It doesn’t take a genius to work out where Geoff Thew started his hugely popular Mother’s Basement YouTube channel. It does, however, take some kind of genius to become as popular as Thew is. In under a decade, he has built an organic audience of more than 1.3 million subscribers on YouTube alone, and his content has been viewed more than 267 million times. He is also massively popular on Twitter. He no longer lives in his mother’s basement, but his deep dives into the beautiful artistry of anime are as insightful as ever.

Thew launched Mother’s Basement in 2015. His reputation grew thanks to his series What’s in a… series, including What’s in a Scene?, What’s in an OP? in which he delves right into the construction and meaning of various anime scenes and overpowered characters. He also covers everything from the best and worst of current anime to informed takes on the world anime scene in general. A true otaku, he is a widely respected and reliable voice in the North American anime community.

As well as anime, Thew has never been afraid to stand up against the less savoury characters in the anime fandom world, calling out YouTubers who have openly supported far-right politics or have harassed and abused female peers.