There’s a lot of media nowadays. With how easy access to the internet is and how much media there is to find, it’s pretty easy to only look at the big stuff people are talking about. For every big budget AAA game with the fanciest graphics you’ve ever seen that ALL your friends keep talking about, like its the newest thing since "sliced bread" (which is a pretty neat invention that I only found out about yesterday), there’s a smaller indie game with a lovable 8-bit charm. These pieces of underground and indie media deserve much more love than what they get, so we at the BUTT decided to rank them and highlight the ones we love the most. Without further ado, here’s the BUTT’s picks for the most underground and indie media of all time.
10. Everything Everywhere All at Once
If you consider yourself a movie lover then this film is definitely a must-watch. Coming from a little known studio called “A24”, this comedy about a woman trying to pay her taxes ends up turning into a multiversal adventure, something that has never been done before. Compared to other movies that came out this year, if you can even call them that, EEAO (as the few fans who’ve seen it like to call it) will definitely be a large contender for multiple awards. The only problem is that it lasted only a short time in theaters since not many people went to see it. However, this isn’t a problem for those real cinephiles and fans of kino like myself. Us true fans watched this on a plane because there was literally nothing else to do with our time.
9. Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan)
Coming from the small unknown island of Japan, this anime, which roughly translates to Japanese cartoon, is one that I’m sure is quite often overlooked. This underground masterpiece follows the hero turned villain trope, one that is almost never seen in today’s media. That’s right, the main character Eren Jaeger becomes a genocidal maniac who turns on his Nazi allegory oppressors in a turn that no one could have seen coming. This cartoon isn’t afraid of leaving viewers saddened by the killings of their favorite characters which always keeps the suspense cranked up to 11. Unfortunately this piece of media is largely overlooked due to the fact that it’s foreign which is why we can’t recommend this cartoon enough. The only thing keeping this show from being higher on this list is that the few fans it has are pretty weird and there wasn’t enough Monkey. Damn, if only we could have seen him take wing.
8. CNN
That’s right, now we’re getting obscure. CNN, or Cable News Network as some like to call it, is a pretty amazing piece of media, and also our competition. However, unlike the BUTT, the CNN is an extremely low key news source. The underground Network struggles to maintain an active viewership due to the highly subversive stances it takes on current events in order to promote free speech across the United States. CNN takes the number 8 spot due to its reliability and forwardness. With all respect to our competition, CNN deserves this spot on the list.
7. Music
Unlike the other media on the list, Music is special because it’s not a piece of media, but rather a whole genre of one that not many have heard about. In this obscure genre, a person or group of people would make a “song” that is considered music. These songs are made up of funky beats that’ll leave you unable to do anything but vibe to it. What’s truly astonishing about music is how little people actually know about it. Seriously, go bother your friends, family, neighbors, rabbi, whoever and show them what this incredible genre is all about. It doesn’t matter what “song” it is, chances are they never heard of it anyway. Be careful about who you introduce Music to, though, because they might get really uncomfortable at the idea of listening to such wacky and weird noises.
6. Rick and Morty
Funniest shit I’ve ever seen, I’ll tell you what. Since I’m sure you never heard of this one before, let me be the one to tell you what makes this indie TV show so great. First of all, it’s animated. Now I know that may make you think that it’s for kids, but they say fuck in it. That’s right- fuck. You won’t be seeing Spongebob say that anytime soon. Already this show is so good because it dares to be adult and mature compared to other animated shows. Speaking of which, you have to be really smart to understand the show. I’m not going to explain why because you’re reading this so I know that you’re smart. Rick and Morty combines abstract scientific concepts with epic references to modern culture, with the unfortunate side effect of being largely unknown, making the show the perfect candidate for this spot on the list. Wubba lubba dub dub my friends, wubba lubba dub dub (if you know, you know).
5. The Office
Have you ever watched the Despicable Me movies and wonder what the voice of Gru actually sounds like? Well, it turns out that before becoming the lovable villain we all know and love, Steve Carell was in a little known TV show called The Office. I know a show about an office job may be boring, but trust me on this, it’s really quirky and has a little something for everyone. This show has everything one could want in a show: comedy, action, lovable characters, memorable quotes, and there totally isn’t anything questionable by today’s standards in it. I’m sure that you heard some of the great quotes and jokes from the show, without even realizing it. The show even has some really nice and heartwarming scenes and quotes as a sort of cherry on top. Seriously, out of the 500 people in my graduating class in high school, only 50 had a line from this show as their yearbook quote. That’s hardly enough tribute to what this hidden gem rightfully deserves! Do yourself a favor, and watch this absolute blast of a show.
