Happy Birthday to an absolute Kel of a person :) Also I agree, Kel is more than just a waking meme, in fact him and Hero sort of deal with their trauma in similar ways, except Kel tries to always have a positive outlook and attitude because he feels like that’s all he can do.
OMG I literally screamed in catharsis and joy like five times in a row at you referring to AUBREY's lowest point as, "Push that twink into a lake!" 💀💀💀
I completely forgot Kel's family had an ofrenda!! I recognised it immediately, but just went "Huh, neat", instead of realising the implications of it. There were so many things I picked up from Kel that stuck out to me about real life him. - He didn't expect Sunny to come out of the house. Innocuous at first, but he prioritises others' needs over himself. His friend is going away forever and all he can do is politely ask him to open the door. - For being so well-adjusted compared to Sunny, he also only has _one_ Skill(not counting guard) just like Sunny, and that's to encourage him and raise his attack. Literally all he can do is provide support. - During his story at the graveyard, he gives the bare minimum of his own thoughts. Then apologises for the story. Then talks about how Hero's doing and what he thinks might help Hero. And what he does say is relegated to being proud of Hero and being glad to have him back. - The freaking height thing! The perfect chance to one-up his perfect brother. He obviously doesn't think of it that way(at least consciously), but it's a clear sign of feeling inferior to him, to the point that being taller is a good enough "win". - His interactions with Aubrey. He would get mad, extremely so, but not particularly because of Basil. In all their confrontations, he mentions wanting the "old Aubrey" back. In some way, his anger is directed at her, for not being like how he remembers her. And at the lake scene, it gets to the point he's so busy berating her he doesn't save Basil from F&#%ING DROWNING! And ironically, the only way he does get the old Aubrey back is by accepting that she _has_ changed, and he didn't actually stop and consider why. In a way, he was lashing out at her and the world for changing ever since Mari's death. He comes to the realisation that she was always the same Aubrey, torn up about losing Mari, and feeling confused and alone even if she knows now it wasn't their fault. And does that all on his own. Kel is not only a lot more complex than many seem to think, but also a lot more mature. 4 years of not being in contact with her, and he figures all that stuff out in less than 3 days. He forces himself to stay positive, one of the few unhealthy coping mechanisms he's probably developed from the incident. But at the end of the day, he genuinely cares for each and every one of his friends, enough to put aside all the immediate vitriol and resentment he had for "new Aubrey" and reach out to her in her time of need.
Kel may have lot of memes, but he also has a lot of trauma. Yet people only want to talk about one of those facts. Also this reminds me that the first Omori fanfic I read was about Kel unaliving himself. It was really sad.
@@someone857 Unfortunately I don't remember. I think it may have had 3 chapters, and when I read it only 2 were complete. But take that with a grain of salt.
Funnily enough, Kel’s birthday art shows him basically forcing his Dream equivalent to smile ear to ear while his dream self has a small tear. If he wasn’t depressed he wouldn’t feel the need to do this Edit: or at the very least, Kel being depressed is a valid take
@@piracy_gd it’s possible to be Happy and still be depressed. And while I agree that Kel has accepted Mari is gone he can still have issues relating to Mari’s passing indirectly or as a consequence of her passing.
Ngl i completely forgot about Kel being part of an immigrant family. That puts more context into his and Hero's relationship, Hero being treated as the golden child. Love that little details like the family display. Its also weird Kel's parents are considered abusive in the fandom when Aubrey exists!😅 Also: where did she get that Kel Shirt?! If no one tells me, im ripping it off her chest!!😡 Also: happy birthday Nerdy and Kel!
the ppl who see Kel as the One-Dimensional, siller boy are literally falling for the in-game narrative of Kel hiding his grief. Happy (late) Birthday, Nerdy Arty and Kel! Thank you Kel (or more specifically to OMOcat, for writing him) for making me understand a few things about myself, and to always look a little deeper into things, or the lines more specifically. And thank you Nerdy Arty for... well... being Nerdy And Arty! X3 Your art is a great inspiration of mine and I love this intricate ramblings, I like how you talk about yourself in a weird and positive manner X3
I SWEAR I ALWAYS FELT LIKE NOT MANY FANS TAKE KEL SERIOUSLY AND I'M SO GLAD YOU MADE THIS VIDEO. It makes me so happy seening people deep diving into the more sensitive side of kels story, trauma and and how he deals with it. I also relate to kel in a few ways (I'm not apart immigrant family but still.) There was just something about him went i noticed how similar me and kel were by watching my first omori playthrough. Now to cut this comment short before this guy has a little place in my heart and seeing you make this video makes me happy knowing people want to go into that side of kel. So yeah, thanks for making this video. EDIT: CAN'T BELIEVE I ALMOST FORGOT HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BOTH OF YOU!!!
"KEL has always been there for you. And even though he's a bit careless at times, you know he has a good heart. More than anything, he just wants everyone around him to be happy. He has always been someone you could count on to lift your spirits. You will really miss him." Kel was always my favorite character in Omori. I built a big statue of him in my Minecraft world. I know this is going to be a controversial pick, but one of my favorite Kel moments is when he calls Aubrey out in the church. I know lots of people think it was wrong for him to do that, but I actually think he did the right thing there. I don't think Kel thinks Aubrey is being irrational I think he sees her behavior as toxic and destructive... which it is.
Honestly, just the *single image* of Kel telling Sunny about his experience with Hero at the graveyard is such an effective microcosm of his character. In such an important moment for the both of them, when they both suffer through the same emotions of grief and pain together, their parents rush to console Hero first, like they're silently telling Kel that his well-being is secondary to Hero's. And how does Kel relay this story to Sunny...? With an awkward smile and some forced laughter. He's using comedy to try and background his own negative experiences.
having the same exact birthday date, height, and also fighting sad thoughts is the best thing i found in the story. i will cosplay as him, i will write him a deserved healing in my post-game headcanon fic, i will draw him finding the light of his life again! also i agree with you that every ships that includes Kel must avoid a one-sided relationship where Kel is just a Golder Retriever. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!! I LOVE YOU FOR GIVING US THESE ANALYSES
Ew who did the voiceover in the memes section of this video? They sound goofy asf (cheeky wink, elbow nudge) But god, this is everything I've ever wanted to say about Kel and how complex his character is compared to the flanderized version of him the fandom loves to canonize. Imo you hit the nail right on the head when you discussed Kel's lost, frustrated attitude towards the loss that fractured what was essentially his second family and his methods of coping with it, since the fandom's interpretation of them as signs that Kel "wasn't traumatized enough/as badly as everyone else" irks me the most besides the unfunny "haha funny orange burger boy" memes. Like you said, grief and trauma aren't arbitrary things you quantify and compare to those of other people; they're abstract experiences people feel and react to in a myriad of ways, with Kel's being no less valid than how the rest of the main cast struggle with their grief. Fantastic job on this analysis Nerdy, happy birthday to Kel and happy birthday to you too
KEL is the fucking thread keeping the group together. He is a happy-go-lucky goober, yes, but he IS TRAUMATISED. He is watered down in the fandom, but he's been through HORRIBLE THINGS. He _is_ the bro, he _is_ the silly. He is amazing, and I despise his haters. He's been through so much, and he deserves his happy ending. His happiness is the light through the clouds, probably even helping Hero through hard times, as he's funny, silly, and keeps his spirit up through the worst of times. He _HAS_ his breakdowns, he _HAS_ emotions, and people just say "haha weird man like burger lololololoolo ewww he's happy and has no emotions!!!!!" Its stupid. I will not take Kel hate. Or any hate for the main characters, for that matter. Actually, if you hate ANY of the omori characters, you don't have the right to have skin.
23:30 exactly! I hate when people compare grief or trauma like it's a competition, its trauma, it's not a game you have to win! And I love your Kel video so much! I absolutely love Kel and I've recently finished my first omori playthrough and hearing you talk about him so much us just really nice! Also, happy late birthday!! (Even tho I'm a month late)
I’m glad that people are talking abt Kel and his complexity. While I do think that some kel memes can be funny, I do think that sometimes people forget that he isn’t just a happy go lucky silly guy, and that he still went through the same struggles as the res too the cast, and just because he was able to work through some of his struggles, that does not mean he didn’t have any. He still has trauma, he was just able to cope with it. Happy birthday to you and to my favorite Omori character, Kel!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY NERDY ART!!1!1!1! AS A KEL FAN WHO ACKNOWLEDGES HIS TRAUMA AND HAS MANY THEORIES ABT HIS CHARACTER I FULLY APPROVE OF THIS VIDEO IM SO GLAD SOMEONE CAN RECOGNIZE AND RESPECT HIS CHARACTER!! UR VIDEO ESSAYS R ALWAYS ON POINT, AND THIS POST HAS MADE MY DAY‼️‼️‼️
The more I hear and think about this game, the more I understand and learn. The more stuff "clicks." Stuff about how overwhelming circumstances can lead to a variety of maladaptive behaviors, and traumas, how they are so well-depicted. How people need a more mature person to depend on in difficult situations, making Mari the absolute most devastating person to die in that friend group, as they lost the very person they'd turn to for support. It even makes sense with how the game is so cute and still rightly rated M. I'm still learning things. Processing and overcoming some of my own maladaptive behaviors. Not to say I've experienced anything as difficult as the Omori characters. I relate to living highly isolated and developing agoraphobia, self-hating thought patterns and dissociative amnesia though. Heh. This game. This game is SOMETHING. (pun not intended) Means a lot to me. I want to make a work of art as meaningful as it was to me.
