Fans of Abridged Series, The Boondocks, and Nick Mullen

Is there any overlap here?

Is there any overlap here?

I ask partially for our own Youtube channel because that's the kind of audience we'd do best with and partially because I'm just curious how much overlap exists.

The closest channels to what we make are probably SBN3 and sometimes The Anime Boiis

And the Ghost Stories dub if we're including official dubs.

Let’s Talk About Abridged Series Again

I finished another video, so I’m thinking about this:

For myself, the abridged niche is, in some ways, its own thing because the niche is so specific and it's seemingly made by a demographic with similar sensibilities in terms of perspective and what kinds of jokes they're willing to make.

The comedic style in most anime/abridged series (subbed or dubbed) is fairly different from most other comedic media (whether it's Adult Swim shows, live-action movies, stand-up, or sitcoms like Parks & Rec and Always Sunny, all of which our channel leans more toward.)

The anime side of this can sometimes be explained away by citing Japan vs. US culture/language differences. I suspect, though, that live action Japanese movies and shows would be funnier to me than a lot of anime because they’re more likely to draw direct inspiration from the behaviors of people.

That being said, the abridged series I'm talking about are usually made by Americans, so this doesn’t really apply.

Comparing two styles:

For most abridged series, stylistically, the focus is more on over-the-top, fast-paced back-and-forths, show-related winks to the audience, and remaking the actual show's plot. It has more of a "musical improv" kind of vibe. Character's voices are regularly in what I’d call an entertaining register where the pitch, pace, and emotion vary way more than most speaking you'll ever hear.

Dubs like SBN3's kind of do their own thing with respect to the plot, the dialogue is written and performed with drier, more straightforward exchanges, and there's more references to sociopolitical opinions and pop culture references. The comedic style is more situated in real life opinions, perspectives, and ways of speaking, but it still manages to be straight-up goofy/silly. There's also more of an orientation toward making fun of real-life things and even people that are likely to watch the video. The insults pack more of a punch and the writing in general seems punchier and tighter, too. I think an understanding of how to incorporate joke structure into characters and dialogue helps a lot with this style.

Digression

Quick digression but it's pretty interesting when you start noticing the different rhythm/musicality and sense of humor between creators' writing and direction.

If you're familiar with some of these, think of the differences you see/hear between these more popular ones:

Taika Watiti (Thor: Love and Thunder, Thor: Ragnarok)

James Gunn (The Suicide Squad, Guardians of the Galaxy)

Dan Harmon/Justin Roiland (Community, Rick and Morty)

Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, 40-year Old Virgin)

Adam Reed (Archer/Sealab/12 oz mouse)

Adam McKay (Don't Look Up, Anchorman, The Big Short)

And, not comedy-focused, but David Mamet (Glengarry Glen Ross) and Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network, The Newsroom) are also really good examples of writers with distinct rhythms/voices.

I like Mamet best when he writes and doesn’t direct for some reason and I’m not sure if Sorkin directs any.

Anyway:

Dark vs. Light

It's tempting to think the main difference, and the part that makes one funnier to us on the channel, is that one side leans more toward riskier and raunchier humor, but we've laughed more at darker, raunchier shows like Velma, while also enjoying Steven Universe and Adventure Time’s humor more than most abridged series.

That makes it seem like more than a light-hearted vs. dark humor kind of thing. It seems like more of a divide between shows like Archer and Murder Drones versus shows like The Boondocks and Xavier Renegade Angel, where the former seem to have more overt "cleverness" going on and snappy, self-referential writing, but the way characters interact (even in more light-hearted shows like Steven Universe and Adventure Time) and the way the writers surprise us makes us laugh way more with the second group of shows. The former might best be described as a “headier”, flashier writing style. Not sure, might give that some more thought and rewatch clips of these shows for clarity’s sake.

Thinking about it now, though, there's maybe four or five broad categories/qualities that consistently make me laugh. I’ll drop those and some examples of media that I’d include in them.

Categories of funny-to-me

Off-the-wall absurdity:

Adventure Time, Xavier Renegade Angel, 12 Oz Mouse, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Tight and surprising joke writing:

SBN3's dubs, Boondocks, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Believable, charming, and odd characters interacting:

Steven Universe, Parks & Rec, Adventure Time, Superbad, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Socially/existentially aware and goofy/stupid:

Nick Mullen, The Boondocks, SBN3, Rick and Morty, Always Sunny, Velma, Norm MacDonald

Gallows humor:

(Pretty much the same as the above)