*I’m Kento Bento*
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Alright, the last follow-up video I did, people seemed to like it
so, hey, you’re getting another.
Of course, if you’ve clicked on this, I assume you’ve already watched
The Bizarre South Korean Bank Heist video (if not, go check it out first)
So as usual, many of you had some lingering questions that needed answering
like — Why didn’t Jeong just commit an easier crime?
What was up with that weird-ass stabbing scene?
What was on the TV screen in the background?
Why that mug?
Why was the female bank customer "so thicc"?
What happened to Jeong after being released from the police station?
Why did you go with this particular incident?
— it doesn’t feel like a story you would normally choose
What’s the next Kento Bento video going to be about?
And on a personal note, where were you the past nine months?
Did North Korea abduct you?
Did you get pregnant?
Did you get the 'rona?
Well, that’s a lotta questions and we don’t have much time
so let’s jump right in.
No, actually, I gotta do this first — hold this Nina
Bam. Million subscribers (oh, Nina’s a bit shy)
Actually, this happened back in March, but I wasn’t making videos then
so I’m saying it now.
Thank you, all of you, even the haters
— ah, maybe not all the haters
for being a Kento Bento fan
and for supporting us even though I take 10 years to put out a video
— I’m working on that
Anyway, so, the first question, and quite a common one —
Why didn’t Jeong just commit an easier crime?
And, on that note, why not a more severe crime as well
to really cement his chances of imprisonment.
Some of you lovely folks suggested he commit arson, kidnap a child,
attack the officers... with a real knife (jesus guys).
No, as I said in the video:
“Well, unfortunately, Jeong wasn’t too bright.”
Despite what may have seemed at the start, Jeong wasn’t a genius,
he was no mastermind
in the end it turned out he was just a desperate man
with extremely questionable logic,
there were likely other avenues he could have taken.
And despite my attempt at sarcasm to convey this:
”and so with unwavering determination, he set his genius plan into motion...
the heist was on."
"Wow... Well that was unique, the officer couldn't believe it...
...the sheer absurdity."
I guess it didn’t get through to all.
But the other implication throughout the video
was that the man didn’t want to hurt anyone, or cause too much trouble.
Look at the note, he was just too darn polite.
Why? Did he learn it from Mommy? (Perhaps)
Sure he could have done any number of horrible things
to ensure his residency in cell block B
but he likely didn’t have it in him. As mentioned:
“He’s certainly not a criminal, he was raised better than that”
Oh, and kudos to the one person who noticed that connection.
For those wondering, what’s with the ‘112’ written on the note
that’s just the phone number for the South Korean police.
Also above the note on Jeong’s desk,
you can see a folder that’s labeled in Korean.
Translating this you get ‘Bank Heist #4’
a reference to this video being the fourth bank heist we’ve covered on this channel.
By the way, quick plug, all those previous scenes you saw of criminal acts —
the beatdown, the fire, the kidnapping, the bloody knife
were all from The Shocking Chinese Pork Bun Murders video (my Nebula Original)
quite the terrifying video, or as this Reddit user put it:
“fantastic episode…. but what the absolute f*ck”.
So, yeah, watch it at your own peril.
Now from real knife to fake knife...
Question 2 — What was up with that weird-as stabbing scene?
Which scene? This scene:
"You see..."
"The knife wasn't real..."
"It was fake."
I think most just assumed it was meant as a bit of comic relief (albeit quite elaborate)
and yeah it was, but it was also something else —
a reference to a particular scene in Knives Out
one of my favourite movies in recent times (starring Chris Evans)
about a mysterious crime that culminates, too, in a fake knife reveal.
Quickly, here’s the original stabbing scene from the movie (spoiler in five)
Again, hats off to those who picked up on that reference. But there’s more.
Question 3 — What was on the TV screen in the background?
This was right near the beginning of the video as he was in his room
planning the so-called heist.
Something was playing in the distant background.
And if you can’t tell, I’ll make it clearer
let’s remove the static a bit, and.....
Hey! It’s Knives Out! Foreshadowing!
And, similarly, for the next question — Why that mug?
In two separate scenes, you see a very particular design on Jeong’s mug —
on his desk next to the blueprint,
and when he was fired by his boss.
And wouldn’t you know it — “My house, my rules, my coffee” —
it’s that same memorable mug that was in Knives Out
but with one notable difference — Jeong lives with mommy,
It’s Mom’s house! Respect.
