Advice for a YouTube newbie

Hello everyone! YouTube Masters, please tell me why my shorts are shooting so poorly?

I stumbled upon a niche where people were successfully monetizing a channel with cartoons about monkeys, and I decided to test it out.
1) First, I made a kind cartoon where a monkey saves people from disaster:

The video got 1.9k views and then stopped. I think I uploaded it from a US proxy, because my goal was to get people watching from tier-1 countries.

2.I thought, why copy someone else's style? I'd rather create my own, have an epic battle, and do it the way I like to do it.
This time, I deliberately didn't enable the US proxy because I read somewhere that it was enough to have an English description and set the YouTube region to the US. As a result, I got views from Kazakhstan (where I live).
The video got terrible views, not even reaching the previous ones, although the retention rate is higher. Although the cartoon doesn't contain any language elements, it seems like people from my country aren't interested in such cartoons, and maybe that's why YouTube didn't promote it? I have a feeling if the video had been promoted in the US, it would have gotten more views.


I have a feeling YouTube got fewer views because they think the video is intended for a Kazakhstan audience, and since fewer people live there than in the US, it generated fewer tests and views.

It takes 1-2 days to create one such cartoon.

I can generate video, sound, and voice.
Please advise me on a niche, and how should I choose it? Should I continue in this niche, and should I copy other people's work styles, like with the first version of Saving the Monkey, or is it better to create my own style, like in the second version?
Also, should I buy a US mobile proxy, a US SIM card, and a new smartphone to run a channel there? Should I forget this channel and start a new one? Kazakhstan Geo is already watching because of my real IP.

You just started with a new channel? What are you expecting? Just cause you copy someones videos, you'll go viral and make millions? Your views look fine, and they are performing like most peoples channels that havn't been picked for virability exposure.

Continue making shorts and ocassional long form videos in a similar niche as the results will come after maximum 6 months.

This is a good topic and will be useful for beginners. I’ll be following the process with interest.

Shorts usually fail not because of the niche, but because of early viewer behavior. YouTube doesn’t push videos based on idea alone—it tests how people react in the first 1–2 seconds. If swipe-stop rate is low or retention drops quickly, distribution dies fast. Cartoons especially need very strong hooks, fast pacing, and clear emotional payoff; slow intros or unclear storytelling kill Shorts instantly. Also, copying a monetized niche doesn’t guarantee results—many successful channels already have optimized formats and audience signals. Focus on sharper hooks, shorter runtimes, clearer visuals, and testing multiple variations rather than assuming the niche itself is the problem.

This happens. Just keep on posting. Your few videos will go viral, don't expect people to subscribe you though.