Filmmaker Reacts: Honkai Impact 3rd - Graduation Trip

[@PhilipHarts]

What is the lore behind this Honkai Impact 3rd video, and was I right? Follow my Twitter: Twitter.com/philipharts MY NEW FILM REVEAL TRAILER IS HERE: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pIK9m6euj5qmgpo

[@elainasynranelt]

What is the lore? The whole ass 35 chapter story plus the manga and LNs is the lore. the whole thing. all of it.

[@w3t_wlpes]

@@elainasynranelt And the fact that some parts aren’t exactly clear, you need to use inferences and assumptions. I absolutely died these last few chapters. Massive world building and info dumps, but now we’ve reached “the end”, I can’t help but want to delay the inevitable.

[@elainasynranelt]

@@w3t_wlpes Hopefully Part 1.5 “Dancing Life and Death” lives up to part 1’s legacy. Seele has some very large shoes to fill.

[@cmdrwilkens]

I think its been mentioned but yeah this is the culmination of Honkai's 1st Arc this is the "Graduation" for Kiana who has been the main character for the first 35 story chapters. You can see with all the little cut sections through the first half references to all of the previous story videos (in story chronological order that would be "Reburn", "Will of the Herrscher", "Final Lesson", "Meteoric Salvation" "Lament of the Fallen" "Shattered Samsara" "Everlasting Flames" "Thus Spoke Apocalypse" and then "Because of You"). So ultimately this is the culmination of all of those stories and just a farewell to a character we've spent 5 years growing to love.

[@Deeplight32]

I have compiled a playlist of the cinematics and explanation videos in chronological order the devs released. I would LOVE to see you react to the playlist kzbin.info/aero/PL3mYfhC4jQAn-cnk8-01utFPN4ss7G7pQ

[@Frozen_Soularis]

Kiana Kaslana a staple character of Mihoyo. Her first apperance in Fly Me 2the Moon, to Guns Girl Z, Honkai Impact 3rd, and so on. Her story always ends with the moon in some way. Watching her various struggles and triumphs makes her feel like a daughter to us. We will laugh, cheer, and cry with her.

[@MBrandr]

The references to Evangelion is also all over the place with Mihoyo. Fly me to the moon. Mysterious lifeforms/disasters that seems determined to wipe out humanity. Giant women heralding the end of the world. Honkai “Impact”. Pachelbel’s Canon being used as a major theme song at the “final” arc of the story. It’s no wonder Dawei described the Honkai/Evangelion crossover as “fanboying with company funds”.

[@rizqizen4528]

The trio founder of hoyo are eva hardcore fans

[@whitedragon6080]

If they added Kiana to genshen and honkai star rail we would be over joyed

[@qaztim11]

@@whitedragon6080 They will do it(Herscher of the void look alike is already in the game and the Honkai and Genshin universes are explicitly connected), sooner or later they will do it, and it will be glorious. and i will probably cry

[@ryanmatthew609]

​@@whitedragon6080i would gamble my money away for her any day

[@sako2239]

"He reminds of Ayato In genshin" Am so surprise how my man managed to connect some dots as they both (Otto and Ayato) Have the same VA's. also o7 to our beloved Kiana.

[@DragN_H3art]

I can't take Ayato seriously because it always feels like Otto cosplaying

[@sako2239]

@@DragN_H3art lmao

[@s.v3903]

Which VA?

[@sako2239]

@@s.v3903 Otto's or the Japanese VA.

[@miguelbarcenas9795]

This is a farewell to a character that we come to love over the past 5 years of the game. I would encourage you to watch the rest of the animations. Specially Final Lesson and Lament of the Fallen. Those are great.

[@cryptnymph]

oh god i can't wait to see him react to those ones

[@elysainempire4628]

It's not even a farewell she only temporarily gone for 5 to 10yrs in game. Heck she should be returning in either apho 3 or part 2

[@wxwzrz]

​@Elysain Empire we're not sure about that, but this is a very special moment, we can't downplay that

[@seulbilee1025]

She's been in Mihoyo for 12 years, Starting from Fly me 2 the Moon

[@seraph1690]

​@@seulbilee1025 lol u beat me... Mihoyo story started with Kiana, back with that game, flyme2themoon... Kiana finally reached the moon...

[@elainasynranelt]

The last scene is an inverse reference to this point in the story, continuing the ever prevalent concept of Samsara Cycles. In that scene, Kiana is traveling towards the Earth carrying the burden of her fate and Finality, while older kiana is traveling towards the moon unburdened.

[@joaocarlosii2188]

...im waiting to this day to the knights being playable 😢 I WANT SIEGFRIED AND KEVIN... OTTO TOO!!! AND KALPAS ALSOOOOO 😢

[@elainasynranelt]

@@joaocarlosii2188 CN players don’t want that so it’ll sadly never happen. Remember last time the CN players were pissed off? Mihoyo probably doesn’t want to repeat that.

