Web Video / Yotobi

Yotobi, Karim Musa’s alias, is an Italian internet reviewer, and he’s pretty much the go–to online Caustic Critic when it comes to this kind of Video Review Show among the Italian audience.

His style is, more or less, the one popularized with The Nostalgia Critic and The Angry Video Game Nerd, as he reviews both sucky video games and (especially) just as sucky movies. However, his style evolved soon enough into something more unique, which is most likely helped by the "Universal Squallor" logo standing for an actual studio. Said studio was never actually meant to be entirely about reviews in the first place. Yotobi himself said so.

However, we were talking about the stuff he reviews. Yep, sucky stuff. How sucky, you ask? Well, so far he has reviewed Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing, the infamous E.T. video game, Epic Movie and Disaster Movie, Birdemic, Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus, Manos: The Hands of Fate… the list goes on.

However, in late 2013 Karim announced his decision to abandon his Caustic Critic format, as he felt it no longer fitted his creative vein. As a huge admirer of stand-up Stand-Up Comedy, he dedicated himself to a new video format loosely based on it, called Mostarda ("Mustard"), and realised several vlog series as intromission; he consequently reduced his reviews to a limited occurence on special occasions.

Finally, in 2016, he started his current format, The Late Show con Karim Musa, a pseudo-Late Night Talk Show, which saw frequent collaborations with other Italian Youtubers and notables from showbiz. And he finally updated his profile pic on Youtube after almost 10 years.

His channel is right here. Subtitled versions of some of his videos can be found here.

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This Web Original series contains examples of:

• Attack of the Killer Whatever: Invoked and discussed during the review of Mega Python vs Gatoroid, where he points out that since it's a B Movie that doesn't take itself seriously they could have choose crazier stuff to put in as their monsters, such as a three-legged living washing machine or a four-armed, giant dish of pasta rather than use, again, a giant crocodile.
• Back from the Dead: Played for laughs in the review of Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky, where he's sent back to finish reviewing the film after he really suffers from a stroke. Twice. Also, the end of Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter has him sent to Hell for actually appreciating the movie, only to be reanimated as a zombie for the following review of Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror, where he's persuaded to return to life (and don't quit with his reviews).
• Berserk Button: This guy loathes everything ever made by The Asylum. Imagine how much he loved doing a review comprised entirely of Asylum movies, while earlier he also expressed his contempt for Uwe Boll. He also dislikes Dull Surprise and lack of "human reaction" in general as a trope.
  • In a video made from the Late Show, it's revealed that Yotobi hates when people calls him out over stuff he's not part of. Such example happened during the finding of a burger shop using his face, which resulted in being called out a sellout on top of losing views.
• Brick Joke/Tempting Fate: One of his Running Gags is pretending to have a stroke after watching “trash scenes.” In his review of Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky, it really happens. Twice.
• Call-Back:
  • Most memorable, the review for Byrdemic 2 has Yotobi's flat being invaded again by the superimposed eagles, much to his ire.
  • During his review of Dingo Picture's Hercules, he recognizes the black bird as the same one from Dinosaur Adventure and immediately starts to shoot it with a toy gun, causing the dog from Duck Hunt to make a cameo to laugh at his efforts.
  • During his review of Sharknado, he get's so angry he tries to vent his frustration on Mario's doll just like he did in the review of AlbaKiara... only to find that this time, he hired bodyguards (plushies of Jack and Link).
  “You got lucky this time!" (leaves, making him the "I'm watching you" gesture)
• Canis Latinicus: “Ad Minchiam” ^note Minchia is Sicilian slang for penis, though it’s used here in an expression that means “totally random with no sense whatsoever.”
• Cat Fight: Invoked and downplayed during the review of Mega Python vs Gatoroid: when the two heroines start fighting in front of everyone, Yotobi, with the most bored expression ever, looks on his cellphone for "cat fight sounds" and adds them to the review as background noises.
• Caustic Critic: Despite having the same knowledge as other online reviewers about tropes and how they work (and how cinema in general works), he’s kind of more nitpicky about it. However, there are quite a few movie reviews he has enjoyed.
• Character Development: Compare his review of Troppo Belli with his more recent AlbaKiara review: While he equally and absolutely loathed both, in the latter he was much more able to keep his cool and looked more offended and bored rather than downright freaked out.
• Cliché Storm: Invoked In-Universe when reviewing Atlantic Rim: during an early dialogue, he pauses and anticipates the other actor's answer word by word, punctuation included.
• Cut His Off Face With A Pencil: What Doodle threatens to do to Yotobi if he ever thinks about calling him for another review.
• Darker and Edgier: AlbaKiara. Mostly because he really hated that one.
• Deadpan Snarker: A staple for any Caustic Critic, Yotobi’s pretty damn good at snarking.
• Driven to Suicide: Parodied in his review of Natale in India, where he ends up so enraged with the movie and it's "supposed" humor that his own right hand points a gun at his forehead right as he talks about how even suicide would be a better alternative.
  ''“Oh! Thank you, right hand!" (Shoots)
• The Fourth Wall Will Not Protect You: He ends his review of the E.T. video game (you know the one) so pissed at its ending (or lack thereof), he punches the screen so hard he crashes it. He also punches the screen a couple of times in Boa vs Python a couple of times.
• '80s Hair: His comment on a secondary character from his review of the Ninja Turtle animated series:
  "Wow, look at that: hairhairhairhairhair hair! This man here just screams 1984, from the tip of his unprobable hair to the bottom of his tie, buried somewhere in his pants."
• Freak Out: During his review of Amore 14, the mere concept that the director thought that a 14 years old girl will, after dating a guy he met the day before once, would look for porn magazine and sites is enough to sent him sniffing some coke to cope with the thing. And it's not even the last time...
• Gag Censor: Two for AlbaKiara: An audio one where he replaces copyrighted songs with kids’ songs and a traditional one covering nude scenes with dogs grooming themselves.
• Gilligan Cut: As a Cutaway Gag when first describing Supaidāman.
  “Watching it was a bit like kissing for the first time, or making love for the first time, or going on Chatroulette for the first time. (cut to him in a dark room, in front of his webcam) Is that a penis?!”
  • Also used later in the same review in order to sum up the Mind Screw present in the Pilot Episode alone.
  Yotobi: “How many random things have happened so far? An Alien Invasion, a crashing spaceship, a dinosaur monster, a cave with a weirdo, a lifesaving spider bracelet…”
  (cut to a famous–in–Italy old–school Milka commercial)
  Shop customer: “…and then there was the marmot wrapping the chocolate!”
• Gross-Up Close-Up: Invoked in Boa vs Python after a man's ridicolous reaction to the protagonist going topless to cheat in a holding breath challenge.
  "Oh, come on! That's your reaction to breasts? Are you sure she wasn't like this?" (the scene plays again, only with the close up of an incredibly fat, hairy man with man boobs )
• Gushing About Shows You Like: Invoked by Yotobi, who, despite snarking a lot throughout the review, made it pretty clear that he absolutely loves Supaidāman.
  “In 1978, a live–action Spider-Man series set in Japan called “Supaidāman” was made. Created by Toei, it comprises 41 episodes and a movie. We’ll be watching the very first episode together. And believe me when I say that all my expectations for this show were demolished. In a good way, of course.”
  • After the abovementioned Gilligan Cut was used to sum up Supaidāman’s Pilot Episode’s Mind Screw, he remarks: “And you know what? I like it! I was sick of hearing the same old Spider–Man story for the fortieth time! I’d had it! Even Uncle Ben got pissed from dying for the umpteenth time.”
  • The best moment of gushing, though, is at the end of the same review. He raises his Fascinating Eyebrow in a puzzled expression at the sight of Spidey’s Humongous Mecha, and then…
  “That’s a Megazord! That’s a Megazord! Can’t — contain — the awesomeness! (cut to a montage of that scene, with the infamous Japanese Tanuki commercial thrown in the mix) Superheroes with super problems, nothing! The answer is a fucking Megazord! Everything would be better with a Megazord! Everything! Except for Grey's Anatomy, but everything else!”
