing that it is or are you using it for shock value and not caring about the deeper implications? Your example of Goblin Slayer vs Psycho Pass hits that perfectly and I think your point of "buying/earning" the problematic element ties into my idea on framing. You have to not only earn/buy it, but you have to frame it properly so the audience knows you are not endorsing this thing. I think it's why a lot of anime can get away with having certain characters allude to (or in cases like Drifters just straight up be) Hitler, because those series keep the framing of "this was a horrible person who did horrible shit". Drifters' example was used to emphasize that the Drifters are not "good guys" just the ones with free will, and gives us a world that was re-shaped by the misuse of said free will. It also helps the audience use it as a sort of line for our main characters so we can quietly judge if/when they're going "too far".

This was… refreshing, honestly, and quite similar to my own take on this very question. I enjoy a great deal of potentially troubling and occasionally outright transgressive media, more often than not because such works tend to aspects of the human experience which tend not to be explored in more mainstream works because they're not particularly universal or incredibly sensitive or prod at various cultural taboos, and I dunno, as a freak who's been through some stuff, that weirder, gnarlier stuff tends to speak to me. Gushing Over Magical Girls has a surprisingly strong grasp on what it feels like to realise as a teenager that you are into things that no adult in your life is going to explain to you because acknowledging the existence of such feelings even among adults feels like crossing a line and struggling past that confusion and shame and fear of yourself and what you might be capable of towards excitement and acceptance. And that's really cool! I think that this show could be really good for some people! But at the same time, am I going to recommend it to somebody if I'm not *really* familiar with them and what they're comfortable with and what their limits might be? *God, no.* And that's true of a lot of art that I love. Stuff like societal trends and advertising are way out of my hands, but I can at least be real with people about whether or not something might be too much for someone and not judge them if it is, or for that matter if it isn't.

Thought crimes aren’t real and media you consume doesn’t reflect your values. It’s always helpful to have a reminder!

One small disagreement is when you mention that "no shameless ecchi has been in the limelight like MahouAko is now." I can point to Monster Musume and especially Interspecies Reviewers alone as two shows that made even bigger waves in their respective times.

I very much agree with this. on an audience end, I'd say even just having the self awareness to be uncomfortable on a logic level while enjoying the thing with your lizard brain is evidence enough that the logic brain is working. you know the objections that a person could have to this thing, if their lizard brain isn't impressed. for that person, the currency that the uncomfortable thing was bought with doesn't even work. and you're just gonna have to live with that. to use a completely innocuous example... I'm not a fan of Demon Slayer. I thought the writing was boring and dropped it pretty early on. most people's attention was bought with the animation, which is admittedly gorgeous. some people's attention might've even been bought with that very same story. these forms of currency worked well for them, but they did not work for me. I didn't like the story, and none of the qualities that the show possessed actually paid enough to keep me invested. but when the content could genuinely be harmful, your logic brain is in charge of telling you two things. one: this thing is weird. some might think that it's wrong or gross. and if this was fully non-fiction, then they wouldn't be incorrect. if you publicly share this interest, then those people might need a reassurance from you, that this content doesn't affect your real world behavior... especially around folks who could be hurt with full sincerity. and two: this thing, which might hurt someone if it were done to real people, is fictional right now. and much like a BDSM scene, the author has crafted a fictional narrative in which you can watch it happen, but you can also revoke your consent at any time. you can turn it off, if it turns you off, in any sense that you take this to mean. you're never obligated to stay. in fact, I'd say all of problematic content boils down to issues of consent. who is capable of seeing this thing? are they okay with seeing this thing? if they don't like this thing, can they opt out? will they be respected for their choice? will the people who opted in be respected for their choice to engage with the fiction? how do we go about discussing topics that need content warnings? and like... there are already systems in the BDSM world for giving and revoking consent while pretending to do things to a person that would be really upsetting if the situation were real. and on a less NSFW level, maturity rating systems on movies are there for the sake of informed consent. tags on AO3 are there for the sake of informed consent. reviews can be used for informed consent. the website "does the dog die" is there for informed consent. even just asking a friend with more robust immunity to topics you're sensitive to can help inform you, so that you can decide whether or not you consent. and honestly, warnings before you watch or read a thing can also inform the general public that this is a thing that needs to be warned for. it's not the norm... it's potentially upsetting. you can consent to it, but not everyone will, and it is appropriate to ask. and that, in my opinion, really helps combat the normalization of harmful elements. the fiction is fiction. you can consume it if you want to. but please be aware... it could hurt people. you've been informed for a reason, as all folks should be. anyway, here's an anecdote to cap things off. I have a friend who can be a little squeamish about violence. this friend really wanted to watch Dorohedoro. and I was all in favor... she loved it, I knew it'd be right up her alley, the aesthetics were 100% her thing. but in order to help her watch it, I watched it first, and took notes. at certain points, I'd just tell her something gross was gonna happen. she'd look away from the screen, but the audio didn't bother her, and I'd tell her when it was over. we were watching subbed, so I'd just tell her what the dialogue was if anyone spoke during it. and as we watched the show, sometimes I'd give the warning, and she'd ask me what, specifically, was going to happen. or sometimes, without knowing anything, she'd just keep watching. sometimes she'd regret it. but she's the one who decided, and we were able to finish the season just fine like that. a person can go the extra mile to enjoy a show, even when it contains things that they personally can't stand. she got viscerally grossed out looking at the violence, but I think she enjoyed the overall effect that it had on the tone of the work. she wouldn't even wish it gone... it's not a flaw. it should be there. so like... it's even possible to enjoy a part of the work that you can't fully consume. but information and consent make ALL the difference.

