My greatest thanks to Joel Guerra and the soundtrack creators of ENA - METAROOM, Oliver Buckland and tertiaplox for creating such a phenomenal animation series! Feel free to join my Discord server to keep track of any future uploads or hangout with other subscribers: discord.gg/kP9cqpeq9W
@@Dave_the_person Absolutely! I will stream it first of course but I will try my best to analyse it. I'm hoping that the game puts all the loose ends together.
ENA saying they are the best and moony is the worst is a reference to the saying “first is the worst, second is the best, third is the one with the hairy chest” which is also why ENA said they wondered who got the chest hair, and it’s why moony said the first one would pay the debts of the loser.
@@evagarcia865 I guess that it’s a good word to use for something that’s understood by the characters but not the viewers; you never feel like really weird stuff is happening in a dream when you’re dreaming, but when you wake up, you realize just how weird the dream was.
I read one comment somewhere theorizing that the true wish of Ena was to die. This is because the blue side of Ena showed suicidal behaviors in some parts of Temptation Stariway, mostly when asking Phindoll to hit her hard enough to end everything right there. So maybe what happened is that, thanks to the Great Runas not granting wishes satisfactorily, probably the blue side of Ena was actually the one that made the wish, which got it killed. But Ena overally didn't die, just the blue side, and so the yellow side remained.
I always thought ENA was just a representation of the internet. It's internetcore in every way. Switching between emotions, having friends who say hurtful things, never saying what you mean, and nothing making sense. I feel like this reflects my experience of being raised by the internet. A dark place with bright friendly colors. Everyone wanting to leave but never succeeding. Or having multiple attempts at leaving and failing every time.
@Krof Gninut but people don't want to hear the truth. For example for no reasonable reason I hate you even though I don't know you just for saying something I disagree with
@@krofgninut5984 It used to be that way. Then came the vast cringe where everyone suddenly realized "Oh. I have placed my entire being here. I am scared of being myself because I have come to realize millions can see me."
During the part where ENA slowly turns all yellow, I like the theory that Moony actually wished for ENA to be happy and that her new form was the punishment! She refused to say and covered it up with "wishing to be thinner" out of embarrassment, not wanting to admit she actually deeply cares about ENA Idk, I think its cute :D Great video!!!
Ena shaking her head after hearing Moona wanting to be slimmer with her new form is funny af because as a friend she could have literally done ANYTHING else and chose to wish for a slimmer more stable body.
Two small details: 1. Concept of ENA and entire world is based on Microsoft Office 95 "Hall of Tortured Souls" easter egg. 2. Moony looks a lot like ENA after transformation.
Omg i love the hall of tortured souls! So glad its inspiring people, its a very creepy thing if you dont know what it is, but once you understand its an inside joke it becomes endearing and quite funny to you
Moony's new form actually kind of reminds me of an ena, having 2 different sides. Ena probably is disappointed not because moony wasted her wish just to be skinny but to become an ena and have to experience imbalance in their emotions while ena used their wish to have balance over their emotions. Going back to another characters dialogue that might mean moony might be unsatisfied with their new ena form, probably because her wish was twisted into something else. Ena might found a loophole by wishing to be satisfied, probably confusing the great runas and allowing ena to get their wish without unsatifaction This might not be true because the ena in dream bbq had polygons just like blue and yellow ena, moony isn't. I only just speculated moony became an ena because 1. They were humanoid 2. They had split colors 3. She was covering her crotch and chest, implying it needed to be covered. Both enas we saw were wearing clothing, implying that it was neceserry
As for the 3rd point, i think Moony is standing like that more because she didn't know how to use her legs, even her feet are kind of twisted. It makes sense since a Moon doesn't have the same structure as a human body.
The copying of the dance from "Once In A Lifetime" actually also holds significance, I think, because all the dances in the music video are choreographed based on real religious rituals/movements/prayers, and the song itself was heavily inspired by televangelist preachers.
also maybe because the title "Once in a Lifetime" could relate to how the great runas only appears once every 10k years (which is probably once in a lifetime for most beings)
And notice how 2:09 kinda replicates the movement at the start of the "Once in a Lifetime" choreography? I also think the meaning of the song also correlates back to ENA. The creator of the song (David Byrne) confirmed that it meant to go through life as "half-awake" or on "auto-pilot". This means that ENA might be going through the same thing, as it's shown she's somewhat aware how strange this world is.
I have also theorized that it represents a normal human, and that she was drugged. It mentions that there are sins going on in the building, some assume it means lust.
So for, the song once in a lifetime, the band studied archive footage of religious rituals from around the world, including footage of evangelists, African tribes, Japanese sects and people in trances, for Byrne to incorporate into his performance. Perhaps thats a coincidence but given the religious symbology found in the series, perhaps this is something that should be considered.
Ahh okay! I never considered that, I see a lot of theory videos mention that but never point at what it means (me included) so I'm quite impressed that you pointed it out.
The music video for Once In A Lifetime is also a rather appropriate reference in my opinion. Byrne is seen performing many of the movements you mentioned over and over again, seemingly getting more and more desperate as he does. He is, however, always slightly out of sync with the Byrne clones in the background. While both being a metaphor in itself, to me about doing everything you’re told will lead to success and failing, it also relates to ENA’s seemingly desperate attempts to fit in with the others. She keeps trying to do what the others consider to be fun or normal, but seemingly can’t ever get it quite right.
as the last scene in temptation stairway has music called "Dead gods graveyard" i think that either this place houses different iterations of Runas or gods DID exist, just runas is the last living one (note how all doors look "sad" meanwhile Runas's door has a neutral expression)
@@InvaderGator I think that Runas is a tyrant that pretends to be a deity & either they killed the area’s deities or the fellows that ruled before him. Colonialism but if the king of the conquistadors was pretending to be Jesus.
6:29 I'd guess it's because Ena's body/system isn't like fully...updated? Like the guard at the party entrance said she wasn't up to their "community guidelines", leading to badly translated captions- especially since there are sights of other mannequin like bodies like her in Tempation Stairway- possibly other Enas whose "softwares" had decayed? That or she was purposefully ignoring any potential of danger to reach Moony But that's just my theory
"Drunk" Ena makes sense as the name. In our world when we're drunk we can often babble nonsensical things. So in a weird world, from their perspective nonsensical drunken babbling is something we would perfectly understand.
I think what mooni said about "this dog having something to say" is refering to Joel G, whose youtube icon is that specific dog. It implies that, indeed, there is a meaning behing the serie. It is breaking the fourth wall, which is why ENA doesn't understand it. What we can get from this is that everytime ENA seems to not understand something, it's because it's breaking the fourth wall. Other detail: the positive voice is more male, as the negative is more feminine. However, before the pyramid after being hit by the dolphin, even though the positiv side is in control, the masculine voice says "go ahead and finish the job". It could mean that the hit disturbed ENA profondly, affecting both of her personnality:"why is everyone punching me so softly today?" Key word "softly". Negativ's slightly more positive, or less negativ depending on how you look at it, and Positiv becomes willing to get unalived. Can't wait for a film theory to explain this!!
Also just realised, but the punch that dolphin did to ena was an interview, menaing that what got her so mixed up was talking about herself (and possibly her feeling?).