I agree. People think that just because kel and mari's relationship are the least developped means that he gets the least traumatized, even though i'm pretty sure they saw the same hanging body and even though they weren't very close they still were friends and cared for each other deeply.
Kel, honestly, before I watch the video, my personal headcanon is that Kel deals with trauma the 🎉 A D H D W A Y 🎉 ALL THE WHILE MASKING THAT ADHD IN ORDER TO GROW UP JUST AS QUICKLY AS THE BROTHER HE LOOKS UP TO- In short, my headcanon is ADHD Kel- Along with the fact that the idea of "dead relatives" is in Hero and Kel's house every day, and the fact that Asian families tend to expect more and sooner, the need to mask and do just as well as Hero (even if it's in sports instead of grades expectations) makes a lot of sense. And as someone who grew up in a Chinese household with long undiagnosed ADHD, yeah, Kel's side of the room is just such a vibe. (Edit: next part is after watching the video) While I don't relate to Kel as much as the person in this video, emotionally being ignored and focusing on other's emotions is definitely relatable- Kel definitely APPEARS more well-adjusted, but mostly because he's USED to putting other's emotional needs before his own. A Kel-centric (but also centric to the entire real world friend group) fix-it fic (but mostly Kel) is something I need, but I haven't found it yet and I don't have the brain capacity to write it because brain brrr too hard when thinking about it to write it- Anyway HAPPY BIRTHDAYS! YAY!!
28:00 Found this to be a very interesting topic having started playing Omori at 15 and now looking back many months later. I have noticed so many more details about kel and the game in general after doing a 2nd play through and watching many analysis videos of all the characters. Very well done! Also nerdyarty you have gotten me addicted to reading sunflower fanfics aaaaaaaa
I’m so sorry for being this person and I know this isn’t the right video to ask that (;_; literally I’m so sorry but I can’t find anyone who answers me anywhere I ask-), but what’s the fanfic(s) name and website ? 🥲 I keep hearing about it and the few people who have read it/them say they’re awesome but I can’t find them anywhere ;^; So could you please tell me where you can find it and what the name is please- :') (It’s okay if you don’t want tho I don’t wanna be a bother hahah-)
@@KittanyFox Don’t have any names for specific fanfics however the main site people use is Ao3 (archive of our own) their way be others idk One thing to note is some are more explicit but they should have tags or warnings, just something to know.
I really likes this video, kel is one of my favorite characters and I always thought that the way he was treated like a “silly guy” just missed some parts of his character. Also happy birthday
Sunny's brain really did him dirty - we spend more time in Headspace than the real world and Sunny mostly gave Kel's good qualities to Aubrey. We can't entirely blame the fandom for this flanderization of Kel, because Sunny flanderizes him in-universe into the comic relief.
I'm so glad you touched on the fact it's heavily implied that kel and hero have immigrant parents cause most non-poc don't even acknowledge it. But it adds so much context to their characters and as someone who is a first gen mexican I saw a lot of hero and kel in my brothers. Also I find it really nice the fact they have a ofrenda up the time when the game is happening cause that means it's dia de los muertos and given what happens I headcanon that they put a pic of Mari on the ofrenda as a sign of respect. Which also adds more emotional weight of her "spirit" coming back to help sunny with accepting the truth for me. I'm so glad you made this vid so many people simplify kel's character and it makes me want to smack my head against a wall LOL
For me Omori is a very relatable game due to how each character grieved in their own way and I knew how this felt with me being young of a loss as well Im still pretty young only being a freshman but this game depicted emotions I didn’t want to recognize growing so I would like to thank Omari AND YOU FOR THIS ANALYSIS LIKE OMG I LOVE EM they keep my ADHD brain focused
Fun Frog Fact or F.F.F for short : Desert rain frogs do not lay theirs eggs in water which will grow up to become tadpoles but instead lay them in small burrows where they become froglets. Also happy late birthday
Tbh tho I agree with ya on people 1-dimensionaling Kel, but me and him are very similar and I hafta say I’m VERY 1-dimensional, and I cope mentally just like him. Trust me there’s really not much to us lol.
Thanks so much for this! Kel's my favorite character, and one of the reasons he's my favorite character is that he's just not just a one-dimensional character, and has depth, and I'm tired of people treating him as nothing more than a walking meme. I also relate to Kel a lot, and I'm glad you made this video. Loved it!
I honestly have to thank you for making this video. Not that I don't enjoy your other creations, I love them! But I felt like I NEEDED this type of video. Kel was and still is many times misunderstood as the only character who doesn't need any type of help and is coping with the incident the best! I especially dislike when someone says that Kel is that one orange joe guy. Not that I hate it, I just think that Kel deserves more respect and you cleared it out so perfectly! Thank you so so so much for making this video, it actually made my day :)
Although his parents might not be the stereotype of abusive, you can still be well meaning and make abusive actions- which is what I feel is happening here. Abuse through neglect is still abuse. Otherwise- GOD YOU GET IT. THIS SILLY LITTLE GUY HAS SO MUCH TRAUMA REPRESSED BECAUSE IT'S A COPING MECHANISM. IT'S THE ONLY THING HE CAN CONTROL!
To be honest at first I felt like a lot of the fandom jokes were just being a little lighthearted about a funny character, but when you talked about people acting like Kel wasn't as traumatized and thus dismissing real people with similar experiences it started to kick into me just how frustrating that view of him can be. Throughout my whole life i've struggled to understand death, and I've had people get mad at me for hiding my emotions when I try to hide them, so I really appreciate the topic. I also appreciate bringing up Kel's immigrant status, I feel like OMORI is chock full of narratives about race and ethnicity and people just... never seem to realize this.
Despite not being an immigrant or having grown up with the experiences of being a child of an immigrant, I find myself somehow being able to relate to both Kel and Hero. I’m the oldest sibling and often have a lot of pressure on me to do well at stuff while also feeling like I don’t get as much attention or care as my younger sibling does. And also always being the “mom friends” or “therapist friend” and not getting to express my emotions much. I’ve rewatched this vid a lot and I really enjoy it because Kel is my favorite character in Omori and you do an amazing job at describing the complexities of his character.
Kel is the closest thing I will ever come to stanning a character, he has been my pfp on discord for years I love him so bad and he speaks to me on such a deep level. I am three minutes into the video and going off in my discord about how FINALLY SOMEONE GETS IT I am interested to see you elaborate on your take, but my personal view is how, yes Mari's passing ruined everyone to an extend and that cannot be ignored, but unlike everyone else, Kel's response seems to be far more focused on what happened in the *aftermath* of Mari's death. He knows he cannot change it and steps up to take Hero's place as the levelheaded individual because he had relatively healthier coping mechanisms than the rest of the cast. it does not change the fact that he's still incredibly impacted by these events.. but the most important things is that... we interact with Kel at a very precarious point in *sunny's* life, where Kel is effectively meeting a stranger and has to respond as if nothing has ever changed if only because he doesn't know how to handle this situation. He's filling a silence that exists and a person he knew but doesn't know now and opts to resort to a sanitization of himself because it's the option he has that is less potentially upsetting. He is as Silly and Goofy as he is because the other option is uncomfortable silence or trying to bring up the tragic passing of someone so close to the person he is interacting with for the first time in years... Also middle children are just like that.
kel has always been a comfort character to me, i've always found myself projecting my feelings onto most kel related things i talk about. i hate how the entire fandom babies him almost more than sunny and basil. this video was such a great watch and even changed my mind on some opinions i had on kel. i've experienced some of the same things, i'm in the shadow of both of my brothers; one excelling in mechanics while the other in chess and more brain related things, while i've always been the artist and writer, something that i wont have to compete against my siblings with. kel gives perfect middle child energy-coming from a middle child myself-just trying his best to be seen and different to his siblings
19:01 I don't think this should be dismissed so easily. Kel and Hero's parents are definitely the best of the bunch but there are still some hints that they aren't exactly good at their jobs, two major ones are: How Kel has a whole game plan on how to avoid his mother yelling. This not only implies this is a common way of parenting her kids, but the fact this is over some minor chores that he still finished in time, just took a little long to do, is worrying. But even more worrying what happens when the boys return home after resolving the Basil situation. Their mom's reaction after they return home after being asked by another adult to look for their friend? After they almost lost him to another horrible accident? She's worried her dinner won't taste as good because it got cold and needs to be reheated. I don't know, but to me this scene (along with Hero being a golden child) spells it out quite well that their mother might present some narcissistic thought patterns. A little bit of abuse is still abuse, even if the kids don't see it this way. There's a reason all the happy memories in the game do not involve the parents of any of them.