I originally turned off Gushing the moment Utena first transformed. That immediately hit my line. But then the only streamer I'll watch, Psyculturists, decided to do a watchalong of it, where he does extensive breakdowns of the psychology behind shows. So I picked it back up so that I knew what would be coming. And as the watchalong continued, he made a lot of very interesting and enlightening conversation based on the show. I managed to learn a lot about psychology I never would have known if I wasn't willing to engage with a show that pushed my personal boundaries.

The whole "separate the artist from the art" thing is a pretty complicated discussion. I get both sides of it. On the one hand, it's ridiculous to say that enjoying a creator's work and agreeing with them on everything are one and the same. And a lot of people just want to enjoy art that they like and that helps them cope with stress from the real world without having to worry about whether or not they endorse the person that made it and I think that's fair. And for some people, boycotting a product isn't worth it because a lot of the time boycotts don't work. On the other hand, supporting creators who have done or who believe bad things, financially or otherwise, is condoning or supporting what they've done, even if it's just a little. And some people are just going to feel plain uncomfortable supporting certain people or consuming their work. And that's fair. The problem I tend to have with this discussion is when either side is treated like the objectively right side. When people either insist other people should just let it go and separate the artist from the art when other people are uncomfortable consuming the media or when people try to guilt trip people into not supporting the work. I think it just has to be a personal choice honestly. Like, let's take JK Rowling as an example. If people feel uncomfortable watching or reading Harry Potter because they now associate the work with all the things she's said and done and they've sold all of their HP merchandise on Ebay, that's perfectly understandable and fine. If someone still enjoys Harry Potter because in their mind the work hasn't been tainted, I also think that's fine. If those same people just enjoy it privately and try to not buy merchandise or publicly talk about it without bringing up Rowling because they feel that's the right thing to do, I respect that. If people do want to support the HP brand financially or just promote/recommend it, I would say they're allowed to, but they should also think carefully about it and just accept that some people aren't going to agree with that, the same way some people aren't going to take issue with them buying fast fashion. "Separate the artist" isn't a band-aid to smack onto the issue that will make the problem go away. I think it's best to see it as a personal decision and not something that will magically make the problem go away.

I think fanficers have it figured out tbh. "don't like don't read" might be the greatest montra to ever grace fiction. Its not s crime or moral failing to like dark/horny/weird things. And sure theres something to be said about works made purely to push harmful narratives. (such as the cult thing) But in the end ALL censorship is bad. (yes even that censorship) And it isnt a mortality crime to enjoy a story. (yes even that story)

Honestly, people in the comments are coping about the fact that they like a broderline loli show. It's completely normal to like certin things in fiction that you would absolutely hate irl (like loli, war, fighting other people, straight up gore). Don't like something? Simply don't engage with it and leave people who do alone. We don't need to fight over things that don't exist

It's yet another time when I see a new upload from you and think, 'It had better not be what I think it is,' only to be met with a surprisingly sane, well-thought-out, and balanced analysis. My respect for you only continues to grow.

I don't believe ANY form of media has ANY moral obligation to be PC or ethical or morally correct UNLESS it is directly being made for children. Other than that, you can make a story of humanity at it's worse and have horrible, evil characters, but if the writing is good, I'll enjoy it. To me, the #1 purpose of stories is to be entertaining or enthralling. Some teach something, but not all need to. In the end, everyone is in charge of their own lives and if they can be so easily changed by words on a page or pictures on a screen, that says more about them than the work itself.

