This video is a live A/B test of gay dating app optimization dressed as a personal confidence arc — Meng didn't find himself, he rebranded.
The top comment at 64 likes celebrates Meng 'radiating confidence,' but the second-most-liked (63 likes) is from a self-identified side who notes the apps hit him with tops, not bottoms — quietly confirming the video's real thesis that role categories are more porous than profiles admit.
The call-back structure — reversing the prior 'Japan hates me' video — anchors Meng's two-variable profile change (position label + gym photo) as a controlled experiment, making Grindr data feel like evidence rather than oversharing.
Watch outA meaningful comment cluster directly frames this as market-driven performance rather than self-discovery, and two commenters ask whether chasing more messages filters for people who want the persona, not the person.
If optimizing your lane wins inbound volume but selects for people attracted to a constructed image, what happens to connection quality the first time you step out of the suit?
Meng recounts how two changes to his Grindr profile — listing himself as vers instead of pure bottom, and switching to a body-focused, less smiley profile photo — transformed his experience on the app in Japan. Where he previously received no unsolicited messages, he now receives regular attention, primarily from tall bottoms. He and Andrew discuss why the profile changes work, what it reveals about attraction dynamics in Japan's gay dating scene, and what Meng's shift toward topping feels like in practice.
Meng and Andrew unpack why switching his Grindr position label from 'bottom' to 'vers' — combined with a new gym-body mirror selfie — triggered a flood of inbound messages from tall Tokyo bottoms who previously ignored him. The conversation moves from profile mechanics to the broader economics of gay dating roles: 'bottom lane saturation' in Japan creates a counterintuitive market for short, formerly bottom-coded men who can plausibly present as tops, with the 'Riiman' salaryman suit fetish and 'corgi top' phenomenon as supporting data. Woven throughout is Andrew's running skepticism about whether Meng has genuinely changed or simply rebranded, a tension the audience clearly enjoys and the comment section does not resolve.
How this video's like-and-comment rate compares to this channel's running average.
Opening 15 seconds — the bit that decides whether a viewer keeps watching.
“[0:00] And I'm not lying guys, like, Japan hates **** [0:04] I think he's attracted to the second picture [0:07] He kind of wants to take off the shoes and then see them steam a little bit [0:11] He said he wants to be my pet [0:17] Now you get to try this [0:19] This is my new favorite snack
The clip-montage cold open generates strong curiosity through the censored word and provocative fragments, but the rapid cuts (dating apps → snack tasting) create tonal whiplash that dilutes the premise before it lands. Compared to the channel's conversational format, this feels like a YouTube-native tease that works for returning viewers but leaves new ones confused about what they are actually watching.
Three alternative openings, each in a different archetype. Each is under 40 words — completable in 15 seconds.
“I tracked every Grindr message I received in Tokyo for months as a bottom — then changed two things on my profile. The difference was immediate and kind of embarrassing.”
WhyFrames the personal experiment as a finding with a specific before/after structure, signalling payoff within the first breath rather than after 90 seconds of montage.
“I switched my Grindr profile from bottom to vers and updated one photo. In 48 hours, tall handsome strangers were asking me to ruin them. I need to talk about this.”
WhyThe '48 hours' and 'tall handsome strangers' details echo the most-liked comment language and make the outcome feel concrete and verifiable rather than vague.
“The problem isn't that Japan doesn't like you. It's that the bottom lane is completely saturated and you're stuck in traffic. Here's how to change lanes.”
WhyTurns the channel's own previous 'Japan hates me' narrative on its head using the episode's sharpest line ('too many cars in the lane'), which became the top-liked comment quote.
The title promises a personal revelation about attention, which is delivered, but the comments reveal the real substance is a substantive discussion of Japan's skewed top/bottom ratio, how role labelling on apps limits attraction, and Meng's genuine confidence evolution — none of which 'Here's What Changed' hints at. The audience engaged most with the systemic insight ('bottom lane is too saturated') not just Meng's inbox count.
Side-by-side of Meng's old smiley profile picture versus the new suit/mirror selfie, with a simple text overlay — comments repeatedly reference the profile photo change as the concrete catalyst.
167 comments analysed and clustered into themes.
Viewers most loved watching Meng's visible happiness and newfound confidence — 'you're radiating confidence,' 'he's usually so self-deprecating,' and 'dropdead gorgeous and confident' recur across the top comments. The specific line 'the bottom lane is too saturated — too many cars!' landed as the episode's breakout quote (34 likes, echoed in replies). Andrew's wordless skeptical reaction shots were cited almost as frequently as Meng's stories: 'Andrew's face — skeptical AF' functioned as the comedic spine the audience kept returning to.
How the audience feels — a Net Sentiment mood score, how split the room is, and an early churn signal. All from the comments, not YouTube analytics.
Net Sentiment Score over 155 analysed comments; headline adjusted toward the channel norm (Bayesian, C=20). Polarization = normalised entropy. Comment-derived — not YouTube analytics.
Who actually showed up in the comments — psychographic, topical and language mix. Computed deterministically from 155 labeled root comments.
YouTube’s 2025 discovery shift now weights satisfaction signals — comment sentiment, tone, and depth. We can’t see the model, but we can estimate its inputs. Directional only.
Key transcript moments — tap a timestamp to jump to that point in the video.
Each comment theme mapped to the transcript moment that sparked it.
Meng describing his 'total new identity' after the gym + profile change (2:21), Andrew's semi-backhanded compliment that he now looks like an 'Ojisan — a grown mature man' (6:21), and Meng's admission at 23:00 that he has new attention he doesn't know how to handle — the vulnerability underneath the confidence arc.
The 'Strike Zone is wider for tops' argument at 4:11 (hairy ass example), the 'bottom lane is too saturated — too many cars' line at 5:54 which became the episode's most-quoted moment, and the 'corgi top' revelation at 20:10 which sent the comments into warmth and jokes about Queen Elizabeth.
Unanswered questions and explicit requests from the comment thread — fuel for the next upload.
Three video ideas pulled directly from what the comments asked for.
Controlled experiment: Meng reverts Grindr label to 'bottom' for two weeks (gym body unchanged) — does attention drop back to baseline?
Deep dive into Japan's gay kink subcultures — Riiman fantasy, suit fetish, foot/pet dynamics — with real encounters
Meng and Andrew break down gay dating app profile strategy — the 'never smile,' blank-canvas, Japandi photo meta
Episode on 'sides' — gay men who don't top or bottom — are they the most ignored group on apps?
Global top/bottom ratio comparison: Japan vs Brazil vs US vs Europe — with data from the channel community
Official TokyoVers era launch — channel rebrand episode with guests who've made the bottom→vers transition
Who to reply to first — ranked by impact, with a ready-to-send draft in your voice.
as a insecure virgin with a lot of social anxiety and internal shame this channel has helped me a lot with thinking about sex in a more friendly and less taboo or shameful way, and that being in your 30's that sex can still be fun and enjoyable and nice, and still a possibility, like i didn't miss anything by not having it as a teenager, thank you guys, just watching has helped my internal confidence
This genuinely means a lot to us — thank you for sharing something so personal. That's exactly why we keep making these videos, and you haven't missed anything at all.
Meng has been looking fire lately tbh. The grindr pic is top tier. I'm a side but I had many tops in Tokyo hit me up, which was odd to me because I'm quite big for Japan, not a small bottom twink at all. A study needs to be done lol
A study absolutely needs to be done — the fact that you're a side and STILL getting tops sliding in is data we did not account for. Future episode material right here honestly.
I met Don the other night and I was so happy to see him. I did mention I subscribe to you guys. Such lovely guy. Wish I saw you on the apps Meng 😢
Don told us!! So glad you got to meet him — and honestly update your Grindr profile, Meng says he's open to messages from lovely subscribers 👀
Tops and Bottoms come in all shapes and forms of expression. I feel that when gay people don't have enough exposure to other gay people's lives from main stream media they will naturally absorb straight stereotypes and ideals because that's the only thing that is available. Associating Tops and Bottoms with straight male and female roles is just weird and crazy. I come from a homophobic and religious country, in fact just the other day they burned a rainbow flag in place of Judas for Easter, so I had the exact same misconceptions when I was younger about these roles. Now, at 40+ I have met all sorts of colorful people, from top drag queens to short dominant bottoms, to know that Tops and Bottoms come in all shapes and forms of expression. 😘🏳🌈
This is such a good point — and the context you're coming from makes it hit even harder. The stereotypes really do seep in when there's no other representation. Thank you for sharing this 🏳️🌈
I'm happy for you, but I feel that it's sad we have to change our personality/preferences (and I won't even talk about bodies) to fit into a certain stereotype in order to date other ppl... It seems that in a way Japan's seemly homogeneous society also erases sexual diversity :(
That's a fair tension to name — there's a real difference between discovering something new about yourself and performing something for attention, and honestly we probably didn't draw that line clearly enough in the video.
