When I describe why I’m so fond of Jenny Nicholson, my argument almost always ends in Vampire Diaries. I don’t care about Vampire Diaries; I have no plans to watch Vampire Diaries. But when Jenny Nicholson talks about Vampire Diaries for 2.5 hours, I am enthralled. Her affection leaps off the screen thanks to the intricacy of her expertise. Nobody scrutinizes and yarn-boards and researches a show with that level of fervor if they don’t love it. Another creator, Jeffiot, recently did a massive tier list of SAW traps. His dwindling charity toward the low budget horror franchise takes only a few movies to perceive. He stops hiding it by movie five.
In both cases, I watched their corresponding videos fully aware that I would never watch the media that inspired them. My only engagement with Vampire Diaries will be Jenny Nicholson’s narration; Jeffiot’s eyes watched SAW so I don’t have to. It’s almost a relief: because they spoil everything, I’m never tempted to watch. Why bother? I know what happens, I know what to watch for, and I know all the primary whys that would otherwise string me along like Pavlov’s pooch. I don’t need to watch what has thoroughly been dissected already.
That’s how I approached your piece. I read it like every person reading my dissection of Wicker Park: with no intention to watch it. I had no idea what Alien Stage was, what platform it played on, how long each installment runs, even what language it played in. I would read, find a few details to chew on, champion an incredible line like “This song's like coffee to my nose. Bitter, aromatic, and caffeinating.” and then watch some video essay on YouTube chasing the same high another person’s exhilaration and analysis offers me a hit on.
But unlike those videos I mentioned, yours wasn’t a hmm and scram; it was like listening to my favorite critics endorse a movie they eventually give an A-. There was so much there that intrigued me from the thematic implications to the world building to why you were capitalizing the showrunner(?)’s name that way. The construction of a tournament like Masked Singer that runs not as mindless entertainment but a musical, emotional reality TV clash staged for sadistic aliens who almost literally crave our tears? That’s fascinating! Your description of the art and the efficiency of its storycraft intrigued me. I clicked on a link, which is one click more than Jenny Nicholson or Jeffiot got from me.
And I watched Round 1. I knew everything that was going to happen. I didn’t need any world-building to understand the stakes. I saw darkness through the beautiful song and idyllic setting the opened it. I knew the blood would splash eventually.
I teared up before the violence. I gasped when red streaked her face. I felt this knot of bitter,
dread when she crumpled to the stage, and it twisted into anger when I saw the laughing monsters in the crowd. The video was four minutes; at some points it’s barely animated. Yet that was incredible, tense, economical storytelling. Your guide certainly helped, but it included the exact details it needed to tell what I might argue is a chillingly complete story touching all of the themes you highlighted. When her collar locks, with the benign innocuous click, my heart sunk even lower as I felt her futility. It was no different than collaring a dog.
I plan to watch the other rounds later. I’m letting this one sink in for the moment.
Bravo on convincing me to actually check out an object of second-hand affection. Rare are the voices capable of getting that out of me.
Words cannot express how delighted I am. I've seen a few of Nicholson's videos and have a similar attitude to video essayists so I understand where you're coming from, and I can see how both the intense deconstruction or analysis of some plot or character or trope a YouTuber likes has that draw of either the scent of knowledgeability and new connections from someone who's spent a plain lot more time on a piece of media, or the desire to know that media inside & out without the cost of direct investment. It's truly an honor to hear that my writing, inspired by those very video essayists' styles (on my side I'm subscribed to Super Eyepatch Wolf and Daryl Talks Games), had that review effect and could persuade you to give Alien Stage a try.
You're in for a real ride with this series. I hope you enjoy it, even through the thematic pains haha... Round 6 got quite popular for a specific reason, you'll find out in time.