I sadly have to correct you on the "the age of girls are left unsaid". The manga specifies 14. Multiple times. Yes, I hate this information too. I hate it even more when I consider that it perfectly fits the "coming-of-age, discovering your sexuality, etc" themes the story goes for. I fucking hate that this manga is so good that it made me go: "Ah yes, the paedophilia is integral to the plot" because it feels gross just thinking it

Something that I think makes Gushing Over Magical Girls a bit easier to tolerate than other outwardly similar series is that: 1, the victims are fully fleshed out characters in their own right, and exist outside of the porn elements; and 2, the theme is BDSM, which while outwardly seeming distressing, is ultimately designed to be pleasurable for all participants. Putting those two together, it’s possible to project onto the victims, but still enjoy the series as a wish-fulfillment fantasy. Makes it feel tamer than it really is, I suppose.

Ngl I found myself really frustrated with how people will get all twisted about certain themes in media just for being there and then sorta essentially harass fans and creators over their artistic choices. Like for the horror rpg The Coffin of Andy and Leyley I’ve been peeved that people will immediately just jump towards the one “problematic” aspect of it. I’m like yeah there’s the incest angle but are you really going to gloss over the murder, cannibalism, and demon sacrifice going on?? Like compared to all the other crimes that’s small potatoes and it’s just a detail to show just how screwed up the main characters are and how toxic they are for each other. It’s not hard to block something you dislike because you don’t want to engage like it’s literally encouraged. Don’t like? Don’t read. Block and move on. Why go out of your way to make it everyone else’s problem for discussing the game? We should be able to engage with touchy themes to discuss and talk about that but a proper discussion becomes near impossible when someone isn’t willing to even engage with the material. Like okay yeah there’s an incest going on, what else do you have to add? What is your argument as to why it may or may not fail in this piece of media? I don’t think it’s being portrayed as positive or desirable. It’s bad I think it’s pretty clear that it’s bad and if you don’t think it is then explain why. I want to talk about the things let me talk about them and if you’re just going to complain leave the discussion because you clearly don’t want to be here- But yeah this issue is more complicated than just that. We need to be aware of the aspects of a piece of media and how its themes affect each other. How do you view it, what does the discussion look like compared to the other? People are allowed to enjoy things as long as they know how to consume the things being showed >:(

I am in no way advocating for the censorship of media that I heavily disagree with or in which I find very problematic aspect, as those medias are already published, the harm is done. But every media deserve to receive criticism, as viewers we have every right to call out or inform about senstive topics that we may think are badly handled or bad enough to affect people or groups of people, with it sometimes not negating our enjoyment of said media. For short, feel free to explore every sensitive/dark topic, in any way you want, but I think content warnings should be available for evey media, for those who wants to read them. If you don't want to read content warnings because you care more about spoilers than sensitive content it's fine, just let people that have the opposite priority get that opportunity to be warned. And when exloring dark topics, always expect criticism to come at you.

Something I wanted to add about Gushing Over Magical Girls that you kind of touched on with how the point of the show could be about enjoying things that you aren't supposed to; was my experience with watching it. I don't remember why I watched the first episode (probably feeing horny or some shit), but I remember during the first episode I was pleasantly surprised with how Utena's character was being depicted. I didn't expect her to be conflicted with the actions she committed and the feelings that transpired from it. I expected her to be like a crazy dominatirx, because that would appeal more to the men that I expected the target audience to be. But watching Utena feel conflicted reminded me a bit of how I struggled to come to terms with the idea that I had sexual urges and desires (I was raised very conservative). I felt like as a woman I could relate to that feeling of being conflicted; of enjoying sex or kinks that society would deem inappropriate for me (I'm sure men and other people can relate to this too). That was ultimately what made me continue to watch the show. I have yet to finish it, and I'm not sure if I will, but it did leave a surprising thought process in my head. Love your videos king, keep it up!

It’s nice to hear a nuanced breakdown of the potential harms. Aware of the influence media can have on us and of sharing that media with other people. As much as I’ve seen people argue that depicting something makes it problematic and ergo you shouldn’t support it, so too I’ve seen people try to close their eyes and insist the thing is just fun, don’t dig deeper it doesn’t mean anything (video games have it a lot worse in this regard).

This is genuinely one of the most useful videos on the Internet, thanks for making it.

