Draft:Ongezellig

Ongezellig is a Dutch adult independent-animated web series created by Studio Massa.^[1][2] The show follows Maya, an unsociable teenage girl, and her two adoptive sisters, Coco and Mymy, as Maya struggles to complete her history presentation. While originally intended to be an episodic series, it was canceled for the foreseeable future in 2024, turning its pilot episode into a de facto short film. It was released in 6 parts from 2018 to 2022 on Studio Massa's YouTube channel.

Characters

Maya Schoppenboer

The protagonist, a reclusive teenage girl without friends who resents her sisters, particularly Coco, for being adopted against Maya's will and stealing attention away from her. She copes with this by withdrawing from others.^[1][2] Voiced by Robin Barten.^{[‡ 1]}

Coco Schoppenboer

The popular, well-liked, and well-meaning sister of Maya who tries her best to make Maya feel less lonely, to little effect. Originally from South Africa, she was adopted into Maya's family after her parents' death.^[1][2] Voiced by Merel Does.^{[‡ 1]}

Mymy Schoppenboer

The power-hungry, Dutch nationalist sister of Maya from Japan who attempts to hide her heritage.^[1][2] Voiced by Joyce Ter Stege.^{[‡ 1]}

Vera Persijn

Maya's history teacher who looks down on her and her sisters as dumb. She is seen drinking Jip en Janneke Bubbelsap and "smoking" a cigarette-themed lollipop.^[2] Voiced by Kayleigh Luyks.

Plot

Part 1

Maya sits alone watching tentacle erotica in her dark room when Coco enters, much to her dismay. Coco asks whether Maya wants to work together on an upcoming history presentation, causing Maya to run out of the room. She becomes stuck in barricade tape she placed outside of her door, and while immotile observes framed photos of her and her sisters over time. She has become unhappier over time, while Coco has remained happy. Suddenly, she is "captured" by Mymy, who pretends to be a sailor of the Dutch East India Company. Refusing to untie her, Mymy instead discusses her excitement for the history presentation, which she believes will impress her classmates such that they elect her as class representative. Meanwhile, Coco attempts to work on her presentation on Maya's computer, but runs into technical issues. She comes upon Maya's search history and misconstrues it as a source to use for her presentation.^{[‡ 2]}

Part 2

The three sisters are in history class. Mymy finishes her presentation, however her history teacher, Vera, remarks that it was unrelated to history and instead was a list of reasons that she should be class representative. Vera fails her and tells her she must come to her office to schedule a retest. Mymy attempts to revolt, firing a toy gun at her. Vera hits Mymy on the head with a glass bottle, stunning her. Maya is next, however she forgot to make a presentation and must come to her office after school as well. Finally, Coco presents, however her presentation is about "mollusk love in ancient Japan," mistaking Maya's erotic content for an accurate representation of Japanese history. She obliviously begins to play the video which Maya was watching, sending her to the office along with her two sisters. In Vera's office, she asks what she did wrong.^{[‡ 2]}

Part 3

In Vera's office, the topic turns to each sister's country of origin. Coco is from South Africa, Maya from Brabant, and Mymy from Nagasaki. However, Coco incorrectly asserts that Maya is from Belgium, and Mymy attempts to obscure her Japanese heritage by claiming she is from Drenthe. Vera then offers the girls a chance at a resubmission. She assigns each sister a presentation about the history of her country of origin. Vera sets the deadline for 5pm on Friday, but Mymy makes a series of excuses why she cannot submit it on any day in the week. Angered, Vera changes the due date to 5pm that day. Maya is infuriated, but this quickly dissipates when she sits with her friends. Sadly, it is revealed that these are imaginary friends, and Maya is fantasizing about having fun with them while sitting in a bathroom stall. Coco texts her, asking her to come outside, to which Maya responds that she is with friends. Coco, who is sitting with her numerous friends, is confused by this.^{[‡ 3]}

