It is a quiet Tuesday evening in Tokyo, 2021. The world outside is still navigating the strange, quiet rhythms of a pandemic era, but inside Apartment 302, the atmosphere is decidedly more chaotic.

For a look at the calming style that made these videos famous, watch this 2021 highlights clip: MAKO0MAKO0 / まこまこ YouTube• 26 Jul 2017 A Note on the Search Term "Makoto Oya"

Unlike the high-energy videos that dominate TikTok or YouTube Shorts, the 2021 videos often featured long, static takes. The camera doesn’t chase the animal; it waits for the animal to enter the frame. This gives the footage a stillness that feels almost nostalgic—like a moving photograph.

Oya was arrested in August 2017 after a member of the public alerted authorities to his videos. During his trial at the Tokyo District Court: The Defense: