Cover Satiate your fascination through these true crime YouTube channels that are hosted by Asians (Photo: Pexels)
Satiate your fascination through these true crime YouTube channels that are hosted by Asians (Photo: Pexels)
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For those obsessed with true crime and have a desire to understand the darker side of human nature, these YouTube shows will provide hours of dark entertainment
Humans seem to have an innate fascination with the taboo and dangerous. It’s been speculated that this dark side to entertainment springs from an evolutionary adaptation to learn about threats. Fortunately, YouTube provides a relatively safe and controlled way to explore and try to comprehend why people commit terrible acts, and are psychologically satisfying because the stories often provide clear conclusions and justice being served.
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YouTubers like Bailey Sarian, whose casual GRWM (get ready with me) videos often garner millions of views, makes bank off her true crime YouTube channel Murder, Mystery & Make-up. The professional make-up artist is famed for creating different looks as she tells heavily researched stories of heinous crimes. The popularity of Murder, Mystery & Make-up has since landed her major deals with brands like beauty subscription company Ipsy, phone accessories maker Casetify, and even streaming giant Netflix.
In the realm of true crime YouTube channels, here are a few popular ones that are helmed by Asians.
‘Rotten Mango’ (Stephanie Soo)
Above Rotten Mango hosted by Stephanie Soo
Rotten Mango is a true crime and mystery podcast and YouTube channel with 4.31 million subscribers and over 660 million total video views. It’s hosted by Stephanie Soo, a Korean-American content creator who is also known for her mukbang (eating shows) content. She also has other YouTube channels such as @StephanieSoo and @MissMangoButt but Rotten Mango primarily covers true crime cases, with a particular focus on cases from Asia, though it also covers cases from around the world.
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Perfect for casual viewers or listeners, the Rotten Mango format typically involves Soo presenting true crime cases in a candid, conversational style. Praised for her detailed research and witty storytelling style, she provides in-depth coverage of cases that may be less well-known to Western audiences, often incorporating cultural context and background information when discussing cases, particularly those from Asian countries.
Algometry (Kenji Nishida)
Above ‘Algometry’ hosted by Kenji Nishida
Algometry (あるごめとりい) is a Japanese YouTube channel that covers unsolved cases and chilling psychopathic incidents inside and outside of Japan. While the videos are narrated in Japanese, subtitles are provided for those who don’t speak the language. The channel is run by Kenji Nishida, who by day is the CEO of pamxy Inc., a company that provides digital services such as mobile marketing, analytics, and social media marketing.
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Kenji launched this “side gig” in 2018 and currently has over 1.26 million subscribers and 513 million views. He’s largely off-camera in the videos but his narration is complemented by painstakingly sourced visual material. Algometry (あるごめとりい) offers insights into Japanese true crime cases, both new and decades-old, but also gives an interesting Japanese recounting of international crimes.
Grazy TV (Grazy Grace aka Kim Eun-mi)
Above ‘Grazy TV’ hosted by Grazy Grace aka Kim Eun-mi
Grazy TV is helmed by Grazy Grace (real name Kim Eun-mi), a Korean-American rapper and singer who debuted under YYAC in 2016 with the single, “I’m Fine”. She first gained fame in the Korean entertainment world when she competed on the South Korean rap competition TV show, Unpretty Rapstar. She started her first YouTube channel in 2010, @GRAZYGRACE, which covers all things K-pop and K-beauty. She then launched Grazy TV in 2014 to cover largely Korean mysteries and true crime.
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Now, with over 680,000 subscribers and 113.33 million total video views to date, Grazy TV explores sensational and dramatic or shocking news. The K-pop-idol-turned-YouTuber also promotes topics that are important to talk about such as death due to workplace bullying, domestic violence, paranormal activities, family murders, and other dark unsolved cases, all while translating Korean content for her international viewers
Dark Asia with Megan (Megan Lee)
Above Dark Asia with Megan hosted by Megan Lee
Through the crime-focused Dark Asia with Megan channel, host Megan Lee covers cases from various Asian countries. A journalist-turned-YouTuber based in South Korea who was once attached to The Korea Times, Lee started her channel in 2022. Currently, with 600,000 subscribers–which is exponential growth for a young YouTube channel–and over 59 million total video views, she aims to bring attention to cases that may be under the radar of Western audiences
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Famed for her laidback approach to storytelling with a deep, soothing voice and excellent production quality, Lee handles every aspect of her channel, from researching and scriptwriting to video production and audience engagement. She tells compelling and respectful narratives of underreported true crime stories and highlights important issues like justice and human rights. Aside from that, she also fosters a sense of community through interactive discussions, Q&A videos, and live streams.