For the HiDive point. I get the idea that it being on the homepage is kinda problematic. But while HiDive is *one of* the most popular anime streaming sites, that’s kinda like saying gushing over magical girls is one of the more interesting magical girls shows. Ya gotta be pretty deep into anime to be at that point. Like nobody wants to pay for HiDive when Crunchyroll has 90% of what you’d wanna watch. *I* barely wanted to pay to watch Oshi no Ko. What your talking about would be bad in a vacuum, but in context of, Crunchyroll Hulu and Netflix has most of the anime you’d ever want to watch I think having it on the front page is fine, because it’s safe to assume that if you bought the subscription, then you probably came there for one of those shows.

I read the manga, I am a fervent moralist, I loved every second of it. No shame nor harm there, we must learn media literacy and be able to put past "problematic" media. A story can be good while also morally bankrupt.

The issue with these online discussions always manifests the exact same way: one side feels so strongly about the morality of the situation (often ignoring any actual logic) that they immediately start off far too aggressively. And of course when that happens the natural human response is to get defensive and either mock or ignore them, resulting in the exact opposite of what the first person wanted. I love shows like Made in Abyss and Mushoku Tensei, in part because of the questionable aspects, because it doesn’t feel overly sanitised like a lot of media these days and feels like a deeper depiction of life than the surface level stuff you see everywhere. So when I see people attacking these shows, with the implication that they think all media should be sanitised in the exact way I hate, it does feel incredibly minimising, like my tastes aren’t even a consideration, and whether that’s a reasonable emotional response or not, it does make me feel the urge to minimise them back. It’s a vicious cycle that could so easily be avoided altogether by people just not coming out swinging whenever they slightly disagree with someone.

This is a SMALL gripe, and it DOESN’T take away from the overall message, but as your friendly neighborhood type 1 diabetic id just like to remind people that sugar is NOT bad for you. Your body actually needs sugar, and carbs, just like electrolytes and protein. You just need to know how much your specific body needs of each thing. For me, I actually need quite a lot of sugar so I can keep my fat content high enough to support my insulin pump. I need a fat layer to inject the insulin into, without a thick fat layer it injects into muscle, and then I become afraid of food and I go back to 90lbs and it’s a whole mess. So yeah! Just keep that in mind, sugar isn’t evil, and everyone needs different things, even if *you* think it’s obvious what they need.

one thing many often forget is that not every media is for everyone. Like my favorite Dev says: "A game for everyone is a game for no one."

15:25 Yes! Exactly! And this is exactly why I wish the characters in Gushing were all above 18. Because I would otherwise be completely down for a show about characters discovering they're not vanilla and into some kinky stuff and reconciling that with the person they thought they were and wondering if they're bad because they've got kinks they deem "bad" through the theme of something fantastical like super powers!

I used violent and horrible media as a way to cope with my bullying in middle school (and I mean horrible in r@pe murder and psychological abuse) . I think it was thanks to that outlet that I never became bitter and resentful. It was a somewhat healthy coping mechanism that helped me process my trauma and pent up anger. It kinda twisted my tastes in fiction but I had to work with what I had and I regret nothing

Finally my favorite youtuber releases the sweet nectar of academic study to me

You put to words as to why some really good people sometimes watch scum of the earth type of shows. Thanks for your work that was great video.

bro this is so good this video helped me so much to wrap my head about this topic that always sparks a lot of complicated feelings making it hard to think about thank you so much for tackling stuff like this ❤❤ also there's a good way to be able to consume media made by problematic people without supporting them financially in any way: good old piracy!

8:11 i dont know why the "but damnit they're dapper" made me laugh so much but it definetly did kudos.

"Problematic" has become a catch all word for "Stuff I don't like" in media, and it only carries the weight you want to attribute to it. I personally watch/listen to/read all kinds of shows, comics, music, manga, anime, movies, ect, and never have to question if I should or should not watch it. I can do this because I, unlike so many people these days, understand it's JUST FICTION. If you are questioning "if" you should be enjoying something fictional due to some belief that it breeches some likewise fictional standard you made up about how media should be, then you're already miles off the mark. No work of fiction has ever turned someone into a violent psychopath (and there are studies to prove that) and even people into the worst kinds of fictional content would never endorse it within the context of real life. I honestly can't believe that instead of just accepting that it's ok to watch something even as questionable as Gushing Over Magical Girls, we apparently have to make 22 and a half minute long video discussions to justify enjoying something that is not harming anyone. Should it not be be in the mainstream? Sure, but one could say that about 90% of anime in general, because anime has never catered to a mainstream audience, nor do I personally think it should. Yet people keep sticking their noses in a place where it not only doesn't belong, but where they don't even want to put it in the first place (just cause anime is kinda popular now), and keep crying about how they keep watching shows with all these tropes that have been in Anime literally forever, which are only "problematic" to them, cause they are not the audience it was made for.