Writing about animation has always been tense for me. Animation has always inspired me throughout my life, and even now it's something I enjoy watching but was always looked down on as being for younger people. I started this piece on the hype of binging the series when I should have been studying for finals (haha), but halfway through I worried a lot about capturing the specific mania that comes from becoming enraptured in the story the style can tell, especially since (unfortunately) so many (example: the Oscars) see animation as a childish medium when it's really another form of expression, a tool anyone can use as they like. I fretted over how I should go about it for an unreasonably long time... I was stuck on if I should go through all the characters, since I know most of what draws people to stories are the characters, but the MUSIC and other underlying themes are some of the most grounded I've found to date. It felt wrong not to give those aspects equal if not more effort/time than the characters, since the nonmaterial Kpop idol culture is prevalent in our world and far more widespread in its impact, but I adore the succinct and, like you said, rather complete scripting as well! So that was my main concern as I drilled everything out to the end.
I watched VIVINOS's earlier videos before she released Alien Stage so I was familiar with her flair, and it was interesting to see how the newer Western audience reacted to her work; it's mainly those already into anime and Eastern fandoms like the Korean manhwa/Webtoon bases that give this story a chance. I enjoy Anime YouTube's reviews, but I don't think that all animation should be constrained by perceptions of anime. A lot of talented, smaller animators deserve the same chance to have their storytelling craft taken seriously.
I’ve watched a few more rounds, and I continue to be impressed, although Round 1 is in its own world. It does everything in four minutes.
This idea is utterly brilliant. I was thinking about it and VIVINOS has mashed Sing and the Hunger Games. There’s a beauty in the succinctness, yes, but this could be incredible on a wider canvas. The music lends such intimacy and lets the story be told through flashback music videos with the competition driving the story forward. I hope she finishes the series how she wants and then sells the concept for enough money to never have to work on any project for anyone ever again.
Johnny2Cellos did a massive exploration of all the animated features nominated in the award’s history, as it’s not that old of a category. The animated short category does not show the same bias historically toward Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks, and friends that the feature category has. But I will note that several woeful exclusions in this category (such as Your Name, which I could never understand missing a nomination) are often less to do with film quality or perception than poor American distribution (Your Name’s, for instance, sucked) and a lack of campaigning. With The Boy and the Heron winning this year, I think a shift may be happening, but if international studios want Oscar attention, they have to invest financially and logistically. (That’s the joke of the supposed “Oscars Boost” films get from a nomination—it’s costly, in most cases, to secure a nomination!)
I wish the Oscars was just the “best” of film, but 1) that’s impossible because “best” is subjective, and 2) there will always be a financial component because exposure has a cost when humans don’t have infinite time. I can’t blame the Oscars for omitting great art because of a company’s (or country’s, in the case of the International Feature) decision. The voting body has become more international, which has already helped shift several races in directions I would deem as better, but I would caution against attributing to malice or ignorance what may just be financial. I would love an expansion of the category to 8-10 films rather than just five. Johnny suggested as much, and he’s totally right.
Is there a Round 4, by the way? I’m afraid to go out of order so I stopped after three.
There's no Round 4. The order technically goes from Round 3 to Round 5, then TOP 3, ALL-IN, and Round 6, though TOP 3 is really more of an in-universe worldbuilding hype ad than adding substantial plot so it's skippable.
As for the Oscars, I don't watch them enough to have an opinion, but I'll take your word for it. I guess it's pretty hard to market overseas as well, so that's another informal cap to entry in terms of resources. Only in the recent two years have I seen Japanese and other nonWestern anime movies hit Target and Walmart, so I wonder if it was an expansion or contract or what that caused such a change.
