Early access to upcoming video scripts! (Patreon)

The following are scripts to my upcoming video scripts that I need to record soon. Note that none of these are final drafts and some are completely unfinished. Also note that the Rakugo script is still in progress, though I didn't include it here.

Hikigaya Hachiman - A Tragic Portrait of Self-Depreciation (Oregairu)

“Early soliloquy.”

It is natural human phenomenon to project things outwards and alter our exterior persona in order to compensate for some deeply rooted dilemma. This sort of thing is.. everywhere. Many bullies pick on others because they lack self confidence and need something to proper themselves up. The most flamboyant, extraverted, seemingly confident person may actually be incredibly insecure. And most pertinently here - those who outwardly mock and deride the state of society from a detached position may actually be more craving of what it contains than one would think.

Hikigaya Hachiman, the main protagonist of My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, also know as Oregairu, is an introspective, prideful, cynical high school student. He looks upon youth, high school and social dynamics with disgust, and considers them to be a false illusion perpetuated by shallow people concerned with lying to themselves and others. He is constantly thinking and evaluating his observations through this lens, and makes snap judgments based on what he has come to know. Seemingly because of his general distaste for all of this, Hachiman distances himself from others and proudly proclaims to be a loner. He intentionally makes himself unlikeable, he is always wearing a bitter, sour look on his face, and he frequently avoids making connections with people.

But despite being so introspective, he spends a great deal of the story lying to himself on the surface layer of his mind, even though he is aware of this dishonestly deep down. We are products of our environment, and Hachiman’s prior experiences have taught him that the world is an ugly nightmare that has no place for him. Throughout his early life, he has been shunned, made fun of, rejected, bullied and dismissed at every turn, which has taught him to try not to care in this way. 

He seems to think that lifting his cynical mask and showing vulnerability and weakness in any way is inherently bad, and that any form of sympathy or kindness towards him is dishonest condescension. But.. does he really believe that wholeheartedly? Or does he still harbour some hope, deep down, that someone will show some genuine, true kindness to him?

He tries to be repulsive to get others to hate him, to artificially distance himself so he won’t feel pain from the dishonesty of the world. He plays this off as a stubborn refusal to change and give in, as a rebuttal to quote unquote losing, but the truth is that he isn’t comfortable being honest, because honesty has only ever gotten him hurt in the past. He wants to believe that other people can be kind, but he can’t. And still, somehow.. his true essence shines through, even here. 

The world is bleak. I don’t need others. I don’t need connection. I don’t need to feel fulfilled.. he’s lying to himself, giving himself excuses to not to have to put in the effort in case he gets disappointed.

“Nice girls.”

Hachiman is a compassionate, good person. But he has been burned so many times in the past - by school crushes, by cliques and other students. As a bi-product of school life, he has been conditioned to not trust anyone and to not open up. He has built up this idea that he is not worth anything, and his concept of self-value is slim to none. He has very little confidence and does not believe that he deserves happiness, because he has learned to not believe this.

But despite this, he really wants to help people - he is extremely caring of others, at total odds to his outward philosophy. And the Service Club he joins at the beginning of the story gives him a way to do that. But because of his specific circumstances, his way of helping people is radically altruistic, to the point where he sacrifices his reputation, feelings and personal well-being to assist them, suffering humiliation after humiliation to help people. He is such a kind soul, and he is like a deer in the headlights when it comes to trying to communicate this kindness. I personally see this as such a sad state - he is constantly trying to express his caring nature, but is so withdrawn and hurt that he doesn’t know how. The only way he knows to achieve his desired result is self-sacrifice, metaphorically beating himself into the dirt, and dismissing his worth, because that’s what he’s familiar with and that’s what he thinks of himself. And because of his pride, he is far too stubborn to change easily. Hachiman is characterized by fear, and despite how quirky and cheerful Oregairu as a story can be at times, we need only look beneath the surface to see a sad story of someone who has never learned to properly connect with others despite wanting to, who is on constant alert and frightened to death of being used or hurt. This is no way to live.