  • He starts the review of Dingo Pictures' Hercules seemingly trashtalking Disney's Hercules''... before asking the viewers if they really fell for it and start telling how much he loved it and the licensed game.
  • Averted in a video homage to the departed Paolo Villaggio, where he does admit that he thinks he's better at snarking and deconstructing works rather than genuinely praising them.
• HA HA HA—No: Mocked during the review of Sharknado, when the bad guy in the beginning does it before asking one million for the sharks.
  (deadpan)"Ha ha ha ha ha ha in case you didn't noticed, I'm the bad guy here."
• Lame Pun Reaction: Usually with a beat followed seething sarcasm, but the "period of the month" gag from Sharknado has him performing a jab at Colorado ^note  an italian cabaret show which is often criticized for its poor, often low-brow humor
  Yotobi: ... writes something on a piece of paper "There, this is where you can get an audition for Colorado, good luck!"
• Money, Dear Boy: In-Universe, during the review of Troppo Belli, when he tries to explain what motivated the two main actors to do the job and shows what's going on in their minds: one has only money and a silly song, the other one an empty black void.
• MST3K Mantra: Invoked by Yotobi in the aforementioned crossover review of a borderline–homemade Spider-Man film.
  iltizioqualunque: “I know I’m nitpicking, but how the hell does Spidey web–sling in the middle of the Missouri desert? All the way from the city, what did he stick his webs to?”
  Yotobi: “Sorry, but how do you respond to people asking, ‘How does Superman manage to not be recognized just by wearing glasses’?”
  iltizioqualunque: “‘Don’t ask questions?’”
  Yotobi: “Exactly. It’s the same thing here.”
• My Friends... and Zoidberg: Inverted gag when describing the cast of Fuga di Cervelli.
  ''"Of course, each actor plays a very specific character, we have the idiot, the idiot, the idiot, the idiot and Guglielmo."
• Never Smile at a Crocodile: Referenced in at least three reviews and progressively downplayed and downright mocked: first, he's unimpressed by Supercroc (it reminds him of a Real Life brand of potato chips), then in Mega Shark vs Crocosaurus he comments on how he never heard of a giant crocodile in a monster movie, as a picture of Supercroc appears. When he finally reviews Mega Python vs Gatoroid, he's... very disappointed upon seeing the latter.
  Yotobi:" But nooo, it's gotta be... a crocodile.... crocodiles are boring!"
• New Powers as the Plot Demands:
  • He mocks Puma Man for this.
  Yotobi::"Ok, so to recap, he can fly, teleport aaand his hands are like claws. You know, all ordinary puma stuff..."
  • He similarly mocks the giant mechas of Atlantic Rim for the new gadgets and abilities they pop, underlining how robots supposedly made for cleaning the sea floor are apparently equipped with laser rifles and giant morphing weapons. This time it's so bad it leads up to this reaction:
  ''(After seeing the supposedly cleaning mechas unsheath giant weapons) ".... Ok, now I'm gonna rape you with no if and buts" (leaves the scene removing his costume)
• Nice Guy: As snarky and nitpicky as he is, Yotobi qualifies. To clarify, as stated below, Yotobi’s speech patterns are Sophisticated as Hell at worst. Usually, he swears at least once in each review, but rarely more than three, four, or five times. This is also because he tends to be very polite — and brutally honest at the same time — in reviews, which is mirrored in his review of the Italian movie Amore 14 (“Love 14”). This movie is, simply put, a Teen Drama depicting a 14—years—old girl’s first experiences with love — and sex. He’s shocked at the mere concept of the movie. It gets worse when the movie shows the female lead starting to think about sex, looking for a Porn Stash, comparing, er, “sizes” on paper, and by the end of the review — where these kinds of “discoveries” reach their logical conclusion^note (not actual intercourse, mind you), Yotobi is utterly horrified. He couldn’t even be explicit about the subjects he mentioned in the captions because he personally felt dirty doing so. When someone is that freaked out, you can’t help but feel a bit sorry for the guy.
