This social media monolith would have to be one of the greatest gifts the internet has given us. The scope, the scale of it is mind boggling. And it’s all for free (albeit with ads). I’m a Premium member, so therefore I manage to avoid most of the ads – though there’s always the ads embedded within videos, sneaky bastards. I also have my own channel, called Rusden Gremlin. It’s a showcase for my many audio-visual projects, including blog and podcast content. There’s also some obscure music videos I’ve collected. The one I put up featuring Ray Davies of the Kinks on Simon Townsend’s Wonder World has had over four thousand views, by far my most popular clip. I also have made extensive playlists based on my viewing preferences, which these days consists of lots of Kpop and Asianpop videos, anime, politics, media and, lamentably, fails videos – especially those scary, addictive car crash vids. My playlists are currently dominated by all things Kpop, especially groups Twice, Nmixx, Aespa, Newjeans, Perfume and Popasia. Other topics are Bass, Anime, Politics, various games and Japan. My subscriptions are immense, though admittedly there’s only a handful that I go to frequently. The list below largely consists of those accounts plus a few others that have come onto my radar. I’ve put them into categories for easier searching.
Music
Twice The main portal for all things Twice, the nine member Kpop girl group. I come here often for updates and lots of videos. A must go to haven for all Onces like me.
Twice Japan Official The Japanese version. Important because it features clips and info about their Japan releases.
Sana Potter A fan site with focus on Twice member Sana, but also general Kpop topics. Some really funny, adorable and well-edited videos about our favourite Twice hamster. Hasn’t posted much lately.
Mina-Chan Another fan site with a focus on highlighting aspects of the official content. Member Mina gets a lot of attention, as expected, but the videos can be about any or all of them.
NSWR_tv Nmixx’s various reality videos are pretty funny, because they are – especially Haewon and Bae. This fansite compiles a lot of that content into tasty, well-edited highlights.
Amitkpop Makes line distribution videos of Kpop songs. Want to know who’s singing THAT part in THAT song? Go here. Such a great service.
Pop Rocks Radio Your channel for all things Power Pop. One of my favourite musical genres.
Matt Prasty Makes remixes of kpop, especially doing them citypop style.
Rick Beato Rick talks knowledgeably about music from the comfy depths of what looks to be his music room. He has the pull to get guest interviewees like Sting and Alan Parsons. Sample episode: The Beatles ultimate chord lesson.
Davie504 This comes more under Bass, coz I’m learning it, but this Italian bass master is pretty funny. Lots of clips of amazing (or awful) bassists and his funny/insightful reactions. Good for bass nerds everywhere.
Film
Whatculture This is billed as an online culture magazine focusing on film, gaming, tv and other things. I mainly watch it for their interesting film list videos. The commentaries can be a bit annoying, but the info and perspective on film is sometimes enlightening.
Politics/Debate
Thejuicemedia Satirical political channel specialising in skewering governments, parties and wrong-headed policies with its Honest Government Ads. The presenter is usually a foulmouthed babe.
Ted Talk ‘The world’s thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes’. Something for everyone.
Democracy At Work Hosted by Marxist economist Richard Wolff, this channel looks critically at Capitalism and its economic processes. Its focus/solution is co-ops, especially in the workplace.
Books/Library
Bookborn Deep discussions of fantasy and science fiction books with a personal focus. I have a big old nerd crush on the presenter.
Fails/Fabs
Be Kindness Videos of acts of kindness. A nice antidote to negativity.
Fail Army Billed as ‘the most recognizable comedy channel in the universe’. Possibly true.
Anime/Manga
Macross This is an amazing resource. It contains virtually all episodes of the classic Macross Super Dimension Fortress, plus most of the other iterations of the franchise. I don’t know how they get away with it, but they do. And I’m glad.
Guaz He makes fresh ass videos on anime. Reviews of classic anime shows from a different angle.
Bonsai Pop More than 100 anime deep reviews with an entertaining slant. Patreon funded. I like the emphasis on the work of Rumiko Takahashi, but the guy’s desire to want to ‘date’ her seems weird.
Beyond Ghibli Deep dives into Japanese pop culture, including anime, manga and games.
Retro Crush A channel dedicated to the golden age of anime. Specialises in excerpts of classic anime like Dirty Pair and short reviews.
Animan One of the main anime review sites. Does Top 10 themed videos, like Top 10 anime that turned dark really fast. Has over a million subscribers.
Japan
Allison in Tokyo Makes posts about her life working in Japan. Good info and advice, personable presenter.