Gosh, it’s even there in the thumbnail’s subtext — Knives Out
which, well makes sense either way
Long-time subscribers are probably aware I like to do this from time-to-time
like in ‘The Greatest Bank Heist in Chinese History’ video, which —
and speaking of Chris Evans —
I released the same month that Avengers Endgame came out
where I figured why not fill that video out with Endgame references
or easter eggs if you will.
And in the ‘How North Korea Held the Greatest Pro Wrestling Event in History’ video
there was an insane amount of pro wrestling references I put in there —
some obvious, many obscure.
And, while we’re at it, let’s keep this reference train rolling
where else have you heard of a man robbing a bank
only to get caught on purpose
because he desperately wanted to go to prison?
But one thing’s for sure, Jeong ain’t no Michael Scofield
but then Michael Scofield ain’t no Yoshie Shiratori.
Actually, speaking of, I know many of you found my channel through
the Incredible Japanese Prison Break video
but it’s still amusing that some of you refer to me as the miso soup man.
I love miso soup. I ain't complaining.
Jeong’s descent has also been likened to Parasite by a few of you
an Academy-award-winning South Korean black comedy thriller
in which desperation and poverty, too, leads the principle character (or characters)
to make some very questionable and unlawful decisions —
breaking bad to obtain something they can’t afford.
Speaking of, which is actually another show that came up
though to steal Tomas’ line here — Breaking Back.
Ok, ‘nuff about the easter eggs Kento, why don’t you tell us about the artwork?
Right! I want the serious, hard-hitting questions now, so throw ‘em at me.
Question 5, why was that female bank customer 'so thicc'?...
Ah...I dunno?
Well, whatever the case, I may not be the best person to answer
why that female bank customer was 'so thicc'.
You see, our illustration team consists of two people
that would be myself — I’m the art director and I plan out the storyboards
but there’s also my man, Charlie, who does the actual lineart and color.
If you like the specific art style of the characters —
whether the customer, the teller, or even Jeong himself
that’s Charlie’s domain. So let’s ask him
let’s get some deep character insight here:
Charlie, why was the female bank customer 'so thicc'?
"why not?”
Thank you for your insight.
So Charlie and I work hard to ensure the illustrations are up to standard
and honestly, we probably spend way too much time on perfecting things
that nobody even notices
be it random movie references,
making the characters look not just Asian but Korean,
ensuring the seamless transition between two eventual transmutable scenes
including this “trusty vendor” scene,
making mommy do this for no reason at all other than lolz,
even Hans Moleman over here, the janitor,
not at all being phased by the knife-wielding protagonist.
Oh, and of course, ensuring Jeong’s illustrations
adequately foreshadowed the eventual reveal of his back pain woes.
“because the longer it took for the police to arrive and for him to be arrested
the likelier things could have gone sideways, tensions were mounting.”
And tensions were mounting indeed
which brings me to the very real and unfortunate fact
that there are many — many — watching now
who I’m sure empathize with Jeong’s plight.
Back pain is no joke.
And actually, detour. Last year, after a lifetime of back problems
and with the pain getting progressively worse
I found out from my orthopaedic doctor that my spinal discs were
well, completely screwed.
In particular my fifth lumbar disc was destroyed, basically gone
and probably had been since I was a child
actually due to an accident I vividly remember looking something like this...
At the time, I really had no idea of the eventual ramifications.
So fast forward, after tolerating the discomfort for decades
I finally get my diagnosis last year, and am told my outlook unsurprisingly isn’t great
especially considering what I do for a living.
The number of hours I spend sitting on my ass ain’t doing me any favors.
So cautionary tale kids, don’t be reckless, protect that ass (what?)
or you may end up like your boy Bento
or worse, robbing a bank for the worst reasons imaginable.
Jeong, I feel ya brother.
Oh, and this isn’t the main health issue that took me out for the last nine months.
I wish it was just this — actually you know what?
let’s get this question out of the way while we’re at it
move it up the queue
The main thing that forced my absence was a more severe health issue
that I don’t really want to get too much into.
It’s a thing that’s still happening
some of you may have heard on Twitter or on Patreon
I know people have been asking about it
and many have been upset with me for not addressing it
suffice to say, I’m still trying to figure it all out
and I’m working on getting better.
For those who left kind and welcoming comments upon my return
despite not knowing why I left, I really appreciate you guys
oh, and, don’t worry. I will not stop making videos on YouTube.
I enjoy it too much.
So, anyway, you guys had some wild ideas about where I’ve been.
Let’s run through the gamut shall we —
China kidnapped me, North Korea kidnapped me,
I was arrested in the Hong Kong protests,
I was escaping Abashiri Prison,
it was nine months so I must have been preggos,
an original one here — I finally remembered my password (thanks Dashlane!)
and, of course, well, the ‘rona got him.