@@acetylen42 that's true, and that interpretation is valid as hell. I kind of regret making a comment on Kel and Hero's parents in the video because I have so many complicated feelings about how they're depicted in the few bits we get and it would've probs derailed the video/made the video turn out too personal for my tastes. The term 'abusive' gets thrown around a lot in fandom without much thought, so whenever people use it in discourse I get kind of defense. It's a flaw on my part I wont lie
The thing that makes Omori stick with me is how I can see aspects of myself in each of the characters and in a lot of ways it made me reflect a lot about who I am. I really liked your previous videos on Basil and Sunny, and I'm also glad you made a video on Kel too, since I feel like other people making videos on Omori and its themes don't go as deep and hardly ever touch on what makes the characters so special, at least to me.
havent wathced the video yet but HARD AGREE HE IS SO MISUNDERSTOOD!! he's actually one of the more mature characters in the game (real world of course though) i used to relate to him quite a bit, being a younger brother, being coming from a mexican immigrant family, trying to be funny for others, and so on (god gives his silliest battles to his funniest clowns). i just get kind of sad that one of the very few characaters i relate to that shares my ethnicity is mostly treated as a joke instead of being treated as just as complex as the others.
I know everyone in the fandom treats kel like he is a complete idiot who doesn't know what 2+2 is, but in my opinion, kel is way smarter and more capable than everyone thinks
THANK YOU SO MUCH I always love when people look at the layers of Kel’s character and not just his optimism!! Thank you!!! Oh and edit; happy birthday!!
That graveyard scene, out of everything in omori, was what broke me. The way Kel just . . . talked, nothing else. It was simple, but because of that, it felt real.
**Begins to mention Immigrant parents and treatment of their children** *Me who is the only college graduate of my immediate family with most of my family, including my parents, being from an Island off the coast of Africa:* .....I just woke up and Im feeling personally attacked already
Shout out to comic relief characters that still hold their own ground and are legitimately interesting characters aside from comedy, gotta be one of my favorite genders
YES!!!!! KEL STANS RISE UP ✊✊✊ Edit: YOU ARE SO RIGHT ABOUT HIS SHIPS OMGGGG i hate how people handle them, and im a suntan shipper! It's super annoying... Esp when they characterise Kel as a trauma-free dude for whoever he's shipped with to use as therapy. Like, no, that's not how relationships work (and im aro...) and that is not the reason i like suntan either. (I like them alot in fics like Bask in the Sun, where they're both not doing the best but they help eachother by being there for the other)
23:30 ish I totally agree. I think it's SOME people who play Omori and think of depression as like a concept and like you can turn it off and on and kind of make the whole aesthetic of depression like it's not an actual mental illness that people suffer with
Genuinely, where the hell did the burger meme even come from. Does Kel even mentions burgers a single time in the game? Also yes thank you for making this video. I always feel like people talk about Kel’s issues very shallowly and people don’t actually take the time to think about how he’s affected
Oh my gosh, thank you so much for making this! I got into Omori around the game’s release, and for the longest time I’ve said that he’s so much more than a character for memes, and I’ve always been kinda disappointed by how the fandom treats him. I’m really glad to see someone make such a well made analysis on his character!! Awesome video!!!! Also, happy late birthday!
I've been having an omori hyperfixation and i realized how complex kel is after thinking about it for a bit and it's just genuinely so sad. he's seen as this silly and fun guy when he can literally become an emotional wreck if he really wanted to
Omg Thank you so much!!!, this is exactly the way I see Kel, always prioritizing everyone else before himself. He probably could be depressed like everyone else in the group of friends, but he hides it because he wants to show his friends that they have a chance to heal too. Maybe a very random comparison but, he reminds me of a character named Wei Wuxian from "The Great Master of Demonic Cultivation" (recommended nn), he also ignores his own feelings and does his best to make the lives of his loved ones enjoyable no matter how much he sacrifices. Once again, thank you for this video, I know it's been 3 months since you uploaded it but anyway I wanted to give my opinion on this topic nn
Happy birthday Orange Boy !! Also I completely agree with every point you made. I feel like Kel is such a refreshing representation of how some individuals process trauma and it annoys me when people have this superficial interpretation of him and act like his grief isn’t as intense as the rest of the cast’s just because he processed it a bit differently 😭 great video
Honestly I love I found this channel I related with Kel when I was younger so seeing some people actually talk about his coping mechanism is something others have or had and it gives another good view on different coping mechanisms because everyone is a little different
I love seeing Kel get the justice he deserves, but I'm also so sorry about your mom. I hope your recovery was mostly alright, or even if you're still recovering, remember to take it easy ml
this video is really well made! i love kel omori and everyone else in the game and while i dont think he might not be depressed, he defentintly has alot of mental baggage espcially with the scene where kel vents about how hero treated him. he blocked it out. also im gonna say thats its ok to use your platform to express your personal baggage for whatever happened in your past and its ok for every creator to do so! you are not trauma dumping since i think that if you were trauma dumping, you would try to make it other people's responsbilty. great video :)
I've seen the occasional Kel jokes but those memes in the beginning.... I'm just... what? Like Kel is such a great character with realistic trauma and hearing people call him dumb is so frustrating. Kel has always been a well-rounded fleshed out character, at least to me. That graveyard scene just revealed so much, and I don't know how anyone could look at that and say yeah, he doesn't have any serious trauma. It almost made me start crying the first moment I read it. This character analysis is perfect, and I'm sorry for the trauma and grief you've had to go through. Also, happy birthday to you and Kel.
This is a really good video, and it was really nice to watch too as another Kel stan who believed he was drastically misinterpreted. Off Topic, but I would love it if you ever made a video like this for *Mari,* as I personally think Mari is the LEAST talked about Omori character. There are barely any discussion or analysis videos about her as a character, whenever she is brought it, it's usually related to her death, and how that ties into other characters. I actually think you could make a decent thesis about Mari's character, especially if you discussed her more negative traits that were more passively talked about in the game, like her perfectionism, (and also Sweetheart's character as a whole). Just a thought :) .
23:15 this reminds me of about 10 years ago my sister‘s classmate suddenly died along his brother. I won’t go into detail. I remember the moment my sister found out. I remember her crying while on a phone call, i was really confused but my sister wasn’t answering my questions. Even after I asked my mom i didn’t realize what truly happened. This loss of a classmate affected my sister a lot. I remember her being more sad and emotional after. But I also remember my dad telling her that she was “overreacting” and since “she didn’t know them well, she shouldn’t be upset about it” I hope my dad has realized since that this is terrible thinking. grief comes in so many forms and no matter how close you are to the person it can affect you. in the past four years, a classmate’s and friend’s parents have died every year. I didn’t know them personally at all. But seeing so much grief even around me, affected me. My anxiety over my parents has heightened so much. One time I had a really bad panic attack in the shower. I’ve cried a lot because of the overthinking idea mine were next. it’s all so horrible to see. grief is a difficult thing to go through and I haven’t even gone through it with anyone super close. I can’t even imagine what you went through or what any of the characters went through…
As a younger fan who ignored the rating of the game 💀.... this 100% helps me understand kel a lot better. I see his form of grief a lot better now. Thanks
I also relate to kel a lot and this video is the best representation/analysis of kel I’ve ever heard! I love him so so much as a character and he has so much depth that is extremely overlooked by the fandom. I love this video so so much aaaaaa :D
this is so appreciated actually, ive been saying this for years. nobody really understands the complexity of his character because hes always boiled down to simply "funny guy who likes orange joe and burger and he always smiles!!!!!!!" but thats not his character. he has layers that no one really takes the time to peel back and see a kid whos hurting just as much as everyone else. ive been an avid kel stan ever since i first played omori, and it always frustrated me to see people mischaracterize him so badly...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEL OMORI!!!11!!1!11! wonderful video! I’m relatively new to your channel but I love the energy of your parasocial company, might just be that I’m pretty cozy in my spot rn but this vid specifically really felt like a good mid-sleepover rant :) also love the community posts/the community you’re building, gotta be doing smth right if everyone seems so nice here, thanks for posting!