[@joaocarlosii2188]

@@elainasynranelt thats f up bruh 😕 They lock most of the best characters in the history in the game just bcs they are not "waifus" nah bro they are husbandos sieg is my dilf 😇

[@elainasynranelt]

@@joaocarlosii2188 so true lmao

[@garethcf1016]

The final part is symbolic. Little kiana is walking from the moon, which is her namesake and where sirin recieved power, to the earth, where civilization is and where the people she will meet are. Then mirrored by older kiana, walking back to the moon and returning to her origin in a sense after leaving the earth behind her and encouraging little kiana knowing that she will meet and save all those people behind her. It feels like sort of an acceptence of her path and origin so far and leaving no regrets behind while she goes to essentially save the world. Some spoilers from here on but: The guys in the train initially were all major antagonists in the game thus far. Otto, the blonde dude was one of the major anatagonists for majority of the game. Kiana has never actually met or even seen the eye (the herrscher of corruption) but in the lore, she has a connection to them. When kiana is talking to herself in the window, that was actually another side of herself who she struggled against, rejected, and finally defeated a few arcs back. In this scene, that side of herself finally accepts her. The girl on the roof is kiana's best friend (possibly lover). They met at that school but also fought and separated at the same place years later in the lament of the fallen animation. The group at the end was kiana's closest circle of friends, family and the one in the middle is her teacher, who sacrificed herself to give kiana a chance do get to this point way back when kiana first lost against her other self and lost control of her body, back in the "will of the herrscher" and "final lesson" animation shorts. Lastly, kiana in thia vid has been going through her forms in reverse. The outfit you first see her in is where she is now chronologically and the white bodysuit and jacket is what she was wearing when we were first introduced to her. And it goes even further back in the end to when she is trudging along in the snow as a child which is just after she lost her father with her mother gone long ago and she has to go out into the world on her own.

[@alphawolf6214]

bro there's some hard spoilers in your comment, he still didn't react to "final lesson" yet but i hope he will next, since he looked to the will of the herrscher

[@garethcf1016]

​@@alphawolf6214 well i figured that if one really cared about spoilers they would go straight from "because of you" or whichever one they watched first straight to the beginning instead of going straight to the latest released one, especially since you really need to know what happened to really appreciate graduation trip. I'll preface my comment with a spoiler warning tho i guess

[@alphawolf6214]

@@garethcf1016 well, you've got a point x). And i must admit this is quite frustrating to see people watch them not in order

[@elainasynranelt]

Kiana’s name actually has a lot of hidden foreshadowing. Kiana is the name of a moon goddess, and by this point in the story Kiana has become the Herrscher of Finality, the literal Honkai-God on the Moon.

[@meiden7620]

Well no, Although the other authorities are reflections of the authority of Finality, Finality is not THE Honkai god cause that would technically be the will of honkai itself, and well, the will of honkai and Finality are not the same entity technically speaking

[@elainasynranelt]

@@meiden7620 Finality, or rather the Cocoon of Finality, is the Source of All Honkai. The Will of Honkai is a shackle placed on the Honkai by the Flame Chasers that limits how it can manifest. The original "god of the honkai", before the Flame Chasers made Prometheus and bound it to the Cocoon, is Finality. Kiana is referred to as a moon goddess by the devs and if you think about it, what is Kiana if not just the replacement for the Will of Honkai?

[@SaraGon15]

@@meiden7620 will of honkai as Kevin says doesnt even exist, was just prometheus doing her work and moving some "strands" so CE herrschers would be similar to PE ones, in reality the Honkai God is the Cocoon of Finality pretty much, and it seems Finality or The End always been Kiana literally the Goddess of Honkai.

[@meiden7620]

@@SaraGon15 My memory can be pretty weird and forget random, stuff, so either I forgot about Prometheus or I accidentally skipped which ever part if dialog explains it cause quite honestly don't remember that explanation, but thank you

[@SaraGon15]

@@meiden7620 yeah its ok it happens but since before when Mei ask Kevin about it in ER about WoH, he gives an enigmatic answer to Mei and when we meet Prometheus and know about it is when it made sense.

[@elainasynranelt]

This is the end of the 1st Major Chapter (Moon’s Origin and Finality) of the honkai story, and the end of Kiana’s presence as a main character until her eventual return from the moon once she has gained complete mastery over the Authority of Finality and can ensure that no further damage will be done. There are many more parts left (as of rn there’s 6 years of story left according to Da Wei, the CEO)

[@terrencenoran3233]

Honkai is known for making people cry because their emotional storytelling is very strong. A player would look at a wooden door and they will uncontrollably burst into tears. The devs put their passion and love in the game, and it truly does show. Unlike Genshin, where it's all about the grandeur of the world, the sense of wonder, mystery, and the excitement of adventure, Honkai feels a lot more personal and makes it easier for you to connect so strongly to the cast, whether you love or hate them.

[@PrincessStabbityPLS]

Nononononononono not the chocolate door, anything but the door why would you do thiiiiis ,>.

[@shina_0904]

I don’t even play Honkai but these animations made me cry(almost)

[@prtib]

Mihoyo really bringing out the waterworks on this one. I literally cannot think of a single scene that is not an actual, *direct* reference to another part of the story. It feels like the moment they started to storyboard this, they just brought in sections of previous movies and in game locations. It's really difficult to explain it all succinctly at this point. How the light changes to match the last moments we saw Otto before he died. The significance of his presence, why he looks at her through the wine glass (how he did the same to her sister, the long lost original in a previous cinematic). The way she remembers the herscherrs before her -- even though she never met the herscherr of corruption (the eye in the monitor) and yet why they need to be in this scene over the other options that could have been. How she remembers - and explicitly changes - the fight between her and Mei. (She wasn't conscious to see Mei's expression when she's caught and brought to the ground in her history). And even in the moments that never really happened. The wishes of times that never were -- all of those, too, are still references. Still scenes that actually happened, just not in a connected way to where and how we see them here. No matter where you are in the video, it really feels like a parallax of life passing before your eyes in those final moments. Because that's kind of what it is. Edit: Also, he sounds like Ayato for a reason haha. ;)

[@elainasynranelt]

he looks hyperion through a wineglass in pre-revelation. Durandal is actually right next to him

[@prtib]

@@elainasynranelt I guess to be more accurate, WE see Durandal through the wine and WE see Kiana through the wine, and what Otto sees is a little different both times, yeah.

