How Demon Slayer Outsold the ENTIRE US Comic Book Industry

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  • čas přidán 10. 06. 2024
  • In the year 2020, something wild happened that has never occurred before. A single Japanese manga series outsold the ENTIRE US Comic Book industry. That manga was called Kimetsu no Yaiba, or Demon Slayer. In this video, I explore the three biggest factors that made this possible. If you’re a fan of comic books, manga, or anime, I hope you will like this video!
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    Music used:
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    0:00 Introduction
    1:00 First Key Factor: The Pandemic
    3:30 Second Key Factor: The Film and Anime Industries
    8:31 Third Key Factor: The Woke American Culture
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    #DrewMalou #demonslayer #kimetsunoyaiba
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Komentáře • 99

  • @giuseppepaolini6754
    @giuseppepaolini6754 Před rokem +15

    This video goes straight up to my "best video" playlist... The meticulousness you have in searching infos is always outstanding... And you already know my pov on this topic, but your analysis adds so much more depth to it that it's almost a proved mathematical theorem at this point😅
    P.s.: keep morbin' my friend, you're the best (and THANKS for the mention, i'm so honored🙏🏼)

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem +2

      Haha, thank YOU so much! I'm so glad you liked it. Thanks for letting me read your thesis, it was a huge help!

    • @giuseppepaolini6754
      @giuseppepaolini6754 Před rokem +1

      @@DrewMalou it was really all MY pleasure and my honor🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

  • @TheLoco102
    @TheLoco102 Před rokem +22

    Maybe US comic books author need to learn how to differentiate a canon and alternative/side story. This way, the main storyline will not be affected and if the creator has some creative way to do the story, they can do like doujinshi for manga. Both sides can be happy

    • @projekttaku1
      @projekttaku1 Před rokem +8

      and less retcons and rewrites.
      goku like 2 different origins and that's the most I think any big shounen protagonist has, meanwhile superman and batman have like 50.

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem +4

      That's a fantastic idea! That would be sweet. That way you know exactly what you're getting into. I like that idea a lot. It would make it a whole lot easier than just deciding which events happened in which alternate dimension of Earth, haha.

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem +2

      This is also true! As the industry shifts, and writers and executives come and go, there are waves of retcons and rewrites. With Mangaka, you only have one voice telling the story, so it's easy to discern what is actually canonical.

  • @tiny2156
    @tiny2156 Před rokem +14

    I loved the video and I think it explains it pretty well. I think another thing that added to demon slayer’s success is that it felt like a more condensed long-tern shounen which is becoming a more common format in manga and anime. I genuinely liked that there was a set formula of goals (ie: fight the 12 moons and then Muzan) but the pace was expedited with the elimination of the lower moons. Had the formula stayed at its “expected” pace it would have dragged on.

    • @projekttaku1
      @projekttaku1 Před rokem +2

      same with mha. The end goal was always shigaraki, or well, afo.

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem +3

      Yes! That's a good point. There's no need to drag these stories on endlessly. Having it streamlined and easy to finish I think would appeal to a lot of people, so they know it's easy to dive into and get through. Although, One Piece is still massively successful, so who knows. lol

  • @Abridgimation
    @Abridgimation Před 4 měsíci +3

    A massive reason why manga absolutely tramples over US Comic Books imo is because manga isn't afraid to get very emotional and vulnerable, while US comics are more focused on being Mr or Ms Perfect that are strong and independent, when that is literally not a healthy lifestyle. Plus the fight choreography in manga and anime is just, chef's kiss.
    Also wow, you can tell some 60 year old made those New Warriors characters, cause they look like those bootleg merch shirts you can get at Bali. Like a Yellow Spiderman on a shirt.

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před 4 měsíci +1

      That's true! It's hard to make stories interesting when your characters have no flaws, and you actively avoid anything with emotional depth, haha. And yes, exactly! 😂

  • @hundvd_7
    @hundvd_7 Před rokem +5

    5:10 This is exactly the problem IMO
    Anime fans love to meme about the watch order of Fate, Monogatari or even SAO, but they have *nothing* on comic books.
    I'd bet even someone like Squirrel Girl has similarly complicated and spread out story to the entire extended universe of Fate.
    Much less some of the big shots like Batman or Spider-Man.