@@GameSlayerVideos1442 well two of my favourite youtubers made new videos and then this youtuber made a new video each two hours apart and then even more youtubers made more videos all in the time span of around 12 pm to 6 pm
There are so many little details I could comment on in the series, so I'll just list what I think are the most important things I've noticed/thought about: *Ena's Forms, and Moony* Near the start of Auction Day, Ena appears to force a shift in appearance, and says "Argh! Sincerest apologies." So I'd assume she, or at least the yellow part of her, is actively trying to enforce her "normal" appearance. At the start of Extinction Party, she seems to pretend the "are you going to shoot me or something?" thing didn't even happen. When Ena is "drunk", she's consistently talking about how weird everything is, and asks Moony "Can't you say anything that makes sense?" To me, this seems to be Ena's actual thoughts being expressed without any regard for how it'll affect what Moony thinks of her, as I believe is common when one is drunk. I'd further support this point by Drunk Ena's extra-weird form having similar colors (the orange and green specifically) to the reflection in the "Girl Before a Mirror" painting; it might be a coincidence, but I wouldn't be surprised. The entire start of Temptation Stairway is super unsettling. When Ena is acting upset for longer than usual, Moony says "Come on, don't ruin my moment!" To me, this seems to connect to how Ena apologized to Moony for showing her self-hatred at the start of Auction Day. I really don't think Moony's a good friend; it's possible Ena didn't even want to go to the auction, or to meet the Great Runas. Even when she says she has to make her wish, she says "I have a bet to win", rather than implying that the wish itself is what's important to her. Anyway, when Ena turns grey, Moony's reaction is... non-existent. To the viewer, this is something completely new, but it's not hard to believe that Moony has witnessed this multiple times, noting that Drunk Ena prompted Moony to say "Are you drunk again?" Still, it's clear that something is very wrong, Ena is extremely upset and not even able to communicate, and Moony is just... mildly annoyed. This form seems to represent a full-on panic attack, but it's unclear why the frog kicking her breaks her out of it. Once the conversation with the frog starts, she seems to pretend the whole thing didn't happen, like in Extinction Party. It could be that she isn't even aware it happened, but I wouldn't think so, given that she doesn't comment on the frog saying "Finally, language I can spit at!" and seems to not be at all confused about how she got here. *A dog... in an hourglass? An hourglass dog!* Yes. Yes I do think the playstation startup sound hourglass dog is lore-relevant. Upon introducing the item, the auctioneer is clearly confused about the hourglass dog, but as soon as they're done talking, Ena immediately says, "Brilliant, Moony! Your foresight's great. Today's offer is a big one!" with no hesitation. It feels like Ena somehow is familiar with this dog, which also could explain her confusion with Moony's statement. Perhaps she expects Moony to know about this dog, and what Moony said isn't what Ena expected for that reason. At the end of Auction Day, Ena... seemingly vomits, apologizes to Moony for vomiting after Moony declares that it's rude and she should ask before "doing that" (so maybe it's not vomiting???), then suddenly looks at a specific spot, clearly anticipating the dog that forms there... from the vomit... with the playstation startup sound... YES I AM GOING TO TRY AND FIND LORE IN THIS. My biggest question is, could Ena have done this the whole time? Is this specific to the dog, or can she materialize other objects from her staticy vomit? Something weird does happen the only other time she starts to vomit, in Temptation Stairway (not the panic attack, the weird ocean image). Speaking of Temptation Stairway, now's the time to talk about Hourglass Meadow. Okay, so. It's uh, it's in the Holy Code. This is the first time Ena jumps into the Holy Code, and we are greeted with both the hourglasses and the dogs, in great number. Notably, the dogs are all in the garden. Maybe they help the face flowers in some way? This is wild speculation, but maybe multiple dogs were brought to this place in hourglasses, brought out of those hourglasses to help with the gardening, and the hourglasses were just left lying about. Anyway. *What is a Blood ID?* At the beginning of Extinction Party, Ena is told to "present a blood sample at once." In this video, we don't get any more context for how that's done. But in Temptation Stairway, we have the Blood ID, which I'm assuming is at least related to the blood sample mentioned in Extinction Party. As a sidenote, "it says you'll collect generous offerings for us" sounds like she's referring to an organization that the Great Runas leads in some way. I don't... really have anything to back that up, though. I don't think Shepherd just had a random Blood ID to give to Ena; I'm assuming that was _her_ Blood ID, and perhaps the "generous offerings" are the plants that are being grown in the greenhouse. But, how does a Blood ID "say" something? Then Mariya gets involved. When given the Blood ID, she says "What the hell, this doesn't taste anything like you!" Which makes sense, as it's not actually related to Ena, and if my theory is correct is entirely associated with a different person. But... Mariya's able to tell that, by the... taste of the blood? How much about a person can the taste of their blood identify? This seems like some interesting worldbuilding, and I wonder if it might get expanded on further in some part of Dream BBQ. That said, I think I've said all I can about Blood IDs, so... *Our Community* Where DOES the majority of Extinction Party take place? The gatekeeper says "Your exterior isn't up to our community's typical standards. Present a blood sample at once!", which I think is safe to assume that a blood sample would let someone in either if they were "the right kind of person", or one of a whitelist of people, and I'd assume the former, as otherwise I don't see why Ena would be let in at all. Speaking of which, Ena is specifically here to see Moony (and tell her that she's a gift), so she's not here to take part in the usual activities of this place. Of the hidden "real" lines of Merci and Robert, and one from that weird rubik's cube entity, a few stand out to me. "Don't accept anything from people around here", "Can't you simpletons lend me some privacy?", "The things happening in these corridors are too shameful for words", and "My only hope is that you leave this place before being polluted by our sins." Additionally, Drunk Ena is specifically Drunk Ena, not Dizzy Ena or anything like that. My theory is that this is like a nightclub or something similar. "Don't accept anything from people around here" combined with Drunk Ena and the strange green fog leads me to believe that drugs and alcohol are both implied, while the rubik's cube asking for privacy and Robert asking Ena to leave before "being polluted by our sins", etc., lead me to believe that sexual acts are involved. Not gonna go more into that because this is youtube comments. *Stain the water red.* I was very surprised by how quickly you went past this part. You even said explicitly that Ena stains the water red, but I don't think that's what happens. A ripple comes from Volley's side of the water, and then it turns red; it seems very much like it's Volley doing it. Notably, Volley seems to be in anguish the entire time. What is her deal? What's even her motive for leading you here? Anyway, after that happens and Ena turns around, a strange figure can be seen in the distance thanks to the sandy fog clearing, probably something religion-related that I'm not aware of. The painting that you showed and stated was the inspiration for the eggs seems to be more closely matched once the water is stained red. Also, I'm definitely not the first to comment on how suspicious "stain the water red" is. It almost certainly means blood, especially given the subject matter. *CHEESE AND RICE, MOONY!* It's probably a known theory that Ena turning yellow relates to the bet. Moony has to pay Ena's debts, because Ena lost. This doesn't sit right with me, though, because how is Ena's blue side considered a "debt" in any way? Another theory is that Moony didn't actually wish to be thinner, and her wish somehow caused Ena's change. Wishing to better relate to Ena could make sense, as she takes on a similar form to Ena while Ena presumably loses the pessimism and self-hatred that Moony doesn't have. Or maybe it has nothing to do with the bet or the wish, and Ena's journey caused this change. That could mean several different things. What I'm saying is I don't actually have a conclusion here, I just felt like I had to talk about it anyway. Well, seems like I wrote a whole essay. Wonder who's gonna even put in the time to read all of it.
I'm pretty sure that the "stain the water red" line has to do with Jesus turning the water into wine, but it could also be referencing when Moses turned water into blood, as both of these stories are from scripture I think that it's very likely that it had some influence as does many other kinds of religous things (the angel, turron dance, inferno, etc.). Also on the line "your exterior isn't up to our community's typical standards" could relate to her being a minor trying to enter a night club that is for adults only
@@skateboardingelephant8059 The minor thing makes a lot of sense... if Ena is a minor, which, probably? As for Jesus and Moses, if that's true it feels like it would imply Volley is somehow related to that as well. I still think it's definitely blood, but that might be confirmation bias.
This series is interesting, considering how biblical the last episode is and other clues I think ENA is a sinner. The first episode sees the auction with her and moony, at an auction an item can be valued at whatever the buyer with the deepest pockets wants. When ENA is disappointed by the item rocks fall and crush the buyers and she vomits out the dog. Even though the item was put away she got what she wanted, I think her sin is greed. When we see the next episode she purposefully mistranslates the people she meets up until she meets moony, I suspect the "apartments" are actually purgatory and she is being greeted by the people she has harmed. The last episode I believe is ENA learning to forgive herself, it is the longest and I don't think that's an accident. It is a journey of her giving up her guilt, and self loathing, and sin. The punishment being cast down to hell until she finally travels to heaven and washes her "depressed" side away. The debt moony is speaking of I believe is the sin she committed. And when asked what moony wished for it was selfish and so moony starts her transformation into a new ENA. So the one we know gets disappointed in her friend for having sinned too. At least that's my interpretation, I think it fits the biblical imagery we see later on pretty well but there's more I could point out but my thumbs hurt now.
Another comment said that her blue side was the one that wished death, bc it's also been the most suicidal one. So her wish was granted, not by entirely killing Ena, but by killing only her blue side instead. That's a theory
You missed the detail of the merchant greeting ENA as his "Godmother", and it being established that Merci is the Merchant's mom This implies that Merci and ENA are actually really close friends, and that families exist in this world
The thing is that the song for the area with the doors is called Dead God Graveyard, almost as if The Great Runas (Great Run-As Program) is the only god left in their universe and all the other doors, save for Runas, have the eyes closed as in death and Runas' door has tears as to symbolize Runas' mourning for his brethren.