Thank you! I’ll keep watching in that order. Gotta say: the sterile endings with the brackets are SO effective. It looks like a video game, where life doesn’t matter
Yeah, I think you’re right—I think they’re playing things differently already. Boy and the Heron was, of memory serves, #1 at the US box office for multiple weeks, which points out what I would have thought was obvious: American audiences want to watch this stuff! There’s a huge appetite for good, original animation. I look forward to the day when buying Your Name on Blu Ray isn’t $59 (and then a former friend borrows it and it never comes back 😭)
When I describe why I’m so fond of Jenny Nicholson, my argument almost always ends in Vampire Diaries. I don’t care about Vampire Diaries; I have no plans to watch Vampire Diaries. But when Jenny Nicholson talks about Vampire Diaries for 2.5 hours, I am enthralled. Her affection leaps off the screen thanks to the intricacy of her expertise. Nobody scrutinizes and yarn-boards and researches a show with that level of fervor if they don’t love it. Another creator, Jeffiot, recently did a massive tier list of SAW traps. His dwindling charity toward the low budget horror franchise takes only a few movies to perceive. He stops hiding it by movie five.
In both cases, I watched their corresponding videos fully aware that I would never watch the media that inspired them. My only engagement with Vampire Diaries will be Jenny Nicholson’s narration; Jeffiot’s eyes watched SAW so I don’t have to. It’s almost a relief: because they spoil everything, I’m never tempted to watch. Why bother? I know what happens, I know what to watch for, and I know all the primary whys that would otherwise string me along like Pavlov’s pooch. I don’t need to watch what has thoroughly been dissected already.
That’s how I approached your piece. I read it like every person reading my dissection of Wicker Park: with no intention to watch it. I had no idea what Alien Stage was, what platform it played on, how long each installment runs, even what language it played in. I would read, find a few details to chew on, champion an incredible line like “This song's like coffee to my nose. Bitter, aromatic, and caffeinating.” and then watch some video essay on YouTube chasing the same high another person’s exhilaration and analysis offers me a hit on.
But unlike those videos I mentioned, yours wasn’t a hmm and scram; it was like listening to my favorite critics endorse a movie they eventually give an A-. There was so much there that intrigued me from the thematic implications to the world building to why you were capitalizing the showrunner(?)’s name that way. The construction of a tournament like Masked Singer that runs not as mindless entertainment but a musical, emotional reality TV clash staged for sadistic aliens who almost literally crave our tears? That’s fascinating! Your description of the art and the efficiency of its storycraft intrigued me. I clicked on a link, which is one click more than Jenny Nicholson or Jeffiot got from me.
And I watched Round 1. I knew everything that was going to happen. I didn’t need any world-building to understand the stakes. I saw darkness through the beautiful song and idyllic setting the opened it. I knew the blood would splash eventually.
I teared up before the violence. I gasped when red streaked her face. I felt this knot of bitter,
dread when she crumpled to the stage, and it twisted into anger when I saw the laughing monsters in the crowd. The video was four minutes; at some points it’s barely animated. Yet that was incredible, tense, economical storytelling. Your guide certainly helped, but it included the exact details it needed to tell what I might argue is a chillingly complete story touching all of the themes you highlighted. When her collar locks, with the benign innocuous click, my heart sunk even lower as I felt her futility. It was no different than collaring a dog.
I plan to watch the other rounds later. I’m letting this one sink in for the moment.
Bravo on convincing me to actually check out an object of second-hand affection. Rare are the voices capable of getting that out of me.
Words cannot express how delighted I am. I've seen a few of Nicholson's videos and have a similar attitude to video essayists so I understand where you're coming from, and I can see how both the intense deconstruction or analysis of some plot or character or trope a YouTuber likes has that draw of either the scent of knowledgeability and new connections from someone who's spent a plain lot more time on a piece of media, or the desire to know that media inside & out without the cost of direct investment. It's truly an honor to hear that my writing, inspired by those very video essayists' styles (on my side I'm subscribed to Super Eyepatch Wolf and Daryl Talks Games), had that review effect and could persuade you to give Alien Stage a try.
You're in for a real ride with this series. I hope you enjoy it, even through the thematic pains haha... Round 6 got quite popular for a specific reason, you'll find out in time.
Writing about animation has always been tense for me. Animation has always inspired me throughout my life, and even now it's something I enjoy watching but was always looked down on as being for younger people. I started this piece on the hype of binging the series when I should have been studying for finals (haha), but halfway through I worried a lot about capturing the specific mania that comes from becoming enraptured in the story the style can tell, especially since (unfortunately) so many (example: the Oscars) see animation as a childish medium when it's really another form of expression, a tool anyone can use as they like. I fretted over how I should go about it for an unreasonably long time... I was stuck on if I should go through all the characters, since I know most of what draws people to stories are the characters, but the MUSIC and other underlying themes are some of the most grounded I've found to date. It felt wrong not to give those aspects equal if not more effort/time than the characters, since the nonmaterial Kpop idol culture is prevalent in our world and far more widespread in its impact, but I adore the succinct and, like you said, rather complete scripting as well! So that was my main concern as I drilled everything out to the end.
I watched VIVINOS's earlier videos before she released Alien Stage so I was familiar with her flair, and it was interesting to see how the newer Western audience reacted to her work; it's mainly those already into anime and Eastern fandoms like the Korean manhwa/Webtoon bases that give this story a chance. I enjoy Anime YouTube's reviews, but I don't think that all animation should be constrained by perceptions of anime. A lot of talented, smaller animators deserve the same chance to have their storytelling craft taken seriously.
Thank you for your thoughts.
I’ve watched a few more rounds, and I continue to be impressed, although Round 1 is in its own world. It does everything in four minutes.
This idea is utterly brilliant. I was thinking about it and VIVINOS has mashed Sing and the Hunger Games. There’s a beauty in the succinctness, yes, but this could be incredible on a wider canvas. The music lends such intimacy and lets the story be told through flashback music videos with the competition driving the story forward. I hope she finishes the series how she wants and then sells the concept for enough money to never have to work on any project for anyone ever again.
Johnny2Cellos did a massive exploration of all the animated features nominated in the award’s history, as it’s not that old of a category. The animated short category does not show the same bias historically toward Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks, and friends that the feature category has. But I will note that several woeful exclusions in this category (such as Your Name, which I could never understand missing a nomination) are often less to do with film quality or perception than poor American distribution (Your Name’s, for instance, sucked) and a lack of campaigning. With The Boy and the Heron winning this year, I think a shift may be happening, but if international studios want Oscar attention, they have to invest financially and logistically. (That’s the joke of the supposed “Oscars Boost” films get from a nomination—it’s costly, in most cases, to secure a nomination!)
I wish the Oscars was just the “best” of film, but 1) that’s impossible because “best” is subjective, and 2) there will always be a financial component because exposure has a cost when humans don’t have infinite time. I can’t blame the Oscars for omitting great art because of a company’s (or country’s, in the case of the International Feature) decision. The voting body has become more international, which has already helped shift several races in directions I would deem as better, but I would caution against attributing to malice or ignorance what may just be financial. I would love an expansion of the category to 8-10 films rather than just five. Johnny suggested as much, and he’s totally right.
Is there a Round 4, by the way? I’m afraid to go out of order so I stopped after three.
There's no Round 4. The order technically goes from Round 3 to Round 5, then TOP 3, ALL-IN, and Round 6, though TOP 3 is really more of an in-universe worldbuilding hype ad than adding substantial plot so it's skippable.
As for the Oscars, I don't watch them enough to have an opinion, but I'll take your word for it. I guess it's pretty hard to market overseas as well, so that's another informal cap to entry in terms of resources. Only in the recent two years have I seen Japanese and other nonWestern anime movies hit Target and Walmart, so I wonder if it was an expansion or contract or what that caused such a change.
Thank you! I’ll keep watching in that order. Gotta say: the sterile endings with the brackets are SO effective. It looks like a video game, where life doesn’t matter
Yeah, I think you’re right—I think they’re playing things differently already. Boy and the Heron was, of memory serves, #1 at the US box office for multiple weeks, which points out what I would have thought was obvious: American audiences want to watch this stuff! There’s a huge appetite for good, original animation. I look forward to the day when buying Your Name on Blu Ray isn’t $59 (and then a former friend borrows it and it never comes back 😭)