I AM HERE AND I AM READY, I HAVE BEEN TRAINING MYSELF FOR THIS!!!

The first things people should watch:
- Prince of Tennis: This at first isn't an obvious answer to 'solo content that will make you understand Minseok better' but push through the first couple (very fun) episodes I think you'll see why I recommend it. Xiumin's Prince of Tennis puts Minseok in a situation where there's a bunch new skills he has to learn about something he has a high interest in and some background athleticism in. This is kind of perfect because he's both challenges and motivated which means that he, especially once he starts playing matches against his teacher and other students, drops a lot of his persona and shows more of who he is. We see how he does in team vs solo environments, how he responds to critique and also we get to see him win over his teacher (and some kids). He never sets out to explain himself in this but you'll learn a lot about him anyways if you give the whole thing a shot.

• Chae Shit Drifter: This recent episode of Minseok on his friend Hyungwon's show is one of the most honest I've ever seen him be. In his attempts to prepare his friend for his upcoming enlistment, we get to see more of Minseok explaining himself and what he struggles with than usual. I think this will be especially important for anyone that struggling with the Xiumin-Minseok gap.

• Xiumin's Heart4U: Although I deeply adore the house party with all the EXO members, I actually think the best reason to watch his H4U from a meta POV is to see Minseok amongst his long standing high school friends who we get to see both en masse with him as well as in a smaller setting AND also interacting with ChenKai. I think seeing him around friends he chose for himself really lets you see what he's like when he's happy/more natural and his friends call him out if they think he's being weird.

I think those are the best starting points, the only other one being his couple talk with Baekhyun from last year's Japanese FM here and here. Unfortunately, while there's a wonderful document that translates it, there's no hard or soft subbed version so you're left running the video while you read along. Drink with God likewise has similar struggles (no easily available subbed version) but I did assemble one from some subs someone posted on reddit and anyone's who's interested can DM me about them. However while it's enjoyable, there's a lot of other people to get through and I never assembled a Minseok supercut. His episodes of Crime Scene Crackdown are fun but mostly persona (though he is good at the game) and his appearances various places with Changmin tell more about their relationship than Minseok himself. Dangerous Outside the Blankets is also super fun but if you know that Minseok is neurotic and awkward but tries to be a good senior, that's most of the info you'll learn.

In terms of group content where he shows up but you learn interesting things about him, I'd have to say Ladder S1 (you can contrast with Ladder S3) is my major recommendation as well as the interview included in Magical Circus 2019. There are other interviews, lives and showcases where he shared specific info so if there's a topic you're specifically interested in (like Minseok and weight/diet or Minseok and [member]), there are specific suggestions I would give.

All in all, Minseok is a bit of an enigma who's tried to remain so in lots of ways. He's definitely a jigsaw with lots of pieces and he doesn't give out pieces easily.

I'm always happy to talk about him or any of these in more detail whether here on retrospring, on discord or on twitter and I'd love to hear any reactions you have to them!