4. The Witcher 3
That’s right, The Witcher 3. This incredible video game is so deserving of this spot on the list because it’s so obscure that none of the writers at the BUTT actually beat or played most of the game. Aside from me of course, I played it for like two hours so you can consider me a hardcore fan. That’s two hours I could have spent doing schoolwork, partying, or other things that “normal people” are “supposed” to be doing. Yeah, I’m a “gamer”, and I’m proud of that. Anyway, The Witcher 3 is so gosh darn cool in how The game takes place in a fictional fantasy world based on Slavic mythology. Players control Geralt of Rivia, a monster slayer for hire known as a Witcher, and search for his adopted daughter, who is on the run from the otherworldly Wild Hunt. Players battle the game's many dangers with weapons and magic, interact with non-player characters, and complete quests to acquire experience points and gold, which are used to increase Geralt's abilities and purchase equipment. The game's story has three possible endings, determined by the player's choices at key points in the narrative. If that doesn’t make you want to pick up this indie gem, then I don’t know what will.
3. Star Wars: Episode 3
Now we’re getting to the good stuff. Star Wars: Episode 3 Revenge of the Sith faced the unfortunate problem of being the third movie of a franchise while the first two movies were garbage. As a result of those bad movies, many fans fell off the franchise before giving SW3 a chance. And what a movie they missed. SW3 has everything a great movie has to offer. It’s got action, drama, an amazing score, all within an apolitical science fiction setting. This incredible movie serves as the perfect capstone to the origin of Darth Vader. Unfortunately, due to the lack of ticket sales for the movie, we never got to see Darth Vader take wing and be the bad bitch we always knew he could be. As the perfect #3, we at the BUTT could only hope that this article gains enough traction to show the indie company “Disney” that the people want to see more of the obscure, mysterious Vader.
2. Breaking Bad
Holy shit this show is something else. I know absolutely no one has watched this show because it has ads every five minutes, and I can’t blame them. If every five minutes of my life was interrupted by a Wendys “high frive” ad, I’d go fucking insane. But if you were one of the brave soldiers who stood by this show no matter how many ads there were, then you’re a real one. The “show” (if you can even call it that) is about how an underappreciated chemistry teacher decides to bring more clout to himself by producing an underground drug known as “methamphetamine”. The show isn’t even the best part of Breaking Bad; the Breaking Bad fanbase is one of the bestest, most underground out there. You’re sure to have an amazing conversation about the show with a dedicated fan, whether it’s about the deep lore or the many interpretations of the writing that will make you ask “what did Vince Gilligan (the experimental filmmaker behind the show) mean by this?”. The obscure memes produced by fans are also to die for. For instance, take a look at this fan favorite meme that was created in honor of the show:
Funniest shit I’ve seen all day. I showed the person who was sitting next to me on the bus as I was writing this entry the above meme but they didn’t laugh at all, not one bit. Now do you see why this deserves to be so high up on the list?
Honorable Mention
Before we go to our #1 pick, we felt like there was something missing on our list that wouldn’t be right if we didn’t include it as at least an honorable mention on the list. That being: The Bible. Despite being about 2000 years old, not many people have actually read this indie book. For every 100 or so “fake fans” who quote it wrong, or simply have a small IQ to understand it, there’s only maybe one schmuck who actually touched it. But the true fans are something else. The Bible has what some may call a "cult following" as its fans are willing to kill anyone who even slightly disagrees with what the books say. Think Harry Potter fans when someone suggests a different ship levels of awful. Even if you’re not big into reading, The Bible is worth a read to at least learn about some of the crazy stuff a few people believe in.
Pictured Above: "Jesus", an obscure character from The Bible. Don't make fun of him, because many of the Bible's hardcore fans will get pretty mad if you do.
1. Avengers: Endgame
Avengers: Endgame is an unknown masterpiece the likes of which has never been seen before in cinema, and likely to be never seen again. The last movie in a little watched franchise of like 20 movies, Avengers: Endgame only made a measly $2.798 billion dollars. And I get it, it may seem daunting to watch 20 movies before getting to this one. But let me tell you that it is oh so worth it. Avengers Endgame provides such a satisfying ending to over a decades worth of indie movies. And it’s this reason that this is at the top of the list. Most pieces of indie movies are standalone, but Avengers Endgame is an homage to tons of indie projects. With amazing scenes and decent enough CGI, you owe it to yourself to watch this indie masterpiece.