Ah Lecks
patreon
Okay, here's an actual update.
🕑 Added 2023-11-16 23:19:09 +0000 UTCI've split this post into 2 questions that I've been getting asked most frequently:
1. Alex, when the fuck are you gonna upload?
2. Alex, why do you suck so much at being a Youtuber?
Question #1,
Originally, I was planning on staying off the internet for a while until the Inoue Documentary was fully ready. I've never really been the type of person to feel like they owe anything to anyone on Youtube or Twitter. But to the people that have actually been kind enough to be willing to support this Patreon, I actually do think you guys deserve to hear about when the hell am I ever gonna upload again.
And to put it shortly, I'm really hoping that, at best, I'll have it done in a month. But I honestly just don't know...
The process for making this video has been the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. The script is twice the length of anything I've ever made before, and it's probably got some of the most ridiculously high-effort editing in all of mankind. Having said all that though, it's also been an absolute thrill to make. I'm not really somebody to ever loosely throw around the word "Documentary" like that, but it's kinda impossible for me to call it anything else at this point.
However, I really just can't give a good estimate of when this'll be done. I have tried to constantly give myself a due date for this so that I can keep myself on a consistent schedule, but my personal life has been making that pretty much impossible. It has been really hard to find a balance between putting my all into this video while also trying to finish up my senior year of college. Every week feels like I'm constantly alternating between shoving my face into textbooks for exams and then sitting down for 10 hours to become one with my Adobe Premiere lmfao.
Right now, I'd say 40 minutes of the documentary are fully edited, sexy, and just about the proudest piece of work I've ever done. But I'm still in the midst of trying to make those last 30 minutes feel right, and I need to take my time with that because the "theme" that I'm trying to express by the end of it is genuinely really important to me.
I think at this point, it's better to just assume that my channel is gonna be on hiatus until the video is out. I'm not dead. I'm not burnt out. I'm not quitting Youtube. You don't have to flood my DM's or comments asking me when's the next upload. I just really really REALLY care about the topic of this video, and I stopped caring a long time ago if that'll make other people upset at me or not. Because at the end of the day, I don't owe anyone anything. I will never make decisions for my Youtube channel based on what other people want me to do.
HAVING SAID ALL THAT THOUGH, to compensate, I made a cute lil' trailer of what to expect:
https://youtu.be/1AWmfaoHLOc?si=aWEMtcw1mG-GGmCO
Question #2,
*This part's just gonna be me venting and being fully honest about the state of my YT channel*
NOW, in response to this second question...
To be absolutely transparent with you guys here, I have been doing some REALLY hard self-reflecting after making that last Manhwa Recommendation video. I've said this before on a couple streams and on twitter, but that video was the first time ever where I genuinely felt like I had lost myself in what I wanted to be as a Youtuber...
The reason why I ever got into making videos in the first place was because I wanted to have an outlet where I could tell cool/interesting/funny stories and hopefully form some kind of a discussion out of it. I have never been the type of person to ever check analytics or sub count or anything like that, but the one thing that REALLY mattered to me on Youtube was the comment section. Whenever I try and determine if I've done a good job on a video, I always try to make a judgement based on what the comments are like. If people are making jokes, sharing their own insight on something, or venting their own personal experience with something, then I know I've done my job.
But if every comment is like:
"You should read ___"
"Cool vid"
"L take."
"W take."
Then I feel like I've just wasted my time.
And I've noticed ESPECIALLY after that last Manhwa video, that I was inviting a certain type of audience onto my channel that was on there for the wrong reasons, and that's on me. I realized that, because of the way I was presenting myself in these videos, all my comments went from being funny, honest, and personal, to now usually going along the lines of "WOW I CAN'T BELIEVE HE SAID ___ WAS GOOD/BAD."
And I hated making that Manhwa video. It was probably the first time where I felt like I was making something for other people as opposed to something that I really wanted to do. And I've decided that I just don't ever want to make another recommendation video of anything.
I didn't make a Youtube channel 2 years ago to be "Mr. Manga Reviewer" guy. If you've ever seen any of my videos, you'll know that I've always found myself being WAY more interested in the story that happened outside of a manga anyhow. And I didn't make a channel to be a reviewer or to pretend like I'm smart enough to hyper-analyze anything. I really just wanna talk about cool shit and make cool 3D shit with it. And I'm done pretending like that isn't the case. I'm done trying to care about what other people think of me or how it could possibly affect my chances of making a career off of Youtube.
Which is why after this Inoue doc is done, I'll be making my first ever video that's non-manga, non-anime, non-anything related to Japanese media. I just don't care anymore about trying to box myself in or fear the idea of making this whole Youtube thing come crashing down. I think I'm perfectly okay with that being the case as long as I get to just do whatever I want and make the coolest shit possible on this god foresaken website.
.
Having said all of these schizophrenic ventings though, I really do wanna tell all of you that I'm eternally grateful for anyone that's stuck around here in any way shape or form. Whether it's been for 3 months or for 1 day, it means the fucking world to me that there's people out there wanna help out with this channel. And if you disagree with what I've said in this post and do not want to support this page anymore, then that's totally okay.
Once this Inoue doc is finished, I'll put a cap of 2-3 months on my upload schedule because I really do wanna go back to making more videos again.