Yooooo happy belated birthday! Congratulations on sharing a bday with someone popular lmao (Does Kel count as popular, I mean he’s not a real person but he also is popular because of the game. Idk. Happy bday anyway!)
Hi! Sorry I’m a little late but I hope you and Kel had a happy birthday! This was a really great analysis and I love it how you empathized that grief can come in many forms. Thank you so much for making this and I hope you stay safe and well. Now to rewatch the Basil and sunny videos. Peace! ❤
I’m so glad you made a Kel analysis! I’ve been thinking of looking for one but it wasn’t really interesting me too much, but I loved you’re other two OMORI analyses so I’m assuming this will give me the comprehensive guide on Kel I’ve been thinking of, I found your channel at a great time and have been loving the streams. You’re doing amazing Nerdy; HAPPY BIRTHDAY
I LOVED THIS ANALYSIS!! you explained perfectly how misunderstood kel is in the fandom!! so many people view him as a happy guy who's only purpose is to heal everyone from their trauma, but that's not it. He dealt with the trauma in his own way and it DID affect him. So many people fail to realise that. Kel didn't understand his emotions when Mari died, so he was unable to grieve properly. Yes, he did help the friends regroup together and become friends again and he IS a silly and happy guy, but that's not the only thing about him!! Thank you so much for making this analysis, it was really nice to watch and I agree with everything said in here. If you can, do you think you could make an Aubrey analysis? Again thank you for going through your time to make these for us! :D
Thank you! You're so kind!! I plan on taking a break from looking at Omori for a while since there are so many other topics and pieces of media I could dive into. I do want to return to it, but don't expect that to happen any time soon
This video made me analyze a lot of my views on Kel (specifically on his "moving on" since the incident) and realize how I missed or didn't think about a lot about his character, especially his feelings regarding Aubrey and how he masks his feelings. Kel didn't stop with the "beacon of positivity" thing years after Mari's death, he never stopped, it's still his go to coping mechanism and how he responds to problems. He never fully moved on from Mari's death, even I knew that, but I don't think it registered to me how it still affected him to this day if that makes sense. Honestly feel a bit stupid for how I missed or misinterpreted a lot of his character nuance, sure I understood some of it, but I missed a TON. Thanks for the video, really helped me understand Kel better as a character and I definitely take back my prior misguided interpretations of him.
I cried during this video, I relate to Kel deeply, someone died I who was part of my family I was only eight. I held my tears and didn’t even cry and just stared blankly at the funeral and the news she did die. I just pretended that it didn’t happen…. I never mentioned it again only when I had to. This is the first time I have mentioned it for many years. I also relate to him on the way he masks and such, I mask everyday and just act goofy it’s not heathy but I need to stop but I’m the only comic relief in the friend group and need to be like this to keep them happy or they could possibly probably kill theirselves…. One of my friends basically attempts every night…. Sorry about this long paragraph but I just wanted to vent a little….
As a child of Nigerian immigrants with and older sister who is the golden child, I relate to Kel on an extreme level. Using sports (and cooking) as the one thing to show that we are different to our perfect siblings, and grieving (in this case my cousin) as making seem like everything was okay and being fine, it really sucks for the fandom to water down his character. The graveyard scene especially was one of the only times I cried while playing. I love this analysis, keep up the good work!
God, only partway in still but I just have to say that I absolutely love these omori analysis videos of yours, they've all made me have greater appreciation for these characters. Hoping you can one day do ones for the other members of the gang, I would love to see your takes on Hero and ESPECIALLY Aubrey and Mari!
this video is just so right in so many ways (still wont stop me from enjoying the brainrot inducing kel memes tho, i do enjoy the angst more but like sometimes my brain just cant take anymore tramua-)
I'm SO happy to have found this video! I've been dying to find analyses of this game that don't just summarize the plot (seriously there are so many of those?). Kel has always been a character I've loved and identified with more than probably any other in a story, and you gave really wonderful insight into his genuine depth within the game. I'm such a fan of this analysis!!
SunFlower has the highest fanfic count on AO3 (in ships between Sunny, Kel, Aubrey, and Basil) at almost 1,696 entries. For comparison, Sunburn comes in close at 1,668 fics, and Suntan at 1,017 fics at the time of posting this. Kelbry has 446 fics, Cactiflower at 306, and Photobomb at 246. Overall, the Kel-based ships have the lowest individual counts, with the exception of Photobomb in dead last. Yes, even in ship fic ratios, Kel is all but dead last in both quality and quanity Basil/Sunflower gets shit-talked in comment threads and forum posts, but its the most popular ship as far as fanfictions go. Kel is adored as a meme character, but his ships veer into rarepair terrritory and the quality of Kel ship fanfics vary. Suntan is the exception, but its overshadowed by Sunflower at almost 70% more fanfic content. Your Kel video essay has a 1:6 view ratio to your Basil essay and a 1:4 ratio with your Sunny essay. Which is a shame bcs Kel has a lot of goofy charm and interesting chemistry with each character. He's not a source of horror or strife like Basil and Aubrey, but he has a complicated family dynamic where he is overlooked and unappreciated. You might find Suntan and other Kel ships boring, but he deserves some love and appreciation too. Also as someone with the personality of a wet cat, I adore ships that have skittish rabbit or black cat/golden retriever vibes. Being with someone as passive and anxious as myself would drive me up a wall. I've always preferred dynamics that take charge and push me out of my comfort zone while still being respectful. He's an ecourager and also someone in need of serious encouraging
It's always felt to me personally that kel had to repress his trauma and hurt over mari's death because everyone else around him was also so broken after her death that kel felt he HAD to keep himself happy
23:58 Yes. And i was surprised that this is the second video i see about Kel, like im surprised that i dont see the fandom talking about his griefmore, bcuz when i finished watching a gameplay, i felt really REALLY bad for Kel, bcuz i tend to overthink, and i found it a bit weird at first that Kel seemed way happier than the rest of the cast, but as soon as I saw the scene of Kel at the cemetery, I just started to cry, and when i saw him crying in the neutral ending, i completely broke down crying, im an emotional person when it comes to anything i like, but i havent cried like that like i cried for Kel(&Hero, Rody [from dead plate] like that's probably the times when we see him sad (yk what I mean? Also correct me of I'm wrong on anything) My older brother, is studying to become a nurse bc he wanted to be like my mom (she's a doctor) and I used to have behavioral issues, I would throw tantrums, and I felt alone, I never was interested in the medical field, i even have trauma from hearts, my mom even treated him differently, I've never seen her hit my brother like she did with me, or yell at him(even tho she told me that she always wanted a girl???) But now I'm in foster care and I'm better now. HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEL (I'm late)
Happy Birthday to an absolute Kel of a person :)
Also I agree, Kel is more than just a waking meme, in fact him and Hero sort of deal with their trauma in similar ways, except Kel tries to always have a positive outlook and attitude because he feels like that’s all he can do.
Kel really needs a hug. He acts like he doesn't, but he really does.
everyone needs one
He needs all the hugs
OMG I literally screamed in catharsis and joy like five times in a row at you referring to AUBREY's lowest point as,
"Push that twink into a lake!"
💀💀💀
I completely forgot Kel's family had an ofrenda!! I recognised it immediately, but just went "Huh, neat", instead of realising the implications of it. There were so many things I picked up from Kel that stuck out to me about real life him.
- He didn't expect Sunny to come out of the house. Innocuous at first, but he prioritises others' needs over himself. His friend is going away forever and all he can do is politely ask him to open the door.
- For being so well-adjusted compared to Sunny, he also only has _one_ Skill(not counting guard) just like Sunny, and that's to encourage him and raise his attack. Literally all he can do is provide support.
- During his story at the graveyard, he gives the bare minimum of his own thoughts. Then apologises for the story. Then talks about how Hero's doing and what he thinks might help Hero. And what he does say is relegated to being proud of Hero and being glad to have him back.
- The freaking height thing! The perfect chance to one-up his perfect brother. He obviously doesn't think of it that way(at least consciously), but it's a clear sign of feeling inferior to him, to the point that being taller is a good enough "win".
- His interactions with Aubrey. He would get mad, extremely so, but not particularly because of Basil. In all their confrontations, he mentions wanting the "old Aubrey" back. In some way, his anger is directed at her, for not being like how he remembers her. And at the lake scene, it gets to the point he's so busy berating her he doesn't save Basil from F&#%ING DROWNING!