Title had me worried for a sec, but I ended up agreeing with just about everything you say here. Great video!

I love your channel, and now I love it even more because of this video. I used to watch shows like this when I was younger, like a car crash you can't look away from type of vibe, and as an adult I was never able to put into words how they made me feel. Your video did that for me, ty :)

Probably my new favorite video of yours. Amazing work.

I go by one relatively simple rule: So long as someone understands the difference between fiction and reality, the fictional content they consume is irrelevant to their real life morality.

Fantastic video. Thank you for this. I'm already sharing it to friends that struggle with this.

This is a really smart video. I liked it a lot. You have a way of articulating things in a way that is strong but also open to conversation that I appreciate. Thanks for making this.

Let's not forget Interspecies Reviewers, that was pretty big and very literally porn. Definitely started that particular problem, as far as I'm aware.

So glad you're in a place mentally to post online again, and consistently being one if the best and most thoughtful ani-tuber around. probably my favorite so far, that harry potter sight gag really got me

Another banger of media literacy and material analysis, EP. I really appreciate the segment talking about advertisements and streaming platforms having more to do with views than actual viewer choices, because people constantly underestimate just how much of an impact marketing has on our choices as consumers (by design, even) I look forward to the next one as well

I should point out that japan sees these topics completely differently. Ethical soundness is taken as an obvious given and treating it as such deters second-guessing it. When japan looks at fetishy stuff or stories where the villain is winning doing naughty things, it's treated as entertainment that allows peoples' inner desires to be expressed and vented and appreciated in the safe confines of fiction. It's satisfying; it's cathartic. People should know when bad things are bad and when good things are good, and someone who cannot is someone who needs mental help. The woke America/Europe is forgetting this basic truth.

2:50 Correction, they are middle school girls 🙏 (and one is elementary, although not sexualized...in her young form)

Man that was really well said, I really hope this blows up so that everyone could see it, some people really need to hear this. Keep up the great work man always happy to see you upload

I didn't expect to see this level of care, humility, and respect to be in a video on this topic and I'm really glad for it. You've encapsulated a lot of my feelings on how we should handle media that carries some ick with it differently personally and in public in a way that I think can do a lot of good for the wider conversation as a whole. I will carefully share this to some friends and do my due diligence before maybe sharing it elsewhere!

He had me going in the first half, but he pulled out by the end. Watching critically is a good thing and it's important to keep in mind that fiction is not reality and what you like in fiction doesn't dictate what you like in reality. But you also shouldn't have to feel ashamed of what you like and keep it to yourself because doing that doesn't help with anything. It's weird how this video gets so much about media criticism and viewing habits right but then backtracks. I assume the reason for that being he doesn't want to get another hate mob bombarding him with terrible messages. If someone else doesn't like that I talk about something that they feel squicked by then it's their responsibility to curate their own internet experience and block me for it! It's completely natural to block others who make you uncomfortable! I AM NOT GOING TO PARENT OTHER PEOPLE ON THE INTERNET JUST BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T LEARNED HOW TO USE IT YET. Sorry for caps but I feel like that point in particular is very important.

MahouAko is the kind of show where you need to have an amount of trust in yourself that you are not gonna be a terrible person because you watched something with the questionable aspects that it holds. Ya need to have an amount of confidence that violence in video games or gex on TV is not gonna influence you to be a worse person. And like, ya also gotta be able to have some trust in other people who watch it, and I don't mean a blind trust, but one based on some meaningful observation. Some people enjoy MahouAko and make content about in ways that make me think that they are of questionable moral standing even before they watched the show, and I judge that accordingly, but also a vast majority of people enjoy it in ways that make me think "There is no current evidence that they are of any concern, we will see if further evidence reinforces this, or changes this" and go on with my life, cause chances are I'm never gonna interact with that person ever again, and being needlessly paranoid about people is gonna help no-one. I think the media people consume is something that can indicate important things about them, but ya gotta be able to judge that with a level head, and ask "*how* are they enjoying it, *why*?" cause that context matters

This is a great video that covers nearly all aspects to watching things deemed problematic. I especially love how you mentioned shows "buying" their triggering elements by allowing it to carry the story and themes one step further. Gushing Over magical Girls is an excellent example of this because it begins with the premise of a villain assaulting these heroes regularly and also they are all canonically 14. And then it takes it further, in a way I've only seen talked about in like, Madoka Magica. But, anyway, good analysis, I miss your editing for these types of videos, only create as much as you are inspired to, and godspeed Mr. Point!