I finally understand why my ENA lore video published last Friday randomly spiked in the middle of the night. Heck, I see it near the top of the sidebar recommendations right now! Thank you, fellow ENA lore enthusiast. I couldn't've made it to 1k views in under a week without you. Sincerely, a now-less-confused American.
I interpret the ENA series as taking place in a far-future digitized world, where AIs or uploaded minds have been living so long that while it does have some elements from our world in it, most of it has evolved to a near-unrecognizable state. But although physics are abstract, not everything is free for a digitized mind - server resources have a price and in the poorer "regions" of the world the surroundings and avatars tend to be glitchy or poorly rendered. ENA takes place in such a region, hence the characters' talk of "escape". The "mannequins" are intelligences that are nearly broke and barely have enough server space to run their own thoughts - they look the same because they use a "default" model, since that's all they can afford. There are multiple "instances" of ENA and other entities because digital minds can make copies of themselves and later "branch" into different individuals, though each instance consumes resources so they can't do so to an unlimited degree. Anyway that's just my take on it.
If you go on this journey it’s bc you want something. You want something bc you feel something is missing from your past experiences. But to get your greatest desire you have to stop seeking it directly. ‘A watched pot never boils’ kind of deal mixed with a ‘the journeys worth more than the destination’ kinda thing. Mooney got there faster, but probably didn’t truly get what she wanted all along, so she pointed out one dumb thing that annoyed her & asked it to go away (fatness), knows in the back of her mind that she didn’t really want this, hence she’s embarrassed, but was so one-minded & forgot her past that she’ll never get that true desire. I’m not sure how all the religious imagery coalesces, but that’s the general idea I got from your video.
When Ena "stains the water red" (which is already suspicious considering she earlier got a "blood ID"), the music starts saying frantically and desperately, "Please stop!" and right before she enters the pyramid, the music says something like "Please stop! Take your meds today!" This would also coincide with Ena "hearing voices in her head," if Ena was being taken care of, considering they also tell her to "eat her vegetables," and why Moony dismisses this out-of-hand. This all coincides with my theory that Ena is extremely mentally ill and that's why her interpretations of the world around her are so weird and untrue. Also, this coincides with Moony's name, since perhaps Ena calls her that because, to Ena, she looks like a moon, and everyone else just rolls with it. This would also make sense because the two people that she refers to "Moony" as "Moony" already know Ena, and recognize "Moony" by that name. Additionally, they don't actually tell her where to find Moony, but Ena incorrectly interprets what they're saying. I also think that, during Extinction party, Ena found Moony... in a drug house. I believe this because the characters are very confused as to what Ena was doing there, and one of the characters says "the things happening in these corridors are too shameful for words," and states that they hope Ena gets out "without being corrupted by [their] sins." This implies that the character is there, sinning, though they don't wish to be. This seems like a drug addiction to me! Addtionally, they warn her not to take anything from anyone. Earlier on in the house, Ena encounters someone who is mad at them and asks them for some "privacy." Yeahhhh, I don't think I need to explain what this likely means. Since Moony asks Ena if they're drunk, it makes me wonder if they had been coerced somehow into taking some drugs, since Robbit mentions walking through the "horrifyingly dizzy path" behind him in Ena's interpretation of what they're saying. This, finally, brings me to Ena's encounter with Moony. The last leg of the journey to get there seems almost... psychedelic? This could be implying that Ena had taken some drugs, and would explain why things seem to make less and less sense in Temptation Stairway, along with what was mentioned earlier about her possibly not taking her meds. I think that Moony talked to Ena normally(...ish) and didn't warn her about anything because Mooney knows about Ena's mental illness, and just wanted to get her out of there. Moony's way of speaking kind of reminds me of how many would talk to someone who's mentally ill and doesn't perceive the world correctly, and Moony's presence in the drug house would explain their nonsensical statements, even for Ena. Additionally, Moony's room had the same entities around that the guy asking for privacy did, implying that Moony also has the same... struggles. As for Temptation Stairway? Yeah, my theory is that Ena was possibly on drugs _and_ didn't take her meds, possibly mistaking drugs she had recieved from the drug house for her meds. I can't make heads nor tails of that episode, except for what was mentioned before. I'm assuming that the lore of each episode kinda goes like this: Auction Day - Welcome to this bizarre world! Extinction Party - So Ena's severely Mentally ill and Moony has... issues. Temptation Stairway - This isn't a normal world at all haha fooled you have fun trying to distinguish what Ena misinterprets from things that actually just don't make sense or are actually lore! Well, hope y'all enjoyed my rant, though I know that no one will probably read it since I'm seven months late, lol. I might update this later if I figure anything else out. Edit: Added some things, adapted some wording, removed a minor factually incorrect statement.
@@angelromanflores2709 Haha, thank you! Unfortunately, I don't currently have the time nor the expertise to do so, but if I did, I would! Thank you so much for your support!
Ok i'm going to be completely honest. I follow this guy who makes countryballs pixil art, and I saw he made a pixil art of this character once (it was really good) and because I didn't know what it was I thought he had made Ukraine but as a human, never the less great explanation!
Thank you so much for covering the lore of this series, becuase I completely missed all of what the show was presenting and had no idea the show was so deep. Tbh I though it was just suposed to be a little fun but weird randomness. Now I feel like I have more of an appreciation for the show so, again, thank you :>
There's a theory that Moonie wished for Ena's blue side to go away (since we don't see Ena speaking to the great Runas, and Moonie says something about seeing him "in person") and that the thinner body was actually some kind of penance for the wish. This would mean Moonie wished for her friend to be happy AND agreed to pay off her debts.
Joel G and the team confirmed on this year's Ena Day livestream that Ena's name is acrually pronounced however you want :D Was pretty interesting to find out that each person in the team says her name differently
I just found out about this series and I wish I did sooner. It looks so interesting. Btw, I've seen a lot of comments saying that Moonie resembles Ena after the wish and it was so Ena coud be happy or something. But I want to point out that Moonie also has another face before the wish. It just so happens that, like the real moon, Moonie has another side nobody has ever seen. By wishin to bee thiner, Great Runas transformned her into an Ena, a being wich is thiner, but is unable to hide its insecurities.
My Theorie is that ENA is the base human model of this world. Our ENA is on the crisp of becoming a unique creature (like the Shepard, who has a very similar appearens of ENA). This would explain why ENAs friend MOONY pronounces ENAs name weirdly. She wants to help ENA to become her own beeing (which seems to include becoming a unique name, like the Shepard). We see the world through the eyes of our ENA. This would explain why the manniquins do not look like our ENA. They are completly basic, our ENA sees herself apart from them, sees them as lesser (manniquins).
8:20 honestly i hadn't even registered what she said there properly, i've watched temptation stairway more than once and my brain always registered this as the loser paying the winner's debts
as I person who never watched any of this but watched the explanation anyways. it is very well done. Now I want to watch it. This almost seems like one giant metaphor for the afterlife. Some sort of limbo where every mannequin is a soul trying to ascend out of their position but in order to do so much forget their life as you say "forget their past" which is a often spoken criteria for ascension. The biblical symbolism seems to support this. Even the angel that blocks the gates to heaven. The door from limbo onward.
9:28 this is one of those "video gamey" moments that I really like in the series. Like you could imagine how Ena wouldnt have been able to do the turron dance just a little later if she was still freaking out. So talking to this frog is a step you'd have to take to do that, to be kicked out of that state. And of course without the turron wouldnt get the blood pack, and would have to later just *guess* at the right cat door.
Ebic video Boi BOI! For real. I'm not gonna pretend i understand Ena's world building and lore. It's abstract and i bet a lot of interpretations can be made.
4:11 if someone else hasn't pointed it out already, ENA is wearing a peruvian school uniform, so they might be saying it is inappropriate for a teen to go to that place (and be drunk)
Ena is definently representative of bipolar disorder, switching between manic and depressive mood swings (like her personalities are literally Mania and Depression like it’s very obvious to me as a person with that$
whenever moony (idk how to spell it) does what i call her Fancy Laugh, ena questions how weird it was (“Wait…no no no…that was incredibly weird. What is wrong with you?” & the scene where ena is drunk)
Just a heads up, ENA can be pronounced however you want. There is no 'canon' way to say it. (During the ENA Day 2023 live stream, Joel said that there is no incorrect way to pronounce ENA's name)
That's very interesting, I wonder if that gives a new meaning to Moony always calling her a different name. Instead of making fun of Ena, she's respectfully changing up the way she pronounces her name in the same way one might do with someone who uses multiple different pronoun sets. Just with her name instead of her pronouns.