And ironically, the only way he does get the old Aubrey back is by accepting that she _has_ changed, and he didn't actually stop and consider why. In a way, he was lashing out at her and the world for changing ever since Mari's death. He comes to the realisation that she was always the same Aubrey, torn up about losing Mari, and feeling confused and alone even if she knows now it wasn't their fault. And does that all on his own.
Kel is not only a lot more complex than many seem to think, but also a lot more mature. 4 years of not being in contact with her, and he figures all that stuff out in less than 3 days. He forces himself to stay positive, one of the few unhealthy coping mechanisms he's probably developed from the incident. But at the end of the day, he genuinely cares for each and every one of his friends, enough to put aside all the immediate vitriol and resentment he had for "new Aubrey" and reach out to her in her time of need.
Kel may have lot of memes, but he also has a lot of trauma. Yet people only want to talk about one of those facts.
Also this reminds me that the first Omori fanfic I read was about Kel unaliving himself. It was really sad.
I've got a similar fic I'm writing. But it's all of them + Polly & Kim
Ooh what fanfic was it?
@@someone857 Unfortunately I don't remember. I think it may have had 3 chapters, and when I read it only 2 were complete. But take that with a grain of salt.
Memes spread more easily then trauma so it's kind of inevitable imo
i still like to think that Kel is decently happy with his life and his dealing with his problems fine
Funnily enough, Kel’s birthday art shows him basically forcing his Dream equivalent to smile ear to ear while his dream self has a small tear.
If he wasn’t depressed he wouldn’t feel the need to do this
Edit: or at the very least, Kel being depressed is a valid take
Nah he’s happy, he represents acceptance like how Aubrey represents anger and how sunny represents denial
@@piracy_gd it’s possible to be Happy and still be depressed. And while I agree that Kel has accepted Mari is gone he can still have issues relating to Mari’s passing indirectly or as a consequence of her passing.
@@piracy_gd has not studied psychology
@@matttale7918 that’s fair
@@safalintia I’ve studied geometry dash
Ngl i completely forgot about Kel being part of an immigrant family. That puts more context into his and Hero's relationship, Hero being treated as the golden child. Love that little details like the family display.
Its also weird Kel's parents are considered abusive in the fandom when Aubrey exists!😅
Also: where did she get that Kel Shirt?! If no one tells me, im ripping it off her chest!!😡
Also: happy birthday Nerdy and Kel!
My gf made the shirt herself sodjdkdk
the ppl who see Kel as the One-Dimensional, siller boy are literally falling for the in-game narrative of Kel hiding his grief.
Happy (late) Birthday, Nerdy Arty and Kel! Thank you Kel (or more specifically to OMOcat, for writing him) for making me understand a few things about myself, and to always look a little deeper into things, or the lines more specifically. And thank you Nerdy Arty for... well... being Nerdy And Arty! X3 Your art is a great inspiration of mine and I love this intricate ramblings, I like how you talk about yourself in a weird and positive manner X3
I SWEAR I ALWAYS FELT LIKE NOT MANY FANS TAKE KEL SERIOUSLY AND I'M SO GLAD YOU MADE THIS VIDEO. It makes me so happy seening people deep diving into the more sensitive side of kels story, trauma and and how he deals with it. I also relate to kel in a few ways (I'm not apart immigrant family but still.) There was just something about him went i noticed how similar me and kel were by watching my first omori playthrough. Now to cut this comment short before this guy has a little place in my heart and seeing you make this video makes me happy knowing people want to go into that side of kel. So yeah, thanks for making this video.
EDIT: CAN'T BELIEVE I ALMOST FORGOT HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BOTH OF YOU!!!
Thanks sodjdkdk I'm glad this could resonate with you
@@NerdyArty No thank you! 🤍
"KEL has always been there for you. And even though he's a bit careless at times, you know he has a good heart. More than anything, he just wants everyone around him to be happy. He has always been someone you could count on to lift your spirits. You will really miss him."
Kel was always my favorite character in Omori. I built a big statue of him in my Minecraft world.
I know this is going to be a controversial pick, but one of my favorite Kel moments is when he calls Aubrey out in the church. I know lots of people think it was wrong for him to do that, but I actually think he did the right thing there. I don't think Kel thinks Aubrey is being irrational I think he sees her behavior as toxic and destructive... which it is.
When I first read it I thought about Sayori of Doki Doki Literarure Club:these two are similar...
Honestly, just the *single image* of Kel telling Sunny about his experience with Hero at the graveyard is such an effective microcosm of his character. In such an important moment for the both of them, when they both suffer through the same emotions of grief and pain together, their parents rush to console Hero first, like they're silently telling Kel that his well-being is secondary to Hero's.
And how does Kel relay this story to Sunny...? With an awkward smile and some forced laughter. He's using comedy to try and background his own negative experiences.
having the same exact birthday date, height, and also fighting sad thoughts is the best thing i found in the story. i will cosplay as him, i will write him a deserved healing in my post-game headcanon fic, i will draw him finding the light of his life again! also i agree with you that every ships that includes Kel must avoid a one-sided relationship where Kel is just a Golder Retriever.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!! I LOVE YOU FOR GIVING US THESE ANALYSES
Ew who did the voiceover in the memes section of this video? They sound goofy asf (cheeky wink, elbow nudge)
But god, this is everything I've ever wanted to say about Kel and how complex his character is compared to the flanderized version of him the fandom loves to canonize. Imo you hit the nail right on the head when you discussed Kel's lost, frustrated attitude towards the loss that fractured what was essentially his second family and his methods of coping with it, since the fandom's interpretation of them as signs that Kel "wasn't traumatized enough/as badly as everyone else" irks me the most besides the unfunny "haha funny orange burger boy" memes. Like you said, grief and trauma aren't arbitrary things you quantify and compare to those of other people; they're abstract experiences people feel and react to in a myriad of ways, with Kel's being no less valid than how the rest of the main cast struggle with their grief. Fantastic job on this analysis Nerdy, happy birthday to Kel and happy birthday to you too
KEL is the fucking thread keeping the group together. He is a happy-go-lucky goober, yes, but he IS TRAUMATISED. He is watered down in the fandom, but he's been through HORRIBLE THINGS. He _is_ the bro, he _is_ the silly. He is amazing, and I despise his haters. He's been through so much, and he deserves his happy ending. His happiness is the light through the clouds, probably even helping Hero through hard times, as he's funny, silly, and keeps his spirit up through the worst of times. He _HAS_ his breakdowns, he _HAS_ emotions, and people just say "haha weird man like burger lololololoolo ewww he's happy and has no emotions!!!!!" Its stupid. I will not take Kel hate. Or any hate for the main characters, for that matter. Actually, if you hate ANY of the omori characters, you don't have the right to have skin.
Kel is literally Sisyphus
Cursed for eternity to keep going indefinitely, one can imagine Kel happy
23:30 exactly! I hate when people compare grief or trauma like it's a competition, its trauma, it's not a game you have to win!
And I love your Kel video so much! I absolutely love Kel and I've recently finished my first omori playthrough and hearing you talk about him so much us just really nice!
Also, happy late birthday!! (Even tho I'm a month late)
I’m glad that people are talking abt Kel and his complexity. While I do think that some kel memes can be funny, I do think that sometimes people forget that he isn’t just a happy go lucky silly guy, and that he still went through the same struggles as the res too the cast, and just because he was able to work through some of his struggles, that does not mean he didn’t have any. He still has trauma, he was just able to cope with it. Happy birthday to you and to my favorite Omori character, Kel!
1. Happy birthday to you and Kel!
2. Love your outfit.
3. FINALLY Kel gets the justice he needed!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY NERDY ART!!1!1!1! AS A KEL FAN WHO ACKNOWLEDGES HIS TRAUMA AND HAS MANY THEORIES ABT HIS CHARACTER I FULLY APPROVE OF THIS VIDEO IM SO GLAD SOMEONE CAN RECOGNIZE AND RESPECT HIS CHARACTER!! UR VIDEO ESSAYS R ALWAYS ON POINT, AND THIS POST HAS MADE MY DAY‼️‼️‼️
Sosjdojdkdjd thank you, you’re so kind
@@NerdyArty OFC‼️ :D
The more I hear and think about this game, the more I understand and learn. The more stuff "clicks." Stuff about how overwhelming circumstances can lead to a variety of maladaptive behaviors, and traumas, how they are so well-depicted. How people need a more mature person to depend on in difficult situations, making Mari the absolute most devastating person to die in that friend group, as they lost the very person they'd turn to for support. It even makes sense with how the game is so cute and still rightly rated M.
I'm still learning things. Processing and overcoming some of my own maladaptive behaviors. Not to say I've experienced anything as difficult as the Omori characters. I relate to living highly isolated and developing agoraphobia, self-hating thought patterns and dissociative amnesia though. Heh. This game. This game is SOMETHING. (pun not intended)
Means a lot to me. I want to make a work of art as meaningful as it was to me.
