As the internet breaks apart and mutates in hideous new ways at breakneck speed, 2024 reminded netizens of one comforting constant: cat memes тАФ at least that remains the case in Japan, where the yearтАЩs top trends on YouTube revolved around our furry friends.
ThatтАЩs not to say Japanese YouTube is some kind of outlier from the rest of the world. In fact, through the 2020s it has been thematically aligning with a standard narrative on the platform. Take music, for example. A good chunk of Japanese youth discover new tracks on YouTube, and this yearтАЩs biggest included rap duo Creepy NutsтАЩ тАЬBling-Bang-Bang-BornтАЭ and Kocchi no KentoтАЩs тАЬHai Yorokonde.тАЭ The тАЬtrendingтАЭ section was dominated by pop acts as well as assorted TV personalities and, arguably JapanтАЩs biggest celebrity, Shohei Ohtani.
Still, itтАЩs animal clips that get the views.
