Overly Sarcastic Productions
Published 13 Apr 2016
At last! The saga continues, as our troupe of compadres grows from three to five and the story can REALLY get started!
In case you were wondering, this ISN’T the only origin of the five-man-band archetype, although it certainly accounts for a lot of the associated tropes. The Mahabharata is another classic example, with the five Pandava brothers filling out the classic roles very well.
Overly Sarcastic Productions
Published 22 May 2020
If videogames have taught me anything, it’s that an assassin can solve a lot of problems. But sometimes plans fall apart, and sometimes it’s for the absolute DUMBEST reasons.
SOURCES & Further Reading: A History of Venice by Norwich, Rebellion by Ackroyd, The Poison King by Mayor.
This video was edited by Sophia Ricciardi AKA “Indigo”. https://www.sophiakricci.com/
Our content is intended for teenage audiences and up.
Overly Sarcastic Productions
Published 14 Jan 2016
The eponymous Journey actually begins! Sure hope this doesn’t take another eighty-three chapters. OH WAIT
Sun Wukong is back, and better than ever! Or … well, or worse, depending on your point of view. He’s getting up to shenanigans again, which is generally pretty problematic — but you know what, he’s doing stuff, and that’s the important thing.
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Meet the progenitor of all brash, impulsive, superpowerful anime characters! Sun Wukong, the Monkey King and Great Sage, was the most impulsive of them all!
“Wreaking havoc in heaven is so much fun it should be illegal!” -Monkey, probably
I might cover something else before continuing with part two of The Journey To The West. It’s kind of a doozy, and I’m having a lot of trouble convincing myself to cut some parts out. Watch out for Don Quixote in the meantime.
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Japan may well have the record for World’s Speediest Industrialization, but how did they accomplish so much so fast without falling victim to Europe’s favorite 19th century pastime of “Colonization”? And how did Japan build up a Pan-Asian empire so darn quickly? All that and more in this deep-dive into the Meiji Restoration!
SOURCES & Further Reading: Modern Japan: A Very Short Introduction by Goto-Jones. The Japanese Empire: Grand Strategy from the Meiji Restoration to the Pacific War by Paine. Bushido: The Soul of Japan by Nitobe.
Overly Sarcastic Productions
Published 29 Jul 2017
Human sacrifice, smallpox, and the Spanish empire … that’s the whole story, right? Haha, eheh, hehe, HA, not even close! The civilizations of Mesoamerica are fascinating in their own right, and very distinct from each other too! Step on in and I’ll learn you a thing or two.
Also no spoilers, but next time, I’m covering the Iroquois Confederation! Ok, maybe that was exactly a spoiler. [Reposted here.]
This video was produced with assistance from the Boston University Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.
Third video in a week? Good lord, what have they been feeding us?
Anyway, Blue’s back, this time with more history! The exciting conclusion to the three-part video series! Our “Return Of The King”! Our “Return Of The Jedi”! Our… wow, a lot of “part three”s are the return of something or other, aren’t they? Let’s pretend this is “The Return Of Bruce”.
Overly Sarcastic Productions
Published 24 Apr 2020
“The Bard” is not only an essential class in any D&D party, but a byword for England’s most famous writer. We’ve covered a bit of Shakespeare before on OSP — just a bit, really, nothing major, only a dozen — but today we’ll look at how William got to Bard-ing, and how he accidentally became England’s biggest Historian.
SOURCES and Further Reading: The Introduction and play-texts of the Folger Shakespeare Library (The best way to read Shakespeare), “Shakespeare: A Very Short Introduction” by Wells
This video was edited by Sophia Ricciardi AKA “Indigo”. https://www.sophiakricci.com/
Our content is intended for teenage audiences and up.
Overly Sarcastic Productions
Published 10 Apr 2020
English history has a reputation for being nigh incomprehensible — what with all the kings, civil wars, succession crises, and slapfights with France. But with the right perspective (and a little royal-restraint), England can become quite a straightforward story. So let’s take a look at this slice of Britain, and see how it grew into the master of the Isles.
SOURCES & Further Reading: “History of England from the Tudors to the Stuarts”, lecture series for The Great Courses by Robert Bucholz, a great look at Renaissance and Early Imperial England.
“Ten Minute History of England and Britain” Parts 1-18, by History Matters, a lengthy chronicle of English history from the Roman conquest through the Union of the Crowns. Good watch if you have the time. Foundation by Peter Ackroyd, the first book in a mammoth 6-volume History of England, which covers everything up to the death of Henry VII. If you really want to dig into English history, this is the book for you.
This video was edited by Sophia Ricciardi AKA “Indigo”. https://www.sophiakricci.com/
Our content is intended for teenage audiences and up.
Overly Sarcastic Productions
Published 23 Sep 2015
Blue hits us with some physics! Hold onto your butts. That butt is made of star stuff, ya know. It’s very special. Be proud of that butt. It was forged in the heart of a supernova.
Anyway, yeah, physics.
Guest starring yours truly! Watch out for my extremely subtle and unobtrusive cameos.
The ninja thing is a reference to earlier videos. I think he shows up in the College video and the one about The Borgias.
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Overly Sarcastic Productions
Published 28 Aug 2015
Beowulf! The tale of the baddest Geat to ever Geat.
Tolkien said that the Dragon in Beowulf is one of only two *true* dragons in all of literature — the other being Fafnir. The influence of both these dragons is very visible in a lot of our more modern fantasy: for instance, where Beowulf’s Dragon inspired Smaug, o chiefest and greatest of calamities, Fafnir inspired C. S. Lewis to include that cursed bracelet thing that turned Eustace into a dragon in Voyage of the Dawn Treader. And I think we all know the badder of those two dragons, so I guess Tolkien — and, by extension, Beowulf — wins this round.
Overly Sarcastic Productions
Published 27 Mar 2020
The Italian Renaissance is known for its fancy art and ginormous domes, but what about the visionaries behind it? In this ~~fancy new series~~ we’ll discuss the antics of the period’s most famous artists.
Sources & Further Reading: Brunelleschi’s Dome by King, Leonardo Da Vinci by Isaacson, Benvenuto Cellini’s autobiography, and Artemisia Gentileschi by Garrard.
Our content is intended for teenage audiences and up.
This video was edited by Sophia Ricciardi, AKA “Indigo” https://www.sophiakricci.com/
