Esnyr's 'First Day High' comeback drew 4 million views in a day
The Manila Times reports Filipino creator Esnyr Ranollo returned with a 53-minute First Day High YouTube special on June 14, starring Vice Ganda, Donny Pangilinan, Belle Mariano, and other Pinoy stars, hitting 4 million views in under 24 hours.
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Esnyr Ranollo is back in the classroom. The Manila Times reports the Filipino creator released a new 53-minute "First Day High" YouTube special on June 14 after nearly a year away from the school-comedy format that built his audience.
The episode cleared 4 million views in less than 24 hours, according to the outlet, which is the kind of number that turns a YouTube upload into a national water-cooler moment in the Philippines.
Who showed up
This is not a solo sketch drop. Esnyr stacked the special with names that read more like a variety show lineup than a typical creator collab.
The Manila Times lists Vice Ganda, Donny Pangilinan, Belle Mariano, Enchong Dee, Empoy Marquez, Bella Belen, and Mimiyuuuh, plus several Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition housemates including Klarisse de Guzman, Shuvee Etrata, Mika Salamanca, Will Ashley, and Brent Manalo.
Vice Ganda plays the school's newly appointed principal. Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano appear as faculty members with a romantic thread.
Esnyr still plays multiple roles across students, teachers, and canteen workers, the format that made the series recognizable on TikTok and YouTube in the first place.
What Esnyr said about the production
The Manila Times quotes Ranollo telling fans the episode was months in the works, with a budget he described as sizable for creator-led production.
In Instagram posts cited by the paper, he called the release his "pinaka-pasabog" comeback and thanked viewers who waited through the tease cycle.
The trailer leaned into familiar first-day-of-school beats: new supplies, new classmates, and the dreaded "introduce yourself" moment in front of class. The preview also hinted at crush plotlines and a possible love triangle layered onto the comedy.
Why the format still works
"First Day High" works because the jokes are hyper-local and the emotions are universal. Anyone who sat through a awkward homeroom speech recognizes the setup, even if the Tagalog punchlines do not translate cleanly.
Esnyr's rise came from portraying Filipino classroom culture with specificity rather than generic teen skits. Bringing mainstream stars into that world expands the audience without sanding down the point of view.
For North American Filipino viewers, the special is also a reminder that creator economies in Manila now budget like mini-TV productions when the IP is proven.
The Manila Times has cast details, plot beats, and social posts from the premiere. Watch the full special on Esnyr's YouTube channel if you want the classroom chaos without spoilers from the recap.