This is an extremely well thought out video about a sensitive topic. Thank you for sharing your thoughts! It's made me rethink some things myself.

We can call Twitter X when Elon Musk respects his daughter’s life

Ok- so my general opinion is that saying that a peace of media is “unethical” is unwise in most circumstances. I don’t really think like that. But your comment on “making sure people know what they’re going into” is important, and the solution of “tags/content warnings” popped straight into my head. But these can also pose issues- say, they could be inaccurate or misleading. They can also spoil plot beats and the experience. So, let’s give an example of a story that I think does this well. There’s this webnovel that I’ve been reading called Nowhere Stars. It’s very good, I’d recommend it wholeheartedly, but it definitely deals with horrifying topics. As in, it’s a magical girl horror one, and I consider it to be the only one of Madoka’s “children” to be good. On the site, it gives the synopsis, but the author comments that the story tends to be dark and links to a general list. Personally, I like this- it establishes what the tone is going to be, and if the audience wants details then they can clarify it. If not, they can dive in spoiler free. Granted, this probably won’t translate to most things but I find it useful to note. There’s also the opening section, which does a great job of filtering the audience. Basically, if one enjoys the Death Inverted Ark then they’ll probably enjoy the rest. It’s a bit of a “summery” of how the novel will operate.

This is such a nuanced and important topic that I’m surprised your video on it successfully communicated its purpose without any major problems that I’ve noticed keep it up

Good video, glad I could help contribute by being one of the guys who commented on that one twitter post you made

A new upload Simply fantastic

man I agree completely with the point of this video and I cannot believe they had this on the front page...

I appreciate how well thought out your viewpoint is.

I do enjoy the philosophical thought pieces you make. Especially since anime is being used as a medium to explore it.

I REALLY hate that squidward creepy pasta image... and I'm miffed you reminded it existed. Great vid. Take a like.

This might be the best video on media literacy I've ever seen

It's really great to see you have some personal reflection about the topic, and I very much agree with the points you made in this video. There's a massive difference between enjoying fictional content that you know is "problematic", and being someone who endorses said behaviour in real life. I don’t think it's right to insult or attack people for enjoying such media openly, but people should absolutely be responsible about it when it comes to involving others who may not be as comfortable about it as they are. And that *especially* applies to the companies that promote and distribute it. It’s a nuanced topic and I think you handled it well. I also apologize if my tweet at the time came across as harsh, and I'm glad you chose not to escale it any further.

Glad you're back. I enjoy your videos and have been a fan since I heard you on Worm. Keep up the great work and good luck w mental health stuff.

I read the manga for Gushing Over Magical Girls a year or two ago, and had the great blessing of just not stopping to consider how old the characters were at first. And let me tell you I was SO disappointed when I finally put two and two together. I feel like if there was a 1-for-1 remake of the story where basically the only thing changed is that all the characters were early 20s, it would be vastly improved, and I would be such a fan. But no, instead I need to deal with the constant discomfort of that decision if I ever want to engage with it again. But yeah, great video! Imo you captured the nuance of the subject pretty well :)

One of your points was that the show was advertised on the front page of hidive. I understand that one should avoid misinformation however, I believe tha any popular show deserves advertisement on a front page. One shouldn't rob something of its' ability of advertising because of questionable morals.

A lot of things that a lotoof people probably needed to hear from anyone at least slightly informed needed to hear was said. Thank you.

your video made me feel a little better about some serious things in my life that have resurged just today, what a timing huh. Thank you

Somewhat related to this, Lindsay Ellis's content about death of the author theory is really good, if anyone wants a solid, nuanced meditation on the subject. If memory serves, the person who used to be named Digibro also had a few good videos making other interesting arguments about the same subject as this ExPoint video is talking about, but good luck finding those.