[@elainasynranelt]

@@prtib Yeah

[@TunesByAI2024]

At 09:15, youll see two lines at the top, kinda like train stops. The top one are the honkai PVs/shorts, and the bottom one shows locations that they have been throughout the game.

[@aimanizwan1339]

Isn't they had same voice actor?Or i'm wrong?

[@Schicksal.Overseer]

The man with the wine glass was the world's greatest inventor, greatest mastermind and simultaneously, the world's greatest fool. He was reflecting on his own life here, urging Kiana to not walk down his own path. He knew he was wrong from the very start, he also knew he had gone too far to make amends, so he let himself remain as the villain and brought great results for mankind, using the WORST possible methods. Moreover, all of his wrong doings don't stem from hatred. He does the most selfish things, because of his selfless love for the one person who had been kind to him in his life. (She had died because of his own mistakes, too. That daunting fact kept him awake for more than 500 years, not once did he look forward to the future.) Otto Apocalypse, at first, appears to be nothing more than the anti-thesis or the opposite of the main cast. But, the more you learn about him, the more you realise, he too, is like the main cast. He too protected what was beautiful in the world for him. His appearance in Graduation Trip felt unexpected, yet, felt so right because of this.

[@milkeygirl]

At 8:53 you can actually see Elysia and Flame Chasers from Because of You! I suggest you go through all of animated shorts

[@dirlima23]

Whoa! I just realized that! And also Mei is kinda looking to them!!

[@SystemBot]

I can't tell, is Dr MEI among them?

[@KenTJY]

@@SystemBot She isn't in the frame, but is in the frame where Teri was "taking a photo" of the 3, you can see the phone showing Kevin and MEI together.

[@BNuts]

Watching this without the context of those other moments from the game must be weird. Hoyo just decided to hit _all_ the stops from Kiana's journey. Though I have yet to figure out why HoC from the Elysian Realm arc was there. Every moment just _hits_ . Always so proud of our girls for their journeys.

[@asura.s.fury23]

The answer to why you see them (including HoC) is: Kiana took on the authority of Finality, basically the origin of all herrschers. So, in a way, she is now connected to all of them. As we have seen previously, herrscher cores can store memories of their past 'users', which would explain why she can see them, as they haven't gotten proper closure from the perspective of the main cast ( no one was there to witness Otto's end - who took the authority of Binding, HoD's - whose core was stolen by Otto, and HoC - whose ending wasn't witnessed by anyone in the real world). As for the ones who didn't show up ( Wendy, Anna, Owl), they all had their ending witnessed by the main cast. Ofc, this could also be a send-off for the only actual Herrscher villains.

[@TAMAMO-VIRUS]

@@asura.s.fury23 Wendy and Anna/Owl technically had an in-game moment leading up to Kiana gaining the authority of Finality

[@asura.s.fury23]

@@TAMAMO-VIRUS yes, that is correct. However, every herrscher had their mention in that part of the story: including HoC (the CRT's she first walks by), main cast herrschers (in their interactions), HoFire (signified by Himeko's broken blade), HoD and HoB (the strings kiana burns with her flames, prior to the HoFlame part - the otto and kallen statues, immediately afterwards) The only one not mentioned is HoDeath (since it never actually happened, it stayed dormant inside kiana for a while) So that brings them all on equal grounds - which still leaves my interpretation of it viable (as in: Kiana had to witness their end in some way - thus shown during 'graduation trip')

[@azrael7582]

You See the biggest Events for kiana and while you See it you See her battlesuits (Outfits) The Line "May you,the Beauty of this world, always Shine" is i think one of the biggest impactful lines to be said, because kiana always fought vor the Beauty of this world But she always meant the whole world to her Friends Its such a good (and sad) farewell, i cried so many Times to it

[@TheNukedNacho]

The evolution from “May all the beauty be blessed” to “May *you, the beauty of this world,* always shine” hurts in such a good way. So many emotions and tears, but it’s all worth it to see Kiana and the girls grow up so much

[@azrael7582]

@@TheNukedNacho And to see Kiana Finally be Happy

[@TheNukedNacho]

@@azrael7582 and to see Kiana finally be happy. That too. Very much. The smile that saved the world

[@jalcome4201]

My fav part is the sound design. absolutely exceptional. especially the part from her falling to being pulled up on the rooftop (not the feather thing). how the sounds all quiet down... its as good as a transition can get. I love it when film knows how to let moments breath. pauses. let the ruffling of clothes be the loudest thing in scene. its chefs kiss

[@illum6]

This analysis was amazing! As someone said, the fact that you connected Otto to Ayato so easily really speaks volumes about how good Hoyoverse are at preserving their characters' integrity, because Ayato is very much inspired by Otto, who is one of the classic Hoyoverse characters. Not only do they share VAs, fashion sense and major personality traits, but Ayato was released right after Otto's arc in honkai was concluded, and it was absolutely intentional. Glad you love the dude (as everyone should!), if you ever find yourself interested in delving more into his character, watching Thus Spoke Apocalypse (an animated short) is highly recommended! Edit: Was rewatching the video and suddenly Va-11 Hall-A's soundtrack kicked in, the levels of culture here damn

[@araguardian6954]