He refuses to accept help from the vast majority - partly because he doesn’t want to expose his vulnerabilities to the world, and perhaps partly because he doesn’t think he deserves this help. But this state of affairs is interrupted by two young women who have grown to care for Hachiman, who constantly offer him a place of comfort and happiness. 

“”””However, this often comes at a cost of causing pain to himself or others. His teacher, Shizuka pointed out that his intentions of helping others are not a good reason for him to hurt himself, as even if he himself is used to the pain, there are those who will find it painful to see him hurt.””””

It hurts Yuigahama and Yukino to see Hachiman do these things, because they care for him. He just doesn’t seem to be able to conceptualize this and understand, because this is an extremely unfamiliar situation, tragically enough. But he eventually realizes the harm he is doing to those he cares about, and decides to make a change. Over time, his outer shell wears away and Hachiman is able to properly become close with the two. They teach him that he does have value, and that he does deserve to be happy - and things slowly start to develop. But then, an interesting problem occurs.

As said previously, Hachiman sees illusion and falsehoods everywhere, and this is a thematic idea that ties his views and characterization with one of the show’s prevailing ideas. As pointed out in SubtitledAnime’s video on the topic, Oregairu has a razor focus on the theme of dishonest facades - how the way we portray ourselves in societal interactions can be completely superficial or even artificial. And this is done for many reasons, but the most potent of these is in order to maintain a comfortable, peaceful status quo within social groups. Group dynamics are sensitive and volatile, and altering them too much can cause previously happy friend groups to completely shatter. Those involved in these groups may not want to take a chance on love with someone else, or make some sort of drastic action, in fear of compromising the harmony of a group. And this puts them all in a stasis - cautious happiness, where those involved are too scared to change things, tunnel visioned and stuck in these little bubbles in the hopes of holding on to these friendships. Stick or twist? Most choose to stick. What Hachiman rightly observes is that this dynamic is ridiculous - he states it as cowardly to not try and pursue further happiness, and if a group was so fragile that they would split after one big change or altercation, how strong were those friendships in the first place? But Hachiman is a hypocrite, because he does this very same thing.. and he very likely knows this. He hates this shallow dishonesty that perpetuates in the hopes of avoiding pain, but he has been doing the same thing throughout his high school life, and began doing it to an arguably greater extent as his relationships with Yuigahama and Yukino evolved.

The two girls are both completely layered, nuanced, attractive and extremely good hearted young women, and they both compliment Hachiman in ways that have benefitted his life exponentially. The three of them have become what each individual really needs. But as is usually always the case.. feelings develop, and things don’t stay simple. It is quite clear that both girls have feelings for Hachiman, and to a certain extent, he has feelings for both girls. And funnily enough, he finds himself at a standstill, nearly identical to the ones he had been criticizing earlier. Now he sees how hard it is to alter what had proven to be such a happy little group. He is hesitant to break things, but the longer he waits, the more aware of the situation the three get and the more consequently superficial the interactions become. And he sees that this is the last thing he wants to happen.

“SOMETHING REAL!”

What Hachiman seems to understand but cannot yet apply to himself is that taking that extra step and becoming vulnerable is what being human is. It’s duality. You can’t have the joys of connection without risking the sorrows. For someone who has longed for and craved human connection his entire life, Hachiman is understandably desperately afraid of losing the valuable relationships he has built, which amplifies the difficulty of the situation for him personally. He has feelings for both girls and still harbors reservations of whether he deserves the happiness that either one would provide him with, and is also deeply concerned about the personal feelings of both - but for the first time in what seems like forever, Hachiman must come to learn that he needs to set all that aside and think about his own happiness. About what his heart is telling him. It may be risky, but that’s what life is. For Hachiman, he must have faith that this special group will be strong enough to withstand anything - he must believe in the bonds he’s formed to not allow his fear of loss to overtake his journey. And taking this leap of faith, validating himself, may prove to be the most important decision he could ever make. Because in the end, it’s okay to show weakness, it’s okay to take risks, and it’s okay to want things for yourself - because there will always be someone out there to care for you. Many thanks for watching.

The Chimera Ant Arc’s Narrator is Absolutely Needed (Hunter x Hunter)

“”

This is a topic that needs no introduction - It goes without saying that the narrator in the Chimera Ant arc is divisive. Some love his implementation, while others say that it completely ruined the anime for them due to how slow and deliberate everything was partly due to this structure. As you might expect, I’m part of the camp that thinks of it as a stroke of genius from both Togashi and the staff at Madhouse for the way in which it was adapted.

Now before I properly start, I need to make it clear that this video is not an all-encompassing defense that will tackle every possible criticism of the narrator. Someone could watch this video, agree with me, and still find other reasons for criticizing the narrator. There has been lots of great defenses on the topic which I’m currently showing on-screen and will link in the description, but to be completely clear - my defense of the use of the narrator for this video is extremely specific, lasering in on one aspect of why he was completely necessary in logistic and thematic terms. 

One complaint that I’ve heard time and time again is that the narrator feels artificial, just telling us what we can already see or what could have been said in another way. Given this, why didn’t the characters just think these things and monologue it in their heads? It would be much more natural and it would flow better.

Now, I conceptually understand the complaints about narration in general and how the characters could have just thought the things that the narrator told us, but that complaint can't be levied at a good portion of the CA arc because of what it aimed to do. As much as it is a bold critique of human nature, society, and the systems and hierarchies that dictate existence, Chimera Ant is also an arc that deeply explores the ins and outs of the human condition. As I elaborated in my Pouf video, the Royal Guards are extreme examples of the duality and its relation to humanity, and the journeys of Meruem and Gon are as well. Additionally, the characters of Ikalgo, Knuckle, Shoot, Meleoron, Killua, Palm and Welfin all primarily explore these ideas as well. Togashi ponders the human mind with a fine-tooth comb, and surprisingly enough, this aspect can also be found with his use of the narrator during the slowed-down Palace Invasion.

“Shoot blah blah”

For example, during Shoot’s development, He notes some very important things himself, but a lot of his realizations are told by the narrator. And that makes total sense. How contrived would Shoot's epiphany have seemed if he told all of it to himself and the audience? What about how the narrator voices Knuckles’ declaration, or consistently muses on Gon’s dwindling state of mind? Having characters think or voice all these things would not have been appropriate. Things simply don’t happen that way. By nature, we can not articulate and conceptualize everything we feel. Chimera Ant is all-encompassing and sincere with its exploration of the human psyche, so its natural that it is just as genuine with the way it structures the story - integrating it with the themes and spirit of the narrative at play.

“Pouf.”

With the narration, Togashi is attempting to capture the element of stream-of-consciousness thought and internal development. But the very essence of that sort of thing is that it can't be properly articulated "in the moment." Think of the times in your life that changed you. Maybe you reached some sort of epiphany, maybe you learned something important about yourself, maybe you accomplished something incredibly important to you. In those moments, could you have properly mentally articulated all the things going through your mind? As humans, we process things a mile a minute at times. We feel things we don’t even realize that we can feel, and by it’s very nature, we simply are not able of being conscious of all of these thoughts - at least, not in a manner that could be communicated properly in story format. It's impossible. This sort of thing is one of the wonders of human consciousness. A third party is NEEDED to articulate these things in a way that these characters cannot, or else that abstract element is dismissed.

“Gon.”

And for some other story, perhaps it would have been better to have these characters speak or think these things out. But Togashi desired to reach the most genuine and raw truths of our minds, and while there were obvious some other major reasons for the narrator, this intent was carried out through his inclusion. This all contributes to the story by being a detached, neutral third party able to articulate the emotional complexity and motivations of the several moving parts at play here in a logically sound and thematically loyal way, and it’s pulled off with swagger. It’s a unique bit of structural and thematic integration that I consider a stroke of genius, and it’s unfortunate that not many people talk about this. 

Regardless, thank you very much for watching. I realize that this was a smaller sort of topic that I usually cover, but I appreciate you humoring me nonetheless. Be sure to let me know what you think of my pretentious overthinking, and I’ll see you next time.

Gilgamesh - The Value of the Jester (Fate/Zero) **UNFINISHED!

(Hisoka, Kimblee, Gilgamesh, narrator, Izaya, Tyler Durden)

“Cull your numbers, only one of you looks at me.”

Emotional storytelling is one of those concepts that is extremely easy to feel, yet difficult to conceptualize when it comes to putting it into place or examining why it works in certain circumstances and not others. There are many elements that can contribute to this, such as high stakes, intimate direction or a meticulous character focus, but oftentimes, the lasting impact seems to come down to the intangibles - the abstract concepts that remain a mystery to most. It’s a sort of magic involved with storytelling - I can try to explain why something appeals to me emotionally, but due to subjective experience, my reasons could be entirely different from yours, yet we can still derive huge fulfillment from the same story for different reasons. It’s a bit of a mystery to most of us unfamiliar with the writing craft, but the rewards are plentiful for those who can achieve this with their stories.

It’s pretty easy to see why writers bank on this emotion - audience investment is vital, and emotional immersion is generally the strongest way to do that. A lot of the most successful stories are evokative and pathos-driven in one way or another, and Fate/Zero is no different in this regard - from the swelling emotional rollercoaster of Rider and Waver’s journey, to the deep tragedy of most of the others. However, oftentimes, things must be done in deliberate moderation. Oversaturating one’s story in pathos treads dangerously close to indulgence and radical melodrama, which can become tiring, so it is often necessary for tools to be used to prevent this from happening. This is part of why characters in the vein of what has been coined by Carl Jung as the Jester archetype are so valuable. And for more information on Jesters and their role in fiction, a link will be provided in the description for an overview. These characters are often inserted into emotional fiction to offer a counterweight and balance, and to accentuate the arguments of the writing on display. Jesters are detached, not overly concerned with the events of the story, mainly engaging themselves with the plot due to some sort of personal enjoyment or entertainment. These characters tend to casually peel back the layers of the story and it’s characters in a way that only a neutral third party could - though they can at times be shown as misled in order to prove some alternate point. They’re somewhat of a choir, pounding down the fourth wall at times to add depth and extra dimensions to the characters and events at play. They are unrestricted and free, purely invested in their own needs and dictated by what they perceive to be the singular truth.

Due to their aloof and detached nature, there is an aura of power surrounding jesters that draws people to them. They are unconcerned, uninvested, secure - often all the things that we wish we were. And because they represent this freedom, security and the aforementioned truth, their playful nature is enough to make actions that would otherwise be rage-inducing seem.. not that big of a deal to most of the audience. The jester is often a great boon to dramatic writing, and they can offer so much more narrative value than it would seem on the surface. 

The story of Fate/Zero understands that it is excessively emotion-fueled, and simultaneously understands the dynamic benefits of these detached archetypes. And that is why Gilgamesh is such a vastly important character, both structurally and thematically. He does exactly what he needs to do to make the story flourish, and without him, it would suffer in quite a few places.

There is first the stark motivational contrast he represents in comparison to the other characters. As I’ve said before, these characters, whether they be uplifting or tragic, are possessed by some sort of deeply emotional motivation that defines them. Waver longs for respect and stature, Saber wants to save her kingdom, Kariya wants to save Sakura, Lancer wants to be immersed in glorious romantic battle, to find salvation from his past.. Kiritsugu wants to purge all of the pain from the world. But Gilgamesh looks at the whole thing as mild entertainment. He views himself as the one true king, the god among these mongrels, and the idea of lowering himself to play at this foolish war is insulting to his very existence. He sits back, he watches, he chimes in once in a while.. but he’s so uninvested in this child’s play that it really helps to throw into sharp relief how much the others need this, how desperate they are and why this Grail means so much to them. He is a mediator of sorts, like a smug moderator in a debate even if he doesn’t do anything close to moderating - his presence allows the contrasting ideals, personalities and motivations to stand out more while also just being amusedly entertaining through his hilarious perceived superiority.

But when Berserker essentially forced him on a level playing field with the rest, he gets extremely angry. He has excessive pride, and when someone disrespects his radiance by looking at him as something other than the god of this world, he will not tolerate it. He puts a nice spin on the theme of pride - while Waver’s pride causes him to look upwards and continuously strive for more, Gilgamesh’s leads him to look downward on others. As it is initially with Waver, the only reason Gilgamesh really takes place in the war is because he wants to solidify his status. Berserker is disrespecting him, so he feels there is a debt that he has to settle - and while it is a formality, he must take his rightful place as the number one. But this early role slowly fades in prominence as the story moves on and Gilgamesh truly comes into his own as the choir, the onlooker and the jester of Fate/Zero.

Being summoned as the servant of Tokiomi Tohsaka stirs nothing in Gilgamesh. Tohsaka is a man with motivations and a personality that are not interesting to his servant in the slightest. As such, Gilgamesh’s interests early on are fleeting fancies, and he’s utterly bored by the man who calls himself his master. But Tokiomi’s accomplice and partner.. that’s a different story. Because in Kirei, Gilgamesh sees someone who can turn this mostly stale battle into a dastardly interesting spectacle worthy of his radiance. 

Kirei is a lost soul, unsure of his desires in life, indifferent to everything and not aware of what draws him to fight in this war - which allows Gilgamesh to look upon him like a piece of clay, free to sculpt and shape as he desires. Gilgamesh’s control over Kirei is not forceful - it’s a sort of sly, playful manipulation. The key is, he doesn’t bluntly tell Kirei what to do, which is wise as that would make him similar to those in Kirei’s life who have tried to tell him what is right, those who he was adverse to. Gilgamesh doesn’t make up his mind for him.. he just offers him.. another perspective. 

Nothing wrong with pleasure. “Humans are so interesting.” - He works as a third party here because he does not consider himself a part of humanity - he considers himself above it. He is one of us, a part of the audience, and he is intent on making things as interesting as possible for himself - and by proxy, for the audience. His fascination with Kirei really heightens his narrative impact. Because not only does he make it a personal mission to play around with him, which has great impact on the story, but here he becomes more jester-like than ever. Just pushing and prodding things, manipulating and planning, to see how things play out and how these foolish mortals dance.

“Pleasure.”

He is a choir, using his manner of thinking to poke holes in Saber’s in the banquet of Kings. In a story of ideology, he sticks a knife in all of the romantic or complex ones by simply stating his - He is the one true king. Everything belongs to him. Everyone should bend the knee to his glory, and anyone who does not do so is treasonous. It allows him to properly dissect the views of people like Saber, Kirei and Rider as a pseudo audience member. Because to him, the characters are all a mildly entertaining simulation. Similar to how we view the show. A semi-common criticism of the sequel to Fate/Zero, Fate Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works, is that the story bashes the viewer over the head with 

And while some of that may be due to the approach taken with Shirou, a part of it had to do with the absence of a character like Gilgamesh, who had become ingrained with humanity enough to have a far different role. One who reflects the ideas of characters back to them to show them their flaws, who muses and comments on ideals and predicts where things will go. It’s a lack of balance and it is definitely palpable at times - though obviously many will not agree with THAT specific criticism.

“”.

He sadisically muses that Saber’s dreams will come crashing.. in the way a choir does. He predicts things correctly. As I’ve said in previous videos, Fate/Zero is a shownin the vein of classic Greek tragedy, a story characterized by tragic inevitability. And Gilgamesh’s tendency to predict things plays into that.