Honestly, when I first watched this I was worried that it was going to be a whitewashing of all the bad parts of GOMG, but I’m so glad that it was an actual, thoughtful video about the consumption of media. It also helped me realize that my moral dislike of it stemmed mostly from calling it a “Queer masterpiece” when I disagree pretty heavily, since I feel like it’s a bit too sexualized to really give that theme a far shake. Besides, the only part of me that really hates it is the magical girl fan part of me. Hearing a media get called “Magical Girl Parody/Deconstruction” is an instant turnoff.

I feel like the solution to "but what if this media reaches a person who could be harmed by it or learn a harmful life lesson from it" is to INCLUDE CONTENT WARNINGS. In my own experience as an artist and writer, trying to create art that will never upset anyone (or that could never be misinterpreted in a harmful way by someone) just leads to sanitized work that doesn't tackle the issues that I want to tackle. On the other hand, if I warn someone that my art contains potentially-upsetting topics, then they get to avoid it if they would find them upsetting... and if they choose to engage with it despite knowing that it could upset them, then that is their decision, not mine. I really like the allergy comparison: if your dessert contains peanuts, you shouldn't stop selling it, but you should add a label that it contains peanuts, so that people who like peanuts can still enjoy it while people who are harmed by peanuts can avoid it. Similarly, if a story deals with a potentially-upsetting topic (for example, sexual violence), then you should warn people that it contains sexual violence, so that people who are upset by it can avoid it, while people who are not can still enjoy it. Hell, let's take this comparison a step further. Some takes of "but what if it reaches someone that could hurt them" include the idea that by sharing media with possibly-hurtful elements, you could expose it to someone who will share it uncritically OR share it in a way that hurts others. I don't think the blame falls on the original sharer for that either, because you cannot control the behavior of others or how they interpret the media that you share with them. To take the allergy comparison even further: if someone else takes the label off of your peanut-containing dessert and gives it to people without telling them, or intentionally gives it to someone with a peanut allergy, that isn't your fault unless you told them to take the label off of the dessert. You cannot be expected to control what others will do with something that you give them.

I've been a fan of your content for a while now and I am so happy that you, and a few other content creators, remain so open and honest about the consumption of media. I feel it is all too common now for people to label others as evil or disgusting when they enjoy a piece of media that might be less than savory. I myself, had to battle my own demons for a bit because I genuinely enjoy Made in Abyss. And when people were saying that anyone who enjoys MIA are inherently bad people, I had to take a step back to look at why I enjoyed it. And if I truly was a "bad person." As you said in your video, people should approach discourse with compassion. Recognize and respect everyone's opinions, but also be aware of as to *why* you have your exact thoughts. And why the other person may have theirs. I unfortunately feel that that compassion has been lost in online discourse, but maybe it'll become more widespread one day. Great video dude, let's all continue to be flawed and compassionate people.

So I think the hangup a lot of people have about teen sex comedies is the idea that the viewer must necessarily find the content titillating in order to enjoy it. While I won't dispute the fact that Gushing Over Magical girls is absolutely trying to be titillating, personally my enjoyment stems more from identification. As a queer kinky femme person who grew up in a catholic household my relationship to sex and sexuality during my teen years was basically nonexistent. It was on a shelf in my brain to be opened later upon getting married. Now as an adult I enjoy GOM through the lense of identification. Of girls exploring these things through the lense of pretend play fights and alter egos. Of keeping sex separate from their day to day, but still kind of being able to embrace their less socially acceptable sides. And I like that the material does have that sort of exploratory tone to it, while still being a surprisingly earnest magical girl show. It's so weirdly sincere about everything for something that feels like it's also running down a fetish checklist.

Aw yes love this guy's vids

Brilliantly done. Literally a perfect video in my humble opinion!!

holy fuck this is important. THANK YOU for putting this to words. We are saving this to our hard drive in case it gets deleted, but we will play it here every time we need it until we can't find it. THANK YOU

It basically comes down to a persons ability to separate fiction from reality fictional characters arent real people and most can seperate them selves from it to enjoy something but its worth warning the small percentage that cant or whos views may be effected or for people who out right dont enjoy some things if I recemend MT (tho if im recemending a isaki its going to be re zero) ill say hey keep a level of separation between fiction and reality because it can be very uncomfortable and rides a fine line

I think it's probably important to note that TwiXter makes it very difficult to provide context effectively (character limits) and very easy for unrelated individuals to stumble into conversations where context might have already been assumed (the point of a hashtag, for example). It's a hell of a lot easier to do that in a blog post or a video than it is in 280 characters. Other note on "buying" - I think it's relevant to note that there's a difference between story-relevant problematic stuff and stuff that's just there. Sometimes you have something that's sketchy and is just There in a work - sometimes it's very relevant! Gushing Over Magical Girls wouldn't be the same show if the girls felt fully developed and mature because it's about discovering sexuality - being someone who has already had experience learning about their BDSM interests is a 50 Shades of Gray (or better equivalent). You need less to buy it when it's directly there for a reason.