Amazing content, love your reaction to this work, as you mentioned, this is the final scene for act one of this game, and as someone who has played through it in its entirety, I will say theirs enough references in this to take at least a full hour, from the other animated cutscenes, to ingame events, even into some of the manga around the game, to produce an air of finality for this act

[@elainasynranelt]

“an air of _finality”_ unintentional puns ftw

[@NotReinaHamazaki]

I can't believe this game started out with kiana hopping on the top of a jet plane

[@jalcome4201]

Easily the best short in all of honkai, its only downhill from here (lol joke). Theres no player out here that wasnt happy with the somber and reflective approach to this. Beautiful ending to a beautiful game

[@somegirl9055]

Not over yet

[@junztermax4387]

Young Kiana represents the Kiana that was about to be born/created by Otto from the earlier chapters(reason why she is staring at the Earth), and present Kiana is like telling her to be steong and move forward no matter what hardships that comes. That's how I interpret it

[@GrimMeowning]

"And if it is so hard to say goodbye" - is a phrase adressed to players. And then the Rhyme "let all the beauty of the world - always shine", it is a line from Kiana's personal song, from ending of her ark, when she became the Herrscher of Flamescion and came in terms with herself. That happened in an animated short called "Everlasting Flames". So basically - "if you can't say goodbye to this character, then remember the best time you had with her".

[@hxenjwel]

This animated short really makes me cry. Music is so beautiful. Kiana grew a lot after all the pain she been through.

[@SovereignLin123]

One of my favourite details in this short animation is how Young kiana was shown walking to the earth with a resolute expression and Her Adult self was walking to the moon with a peaceful yet sad expression.♥️ Goodbye kiana see you in APHO3(A Post Honkai Odessy), hopely.

[@RoninBlackwing]

On the one hand unless APHO 3 is the finale of that story I don't think Kiana should be in it. On the other hand - it would be a way for HoYo to have their cake and eat it too. As much as I love the character I think we need to have a chance to miss her before they bring her back in any form. I expect Part 1.5 will be at least a couple of arcs long and if they can restrain themselves and not bring her back until after Part 2 starts it would probably be best. Not only would it give weight to her absence but the return will be that much sweeter. And if they do decide to bring her back through APHO it should be in a moment of "The Cavalry" trope.

[@nn-cv9jq]

​@@RoninBlackwingas i remember Part 2 happens before APHO 2, so unless we visiting the Moon we will still not see Kiana there

[@OrdinaryMemer6969]

"Because of you" is really good because it's the end the long history of the flame chaser and Elysium everlasting and end to an era. But this one hold a special place for me. How I've grown to like kiana as a character and how much she's changed throughout these long 5 years and I could say that's probably the same for some people. I'm proud of my little tuna and how she have grown up.

[@oppaimee9947]

man.. you really need to watch it from the start cuz when you know the story behind it, this graduation trip hits like a damn train. I'm still coping to it since I first watch it and literally bawling my eyes out and till now I still get the urge to cry

[@silver_3552]

The order of animated shorts is Will of the herrsher Last lesson Cyberangel zero exeption Selee (better search dual ego) Meteoric salvation Lament of the fallen Scattered samsara Everlasting flame Thus spoke Otto Apocalypse Because of you Graduation trip While just seeing them in order will not give a perfect understanding of what happen, it still make more clear the relationship of the characters and, most of all, make understanding this video much simpler I would suggest watching in order to also apreciate the notable growth the animation have Also let me add that what makes this opera (not as a game but as a story) incredible are the characters. Kiana and Elysia that are protagonist of this and because of you are two of the most incredible characters i've ever found in all the stories i've read Seeing how you mentioned elden ring, i'll say that in my opinion elden ring is spectacular for a very well thought world building and, while unrelated for this argument, a beautiful gamplay and visive scenarios; honkai instead is for me a masterpiece that leave the story of elden ring in the dust just because of the beautiful characters (and still has a story not to scoff).

[@GrimMeowning]

"This guy reminds me Ayato from Genshin" You would not believe...but it is same character, variation of it in multiverse, hehe. Same as Luocha in HSR. And in the beginning - it is big and important villains she or her friends had defeated.

[@royjonzejr]

4:45 Man when you said, "You can feel the air" that's exactly what I felt when I watched this!

[@jeremiahnavarro1768]

Love your reaction to "because of you" and this one. It's refreshing to see reactions thats not just people saying "oh wow" everytime. However, you did skip on some other animations that came before the two you watched, but it's alright. Looking forward to the next reaction for sure

[@itz_kyla_b654]

I can't help but tear up watching this, some parts hit like a truck, this is the end of part 1, can't wait to see what else we get in part 1.5, looking forward to it :)

[@AkyXf]

If you're really curious about the context behind the blonde guy with the wine glass at the beginning you should do one on Thus Spoke Apocalypse too, it's a masterpiece.

[@flower-pit7642]

You should definitely watch the other animations, because this one is so filled with little references to them, and its done so beautifully

[@JoeMeng]

I didn't watch the video until I played it on my playthrough of the game. This is a strong reflection on the game, and I recommend revisiting this video again after your journey through the other Honkai CGs, since there are so many callbacks to those other videos.

[@nanase.kureha.142]

I have been playing honkai since 2017. These are soo nostalgic to me and i have seen our little Kiana grow up. This whole video is going back to her character development (ik there is more to say but i won't cuz to undertand a newcomer).