Another fun episode! As a tall (188cm) and thick (102kg) caucasian 90% bottom I can tell you it's challenging. I have no hangups about height. However, I know some guys who do. Meng, I'm really glad you are feeling the love lately . Andrew, As always I love your attitude and the way you weave your experiences into the conversation.
188cm and the height hangup still tracks your way — honestly that's the research we needed. Glad you found your people though, and thank you for always showing up 🙏
As a vers man, I enjoy my versatility, and I prefer an equal level of versatility in a partner. Do either of you prefer vers partners to exclusive tops? Would love to hear more of your thoughts, and maybe the thoughts of some of your friends.
That's actually something we've never properly addressed — Meng might have a new opinion on this given recent events 👀 Saving this for a future episode.
This video made me feel a little…uncomfortable? Almost kind of selling a need to alter your representation on these apps to be more desirable versus representing your genuine self. Idk, maybe Meng has under represented his verseness on apps previously but it feels like you're having to be something you're not to get more attention on apps and encouraging others to do the same. Sure you'll get more messages, but do you really want more of those that aren't reaching out to you for who you are? If it's just to have fun, sure why not, but to have a genuine connection, this seems like the wrong method to promote.
That's a completely fair read, and honestly the answer for Meng is probably 'both' — there's some genuine exploration happening, and some of it is just seeing what the apps respond to. The intention wasn't to say everyone should pander, but we hear you.
im curious: why are you using only 2 photos in your profile Meng?
We actually talk about this in the video! The strategy is basically: keep it minimal, don't show too much personality, let people project. Less is more on Grindr apparently 😅
Hey, Meng! Have you considered using the "versatile bottom" position description in your profile? It's a choice in the American version of Grindr--also Japan? I see a lot of people use it (& vers-top) in their profiles. The descriptor says that bottoming is the preferred position but the guy also can be versatile (ie top).
Vers bottom is actually really interesting — Meng went straight to vers but maybe vers-bottom is the more honest landing spot? We need to revisit this in a follow-up.
Ok how do i say this... I used to enjoy these episodes before but now i find myself feeling sad... after watching them talking for more than 20 minutes about ... well,, hooking Up and getting attention (or not)... This is not hate for them... It is just an observation about my experience with the Channel...
That's a fair feeling to name and we appreciate you still watching. Not every episode goes deep — some are just us talking through our actual lives. Hope the next one lands better for you.
Common guys ! Admit that you first created your channel because you were both « needy », hoping to attract attention from tops. In fact, I never liked your limiting channel name ! Like the whole gay world is divided between exclusive tops and bottoms, when the variety of options is so much larger, sides included. The channel name only reflects your personal preference and frankly it would not attract me to subscribe to your channel. But I did and don't regret it because I saw that your content was interesting and wider ranging than your limiting channel name. I vote for a new more encompassing channel name which might attract more viewers.
We literally floated 'Tokyo VRS' in this episode so... the rebrand discussion is very much alive. Sides included, noted 😅
Shareable social-proof quotes — ready for thumbnails, community posts, or a sponsor deck.
“Meng, you're radiating confidence, so nice to see!”
“Meng in his Vers Twunk Era? WERKKKKKKKKKKK”
“"The bottom lane is too saturated" LOL! You guys are so hilarious and cute ♥”
“I'm so happy for Meng! Like I love that he is finding this new side of him”
“Secret to being gay popular: be muscular; vers and handsome. Ancient Japanese secret unlocked 😂. I really love seeing Meng be so happy and confident.”
“Aww its cute that Meng is feeling himself a little more, he's usually so self-deprecating! Enjoy your new popularity, and you look great in those pics!”
“you are my cool Japanese friends with whom I share some gay gossip once a weekish while I have dinner 🫶”
“Meng, you have evolved from cute and sweet to dropdead gorgeous and confident! I'm not surprised you are attracting more attention than ever before. You could be a model.”
Moments worth cutting into Shorts — each with a title and a ready hook line. Timestamps link to the video.
Top reply-magnet comments — where the real debate happened. 12 replies across 9 roots · max chain 3 deep · creator replied to 1%
Common guys ! Admit that you first created your channel because you were both « needy », hoping to attract attention from tops. In fact, I never liked your limiting channel name ! Like the whole gay world is divided between exclusive tops and bottoms, when the variety of o…
Meng, you're radiating confidence, so nice to see!
Andrew's face - skeptical AF lol ...
I'm so happy for Meng! Like I love that he is finding this new side of him
wow, that surprises me. i'm a top and i love total bottom skinny twinks. actually, i'm way more interested in bottoms than in vers.
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