Part 4

In the school's media lab, Maya sits at a computer nervously, unable to begin her presentation. Coco sneaks up behind her in a fashion similar to the first episode, and in a fit of paranoia, Maya claims that she has Parkinson's disease, afraid that Coco will ask her why her bed creaks at night. Mymy determines that this is a lie, instead claiming that she is autistic. Maya denies this, explaining that she has ADD and thus has trouble concentrating. Coco asks how she and Mymy can help Maya to focus, but Maya sits far away from her sisters, refusing help. She wonders what Coco's motive is for involving her socially, dismissing that it could be because Coco enjoys spending time with her, instead determining that it must be because she believes Maya is incompetent. In an attempt to prove her wrong, Maya appears to work on her presentation, but it is revealed that she was merely playing Ludo online, and now has only 30 minutes left to work. In a panic, she agrees to sit with Coco and Mymy and receive help.^{[‡ 4]}

Part 5

Mymy creates a presentation about Belgian history for Maya, however it harbors extreme anti-Belgian sentiment due to Mymy's Dutch nationalism. Coco instead consults a reputable source, however Mymy downplays all of Belgium's accomplishments. To split the workload, Coco assigns a task to each sister. To her, Belgian art; to Maya, Belgian trade; and to Mymy, the slide transitions, much to her dismay. Maya is finally determined to work, however Mymy interrupts her with personal questions, which she cannot stand, opting to retake the class. As she gets up to leave, she asks Coco why she wants to work with her. After telling half-truths, Coco eventually reveals that she knows Maya has no friends. Maya, shocked, says "better no friends than no parents," an insult to Coco, an orphan. This enrages Coco, who holds Maya out of an open window by her hoodie strings, demanding an apology. Maya gives one and, upon release, speeds out of the media lab.^{[‡ 5]}

Part 6

Maya stands on the ledge of the school roof, with her imaginary friends nearby. She pretends to contemplate jumping to get their attention, but they ignore her. Finally, one says that she is "cringe," shattering the illusion and revealing that Maya is once again in the school bathroom. Maya contemplates Coco's reasons for wanting to spend time with her, recalling examples of Coco's social popularity and Maya's lack of it, revealing her built-up resentment towards her sister. She then remembers her presentation is due and rushes out of the bathroom, only to find Coco standing outside. She apologizes for hanging Maya out of the window. Then, she tells her to quickly come back to the media lab because Vera is waiting to regrade them. Maya asks what she will present, to which Coco reluctantly responds that she must present Mymy's presentation. Coco assures an appalled Maya that she removed the racist parts of the presentation. Vera gives Maya a passing grade for her presentation, and her suspicions that Mymy wrote it are dispelled by its lack of racist content. Maya is shocked that she passed and remains this way biking home and eating dinner. Once again isolated in her room, Coco knocks on her door, asking Maya if she wants to play Ludo with her and Mymy. Maya refuses her offer. She then climbs in her bed and listens to her sisters having fun without her through the wall.^{[‡ 1]}

Comics

In addition, Studio Massa also created two webcomics for the series, which he places somewhere between canon and non-canon.

Maya's Sweet 16

It is nearly midnight, and Maya lays awake in bed as she turns 16. She falls asleep and dreams of a birthday party which nobody has come to, picturing a swarm of negative comments from them about her unpopularity and unlikeable qualities. She wakes up crying and forces herself to vomit in order to avoid going to school that day. When her sisters come to bring her a slice of cake in the morning, their mother says Maya is too sick for it. Coco enters Maya's room to check on her, only to find her at her computer, entirely healthy. Shocked and disappointed, she rushes out of the room. On the bike ride to school, Coco and Mymy both worry about her.^{[‡ 6]}

Maya's Conversation

Maya sits on the bus alone, listening to music on her headphones. A boy asks if he can sit next to her, which she reluctantly agrees to. Faintly hearing what she is listening to through her headphones, the boy says that he also a fan of their music. Maya then jokes that she will play the song on their wedding night. Once she realizes what she said, she claims to have a boyfriend. At the next stop, a construction site, she lies and says she must get out, quickly removing herself from the embarrassing situation.^{[‡ 7]}

Cancellation

Studio Massa released a post on petje.af on February 6, 2024 announcing the cancelation of Ongezellig. The show was canceled mainly for these reasons:

• Burnout after working on Ongezellig for 8 years^{[‡ 8]}
• A lack of funding for the independent continuation of Ongezellig^{[‡ 8]}
• Several failed pitches for the show^{[‡ 8]}
• The success of the Dutch History Iceberg series on Studio Massa's YouTube channel^{[‡ 8]}

Criticism

Several fans have expressed their criticism of Studio Massa's decision to cancel the show, asserting that he did it out of spite due to disliking his non-Dutch fans^[3], an accusation that Studio Massa has denied.