[@joshuavallente7057]

I didn’t expect this to be the next video you’d react to. I wish you were able to watch the first ones so as to make this feel even more cohesive and meaningful as a video, as it contains numerous nods to different stuff from the past. EDIT: I just finished watching your analysis. I’ll have to give it a rewatch some other time as I couldn’t process everything. I was overwhelmed with emotions. Honkai’s story is one of the most beautifully written tragedy I’ve ever encountered in all media. And Kiana’s story is responsible for a great chunk of that. I wish you’d give the other videos a chance as watching them chronologically will give you a better insight to the imagery and the music in this animation. Great work. Thank you.

[@AliyaWill]

This was so cool 🫶🏽

[@PhilipHarts]

Thank you my love 🥰🖤

[@weertangel7231]

This trailer shows the end of the 6 year story with Kiana sealing the honkai and herself into the Cocoon of Finality on the moon and how she says goodbye to everyone, to the defeated Herrchers of Corruption and Domination and to Otto Apocalypse, the one who created her(as, in a lab) to be a vessel for Sirin, the Herrscher of the Void she says goodbye to in the elevator/feather scene. Her clothes that change per scene are all the Battlesuits she wore over the years in the game, from Herrcher of finality to White Comet, her very first one. For fans like me who know the context this was a very emotional video(i cried alot) since our main protagonist goes away(she'll probably be back in the future). As the version trailer says, Origin is a end, Finality is a beginning, that should tell u alot as well. And just so u know, this was the end of Part 1, the devs confirmed they have at least 6 years more of story to tell. On another note, i'm definitely gonna check out your movie, looks really cool.

[@amball2000]

When the puppet, known as the Herrscher of Domination appeared, I noticed some references to its part of the story. There were specifically three things which were a screen showing the Theater of Domination, its domain; another screen showing more puppets formed from the people it subsumed; and the cover image for Moon Halo, the song which played when Kiana defeated it.

[@MrSeneljay]

Really like your in-depth break down of the honkai animated scenes, been subscribe to you since the "because of you" video. This is just the end of part 1, there will be more to come, and i hope you will continue doing these in-depth breakdown for honkai impact. Maybe even doing the older animated series to see your reaction to realize who those characters are.

[@cryptnymph]

i've been looking forward to seeing your reaction to this one! one thing i will say is that Graduation Trip references a lot of shots from the other animated shorts. if you plan on watching more HI3 content, you will probably experience a little bit of deja vu!

[@StArShIpEnTeRpRiSe]

What I can recommend is, start all the cinematics, with Reburn and try to watch every one of them in release order. It's not an easy task, but after all of those, this singe cinematic will make even more sense. Basicly here a major part of the story ends, and in this short scene appear every major character from the game. It's connect all the previous cinematics and stories. But the real what's happening part is still a little unknown as the cinematic ingame appearance on global servers only will come from 2 weeks from today.

[@NeWKnighT972]

You know, i've probably watched the short about 5 times and never noticed the reflection there (15:30 ). Absolutely crazy amount of work and love have gone into this.

[@ArseneaLupin]

The difference of this animation short with other animation short is this graduation trip is our story as a player and a farewell to a girl who's been with us since the start of this story. Take for example because of you, it is a story that exist for us, but it's not our story, Graduation trip is ours the scene we've witnessed, the stories we were told, and the peoples we met along the way, all alongside this one girl. It brings joy and tears, safe to say they've did it again an animation short to top other animation short

[@bladexonch.7876]

Your video was great!! I also studied filmmaking and I loved the way you could piece together the story and how you noticed the symbolisms in order to do it! I specialized in the writing for films and storytelling though. Now, Honkai community is going to be in a little duel phase (I believe it's called in English) because of this short, cause it's practically the end of Honkai, even if they confirmed this is just part 1. So, they are going to bombard you with a lot of information. So I'm going to put you here some things that I can suggest you if you are analyzing honkai. And now, I would actually love to see you react and analyze the other shorts so you could understand more of the story. If you don't want to play the game or you don't have time, there's a list of videos called honkai chronicles were they explain the main things of the story if you don't play it. But, it's better to watch them after watching the animated shorts that came before them, because they provide information of them to understand the short and move forward with explanations. There are a lot of playlist in KZbin were they put you the shorts on chronological order and include the chronicles. It's really common for creators to do s stream or a marathon of them watching them in a single video. I bet since you studied filmmaking, speedrunning your way without giving proper time to analyze and maybe editing then could stress you (you can take almost two hours [Like a movie normally jajaja]), but if you do watch them in the future, I'm subscribing and checking your works. Keep it up men 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@jotana_ch]

Damn imagine being reminded of ayato by his VA XD

[@A2kisses]

briefly explaining the characters, with very slight spoilers (i wrote only as much as needed to kind of grasp why they're there): white haired girl: kiana kaslana - the main protagonist of honkai impact who's story is wrapping up with this animation blonde guy in the train : Otto Apocalypse - a major villain through honkai impact who they defeated 2 arcs ago doll in the train : one of the puppets of the Herrscher of Domination - as with a lot of herrschers it was an enemy that wanted to wreak havoc on the human world who kiana (along with the rest of the main cast) defeated - and the arc in which she grew the most (imo) the eye on the screen in the train - representation of the Herracher of Corruption from the last arc that Elysia defeated in the Elysian Realm Kiana's reflection : Herrscher of the Void (Sirin) who was Kiana's evil alter ego (not exactly, but that's the easiest way to put it) who would take over her body and cause insane amounts of damage from the beginning of the game. Kiana overcame her and gained full control of her powers in the Herrscher of Domination arc. black haired girl that Kiana talks to on the roof : Raiden Mei (aka Herrscher of Thunder/Origin) - Kiana's love (it's heavily implied that it's romantic love), and someone who she has to be apart from once again because she is the only one who can defeat the current threat. The rest of the "good" cast is also shown in the group scenes - Theresa, FuHua, Bronya (who is a part of the main trio aka Kiana, Mei, Bronya) and Himeko. Other characters also make cameos throughout the cinematic. It is a bittersweet ending of Kiana's story, and the game will continue on following different caracters in the upcoming arcs.