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem +2

      That's true! And at least with Fate, you can watch in the release order and still be pretty well informed. If you did that with comics, you'd have to go back to like the 40's, haha.

  • @CineShinya
    @CineShinya Před rokem +11

    Simply marvellous analysis!
    And yes, the thumbnail moto is incredibly true and you put it so perfectly, I clapped watching the video. When you force something and do it for the sake of doing it, you are selling a lie. And maybe woke people seem to be many because they "bark loudly", but the majority, including people of colour, LGBTQ etc, as myself, want to see something true and deep. A good story and not a pretentious “manifest” that betrays the plot and its own cause, by bringing the opposite results. Because the more they force the woke culture, more people get sick of it and what it represents, so instead of fixing the actual problems that you see around the world, they divide people with hate even more.

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem +2

      Thank you so much! I'm so glad you liked it. And yes, I agree, I couldn't have said it any better!

  • @Assassins6688
    @Assassins6688 Před rokem +3

    It’s disgusting how this Channel is so UNDERRATED, keep bumping those vids bro I am loving it 😍, and demon slayer is the goat 🐐

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem

      Haha, thank you so much for the kind words! I'm glad that you like the content. Definitely got more videos on the way. Thanks for watching!

  • @aunusuallylargecat1779
    @aunusuallylargecat1779 Před rokem +5

    damn this was actually pretty informative.

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem

      Thank you! I'm glad you thought so.

  • @55tbyrd
    @55tbyrd Před rokem +2

    Scott pilgrim and kick ass actually made me want to go buy the graphic novels they where inspired on. Never saw a marvel or dc movie/show that made me want to do that so you ain’t lying!

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem

      That's a good point! Although I would say I definitely purchased Alan Moore's work with Watchmen and V for Vendetta after seeing the movies, but only because I didn't know they were based on graphic novels until after I saw them. Thanks for watching!

  • @corn9631
    @corn9631 Před rokem +6

    Morb on, Drew!! The memes and research are SO well done. This was a joy to watch.

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem +3

      Thanks Corn! Haha, I'm so glad you liked it. I think I'm going to try and keep that level of humor up... It made this way more fun to make, lol.

  • @johnnoahdeandres9458
    @johnnoahdeandres9458 Před rokem +2

    This is the most informative video about this kind of topic.

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem +1

      Thank you so much! Sorry I'm so late responding, I somehow missed your comment. Thanks for watching, and I'm glad you liked the video!

  • @grim_56
    @grim_56 Před rokem +3

    I have a feeling this video is going to blow up, as it should

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem +1

      Haha, thank you! And I hope so, but who knows? Never can tell with the algorithm these days, lol.

  • @JJAMVsHIP_HOP_MUSIC_ONLY

    bro keep making vids and pumping them out your actually going somewhere

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem

      Haha, thank you so much! Definitely going to stay on the grind!

  • @ShinDDDragon
    @ShinDDDragon Před 2 měsíci +2

    I come from 2024 to say that the manga industry is increasingly crushing the American comics industry, and I love how American writers try to ignore this to this day 😂😂😂😂

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před 2 měsíci

      Bahahaha, yeah, it's crazy to see! You would think that popular shows like Invincible and The Walking Dead would help the comics industry, and they probably have a little, but nothing like anime/manga! 😂

  • @elistrations
    @elistrations Před rokem +1

    hell yeah another drew video let's GO

  • @smit5983
    @smit5983 Před rokem +1

    Love the content. Subscribed for your sound breakdown on Fire Force (a masterpiece of a video), and you've kept the hits rolling. Keep it up! I know you'll take off one day

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem +1

      Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked the Fire Force Content. I appreciate the positive feedback, you are far too kind! Hope you enjoy the future videos. Definitely going to stay on the grind, haha.

  • @ShinDDDragon
    @ShinDDDragon Před 2 měsíci +2

    I want to say that I loved the soundtrack you used in the background of this video, I love Marvel vs. Capcom 2, for me the best fighting game of all time is Capcom vs. SNK 2, but I still really like MvC2

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před 2 měsíci

      Haha, yesss!! Capcom vs. SNK 2 was great, but I have only played it a few times. Crossover fighting games are probably my favorite genre of fighting games, lol. Glad you liked the soundtrack, thanks for letting me know!