Lore

After Ongezellig's cancelation, Studio Massa released an official document containing all the missing lore he had come up with for the show than wasn't shown in the pilot episode.

Maya

Maya is her parents' only biological child. She had to give up her beloved cat Noga, due to Coco's allergy, which greatly upset her. She suspects her parents adopted her sisters as "replacements." Her hair is naturally dark brown but appears black because she does not use shampoo.^{[‡ 9]}

Coco

Born Coco Potgeiter in Bloemfontein, South Africa, Coco was adopted into Maya's family after her father and pregnant mother were killed by a lightning strike. She plays rugby and is part of the band "Running in the 60's." She was written as the antithesis of Maya.^{[‡ 9]}

Mymy

Born Meiko Tachibana in Nagasaki, Japan, Mymy ran away from home due to her preference for the Netherlands. She has an older sister, Eiko, who is actively searching for her. She plays accordion and korfball. She is in love with Captain Koek, a mascot for a Dutch pastry brand, as well as Mr. Owl. She transformed her appearance to hide from her sister.^{[‡ 9]}

Vera

Vera is depressed because she wanted to be a guitarist as a teenager, but her dream died and she instead had to settle for teaching high school history.^{[‡ 9]}

Side Characters

There are numerous side characters which never appeared in the pilot episode but have short descriptions in the lore document.^{[‡ 9]}

Fanbase

Ongezellig never became a widely-known commercial success, however it has a small, dedicated cult following, particularly among users of the online imageboard Soyzellig.party, an offshoot of Soyjak.party. Its members came mainly from 4chan's /co/ forum and now-defunct /qa/ forum, the latter of which was mentioned in the closing credits of the pilot episode.^{[‡ 1]} The show also has inspired fan content on YouTube and other platforms.^[4]

References

1. Thrift E Gaming (2022-08-27). Ongezellig Review (& Watamote Comparison). Retrieved 2025-08-17 – via YouTube.
2. Martem (2024-05-25). Ongezellig comedic review and analysis. Retrieved 2025-08-17 – via YouTube.
3. Studio Henk (2025-02-14). Studio Massa Cancels Ongezellig Out of Spite | Ongezellig Meme. Retrieved 2025-08-17 – via YouTube.
4. Netherlands Andy 🇳🇱 (2024-03-04). mymy zingt over de VOC [ongezellig ai cover]. Retrieved 2025-08-17 – via YouTube.

Primary sources

In the text, these references are preceded by "‡":

1. Studio Massa (2022-10-09). Ongezellig - Deel 6 (slot). Retrieved 2025-08-17 – via YouTube.
2. Studio Massa (2019-07-20). Ongezellig - Deel 1 + 2. Retrieved 2025-08-17 – via YouTube.
3. Studio Massa (2020-09-08). Ongezellig - Deel 3. Retrieved 2025-08-17 – via YouTube.
4. Studio Massa (2021-10-14). Ongezellig - Deel 4. Retrieved 2025-08-17 – via YouTube.
5. Studio Massa (2022-03-25). Ongezellig - Deel 5. Retrieved 2025-08-17 – via YouTube.
6. "(2018-10) Maya's Sweet 16". Google Drive. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
7. "(2021-05) Maya's Conversatie". Google Drive. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
8. "Ongezellige update #130 (dubbelslot) - Ongezellig". petjeaf.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 2025-08-17.
9. "Studio Massa's officiële openbare Ongezellige spoilerdocument". Google Docs. Retrieved 2025-08-17.

External Links

• Ongezellig playlist on YouTube
• Ongezellig Wiki
• Studio Massa's petje.af for Ongezellig
• Ongezellig's IMDb page
• Soyzellig.party