  • His first 2013 review, AlbaKiara^note Named after “Albachiara” (“Bright Dawn”), a song by Italian singer Vasco Rossi; the movie’s soundtrack only features songs from him, is about a movie that truly raises the stakes about teenage sluttiness. So do Yotobi’s reactions to it.
• Poor Man's Substitute: Invoked Trope in Dingo Picture's Hercules, where he describes Zeus there as "a hobo counterpart of Heihachi Mishima" due to his hair.
• Precision F-Strike: Yotobi isn’t afraid to swear. Just don’t expect him to do it often.
• Rage Against the Author: Played for laughs with Doodle's general attitude towards Yotobi.
  “I hate you for creating me just for watching this abortion!"
• Repeat Cut: Used as a parody of Supaidāman’s own repeated cuts.
  (after some Repeat Cut footage) Yotobi: *Repeat Cut of his puzzled face* “This stuff is sick.”
• Relax-o-Vision: Used in the review for Japanese Spider—Man due to his arachnophobia, and again in the teenage—sluttiness—related AlbaKiara movie. In the former, all close–ups on spiders are replaced with cute kittens; in the latter, sex scenes are replaced with dogs licking their nuts (it’s pretty much Played for Laughs). In his second review of La Croce dalle Sette Pietre he censors the brief sex scene cum exposed nipple (which got the video removed in the first place) with a cartoon stork delivering a child.
• Rooting for the Empire: In-Universe, he loudly cheers on the "antagonist" of AlbaKiara and call him a Saviour when he coldly murders the "protagonist" and call her a bitch. He's even vocally disappointed when The Stinger shows that he got murdered somehow.
• Running Gag: Some reviews have their own running gags.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Has to be restrained and persuaded to continue upon learning that the Creepy Child from Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror is actually a 30 years actor. Upon witnessing the (censored) breast-biting scene he's so fed up he actually leaves and refuses to end his review.
• Self-Deprecation: At the beginning of his Mega Piranha review.
  “I’ve been making videos for two years, and this is the first time I noticed that 'Welcome to a new review' has no meaning whatsoever.”
  • Later on, when Doodle ^note  who's dubbed by Yotobi is introduced:
  "Well duh, 160.000 followers and he's still doing these shitty reviews..."
  • During the review of Sharknado, he claim that the character who dies trying to rescue a dog is "as useless as those guys making selfies with an ice cream" (cue a picture of Yotobi, taking a selfie with an ice cream snack).
• Shown Their Work: Aside from Yotobi’s own knowledge of how cinema works, there’s his partner in the crossover review of an obscure Spider-Man Live-Action Adaptation made in 1969. Said partner, another Italian internet reviewer (known as iltizioqualunque; “il tizio qualunque” means, more or less, “the everyman”), has an astonishing knowledge of the Spidey mythos.
  • When reviewing Adrian, it shows that he made plenty of research on the series' backgrounds and even brought up charts and all.
• Skyward Scream: Parodied in the ending of his second (^note  the first review he did was removes as it contained a brief shot of naked sex ) review of the cheesy Italian Horror "La Croce delle Sette Pietre" (The Seven Stones Cross). After mocking the terrible "Werewolf" costume used in the movie (essentially a hairy mask and tuffs of hair on the hands and groin), he's struck by the movie's curse and turned into a similar "Werewolf" creature himself (read: crappy halloween mask and cape), and cries at the ceiling. We then see him back on the coach, trying to eat potato chips through the mask, unsuccesfully.
• Slut-Shaming:
  • In the review of AlbaKiara he's appalled at the sheer, unadultered sluttiness portrayed in the movie and how often it's unappropriately interplayed with what was supposed to be a tender and genuine love story in the middle.
  • Downplayed in The Lady: when the titular character is presented as an innocent victim after she's almost attacked by her boyfriend, who accused her of cheating on him, Yotobi retorts that she actually did blatantly flirt with her colleague while said boyfriend was watching, and points out that going around wearing a sexy corset under her jacket or a tight black shirt with "Luxury" ^note  false friend to the Italian "Lussuria", Lust doesn't really do her any favor.
• Soundtrack Dissonance: In his The Pumaman review, he remarks that the score is more appropriate for a soy product and he demonstrates it.
• Spit Take: Invoked in his Birdemic review, when addressing the movie’s Special Effects Failure.
  “Okay, so we’ve come to one of the movie’s most crucial scenes. Do you think this was done with CGI, or with puppets? If your answer was “puppets” — you wish! I wish those were puppets myself, I'd have settled with puppets like L’albero azzurro^note “The Blue Tree,” a children’s show; think of Barney the Dinosaur.’s Dodo. Seriously, he would have been enough. But in my entire life, I have never seen sucky CGI effects… this sucky. It's impossible to describe, and if I show the scene in question, I swear, no comment will be needed at all. So, three… two… no, no, I need one thing first… hang on, I’ll be back in a moment… (comes back with a glass of water) Here I am. With a glass of water. If you have water on hand, please take a glass of it, as we need to do that one thing with the glass of water when there’s something unexpected. Three, two, one… (footage of the Special Effects Failure ensues) *pffffffffffffffffft* (bursts out in a hysterical fit of laughter) Oh God, I’m having a stroke.”
  • Special Effects Failure: Invoked as well at the end of the review, where Yotobi himself has to fight the superimposed eagles off.
  • At the end of his The Pumaman review he reenacts Tony’s ridiculous flight scene.
• Suppressed Rage: While Karim is known for always being a calm person with only rare cases when he haves to find a way to keep his anger at bay (such as punching a plush of Mario during his reviews), the release of the video "Un Piccolo Disguido" (A little misunderstanding) reveals that he can be quite dangerous if angered. After continous mockery and loss of views from fans (or normies, as he called them) who called him out a sellout over a particular burger shop who used his face for publicity (despite him always saying he was never part of it) resulted in Yotobi slowly building rage over the avoidable reaction. Needless to say that the video from start to finish shows just how much you really don't want to piss off Yotobi, as he ends up causing a bloody mess on the Late Show studio, killing In-Universe a poor guy (who likely became the last straw for his anger to get unleashed) and even attempting his best to not go further with their body without getting angrier whenever he remembers the avoidable result of the entire thing. Eventually from the end of the video, Yotobi is now completely calmed down and is back to be the classic calm and peaceful person he's known for, and while he haves for a brief second a moment of "My God, What Have I Done?", he quickly brushes it off like nothing.
• Stay in the Kitchen: Played for Laughs in the review of Dragonball Evolution: when he orders his girlfriend to go back in the kitchen and make him a sandwich she punches him in the groin.
• Stunned Silence: In this moment of his Dark Souls LP.
  Ah, it’s a crocodile! (Gaping Dragon emerges) ..........FUCK!
• Take That!: Often enough. His Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing review opens with one.
  “How many game genres do you think exist? There are basically three: (Half-Life 2 cover art) the good ones, (Charlie's Angels' Licensed Game’s cover art) the bad ones, (Nintendogs cover art) and the useless ones.”
  • When describing Dragonball Evolution, the movie’s atmosphere (a mixture of sci–fi elements, Teen Drama, and action) is immediately addressed by Yotobi's girlfriend with:
  “The movie, contrary to the manga, feels like a new Smallville episode. Just watch! (cut to a quick montage of scenes from the movie set to the Smallville opening theme song)”
  • In The Sisterhood, the main character’s telekinesis is used… to apparently glow in a column of light and glitter. Cue a jab at My Little Pony and Edward Cullen.
  • He calls out Titanic 2 on how they expected a cabinet to hold off against a Godzilla–sized tsunami. Cue Indiana Jones reference.
  • While reviewing The Little Panda Fighter, he calls it a blatant copy of Kung Fu Panda… and shows the cover for Mists of Pandaria.
  • In his review of The Pumaman he first likens Tony’s inability to talk with anyone else to Lost, then, after the umpteenth time he does this, he blurts out that 'this is not like Lost, this is Lost!' Cue a reenactment of a scene from said TV show.
  • During the Duke Nukem Forever Let's Play, he refrains himself from making an anime joke/meme concerning giant tentacles because "after the thousandth time you hear one they start to lose some novelty..."