[@zuikatsu]

Love your work and insight! Honestly, the best way to "experience" this animation (short of playing the whole game, obviously) is to watch all of the animated shorts in release order. You'll see that almost every frame of 'Graduation Trip' is a reference to the 6 years of Kiana's journey.

[@shas1994]

It's one big metaphor, first three character Kiana see are villains of the story, who technically are part of her now as she become Finality itselve... first is Otto her nemesis, guy who give life to her, and destroyed it, but in the same time maked her whom she is now... second Herrscher of Domination, big milestone in Kiana journey (everlasting flames cinematic), and last one Herrscher of Coruption, more related to Mei and Elysia story... changes to background are related to them, first Imaginery Tree, Otto seek it to change past for person whom he loved (Thus spoke apocalypse cinematic), second Theatre of Domination, space created by HoD, and the last corrupted Elysian Realm... next Kiana is speaking with Sirin, Herrscher of the Void, her alterego. Kiana was created by Otto as clone with gens of both, oryginal Kiana Kaslana, and Sirin HoV, as a vessel for Herrscher... both of her conciousnes are shatered part of Sirin related to different part of her soul. HoV is manifestation of hatered towards humanity, after Sirin was part of inhumine experiments in Babylon lab, while Kiana is related to Sirins love to Cecylia whom reminded her about mother... next are part of Lament of the Fallen cinematic when Mei and Kiana separated, and moment when they again reunited in the game... all happened on Hiba Academy rooftop in Nagazora city, wher they first met. Entire walk of Mei and Kiana and other characters in background symbolises that they all going simillar ways and as Kiana said there are traces of them that never vanish... there are characters that walk this jurney now (first part, to the moment when Bronya join them), and the ones who walk in the past (second part where you can see characters from Previous Era whom died to stop Honkai, or members of Anty Enthropy whom founded this organization), All battlesuits that Kiana wearing are chronologicially from last one to the first, there are also different moments of this trailer connected to different cinematics (when Kiana walk in the train after she left others the angles and battlesuit she were are the same from Reburn cinematic-very first one- where she run acros the train vagon, moment when Kiana heard Himeko is related to chapter 11 ex and Meteoroid Salvation cinematics and when she is falling down before credits is simmilar to moment when we firs see her in the game when she also falling after she jump from shuttle). Moment when she leave her friends and enter the train symbolises her leaving them together with their own lives while she sealed herselve to protect them... and the moment when Kiana meet her youngerselve symbolises start of this journey when Zigfried her father left her to prevent Sirins avakening and she decidet to look for him... its why younger Kiana look on the eartch in background, while older Kiana is on the end of this jurney and is looking on the moon, her final destination There is of course more small details like Sirin Zigfried and Cecylia in shoping mal from Second Eruption manga when Sirin sealed them in illusion, or Rita and Durandal (oryginal Kiana) from London Holiday manga when they found Stan the cat... Vodka sisters playing on the beach, Sakura and Kallen in Japanese oriented village, Flamechesers next to Golden Cortyard from one of animations, or Kevin and dr. MEI in backround on Theresa phone when she was doing a photo... And this is more like end of an very long arc and "see you later" for the Kiana, as she sealed Honkai on the moon and probably wont back fast... sorry if this post is little chaotic but this trailer is very hard to describe, especially that englisch isnt me first language...

[@pyr0phoenix]

one day if you decided to watch all of the Honkai animated shorts and finish it, you can go back and watch this one again because there are a lot of callbacks here and it hits more in the feels

[@owo4470]

the people in the train are actually the previous herscherrs, or villains that were killed, and it just signifies them going back to finality, where kiana is headed to to add further context, this whole trip is her going to Finality, which would turn her into her world's God. However, this also means that she will be unable to go back to earth for a long period of time, as humanity is not prepared for the power she possesses.

[@owo4470]

Oh for context, the tree is called the imaginary tree and ti's basically the concept of parallel universe signified as a teee Lastly. The redhead that appears in that last curscene when she looks back is himeko, and she sacrificed herself to give Kiana, the white haired girl, a chance to fight back to regain her humanity, making the scenario more saddening

[@TheZedric]

Great video, Philip! I enjoyed your reaction and analysis.

[@daysuperior7673]

Yeah, this was the end of Part 1 Honkai, honestly beautifully done. All of it, love this game.

[@ardosplays3584]

the one with the yellow/orange eyes that is kiana's reflection is the Herrscher of the Void she was one of the first like big villains and she is like a dark persona for kiana like to be the most short that i can be "the honkai" is like a force of nature that wants to destroy humanity and the valkiries(all the playable characters) are ppl that can use honkai energy to fight honkai and a herrscher is when a huge amount of honkai energy manifest on a person and converts them to herrschers, that being said at this point theres seval herrschers that fight for humanity but herrscher of the void wasnt one of these ones she wanted to destroy everyone all that being said this little scene is one of my favourites in this video because she saying you did a good job means that she is happy that despite their views are entirely opposite she is happy that kiana proved her wrong

[@saitothelonewolf28]

it's cool how they had the lighting color tone and the out the train change as otto then the herrscher of dominance then herrscher of corruption show up in the beginning it weird though that the herrscher of corruption showed up even though it didn't interact with kiana in the story and yet the herrscher of ice/rimestar didn't get referenced