I haven't watched alot of the video yet but when her blue side beaks out and says "theres voices in my head and there telling me to eat my veggies"and she quickly goes back to being happy, i could relate it probably means she gone through hard stuff like emotional abuse or something but this is just a guess and i haven't watched much of the video
The way I see it is Moony paid off ENA's debt which was being split in half and making her whole again by making both sides yellow really makes me wonder what made ENA be split into two
idk if this makes sense, but that eye at 17:37 seems like an eye of ender from minecraft, it floats and guides Ena to a sort of a portal with other eyes (end portal!). Infact, after stained the water red it's like she "entered the portal" and went towards the final part of her journey. I like to think it could be a logical thinking, even tho there should have been also a "final fight" according to my theory.... maybe it happened inside herself, fighting her sinful part? (when she becomes yellow)
I mostly believe ena is in a game , but not a normal game , a game of their mind of the wacky weird undiscovered personality’s trying to figure out what is past the door of the future and what their TRUE personality is .
i like to think that theres no lore outside of what we are shown. not because i think the show is shallow in any way, but because its that type of series honestly. it seems very slice of life, and i find it difficult to find any lore outside of what we are shown. i *could* speculate what the great runas really is, or i could just follow what moony and ena say about them, they can grant a wish.
I have watched every video in the ENA series, Some multiple times, And honestly all I know about the series is that ENA is totes goals and I would love to dress up as ENA for halloween some time.
I have a theory that ENA'S true name is ANNE ENA backward's is ANE and if you strech that ANNE possibly ENA was the happy side trying to move on from the event. Hair holds memory'ss is a theory I also like- the sad half of ena has long hair the other side is cut short I think it's the postive side trying to move on from an "event" but the sad side keeping the memorys.
Not much really to be said about it, though. It's an exclamation of shock. "Cheese and rice" sounds like "Jesus Christ". That's pretty much as deep as that goes.
3:25 I’m not too far into the video, so I’m not sure if this is mentioned, but Joel G said he had “super paper mario” on the brain while making ENA. It’s possible she’s inspired by Dimentio or the Cragnons as well, as they share the characteristic of the half-colored faces. It’s most likely she’s inspired by Dimentio, because her face shape (where the yellow splits from the blue) is exactly how Dimentio’s is split. Dimentio is also more popular, making him more likely to be the inspiration. I love this fact, because Super Paper Mario is one of my favorite games! When I first watched ENA, I thought her and Dimentio looked similar. (I’ve also seen some funny art and people head canoning that Dimentio and ENA are long-lost cousins or something of the sort, haha!)
May be silly, but I think in reference to the latest ep, ENA got to be happy, but never saw the Great Runas. Just like Ulysses said, dreams are never fully fulfilled or quenched.
6:34 It’s more likely that ENA seems to be under some psychotic effect after walking through this strange path, and so appears extremely intoxicated for a temporary amount of time.
This series (especially the second episode) reminds me of the memer man series. It had the *SUCC* guy, orang, and more weird figures and out of world scenarios.
My wildly speculative headfanon construction I like to view the series through is that the world of ENA is basically the product of running an indie game developer's computer through a blender, then imbuing the resulting information slurry with life. Everything inside the device was scrambled and recontextualized into the shape of a fully encapsulated world, from the BIOS of the computer's deepest logic structures to the half completed projects saved in the user's development software. ENA is what came of the player character of such a project. An entire species of questing, world-affirming individuals, whom will flit about exploring the place, connecting with other beings, perhaps coming to serve a certain role in the local community. There's more than one ENA because to the world of a game that a player enters, there's a nigh infinite series of alternate timelines, each containing one playthrough of the game, meaning that if you lined all those playthroughs up as valid information, the various NPCs and settings of the world would see dozens, hundreds or more of these players blazing through the area, doing relatively similar things, then moving on to places the residents of a level probably couldn't even imagine. In the confusion of the great data-scrambling event that formed this universe as it now exists, all this playthrough data was reinterpreted to form a group of individuals at the same time rather than one individual over a multitude of times.
The face thing with the mannequins could show that the creators are showing how people can't see faces but do see portraits of faces that don't have specific designs that a real face has. Also the person with the hole in the face could back up what I'm saying. But again it could show nothing, and the whole thing is for fun.
My greatest thanks to Joel Guerra and the soundtrack creators of ENA - METAROOM, Oliver Buckland and tertiaplox for creating such a phenomenal animation series!
Feel free to join my Discord server to keep track of any future uploads or hangout with other subscribers: discord.gg/kP9cqpeq9W
Are you gonna analyze the game that will go with Ena? Aka Ena dream bbq?
@@Dave_the_person Absolutely! I will stream it first of course but I will try my best to analyse it. I'm hoping that the game puts all the loose ends together.
Wowee I think I’ve seen an episode of this before (it felt like a dream :D)
Sorry to ask but what is the song at the very beginning I can’t find it 👀
@@WildCard203 kool.
@@carnical2315the song is browser history’
ENA saying they are the best and moony is the worst is a reference to the saying “first is the worst, second is the best, third is the one with the hairy chest” which is also why ENA said they wondered who got the chest hair, and it’s why moony said the first one would pay the debts of the loser.
Thank you! I haven't understood that line until now.
Wait where's that saying from?
@@jisoohong6117 idk. I think it’s just one of those things people might say in school, sort of like the “girls rule and boys drool” thing.
@@_makeitreal_ Don't forget "boys go to Jupiter to get more stupider, girls go to Mars to get more candy bars"
@@Nolfinkol i always heard "girls go to college to get more knowledge"
when i watched this show i took it as it was an oniric world. Nothing makes sense for us, but does for the characters in this world.
Never heard of oniric before
@@Lemonnitenite me too
@@Lemonnitenite I've only heard that term in Hollow Knight, and in that game the term oniric is used as something related to a dream?
@@Nae_ex yeah looked it up it means “in a dream or related to it”
@@evagarcia865 I guess that it’s a good word to use for something that’s understood by the characters but not the viewers; you never feel like really weird stuff is happening in a dream when you’re dreaming, but when you wake up, you realize just how weird the dream was.
I read one comment somewhere theorizing that the true wish of Ena was to die. This is because the blue side of Ena showed suicidal behaviors in some parts of Temptation Stariway, mostly when asking Phindoll to hit her hard enough to end everything right there.
So maybe what happened is that, thanks to the Great Runas not granting wishes satisfactorily, probably the blue side of Ena was actually the one that made the wish, which got it killed. But Ena overally didn't die, just the blue side, and so the yellow side remained.
That’s a cool theory!
Killing the part of you that wants to die? That sounds a little metal
@@AlphaPizzadog guilty gear levels of metal.
Isn't the blue and yellow ena the same?
@@ReferToAsQuote yesn't..........?
I always thought ENA was just a representation of the internet. It's internetcore in every way.
Switching between emotions, having friends who say hurtful things, never saying what you mean, and nothing making sense.
I feel like this reflects my experience of being raised by the internet. A dark place with bright friendly colors. Everyone wanting to leave but never succeeding. Or having multiple attempts at leaving and failing every time.
This makes lots of sense.
I never understood not saying what you mean. With the anonymity of the internet, honesty is without consequence, unlike the real world.
Keanu reeves: woah…deep.
@Krof Gninut but people don't want to hear the truth. For example for no reasonable reason I hate you even though I don't know you just for saying something I disagree with
@@krofgninut5984 It used to be that way. Then came the vast cringe where everyone suddenly realized "Oh. I have placed my entire being here. I am scared of being myself because I have come to realize millions can see me."
During the part where ENA slowly turns all yellow, I like the theory that Moony actually wished for ENA to be happy and that her new form was the punishment! She refused to say and covered it up with "wishing to be thinner" out of embarrassment, not wanting to admit she actually deeply cares about ENA
Idk, I think its cute :D
Great video!!!
I love that theory haha
Awwww! New headcanon!
@luvxbloom buck wild and completely unhinged! but damn, you actually got convincing by the end. nice theory
oooo
@@bloomxoxENA lore
"ENA is deeply disappointed, and i am very confused" RELATABLE
Ena shaking her head after hearing Moona wanting to be slimmer with her new form is funny af because as a friend she could have literally done ANYTHING else and chose to wish for a slimmer more stable body.
yes
Two small details:
1. Concept of ENA and entire world is based on Microsoft Office 95 "Hall of Tortured Souls" easter egg.
2. Moony looks a lot like ENA after transformation.
Omg i love the hall of tortured souls! So glad its inspiring people, its a very creepy thing if you dont know what it is, but once you understand its an inside joke it becomes endearing and quite funny to you
Moony's new form actually kind of reminds me of an ena, having 2 different sides. Ena probably is disappointed not because moony wasted her wish just to be skinny but to become an ena and have to experience imbalance in their emotions while ena used their wish to have balance over their emotions. Going back to another characters dialogue that might mean moony might be unsatisfied with their new ena form, probably because her wish was twisted into something else. Ena might found a loophole by wishing to be satisfied, probably confusing the great runas and allowing ena to get their wish without unsatifaction
This might not be true because the ena in dream bbq had polygons just like blue and yellow ena, moony isn't. I only just speculated moony became an ena because
1. They were humanoid
2. They had split colors
3. She was covering her crotch and chest, implying it needed to be covered. Both enas we saw were wearing clothing, implying that it was neceserry
That's actually a very nice theory. If it is correct, then at least Moony and her friend will match(like the besties they're portrayed as)?
I never thought of it like that! I guess the design choice for Moony was a very interesting aspect with the distinct split down the middle.
As for the 3rd point, i think Moony is standing like that more because she didn't know how to use her legs, even her feet are kind of twisted. It makes sense since a Moon doesn't have the same structure as a human body.
I think ENA was just surprised at such an unexpected transformation
Oh
The copying of the dance from "Once In A Lifetime" actually also holds significance, I think, because all the dances in the music video are choreographed based on real religious rituals/movements/prayers, and the song itself was heavily inspired by televangelist preachers.
also maybe because the title "Once in a Lifetime" could relate to how the great runas only appears once every 10k years (which is probably once in a lifetime for most beings)
And notice how 2:09 kinda replicates the movement at the start of the "Once in a Lifetime" choreography?
I also think the meaning of the song also correlates back to ENA. The creator of the song (David Byrne) confirmed that it meant to go through life as "half-awake" or on "auto-pilot". This means that ENA might be going through the same thing, as it's shown she's somewhat aware how strange this world is.
6:39
She isn’t drunk, she’s gone through a dizzy maze with an untrained mind
I have also theorized that it represents a normal human, and that she was drugged. It mentions that there are sins going on in the building, some assume it means lust.
@@skylarsanders1229wait ena sounds like eternal with half the letters removed
So for, the song once in a lifetime, the band studied archive footage of religious rituals from around the world, including footage of evangelists, African tribes, Japanese sects and people in trances, for Byrne to incorporate into his performance. Perhaps thats a coincidence but given the religious symbology found in the series, perhaps this is something that should be considered.
Ahh okay! I never considered that, I see a lot of theory videos mention that but never point at what it means (me included) so I'm quite impressed that you pointed it out.
The music video for Once In A Lifetime is also a rather appropriate reference in my opinion. Byrne is seen performing many of the movements you mentioned over and over again, seemingly getting more and more desperate as he does. He is, however, always slightly out of sync with the Byrne clones in the background. While both being a metaphor in itself, to me about doing everything you’re told will lead to success and failing, it also relates to ENA’s seemingly desperate attempts to fit in with the others. She keeps trying to do what the others consider to be fun or normal, but seemingly can’t ever get it quite right.
as the last scene in temptation stairway has music called "Dead gods graveyard" i think that either this place houses different iterations of Runas or gods DID exist, just runas is the last living one (note how all doors look "sad" meanwhile Runas's door has a neutral expression)
That's an interesting detail! The name of the soundtrack makes me think there is only one Great Runas left. Maybe that's why it's so rare?
Maybe the other ENA's which apparently existed killed the other gods.
@@InvaderGator I think that Runas is a tyrant that pretends to be a deity & either they killed the area’s deities or the fellows that ruled before him.
Colonialism but if the king of the conquistadors was pretending to be Jesus.
@@Barakon Thats a pretty good theory.
What I like about the guardian is that he just says “You’re ugly, give me your blood”
Ultrakill
6:29 I'd guess it's because Ena's body/system isn't like fully...updated? Like the guard at the party entrance said she wasn't up to their "community guidelines", leading to badly translated captions- especially since there are sights of other mannequin like bodies like her in Tempation Stairway- possibly other Enas whose "softwares" had decayed?
That or she was purposefully ignoring any potential of danger to reach Moony
But that's just my theory
"Drunk" Ena makes sense as the name. In our world when we're drunk we can often babble nonsensical things. So in a weird world, from their perspective nonsensical drunken babbling is something we would perfectly understand.
I think what mooni said about "this dog having something to say" is refering to Joel G, whose youtube icon is that specific dog. It implies that, indeed, there is a meaning behing the serie. It is breaking the fourth wall, which is why ENA doesn't understand it.
What we can get from this is that everytime ENA seems to not understand something, it's because it's breaking the fourth wall.
Other detail: the positive voice is more male, as the negative is more feminine. However, before the pyramid after being hit by the dolphin, even though the positiv side is in control, the masculine voice says "go ahead and finish the job". It could mean that the hit disturbed ENA profondly, affecting both of her personnality:"why is everyone punching me so softly today?"
Key word "softly". Negativ's slightly more positive, or less negativ depending on how you look at it, and Positiv becomes willing to get unalived.
Can't wait for a film theory to explain this!!
Also just realised, but the punch that dolphin did to ena was an interview, menaing that what got her so mixed up was talking about herself (and possibly her feeling?).
Joel set his youtube pfp as the dog a long time after that first episode debuted. i don’t think this is what they were going for
I can't still believe that this series is going to have a Videogame
I’m pretty stoked.
why are so many things happening today
Because I had a tamatchi. Wild jr has many brothers yk?
Same question tbh. Probably cuz it's the weekend.
I don't know to what are You refering, i'm 8 days later and, i'm for latin america if that helps xd
Please explain this anomaly of ocurrences to me
@@GameSlayerVideos1442 well two of my favourite youtubers made new videos and then this youtuber made a new video each two hours apart and then even more youtubers made more videos all in the time span of around 12 pm to 6 pm
Reality woke up. She had some catching up to do.
What I have to watch:
It’s gotta be perfect: 1:30
Strebers rehearsel 3:00
And now this
Me too lol, but I already watched the other two, still, I find it funny that we happen to do the same things
Bro same, we eating good today
same
same lol
@@goobeeerr *”Don’t die on us, okay..?”*
I absolutely adore ENA's design and character, it's just so creative and looks and works so goddamn good I can't get over it
There are so many little details I could comment on in the series, so I'll just list what I think are the most important things I've noticed/thought about:
*Ena's Forms, and Moony*
Near the start of Auction Day, Ena appears to force a shift in appearance, and says "Argh! Sincerest apologies." So I'd assume she, or at least the yellow part of her, is actively trying to enforce her "normal" appearance. At the start of Extinction Party, she seems to pretend the "are you going to shoot me or something?" thing didn't even happen.
When Ena is "drunk", she's consistently talking about how weird everything is, and asks Moony "Can't you say anything that makes sense?" To me, this seems to be Ena's actual thoughts being expressed without any regard for how it'll affect what Moony thinks of her, as I believe is common when one is drunk. I'd further support this point by Drunk Ena's extra-weird form having similar colors (the orange and green specifically) to the reflection in the "Girl Before a Mirror" painting; it might be a coincidence, but I wouldn't be surprised.
The entire start of Temptation Stairway is super unsettling. When Ena is acting upset for longer than usual, Moony says "Come on, don't ruin my moment!" To me, this seems to connect to how Ena apologized to Moony for showing her self-hatred at the start of Auction Day. I really don't think Moony's a good friend; it's possible Ena didn't even want to go to the auction, or to meet the Great Runas. Even when she says she has to make her wish, she says "I have a bet to win", rather than implying that the wish itself is what's important to her. Anyway, when Ena turns grey, Moony's reaction is... non-existent. To the viewer, this is something completely new, but it's not hard to believe that Moony has witnessed this multiple times, noting that Drunk Ena prompted Moony to say "Are you drunk again?" Still, it's clear that something is very wrong, Ena is extremely upset and not even able to communicate, and Moony is just... mildly annoyed. This form seems to represent a full-on panic attack, but it's unclear why the frog kicking her breaks her out of it. Once the conversation with the frog starts, she seems to pretend the whole thing didn't happen, like in Extinction Party. It could be that she isn't even aware it happened, but I wouldn't think so, given that she doesn't comment on the frog saying "Finally, language I can spit at!" and seems to not be at all confused about how she got here.