He laughs at everyone, doesn’t respect anyone.. except Waver and Rider. The two who lived... blah blah. Shows the true intent of the work. Waver and Rider’s ideals are the ones to go by.

“Dreams die when the dreamer wakes.”

Why Twilight Princess is my Favourite Zelda **UNFINISHED AND COMPLETELY SCATTERED!

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is a game that garners quite a bit of unfair scorn, in my opinion. An oft-uttered criticism is that it is a shallow rehash of Ocarina of Time, and while it is undoubtedly true that Twilight Princess draws much inspiration from Ocarina, being a spiritual successor of sorts, the rehash criticism is what I believe to be a pretty shallow one when the facets of this game’s story are closer examined. To put it plainly, Twilight Princess distinguishes itself through its approach to theming, character work, presentation, atmosphere and more, and it uses these elements to prop itself up as what I consider to be the greatest game in the series, one that uses its strengths in tone and characterization to give it a very distinct sense of identity.

TONE & ATMOSPHERE 

“Tell me.. Do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls?” .. 

This is one of my favourite lines ever, for reasons that are a bit difficult to articulate. I find it to be totally relatable, because I’m the sort of edge lord who get a bit melancholic when I see a sunset, feeling the weight of a day that has come and gone. But I also think that this line, right from the off, sets a tone that was never betrayed throughout the story. While also being a pretty blunt allusion to the main themes, and even the title, of the game, the line, and the subsequent explanation, strike a bit of a chord that provides the story with an innately sentimental and emotional tone right from the beginning, and it’s also a pretty dark idea too. The concept of a singular point in time where the regrets of those who have left the world can be felt is.. foreboding. It’s sad. And it’s lonely. But through the progression and music, this scene also approaches the topic with a positive, intimate spin. It establishes Twilight as this dark concept, only to show the beauty of it in subsequent shots through a warm colour palette and some nice shots of Link looking quite happy. Quite clearly, Twilight is dualistic, and a desolate merger of sorts. It is loneliness, it is regret, it is darkness.. yet it is beauty, serenity, and comfort too. Right here, Twilight Princess lays the tonal foundation as one that is impressionable, one that can fit most situations, and from a baseline, the game has a tone that is a mix of ominous, and something close to tranquility. It shouldn’t make sense, but this style allows the game’s story to shift from warmth and light to anxiety and darkness without missing a beat or feeling off. 

The atmosphere of this game is stunning, and this is carried on throughout the rest of the game through the music, visuals and atmosphere. Toru Minegishi’s score is not the most memorable in the series, but I consider it to be one of the best in terms of mood and ability to fit the tone of each situation or location. It’s hard to separate the visuals of Ordon Village or Kakariko without hearing the music along with it, even if the tracks themselves are not super memorable. The tracks in some of the dungeons or during Twilight invasions are actually kind of difficult and uncomfortable to listen to, but that’s why it’s so effective and transmitting the appropriate mood.

Visuals have a palette .. can be warm and comforting, in beautiful locations such as Ordon Village, or uncomfortable and intentionally off in places like the twilight realm.

THE THEMES OF TWILIGHT PRINCESS

Twilight Princess is a game with an extreme focus on the in between. Of cycles, of people, and of time. Twilight itself is the period

The settlements and landscapes of Twilight Princess just aren’t that full of.. anything. Kakariko is a shadow of what it once was, though .. Desert .. Arbiters Grounds is an abandoned prison of sorts, Hidden Village forgotten by time, as is the literal temple of time. The freedom Fighters. Team is the last remnant of the Gerudo race other than Ganondorf.

The settlements that do have activity

• Theme of cycles - cycles of power, of day and night, rising and falling of empires. The temples that are hints and remnants of past civilizations, the desert is completely empty.
• The setting is very much in between cycles - much of the world is very desolate and quiet - these echoes of a past age (temples) and the old animal gods a reminder of traditional culture and the past, in a world that seems to be at a standstill - a world in the twilight between notable eras. (Maybe refer to the hurdle historia?)
• Twilight - light and dark within all of us. Within link’s people - The potential for tyranny and powerlust and the potential for good. Midna, the Twilight Princess - a denizen of the dark realm, who comes to understand and grow close to the light.. The Twili. Ganondorf’s rise to power.