And if you have any thoughts or disagreements on what I've said, I'd be super interesting in hearing what you have to say. Anyone that's willing to pay to support me has a right to voice their opinion. So feel free to go for it either on the comments here or on the discord.
-Ah Lecks
Comments
Msdrks
Listen man, I'm like 2 months late seeing this, but I still want to say my peace. You are one of my favorite creators right now, and while I might be more than the average viewer in terms of my enthusiasm for your content, I think I speak for all of us when I say that anything you need to do, you should do. Any time you need to take, you should take. And any direction you want to go in, you should go in. I appreciate the concern for us, the viewers, but, as you've basically said, if content creation is what you want to do to make a living, the LAST thing you want to do is let other people, or the analytics decide what you do with your time and effort. The passion is what matters the most, and regardless of the quality of the videos, Making soulless content to cater to other people is never something I'd wish upon anyone. Keep doing what you want, and I'll keep supporting. Good luck on the new vid.
Jesse McBuckets
i don’t have anything insightful to say but i’m glad you’re back and i’m glad you’re doing what feels right to you because i really enjoy how genuine you are in your videos so im glad you’re sticking to your gut and trusting your intuition
Thé0lait
I don't comment a lot, first because I m bad at writting english and second cuz I always forget to do so. However I really like this channel, the videos are very good and you put a lot of work into what you like and I admire that mindset. I wish that you do what makes you feels alive and we'll be here to receive the good work with open arms. I would just like to say that quality is always better than quantity for a lot of people. I would like to take an open world game as exemple. It's always better to have fewer things but that are well designed, well incorporated to the story and all. Focus on what you like and I m sure we'll love it too ! Take care of you first. Ashriga.
rYenis
hey, you should read this manga called Slam Dunk. It was written by this cool dude named Takehiko Inoue who's like, a really good author.
HelmetHideoutReviews_onYT
I might be the only one, but I felt like you never left the community. I think the wait of your videos is part of the fun. I know you put a ton of effort into the video, so finally getting to watch it after months is worth it to me. It's like the hype when waiting for a movie to come out. For most youtube video I just watch whenever I have the time. But for an "Ah Lecks" Video? Nah. I have to find the best place possible to watch your videos. Typically when I eat my dinner, cause enjoying a warm meal and the latest Ah Lecks video is a match made in heaven. Even when you make a video on a manga I don't like, you better believe I am going to still eat it up and end up enjoying it. Also on the patreon side, I am happy to support you. My $5 are nothing compared to the editing tutorials you put out. Learning Adobe has been one of my struggles, but these videos make it easy. I Love your videos bro! Have a good thanksgiving.
gattio
Gotta say the same as everyone else, thanks for the heads up, and do what you gotta/wanna do. I've always treated spaced out uploads like a new movie or tv season coming out, especially in ur case with what I've seen of the new vid. The trailer, the subject, the editing, and all those renders look insane and it's awesome seeing the amount of passion and commitment being poured into it, so I'm hyped as regardless. Also, happy to hear you've fully committed to what you want to do with your channel, the viewer recommendation vids were fun but yeah I felt most of the reception was just "reciprocate my opinions on this manga/manwha I like or ur wrong" which.. obviously isn't fun at all. Super support the move to just talk about anything and everything ur passionate about, anime and manga alone is such a small slice of the "cool media shit you can go off on about" pie, whether your next vid's about music or sport I'm down to hear some multi media rants. :-)
daymare
Thank you for this. It felt like you just up and left this community, but I understand now. I'm glad to see you give no shits about what the algorithm wants. I've seen so many great creators fall apart because they were stuck in the thing that gave them views. I know you don't know me and I don't know you either. Even so I love the work you do and will wait a month or a year to see your work. -sorry for typos spelling sucks
KezutsuKami
I'll keep it short and very straight forward. You're an inspiration to the thought process of "Talking about whatever the fuck I want to- However the fuck I want to". Thank you for creating and sharing how YOU want to.
Jared
Just want to echo what's already being said here. Make what you want to make. That's why we watch. Listening to someone articulate why they're passionate about something (edited and put together as well as you have) is always gonna be more engaging and rewarding than anything else. We're not going anywhere!
David Griffin
since you said you are having trouble figuring out why you made this channel and want to do youtube then make a video or some perminet on what this channel is about and what it does so that your never lost again and (if you do the video) people will know what to excpect when whacthing you content so that they wont type some shitty comment about why arent you making manga review video or just being a dick all around
Vooum
I appreciate you sharing this. You do you homie. Your passion shines through your content. Happy you're doing what you want.
Second dog
Always felt like you had more to say outside of manga and anime, just feels like you like a good story, in real life or imagined
domu
"I want and make the coolest shit possible on this god foresaken website" bro is going demon mode. i fully understand why you hate your manhwa video since you put time and effort into it and all people talk about is your opinion or give more recommendations. love that you wanna do what you like and not what people expect from you. ill be supporting you no matter what. im fking hyped for the documentary!
Ibi
Ay man I watch you for you. It’s understandable that you’re nervous about the channels direction. Fear is inherent to creation and it’ll always be a struggle. Whatever you put out I’ll be more than happy to give a watch because I understand that you care about it and are willing to put in the effort to craft an experience. Good luck finishing the documentary and much luv <3
Dio
Glad you’ll be doing what makes you happy. Your storytelling style is what got me to subscribe to you in the first place. Cant wait to see what comes in the future!
domu
omg the goat is back
