AEBA this is SO GOOD. I went in expecting a sort of "history of the series"-style video, but instead got just this masterful commentary and evisceration of the setup & payoff of the last arc of the series. So many times I was shoutin "YEA EXACTLY" while you put words to feelings in a way I didn't know how to. The EDITING, the SCRIPTWRITING and SKITS--god this is unbelievable. Pls always talk about these games; you're literally one of the best out there to do it and I'll be callin him "ansem trigger warning" for the rest of my life now thanks
So glad to see this channel back. This is one of the few kh channels where even when I disagree, I can understand where the speaker is coming from. First off, when it comes to the Flynn and Rapunzel scene, I see why you cringed at it, to me I just saw it as another version of Sora teasing Mulan and Shang about "playing nice". Now for my actual point, I actually wouldn't mind if KH took a meta angle. I think you can make a sincere KH game from Sora's POV from that angle, and that's because I see his story as a long-winded coming-of-age story. KH1 is about that period in life where you have to learn to take the initiative and when you see the people around you crash and fall while you sit there helpless and alone. Like having that one troublemaker friend who gets into drugs, goes to frat parties, and then gets Jennifer'ed from Jennifer's Body. We've all had that one friend who completely ate sh*t despite our best efforts. CoM is about the lies of nostalgia and how dangerous it is when you let other people control your narrative. KH2 is just the happy, somewhat unrealistic resolution to the conflict of KH1, but what's important is that both Sora and Riku are on their way to self-acceptance and will help each other through the process. I feel like Kairi is important here too, but for some reason, I can't articulate it right now. DDD is about Riku finally, fully coming into his own, while Sora fails to truly confront his demons. KH3 has him taking all the wrong lessons from DDD further suppressing who he is and falling further into his hero complex while simultaneously having an inferiority complex. In the end, Sora grows up and has to finally take responsibility for his actions. While it sucks, Sora was never going to be able to wrestle with his darkness if there was always someone there to pull him out. Sora in KH4 is probably going to have to really confront his desire to be a hero and his increasingly overbearing feeling of unimportance in the grander scale of the universe. What would make him do that more than finding out that his from a video game? He'd have to not only find an identity outside of his friends but outside of his very code. That's interesting. That's sincere. That's like every young adult who has reality slap them in the face with the fact that they're a cog in the machine who may never make anything of themselves. As far as riku and kairi. I don't mind if Riku fails, but I also think we could get some interesting drama from Sora refusing to go back and meet Kairi whether in person or through their link, and them bonding over their similarities. Because Sora and Kairi are very similar characters.
Watching this again, and I have to say I find it really strange that Riku's reaction to Kairi's death was just a clinched fist and a yell. Like... that feels appropriate if Riku sees Kairi get kidnapped maybe. But, murdered?! This is the character who opened his heart to darkness to, among other reasons, find Kairi after Destiny Islands was destroyed by the Heartless. Wouldn't it be more thematically appropriate for Riku to slip up in holding his darkness back in this moment? Like, he sees it happen and his eyes begin to well up with tears and we think he going to break down just like Sora does, but then he sees Sora break down. Seeing that, Riku's emotions do a complete 180. His expression turns cold and he starts staring daggers at Xehanort, and as he does he gets engulfed in a dark aura. Mickey could then snap out of his stunned disbelief at what just happened due to that sudden burst of darkness from Riku, and he could then focus instead on helping Riku calm down. Maybe a somber expression and lightly placing his hand on Riku's clinched fist that is grasping his keyblade in utter rage to gently bring Riku out of his rage trance so Riku can calm himself down. You know, continue to be that guiding light that he was for Riku back in CoM or something? I dunno. I'm just spitballing. But the utter lack of response from anyone other than Sora and Riku getting a smidge of road rage just feels...wrong.
THANK YOU ever since the KH4 trailer dropped I have been incredibly worried about the future of the series. Literally the most joy I get out of KH is the earnest, cartoony, cheesy stuff and sacrificing all of that for the sake of being “deep” or “meta” really put me off from being exited about it.
I think KH4 will do fine cuz it will still have what people loves about KH. The hub of KH4 now being in a more realistic setting, doesn't mean that it will get rid of its charm. We have realistic Disney worlds before. It will also still be cartoony with the cheesy jokes cuz we're not just focusing on Sora and Sora himself still being that golden boy
Aqua standing idly by (not even weapon drawn) while Terranort is making his big speech, and then even after he attacks Ven will never not piss me off. The cutscenes in this franchise just completely ignore her mage status. Why not have her try to heal Ven in the background while the others fight Terranort rather than just have her leaning over him not doing anything. Or maybe after Ventus is struck don’t have her stand there for a minute, mouth opened not knowing what to do next. This woman has already been in a major battle. One where she’s not only seen using incredibly powerful protection magic against a dozen keyblades, but also acting quick and catching Ven as he falls to his doom. Like what the hell? As far as I’m concerned Aqua wasn’t in that scene (neither was Riku, Mickey, Kairi or Sora). Give Lea credit, he didn’t do any successful damage but he actually did something and protected Kairi by blocking Terranorts attack. That’s certainly better than hug powers that Sora thought would work somehow. Fucking Donald and Goofy were the only good ones in that scene lol. Y’know, the only characters WITHOUT keyblades. That whole scene is just a mess. In order to make it work, they needed Terranort to either move way faster, use more slow mo or have the characters take much more direct action and have it still just not work. I’m going to list everything all 9 characters did in that scene. Sora tried to swing but was blocked. Lea Blocked Sora hugged to protect Kairi Goofy blocked Donald Killed That’s 4 characters. 4!!!!!!! There were 5 other characters who were there that did shit all.
And let's not forget that because Donald used that spell to kill Terranort, that ended up killing Donald too. The only way Donald won was self-destructing himself by using his lifeforce as fuel to cast the spell in the first place. And yet, there are so many other characters here that are stronger than him. Aqua HAS fought Terranort before and WON. Mickey was also part of the BBS Keyblade War. The lack of desire to actually write the scene is telling. It very much feels like the writers just said: "We need to figure out a way to deal with this prophecy thing so we can get to all of the cool boss fights." Like that was their motivation, just get the thing done and whatever you come up with is fine because no one cares anyway.
The thing that pisses me off even more in that scene are the people who DEFEND it. Like "WAIT ACTUALLY THE SCENE MAKES PERFECT SENSE, TERRANORT IS JUST FAST." Like no, no no no no NO. Just admit the writing was bad. Why defend something bad? Don't you just lose? Its like with how people defend pokemon's stagnation despite it being owned by the richest company.
@@ZaiDrizzleDrop For some people, admitting that a thing they love is flawed must therefore mean that it is bad for them to love that thing. They just refuse to tackle with that cognitive dissonance, and instead would rather delude themselves into thinking that it is fine. That or they are just trolls. Possibly both!
@@ZeldaFan2004 Yep your right , it honestly feels like delusion when people say they love scenes like when Kairi and Sora shared the Paopu fruit (God that scene felt so wooden). Its like they can't accept that a game they waited so long for could be bad. I think that if you actually love something, you would realize that the potential was squandered and the characters you love were shafted.
yknow I was gonna leave a long ass comment talking about all my various thoughts on things etc etc, but the pat sora voice at 45:02 jumpscared me so badly that I just had to comment about that instead
What do I look forward to in KH4/The Lost Master’s arc? For the antithesis and examination of Sora’s existence to be pushed back in spite of its themes presented. That Sora feels the groundbreaking, heart shattering reality of his existence that would humble anyone into mundanity… only to realize in the finale act that the nonsensical sincerity of the world he grew up in is exactly the remedy to his condition in Quadratum, living life in a dull death. I want the grey of the unreality to be flooded with color in the streets like a LGBTQ+ cross walk on pride month. So it pisses off the Master of Masters that his vacation from addressing the darkness is canceled because Sora said no to a cynical, self referential, capitalist world. Or, he can just sing “Let it Go” at a karaoke bar trying to forget about taxes. Either way, I’d go with him. Also, Kairi should be playable in the Disney core worlds while Sora gets the live action ones where he realizes how they suck and wants to go back.
I'm not that far in but the Aqua fit for the outside the box section is adorable Edit: Ok after finishing this, your video editing is SUPER fun in this one. I was taken aback a few times honestly. But also oh ok now you have me feeling mildly concerned about the idea of Strelitzia vs. Kairi waifu war at Kairi's expense and guys getting weird about her :(
Your style has always been really cool but seeing how much its evolved and how effortlessly you make this so entertaining funny, yet analytical, wow. You're honestly really talented 👏 gonna watch this in bits but what ive seen so far is great and really glad you're making videos again. Keep going Aeba 💪
Hi, I was randomly recommended this and decided that hey, I could spare a quick two hours of my life to watch. Wanted to first say that it was REALLY well made and super enjoyable! I didn't agree with everything you said (Especially about KH4, sorry), but I still respected your opinions and I do think you did a great job presenting them. That's really all I had to say, just wanted to hopefully boost your algorithm performance by saying something.
AEBA!!!! What a fantastic video! I feel so seen. So many times I have wanted to express my thoughts on these games and just could never find the right words. There were so many moments where I audibly said, "RIGHT!" (I almost did this at work but managed to contain myself haha). This was so well written and your delivery only made it that much more enjoyable to watch. Always a treat watching your videos.
YOU ARE SO RIIIGHT!!! My beef with KH3 (vanilla) is that all the time-loop/Union X/Ephemer stuff is "the reap" of games that were LITERALLY NOT FINISHED/OUT YET: UX and Missing Link. How could you spend half of the climax of KH3, the CONCLUSION of a saga/arc/whatever, to games that literally are for the saga/arc AFTER, thereby taking away precious time that could have been given to the Dark Seeker characters. MY favorite example is Roxas and Ventus just "...." at each other. THAT was MY Most Gamer Anticipated Moment and I GOT NOTHING. "But Mel, you got it in ReMind!" ONLY BECAUSE THE FANS DEMANDED THE FIX !!!!
For even more foreshadowing for the BS at the beginning of The Keyblade Graveyard, I simply must direct your attention to the scene where Ansem SoD fights Aqua. It has the exact same disinterest in writing from the character's perspective. Aqua has no keyblade here. It makes sense that she would lose to Ansem SoD here. But, she is, first and foremost, a mage. WHY IS SHE FIGHTING WITH HAND TO HAND COMBAT!? KH1 established that keyblade wielders can still use their magic without their keyblade (see the portion of Hollow Bastion where Sora wield a toy sword and fights alongside Beast). So, why is Aqua not throwing Firaga and the like at Ansem's face? Why?! WHY?! Oh that's right, because Aqua needs to lose so Ansem can infect her heart with a ball of darkness so we can fight her later. Sidebar, if that is a thing that Xehanort can do, why does he never use it anywhere else? Seems like it would be really helpful to corrupt your enemies like that so they are easier to deal with or hell even join you. But no, just going to infect Aqua and no one else, with an ability we have never seen before, and never been given any indication that something like that can happen before because if it could why not use it from the beginning. All that time in CoM where Ansem SoD is lusting after Riku's body, why not just inject him with a ball of darkness? Problem solved. Organization 13 wants Sora to help them? Fill up a syringe with some of that dark goop and give him a shot of that juice! It's absolute BS from every angle and it is all because they had a goal in mind and worked backwards from that goal and made it happen in the laziest way possible.
Sorry that was alot! lol But, it's so rare to find people who are willing to actually talk about criticisms like this for KH3. So many people just focus on the things they like and just ignore stuff like this and I wish I could do that. But, I can't. These things just really bother me and it was nice to find someone that seems to get that.
That whole scene has always bothered me, and the idea of "working backwards from an end goal" is such a great way to comprehend why. That scene also makes Aqua's actual transformation into Anti-Aqua feel very hollow and unrelated to her own actual character arc. It doesn't happen because she herself falters emotionally and succumbs to the weight of her despair after years and years of isolation in the Realm of Darkness, it happens because she loses a fight and gets thrown into the magical corrupting dark ocean (I had always thought her drowning in this was the catalyst for her turning, and not just being hit with a shot of dark magic, as it's a direct visual metaphor for the idea of succumbing to one's own despair and dark thoughts, which is the underlying core of Anti-Aqua's mentality). It's an extremely impactful transformation for Aqua, and one that clearly goes on to serve as a particularly traumatic moment that she struggles with, yet the actual act of becoming Anti-Aqua had nothing to do with her choices and actions as a character. And once you realize that, it starts to feel like the entire existence of Anti-Aqua is completely pointless. If she doesn't exist as a result of Aqua's own actions, why is she even here? Just to bait and switch the audience in a teaser trailer and be a fanservicy boss fight? Her transformation being an unintentional side effect of a conflict between the Ansems makes it feel like they wanted that corruption to happen, but had no idea how to make it happen in a way that factored into her character. Perhaps it's all a side effect of segmenting 0.2 into its own game and having to have that game end with a somewhat positive conclusion; I wonder if, had we gotten 0.2 as the opening/an early playable segment of KH3 akin to the KH2 Roxas prologue, we might have actually been able to see Aqua's transformation happen as result of her own anxieties and despair consuming her, rather than it just being something that happens to her as a side effect of the narrative.
@plnkblue The thing that bothers me is that it would not have even been hard to make her fall into becoming Anti-Aqua makes sense for her character. For instance, here is something I literally just wrote while in bed on my phone: Aqua and Ansem TW are chilling on the beach of the Dark Horizon. Ansem SoD shows up trying to kidnap Ansem TW, Aqua steps up to protect him but realizes she no longer has a Keyblade. She is smart, so she plays keep away and strategically uses her magic. Ansem SoD can't land a hit and is noticeably losing. So, he uses his guardian to separate Aqua and Ansem TW, and then turns his attention to him instead of her. Aqua is distracted by the guardian. She feels something. Some sort of connection... Ansem SoD successfully grabs and teleports away with Ansem TW, and Aqua is left alone. All she can do now is sit with her failure to protect him. She beats herself up and starts saying things like she can't protect anyone because Ven was lost in sleep when she left him, and Terra... Thinking of Terra makes her realize something. Something truly awful. That heartless guardian Ansem SoD was using... Aqua saw into its eyes. She knows who it is. Aqua panics, starts tear up, and break down. In that most vulnerable moment, a figure rises from the waters of the Dark Horizon. Her mirror double. It surprises Aqua, grabs her, throws her into the waters, and dives in after her. Aqua begins to be consumed by the darkness within the water. She tries to struggle at first, but the mirror double restrains her, and slowly, Aqua goes limp. When next we see Aqua, it is when Riku and Mickey find her as Anti-Aqua.
Wow Aeba this was such a refreshing deep dive, I will not be gaslit into thinking I liked 3’s finale 😭 I see a lot of new fans loving it these days and I’m actually really happy about that because 3 is still a fun game, but everything you said about 3’s finale rings true to me
While my childhood was happy, I had a couple of issues--some of which were unique to the game, while others were things that began in other games and trickled into this one: 1. Ever since KH2, Disney worlds have lost relevancy; the whole vibe during the game felt like we were on a time crunch, making the worlds feel like pit stops and something to be rushed through. Not to mention the "New 7 Hearts" are never fully explored. If they matter in a later game, SE should've waited to introduce the concept later rather than now and not make use of it. It's kinda like how they planned to only use FF characters to get people interested in the franchise and then removed them. 2. Too many characters and everything is Sora-centric. He's the main character, but it feels like almost no one can function without him or make connections without him. Riku having to be saved and Kairi and Lea never getting to live up to their full potential felt like a waste. On top of this, you have several other trios that feel relevant only because of Sora's doing (mostly) as well as villains who randomly have regret and humanity at the end. I'd prefer they got more attention during the game in order to flesh them out more rather than requiring players to play "X" and BBS (both of which could've fleshed them out more). Not to mention they added ANOTHER trio when Isa mentioned out of nowhere that he and Lea had become Ansem's apprentices for a previously unmentioned friend. 3. Probably my most controversial opinion: the "Dark Seeker" saga should've ended with KH2. Obvious certain hints should've been there, but the series has a really bad issue with "you only know half the truth" and gives more questions than answers. I'd prefer if the Wayfinder Trio were introduced in the next cycle--maybe as the next villains of the series, being the "broken" trio meant to defeat Xehanort a decade ago and now the Island Trio must defeat them. Or something like that; in any case, it shouldn't have taken almost 20 years and 10 games (not counting the remixes but inclusing 2.8) to wrap this up. Altogether, I do wish that the story was more clear, other characters outside of Sora got to be fleshed out and got the spotlight, and Disney didn't feel like a promotional thing rather than a relevant part of the story.
ive been replaying the series and eating up kh retrospectives from every channel i can find and this one is immediately my favourite, holy shit. i got to the end and hit replay to watch it again, it's SO GOOD. ive been crawling through the desert looking for a channel talking about the kh girls with any kind of depth/thoughtfulness and im SO excited to dig into the rest of your work, like literally what a bounty. thank you so much!! ive done the exact same mulling over kh3 Good/kh3 Bad for years and it's SO satisfying seeing it laid out like this why kairi's death scene is such a low for the entire series. it's a failure of the writing and a failure for the series' thesis statement and it's a travesty!!!!! god this is so cathartic lol the editing and jokes in this are so fucking good. nicki shuffling away in sora's stupid shoes is gonna stay with me forever if you ever get the chance/interest in the future, i would LOVE to see your retrospectives on the other eras of this series. but i know this video was such an undertaking and i hope you get to bask in the achievement forever, like it's SO fucking good thank you so much for working on this, im gonna be coming back to this video for years
kh3 just should have had a fully happy, fully resolved ending, no death of sora (including no foreshadoeing that it was going to happen). there's no reason for kh3 to aim for a bittersweet ending when like 2/3 of the point of the game was undoing the bitter part of kh2's (much better) bittersweet ending. Plus, if they really wanted to end an era/arc/whatnot, it should have been just focused on resolution. set up for the next arc should have been left to a proper new beginning installment to kick off the next arc.
Thanks for making this video! It really opened up my mind to a lot of the writing problems kh3 had, I'm now a lot more cautiously optimistic for KH4! 👍🏾
I think I have to agree with you on your opinion about Kingdom Hearts 4. It would definitely be more impactful if Sora wouldnt be the protagonist. Just make Riku the protagonist and let it play out similar to the end of DDD. Riku searching for Sora in Quadratum and the ending would be saving Sora and bringing him back to their own world. But I guess many players would not like that.
I'm glad you put into words for my brain why KH3's ending just... didn't work for me and felt so hollow. Great video, thanks for saying shit well and in a fun way 👍
I think an underlying problem is that KH started off without any expectations of a sequel, so they were focused on making a cohesive, singular game rather than a franchise. Then it picked up traction and they were making a few more sequels. After that they had to take ideas and characters established in a very contained game and build them out to sustain a franchise. So characters with simple motivations got more boring in the transition just by the fact that they didn't as easily get built out. I just don't think Xehanort was a villain built for a franchise and I think the team sensed it so they focused more on world building which caused them to rush through Xehanort because there really wasn't much there. That being said, I don't think focusing on Sora is a bad thing. Maybe it's just me, but I have liked series' like Pokemon where the main character stays the same. It allows you to see how the worlds change. Just my opinion though.