I agree. People think that just because kel and mari's relationship are the least developped means that he gets the least traumatized, even though i'm pretty sure they saw the same hanging body and even though they weren't very close they still were friends and cared for each other deeply.
Kel, honestly, before I watch the video, my personal headcanon is that Kel deals with trauma the 🎉 A D H D W A Y 🎉
ALL THE WHILE MASKING THAT ADHD IN ORDER TO GROW UP JUST AS QUICKLY AS THE BROTHER HE LOOKS UP TO-
In short, my headcanon is ADHD Kel-
Along with the fact that the idea of "dead relatives" is in Hero and Kel's house every day, and the fact that Asian families tend to expect more and sooner, the need to mask and do just as well as Hero (even if it's in sports instead of grades expectations) makes a lot of sense.
And as someone who grew up in a Chinese household with long undiagnosed ADHD, yeah, Kel's side of the room is just such a vibe.
(Edit: next part is after watching the video)
While I don't relate to Kel as much as the person in this video, emotionally being ignored and focusing on other's emotions is definitely relatable-
Kel definitely APPEARS more well-adjusted, but mostly because he's USED to putting other's emotional needs before his own.
A Kel-centric (but also centric to the entire real world friend group) fix-it fic (but mostly Kel) is something I need, but I haven't found it yet and I don't have the brain capacity to write it because brain brrr too hard when thinking about it to write it-
Anyway HAPPY BIRTHDAYS! YAY!!
28:00
Found this to be a very interesting topic having started playing Omori at 15 and now looking back many months later. I have noticed so many more details about kel and the game in general after doing a 2nd play through and watching many analysis videos of all the characters.
Very well done!
Also nerdyarty you have gotten me addicted to reading sunflower fanfics aaaaaaaa
I’m so sorry for being this person and I know this isn’t the right video to ask that (;_; literally I’m so sorry but I can’t find anyone who answers me anywhere I ask-), but what’s the fanfic(s) name and website ? 🥲
I keep hearing about it and the few people who have read it/them say they’re awesome but I can’t find them anywhere ;^;
So could you please tell me where you can find it and what the name is please- :')
(It’s okay if you don’t want tho I don’t wanna be a bother hahah-)
@@KittanyFox
Don’t have any names for specific fanfics however the main site people use is Ao3 (archive of our own) their way be others idk
One thing to note is some are more explicit but they should have tags or warnings, just something to know.
I really likes this video, kel is one of my favorite characters and I always thought that the way he was treated like a “silly guy” just missed some parts of his character. Also happy birthday
Sunny's brain really did him dirty - we spend more time in Headspace than the real world and Sunny mostly gave Kel's good qualities to Aubrey. We can't entirely blame the fandom for this flanderization of Kel, because Sunny flanderizes him in-universe into the comic relief.
I'm so glad you touched on the fact it's heavily implied that kel and hero have immigrant parents cause most non-poc don't even acknowledge it. But it adds so much context to their characters and as someone who is a first gen mexican I saw a lot of hero and kel in my brothers. Also I find it really nice the fact they have a ofrenda up the time when the game is happening cause that means it's dia de los muertos and given what happens I headcanon that they put a pic of Mari on the ofrenda as a sign of respect. Which also adds more emotional weight of her "spirit" coming back to help sunny with accepting the truth for me.
I'm so glad you made this vid so many people simplify kel's character and it makes me want to smack my head against a wall LOL
OMG A FELLOW VENEZUELAN OMORI FAN YOUNGER SISTER BY FOUR YEARS!!! 🇻🇪✨🌟
Omg twinning
@@NerdyArtyand fellow sunflower shippers!
So totally twinning!!
For me Omori is a very relatable game due to how each character grieved in their own way and I knew how this felt with me being young of a loss as well Im still pretty young only being a freshman but this game depicted emotions I didn’t want to recognize growing so I would like to thank Omari AND YOU FOR THIS ANALYSIS LIKE OMG I LOVE EM they keep my ADHD brain focused
Stupid auto correct making it Omari
Fun Frog Fact or F.F.F for short : Desert rain frogs do not lay theirs eggs in water which will grow up to become tadpoles but instead lay them in small burrows where they become froglets. Also happy late birthday
“Silly guys have emotional baggage too.”
Wow that is definitely so true. Thx!
Tbh tho I agree with ya on people 1-dimensionaling Kel, but me and him are very similar and I hafta say I’m VERY 1-dimensional, and I cope mentally just like him. Trust me there’s really not much to us lol.
Thanks so much for this! Kel's my favorite character, and one of the reasons he's my favorite character is that he's just not just a one-dimensional character, and has depth, and I'm tired of people treating him as nothing more than a walking meme. I also relate to Kel a lot, and I'm glad you made this video. Loved it!
I noticed kel does a thing that I used to do and it’s essentially masking your emotions to make it look like your always happy
I honestly have to thank you for making this video. Not that I don't enjoy your other creations, I love them! But I felt like I NEEDED this type of video. Kel was and still is many times misunderstood as the only character who doesn't need any type of help and is coping with the incident the best! I especially dislike when someone says that Kel is that one orange joe guy. Not that I hate it, I just think that Kel deserves more respect and you cleared it out so perfectly! Thank you so so so much for making this video, it actually made my day :)
Although his parents might not be the stereotype of abusive, you can still be well meaning and make abusive actions- which is what I feel is happening here. Abuse through neglect is still abuse.
Otherwise- GOD YOU GET IT. THIS SILLY LITTLE GUY HAS SO MUCH TRAUMA REPRESSED BECAUSE IT'S A COPING MECHANISM. IT'S THE ONLY THING HE CAN CONTROL!
To be honest at first I felt like a lot of the fandom jokes were just being a little lighthearted about a funny character, but when you talked about people acting like Kel wasn't as traumatized and thus dismissing real people with similar experiences it started to kick into me just how frustrating that view of him can be. Throughout my whole life i've struggled to understand death, and I've had people get mad at me for hiding my emotions when I try to hide them, so I really appreciate the topic.
I also appreciate bringing up Kel's immigrant status, I feel like OMORI is chock full of narratives about race and ethnicity and people just... never seem to realize this.
Despite not being an immigrant or having grown up with the experiences of being a child of an immigrant, I find myself somehow being able to relate to both Kel and Hero. I’m the oldest sibling and often have a lot of pressure on me to do well at stuff while also feeling like I don’t get as much attention or care as my younger sibling does. And also always being the “mom friends” or “therapist friend” and not getting to express my emotions much. I’ve rewatched this vid a lot and I really enjoy it because Kel is my favorite character in Omori and you do an amazing job at describing the complexities of his character.
Kel is the closest thing I will ever come to stanning a character, he has been my pfp on discord for years I love him so bad and he speaks to me on such a deep level. I am three minutes into the video and going off in my discord about how FINALLY SOMEONE GETS IT
I am interested to see you elaborate on your take, but my personal view is how, yes Mari's passing ruined everyone to an extend and that cannot be ignored, but unlike everyone else, Kel's response seems to be far more focused on what happened in the *aftermath* of Mari's death. He knows he cannot change it and steps up to take Hero's place as the levelheaded individual because he had relatively healthier coping mechanisms than the rest of the cast. it does not change the fact that he's still incredibly impacted by these events..
but the most important things is that... we interact with Kel at a very precarious point in *sunny's* life, where Kel is effectively meeting a stranger and has to respond as if nothing has ever changed if only because he doesn't know how to handle this situation. He's filling a silence that exists and a person he knew but doesn't know now and opts to resort to a sanitization of himself because it's the option he has that is less potentially upsetting. He is as Silly and Goofy as he is because the other option is uncomfortable silence or trying to bring up the tragic passing of someone so close to the person he is interacting with for the first time in years...
Also middle children are just like that.
kel has always been a comfort character to me, i've always found myself projecting my feelings onto most kel related things i talk about. i hate how the entire fandom babies him almost more than sunny and basil. this video was such a great watch and even changed my mind on some opinions i had on kel. i've experienced some of the same things, i'm in the shadow of both of my brothers; one excelling in mechanics while the other in chess and more brain related things, while i've always been the artist and writer, something that i wont have to compete against my siblings with. kel gives perfect middle child energy-coming from a middle child myself-just trying his best to be seen and different to his siblings
Help- the fact you got a kel obsessed gf while being so similar to him is adorable
19:01 I don't think this should be dismissed so easily.