Now of course, the Zelda series is no stranger to the concept of time as a thematic element. But Twilight Princess is as different a take on it as anything else. Whereas Ocarina fixated on time as well, it never really pondered this cycles idea much, and instead became a story about a land that prospers, then falls, and is then saved, with themes firmly focused on courage and maturity. Majora’s Mask is probably the only game darker than this one, which focuses on time as well but puts a completely unique, oppressive and terrifying spin on it to manage to be a complete contrast to Ocarina. Wind Waker is essentially a post-post apocalypse, where a world has been established after disaster and where the story looks back on the past before closing the door on it and welcoming a harmonious future. Skyward Sword sprawls outward from humble beginnings and concludes on the point that history will repeat itself again and again as Demise’s indomitable will continuously seeks to punish the ancestral and spiritual hero of time. And Breath of the Wild is a bonafide post apocalypse, quite literally a world at a standstill, just waiting for someone to change something. But where Twilight Princess finds its identity, is ironically in between this all. It’s tonally somewhere in between Ocarina and Majora. It isn’t as vibrant a world as Wind Waker, but it isn’t as desolate as Breath of the Wild. It isn’t a beginning like Skyward Sword, but it isn’t end times. 

It’s identity is that it finds itself 

It’s all hushed. It’s a lull in a world that is not quite licking its wounds like in Breath of the Wild, but one with no direction.

Darker, more bleak. Twilight realm. Cinematics.

Many criticize this game for being.. bland, watered down, uninspired. But for me, this is just how all of this manifests. I see it as a very intentional tonal, stylistic and thematic aim of the story. A tale of Twilight, the last remnants of an era, the final desperate echoes of times gone by.. 

Like I said.. Twilight Princess is very much focused on this in between period between cycles of vibrancy and production in the history of Hyrule. And that’s also the role of this specific game in the history of the Zelda franchise. It’s a grand and epic, yet simultaneously contemplative, reflective work that grounds the series organically in between the stylistic innovation of Wind Waker and the precarious narrative and gameplay boldness of Skyward Sword. There’s no graphical overload and no timeline-altering origin story here, but what it is is a darker, more cinematic, more character-focused take on all of the things that make Zelda memorable from a narrative standpoint. It isn’t revolution, it’s evolution and refinement, a standstill in time before the series began to experience some more monumental changes.

THE GREAT CHARACTER WORK OF TWILIGHT PRINCESS

Midna and Zant..

I said that this was a game focused on cycles, but here I’m going to add one more element to that through a small bit of musing on the Twili, Zant, and Midna - cycles of power.

This game has no shortage of grand, epic moments, but the ones that are most characteristic of its approach are the subtler ones. A lone wold howling in the twilight, two men discussing the regrets of lingering spirits in a natural forest well, a lone soul, trying his utmost to prevent the life of his partner from slipping away as the rain pours down, a prideful individual who never learnt to grow up screaming into the ether as his existence fades from the world. 

But then Ganondorf comes in and destroys it, and that’s why his final battle has so much impact. Completely shattering to ominous, nuanced tone of the game with forceful fury. Why? Because he is a representation of something not from this era. Best final boss fight in the series.

Best characters in the series

• Midna - analysis - development, role, characterization, themes
• Zant - analysis.. character.. mask, facade, mask is gone.. doesn’t know how to fight properly, mimics. Childish and immature, and the mask drops when he loses control. - themes, final fight. He’s pathetic, he’s a fraud. And when his true nature is revealed, it becomes clear that he can’t be the big bad, he can’t be the one pulling the strings.
• Wide open, expansive world. Interesting locales. Sublime sense of tone and atmosphere.