28:15 YES. I just watched this scene the other day and cringed. It's giving "little kid copied an action they saw on TV, but people just stared at them because its a child doing weird shit." and the way the horse reacted, and the way everyone laughed... awful
Absolutely fantastic video, watched it 1x speed and everything, enjoyed every second lol. tbh, I'm not even *that* much of a Kairi fan, but the way the was handled ALL throughout the 3 Era has kinda made me check out of caring deeply about the future of the series. Like if you can have writing *this egregious* right when it needs to be at its strongest, idk how I can trust future installments to have the quality I've come to expect from previous entries. And for me, no amount of playable Kairi could save how they treated her in base KH3, it just felt like a bandaid. Giving her any sort of plot agency now would feel too late (and tbh, the way they stripped her spunk from her in KH3 to be this ultra passive, soft character makes it hard to believe this incarnation of her can even drive a plot). I guess I just don't have as much faith in this series as you do at this point, which is fair enough, I just really don't think there's any coming back from what they did to her. As for KH4, I honestly don't really *feel* much about it other than curiosity. I'm not one to get super hyped for stuff and would rather wait for a thing to release before having any strong feelings on it, but after hearing you out, you're totally right. We really shouldn't be playing as Sora so soon, his death needs to actually sit with us to mean something. And the kinds of situations we could explore with all the remaining characters is *exactly* what I've wanted since KH3 released, now that they're all free and safe again. *I just want to hang out with themmmmm*. And the context of all these characters having to work together to save Sora is perfect. IF dont correctly, of course. I'm just not sure Nomura's heart is even in it anymore for any of these characters aside from Sora and *yozora*... I guess we'll have to see, just sucks that AAA game development is so horrendous and inefficient that it's been two years since announcement and we still haven't heard even a whisper on the state of the game, and we're just being given mobile game scraps in the meantime. *sigh* Excellent video once again aeba
I started crying when you talked about the kairi death scene!!! BECAUSE OMG I WAS SCREAMING IN MY HEAD "WHERE IS SHE???" THE WHOLE END OF THE GAME AND IT WAS SO WEIRD AND HEARTBREAKING HOW NO ONE SEEMED TO CARE????? it just hurts )....::::: I too wasn't overly excited when the trailer for 4 came out. I literally just sat there like I: Cities really are so boring to explore. But I have kinda come around on that. Mostly 'cos I'm hoping the gameplay feels as good as re:mind :D or even better???! And I'm thinking this isn't where Sora is saved?? Cos that would make no sense and ruin the impact his death had. So in my fantasies sora by the end of 4 is in even more trouble and then we get the kairi, riku and all of them game that then leads to saving sora. I hope :D Absolute banger of a video!! I have missed ur videos so much it's good to have you back!! There can never be enough kairi stans in this fandom!!
Kingdom Hearts is my favorite thing ever ! But I don’t think I ever once would’ve compared two red heads being sacrificed in one of the most awaited titles
Kingdom Hearts 3 is legit my favorite experience with a Kingdom Hearts game Especially when compared to Melody of Memory. Where I legit was rushing so I could get back to Assassin's Creed Valhalla because it came out the same week 😂 (MelMem was the better game btw. I never finished Valhalla)
To answer your question on what i like about the kh4 stuff/the next saga: I think theres an inherent trust in Nomuras process for me. where i just feel like i dont really get any adverse negative reactions, because of having never really had a negative experience with Kingdom Hearts, beyond minor complaints that dont mean anything... whilst i see where you come from when it comes to the treatment of female characters (i am one myself), i dont think it taints my experience to the same extent it taints yours i guess? at some point in my experience of the franchise i think my brain turned off the negativity and just let nomura write it in the way that he writes it. and if some part of kingdom hearts goes in the meta, realistic, direction, im here for it, because no matter what, i think theyre gonna be able to make it at least worthy of the kingdom hearts title, if not better than what came before. also to just offer my own opinion, i will eat my own fucking balls if kingdom hearts will have quippy marvel dialogue, cause i do not think Nomura would let that happen, let alone any of the writers... (i do indeed have balls) ps. i dont mean that negativity is bad tho, im not trying to imply that youre some hater and im some sort of higher being. i respect your opinion and i dont think its a bad thing for you to have some reservations about this next arc. it is rather important for them to not flop wit this next entry...
This was a very entertaining video. You made alotta great points imo Ill check out your review and playthrough through Remind, im interested to see your first reaction to it 😄
43:34 Okay its really convoluted, but I THINK Dark Riku was in San Fransokyo doing data related shenanigans as a means of recreating Xion for the Organization. It's kinda weird, cause they definitely have more than 13 people they can use as "darknesses" for the Real Organization, and thus in many ways they don't actually need to recreate Xion at all (though I suppose you could argue that they always anticipated the betrayal of Demyx and Vexen and wanted to hedge their bets on someone they could definitively control). But basically, throughout the entire Disney portion of the game, the whole Organization is scrambling to get her as their final member. Much like Young Xehanort using the split worlds of Toy Box as a means of figuring out how/if an "empty puppet" can be given a heart, Dark Riku is attempting to see if they can recreate someone's heart from data, and both of these seem to be their means of recreating Xion without time traveling, as I assume the whole memory loss thing puts a bit of a blockage on that plan. If they don't remember who she is, they can't go back in time to find her and bring her forward. But if they have data that verifies her existence, and they can use that to recreate her heart and then put it into an empty vessel, they can recreate her for the Org. I really do not think any of this is spelled out at any point in the game sdfsdfdsf, I think I just went on a mental spiral about this like 3 years ago because I too was like "wait why the fuck ARE YMX and Dark Riku doing those things in these worlds?" I'm only halfway through the (absolutely amazing btw) vid but this portion just awoke this dormant insanity in my head and I had to Yell.
Why even go through all of this trouble for Xion specifically too? Like Xemnas even acknowledges that he knows that Xion and Axel where friends, so do they NOT think that she would leave the org for her friends as soon as she saw/remembered them? That seems like a really big weakness in ur plan, it seems... Just so stupid
@@AebaActually (I hate being that person) as we see in Re:Mind, Saïx is the one who proposes they use a heart that’s connected to Sora, I.E. Xion. And seeing as how it’s made pretty obvious that Saïx was a traitor working from the inside, this makes complete sense. Saïx specifically chose Xion because he knew it wouldn’t pan out in the long run and would help the guardians. He even makes it a point to purposely remind (haha) Xion of Axel and Roxas’ names numerous times in the DLC. So I don’t think this is a big a writing flaw as you think it is. Saïx’s words to recruit Xion were trusted because from Xehanort’s viewpoint, he has never let him down in the past. Though honestly this makes me just wish we actually got to see the new organization actually interact more behind the scenes, which I think would’ve eliminated many of these questions.
They could have made a moment similar to the graveyard with Riku vs Xehanort after Kairi was shattered, instead of simply repeating what Sora did and fall down. It was kinda lame how Riku was sorta watered down, surely could have done something smarter and more powerful with Sora (hello KH2 & DDD ??). Also could have showed more emotion since it's Kairi. Destiny trio aren't shown as connected in KH3 and that bothers me the most. Anyway, engaging vid!
Long comment lmao: I was wondering what else was overall off about that first scene in the Keyblade Graveyard besides the weird inaction and unintentional apathy, but you nailed it on the head. (I also wish they had keyblade armor cuz I think just introducing it in BBS and not in 3 was such a waste!) I do wish KH was more focused on emotional writing than it is. I wanna see more in-depth character interactions and personal character consequences and less "standing in a room for 15 minutes to explain something." I even like the meta FF Verus 13 thing, but the more I think about it, the more worried I am about it being *too meta* and specifically becoming more mean-spirited. But this video made me think about how I could like the meta thing while praising KH for its lack of pointing out the absurdity of its story and premise. And the thing is that I GET that Sora is in a more realistic world so I get that people are just trying to point that out when someone asks why Sora is rendered more realistically in Quadratum, but his clothes are so BORING and ugly bro asfdjgjf. It's so...nothing.... Also thanks for the shout out lol
While I don’t necessarily agree (or feel as strongly, more like?) about certain things you don’t like about the KH3 finale, appreciate the effort and well-thought out critique.
Aebbbbaaaa! Hello jello bestie! Sorry took me a while to watch this long video, I am a slow elephant🐘 Anywhoozers what can I say about this video? The drama, the fashion, the memes, the nails, the makeup and humor. It was all there darling💅 and you know what you are damn right that no one cared about kairi’s death like… what the hell? And y’all are supposed to be the good guys and you don’t even care? I agree with your yelling about that and all the other yelling you did in this video, it was a blast to watch. I will say I cannot agree with you on kh4 cuz i have no option to lay claim to. I am trying not to think about it at all actually. I am trying to stay away from trailers, theories or analysis videos so that I can keep my expectations open for what is to come. I did that for kh3, no trailers nothing, and I love the game very much and I plan to do the same for kh4 but you are valid like wtf why are we in a boring city again??? Proud of you aeba, lovely video!❤
I remember when I expressed the hope kh keeps sincerity I used the word charm and the phrase specifically “charm in it” but I forgot the space so I wrote “charmin” like the toilet paper brand Also the thing I like about the kh4 trailer is that Goofy is in it
the mainline stories of these games have gotten so bad, and the worst bits are down to the core chatacters - sora, kairi, riku. all three are basically just bad chatacters at this point. As much as it sucks that kairi didn't get a real chance to shine, i don't think the people in charge of kingdom hearts are capable of doing better with sorikai, their flanderized forms have calcified. I'd be more hype for kh4 if the series were moving on from sora & co the same way it were moving on from nortthan, & started over with some entirely original protags.
Hello! I don't normally comment on videos but because a lot of this video seemed to be upset at how the fanbase has treated you, I wanted to say that I think you're one of the funniest and most insightful essayists on the platform. NOT JUST FOR KH! I'd love to hear more about your thoughts and criticisms of other media in general. Your perspective on the KH4 trailer in particular treats what was shown like actual art and not just a future dopamine hit. Thank you for your videos. Games need more people like you and I hope it becomes fun to interact with your audience again some day
I will admit that I am a defender of KH3 but I will never ever defend the stuff with Kairi in it. Playing as her in Re:Mind? Sure. But wow would I love a game like the one you describe, where Sora isn't the main protagonist and it's all about them searching for him. Alas... I think you might be right and that KH IV won't be for people like you or me. I still have *some* hope, but... it's dwindling pretty hard.
Liking the video for the accurate Depp slander and liking again for the utter disappointment in KH3's mishandling of Kairi, which was so bad that it somehow made every previous game's treatment of her look better by comparison. Then liking a third time because it turns out that liking twice undoes your first like. Also yeah, KH3 was just so utterly disappointing that it briefly made me, a lifelong KH fan, give up on the series entirely. Eventually I realized that, due to changing game engines halfway through, KH3 only really had half of the development time that it was supposed to, so a lot of the stuff I hated about the ending (and the middle, tbh) was a consequence of major time crunch, as in practice only about half of their actual development could be spent actually developing the game. Seeing them adjust the game for Re:Mind really cemented that in my head, that KH3 was largely a consequence of Square Enix's weird policy to make all the games on in-house engines so they could sell their own game engine despite it being one of the worst policy decisions they've ever made. So when Re:Mind was actually good, it gave me hope that the future KH games might also be good, especially since SquareEnix has drastically changed its policy on how much freedom developers are given. (Ignoring Melody of Memory, since apparently that wasn't going to have any story until the last minute so the part of me still capable of hope blames the poor writing on similar time crunch. But it also got made in a weird transitional period for the company, so hopefully it's just a consequence of that.) The OTHER reason I ended up deciding to be a fan of the series again was, and I'm not kidding here, because of a 6 hour video essay on why Riku is gay. Like, I genuinely cannot overstate how shockingly effective that video essay was at giving me hope in the series' writing again. It made me understand why the Disney worlds are all written *Like That,* it made me understand why all the Sora and Kairi scenes are all written *That Way,* and it was also just a really well paced and enlightening analysis of the themes & writing style of the Kingdom Hearts series. I still feel like Nomura could be writing Kairi much better than he has been, but at least I feel like he's actually going somewhere with it and my stance on the quality of her writing through the series has softened considerably as a result. (Also: KH4 finally has a female writer in the team. The one who helped write 358/2 Days, which was one of the best written games in the series. That gave me a lot of hope as well.)
I think it is more cause at least 3 of those have more to do with the foretellers and the saga kh4 is leading into, with Dark Road having it's foot on both sides of the door. Tbh i still don't know how I even feel about Dark Road, especially the idea that the Keykid is inferred to reincarnate as Xehanort iirc? I might be completely remembering that wrong but I really did not like it lmao
@@TheKeyblader133 True it is about the dark seeker saga, but at the end of Dark Road we find out that the Player from Union X reincarnates into the player from Missing Link, who then is seen being the one who raises Xehanort on Destiny Islands
i may be blessed that i have yet to run into any ship art/stuff for strelitzia and sora cause holy shit the points you raise in the possibility of strelitizia being seen as more likeable because she seen as more demure, thus controllable as a woman...., im gagging. thank you for pointing it out, it's giving me flash backs to the star wars sequel trilogy with b*n s*** and rey and how that completely took over despite the terrible writing both character wise and for the entire story as a whole [how do you fumble a million dollar story.. how... god i hate the mcu and star wars movies...] Kairi's writing is abysmal in that she's hardly seen and then when she is it's Nomura channeling that Kishimoto Naruto writing for his ensemble cast. I don't particularly root for Sora and Kairi as a romantic relationship - im backing another horse -- but the pain in wanting at least the bare minimum respect for a character and their actions constantly being overlooked, i've been there before. I'm new here, but i'm here to stay! Your rant about the climax of Kingdom Hearts 3 particularly struck a chord with me. damn look at me sounding formal; YOU COOKED A SPECTACULAR VIDEO, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING I WILL BE WATCHING AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank GOD the KH team brought on more writers for KH4 because I genuinely think Nomura himself just doesn't know that games can have bat-shit crazy events... **throughout them**, and not just shoved at the end. DDD (which I love but still) was a warning but I did not listen...
I don't understand why you consider meta references to be 'insincere' when this entire series has always been about IP brands. Part of its charm has always been the fact that it's a fusion of products with neat OCs thrown in. And if you think shit's weird now, wait until you hear about my theory that Yozora is still a video game character being piloted by another person
(I really didn't mean this to get so long lol. Feel free to ignore it. Only the first paragraph is really a reply to you anyway lmao) It's only "about brands" in that it uses recognizable IP as the basis for the worlds and (in many cases) their story, but it's not meta. The characters aren't presented as being characters from Disney movies in-universe. They are real people living in real worlds that only we, as the outside observer, know are based on existing properties. Personally, I feel like the "blurring the lines of fantasy and reality" thing doesn't fit right with the tone of Kingdom Hearts to this point. It feels like something way more at home in a FF title; which I don't use as an insult because I adore FF and the insane storylines they come up with. To Aeba's point about sincerity, Kingdom Hearts works because the characters don't know that they're characters. Sora doesn't go to save Pooh every game because he watched the show when he was a kid and has a nostalgic spot for that character. He goes to save Pooh time after time because he loves Pooh and values his friendship. Kingdom Hearts very very rarely winks at the camera, and the times it has ("Nobody Axes Axel" being a notable example) are always pretty jarring in my opinion. I think it's great when media just believes in itself without the need to make fun of the story its trying to tell as it tells it to you. And I really hope KH can wrangle this whole "unreality" thing in a way that still feels true to the emotional core of the series. Which, as I see it, is a genuine and unashamed love for the people around you.
I appreciate that you brought up Endgame a couple times, because KH3 and that movie gave me somewhat similar experiences. The first time through I felt like it lived up to all the hype, I was moved and joyful and everything... and then after some time apart, the flaws became a lot more visible. But on subsequent returns, I still find myself really enjoying those highs. I am quite nervous for KH4 but I'm not yet terrified just because I try to keep an open mind to a fault when it comes to these things. Thank you again for the yummy content
I just dont. understand. how people looked at the greyest city ever and lost their mind. And like, I LOVE Death Stranding, the greyest game ever. But not in my KH, the game I want to be full of reds and blues and yellows and star shapes and sparkles!!! (LAST comment I swear)
Holy hell I haven’t yelled “yes exactly that!” Repeatedly at my computer screen so many times in a row. You’re not the only KH4 detractor out there. I’ve loved and continue to love what once was and I hope all my fears about any upcoming games are for nothing. Thank you for the well thought out and completely immersive video. Loved it
I think what your video has clarified for me, having been shown several of Nomura's interview answers in short succession and seeing a trend, is that my apprehension with KH4 stems from Nomura's apparent total disconnect with the fanbase. Repeatedly in interviews he expresses shock (
I'm confused about 1 thing. What is the character in black glasses and hood supposed to represent, i thought it represented you in post but I'm not so sure now
To answer that question at the end, I think why I'm excited for KH4 ultimately comes down to what values I enjoy the whole series for. I honestly dig the series as a vibes platform overall, the music is sick, love the locations from every game, and I'm down with the gameplay changes between each entry, but I've never personally interfaced with the series on a character level to any real depth though there are plenty of story points that I think totally rip. The switch up with KH4 seems like a fresh premise/aesthetic with good timing considering how far into this we are. Great video! this whole thing goes hard
some other commenters have already gushed about how cool the editing is, how witty and well-crafted your points are, and how awesome you are, and i want to second that. whenever i see a vid from you, i make sure to watch. & because of you, i consider myself a kairi fan. (and my fav is xion for whatever that's worth) i also wanted to say, gosh dang i never thought about how awesome it would be to get like 4 separate games before kh4 about everyone else going on their own campaigns in their own like... wheelhouse trying to find sora. we really could've had like 4 games about people finding like... a piece of sora at a time before kh4 and that would be so dang cool here's to hoping that kairi actually shows up in kh4 and here's to hoping sora's hair and outfit gets an upgrade
I’m glad you’re back. Great video but I don’t really agree with most of your criticisms. I think the video was fun and well put together and I’ll leave it at that.
i hope nomura realizes that you have to respect the characters you design EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. they appear on screen. your points about scenes clumsily taking characters from one scene to the next without paying mind to the devestating reality of whats happening in front of them really hit home for me. why is sora the only one having this reaction to kairi's death? why was said death so unearned and lazy? why is it hitting me that kairi really only has a deep connection to sora despite attempts to remedy that? axel was trying to be her bestie because he saw xion in her (perhpas a bad faith interpretation but still) and even he couldn't muster any believable emotions. WHY AREN'T THE CHARACTERS FEELING HALF AS STRONGLY AS I AM.
I feel like this is what would happen if Jenna Marbles and Regular Pat were mixed in a blender
Aeba's really forever in her GOAT era
DON'T ASK ME ABOUT ONCE UPON A TIME HOW DARE YOU
The video editing is great and matches your energy perfectly. Great stuff!!
AEBA this is SO GOOD. I went in expecting a sort of "history of the series"-style video, but instead got just this masterful commentary and evisceration of the setup & payoff of the last arc of the series. So many times I was shoutin "YEA EXACTLY" while you put words to feelings in a way I didn't know how to. The EDITING, the SCRIPTWRITING and SKITS--god this is unbelievable. Pls always talk about these games; you're literally one of the best out there to do it
and I'll be callin him "ansem trigger warning" for the rest of my life now thanks
So glad to see this channel back. This is one of the few kh channels where even when I disagree, I can understand where the speaker is coming from.
First off, when it comes to the Flynn and Rapunzel scene, I see why you cringed at it, to me I just saw it as another version of Sora teasing Mulan and Shang about "playing nice".
Now for my actual point, I actually wouldn't mind if KH took a meta angle. I think you can make a sincere KH game from Sora's POV from that angle, and that's because I see his story as a long-winded coming-of-age story. KH1 is about that period in life where you have to learn to take the initiative and when you see the people around you crash and fall while you sit there helpless and alone. Like having that one troublemaker friend who gets into drugs, goes to frat parties, and then gets Jennifer'ed from Jennifer's Body. We've all had that one friend who completely ate sh*t despite our best efforts.
CoM is about the lies of nostalgia and how dangerous it is when you let other people control your narrative.
KH2 is just the happy, somewhat unrealistic resolution to the conflict of KH1, but what's important is that both Sora and Riku are on their way to self-acceptance and will help each other through the process. I feel like Kairi is important here too, but for some reason, I can't articulate it right now.
DDD is about Riku finally, fully coming into his own, while Sora fails to truly confront his demons.
KH3 has him taking all the wrong lessons from DDD further suppressing who he is and falling further into his hero complex while simultaneously having an inferiority complex. In the end, Sora grows up and has to finally take responsibility for his actions. While it sucks, Sora was never going to be able to wrestle with his darkness if there was always someone there to pull him out.
Sora in KH4 is probably going to have to really confront his desire to be a hero and his increasingly overbearing feeling of unimportance in the grander scale of the universe. What would make him do that more than finding out that his from a video game? He'd have to not only find an identity outside of his friends but outside of his very code. That's interesting. That's sincere. That's like every young adult who has reality slap them in the face with the fact that they're a cog in the machine who may never make anything of themselves.