He dead.
Speaking of the ‘rona though, let’s get back on track with
What happened to Jeong after being released from the police station?
For Jeong, 2019 was a crappy year indeed,
but little did he know he’d go from one unlucky 19 to another.
So the story ended with a gut punch — a covid gut punch — and while that sucks
it turned out there was actually one person looking out for Jeong.
And no, I don’t mean his mom, although I’m sure his pajama top is
still being thoroughly buttoned to this day.
I’m talking about the officer who made the arrest — the officer who interrogated him.
You see, after realizing Mr. Jeong wasn’t too bright
he took pity on the poor fella, and with some prodding
soon found out that Jeong was simply unaware
of certain governmental relief programs.
and so the officer assisted in connecting him to the appropriate welfare center.
I do not know if his case ended up being approved
if he was deemed eligible for support
but all this is to say committing a fake bank heist only to get into prison
was, unsurprisingly, not his only option.
Now, the second-to-last question here
one that was talked about quite a bit in the comments section —
Why did you go with this particular incident?
It doesn’t feel like a story you would normally choose
And… you’re right.
This was a slightly different kind of story told in a slightly different way.
I wanted to experiment in this video, but not too much.
It was still very much a KB-style video, but it was a bit more nuanced, grounded,
and not going a million miles per hour as you may have come to expect from me.
And, yes, weird or odd situations surrounding healthcare is certainly more
prevalent in the US (I hear ya)
but it’s less so in the rest of the world, like Asia,
which is partly what drew me to this story, but not just that.
With all that’s happened in 2020, I wanted to return to YouTube with a video —
a story video — that felt somehow relevant in our current time
something to do with, say, the pandemic, healthcare,
people’s current economic plight
but still obviously on-brand, something Asiany, something, well, bank heist-y
and with my absence likely to be fresh on people’s minds
bonus if I can relate it to my personal situation, my recent struggles.
And wouldn’t you know, I found one that brought everything together
in an interesting way (or at least I tried to)
while, at the same time, upping our illustration game
Charlie, I hope we did good there.
“Why not.”
Now, as mentioned at the start, not only have we yes consolidated all this
into a brand new extensive beautiful illustrated sticker set
‘The Bizarre South Korean Bank Heist’ sticker set
but we’ve also made one for our most popular video ever
‘The Incredible Japanese Prison Break’
highlighting the story of Yoshie Shiratori’s legendary escapes
and of course my Nebula Original show, ‘The Shocking Chinese Pork Bun Murders’
which I have strategically censored here because I do not want to spoil the story
the bizarre and terrifying twists and turns for those who haven’t seen it.
The full sticker set is revealed at the end of the Nebula Original though.
Speaking of, every Kento Bento purchase (whether a sticker, a mug, a shirt)
comes with an automatic free month of Nebula
that’s right, a free month of Nebula
even if you already have Nebula, we just add a month on top of that.
So you can watch, of course, The Shocking Chinese Pork Bun Murders
but also other great Original shows from the likes of
Real Engineering, Tom Scott, and Wendover Productions.
And just to be clear, this counts for all Kento Bento merch
including our fancy Kento Bento pins, Kento Bento mugs, Kento Bento stickers
and Kento Bento shirts with Kento Bento written in Japanese on the back
Kento Bento has never said Kento Bento that many times in a single sentence.
Kento Bento also wants to clarify that the collectible sticker sets
are all available separately, so you can just pick and choose the set
from your favourite Kento Bento video — or videos.
I hope to do this for each new video in the future
like an ongoing collectibles thing
and lot of that depends on the success of this presale
so if you’re a fan of our stories, our illustrations
and want to bring a piece of it home and you want to help support us
go to standard.tv/kentobento (link is in the description)
and get your favourite Kento Bento merch.
You’ll receive a confirmation email for Nebula shortly after purchase.
Ok. I know there are only three people left,
but it’s not the end of the video.
The final question — What’s the next Kento Bento video going to be about?
Now, this is always tricky to answer because plans can always change, so disclaimer here.
I won’t reveal much now, but I will say it’s on a topic I’ve never done before
so no bank heists, no prison breaks, no grizzly murders.
This time around, it’ll be about a hijacking — an airplane hijacking
and, it ends up in a pretty strange and unexpected location.
Anyway, that’s it, it’s the end.
Thank you so much for watching
Don't forget to check out our merch
and I'll see you again in the next Asiany video