The Journey Thus Far

March 2026 marks the third anniversary of The A.M View website! Honestly, I would be surprised if anyone noticed. However, I decided to take a moment to reflect on the journey so far, including the mistakes I've made, balancing the website with a 9-5 job, and the highs and lows of this content creation adventure.

Ever since I can remember, I've had a passion for cinema. There was even a period in my life when I was determined to become a groundbreaking director in the film industry. However, as responsibilities and a bit of laziness caught up with me, I abandoned that dream. Around 2018, I began watching numerous video essays on YouTube, which I thoroughly enjoyed. These essays covered not just movies, but also anime and TV shows. I loved the idea of discussing my favorite films and shows, especially since I couldn't really do so with anyone in my life to the extent I wanted to. To be honest, people often dismissed my "hobbies" and "obsessions" as childish and time-wasting. I felt that no one wanted to have the same conversations about the media that I watched and listened to on the internet. I desperately needed an outlet that I could fuel that energy into and maybe even build a community that has similar interests.

That platform wasn't a website; it was YouTube. When the pandemic struck, I suddenly had much more time to write scripts and brainstorm video ideas. This period also marked my deep dive into Japanese cinema. Although I had always been a fan of Japanese media, in 2020, I began exploring directors like Kore-eda, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, and Koji Fukada, which profoundly changed my perspective. I became captivated by a particular style of storytelling—minimalistic and slow-burning—that only Japan seemed to offer. After watching Koji Fukada's "Harmonium," I began drafting the script for my first video essay. However, that video wouldn't be released until February 2022. You might wonder why it took nearly two years to publish just one video. In my mind, I wanted my YouTube debut to be marked by a modern classic, something that would captivate film enthusiasts online. But then reality set in; around 2021, I started a new job that demanded more of my time. As the world began opening up post-pandemic, I found myself reluctant to stay indoors, preoccupied with movies and such.

After nearly two years of work, I finally completed and released my first video essay. How was it received? Terribly. I'm not sure what I anticipated, given that I had no subscribers and only shared the video in a random Reddit thread about Japanese movies. The response was so discouraging that I didn't release another video until October of that year. I don't know what came over me, but when I started reading a manga about football/soccer called Blue Lock, it completely captured me. The anime would come out around the time of the World Cup. I became so passionate about this anime/story that I practically wrote the script for my second video in less than a day. I would eventually release the video a week later, and that helped me regain the momentum I needed to publish more.

I continued to release an increasing number of videos, including an extensive video essay on Hayao Miyazaki's The Wind Rises, which performed exceptionally well. In fact, it became one of my top-performing videos and attracted a significant number of new subscribers. Nevertheless, I didn't want to focus solely on video essays, as they were very time-consuming and diminished my enjoyment of creating content.

In May 2023, I launched what has become my most successful video to date, the "Must-Watch Japanese Movies and TV Shows" series. This single video garnered 65,000 views and attracted over 300 new subscribers to the channel. It effectively created the small community I had always dreamed of. Suddenly, I was engaging in conversations with people about J-dramas and movies being released on Netflix. For context, Netflix was increasing the amount of Japanese content on its streaming platform, which was fantastic for enthusiasts like me who appreciated this type of entertainment.

As a YouTuber, I naturally tried to take advantage of this new format by creating more videos recommending Japanese media for people to enjoy. It was enjoyable to develop these lists and observe people's reactions, but once again, life intervened. I secured an amazing job that drained all my energy and motivation to make YouTube videos. That's when I decided to launch a website where I transformed my video scripts into blog posts/articles for people to read instead of just watch. Thus, theamview.com was born.

Since the inception of the website I've struggled to regularly publish articles whilst juggling the YouTube channel and my 9-5 job. I would eventually take a long break from the website and even cinema in general. I eventually found a new wave of motivation after the website had been approved for Google's Adsense programme. But the journey in growing this website hasnt been easy, especially with the shift to short form content, it feels like starting something in a dying industry to be honest.

However, this wasnt was never designed to make money or give me a brand new career like I still hope it does. But instead, it was designed for me as a creative(albeit expensive) outlet that would give me writing oppertunities and something to add to my CV.

Fastword to present day in 2026 and the website is more alive than ever with me publishing articles on a consistant rate that I could have only dreamed of back in 2023. Dont get me wrong, I am still frustrated with my content and overal look of the website but I wont give this up anytime soon and will continue to cover all things Japanese Cinema and television.