TLDR;
This video explores the evolution of SMG4, a YouTube channel known for Super Mario 64 bloopers and Garry's Mod animations. It examines the channel's rise to popularity during its "golden era," the introduction of original characters like Meggy, and the shift towards more episodic content and story arcs. The video also discusses the changes in animation style and the potential reasons why some viewers feel the channel has declined in quality.
- SMG4 started with Super Mario 64 bloopers and evolved into using Garry's Mod for enhanced storytelling.
- The introduction of original characters, particularly Meggy, sparked controversy among fans.
- SMG4 transitioned from one-off videos to episodic story arcs, potentially alienating some viewers.
- The channel's animation style has changed over time, with modern episodes featuring more sporadic movements.
Intro [0:00]
The video introduces SMG4, a YouTube channel that has been creating Super Mario SFMs for over a decade. The content ranges from simple animations to moving ragdolls in GMOD. Despite some debate about the quality of recent content, SMG4 remains popular, with many of its most popular videos being from recent years. The video aims to investigate claims that SMG4 has declined in quality, particularly since the introduction of the character Meggy, by examining the channel's evolution from its early videos to its modern content.
The Golden Era [1:20]
SMG4 began by creating Super Mario 64 bloopers, a popular genre at the time. While not the first to create these, SMG4 became the most popular channel in the niche. SMG4's early videos were similar to other blooper channels, but he gradually incorporated Garry's Mod to improve the story and overall quality. This helped him develop his own unique style and attract a large fanbase. One of SMG4's earliest and most popular series was "R64," which was similar to early YouTube poops. His most popular video, "Who Let the Chomp Out?" was a major hit and led to a string of successful videos, such as "Freddy's Spaghettia," which capitalized on the popularity of FNAF. SMG4's videos were known for their vast library of sound effects from various sources, including Mario games, popular videos, and memes. Another popular series was "If Mario Was In...", which involved Mario causing chaos in different IPs. SMG4's depiction of Mario was characterized by his aggressive, annoying, and stupid behavior, often requiring SMG4 himself to fix the problems. Other characters included Luigi, who was portrayed as a punching bag, Toad, Peach, and Bowser. SMG3, an evil clone of SMG4, was a major antagonist in many early episodes.
Meggy [6:06]
The video shifts to the introduction of Meggy, a character that has sparked controversy among SMG4 fans. Meggy was first introduced in "What if Mario was in Splatoon?" and, unlike previous one-off characters, continued to appear in future videos. She eventually became a main character, which is unusual for the channel. According to online discussions, Meggy was initially well-received but became increasingly flanderized and overused, leading to criticism and the label of "Mary Sue."
The Downfall? [7:23]
The video explores the period after the creator stopped watching SMG4, noting the establishment of Glitch Productions and its popular shows like "Murder Drones" and "The Amazing Digital Circus." During this time, SMG4 began incorporating original anime girl OCs into the mainline videos, including Meggy, who abandoned her Inkling appearance for an original design. The video addresses complaints about these new characters overshadowing the classic ones, suggesting it's a natural progression as SMG4 shifted towards more episodic content with original characters, plots, and lore. The channel transitioned from wacky Mario adventures to anime girl versus God episodic arcs. The show started creating multi-episode story arcs, beginning with the Waluigi arc in 2018. This led to more arcs, such as the anime arc, which introduced perma-death into the show. Other arcs include the YouTube arc, Genesis arc, Revelation arc, and Lawsuit arc, along with several movies. The focus on storylines may have alienated old viewers and confused new viewers, as the arcs require watching from the beginning to understand.
During this period, SMG4's self-insert OC received a completely original face. SMG3 returned and was voice-acted, along with the anime girls. The video touches on the animation style, noting that modern episodes have largely abandoned Super Mario 64 in favor of limited SFM animation and Gmod ragdolls. The ragdolls move more sporadically, which may be due to the shorter attention spans of the modern fanbase.
Conclusion [14:37]
The video concludes that there are valid reasons why some people believe SMG4 has declined in quality. The shift towards more episodic videos and the introduction of original characters have made the show alienating for long-time viewers. While the creator prefers the old videos, they acknowledge that some viewers may still enjoy modern SMG4. The introduction of more OCs was likely driven by the desire to sell merchandise. The video also briefly discusses the animation style, noting that while the animation is technically better, the excessive movement can be distracting.