  • During the review of Sharknado he remarks, during the beginning:
  Yotobi: Of course, no ship captain's worthy of this name will ever abandon ship (a picture of Schettino appears)...well, almost..."
• Tempting Fate: One of his most employed gags, best seen in his review of Hercules.
  Yotobi::Well, compared to Dinosaur Adventure the dub seems improved.(Hears Dyonisus talk) ... why? Why I can't just shut up?".
• That Came Out Wrong: In the abovementioned crossover review, we have this exchange.
  Yotobi: “We see a robber entering an office in order to kidnap a girl, Dr. Lightning’s daughter.”
  iltizioqualunque: “On a side note, that mask is just awesome. We like it very much.”
  Yotobi: “You can find it in online catalogs, filed under 'amateur porn'.”'
  iltizioqualunque: “And how do you know that?”
  Yotobi: “Moving on.”
• This Is Gonna Suck: As is the case for any hammy online reviewer who makes a big deal out of a movie’s flaw, Yotobi’s reviews can be told apart from each other by their openings. One review in particular, the one for the Italian movie Troppo Belli (“Too handsome”), opens with him sobbing in a corner, a treatment he didn’t reserve even for the Seltzer and Friedberg movies he reviewed. Yeah, you've read that right. There are movies that are even worse. The movie’s infamy is common knowledge in Italy, to the point that when Yotobi begs other Italian internet reviewers, they don’t even want to have anything to do with it.
  “If you wanted to review Troppo Belli, that’s your business.”
  • That was topped by AlbaKiara, which begins with him apologizing to a Mario doll.
  • Happens often in his Dark Souls Let’s Play.
• Toilet Humor: Examined and ultimately deconstructed in his review of Natale in India, where he ends up analyzing the concept and getting to the conclusion that, no, poop ain't funny.
• Viewer Pronunciation Confusion: invoked In his review of Shark Attack 3: Megalodon Yotobi keeps mispronuncing Megalodon, uncertain between MegaloDOn and MegaLOdon.
• Voice of the Legion: Best seen in the review of Primavera di Granito, where his hysterical laughter suddenly takes a demonic turn. At the end of the review, he comes to the conclusion that the movie is nothing more than the the Devil's latest disguise to destroy mankind. Complete with reverbering Large Ham dialogue.
• What Do You Mean, It's for Kids?: Invoked during his review of Dingo Picture's Dinosaur Adventure when the "cannibal" dinosaurs appear.
  Yotobi (as the movie maker): "So, little girl, what would you like to see in this Dinosaur movie? Funny voices?"
  Yotobi's Girlfriend: "Yay!"
  Yotobi: "Silly pictures?"
  Yotobi's Girlfriend: "Yay!"
  Yotobi: "Cannibalism?"
  Yotobi's Girlfriend: (hides behind her teddy bear with a shocked face)
  Yotobi: Beat "Cannibalism then!"
• Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: As of the Supaidāman review, Yotobi appears to be arachnophobic. When the Pilot Episode has a Gross-Up Close-Up of a spider, he’s not amused.
  “While Peter^note although “Peter” actually has another name here, justifed due to him being, well, Japanese is riding his bike with his little brother, he finally sees the SPIIII—UUUUUUUUGGGH—yuck! Way, way, way too close to the camera! I’m arachnophobic!! Are you trying to kill me? (cue the spider’s reflection in “Peter”’s eye) Argh... not again!”
  • Everything's Cuter with Kittens: What he does immediately afterwards.
  “Well, I have no choice but to swap every shot of the spiders with superimposed cute kittens. (cut to the edited scene) Muuuuuch better.”
  • Happens again in his Let's Play of Dark Souls upon getting a good look at Quelaag.
• Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Invoked Trope, by Yotobi, usually during scenes when characters, despite clearly having guns, are doing everything but actually use them.
  Yotobi: Excuse me, miss, but what's that oblong dark thing you have there? Oh, she just dropped it, probably nothing important, maybe a gift from auntie... SHOOT IT Already!!!"

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