  • @notsoaveragegamer5725
    @notsoaveragegamer5725 Před rokem +2

    I'm waiting for that bath scene in season 3 ;)

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem

      No clue what you're talking about, but it sounds haram. lol

  • @projekttaku1
    @projekttaku1 Před rokem +3

    "wonder woman, but gay" Well..she always had gay undertones.

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem

      Haha, I figured someone would bring this up! I'm pretty sure I remember reading something about one of the writers saying she was bi in like '86, but before that, I don't buy it, lol. But I could definitely be wrong!

    • @projekttaku1
      @projekttaku1 Před rokem +1

      @@DrewMalou its more so her original creator was in a polly relationship with 2 women and loved 2 things: Women and bdsm, creating the bondage themed heroine wonder woman, with some lesbian undertones that the silver age cut, along with apparently robin and batman's gay relationship.

  • @steeletarleton
    @steeletarleton Před rokem +3

    I really can't wait till 50 years down the line when people get baited into thinking morbius is actually good by all the videos like this

    • @projekttaku1
      @projekttaku1 Před rokem +3

      legit people misinterpreting a meme and thinking of morbius as a actual cinematic masterpiece taught alongside shakespear is a bright future.

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem

      The meme historians are going to be so confused, lol.

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem +1

      I look forward to that future! Hahaha

  • @iochimura
    @iochimura Před měsícem +1

    I believe for the most part, american comics are a company's product, hence the lack of overall direction and ups and downs of quality, while mangas and graphic novels are Author's pieces of art, with a single more personal direction and with a more consistent quality, which makes it easier to find one you like and follow it until it's end... Comics are super hard to follow and get so many writers and artists that their quality can change from one number to the next... That's probably the biggest difference between the mediums and why one is more successful right now... Especially since the american companies are using their product to push their political agenda instead of creating great pieces of art...

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před měsícem +1

      Yes!! This is exactly right. Thanks for sharing! I definitely feel like I need to do another follow up video exploring this topic a little more.

  • @Baylow94
    @Baylow94 Před rokem +2

    It's Morbin' Time!

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem +1

      I definitely morbed out on this video, lol. Sorry I'm just now responding, I somehow missed this comment. Thank you for morbin' with me!

    • @Baylow94
      @Baylow94 Před rokem

      @@DrewMalou No problem man

  • @hanpenmaru8373
    @hanpenmaru8373 Před rokem +1

    know where to start
    6:38
    fate series "hmm"
    us "b, but we don't much time to read the novel game!"
    fate series "THEN GET OUT"

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem

      LOOOL. Yeah, the Fate Series is definitely an exception to this, haha.

  • @burntpotato7116
    @burntpotato7116 Před rokem +1

    You a insanely good channel,insha allah you will blow up

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem

      Thank you so much! I'm so glad that you liked the content. Thanks for watching!

  • @powerpotion5470
    @powerpotion5470 Před rokem +5

    Hey Drew, I love your videos and how much effort you put into researching the subject matter you choose, so I say this from a place of love, but the last half of your video felt like a massive dogwhistle to rightwing reactionary politics.
    Your analysis on why Demon Slayer outsold the entire U.S. comic industry in the first half of the video was well thought out and researched, relying more on data than opinion, noting factors like the pandemic, bookstores and the rise of anime’s popularity in the west contributing to an unusual year where one popular manga outsold the entire U.S. comic industry. I also liked how you noted that despite the rise of superhero blockbuster movies, sales in superhero comics have not skyrocketed due to there not being single clear origin story to follow, while manga being released in weekly chapters in one place was much easier for an audience to follow. Your first half came from a place of sound logic, unfortunately the second half of your video essay lacks the well thought out evidence you previously used to support your claims, failing to see the full picture, and instead leaning dangerously close to reactionary politics.
    I want to make it clear that I understand your feelings on some of the awkward writings of representation in Marvel/DC comics does not come from a place of malicious intent, you do seem to understand the importance of representation, but by jumping from researched analysis to an opinionated rant on why you personally believe the sometimes fumbled good intentions of representation in these comics is leading to less people reading them plays strongly into the “Get Woke Go Broke” crowd, which is compromised of individuals who are strongly against any form of minority or representation entering their favorite piece of media, as well as ‘coincidentally’ holding racist, sexist and homophobic values. Unlike yourself, the GWGB crowd does not want any rep in their precious media regardless if it is well written, seeing any that make a brief appearance as an attack on everything they love
    This narrow point of view completely ignores behind the scenes drama, that representation is not something big wig executives are always excited to introduce, but can actively oppose. An example would be Marvel’s Wiccan and Hulkling created by Allan Heinberg in Young Avengers. Teddy (Hulkling) was almost a girl who shifted into the Hulking because Issac Perlmutter (the previous CEO of Marvel) did not want a gay couple in an Avengers title. The only reason we have the couple as they are now is because when Allan Heinberg was being interviewed by queer media press as he was a well known gay writer, made sure to tell them that Billy and Teddy were going to be a couple, thus forcing Marvel’s hand. The trouble didn’t end there, while Teddy was allowed to stay a boy, Perlmutter wanted the issue to have a short run, this plan was thwarted when sales for the issue skyrocketed because of the representation. This was back in 2005, and while things have gotten better, there’s also the issue of short runs and rep characters not having strong identities.
    On the subject of quick issue runs, another reason I feel why modern comics are not as popular as manga now is that comics have started to rely on shock value issues that run for a short span before quickly ending, vs weekly manga updates that take time to tell a story. Comics will introduce a new diverse character, sometimes replacing an established hero, but they won’t commit to it, and because executives want to make it as mass marketable as possible these rep characters are often toned down into appealing to a broad straight white audience which ends up pleasing no one and leaves them as weak characters. Reactionary people focus more on the diverse element as the issue, and not short runs, lack of commitment and broad market appeal killing rep characters before they have a real chance to be their own characters.
    While I’ve predominantly seen the GWGB slogan in spaces like Star Wars, I’ve been seeing it in the anime community, especially in “East vs West” arguments that also try to argue that diversity in comics is the sole reason for their downfall. The people preaching this belief seem to see anime and manga as a space where there are no “politics,” usually referring to an absence of queer characters, but this is not the case at all. This ignores great autobiographies like “My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness” which explores Kabi Nagata’s experience with mental health and her sexuality, manga series “My Brother’s Husband”, which explores homophobia and cultural differences between the East and West, “Boys Run the Riot” which follows a trans guy and his friends creating a fashion brand for everyone, and recent manga creator superstar Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Firepunch featuring Togata, an amazing character who also happens to be trans.
    I see that under another commentator who brought up these concerns you explain that you felt the video was getting too long and therefore used the GWGB slogan as a way to quickly explain the situation rather than diving into the history of comicsgate or public sales data on issues featuring representation, but by simplifying it I’m concerned viewers may leave with a flawed message, and that reactionary people will click on this video and have their beliefs confirmed rather than challenged.

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem +1

      Hey, thank you first for watching, and second for the detailed response! I really appreciate both. Let me respond to a few of your points:
      First, the claim that the last half of the video felt like a "massive dogwhistle to rightwing reactionary politics", I would challenge you on this. I disagree with this notion, and think that I was actually rather fair to both sides. I agreed that representation is important, but that the shallow representation that we did see just came off as cringy and was a blatant attempt at virtue signaling. The reason that I was not using data, was because this section was an attempt to explain the data that we did have. Why were comic book sales in decline the previous years before 2020? If you think my statements were inflammatory, that's one thing, but what about my statements seems like a dogwhistle to you? What message am I trying to get across to the rightwing reactionaries that I didn't fully explain in the video? I'm a little confused. Even if there was some message, what is the problem? It's okay to preach in favor of representation, but a good faith argument against representation is somehow not okay?
      On the issues of Heinburg, Perlmutter, and the Mangaka that you mentioned with their respective works, I won't really be able to speak to, because I know nothing about them. I appreciate the references, though, and will try my best to go research them. I would be interested to see how the success of the Billy and Teddy comic affected the studio overall. It might be a great example of representation working well with a powerful story! Especially in 2005, it would be interesting to do a side-by-side comparison of the political climate of that time as well.
      Third, yes, the GWGB portion was an attempt to explain the declining sales numbers in the industry. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find any kind of breakdown of sales by comic issue, so it's very difficult to discern if those comics solely focused on representation performed poorly or performed well. You have to look at the sales data for the industry as a whole, and even though some comics fans may be dead set against seeing any kind of minorities in leading roles, there's no way that all of them are. Yet the comic sales declined precipitously. I would say that the creators are to blame. Not because of representation, but because of poor execution. They made bad comics. Also, just because people want more Superman, Spider-Man, and Batman comics and aren't as interested in the newest characters, this is to be expected. Those characters have long established histories and fanbases, of course newcomers aren't going to be as popular. I'm wary of painting the whole group of people who don't like this current market trend as a "rightwing reactionary". That doesn't seem very fair.
      And lastly, I would point your last criticism back at yourself. Do you think that you left this video with a flawed message? Were your beliefs confirmed or challenged? If I am responsible for challenging the beliefs of rightwingers, shouldn't I also be responsible for challenging leftwingers' beliefs? I would be very curious to hear your thoughts on this. I appreciate you for engaging with me in a civil manner. I love hearing other people's perspectives on issues like this, and I would mimic your first sentiments in saying that I am responding to all of this in love. Thanks again!

    • @powerpotion5470
      @powerpotion5470 Před rokem +3

      @@DrewMalou Hi Drew, thanks for the detailed response!
      First I’d like to apologize for the “massive dogwhistle to rightwing reactionary” comment, I definitely over exaggerated and regretted it as I don’t think you secretly hold negative views towards any minority groups. When I used dogwhistle, I meant it more as you using a term/s that I’ve noticed reactionary people with negative intentions would use. Examples of dogwhistle words are: “woke, pandering, virtue signaling, SJW, anti-men, etc”. I understand that when you used the term you did not intend it to carry that kind of message, it’s just a part of a pattern I’ve noticed and I’m always looking out for people who may disguise harmful intentions towards representation that ignores the real issue, or framed as logical, as it’s a strategy used quite a lot, (especially by a certain popular news outlet).
      Regarding your question if I had left your video with a flawed message, my beliefs in “representation matters but how it’s executed does too” was not challenged, but I definitely left with a flawed outlook towards the end of your video, as you and I do share the same feelings, I was just worried because of the previously mentioned dogwhistle terms, (so yes your thumbnail did elicit a reaction from me lol).
      As for some of the points you brought up in the video that I didn’t get to (my comment was starting to get too long 😅)
      The representation you brought up, “Safespace” and “Snowflake”, 100% agreed that was poorly executed, no one on any side was a fan. I can appreciate the effort of trying to reclaim words used against a group but the execution was more than lackluster and well…cringe. As for your point about minority characters in comics being introduced without flaws in order to make them not look bad, I absolutely agree that is a problem that links back to what I said about companies trying to please as much people as possible and to avoid any controversy, but by playing too safe they end up with an uninteresting character. (Togata from FirePunch is an excellent example of a “diverse” character being extremely flawed and therefore made interesting as a result, even their identity is used to elevate the theme of presentation and how appearances shape the way people see us in the story of FirePunch).
      Thanks for the civil responses to my points and concerns! I appreciate you engaging with your viewers and any critiques they may have in a respectful manner that encourages discussion over shutting them down. Looking forward to your next video 👍

    • @iantingen
      @iantingen Před rokem +1

      @@DrewMalou it’s really great to see such thoughtful dialogue in your community and from you as a creator!
      This thread was particularly inspiring, so I’ll leave a related question here:
      What responsibility does art have to its audience?
      GWGB as an argument frames a political alignment in purely economic terms, which if we take it in good faith seems to have two premises:
      1) art should make the most money possible
      2) art should defer to its longest-standing fans / appreciators (who in this case happen to be not woke)
      But does art really have either of those responsibilities?
      I know the easy answer is to say “sure because capitalism” but if that’s the case then there’s no need for craft, just for creating mass-consumable art product, IMO.

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem

      @powerpotion5470 Well, apparently replies don't show up like normal comments on CZcams, because I completely missed your response. I'm sorry for just now getting back to you!
      Thank you for apologizing, and explaining your position. I see what you were trying to do, and it makes sense, so no worries there. And yes, I definitely used the charged language of the GWGB slogan intentionally to elicit an emotional response, but I was very open about that, and for better or worse, my experiment worked, haha. Thanks for letting me know!
      I'm glad we agree on the execution issues of characters like Snowflake and Safespace, and wish we did have more data on hand to see just exactly how these kinds of short runs performed. I also really need to check out FirePunch, because that sounds really interesting, I'm just not a huge manga reader, so it is hard for me to dive in, lol.
      And yes, thank you for your civil response as well! I appreciate your willingness to stand up for what you believe in and to challenge me in order to keep me honest. We may not agree on every issue, but I'm glad you're willing to speak up. I'll always do my best to be respectful about that, so thank you for being respectful as well!

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem

      @iantingen8301 Hey, glad you're enjoying the dialogue! Thank you for watching, and for asking your questions. Now let's get into it:
      What responsibility does art have to its audience? An interesting question. My gut reaction is that art bears no responsibility to its audience. A creator can create a piece of art for no other reason than their personal enjoyment. But of course, there are different types of art. Fine art, decorative art, applied art, high art, low art, and of course, commercial art, which is the category we are most likely referring to.
      The film, comic, anime, and manga industries are all interesting because they can be considered both fine and commercial artistic endeavors. Creators create a piece of art that hopefully is commercially successful so that they can in turn, go and produce more art and make a living for themselves. This gets a little tricky once businesses and corporations get involved, because now, the intent of the creation typically becomes primarily motivated by financial success, rather than the intended message of the creator.
      The "Get Woke Go Broke" slogan is an economic one, but I don't think that it holds the premises that you think it does. It's a simple barometer for supply and demand. If you make a product that caters specifically to what minorities want, you reduce the size of your target audience and therefore are appealing to a smaller pool of customers. Most comic book enthusiasts don't really care about representation in their comic books, they just want cool stories about superheroes. This doesn't make them racists or bigots, it most likely means that they're uninterested in stories about lesser known characters.
      When companies go "Woke" they tend to appeal to this small minority of people who do care about these issues, but oftentimes they alienate the larger majority, and therefore it usually means that the artistic endeavor will become a commercial failure (although, not always). That's why the slogan exists. Its foundation is based on market trend analysis and simple supply and demand principles.
      Therefore, it would be my belief that if these social issues are important to creators, they should make art that reflects this, in such a way that it is commercially successful, so that a broader audience will enjoy it. Then they can begin to shape the culture, and more businesses, corporations, and most importantly customers, will be on board and excited about this art.
      I hope that answers your question, and sorry for writing a book, lol. Thanks again for watching and for leaving your questions!

  • @HenryStudebaker
    @HenryStudebaker Před rokem +4

    I really liked the combination of humor, memes and serious discourse, as I think it really made for a balanced video. For some reason, I didn't think you'd make a Morbius reference, but it worked out well haha! As to the "wokeness" of the comic industry (and other industries), I'm glad to hear that you took a more nuanced approach to discussing it, as I saw the thumbnail and wondered if it was just going to be a video of you going off on the very idea of a "woke" society. I have mixed feelings on the idea of it myself, so I thought it was refreshing to hear someone who seemed to share my feelings about respecting what it's trying to do, but hating when the idea of including a character is only used with regards to filling some diversity quota, as that feels incredibly disrespectful to the character and the group of people that the character is used to appease. Maybe I'm rambling a bit, but I really appreciated this video, Drew, so thanks for that!

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem +2

      Thanks for the kind words Henry! Glad you liked the more humorous approach to the video, it made the process of making the video way more fun, haha. And yes, I couldn't have said it better myself. Different industries having a diversity quota to meet just feels disingenuous and doesn't really solve the problem in any meaningful way. I'm glad you gave the video a shot and a fair shake, thanks as always for watching!

    • @HenryStudebaker
      @HenryStudebaker Před rokem +1

      @@DrewMalou Most definitely, Drew! Oh yeah, I can totally imagine haha! Yup, that's the truth. The times where it's organic are definitely the best, and I'm curious as to why more media don't go for that route! For sure, I like getting different takes and talking about differences in an adult manner haha! Oh, and sorry for taking so long to get back to you, too!

  • @MultiWweiscool
    @MultiWweiscool Před 8 měsíci +1

    You could pin point it to:
    American Culture vs Japanese Culture.
    Comic Fans vs Manga Fans
    One countries Storytelling vs the other countries storytelling
    Life Action vs Animation
    People from other countries finding the one more interesting then the other one (Based on that countries culture)

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před 7 měsíci

      Those are definitely all important factors that have an impact on these industries. Thanks for watching, and breaking it down!

  • @hundvd_7
    @hundvd_7 Před rokem +1

    4:27 I think you mean Fantastic Fouls

  • @spaceace9103
    @spaceace9103 Před rokem +1

    Good video Morbius bit was a bit cheesy but tbf I've never morbed

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem +1

      Thank you! And yes, I agree, but I had to do it for all of my Morb-heads out there. Looool. And you should try Morbin' some time, it will change your life!

  • @arthurgwg
    @arthurgwg Před 8 měsíci +2

    Cool video. Just discovered your channel and as an older fellow who actually went and got a diploma in film, worked on VFX and currently works on animation I can guarantee you that this forced woke thing is very much corporate think-tank stuff. I feel like YES many creators individually want to push this hollow representation but they are green-lit by out of touch editors who have this mentality you described. This may highlight how different comic and manga industries operate: comics are very segmented with each artist’s contributions being small compared to Manga where the author has almost total control. NOW we usually just see the top of the manga iceberg. Turns out not all people that can illustrate are good writers and vice-versa (look at one punch man as a rare writer + illustrator collab) so the manga model only work if you have a LOT of people doing their projects (with a lot of sacrifices and not enough pay may I add). The comic industry makes more sense but you end up with this corporate diluted message and hollow characters. BTW its sorta hilarious that you used as sucessful examples of graphic novels 2 works of Allan Moore (Watchmen and V), a notable communist and critic of his adaptations by hollywood on this left-wing-bait video 😜

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před 7 měsíci

      Wow, thank you so much for your comments! They are super inciteful, and yes, it definitely feels "think-tanky" haha. It is a good thing to remember that mangakas are a singular voice compared to the collaborative efforts of most mainstream comic books. I probably didn't dive deep enough into that important aspect. And I don't agree with Mr. Moore's positions, but the man can write a fantastic story, and for that, I respect him deeply, haha. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, especially as someone who works in these industries!

  • @stheteller7470
    @stheteller7470 Před rokem +1

    Harley Quinn but gay was probably the only one that felt natural and done well. Though I do kind of wish you mentioned manga like wandering son or jojo's being explicitly gay. Good video though

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem

      Haven't seen the Harley Quinn cartoon yet, but I have heard good things, so I'll definitely have to check it out. And yes! I should have mentioned Jojo for sure, haha. Never heard of wandering son, so thanks for the recommendation!

  • @Jidom_101
    @Jidom_101 Před rokem +12

    The whole woke = broke thing never made sense to me. People said disney star wars went woke and it made bank, people said TLOU went woke and it sold tons of copies, etc.

    • @jamesa.646
      @jamesa.646 Před rokem +9

      Seriously, its a gross over simplification not backed by any real data lol

    • @Jidom_101
      @Jidom_101 Před rokem +6

      @@jamesa.646 Feels more like a culture war talking point than anything else, especially since there are “woke” comics out there that are pretty successful, like Lumberjanes for example

    • @projekttaku1
      @projekttaku1 Před rokem +6

      @@Jidom_101 legit, "wokeness" isn't the problem, availability is.
      Manga and anime feel so easy to get into, you can start from chapter/volume/episode 1 and go from there, and there's a weekly/monthly magazine punishing it and so many other stories, which means you might find something else you like.
      Dc and marvel really need their own jump magazines to publish multiple different story issues in 1 and sell them elsewhere than comic book shops.

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem +3

      It definitely is a talking point, but I don't think it always means that the single piece of media will fail commercially. I think the idea is that its reputation gets tarnished with the most loyal fans, and over years, it can have an impact, like we see in the comics industry.

    • @hundvd_7
      @hundvd_7 Před rokem +1

      TLOU2 is extremely good _despite_ the wokeness bringing down the story and the characters.
      And Star Wars is just too popular and its fans too content-starved to fail. Not that many people like these movies, but everyone watched it.
      Comic books don't have either luxury.
      Gay Superman isn't incredible by every other measure other than the shoehorned in sexual orientation - it's just okay. It's pretty good, but nothing spectacular.
      And fans have been getting a constant stream of new Superman stuff. When they're vying for some of that stuff (and _even_ if they specifically want it in a certain medium: comics, movies or cartoons), they have a steady supply. Fans don't feel like they'd be missing out from not readying it, because it doesn't stand out from the other Superman content.

  • @rma1994
    @rma1994 Před rokem +1

    Morbin time

  • @robinsonthegreat7502
    @robinsonthegreat7502 Před 9 měsíci +1

    Bump.

  • @UubTay
    @UubTay Před rokem +21

    This video is very strange and gave me a serious whiplash towards the end there. The leading question you pose is: how did the Demon Slayer manga sell so much, that it outsold the entire comic book industry? You then start answering this massive complex question by going into some technical details that certainly make sense as factors which contributed to this event. But then... you just rant for a while about how dumb "woke" comics have been? You just jump from technical details to explain sales stats, to your own opinion on what feels like its not even significant enough to be called a "creative turn" (you certainly don't give any backed-up idea of the scale and degree of "wokeness" in the comic industry) and then you give absolutely zero evidence as to it being related to Demon Slayer's popularity? Not even an opinion poll or something? It's just your opinion suddenly showing up as evidence alongside sales stats. It's very strange. And then the video just ends?? Even if what you said is 100% true, there's no way in hell that those are the only factors contributing to Demon Slayer's meteoric rise.

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem +10

      Sorry for causing you whiplash! That wasn't my intent, so please let me explain a little. The purpose of the last key factor actually has nothing to do with Demon Slayer, it was the culture in the US and specifically the comic book industry that led to a year of very poor sales. You can look to events like DC laying off a third of its comic book staff in a major restructuring (over 600 employees were let go) for the impact that this year had. I did provide the quote from the marvel executive about the sole focus of diversity leading to poor sales, but there was also an event called #comicsgate that led to a lot of creators in the industry breaking out from the mainstream behemoths and publishing comics independently. This has shaken things up quite a bit, and many of these creators have been very successful, but I don't agree with everything that the comicsgate movement stands for, and ultimately didn't have the time to go into all of the details to break everything down, because I felt the video was already getting too long. The simplest way I could describe it was the "get woke go broke" slogan, and tried to do that the best of my ability. Part of the problem is also that there isn't a lot of public sales data for these types of events, so it does make it very hard to quantify, hence the ball of yarn metaphor. Hopefully that makes more sense, and thanks for watching!

  • @818suki
    @818suki Před rokem +1

    #morbiussweep

  • @YangyChaddyDad
    @YangyChaddyDad Před 8 měsíci +2

    When youre watching a cool anime channel and then they turn out as right wing 😢

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před 8 měsíci

      LOL. I can't help that I agree with facts and logic. 😲 Nahhh, I'm just teasing. If it helps, my content is not overtly politicized. This was a special occasion due to the subject material. And while it may seem a little silly to me to decide not watch a person's creative content based on their ideological leanings, that's definitely your prerogative! However, I always welcome those with opinions other than myself to share their thoughts! But whether you choose to stay or go, I thank you for checking out my video!

  • @ameryaser3987
    @ameryaser3987 Před rokem +3

    Before i start the video i just want to say go woke get broke is so true that cnn has promised bob igor was brought back in to right the ship after the recent failures of Disney and their falling stock prices. I don't remember the exact details however. Anyways looking forward to watching to vid.

    • @ameryaser3987
      @ameryaser3987 Před rokem +1

      This channel is goated with the sauce!

    • @ameryaser3987
      @ameryaser3987 Před rokem +1

      Amazing vid as always

    • @projekttaku1
      @projekttaku1 Před rokem +2

      no, its a gross over simplification not backed by any real data lol. People said disney star wars went woke and it made bank, people said TLOU went woke and it sold tons of copies, etc.

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem

      Hahaha, thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it. And I'll have to look into that Bob Igor situation, haven't heard much about that. Thank you so much for watching!

    • @DrewMalou
      @DrewMalou  Před rokem

      Yes, but TLOU Part 2 made a ton of fans mad and burned a lot of bridges. I'd be curious to see what the sales data would look like if part 3 were to come out.