*A dog... in an hourglass? An hourglass dog!*
Yes. Yes I do think the playstation startup sound hourglass dog is lore-relevant.
Upon introducing the item, the auctioneer is clearly confused about the hourglass dog, but as soon as they're done talking, Ena immediately says, "Brilliant, Moony! Your foresight's great. Today's offer is a big one!" with no hesitation. It feels like Ena somehow is familiar with this dog, which also could explain her confusion with Moony's statement. Perhaps she expects Moony to know about this dog, and what Moony said isn't what Ena expected for that reason. At the end of Auction Day, Ena... seemingly vomits, apologizes to Moony for vomiting after Moony declares that it's rude and she should ask before "doing that" (so maybe it's not vomiting???), then suddenly looks at a specific spot, clearly anticipating the dog that forms there... from the vomit... with the playstation startup sound...
YES I AM GOING TO TRY AND FIND LORE IN THIS. My biggest question is, could Ena have done this the whole time? Is this specific to the dog, or can she materialize other objects from her staticy vomit? Something weird does happen the only other time she starts to vomit, in Temptation Stairway (not the panic attack, the weird ocean image). Speaking of Temptation Stairway, now's the time to talk about Hourglass Meadow.
Okay, so. It's uh, it's in the Holy Code. This is the first time Ena jumps into the Holy Code, and we are greeted with both the hourglasses and the dogs, in great number. Notably, the dogs are all in the garden. Maybe they help the face flowers in some way? This is wild speculation, but maybe multiple dogs were brought to this place in hourglasses, brought out of those hourglasses to help with the gardening, and the hourglasses were just left lying about.
Anyway.
*What is a Blood ID?*
At the beginning of Extinction Party, Ena is told to "present a blood sample at once." In this video, we don't get any more context for how that's done. But in Temptation Stairway, we have the Blood ID, which I'm assuming is at least related to the blood sample mentioned in Extinction Party. As a sidenote, "it says you'll collect generous offerings for us" sounds like she's referring to an organization that the Great Runas leads in some way. I don't... really have anything to back that up, though. I don't think Shepherd just had a random Blood ID to give to Ena; I'm assuming that was _her_ Blood ID, and perhaps the "generous offerings" are the plants that are being grown in the greenhouse. But, how does a Blood ID "say" something?
Then Mariya gets involved. When given the Blood ID, she says "What the hell, this doesn't taste anything like you!" Which makes sense, as it's not actually related to Ena, and if my theory is correct is entirely associated with a different person. But... Mariya's able to tell that, by the... taste of the blood? How much about a person can the taste of their blood identify? This seems like some interesting worldbuilding, and I wonder if it might get expanded on further in some part of Dream BBQ. That said, I think I've said all I can about Blood IDs, so...
*Our Community*
Where DOES the majority of Extinction Party take place? The gatekeeper says "Your exterior isn't up to our community's typical standards. Present a blood sample at once!", which I think is safe to assume that a blood sample would let someone in either if they were "the right kind of person", or one of a whitelist of people, and I'd assume the former, as otherwise I don't see why Ena would be let in at all. Speaking of which, Ena is specifically here to see Moony (and tell her that she's a gift), so she's not here to take part in the usual activities of this place. Of the hidden "real" lines of Merci and Robert, and one from that weird rubik's cube entity, a few stand out to me. "Don't accept anything from people around here", "Can't you simpletons lend me some privacy?", "The things happening in these corridors are too shameful for words", and "My only hope is that you leave this place before being polluted by our sins." Additionally, Drunk Ena is specifically Drunk Ena, not Dizzy Ena or anything like that. My theory is that this is like a nightclub or something similar. "Don't accept anything from people around here" combined with Drunk Ena and the strange green fog leads me to believe that drugs and alcohol are both implied, while the rubik's cube asking for privacy and Robert asking Ena to leave before "being polluted by our sins", etc., lead me to believe that sexual acts are involved. Not gonna go more into that because this is youtube comments.
*Stain the water red.*
I was very surprised by how quickly you went past this part. You even said explicitly that Ena stains the water red, but I don't think that's what happens. A ripple comes from Volley's side of the water, and then it turns red; it seems very much like it's Volley doing it. Notably, Volley seems to be in anguish the entire time. What is her deal? What's even her motive for leading you here? Anyway, after that happens and Ena turns around, a strange figure can be seen in the distance thanks to the sandy fog clearing, probably something religion-related that I'm not aware of. The painting that you showed and stated was the inspiration for the eggs seems to be more closely matched once the water is stained red. Also, I'm definitely not the first to comment on how suspicious "stain the water red" is. It almost certainly means blood, especially given the subject matter.
*CHEESE AND RICE, MOONY!*
It's probably a known theory that Ena turning yellow relates to the bet. Moony has to pay Ena's debts, because Ena lost. This doesn't sit right with me, though, because how is Ena's blue side considered a "debt" in any way? Another theory is that Moony didn't actually wish to be thinner, and her wish somehow caused Ena's change. Wishing to better relate to Ena could make sense, as she takes on a similar form to Ena while Ena presumably loses the pessimism and self-hatred that Moony doesn't have. Or maybe it has nothing to do with the bet or the wish, and Ena's journey caused this change. That could mean several different things. What I'm saying is I don't actually have a conclusion here, I just felt like I had to talk about it anyway.
Well, seems like I wrote a whole essay. Wonder who's gonna even put in the time to read all of it.
i read it all! it was a wonderful essay! gave me lots of things to consider about how i see the episodes/pos
+, read it all. lovely:) /gen
I'm pretty sure that the "stain the water red" line has to do with Jesus turning the water into wine, but it could also be referencing when Moses turned water into blood, as both of these stories are from scripture I think that it's very likely that it had some influence as does many other kinds of religous things (the angel, turron dance, inferno, etc.). Also on the line "your exterior isn't up to our community's typical standards" could relate to her being a minor trying to enter a night club that is for adults only
@@skateboardingelephant8059 The minor thing makes a lot of sense... if Ena is a minor, which, probably? As for Jesus and Moses, if that's true it feels like it would imply Volley is somehow related to that as well. I still think it's definitely blood, but that might be confirmation bias.
Wow I read it all those are all great ideas:)
ENA feels like one of those dreams that make sense until you wake up and have a weird sense of nostalgia
Wow past me, you're so correct! Amazing comment bro
Why am I like this
LMAOOAOAO THIS REPLY SECTION JS SO FUNNY
This series is interesting, considering how biblical the last episode is and other clues I think ENA is a sinner. The first episode sees the auction with her and moony, at an auction an item can be valued at whatever the buyer with the deepest pockets wants. When ENA is disappointed by the item rocks fall and crush the buyers and she vomits out the dog. Even though the item was put away she got what she wanted, I think her sin is greed. When we see the next episode she purposefully mistranslates the people she meets up until she meets moony, I suspect the "apartments" are actually purgatory and she is being greeted by the people she has harmed. The last episode I believe is ENA learning to forgive herself, it is the longest and I don't think that's an accident. It is a journey of her giving up her guilt, and self loathing, and sin. The punishment being cast down to hell until she finally travels to heaven and washes her "depressed" side away. The debt moony is speaking of I believe is the sin she committed. And when asked what moony wished for it was selfish and so moony starts her transformation into a new ENA. So the one we know gets disappointed in her friend for having sinned too. At least that's my interpretation, I think it fits the biblical imagery we see later on pretty well but there's more I could point out but my thumbs hurt now.
i thank your thumbs
"Moony's embarrassed, Ena is disappointed, and I am confused" ah yes, a good summary of the series.
one of the more unique wildcard videos
Haha interesting way of putting it
Basically the lore of ena:
Amazing right?
fr
wow you got the lore down to the tea your so smart you should work for NASA
So wonderful! Bro is literally 100 times smarter than Einstein!
Yea
I did not know smartest man alive was here
ENA's wish was to DIE. But the Great Runas denied her wish and gave her eternal happiness instead.
That’s dark
Another comment said that her blue side was the one that wished death, bc it's also been the most suicidal one. So her wish was granted, not by entirely killing Ena, but by killing only her blue side instead. That's a theory
@@jehimyvasquez1079 a GAME theory...!
You missed the detail of the merchant greeting ENA as his "Godmother", and it being established that Merci is the Merchant's mom
This implies that Merci and ENA are actually really close friends, and that families exist in this world
The thing is that the song for the area with the doors is called Dead God Graveyard, almost as if The Great Runas (Great Run-As Program) is the only god left in their universe and all the other doors, save for Runas, have the eyes closed as in death and Runas' door has tears as to symbolize Runas' mourning for his brethren.
I finally understand why my ENA lore video published last Friday randomly spiked in the middle of the night. Heck, I see it near the top of the sidebar recommendations right now! Thank you, fellow ENA lore enthusiast. I couldn't've made it to 1k views in under a week without you. Sincerely, a now-less-confused American.
I interpret the ENA series as taking place in a far-future digitized world, where AIs or uploaded minds have been living so long that while it does have some elements from our world in it, most of it has evolved to a near-unrecognizable state. But although physics are abstract, not everything is free for a digitized mind - server resources have a price and in the poorer "regions" of the world the surroundings and avatars tend to be glitchy or poorly rendered. ENA takes place in such a region, hence the characters' talk of "escape".
The "mannequins" are intelligences that are nearly broke and barely have enough server space to run their own thoughts - they look the same because they use a "default" model, since that's all they can afford. There are multiple "instances" of ENA and other entities because digital minds can make copies of themselves and later "branch" into different individuals, though each instance consumes resources so they can't do so to an unlimited degree.
Anyway that's just my take on it.
Community standards means anti-virus for the windows
LMAO
If you go on this journey it’s bc you want something. You want something bc you feel something is missing from your past experiences. But to get your greatest desire you have to stop seeking it directly. ‘A watched pot never boils’ kind of deal mixed with a ‘the journeys worth more than the destination’ kinda thing. Mooney got there faster, but probably didn’t truly get what she wanted all along, so she pointed out one dumb thing that annoyed her & asked it to go away (fatness), knows in the back of her mind that she didn’t really want this, hence she’s embarrassed, but was so one-minded & forgot her past that she’ll never get that true desire.
I’m not sure how all the religious imagery coalesces, but that’s the general idea I got from your video.
When Ena "stains the water red" (which is already suspicious considering she earlier got a "blood ID"), the music starts saying frantically and desperately, "Please stop!" and right before she enters the pyramid, the music says something like "Please stop! Take your meds today!" This would also coincide with Ena "hearing voices in her head," if Ena was being taken care of, considering they also tell her to "eat her vegetables," and why Moony dismisses this out-of-hand. This all coincides with my theory that Ena is extremely mentally ill and that's why her interpretations of the world around her are so weird and untrue. Also, this coincides with Moony's name, since perhaps Ena calls her that because, to Ena, she looks like a moon, and everyone else just rolls with it. This would also make sense because the two people that she refers to "Moony" as "Moony" already know Ena, and recognize "Moony" by that name. Additionally, they don't actually tell her where to find Moony, but Ena incorrectly interprets what they're saying.
I also think that, during Extinction party, Ena found Moony... in a drug house. I believe this because the characters are very confused as to what Ena was doing there, and one of the characters says "the things happening in these corridors are too shameful for words," and states that they hope Ena gets out "without being corrupted by [their] sins." This implies that the character is there, sinning, though they don't wish to be. This seems like a drug addiction to me! Addtionally, they warn her not to take anything from anyone. Earlier on in the house, Ena encounters someone who is mad at them and asks them for some "privacy." Yeahhhh, I don't think I need to explain what this likely means. Since Moony asks Ena if they're drunk, it makes me wonder if they had been coerced somehow into taking some drugs, since Robbit mentions walking through the "horrifyingly dizzy path" behind him in Ena's interpretation of what they're saying. This, finally, brings me to Ena's encounter with Moony. The last leg of the journey to get there seems almost... psychedelic? This could be implying that Ena had taken some drugs, and would explain why things seem to make less and less sense in Temptation Stairway, along with what was mentioned earlier about her possibly not taking her meds. I think that Moony talked to Ena normally(...ish) and didn't warn her about anything because Mooney knows about Ena's mental illness, and just wanted to get her out of there. Moony's way of speaking kind of reminds me of how many would talk to someone who's mentally ill and doesn't perceive the world correctly, and Moony's presence in the drug house would explain their nonsensical statements, even for Ena. Additionally, Moony's room had the same entities around that the guy asking for privacy did, implying that Moony also has the same... struggles.
As for Temptation Stairway? Yeah, my theory is that Ena was possibly on drugs _and_ didn't take her meds, possibly mistaking drugs she had recieved from the drug house for her meds. I can't make heads nor tails of that episode, except for what was mentioned before. I'm assuming that the lore of each episode kinda goes like this:
Auction Day - Welcome to this bizarre world!
Extinction Party - So Ena's severely Mentally ill and Moony has... issues.
Temptation Stairway - This isn't a normal world at all haha fooled you have fun trying to distinguish what Ena misinterprets from things that actually just don't make sense or are actually lore!
Well, hope y'all enjoyed my rant, though I know that no one will probably read it since I'm seven months late, lol. I might update this later if I figure anything else out.
Edit: Added some things, adapted some wording, removed a minor factually incorrect statement.
Make a video to get your points more across I would love to hear more in depth and with examples who knows you might get big
@@angelromanflores2709 Haha, thank you! Unfortunately, I don't currently have the time nor the expertise to do so, but if I did, I would! Thank you so much for your support!
Ive seen this character before, but never the show. Im exited to see what its all about.
Keep the content coming :)
Ok i'm going to be completely honest. I follow this guy who makes countryballs pixil art, and I saw he made a pixil art of this character once (it was really good) and because I didn't know what it was I thought he had made Ukraine but as a human, never the less great explanation!
Lmao
that, certainly one way to find new media
@@defaultprofilepictureguy2526 I suppose it is- HOW DID THIS GET SO MANY LIKES WTF????
@@budcat64xd88 Indeed.
Thank you so much for covering the lore of this series, becuase I completely missed all of what the show was presenting and had no idea the show was so deep. Tbh I though it was just suposed to be a little fun but weird randomness. Now I feel like I have more of an appreciation for the show so, again, thank you :>
“And I, am very confused” is the most perfect ending to a video covering the lore of this series.
There's a theory that Moonie wished for Ena's blue side to go away (since we don't see Ena speaking to the great Runas, and Moonie says something about seeing him "in person") and that the thinner body was actually some kind of penance for the wish.
This would mean Moonie wished for her friend to be happy AND agreed to pay off her debts.
19:30 "ENA is dissapointed, and I am confused" so as all of use when watching ENA
Joel G and the team confirmed on this year's Ena Day livestream that Ena's name is acrually pronounced however you want :D Was pretty interesting to find out that each person in the team says her name differently
Hopefully we’ll get more answers(and questions) about ENA’s world when Dream BBQ IS eventually released.
I just found out about this series and I wish I did sooner. It looks so interesting.
Btw, I've seen a lot of comments saying that Moonie resembles Ena after the wish and it was so Ena coud be happy or something. But I want to point out that Moonie also has another face before the wish. It just so happens that, like the real moon, Moonie has another side nobody has ever seen.
By wishin to bee thiner, Great Runas transformned her into an Ena, a being wich is thiner, but is unable to hide its insecurities.
Ena lore:
Ena has a friend, Ena's bipolar and the rest is nonsense
very simple 10/10
Also The Great Runas Exists And There's A Omnipresent Doggo.
My Theorie is that ENA is the base human model of this world. Our ENA is on the crisp of becoming a unique creature (like the Shepard, who has a very similar appearens of ENA). This would explain why ENAs friend MOONY pronounces ENAs name weirdly. She wants to help ENA to become her own beeing (which seems to include becoming a unique name, like the Shepard). We see the world through the eyes of our ENA. This would explain why the manniquins do not look like our ENA. They are completly basic, our ENA sees herself apart from them, sees them as lesser (manniquins).
Power of potluck must be strangely cathartic for you, it might confirm your beliefs a tad?
8:20 honestly i hadn't even registered what she said there properly, i've watched temptation stairway more than once and my brain always registered this as the loser paying the winner's debts
Another fantastic video essay / documentary of a fairly old idea from only partly well known UA-cam channels.
as I person who never watched any of this but watched the explanation anyways. it is very well done. Now I want to watch it.
This almost seems like one giant metaphor for the afterlife.
Some sort of limbo where every mannequin is a soul trying to ascend out of their position but in order to do so much forget their life as you say "forget their past" which is a often spoken criteria for ascension. The biblical symbolism seems to support this. Even the angel that blocks the gates to heaven. The door from limbo onward.
18:20 the song that plays here is titled “dead god graveyard” which implies that there are countless more runas, and that is where they die
9:28 this is one of those "video gamey" moments that I really like in the series. Like you could imagine how Ena wouldnt have been able to do the turron dance just a little later if she was still freaking out. So talking to this frog is a step you'd have to take to do that, to be kicked out of that state. And of course without the turron wouldnt get the blood pack, and would have to later just *guess* at the right cat door.
18:21 could she be excited to see moony because the previous sections she went through reminded her of her past?
the fact that you even attempted to make lore out of season 1 is a tremendous feat all on its own
I fully believe that ENA turned yellow because moony wished for he happiness. The new body was a punishment and she covered up her wish using it
Ebic video Boi BOI! For real. I'm not gonna pretend i understand Ena's world building and lore. It's abstract and i bet a lot of interpretations can be made.
4:11 if someone else hasn't pointed it out already, ENA is wearing a peruvian school uniform, so they might be saying it is inappropriate for a teen to go to that place (and be drunk)
Ena is definently representative of bipolar disorder, switching between manic and depressive mood swings (like her personalities are literally Mania and Depression like it’s very obvious to me as a person with that$
whenever moony (idk how to spell it) does what i call her Fancy Laugh, ena questions how weird it was (“Wait…no no no…that was incredibly weird. What is wrong with you?” & the scene where ena is drunk)
Wow, i was was wondering the ENA lore since i cant understand things well. Thanks for making the theory!!
Ending this with “and I am very confused” sums it up pretty well
0:57 YOU WANT TO [hyperlink blocked] ENA, DON'T YOU?
Just a heads up, ENA can be pronounced however you want. There is no 'canon' way to say it. (During the ENA Day 2023 live stream, Joel said that there is no incorrect way to pronounce ENA's name)
Yeah thats what i was thinking, the idea that theres no definite way to pronounce it just makes sense for a character like her
time to pronounce it ay-nah
That's very interesting, I wonder if that gives a new meaning to Moony always calling her a different name. Instead of making fun of Ena, she's respectfully changing up the way she pronounces her name in the same way one might do with someone who uses multiple different pronoun sets. Just with her name instead of her pronouns.
@@Unnamed86I say eh-na
@@pastelpinksparrow9436 or you could say it ee-nay
One thing I find interesting is ENA's depressing side is more jagged, rough and angular as opposed to the more soft, smooth and rounder happier side.
the theory on ena's wish may hold water upon seeing the new episode
I 100% agree. O.O
I haven't watched alot of the video yet but when her blue side beaks out and says "theres voices in my head and there telling me to eat my veggies"and she quickly goes back to being happy, i could relate it probably means she gone through hard stuff like emotional abuse or something but this is just a guess and i haven't watched much of the video
0:54 just as i was watching this video, the recommended video was auction day
Lol
10:02 Im from a country that speaks Spanish, this character doesn’t have a secret dialogue, it just says what it’s on the subtitles.
I didn’t know this web series existed until I watched your video.
I have unlocked a new part of my brain, thank you
You forgot Diablada Ena's Smooth face looks like Salepersons Face in Dream BBQ At 7:08 And It’s Gray, Like The Mannequins
The way I see it is Moony paid off ENA's debt which was being split in half and making her whole again by making both sides yellow
really makes me wonder what made ENA be split into two
idk if this makes sense, but that eye at 17:37 seems like an eye of ender from minecraft, it floats and guides Ena to a sort of a portal with other eyes (end portal!). Infact, after stained the water red it's like she "entered the portal" and went towards the final part of her journey. I like to think it could be a logical thinking, even tho there should have been also a "final fight" according to my theory.... maybe it happened inside herself, fighting her sinful part? (when she becomes yellow)
I’ve never heard of this before but you explained it very well!
I think the "once in a lifetime" reference is a reference to the fact that getting a wish is a once in a lifetime opportunity
I mostly believe ena is in a game , but not a normal game , a game of their mind of the wacky weird undiscovered personality’s trying to figure out what is past the door of the future and what their TRUE personality is .
The frog at 9:26 might be kicking everyone else back to give space to Ena.
Also for the once in a lifetime reference
It’s probably to showcase how this grand event is a once in a lifetime event
i like to think that theres no lore outside of what we are shown. not because i think the show is shallow in any way, but because its that type of series honestly. it seems very slice of life, and i find it difficult to find any lore outside of what we are shown.
i *could* speculate what the great runas really is, or i could just follow what moony and ena say about them, they can grant a wish.
ENA's face at the very end is basically mine during this entire video
interesting to see that you didn't bring up ena's voices being mixed up in temptation stairway
The ulysseys scene also takes place in the hall of tortured souls, an easter egg from microsoft excel 1995
13:40 what i find intresting is how close the tank looks to the tanks in one of the games in "temple os"
Cheese and rice this is great :0
It’s really a blast from the past, I remember loving this series but then I kinda forgot about it :(
my friend said that they thought moonys real wish was for ena to be happy i will believe it forever even if its wrong
I have watched every video in the ENA series, Some multiple times, And honestly all I know about the series is that ENA is totes goals and I would love to dress up as ENA for halloween some time.
Her face also reminds me of that one toy company that used to make interactive story games for pc in the early 2000's.
I have a theory that ENA'S true name is ANNE ENA backward's is ANE and if you
strech that ANNE possibly ENA was the happy side trying to move on from the event.
Hair holds memory'ss is a theory I also like- the sad half of ena
has long hair the other side is cut short I think it's the postive side trying to move
on from an "event" but the sad side keeping the memorys.
this is a really cool theory
I'm sad you didn't include the "cheese and rice, moonie" line xD
This is good, though! There's a lot I missed despite watching a fair number of times.
Not much really to be said about it, though. It's an exclamation of shock. "Cheese and rice" sounds like "Jesus Christ". That's pretty much as deep as that goes.
3:25
I’m not too far into the video, so I’m not sure if this is mentioned, but Joel G said he had “super paper mario” on the brain while making ENA. It’s possible she’s inspired by Dimentio or the Cragnons as well, as they share the characteristic of the half-colored faces. It’s most likely she’s inspired by Dimentio, because her face shape (where the yellow splits from the blue) is exactly how Dimentio’s is split. Dimentio is also more popular, making him more likely to be the inspiration.
I love this fact, because Super Paper Mario is one of my favorite games! When I first watched ENA, I thought her and Dimentio looked similar. (I’ve also seen some funny art and people head canoning that Dimentio and ENA are long-lost cousins or something of the sort, haha!)
May be silly, but I think in reference to the latest ep, ENA got to be happy, but never saw the Great Runas. Just like Ulysses said, dreams are never fully fulfilled or quenched.
Oh yeah btw Merci is speaking Korean, and when I watched Extinction party in the first time, I understood what she said.
The Gatekeeper's head I remember is in a part of the album cover of that MACINTOSH PLUS vaporwave
6:34 It’s more likely that ENA seems to be under some psychotic effect after walking through this strange path, and so appears extremely intoxicated for a temporary amount of time.
Great analysis 👍
This series (especially the second episode) reminds me of the memer man series. It had the *SUCC* guy, orang, and more weird figures and out of world scenarios.
5:30 in the most recent ENA day joel actually confirmed that there is no correct pronunciation! Anything works.
unrelated but I love your Will Wood pfp!!
Pretty good video!
My wildly speculative headfanon construction I like to view the series through is that the world of ENA is basically the product of running an indie game developer's computer through a blender, then imbuing the resulting information slurry with life. Everything inside the device was scrambled and recontextualized into the shape of a fully encapsulated world, from the BIOS of the computer's deepest logic structures to the half completed projects saved in the user's development software.
ENA is what came of the player character of such a project. An entire species of questing, world-affirming individuals, whom will flit about exploring the place, connecting with other beings, perhaps coming to serve a certain role in the local community. There's more than one ENA because to the world of a game that a player enters, there's a nigh infinite series of alternate timelines, each containing one playthrough of the game, meaning that if you lined all those playthroughs up as valid information, the various NPCs and settings of the world would see dozens, hundreds or more of these players blazing through the area, doing relatively similar things, then moving on to places the residents of a level probably couldn't even imagine. In the confusion of the great data-scrambling event that formed this universe as it now exists, all this playthrough data was reinterpreted to form a group of individuals at the same time rather than one individual over a multitude of times.
The face thing with the mannequins could show that the creators are showing how people can't see faces but do see portraits of faces that don't have specific designs that a real face has. Also the person with the hole in the face could back up what I'm saying. But again it could show nothing, and the whole thing is for fun.