Kel and Hero's parents are definitely the best of the bunch but there are still some hints that they aren't exactly good at their jobs, two major ones are:
How Kel has a whole game plan on how to avoid his mother yelling. This not only implies this is a common way of parenting her kids, but the fact this is over some minor chores that he still finished in time, just took a little long to do, is worrying.
But even more worrying what happens when the boys return home after resolving the Basil situation. Their mom's reaction after they return home after being asked by another adult to look for their friend? After they almost lost him to another horrible accident? She's worried her dinner won't taste as good because it got cold and needs to be reheated. I don't know, but to me this scene (along with Hero being a golden child) spells it out quite well that their mother might present some narcissistic thought patterns.
A little bit of abuse is still abuse, even if the kids don't see it this way. There's a reason all the happy memories in the game do not involve the parents of any of them.
@@acetylen42 that's true, and that interpretation is valid as hell. I kind of regret making a comment on Kel and Hero's parents in the video because I have so many complicated feelings about how they're depicted in the few bits we get and it would've probs derailed the video/made the video turn out too personal for my tastes.
The term 'abusive' gets thrown around a lot in fandom without much thought, so whenever people use it in discourse I get kind of defense. It's a flaw on my part I wont lie
The thing that makes Omori stick with me is how I can see aspects of myself in each of the characters and in a lot of ways it made me reflect a lot about who I am. I really liked your previous videos on Basil and Sunny, and I'm also glad you made a video on Kel too, since I feel like other people making videos on Omori and its themes don't go as deep and hardly ever touch on what makes the characters so special, at least to me.
havent wathced the video yet but HARD AGREE HE IS SO MISUNDERSTOOD!! he's actually one of the more mature characters in the game (real world of course though) i used to relate to him quite a bit, being a younger brother, being coming from a mexican immigrant family, trying to be funny for others, and so on (god gives his silliest battles to his funniest clowns). i just get kind of sad that one of the very few characaters i relate to that shares my ethnicity is mostly treated as a joke instead of being treated as just as complex as the others.
I know everyone in the fandom treats kel like he is a complete idiot who doesn't know what 2+2 is, but in my opinion, kel is way smarter and more capable than everyone thinks
I literally SCREAMED when you mentioned you were from Venezuela OMG FINALLY A VENEZUELAN OMORI FAN I'M SO HAPPY
THANK YOU SO MUCH
I always love when people look at the layers of Kel’s character and not just his optimism!! Thank you!!!
Oh and edit; happy birthday!!
That graveyard scene, out of everything in omori, was what broke me. The way Kel just . . . talked, nothing else. It was simple, but because of that, it felt real.
**Begins to mention Immigrant parents and treatment of their children**
*Me who is the only college graduate of my immediate family with most of my family, including my parents, being from an Island off the coast of Africa:* .....I just woke up and Im feeling personally attacked already
KEL IS A TRAUMA BOY AND I LOVE HIM, AND HAPPY BDAY TO BOTH U AND KEL
Shout out to comic relief characters that still hold their own ground and are legitimately interesting characters aside from comedy, gotta be one of my favorite genders
YES!!!!! KEL STANS RISE UP ✊✊✊
Edit: YOU ARE SO RIGHT ABOUT HIS SHIPS OMGGGG
i hate how people handle them, and im a suntan shipper! It's super annoying... Esp when they characterise Kel as a trauma-free dude for whoever he's shipped with to use as therapy. Like, no, that's not how relationships work (and im aro...) and that is not the reason i like suntan either. (I like them alot in fics like Bask in the Sun, where they're both not doing the best but they help eachother by being there for the other)
This video is so good, I WISH more people would watch this
I'm so happy this video exists!!
Hey sis, I forgive you. Also this is your best video yet and I am SO here for the Mean Era TM
23:30 ish I totally agree. I think it's SOME people who play Omori and think of depression as like a concept and like you can turn it off and on and kind of make the whole aesthetic of depression like it's not an actual mental illness that people suffer with
Genuinely, where the hell did the burger meme even come from. Does Kel even mentions burgers a single time in the game?
Also yes thank you for making this video. I always feel like people talk about Kel’s issues very shallowly and people don’t actually take the time to think about how he’s affected
Oh my gosh, thank you so much for making this! I got into Omori around the game’s release, and for the longest time I’ve said that he’s so much more than a character for memes, and I’ve always been kinda disappointed by how the fandom treats him. I’m really glad to see someone make such a well made analysis on his character!! Awesome video!!!!
Also, happy late birthday!
Every video you put out is full of nothing but banger takes i swear to god
I've been having an omori hyperfixation and i realized how complex kel is after thinking about it for a bit and it's just genuinely so sad. he's seen as this silly and fun guy when he can literally become an emotional wreck if he really wanted to
I have never viewed kel as completely ok. I have thought from the moment I saw him is that he at least has some issues.
Kel is the definition of the phrase I always say: "The people who smile the most are the saddest"
Omg Thank you so much!!!, this is exactly the way I see Kel, always prioritizing everyone else before himself. He probably could be depressed like everyone else in the group of friends, but he hides it because he wants to show his friends that they have a chance to heal too.
Maybe a very random comparison but, he reminds me of a character named Wei Wuxian from "The Great Master of Demonic Cultivation" (recommended nn), he also ignores his own feelings and does his best to make the lives of his loved ones enjoyable no matter how much he sacrifices.
Once again, thank you for this video, I know it's been 3 months since you uploaded it but anyway I wanted to give my opinion on this topic nn
Happy birthday Orange Boy !! Also I completely agree with every point you made. I feel like Kel is such a refreshing representation of how some individuals process trauma and it annoys me when people have this superficial interpretation of him and act like his grief isn’t as intense as the rest of the cast’s just because he processed it a bit differently 😭 great video
I'm a HEAVY kel kinnie and OH MY GOD this summarized his character so well i love this analysis with my ENTIRE FUCKING HEARTTT
Honestly I love I found this channel I related with Kel when I was younger so seeing some people actually talk about his coping mechanism is something others have or had and it gives another good view on different coping mechanisms because everyone is a little different
I also kin Kel.
And I agree Kel went to a lot and, he went through a lot. The way he reacted to Mari's death is kin-able.
I love seeing Kel get the justice he deserves, but I'm also so sorry about your mom. I hope your recovery was mostly alright, or even if you're still recovering, remember to take it easy ml
this video is really well made! i love kel omori and everyone else in the game and while i dont think he might not be depressed, he defentintly has alot of mental baggage espcially with the scene where kel vents about how hero treated him. he blocked it out. also im gonna say thats its ok to use your platform to express your personal baggage for whatever happened in your past and its ok for every creator to do so! you are not trauma dumping since i think that if you were trauma dumping, you would try to make it other people's responsbilty. great video :)
I've seen the occasional Kel jokes but those memes in the beginning.... I'm just... what? Like Kel is such a great character with realistic trauma and hearing people call him dumb is so frustrating. Kel has always been a well-rounded fleshed out character, at least to me. That graveyard scene just revealed so much, and I don't know how anyone could look at that and say yeah, he doesn't have any serious trauma. It almost made me start crying the first moment I read it. This character analysis is perfect, and I'm sorry for the trauma and grief you've had to go through.
Also, happy birthday to you and Kel.
Every Kel meme is cannon before Mari died. And maybe after they all “heal” after she dies
This is a really good video, and it was really nice to watch too as another Kel stan who believed he was drastically misinterpreted.
Off Topic, but I would love it if you ever made a video like this for *Mari,* as I personally think Mari is the LEAST talked about Omori character. There are barely any discussion or analysis videos about her as a character, whenever she is brought it, it's usually related to her death, and how that ties into other characters. I actually think you could make a decent thesis about Mari's character, especially if you discussed her more negative traits that were more passively talked about in the game, like her perfectionism, (and also Sweetheart's character as a whole). Just a thought :) .
FUNNY HAHA MEME MEN HAVE FEELINGS TOO!!
RESPECT THE ORANGE BOY'S NUANCES!!