[@austinmartin612]

Funny that you should mention the boat on the river Styx, the character she's talking to right then(Mei), there's another version of her in Honkai Star Rail that goes by the name Acheron(another river in the underworld) and that version of her serves as the boatman in a way. Also yes Kiana is moving not only backward through time, but she is seeing everything in perfect reverse order, She meets her enemies in reverse order, when she meets Mei at the rooftop it was where they had a parting. The lore for this and Star Rail intertwines in such cool ways, as it's believed that in Star Rail, The Aeon of Finality moves backwards through time, much like Kiana does in this video; Kiana became the Herrshcher of Finality

[@Trygorn]

if you end up seeing the rest of the CGs i would love for you to come back to this one in the end and see all the callbacks to previous moments like how you recognized Herrscher of Corruption from "Because of you"

[@XeosLolicon]

for me is the best animation of honkai our tuna graduated and we all love her she is the goddess of the moon she will never be alone

[@treik1773]

It's the end of the first chapter following Kiana and this cinematic is remebering all what's happened and all the ennemy we fought Btw Otto (the blond guy) as the same voice actor as Ayato in japanese

[@dennis9052]

Man, your analysis is so good! This Animation Short is truly an emotional Masterpiece. I absolutely love it, and it is even more emotional if you have a person to share it with! Amazing song!💙

[@ngocanhha3484]

If you have a chance to read Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint (A Korean novel), you can see the similarities at the end between Honkai and ORV. Begin with the train, end with the train. Stay far a way to keep an eye for their beloved Welcome to trauma :")

[@iio37die72]

Stop because I had the same thought😭😭😭 I’m now traumatised of trains because of these beautiful stories

[@LuteaNelum]

The ending of Part one really couldn't have been better. I look forward to everything coming in the future!

[@AlexisStreams]

the one thing i love about this animated short is the small attention to detail on the outfit changes it starts with The Herrscher of Finality Outfit then through out the video it changes Herrscher of Flamescion, Herrscher of The Voic, Void Drifter, Red Lictor, Adolescents, Moonknight Beam, Prodigal Girl and then it ends where it all began With the White Comet outfit Also, When Kiana reaches out her hand its like she's saying, "Captain will you accompany me on this journey one last time?" such a beautiful and sad animation shorrt one final thing the ending with Adult KIana and Lil Kiana, Is symbolic, Cuz Lil kiana is walking towards the earth symbolizing the start of her journey whilst adult kiana is walking towards the moon symbolizing the ending of her journey

[@Pherretfish]

Even if you don’t know her story you can certainly feel the emotional impact it’s supposed to have, having playing along to her story for actual years this is hit very hard. I usually almost never cry but this almost broke me😅

[@hiramperez4575]

This is the end of 12 years of Kiana history. From Kiana Fly me To the moon, to Gun Girlz Z, to Honkai Impact 3rd. A great character.

[@2ndnameann]

i always cry whenever i watch this. But i effing laugh when you said the imaginary tree is Caelid😂😂😂😂😂. That’s the wrong train kiana😂😂😂😂

[@InactiveTwig]

I dont know if youve reacted to the other animated shorts, but this heavily references all the previous ones that have come. I'd recommend watching all of them in order and coming back to this so you'll understand the symbolism better! :D

[@guyschill2059]

The final scene is very reminiscent of honkai's theme of samsara or cycle

[@ToothpickSamurai]

I would recommend you look at their older cinematics, there is so much context from those that culminate in this one, much like how you saw the eye from "Because of You"

[@PrincessNana08]

Kiana has been through so much and i’m happy to see the conclusion of this hero in this story. Btw my favorite animated shorts would be: - everlasting flames - final lesson - Shattered Samsara So i would definitely love reactions to these but i love every animation so you can just do whatever as well😆

[@lucasthefano1868]

If you liked this animated short, you def should watch "Thus spoke apocalypse", the main animated short of the guy who was on the train at the beginning. Thanks for sharing!

[@johanstenfelt1206]

The End of Part 1 of Honkai Impact 3rd, i will look forward to see how things will from here.

[@sukidesu9755]

My fav are 1) Thus spoke apocalypse 2) Moon Halo 3) Because of you 4) Graduation trip

[@DlolFace]

something that you might missed due to lack in knowledge of the lore, you're almost correct about the past and future, but i think you mistook it as the first is the past and it keeps going to the future, the main character you see is actually relieving her past to move on to the future, her clothing as you can see changes. and in fact the more the video goes on, she wears an outfit that she used in the past. but where she's on the train, she's moving forward to the future/her fate. i would love for you to check all their animated short (not series, not just yet)

[@JabelldiMarco]

Love your anlysis. Not the end of HI3, but of the Kiana arc. Other chars still have lose end that will be anhled in further updates, and than there's part two, playing years later and on Mars. Characterwise, Otto is quite the opposite of Ayato.

[@StarrySky-]

8:32 i really love this part

[@patema2862]

I love this video, couse it is a timetravel through Kianas whole Story. With each new Scene and outfit she is going one more step back in her past. The bodysuit she is wearing in the end is the one with wich we began the whole Story and her journey. This Story ist strong without knowing the games story, but with the knowing of it this one is so much stronger. Best example is the scene on the roof of the school. At this place the two girls (they are best friends) where fighting very hard with each other and go for a long time different ways. So the question if they are parting away again had gave me goosebumbs

[@Riku-Leela]

Don't think I can compare Because of You and this just for what they both represent, I just love all the animations because they capture a section of time during this beautiful story and can't compare them personally

[@TheNukedNacho]

There are so so many references to the previous animations. I cannot recommend watching them highly enough. And maybe prepare some tissues if you do.

