The Untold History of Comic-Con...

How a Teen Dream Became the Center of Pop Culture

Before the celebrities. Before the studio takeovers. Before Hall H was a global stage—Comic-Con was just a wild idea shared by a handful of dreamers in a hotel ballroom. Today, it’s the heartbeat of modern fandom.

Uncover the full untold story of San Diego Comic-Con—from forgotten founders and DIY beginnings to Hollywood's red carpets, pandemic shutdowns, and the soul-searching return to creativity. This isn’t just a timeline. It’s the story of how fandom became a cultural force—and how Comic-Con became the place where the future of storytelling is revealed first.

If you’ve ever wondered how this once-local con became the launchpad for Marvel, Star Wars, and the entire multiverse of pop culture—you’re in the right place.

In This Video:

🔹 The teenage spark and bookstore origins that ignited Comic-Con

🔹 The rise of cosplay, underground comics, and the dealer’s room boom

🔹 Behind-the-scenes stories of Hall H, Twilight mania, and MCU milestones

🔹 How creators fought to keep the comics in Comic-Con

🔹 The COVID-era collapse—and what came back stronger

🔹 Why Comic-Con today reflects something deeper than hype: community

Whether you're a lifelong attendee, a future fan, or just love a good origin story—this is Comic-Con like you've never seen it before.

What’s it really like to study animation in Japan?

A Day In the Life of A Foreign Animation Student In Japan!

In this video, we follow Manfrini Nicolo, an Italian student at Yoyogi Animation Academy, through a full day in his life. From navigating Tokyo’s fast-paced train system to attending animation classes, eating out, and winding down at home, this is a rare inside look at the real experiences of a foreign animation student in Japan. But beyond the classroom, what does it take to live in Japan as a foreigner—adapting to a new culture, language, and lifestyle? Is studying animation in Japan as exciting as it seems, or are there hidden challenges no one talks about? Watch now to find out!"

Lost Anime...

"Nobody's gonna notice the scotch tape in 60 years"

Old anime is in a sad state. Eventually it may go extinct entirely. One by one, things get more blurry, lower resolution, & then suddenly you can't even see it anymore. This video is about anime restoration & what it takes to watch really old anime in the first place. I explore the world of film, including techniques for reconstructing lost media from, laserdisc, VHS, and more. Discover the amazing efforts being made to preserve classic anime series from the 60s, 70s, and 80s, including Shadar, Mon Chere Coco, and the Super Mario Bros. movie. In this deep dive video, I showcase the techniques and technologies being used to restore lost anime and bring it into the modern era in 4K and 8K resolution. From lost episodes of Doraemon to entire films that have only been captured in a single screenshot, this is the ultimate retrospective on the search for lost anime media.     - Kenny Lauderdale

"Why do you draw manga?"

When an author writes about themself...

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” - Jeremiah 29:11

Why do we create? That question is such a tender and intimate one and its very rare that an author will open up that soft part of himself in order to tell a story. However, that is exactly what we get in the 2024 film, Look Back. The story is so beautiful not just in a vacuum, but also when held up to the life of its brilliant creator, Tatsuki Fujimoto.

Travel the Spirited Path...

Uncovering Spirited Away

A Documentary Across Japan

Join me as I travel across Japan to uncover the places which inspired Studio Ghibli's "Spirited Away". From stunning bathhouses, to an ancient festival which Hayao Miyazaki used as the basis of his iconic Spirit World.

Immerse yourself in the calamity that was...

The Spectacular Failure of the STAR WARS Hotel

"For two days and two nights, I will step aboard an immersive galactic star-cruiser experience and live MY star wars story."   - Jenny Nicholson

It was the Best of times; It was the Worst of Times...

The Silent Fall of Studio Madhouse

We spotlight the veteran studio, Studio Madhouse, and tell the story of how and why some of the most iconic names at the studio left.

The Horrible Secret Behind the Anime Industry...

This Anime exposed a $28,000,000,000 Slave Operation

Anime is probably the only place where animators are pennies per hour while working in an industry valued at $25 Billion. Why? How? Who came up with this? And why does no one actually care? Originally meant to be a video on Attack on Titan's creator Hajime Isayama, the constant fracturing of the final seasons of Attack on Titan made me spiral deep into a rabbit hole that I couldn't imagine - stretching all the way back to the 1940s and revealing the century old struggle that some of anime's greatest minds known to history (Hayao Miyazaki, Satoshi Kon, Isao Takahata, and others) fought in to attempt to make anime a better place to work. These people failed, with catastrophic consequences. Miyazaki and Takahata went to go make Studio Ghibli in the fall out. And so, we look back. Why did they fail? How? Is there anything to do about it? And why in the world does no one affected by the problem actually care?

She Sells Seashells By the Seashore...

Marcel the Shell With Shoes On: A Tiny Hero

Marcel is an adorable, 1-inch-tall shell who ekes out a colorful existence with his grandmother, Connie, and their pet lint, Alan. Once part of a sprawling community of shells, they now live alone as the sole survivors of a mysterious tragedy. However, when a documentary filmmaker discovers them, the short film he posts online brings Marcel millions of passionate fans, as well as unprecedented dangers and a new hope of finding his long-lost family.

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"Darling... Where are you?"

How "Urusei Yatsura" Changed Anime Forever

This is an in-depth look & review of Urusei Yatsura, a quirky series which helped shape the modern anime & manga landscape. We'll also be looking at the life and work of its creator, Rumiko Takahashi, and her many influences on the Japanese animation industry through the decades, from Ranma 1/2 to Inuyasha and beyond.

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You look into the Void, and it LOOKS back at you...

HELLSTAR REMINA

Cosmic horror is a strangely fascinating subject.

 

You could talk for a literal eternity about your place in the cosmos, 

your feelings of ignorance, impotence, insignificance...

 

But what happens when you lose the luxury of time?

 

What happens when you have to confront all of these things

here and now, at the edge of the void?

 

Hellstar Remina gives us a peak at what that might look like.

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The History of Sailor Moon!

The Crazy Complicated Story of 

Sailor Moon, Saban Moon & Team Angel

The story of Sailor Moon is a big complicated monster. The story of Sailor Moon in the United States is even more complicated. But that's kinda why we're here. Sailor Moon (Japanese: 美少女戦士セーラームーン, Hepburn: Bishōjo Senshi Sērā Mūn, originally translated as Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon[1] and later as Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon) is a Japanese shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was eventually turned into an animated series called Sailor Moon and exported to the US but not before someone decided to remake the series in the US and thus was born Saban Moon. Sailor Moon survived multiple versions, multiple cancelations, the creation of Team Angel and so much more to become what it is today.

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History of Voltron

VOLTRON: Defender of the Universe

Voltron: Defender of the Universe was an animated series that aired in syndication in the US from September 10, 1984, to November 18, 1985. 

 

The original intention was that it would be 3 seasons made up of 3 different imported Japanese cartoons. The 3 series were Future Robot Daltanious (未来ロボ ダルタニアス, Mirai Robo Darutaniasu), Armored Fleet Dairugger XV (機甲艦隊ダイラガーXVフィフティーン, Kikō Kantai Dairagā Fifutīn, "XV" read "Fifteen") and Lightspeed Electroid Albegas (光速電神アルベガス, Kōsoku Denjin Arubegasu). 

 

But a funny thing involving a different Japanese show called Beast King GoLion (百獣王ゴライオン, Hyaku Jūō Goraion) happened along the way. 

 

Voltron: Defender of the Universe was the top-rated syndicated children's show for two years during its original run, and it spawned three follow-up series, several comic books, and a line of toys. 

 

And for all the smart guys on the comments: we're aware Voltron Force exists. This video tells the story of the original series and Voltron Force has no significant relevance to it. As stated in the disclaimer, it may get its own video some day.

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The STRONGEST Demon Slayer! Yoriichi Tsugikuni

Yoriichi Tsugikuni
Origin of the STRONGEST Demon Slayer!

The Story of Yoriichi Tsugikuni the Strongest Demon Slayer of All Time, and the one man Kibitsuji Muzan fears!

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The Last Unicorn: Death and the Legacy of Fantasy

The Last Unicorn:

Death and the Legacy of Fantasy

We examine the idea of mortality in a children's classic movie, The Last Unicorn.

It took Peter S. Beagle "close to two years" to write The Last Unicorn, and he states that "it was hard every step of the way". Beagle came up with the idea for the novel in 1962 while on an "artistic retreat" in Berkshire Hills after Viking Press rejected his novel The Mirror Kingdom. He stated that though the idea for the novel was "just suddenly there", he also said that he had "read tons of fantasy and mythology" from childhood, and that his mother told him that he had shared a story about unicorns during a visit to one of the elementary school classes she taught. He also mentioned that he loved the book The Colt from Moon Mountain by Dorothy Lathrop (a story about a unicorn in Kansas) as a child, and that Spanish artist Marcial Rodriguez had given him a painting of unicorns fighting bulls when he was seventeen. Once he had the idea, he did research on unicorns at the Pittsfield Library. The 85-page manuscript that Beagle first wrote differs greatly from the current version of the book. Though the unicorn "is much the same", the story is set in modern times, and the unicorn is accompanied by a two-headed demon named Webster and Azazel. This original version was published as a limited edition hardcover by Subterranean Press titled The Last Unicorn: The Lost Version in 2006. Beagle stopped working on this initial manuscript in 1963, stating that "[i]t was a dead end", but picked the project up again in 1965.

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00:00​ - Intro

05:16​ - Making the Unicorn

14:54​ - Story Breakdown

24:20​ - Memento Mori

37:09​ - Deaths and Legacies

47:52​ - Outro

The Curse of Evangelion

UNDERSTANDING  EVANGELION

What is the meaning of life? Can people ever find happiness? Can it be found by understanding Evangelion? This video examines the themes of the Evangelion franchise and its war against the audience.

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The Life-Changing Message of Pixar's Soul

The Meaning of SOUL

Pixar released a new movie. It was a good time. One of our favorite movies of theirs. And here we're going to talk about why. I hope you enjoy it!

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All 37 Evangelion Timelines Explained

Evangelion Timelines Explained

Neon Genesis Evangelion has been around for over 20 years which means that’s 20 years of speculations and spin-offs to try to solve what ACTUALLY is happening in that show. Is it a Time Loop? Is it a remake? Does that weird Shave Impact ad count? We’ve looked at everything Evangelion and made the most accurate timeline on the internet. You Will (Not) Believe How Much Time Tim Spent On This.

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The History of Lupin The Third

THE HISTORY OF LUPIN III

With the release of Lupin The Third The First, now is the perfect time to look back on the history..no!... the LEGACY of the gentleman thief and his loving creator, Money Punch.

The series was created in 1965 by Japanese manga artist Kazuhiko Katō under the pen name Monkey Punch. His inspiration for the series was the fictional French gentleman thief Arsène Lupin, created by Maurice Leblanc. Before creating the series he read 15 of Leblanc's stories. The aim of the Lupin III series was to produce a comedy adventure series that reflected the traits of Leblanc's character. Originally the intention was to keep the blood ties between the two fictional characters secret, however he was convinced by others not to do so.

Monkey Punch combined elements of Arsène Lupin with James Bond to develop the character of Lupin III and made him a "carefree fellow". Lupin was given a red color jacket which Monkey Punch believes is a flashy, sexy color. As the series was to be published in a magazine targeted at adults, Fujiko Mine was created to add a female presence and to fulfill a "Bond girl" role. Her name was inspired by a picture of Mount Fuji, Monkey Punch added the -ko female suffix to create her first name, and chose "Mine" for her family name because of its meaning as "summit". At the beginning of the series, many of the women Lupin encounters are all named Fujiko, but are treated as different characters from chapter to chapter. Creating a new female character each week was too difficult for Monkey Punch so she evolved into a single character who changes style frequently. Jigen was based on James Coburn, especially his role in The Magnificent Seven, and his name was chosen to reflect his unconventional personality. Goemon was created to give an oriental element into an otherwise western series. Despite Lupin and Goemon originally being enemies, Monkey Punch decided that they were on the same wavelength. While Lupin, Fujiko, Jigen and Goemon frequently operate together for their own goals, the author considers them not to be a true group as they have their own individual interests. In the manga they operated individually, however in the anime adaptations the group tend to work together. Inspector Zenigata was conceived as Lupin's archrival to create a "human Tom and Jerry".

When Monkey Punch began Lupin III, he was already working on another series, Pinky Punky. Monkey Punch enjoys writing outlaw characters, and both Lupin III and Pinky Punky made use of outlaws as central characters. According to him, this made it easy for him to write two series without much pressure. Monkey Punch enjoys puzzles and mysteries such as Columbo and Agatha Christie novels, and was also inspired by The Three Musketeers and the movies of Alfred Hitchcock. He believes the characters of Lupin and Fujiko are similar to the characters of D'Artagnan and Milady de Winter, and describes them as "Not necessarily lovers, not necessarily husband and wife, but more just having fun as man and woman with each other". Another influence on the manga was Mad magazine. Monkey Punch said the appeal of drawing Lupin comes from the character being able to go anywhere without obstacles and being able to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants. However, this is contrasted by the appeal of Zenigata's strict personality. Originally the series was only expected to last three months, but due to its popularity, Monkey Punch continued to draw it. However, despite his happiness at its success, he has expressed confusion over its popularity.

Monkey Punch has said that he believes the story can never end but that if he had to, both Zenigata and Lupin would have to end as equals. They would either both fail, both win or both get very old.

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The Tragedy of Droids in Star Wars

THE TRAGEDY of DROIDS in

STAR WARS

It’s not really a Star Wars story unless there’s a lovable or memorable droid stealing the spotlight. But, when you really stop and think about it, there’s also something profoundly tragic about the role artificial lifeforms play in the Star Wars universe.

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