Nice to see a sober and serious discussion on this, and I agree with practically everything. The line between "I know this is bad, but I don't plan to replicate or blindly promote it, so there's nothing wrong in kicking back with the popcorn" and "for the love of Haruhi, what did I just watch and do I need to spend the next hour meditating on my life choices?" can sometimes be a fine one. That said, I am generally of the opinion that people shouldn't beat themselves up over the media they consume (and I'd say this is applicable in your case, and that you should just ignore the internet mobs shouting without knowing contexts), though it is something that should be considered case by case by the individual consuming the stories. It is, ultimately, as you say a matter of watching things wisely

This was a great video to listen too. As a regular connoisseur of Anime, I knew well ahead of time what the series was about, and decided it wasn't for me. A lot of people I know that are genuinely very good people, got really into it though. I've had more than a few quiet conflicting feelings about that over the series runtime, and your video helped me sort through some of that, so thanks. Also one of the problems we see so much in the social media landscape these days is the use of buzzwords that everyone understands but don't mean anything specific. Things like "woke" or in your instance "problematic". Ask anyone and they'll all give you a different explanation of what that means to them and just assume that everyone thinks the same way; so it becomes this scarily powerful tool to rally people to your banner when they would likely disagree with you after a thorough research session into whatever situation is being talked about.

I find this video morally reprehensible, but I enjoy it.

This video is literally just: "terminally online people gaslit into believing they're evil for being human realize they're human."

This is my 2nd video I’ve watched of yours and I’m a big fan of your analysis of things!

This video wonderfully depicts and accurately explains with both nuance and charisma thoughts I’ve had over media that I couldn’t articulate to this extent. It also expands those thoughts within my mind and gives a clearer path from a to b within my own logic with clear goalposts and logical turns. To call this based would be a drastic understatement.

On the topic of gushing over magical girls, it is a fun show if it's something you can handle, but I think it does have a message it tries to convey, though ultimately one that I think can be MUCH better conveyed in a very different show As is VERY briefly mentioned in the video, the message that you are not a bad person just because of the things you like can potentially be seen as the point of the show, or more specifically about sexual Awakening in teens and discovering that you may have kinks or fetishes. Despite what people SAY in that you can like what you like and they won't judge you, the very common reality is that this is Said as a precursor or disclaimer before they say something judgemental about what it is you like. It's similar to saying "I'm not racist.... BUT" Even though everyone gets up in arms about depictions of teenagers having sex, the REAL issue is the glamorization of it, where anime depicts these scenes as something the watcher can jerk off to. But depictions of teenagers having sex shouldn't be treated as bad in of itself. After all, sexual Awakening, interest, and activity almost ALWAYS happens in a persons life FAR before they reach the age of consent, it's just about how it's shown to the audience Believe it or not, it's possible to portray teenagers having sex as incredibly beautiful or romantic or fulfilling without portraying it as porn, and I think this is where gushing over magical girls stumbles, as it's clearly a show about having fun watching porn FAR more than it is about sexual awaking and being positive towards sexual deviancy The common depiction of BDSM is that it's something unhealthy and abusive most of the time, and it can be depending on the people, but that's true of any relationship. As a matter of fact, safety, comfort, consent, and aftercare are central focuses and values in the BDSM community, and much of the online space around the topic is teaching people how to do it safely and responsibly, and clear cut communication with your partner about what is and isn't okay. An often agreed upon fact is that while the dominant is "technically" in charge, if done safely and correctly, the submissive usually actually has as much if not more power in the relationship because the dominant is only able to do things that the submissive allows them beforehand. This is another aspect that is often missing in gushing over magical girls and why it's far more in the let's have fun area is anime than spreading a message Overall, this is all to say that I know gushing over magical girls is fun and tries to have some points about sexual Awakening that I think are slightly too ignored by the community, but I'm personally fond of it for trying something like it did when topics of BDSM are so thoughtlessly done so often, even if it misses the mark I would personally love to see a horimiya esch romcom about BDSM and consensual power dynamics and what it looks like when it's done healthily, as the vulnerability and trust needed with your partner to engage in stuff like this can be very beautiful