Gigguk

Gigguk
Gigguk at SMASH! 2022 in Sydney, Australia
Personal information
Born
Garnt Maneetapho

(1990-05-31) 31 May 1990 (age 34)[1]
Brighton, East Sussex, England[2]
Nationality
EducationUniversity of Bristol (MEng)
Occupations
Spouse
Sydney Poniewaz
​
(m. 2022)​
YouTube information
Channel
LocationTokyo, Japan
Years active2006–present
GenreAnime
Subscribers3.61 million[3]
Total views616 million[3]
Associated acts
100,000 subscribers2013
1,000,000 subscribers2017
Twitch information
Channel
Years active2011–present
Genres
Games
Followers417 thousand[4]
Last updated: 1 January 2025

Garnt Maneetapho (born 31 May 1990), better known as Gigguk, is a Thai-British YouTuber and podcaster who is known for his comedic rants and reviews on anime and otaku culture.[5] He is affiliated with the Kadokawa-backed agency GeeXPlus.[6][7]

Career

Maneetapho created his YouTube channel, then called "The Anime Zone", in 2006, using the online pseudonym "Gigguk," a nickname by which his family called him.[8] In 2012, he created parodies of popular anime, starting with Rebuild of Evangelion into the EvAbridged series.[9]

From 2012 to 2016 Maneetapho was a member of the PodTaku podcast alongside co-hosts Tristan Gallant (Arkada), Holden Bremley (HoldenReviews) and Jeanne (xDisturbedJeans).[10][11]

During 2017, Maneetapho retired the "Anime Zone" moniker for his channel, now just called "Gigguk". In February 2018, Maneetapho presented the Best Comedy award at the 2nd Crunchyroll Anime Awards, alongside YouTuber LilyPichu, at the Ricardo Montalbán Theatre in Los Angeles.[12]

In November 2019, Maneetapho, along with YouTuber Sydney Poniewaz (Sydsnap), moved to northwestern Tokyo, Japan to begin working as an influencer for GeeXPlus.[7] The effort was to help promote/introduce anime and Japanese culture to the rest of the world through his content.[7]

In February 2020, Maneetapho joined alongside Connor Colquhoun (CDawgVA) and Joey Bizinger (The Anime Man) in creating and hosting a weekly audio and video podcast called Trash Taste, where they discuss anime, manga, otaku culture, and their experiences while living in Japan.[13][14][15][16] The first episode was released on 5 June 2020 with new episodes available on YouTube and major podcast platforms every Friday.[17][18] In August 2020, Maneetapho participated in a chess tournament hosted by Chess.com for anime YouTubers.[19] Reaching the finals, Maneetapho beat fellow Trash Taste co-host Connor Colquhoun.[20] In July 2021, Maneetapho successfully defended his title in Tournament Arc 2, hosted again by Chess.com.[21][22]

Personal life

Maneetapho's parents are from Thailand, and he was born and raised in the United Kingdom. He is a practicing Buddhist, and has served as a monk twice in his life, once when he was a teenager and once as an adult.[23] Maneetapho became engaged to fellow YouTuber Sydney Poniewaz on 12 April 2019.[24][25] On 5 June 2022, they were married at a ceremony in the UK.[26]

References

  1. ^ @GiggukAZ (31 May 2019). "It's my birthday, but I don't need any presents so send me your best memes" (Tweet). Retrieved 29 May 2021 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ @GiggukAZ (26 March 2013). "@Brandon2469 I was born and bred in Brighton, England. So yes I am" (Tweet). Retrieved 29 May 2021 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ a b "About Gigguk". YouTube.
  4. ^ "Gigguk - Streamer Overview & Stats". TwitchTracker. Archived from the original on 7 February 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  5. ^ "Top 30 Anime of All Time According to Gigguk". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on 23 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  6. ^ Powell, Dennis (8 April 2021). "A Normie's Haphazardly Ordered Guide to an Often-Overlooked Art Form". Open for Business. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  7. ^ a b c Kelts, Roland (3 February 2020). "GeeXPlus brings anime YouTubers to Japan". The Japan Times. Tokyo, Japan. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  8. ^ Rowland-Dixon, Taye (5 October 2018). "Verge Meets: Gigguk". Verge Magazine. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  9. ^ Trinos, Angelo Delos (20 March 2021). "10 Abridged Series More Popular Than The Actual Anime". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  10. ^ "PodTaku – Episode 00: The Holden Encyclopedia". glassreflection.net. 2 July 2012. Archived from the original on 2 February 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  11. ^ "A Goodbye to PodTaku". YouTube. 10 January 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  12. ^ Pohara, Aron (9 February 2018). "Crunchyroll Anime Awards Update!!". We The Nerdy. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  13. ^ "Live 'Podcast' Event: Trash Taste: Japan-based YouTubers" (Press release). Tokyo, Japan: Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan. 17 June 2021. Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  14. ^ 日本外国特派員協会 オフィシャルサイトFCCJchannel (17 June 2021). Live 'Podcast' Event: Trash Taste: Japan-based YouTubers. YouTube. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  15. ^ Varcoe, Fred (6 June 2021). "Three men in a pub" (PDF). Number 1 Shimbun. Tokyo, Japan: Foreign Correspondent's Club of Japan. pp. 13–15. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  16. ^ Smith, Mike (Winter 2021). "The Trash Taste Podcast". Metropolis Japan. Tokyo, Japan: Japan Partnership Inc. pp. 22–25. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  17. ^ St. Michel, Patrick (9 February 2021). "New trends in 'J-vlogging' allow for a more diverse range of views on Japan". The Japan Times. Tokyo, Japan. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  18. ^ Ziegler, Michael (2 February 2020). "Kadokawa holt Anime-YouTuber nach Japan, um dort zu leben und zu arbeiten" [Kadokawa brings anime YouTubers to Japan to live and work] (in German). Sumikai. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  19. ^ "Tournament Arc". Chess.com. 7 August 2020. Archived from the original on 10 December 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  20. ^ Copeland, Sam (11 August 2020). "Protaganist Vanquishes Villain In Tournament Arc". Chess.com. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  21. ^ "Anime Vs. Fighters Battle for $10,000 Chess Prize in Tournament Arc 2". Anime News Network. 16 July 2021. Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  22. ^ Pedro Pinhata (26 July 2021). "Gigguk Crowned Tournament Arc 2 Champion". Chess.com. Archived from the original on 2 August 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  23. ^ Trash Taste Highlights (10 August 2020). Garnt Used To Be A Real Monk. YouTube. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  24. ^ @GiggukAZ (12 April 2019). "She said yes; Waifus are real guys" (Tweet). Retrieved 30 May 2021 – via Twitter.
  25. ^ Poniewaz, Sydney "Sydsnap" (5 May 2019). How Did Gigguk Ask Me To Marry Him? (Answering Your Questions). YouTube. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  26. ^ @GiggukAZ (6 June 2022). "Mr and Mrs" (Tweet). Retrieved 6 June 2022 – via Twitter.