As far as riku and kairi. I don't mind if Riku fails, but I also think we could get some interesting drama from Sora refusing to go back and meet Kairi whether in person or through their link, and them bonding over their similarities. Because Sora and Kairi are very similar characters.
i wholeheartedly agree with your sentiment, i think you put it better than i could ever have :3
I don’t think the conclusion of the Yozora fight in 3 was that Sora finds out he’s from a game 💀
Watching this again, and I have to say I find it really strange that Riku's reaction to Kairi's death was just a clinched fist and a yell. Like... that feels appropriate if Riku sees Kairi get kidnapped maybe. But, murdered?! This is the character who opened his heart to darkness to, among other reasons, find Kairi after Destiny Islands was destroyed by the Heartless. Wouldn't it be more thematically appropriate for Riku to slip up in holding his darkness back in this moment?
Like, he sees it happen and his eyes begin to well up with tears and we think he going to break down just like Sora does, but then he sees Sora break down. Seeing that, Riku's emotions do a complete 180. His expression turns cold and he starts staring daggers at Xehanort, and as he does he gets engulfed in a dark aura. Mickey could then snap out of his stunned disbelief at what just happened due to that sudden burst of darkness from Riku, and he could then focus instead on helping Riku calm down. Maybe a somber expression and lightly placing his hand on Riku's clinched fist that is grasping his keyblade in utter rage to gently bring Riku out of his rage trance so Riku can calm himself down. You know, continue to be that guiding light that he was for Riku back in CoM or something?
I dunno. I'm just spitballing. But the utter lack of response from anyone other than Sora and Riku getting a smidge of road rage just feels...wrong.
THANK YOU ever since the KH4 trailer dropped I have been incredibly worried about the future of the series. Literally the most joy I get out of KH is the earnest, cartoony, cheesy stuff and sacrificing all of that for the sake of being “deep” or “meta” really put me off from being exited about it.
I think KH4 will do fine cuz it will still have what people loves about KH. The hub of KH4 now being in a more realistic setting, doesn't mean that it will get rid of its charm. We have realistic Disney worlds before. It will also still be cartoony with the cheesy jokes cuz we're not just focusing on Sora and Sora himself still being that golden boy
Aqua standing idly by (not even weapon drawn) while Terranort is making his big speech, and then even after he attacks Ven will never not piss me off.
The cutscenes in this franchise just completely ignore her mage status. Why not have her try to heal Ven in the background while the others fight Terranort rather than just have her leaning over him not doing anything.
Or maybe after Ventus is struck don’t have her stand there for a minute, mouth opened not knowing what to do next.
This woman has already been in a major battle. One where she’s not only seen using incredibly powerful protection magic against a dozen keyblades, but also acting quick and catching Ven as he falls to his doom.
Like what the hell? As far as I’m concerned Aqua wasn’t in that scene (neither was Riku, Mickey, Kairi or Sora). Give Lea credit, he didn’t do any successful damage but he actually did something and protected Kairi by blocking Terranorts attack. That’s certainly better than hug powers that Sora thought would work somehow. Fucking Donald and Goofy were the only good ones in that scene lol. Y’know, the only characters WITHOUT keyblades.
That whole scene is just a mess. In order to make it work, they needed Terranort to either move way faster, use more slow mo or have the characters take much more direct action and have it still just not work. I’m going to list everything all 9 characters did in that scene.
Sora tried to swing but was blocked.
Lea Blocked
Sora hugged to protect Kairi
Goofy blocked
Donald Killed
That’s 4 characters. 4!!!!!!! There were 5 other characters who were there that did shit all.
And let's not forget that because Donald used that spell to kill Terranort, that ended up killing Donald too. The only way Donald won was self-destructing himself by using his lifeforce as fuel to cast the spell in the first place.
And yet, there are so many other characters here that are stronger than him. Aqua HAS fought Terranort before and WON. Mickey was also part of the BBS Keyblade War. The lack of desire to actually write the scene is telling. It very much feels like the writers just said: "We need to figure out a way to deal with this prophecy thing so we can get to all of the cool boss fights." Like that was their motivation, just get the thing done and whatever you come up with is fine because no one cares anyway.
The thing that pisses me off even more in that scene are the people who DEFEND it. Like "WAIT ACTUALLY THE SCENE MAKES PERFECT SENSE, TERRANORT IS JUST FAST."
Like no, no no no no NO.
Just admit the writing was bad. Why defend something bad? Don't you just lose? Its like with how people defend pokemon's stagnation despite it being owned by the richest company.
@@ZaiDrizzleDrop For some people, admitting that a thing they love is flawed must therefore mean that it is bad for them to love that thing. They just refuse to tackle with that cognitive dissonance, and instead would rather delude themselves into thinking that it is fine.
That or they are just trolls. Possibly both!
@@ZeldaFan2004 Yep your right , it honestly feels like delusion when people say they love scenes like when Kairi and Sora shared the Paopu fruit (God that scene felt so wooden). Its like they can't accept that a game they waited so long for could be bad.
I think that if you actually love something, you would realize that the potential was squandered and the characters you love were shafted.
yknow I was gonna leave a long ass comment talking about all my various thoughts on things etc etc, but the pat sora voice at 45:02 jumpscared me so badly that I just had to comment about that instead
What do I look forward to in KH4/The Lost Master’s arc?
For the antithesis and examination of Sora’s existence to be pushed back in spite of its themes presented. That Sora feels the groundbreaking, heart shattering reality of his existence that would humble anyone into mundanity… only to realize in the finale act that the nonsensical sincerity of the world he grew up in is exactly the remedy to his condition in Quadratum, living life in a dull death. I want the grey of the unreality to be flooded with color in the streets like a LGBTQ+ cross walk on pride month.
So it pisses off the Master of Masters that his vacation from addressing the darkness is canceled because Sora said no to a cynical, self referential, capitalist world.
Or, he can just sing “Let it Go” at a karaoke bar trying to forget about taxes. Either way, I’d go with him.
Also, Kairi should be playable in the Disney core worlds while Sora gets the live action ones where he realizes how they suck and wants to go back.
1:17:03 i dont want to sound pedantic but nomura has gone on record to say the sora design of kh4 is unfinished.
Thank goodness
I'm not that far in but the Aqua fit for the outside the box section is adorable
Edit: Ok after finishing this, your video editing is SUPER fun in this one. I was taken aback a few times honestly. But also oh ok now you have me feeling mildly concerned about the idea of Strelitzia vs. Kairi waifu war at Kairi's expense and guys getting weird about her :(
I sincerely hope it doesn't happen! 🤞
Your style has always been really cool but seeing how much its evolved and how effortlessly you make this so entertaining funny, yet analytical, wow. You're honestly really talented 👏 gonna watch this in bits but what ive seen so far is great and really glad you're making videos again. Keep going Aeba 💪
Literally my fav KH creator and this video (masterpiece) solidifies it
I JUST WATCHED THE RED TABLE TALK AND CAME BACK HERE TODAY AND LAUGHED SO HARD TO SEE IT IN THIS VIDEO.
Hi, I was randomly recommended this and decided that hey, I could spare a quick two hours of my life to watch.
Wanted to first say that it was REALLY well made and super enjoyable! I didn't agree with everything you said (Especially about KH4, sorry), but I still respected your opinions and I do think you did a great job presenting them.
That's really all I had to say, just wanted to hopefully boost your algorithm performance by saying something.
Thanks! The best i can do is present stuff good
Best editing, best fits, best takes, best Aeba video
Thank you Master Lanz!
Our Queen is back … oh happy day!
(Also that one scene with Rapunzel and Eugene is cringe to me too don’t worry)
AEBA!!!! What a fantastic video! I feel so seen. So many times I have wanted to express my thoughts on these games and just could never find the right words. There were so many moments where I audibly said, "RIGHT!" (I almost did this at work but managed to contain myself haha). This was so well written and your delivery only made it that much more enjoyable to watch. Always a treat watching your videos.
This entire video was just pure catharsis. I just want to scream so many of your points to every possible place a can. Absolutely amazing, Aeba!
Love this channel, schooled me on my knowledge of the series that’s for sure.
YOU ARE SO RIIIGHT!!! My beef with KH3 (vanilla) is that all the time-loop/Union X/Ephemer stuff is "the reap" of games that were LITERALLY NOT FINISHED/OUT YET: UX and Missing Link. How could you spend half of the climax of KH3, the CONCLUSION of a saga/arc/whatever, to games that literally are for the saga/arc AFTER, thereby taking away precious time that could have been given to the Dark Seeker characters. MY favorite example is Roxas and Ventus just "...." at each other. THAT was MY Most Gamer Anticipated Moment and I GOT NOTHING. "But Mel, you got it in ReMind!" ONLY BECAUSE THE FANS DEMANDED THE FIX !!!!
"fan demanded fix" should be remind's subtitle
thank you for articulating the thoughts that have been festering inside my head for the last five years
your videos on kh are a breath of fresh air thank you for being real ❤
every second of this video is incredible, ty for that
For even more foreshadowing for the BS at the beginning of The Keyblade Graveyard, I simply must direct your attention to the scene where Ansem SoD fights Aqua. It has the exact same disinterest in writing from the character's perspective. Aqua has no keyblade here. It makes sense that she would lose to Ansem SoD here. But, she is, first and foremost, a mage. WHY IS SHE FIGHTING WITH HAND TO HAND COMBAT!?
KH1 established that keyblade wielders can still use their magic without their keyblade (see the portion of Hollow Bastion where Sora wield a toy sword and fights alongside Beast). So, why is Aqua not throwing Firaga and the like at Ansem's face? Why?! WHY?! Oh that's right, because Aqua needs to lose so Ansem can infect her heart with a ball of darkness so we can fight her later.
Sidebar, if that is a thing that Xehanort can do, why does he never use it anywhere else? Seems like it would be really helpful to corrupt your enemies like that so they are easier to deal with or hell even join you. But no, just going to infect Aqua and no one else, with an ability we have never seen before, and never been given any indication that something like that can happen before because if it could why not use it from the beginning. All that time in CoM where Ansem SoD is lusting after Riku's body, why not just inject him with a ball of darkness? Problem solved. Organization 13 wants Sora to help them? Fill up a syringe with some of that dark goop and give him a shot of that juice!
It's absolute BS from every angle and it is all because they had a goal in mind and worked backwards from that goal and made it happen in the laziest way possible.
Sorry that was alot! lol
But, it's so rare to find people who are willing to actually talk about criticisms like this for KH3. So many people just focus on the things they like and just ignore stuff like this and I wish I could do that. But, I can't. These things just really bother me and it was nice to find someone that seems to get that.
That whole scene has always bothered me, and the idea of "working backwards from an end goal" is such a great way to comprehend why. That scene also makes Aqua's actual transformation into Anti-Aqua feel very hollow and unrelated to her own actual character arc. It doesn't happen because she herself falters emotionally and succumbs to the weight of her despair after years and years of isolation in the Realm of Darkness, it happens because she loses a fight and gets thrown into the magical corrupting dark ocean (I had always thought her drowning in this was the catalyst for her turning, and not just being hit with a shot of dark magic, as it's a direct visual metaphor for the idea of succumbing to one's own despair and dark thoughts, which is the underlying core of Anti-Aqua's mentality). It's an extremely impactful transformation for Aqua, and one that clearly goes on to serve as a particularly traumatic moment that she struggles with, yet the actual act of becoming Anti-Aqua had nothing to do with her choices and actions as a character.
And once you realize that, it starts to feel like the entire existence of Anti-Aqua is completely pointless. If she doesn't exist as a result of Aqua's own actions, why is she even here? Just to bait and switch the audience in a teaser trailer and be a fanservicy boss fight? Her transformation being an unintentional side effect of a conflict between the Ansems makes it feel like they wanted that corruption to happen, but had no idea how to make it happen in a way that factored into her character. Perhaps it's all a side effect of segmenting 0.2 into its own game and having to have that game end with a somewhat positive conclusion; I wonder if, had we gotten 0.2 as the opening/an early playable segment of KH3 akin to the KH2 Roxas prologue, we might have actually been able to see Aqua's transformation happen as result of her own anxieties and despair consuming her, rather than it just being something that happens to her as a side effect of the narrative.
@plnkblue The thing that bothers me is that it would not have even been hard to make her fall into becoming Anti-Aqua makes sense for her character. For instance, here is something I literally just wrote while in bed on my phone:
Aqua and Ansem TW are chilling on the beach of the Dark Horizon. Ansem SoD shows up trying to kidnap Ansem TW, Aqua steps up to protect him but realizes she no longer has a Keyblade. She is smart, so she plays keep away and strategically uses her magic.
Ansem SoD can't land a hit and is noticeably losing. So, he uses his guardian to separate Aqua and Ansem TW, and then turns his attention to him instead of her. Aqua is distracted by the guardian. She feels something. Some sort of connection...
Ansem SoD successfully grabs and teleports away with Ansem TW, and Aqua is left alone. All she can do now is sit with her failure to protect him. She beats herself up and starts saying things like she can't protect anyone because Ven was lost in sleep when she left him, and Terra... Thinking of Terra makes her realize something. Something truly awful. That heartless guardian Ansem SoD was using... Aqua saw into its eyes. She knows who it is. Aqua panics, starts tear up, and break down.
In that most vulnerable moment, a figure rises from the waters of the Dark Horizon. Her mirror double. It surprises Aqua, grabs her, throws her into the waters, and dives in after her. Aqua begins to be consumed by the darkness within the water. She tries to struggle at first, but the mirror double restrains her, and slowly, Aqua goes limp.
When next we see Aqua, it is when Riku and Mickey find her as Anti-Aqua.
Bonus points if it is literally Aqua's tears falling into the waters that cause the ripples from which her mirror double rises.
Wow Aeba this was such a refreshing deep dive, I will not be gaslit into thinking I liked 3’s finale 😭 I see a lot of new fans loving it these days and I’m actually really happy about that because 3 is still a fun game, but everything you said about 3’s finale rings true to me
While my childhood was happy, I had a couple of issues--some of which were unique to the game, while others were things that began in other games and trickled into this one:
1. Ever since KH2, Disney worlds have lost relevancy; the whole vibe during the game felt like we were on a time crunch, making the worlds feel like pit stops and something to be rushed through. Not to mention the "New 7 Hearts" are never fully explored. If they matter in a later game, SE should've waited to introduce the concept later rather than now and not make use of it. It's kinda like how they planned to only use FF characters to get people interested in the franchise and then removed them.
2. Too many characters and everything is Sora-centric. He's the main character, but it feels like almost no one can function without him or make connections without him. Riku having to be saved and Kairi and Lea never getting to live up to their full potential felt like a waste. On top of this, you have several other trios that feel relevant only because of Sora's doing (mostly) as well as villains who randomly have regret and humanity at the end. I'd prefer they got more attention during the game in order to flesh them out more rather than requiring players to play "X" and BBS (both of which could've fleshed them out more). Not to mention they added ANOTHER trio when Isa mentioned out of nowhere that he and Lea had become Ansem's apprentices for a previously unmentioned friend.
3. Probably my most controversial opinion: the "Dark Seeker" saga should've ended with KH2. Obvious certain hints should've been there, but the series has a really bad issue with "you only know half the truth" and gives more questions than answers. I'd prefer if the Wayfinder Trio were introduced in the next cycle--maybe as the next villains of the series, being the "broken" trio meant to defeat Xehanort a decade ago and now the Island Trio must defeat them. Or something like that; in any case, it shouldn't have taken almost 20 years and 10 games (not counting the remixes but inclusing 2.8) to wrap this up.
Altogether, I do wish that the story was more clear, other characters outside of Sora got to be fleshed out and got the spotlight, and Disney didn't feel like a promotional thing rather than a relevant part of the story.
ive been replaying the series and eating up kh retrospectives from every channel i can find and this one is immediately my favourite, holy shit. i got to the end and hit replay to watch it again, it's SO GOOD.
ive been crawling through the desert looking for a channel talking about the kh girls with any kind of depth/thoughtfulness and im SO excited to dig into the rest of your work, like literally what a bounty. thank you so much!!
ive done the exact same mulling over kh3 Good/kh3 Bad for years and it's SO satisfying seeing it laid out like this why kairi's death scene is such a low for the entire series. it's a failure of the writing and a failure for the series' thesis statement and it's a travesty!!!!! god this is so cathartic lol
the editing and jokes in this are so fucking good. nicki shuffling away in sora's stupid shoes is gonna stay with me forever
if you ever get the chance/interest in the future, i would LOVE to see your retrospectives on the other eras of this series. but i know this video was such an undertaking and i hope you get to bask in the achievement forever, like it's SO fucking good
thank you so much for working on this, im gonna be coming back to this video for years
The unhinged nature of this is so amazing and exactly what we need. Thank you for your hard work 😌
kh3 just should have had a fully happy, fully resolved ending, no death of sora (including no foreshadoeing that it was going to happen). there's no reason for kh3 to aim for a bittersweet ending when like 2/3 of the point of the game was undoing the bitter part of kh2's (much better) bittersweet ending.
Plus, if they really wanted to end an era/arc/whatnot, it should have been just focused on resolution. set up for the next arc should have been left to a proper new beginning installment to kick off the next arc.
I thought I was the only person who remembered bbs volume 2
Babe wake up, new video, almost two hours long, babe
I was mostly onboard until the KH4 stuff. the game has had one (1) short trailer, multiple years ago. Things change chill
Thanks for making this video! It really opened up my mind to a lot of the writing problems kh3 had, I'm now a lot more cautiously optimistic for KH4! 👍🏾
1:03:50 gonna be that guy.
The Japanese has Mickey's speech patterns.
great video 👍
Could've really used this video for my three hour flight the other day lol. Either way, the editing is on point!
Oh thank god I'm not the only one apprehensive about KH4 lmfao
I think I have to agree with you on your opinion about Kingdom Hearts 4. It would definitely be more impactful if Sora wouldnt be the protagonist. Just make Riku the protagonist and let it play out similar to the end of DDD. Riku searching for Sora in Quadratum and the ending would be saving Sora and bringing him back to their own world. But I guess many players would not like that.
I'm glad you put into words for my brain why KH3's ending just... didn't work for me and felt so hollow.
Great video, thanks for saying shit well and in a fun way 👍
I think an underlying problem is that KH started off without any expectations of a sequel, so they were focused on making a cohesive, singular game rather than a franchise. Then it picked up traction and they were making a few more sequels. After that they had to take ideas and characters established in a very contained game and build them out to sustain a franchise. So characters with simple motivations got more boring in the transition just by the fact that they didn't as easily get built out. I just don't think Xehanort was a villain built for a franchise and I think the team sensed it so they focused more on world building which caused them to rush through Xehanort because there really wasn't much there.
That being said, I don't think focusing on Sora is a bad thing. Maybe it's just me, but I have liked series' like Pokemon where the main character stays the same. It allows you to see how the worlds change. Just my opinion though.
28:15 YES. I just watched this scene the other day and cringed. It's giving "little kid copied an action they saw on TV, but people just stared at them because its a child doing weird shit." and the way the horse reacted, and the way everyone laughed... awful
I love your intros
11:45 the Ienzo episode nonbinary flag cracked me up ngl
Nb domination
Absolutely fantastic video, watched it 1x speed and everything, enjoyed every second lol. tbh, I'm not even *that* much of a Kairi fan, but the way the was handled ALL throughout the 3 Era has kinda made me check out of caring deeply about the future of the series. Like if you can have writing *this egregious* right when it needs to be at its strongest, idk how I can trust future installments to have the quality I've come to expect from previous entries. And for me, no amount of playable Kairi could save how they treated her in base KH3, it just felt like a bandaid. Giving her any sort of plot agency now would feel too late (and tbh, the way they stripped her spunk from her in KH3 to be this ultra passive, soft character makes it hard to believe this incarnation of her can even drive a plot). I guess I just don't have as much faith in this series as you do at this point, which is fair enough, I just really don't think there's any coming back from what they did to her.
As for KH4, I honestly don't really *feel* much about it other than curiosity. I'm not one to get super hyped for stuff and would rather wait for a thing to release before having any strong feelings on it, but after hearing you out, you're totally right. We really shouldn't be playing as Sora so soon, his death needs to actually sit with us to mean something. And the kinds of situations we could explore with all the remaining characters is *exactly* what I've wanted since KH3 released, now that they're all free and safe again. *I just want to hang out with themmmmm*. And the context of all these characters having to work together to save Sora is perfect. IF dont correctly, of course. I'm just not sure Nomura's heart is even in it anymore for any of these characters aside from Sora and *yozora*... I guess we'll have to see, just sucks that AAA game development is so horrendous and inefficient that it's been two years since announcement and we still haven't heard even a whisper on the state of the game, and we're just being given mobile game scraps in the meantime. *sigh*
Excellent video once again aeba
I started crying when you talked about the kairi death scene!!! BECAUSE OMG I WAS SCREAMING IN MY HEAD "WHERE IS SHE???" THE WHOLE END OF THE GAME AND IT WAS SO WEIRD AND HEARTBREAKING HOW NO ONE SEEMED TO CARE????? it just hurts )....::::: I too wasn't overly excited when the trailer for 4 came out. I literally just sat there like I: Cities really are so boring to explore. But I have kinda come around on that. Mostly 'cos I'm hoping the gameplay feels as good as re:mind :D or even better???! And I'm thinking this isn't where Sora is saved?? Cos that would make no sense and ruin the impact his death had. So in my fantasies sora by the end of 4 is in even more trouble and then we get the kairi, riku and all of them game that then leads to saving sora. I hope :D
Absolute banger of a video!! I have missed ur videos so much it's good to have you back!! There can never be enough kairi stans in this fandom!!
Kingdom Hearts is my favorite thing ever ! But I don’t think I ever once would’ve compared two red heads being sacrificed in one of the most awaited titles
Can we be friends now
Kingdom Hearts 3 is legit my favorite experience with a Kingdom Hearts game
Especially when compared to Melody of Memory. Where I legit was rushing so I could get back to Assassin's Creed Valhalla because it came out the same week 😂 (MelMem was the better game btw. I never finished Valhalla)
To answer your question on what i like about the kh4 stuff/the next saga:
I think theres an inherent trust in Nomuras process for me. where i just feel like i dont really get any adverse negative reactions, because of having never really had a negative experience with Kingdom Hearts, beyond minor complaints that dont mean anything...
whilst i see where you come from when it comes to the treatment of female characters (i am one myself), i dont think it taints my experience to the same extent it taints yours i guess?
at some point in my experience of the franchise i think my brain turned off the negativity and just let nomura write it in the way that he writes it. and if some part of kingdom hearts goes in the meta, realistic, direction, im here for it, because no matter what, i think theyre gonna be able to make it at least worthy of the kingdom hearts title, if not better than what came before.
also to just offer my own opinion, i will eat my own fucking balls if kingdom hearts will have quippy marvel dialogue, cause i do not think Nomura would let that happen, let alone any of the writers...
(i do indeed have balls)
ps. i dont mean that negativity is bad tho, im not trying to imply that youre some hater and im some sort of higher being. i respect your opinion and i dont think its a bad thing for you to have some reservations about this next arc. it is rather important for them to not flop wit this next entry...
I love you and agree with every single thing you say! *^^*
This was a very entertaining video. You made alotta great points imo
Ill check out your review and playthrough through Remind, im interested to see your first reaction to it 😄
Gotta have a cityscape in KH4 so Nomura can shove Yozora into it because he STILL can't accept Versus 13 didn't happen.
43:34 Okay its really convoluted, but I THINK Dark Riku was in San Fransokyo doing data related shenanigans as a means of recreating Xion for the Organization. It's kinda weird, cause they definitely have more than 13 people they can use as "darknesses" for the Real Organization, and thus in many ways they don't actually need to recreate Xion at all (though I suppose you could argue that they always anticipated the betrayal of Demyx and Vexen and wanted to hedge their bets on someone they could definitively control). But basically, throughout the entire Disney portion of the game, the whole Organization is scrambling to get her as their final member. Much like Young Xehanort using the split worlds of Toy Box as a means of figuring out how/if an "empty puppet" can be given a heart, Dark Riku is attempting to see if they can recreate someone's heart from data, and both of these seem to be their means of recreating Xion without time traveling, as I assume the whole memory loss thing puts a bit of a blockage on that plan. If they don't remember who she is, they can't go back in time to find her and bring her forward. But if they have data that verifies her existence, and they can use that to recreate her heart and then put it into an empty vessel, they can recreate her for the Org.
I really do not think any of this is spelled out at any point in the game sdfsdfdsf, I think I just went on a mental spiral about this like 3 years ago because I too was like "wait why the fuck ARE YMX and Dark Riku doing those things in these worlds?" I'm only halfway through the (absolutely amazing btw) vid but this portion just awoke this dormant insanity in my head and I had to Yell.
Why even go through all of this trouble for Xion specifically too? Like Xemnas even acknowledges that he knows that Xion and Axel where friends, so do they NOT think that she would leave the org for her friends as soon as she saw/remembered them? That seems like a really big weakness in ur plan, it seems... Just so stupid
@@Aebayeah it was definitely….a Narrative Choice™️
@@AebaActually (I hate being that person) as we see in Re:Mind, Saïx is the one who proposes they use a heart that’s connected to Sora, I.E. Xion.
And seeing as how it’s made pretty obvious that Saïx was a traitor working from the inside, this makes complete sense. Saïx specifically chose Xion because he knew it wouldn’t pan out in the long run and would help the guardians.
He even makes it a point to purposely remind (haha) Xion of Axel and Roxas’ names numerous times in the DLC.
So I don’t think this is a big a writing flaw as you think it is. Saïx’s words to recruit Xion were trusted because from Xehanort’s viewpoint, he has never let him down in the past.
Though honestly this makes me just wish we actually got to see the new organization actually interact more behind the scenes, which I think would’ve eliminated many of these questions.
They could have made a moment similar to the graveyard with Riku vs Xehanort after Kairi was shattered, instead of simply repeating what Sora did and fall down. It was kinda lame how Riku was sorta watered down, surely could have done something smarter and more powerful with Sora (hello KH2 & DDD ??). Also could have showed more emotion since it's Kairi. Destiny trio aren't shown as connected in KH3 and that bothers me the most. Anyway, engaging vid!
Long comment lmao: I was wondering what else was overall off about that first scene in the Keyblade Graveyard besides the weird inaction and unintentional apathy, but you nailed it on the head. (I also wish they had keyblade armor cuz I think just introducing it in BBS and not in 3 was such a waste!)
I do wish KH was more focused on emotional writing than it is. I wanna see more in-depth character interactions and personal character consequences and less "standing in a room for 15 minutes to explain something." I even like the meta FF Verus 13 thing, but the more I think about it, the more worried I am about it being *too meta* and specifically becoming more mean-spirited. But this video made me think about how I could like the meta thing while praising KH for its lack of pointing out the absurdity of its story and premise.
And the thing is that I GET that Sora is in a more realistic world so I get that people are just trying to point that out when someone asks why Sora is rendered more realistically in Quadratum, but his clothes are so BORING and ugly bro asfdjgjf. It's so...nothing....
Also thanks for the shout out lol
While I don’t necessarily agree (or feel as strongly, more like?) about certain things you don’t like about the KH3 finale, appreciate the effort and well-thought out critique.
“DONKEY!” Got me 😂🤣
43:59 While your point still stands, didn’t Goofy and the others think that Dark Riku was Riku-Ansem and not Data-Riku?
...Fuck
Aebbbbaaaa! Hello jello bestie! Sorry took me a while to watch this long video, I am a slow elephant🐘
Anywhoozers what can I say about this video? The drama, the fashion, the memes, the nails, the makeup and humor. It was all there darling💅 and you know what you are damn right that no one cared about kairi’s death like… what the hell? And y’all are supposed to be the good guys and you don’t even care? I agree with your yelling about that and all the other yelling you did in this video, it was a blast to watch.
I will say I cannot agree with you on kh4 cuz i have no option to lay claim to. I am trying not to think about it at all actually. I am trying to stay away from trailers, theories or analysis videos so that I can keep my expectations open for what is to come. I did that for kh3, no trailers nothing, and I love the game very much and I plan to do the same for kh4 but you are valid like wtf why are we in a boring city again???
Proud of you aeba, lovely video!❤
Fank you Ally!! I admire ur commitment to not watch trailers IMMENSELY, wish i could b like u when i grow up
I remember when I expressed the hope kh keeps sincerity I used the word charm and the phrase specifically “charm in it” but I forgot the space so I wrote “charmin” like the toilet paper brand
Also the thing I like about the kh4 trailer is that Goofy is in it
That is the best part of the trailer
Seriously, the Kairi "death" should have had more weight and handled with more pathos.
the mainline stories of these games have gotten so bad, and the worst bits are down to the core chatacters - sora, kairi, riku. all three are basically just bad chatacters at this point. As much as it sucks that kairi didn't get a real chance to shine, i don't think the people in charge of kingdom hearts are capable of doing better with sorikai, their flanderized forms have calcified.
I'd be more hype for kh4 if the series were moving on from sora & co the same way it were moving on from nortthan, & started over with some entirely original protags.
Finally decided I’ve got some time to catch up on other things. *sees this video* Nevermind.
Hello! I don't normally comment on videos but because a lot of this video seemed to be upset at how the fanbase has treated you, I wanted to say that I think you're one of the funniest and most insightful essayists on the platform. NOT JUST FOR KH! I'd love to hear more about your thoughts and criticisms of other media in general. Your perspective on the KH4 trailer in particular treats what was shown like actual art and not just a future dopamine hit. Thank you for your videos. Games need more people like you and I hope it becomes fun to interact with your audience again some day
Thank you for this 💘
@@Aeba Promise I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it 🫡
I will admit that I am a defender of KH3 but I will never ever defend the stuff with Kairi in it. Playing as her in Re:Mind? Sure. But wow would I love a game like the one you describe, where Sora isn't the main protagonist and it's all about them searching for him.
Alas... I think you might be right and that KH IV won't be for people like you or me. I still have *some* hope, but... it's dwindling pretty hard.
Liking the video for the accurate Depp slander and liking again for the utter disappointment in KH3's mishandling of Kairi, which was so bad that it somehow made every previous game's treatment of her look better by comparison. Then liking a third time because it turns out that liking twice undoes your first like.
Also yeah, KH3 was just so utterly disappointing that it briefly made me, a lifelong KH fan, give up on the series entirely. Eventually I realized that, due to changing game engines halfway through, KH3 only really had half of the development time that it was supposed to, so a lot of the stuff I hated about the ending (and the middle, tbh) was a consequence of major time crunch, as in practice only about half of their actual development could be spent actually developing the game. Seeing them adjust the game for Re:Mind really cemented that in my head, that KH3 was largely a consequence of Square Enix's weird policy to make all the games on in-house engines so they could sell their own game engine despite it being one of the worst policy decisions they've ever made. So when Re:Mind was actually good, it gave me hope that the future KH games might also be good, especially since SquareEnix has drastically changed its policy on how much freedom developers are given. (Ignoring Melody of Memory, since apparently that wasn't going to have any story until the last minute so the part of me still capable of hope blames the poor writing on similar time crunch. But it also got made in a weird transitional period for the company, so hopefully it's just a consequence of that.)
The OTHER reason I ended up deciding to be a fan of the series again was, and I'm not kidding here, because of a 6 hour video essay on why Riku is gay. Like, I genuinely cannot overstate how shockingly effective that video essay was at giving me hope in the series' writing again. It made me understand why the Disney worlds are all written *Like That,* it made me understand why all the Sora and Kairi scenes are all written *That Way,* and it was also just a really well paced and enlightening analysis of the themes & writing style of the Kingdom Hearts series. I still feel like Nomura could be writing Kairi much better than he has been, but at least I feel like he's actually going somewhere with it and my stance on the quality of her writing through the series has softened considerably as a result.
(Also: KH4 finally has a female writer in the team. The one who helped write 358/2 Days, which was one of the best written games in the series. That gave me a lot of hope as well.)
Chloe and Halle just came on my shuffle. Immediately thought of this now 😂
Hehehe its working
Guess the "X" era doesn't exist, with X, Union X, Dark Road, Missing Link
I think it is more cause at least 3 of those have more to do with the foretellers and the saga kh4 is leading into, with Dark Road having it's foot on both sides of the door. Tbh i still don't know how I even feel about Dark Road, especially the idea that the Keykid is inferred to reincarnate as Xehanort iirc? I might be completely remembering that wrong but I really did not like it lmao
Forgot i meant to say that it feels like the purpose of this video was to address the dark seeker's saga, which is probably why that isnt mentioned
@@TheKeyblader133 True it is about the dark seeker saga, but at the end of Dark Road we find out that the Player from Union X reincarnates into the player from Missing Link, who then is seen being the one who raises Xehanort on Destiny Islands
i may be blessed that i have yet to run into any ship art/stuff for strelitzia and sora cause holy shit the points you raise in the possibility of strelitizia being seen as more likeable because she seen as more demure, thus controllable as a woman...., im gagging. thank you for pointing it out, it's giving me flash backs to the star wars sequel trilogy with b*n s*** and rey and how that completely took over despite the terrible writing both character wise and for the entire story as a whole [how do you fumble a million dollar story.. how... god i hate the mcu and star wars movies...] Kairi's writing is abysmal in that she's hardly seen and then when she is it's Nomura channeling that Kishimoto Naruto writing for his ensemble cast. I don't particularly root for Sora and Kairi as a romantic relationship - im backing another horse -- but the pain in wanting at least the bare minimum respect for a character and their actions constantly being overlooked, i've been there before. I'm new here, but i'm here to stay! Your rant about the climax of Kingdom Hearts 3 particularly struck a chord with me. damn look at me sounding formal; YOU COOKED A SPECTACULAR VIDEO, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING I WILL BE WATCHING AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i have a face painting phobia so this video is the best for me
❤❤❤
Disagree with certain things, but overall enjoyed this video
Aeba...are you ok ?
No! Thank you for asking 😊
@@Aeba I think....you need a Hug. There there 🤗
i enjoyed this video :)
yay other people call him JJ too! :D
hey, rindo is VERY fashionable
15:23 okay... I'll sub 😂
Every retcon makes Ansem.more innocent.
His only crime is blackface now.
Okay, to be honest here, you take too long to get straight to the point in some parts.
Thank GOD the KH team brought on more writers for KH4 because I genuinely think Nomura himself just doesn't know that games can have bat-shit crazy events... **throughout them**, and not just shoved at the end. DDD (which I love but still) was a warning but I did not listen...
I don't understand why you consider meta references to be 'insincere' when this entire series has always been about IP brands. Part of its charm has always been the fact that it's a fusion of products with neat OCs thrown in.
And if you think shit's weird now, wait until you hear about my theory that Yozora is still a video game character being piloted by another person
(I really didn't mean this to get so long lol. Feel free to ignore it. Only the first paragraph is really a reply to you anyway lmao)
It's only "about brands" in that it uses recognizable IP as the basis for the worlds and (in many cases) their story, but it's not meta. The characters aren't presented as being characters from Disney movies in-universe. They are real people living in real worlds that only we, as the outside observer, know are based on existing properties.
Personally, I feel like the "blurring the lines of fantasy and reality" thing doesn't fit right with the tone of Kingdom Hearts to this point. It feels like something way more at home in a FF title; which I don't use as an insult because I adore FF and the insane storylines they come up with.
To Aeba's point about sincerity, Kingdom Hearts works because the characters don't know that they're characters. Sora doesn't go to save Pooh every game because he watched the show when he was a kid and has a nostalgic spot for that character. He goes to save Pooh time after time because he loves Pooh and values his friendship. Kingdom Hearts very very rarely winks at the camera, and the times it has ("Nobody Axes Axel" being a notable example) are always pretty jarring in my opinion.
I think it's great when media just believes in itself without the need to make fun of the story its trying to tell as it tells it to you. And I really hope KH can wrangle this whole "unreality" thing in a way that still feels true to the emotional core of the series. Which, as I see it, is a genuine and unashamed love for the people around you.
I appreciate that you brought up Endgame a couple times, because KH3 and that movie gave me somewhat similar experiences. The first time through I felt like it lived up to all the hype, I was moved and joyful and everything... and then after some time apart, the flaws became a lot more visible. But on subsequent returns, I still find myself really enjoying those highs. I am quite nervous for KH4 but I'm not yet terrified just because I try to keep an open mind to a fault when it comes to these things. Thank you again for the yummy content
(trying desperately to not plug my mcu video) thanks!
I just dont. understand. how people looked at the greyest city ever and lost their mind. And like, I LOVE Death Stranding, the greyest game ever. But not in my KH, the game I want to be full of reds and blues and yellows and star shapes and sparkles!!!
(LAST comment I swear)
YES, A NEW KINGDOM HEARTS RETROSPECTIVE VIDEO. I WILL WATCH THIS PROBABLY SEVERAL TIMES!!
Holy hell I haven’t yelled “yes exactly that!” Repeatedly at my computer screen so many times in a row. You’re not the only KH4 detractor out there. I’ve loved and continue to love what once was and I hope all my fears about any upcoming games are for nothing. Thank you for the well thought out and completely immersive video. Loved it
Don't worry you're not alone! I have frets too! I pray it will get better, but if it doesn't... we should make a support group for ourselves!
I think what your video has clarified for me, having been shown several of Nomura's interview answers in short succession and seeing a trend, is that my apprehension with KH4 stems from Nomura's apparent total disconnect with the fanbase. Repeatedly in interviews he expresses shock (
Hi Aeba! Just wanted to say you're cool and this video is too. Hope you're having a great Friday!
28:11 dear god I hate this scene with a passion... thx for being brave and speaking out 😂
It is stinky
I'm confused about 1 thing. What is the character in black glasses and hood supposed to represent, i thought it represented you in post but I'm not so sure now
Thats my Nomura character, its kinda a recurring bit, he used to have a name tag but i lost it
To answer that question at the end, I think why I'm excited for KH4 ultimately comes down to what values I enjoy the whole series for. I honestly dig the series as a vibes platform overall, the music is sick, love the locations from every game, and I'm down with the gameplay changes between each entry, but I've never personally interfaced with the series on a character level to any real depth though there are plenty of story points that I think totally rip. The switch up with KH4 seems like a fresh premise/aesthetic with good timing considering how far into this we are. Great video! this whole thing goes hard
26:33 KILL ME
This will be an incredible lunch break video. ☝️
some other commenters have already gushed about how cool the editing is, how witty and well-crafted your points are, and how awesome you are, and i want to second that. whenever i see a vid from you, i make sure to watch. & because of you, i consider myself a kairi fan. (and my fav is xion for whatever that's worth)
i also wanted to say, gosh dang i never thought about how awesome it would be to get like 4 separate games before kh4 about everyone else going on their own campaigns in their own like... wheelhouse trying to find sora. we really could've had like 4 games about people finding like... a piece of sora at a time before kh4 and that would be so dang cool
here's to hoping that kairi actually shows up in kh4 and here's to hoping sora's hair and outfit gets an upgrade
The most based Kairi stan I’ve ever head.
…also the *only* Kairi stan I’ve ever heard, because everyone else is a crazy person.
I've been binge watching all your kingdom hearts videos. This woman is so fucking funny. I'm so glad you've maintained this energy all these years.
I’m glad you’re back. Great video but I don’t really agree with most of your criticisms. I think the video was fun and well put together and I’ll leave it at that.
Nothing in this video made more excited than using a Purpleeyes CodeMENT clip
i hope nomura realizes that you have to respect the characters you design EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. they appear on screen.
your points about scenes clumsily taking characters from one scene to the next without paying mind to the devestating reality of whats happening in front of them really hit home for me. why is sora the only one having this reaction to kairi's death? why was said death so unearned and lazy? why is it hitting me that kairi really only has a deep connection to sora despite attempts to remedy that?
axel was trying to be her bestie because he saw xion in her (perhpas a bad faith interpretation but still) and even he couldn't muster any believable emotions. WHY AREN'T THE CHARACTERS FEELING HALF AS STRONGLY AS I AM.