23:15 this reminds me of about 10 years ago my sister‘s classmate suddenly died along his brother. I won’t go into detail. I remember the moment my sister found out. I remember her crying while on a phone call, i was really confused but my sister wasn’t answering my questions. Even after I asked my mom i didn’t realize what truly happened. This loss of a classmate affected my sister a lot. I remember her being more sad and emotional after. But I also remember my dad telling her that she was “overreacting” and since “she didn’t know them well, she shouldn’t be upset about it” I hope my dad has realized since that this is terrible thinking. grief comes in so many forms and no matter how close you are to the person it can affect you.
in the past four years, a classmate’s and friend’s parents have died every year. I didn’t know them personally at all. But seeing so much grief even around me, affected me. My anxiety over my parents has heightened so much. One time I had a really bad panic attack in the shower. I’ve cried a lot because of the overthinking idea mine were next. it’s all so horrible to see. grief is a difficult thing to go through and I haven’t even gone through it with anyone super close. I can’t even imagine what you went through or what any of the characters went through…
As a younger fan who ignored the rating of the game 💀.... this 100% helps me understand kel a lot better. I see his form of grief a lot better now. Thanks
I also relate to kel a lot and this video is the best representation/analysis of kel I’ve ever heard! I love him so so much as a character and he has so much depth that is extremely overlooked by the fandom. I love this video so so much aaaaaa :D
this is so appreciated actually, ive been saying this for years. nobody really understands the complexity of his character because hes always boiled down to simply "funny guy who likes orange joe and burger and he always smiles!!!!!!!" but thats not his character. he has layers that no one really takes the time to peel back and see a kid whos hurting just as much as everyone else. ive been an avid kel stan ever since i first played omori, and it always frustrated me to see people mischaracterize him so badly...
Yes I love Kel! Thank you!
TBH Nerd really should make a fucking podcast for her analysis cos fucking hell this would be helpful as a podcast and nice
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEL OMORI!!!11!!1!11! wonderful video! I’m relatively new to your channel but I love the energy of your parasocial company, might just be that I’m pretty cozy in my spot rn but this vid specifically really felt like a good mid-sleepover rant :) also love the community posts/the community you’re building, gotta be doing smth right if everyone seems so nice here, thanks for posting!
Yooooo happy belated birthday! Congratulations on sharing a bday with someone popular lmao
(Does Kel count as popular, I mean he’s not a real person but he also is popular because of the game. Idk. Happy bday anyway!)
Finally, I always knew kel was putting on an act after the graveyard scene where he tells Sunny what went on with Hero.
Thank you.
Hi! Sorry I’m a little late but I hope you and Kel had a happy birthday! This was a really great analysis and I love it how you empathized that grief can come in many forms. Thank you so much for making this and I hope you stay safe and well.
Now to rewatch the Basil and sunny videos.
Peace! ❤
Kel is my favorite character, and I do meme with him he is a silly goober
Finally someone who covers Kel correctly, he’s so relatable for me to
I’m so glad you made a Kel analysis! I’ve been thinking of looking for one but it wasn’t really interesting me too much, but I loved you’re other two OMORI analyses so I’m assuming this will give me the comprehensive guide on Kel I’ve been thinking of, I found your channel at a great time and have been loving the streams. You’re doing amazing Nerdy; HAPPY BIRTHDAY
I LOVED THIS ANALYSIS!! you explained perfectly how misunderstood kel is in the fandom!! so many people view him as a happy guy who's only purpose is to heal everyone from their trauma, but that's not it. He dealt with the trauma in his own way and it DID affect him. So many people fail to realise that. Kel didn't understand his emotions when Mari died, so he was unable to grieve properly. Yes, he did help the friends regroup together and become friends again and he IS a silly and happy guy, but that's not the only thing about him!! Thank you so much for making this analysis, it was really nice to watch and I agree with everything said in here. If you can, do you think you could make an Aubrey analysis? Again thank you for going through your time to make these for us! :D
Thank you! You're so kind!! I plan on taking a break from looking at Omori for a while since there are so many other topics and pieces of media I could dive into. I do want to return to it, but don't expect that to happen any time soon
THANK YOU
This video made me analyze a lot of my views on Kel (specifically on his "moving on" since the incident) and realize how I missed or didn't think about a lot about his character, especially his feelings regarding Aubrey and how he masks his feelings. Kel didn't stop with the "beacon of positivity" thing years after Mari's death, he never stopped, it's still his go to coping mechanism and how he responds to problems. He never fully moved on from Mari's death, even I knew that, but I don't think it registered to me how it still affected him to this day if that makes sense. Honestly feel a bit stupid for how I missed or misinterpreted a lot of his character nuance, sure I understood some of it, but I missed a TON. Thanks for the video, really helped me understand Kel better as a character and I definitely take back my prior misguided interpretations of him.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY OMG
I wrote on my hand to remember to wish u happy birthday
KLE MY BELOVD
I cried during this video, I relate to Kel deeply, someone died I who was part of my family I was only eight. I held my tears and didn’t even cry and just stared blankly at the funeral and the news she did die. I just pretended that it didn’t happen…. I never mentioned it again only when I had to. This is the first time I have mentioned it for many years. I also relate to him on the way he masks and such, I mask everyday and just act goofy it’s not heathy but I need to stop but I’m the only comic relief in the friend group and need to be like this to keep them happy or they could possibly probably kill theirselves…. One of my friends basically attempts every night…. Sorry about this long paragraph but I just wanted to vent a little….
As a child of Nigerian immigrants with and older sister who is the golden child, I relate to Kel on an extreme level. Using sports (and cooking) as the one thing to show that we are different to our perfect siblings, and grieving (in this case my cousin) as making seem like everything was okay and being fine, it really sucks for the fandom to water down his character. The graveyard scene especially was one of the only times I cried while playing. I love this analysis, keep up the good work!
thankyou for your video........i really understand better about this game
God, only partway in still but I just have to say that I absolutely love these omori analysis videos of yours, they've all made me have greater appreciation for these characters. Hoping you can one day do ones for the other members of the gang, I would love to see your takes on Hero and ESPECIALLY Aubrey and Mari!
this video is just so right in so many ways (still wont stop me from enjoying the brainrot inducing kel memes tho, i do enjoy the angst more but like sometimes my brain just cant take anymore tramua-)
I'm SO happy to have found this video! I've been dying to find analyses of this game that don't just summarize the plot (seriously there are so many of those?). Kel has always been a character I've loved and identified with more than probably any other in a story, and you gave really wonderful insight into his genuine depth within the game. I'm such a fan of this analysis!!
SunFlower has the highest fanfic count on AO3 (in ships between Sunny, Kel, Aubrey, and Basil) at almost 1,696 entries. For comparison, Sunburn comes in close at 1,668 fics, and Suntan at 1,017 fics at the time of posting this. Kelbry has 446 fics, Cactiflower at 306, and Photobomb at 246. Overall, the Kel-based ships have the lowest individual counts, with the exception of Photobomb in dead last.
Yes, even in ship fic ratios, Kel is all but dead last in both quality and quanity
Basil/Sunflower gets shit-talked in comment threads and forum posts, but its the most popular ship as far as fanfictions go. Kel is adored as a meme character, but his ships veer into rarepair terrritory and the quality of Kel ship fanfics vary. Suntan is the exception, but its overshadowed by Sunflower at almost 70% more fanfic content.
Your Kel video essay has a 1:6 view ratio to your Basil essay and a 1:4 ratio with your Sunny essay.
Which is a shame bcs Kel has a lot of goofy charm and interesting chemistry with each character. He's not a source of horror or strife like Basil and Aubrey, but he has a complicated family dynamic where he is overlooked and unappreciated. You might find Suntan and other Kel ships boring, but he deserves some love and appreciation too.
Also as someone with the personality of a wet cat, I adore ships that have skittish rabbit or black cat/golden retriever vibes. Being with someone as passive and anxious as myself would drive me up a wall. I've always preferred dynamics that take charge and push me out of my comfort zone while still being respectful. He's an ecourager and also someone in need of serious encouraging
It's always felt to me personally that kel had to repress his trauma and hurt over mari's death because everyone else around him was also so broken after her death that kel felt he HAD to keep himself happy
I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't even imagine how you feel- we are here for you, man (3
this video is very good as a kel fan.
ive cried a lot over Kel, haha. he's my favorite. so glad to see someone actually talk about his emotional journey
I appreciate Kel SO MUCH MORE somehow 😢Thx Arty
23:58 Yes. And i was surprised that this is the second video i see about Kel, like im surprised that i dont see the fandom talking about his griefmore, bcuz when i finished watching a gameplay, i felt really REALLY bad for Kel, bcuz i tend to overthink, and i found it a bit weird at first that Kel seemed way happier than the rest of the cast, but as soon as I saw the scene of Kel at the cemetery, I just started to cry, and when i saw him crying in the neutral ending, i completely broke down crying, im an emotional person when it comes to anything i like, but i havent cried like that like i cried for Kel(&Hero, Rody [from dead plate] like that's probably the times when we see him sad (yk what I mean? Also correct me of I'm wrong on anything) My older brother, is studying to become a nurse bc he wanted to be like my mom (she's a doctor) and I used to have behavioral issues, I would throw tantrums, and I felt alone, I never was interested in the medical field, i even have trauma from hearts, my mom even treated him differently, I've never seen her hit my brother like she did with me, or yell at him(even tho she told me that she always wanted a girl???) But now I'm in foster care and I'm better now. HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEL (I'm late)