[@AnimeJihadJke]

Otto remind you Ayato But funfact - Otto and Ayato have same Japanese voice actor

[@uriengregorios]

I don't know if you realize it, but there's a elder ring reference in here

[@shinobimaster4013]

The girl who appears at the end, young Kiana, who is on the road in search of her missing father, is actually only a year old. And that is also the point at which the story of the collapse series begins. In the ending where Kiana takes all her honkai power and seals herself in, she is only 8 years old. It's like the time that has passed since the collapse until now. The time it took for honkai3 to open and people to play and reach the ending. A time when Kiana embarked on her journey and finally ended the recurring tragedy of collapse. The unnamed experiment girl, who was less than a year old, finally became the true Kiana(goddess of moon) and she takes the same amount of time to fall asleep on the moon. Kianna shared the same time as the story of her honkai.

[@ottovw]

I would have to recommend starting at the start. Intro to the Honkai-verse, NOT very cinematic but provides background material/context I would have paid for when I first started the game. Then Reburn, its not canon anymore but was the first animation (lots of references in Graduation Trip) after that all the rest. To REALLY get the full story you'd have to play the game and read the numerous manga (both of which I recommend). Great reaction!

[@ralphedwardlagazon1535]

thanks for your great analysis it really hits in some and try reacting to Everlasting Flames next. that's a masterpiece

[@VergiliusSkyverse]

we really recommend you to watch the short animation from very first short animation so you can understand the story

[@FleetOfFog]

I don't know if you already have a playlist for the PV trailers for Honkai yet, but here is one I compiled. kzbin.info/aero/PL927-oQSeQJYyD6RTWqw7aPwPiMVQhfOw

[@zoghbi7517]

thank u for reacting to it 💕 obviously u wont be able to catch references from the game itself or the manga/visual novels that were released - that said - most of the references in this animated short are from previous animated shorts they have released for honkai. if u would like to have a basic understanding, i recommend watching the animations shorts in order of release, it will show the development of the animation style and give a better sense of the narrative. and thank u for reacting to the Chinese voice artists ! i agree, their performances always feel honest and "real" to me. ❤

[@InquisitorAstelon]

Funny you should mention Otto reminds you of Ayato. In both Chinese and Japanese they have the same voice actors.

[@noox13]

It would be very interesting if you also watched the short "Reawakening" cinematic out of context!

[@Ruledragon]

It's the end of Part 1 which focused on Kiana Kaslana journey, we're going into Part 1.5 now while she's on a long forced vacation on the moon.

[@ngocanhha3484]

You got the point. The Chinese VA's Ayato is him (Otto). You can make a video about him, Otto got his own short film, too: Thus Spoke Apocalypse. The other Honkai you should see Rubia and Moon Halo.

[@andrewknutson8584]

It does say something about the cinematography when, you aren't a Honkai player, and even you understand what's happening. I've been playing on and off for 2 years now and now planning my own game, this game, along with a couple others from vastly different genres, this has been very informative as a novice storyteller. I wept upon seeing this animation. I wasn't sad though, I felt still, and peace. All I can say is that I love this story's complexity, simplicity and heart. It rivals Attack on Titan on Narrative. Please continue to look at Honkai. Thank you!

[@mariusdesu1633]

want to see his reaction to that parting Mei and Kiana were talking about at school rooftop, I bet he is imagining a bit different parting than what we got. [Lament of the Fallen]

[@stuffzluvverz_7665]

He should really check out the APHO 2 trailer or the trailer of the trio vs Kevin cause that is the peak of all Mihoyo animations. Period.

[@drell2357]

15:58 It’s funny you say that because Ayato is actually based off of Otto Apocalypse(the blonde guy). They also share the same CN and JP voice actors! They also have similar personalities when you look at them.

[@jeremywinston1]

end of part 1. Part 2 has new characters supposedly, a new story that connects to this one with new protagonists and characters. Also, the game Art Style and UI is gonna change and do a 180, looking more dark color-wise, so it’s really the end of Honkai Impact 3rd as we know it and the start towards a new journey which is part 2 of the story.

[@annamata4758]

I'm in the beginning stages of catching up and learning about Honkai and how it ties into Genshin.. but, I'm assuming that train/Rail through the Stars is the motif for the upcoming Honkai: Star Rail game? Also, that red diamond pattern around the Eye Monster totally looks the exact same pattern that flashes the Sustainer in during the Genshin intro

[@Calvin_M.]

There are many more honkai animations out there. Please react to them in near future, it would be so great! 🙏🏻 P.S. also just love your reaction! Amazing analysis as always!

[@justsimplycallmeevan5977]

i've always loved seeing how people interpret scenes from things i like from a completely "outsiders" perspective, and seeing things as it is without any context whatsoever. And to give somewhat of a context to this, let's just say that this character is just coming into terms with herself and everything that happened in the past, accepting who she really is and moving forward; going through a sort of "graduation", to say the least . But then again, it's just my own interpretation of this, and i'm pretty sure other captains will have different a different opinion compared to mine, who knows?

[@XeintCVN]

The game its self its more like the anime with astonishing quality of the short anime and they did it beautiful

[@paragonnight437]

I know you reacted to the first (Will of The Herscher) already but I would love for you to go through all of these in order again and eventually re analyze this one with the added context the other cinematics can give you c: