Filmmaker Reacts: K/DA - VILLAIN ft. Madison Beer and Kim Petras (Official Video - Starring Evelynn)

[@PhilipHarts]

Favorite K/DA Music Video?? For me it's Villain or More! Follow my Twitch, I'm streaming tonight!: twitch.tv/philiphartshorn Also check out my main KZbin Channel with 150K subs: kzbin.info

[@Jasminchan1]

True damage.

[@mr.poontang386]

True damage giants!!!!! Lit video lit music perfect for a reaction

[@mr.poontang386]

Come on man give to us 🥺🥺

[@TheSpencer1000]

Villain easily for me as well. But I wanted to point out that the "glass" that was stretching im fairly sure was a reference to a snake egg/embryo considering the theme of the video.

[@zeronothinghere9334]

First wait for the ones coming next week and the week after on Friday XDD

[@jmcb91]

This concept video is literally telling us her character concept. Stage 1 is stalking - ingame she's stealth and gets revealed when she becomes near her targets. ergo the stalking. Stage 2 is alluring - her ability where she curses her target, when the curse pops, no matter how hard she hits the target it will still charm them to her. Stage 3 is messing with your head Stage 4 is inflicting pain Stage 5 where she reveals herself and pow. kills you - she's already done the damaged and revealed herself. probably about to user her ultimate. pow!

[@pinkblush8798]

Awesome

[@Monie71793]

😆

[@ReelRai]

Stage 6 is when I Alt F4 as an ADC.

[@earljustinenrique3268]

Stage 5 on the last chorus is so on point because of the screaming background voice similar to Eve's ultimate. ugh sends chills to my spine

[@GiselaMisa]

♥ ♥

[@oriolpuig9033]

Hey Philip , I'm actually the director of this video and I want to congratulate you on your breakdown of the video specially from a cinematography and filmmaking point of view. The Wong Kar-Wai and Blade Runner references were actually part of my treatment send to Riot. So glad you enjoyed it , makes all the effort worth it!

[@PhilipHarts]

That’s amazing! Incredible work on this video Oriol! I’d love to talk if there’s a way we can get in touch. Do you have an Instagram? Please send me a message, maybe we could have you on the channel as well. Love this video.

[@brianr5889]

Wow great job! I loved the video keep doing what you are doing

[@oriolpuig9033]

@@brianr5889 thanks a lot :) a lot of effort goes into this from a large team and these comments and reaction videos mean the world

[@titor8413]

@@oriolpuig9033 I absolutely love how she steps kind of shaky at 7:18 , like a real person will with high heals on uneven surface. You are amazing !!!

[@jesse8068]

Dude, you are your team hit this out of the park!

[@NanoDelMar]

This is one of the best artistic videos I’ve ever seen. So much visual candy and creative freedom, just wow. Back when Popstars was released I would’ve never thought they’d give Evelynn so much love considering she was mainly a background character and everyone loved Ahri. Very much deserved. Edit: Also if you look closely at 7:19 when they zoom in on her walking, they made her ankles wobble as if she were actually walking on that really textured gravel-like surface. The details are insane!

[@rinnsnoww336]

All Out Evelynn's visual is so great 🤧 I really love Kai'Sa but Evelynn is straight up pulling my heart and eyes 🤧

[@rinnsnoww336]

All Out Evelynn's visual is so great 🤧 I really love Kai'Sa but Evelynn is straight up pulling my heart and eyes 🤧

[@IamNeoGENE]

@@rinnsnoww336 same as my love for Sera and Ahri... Evelynn's charm is stronger ❤️😅

[@jesse8068]

I noticed that little wobble too! That sooo added to the realism.

[@KimNiccals]

not even just the wobble, the spot where the snakes are going up her face they literally made her lips separate like real lips, like they were slightly sticky from the lipstick/gloss

[@darko1295]

Glad some people are appreciating this video for the work of art that it is. I love the previous KDA and True Damage videos, but this is on another level imo. I love how it is much more abstract and experimental; it felt like it focused way more on evoking emotions (the mix of romantic, sexual and horror imagery while keeping everything in this slick minimalist hightened-realism aesthetic, has had me obsessing over this video for the past few hours) and did a better job conveying the character's personality than anything they've done so far. Just in love with this one...

[@lolicongang.4974]

As the others were songs yet still they all had thier own thing really.

[@ReelRai]

My favorite detail of this is that her walking is NOT perfect. She WOBBLES just a little with each step because the ground is uneven. Goddamn love that detail, its so small but it makes a huge difference with how realistic it looks.

[@ominoustincho]

Hey man loved the video! Few facts about Eve cause us gays are obsessed with her lmao 1. Lore wise, Evelynn is an emotion eater. This is a type of demon that feeds off of intense emotions, and Evelynn feeds on agony and suffering. In the LOL universe, there was a huge war a thousand years ago that inflicted immense pain on humanity, and that's when Evelynn evolved from "a nascent wisp of a shadow" to a full on demon. When the wars ended and the suffering waned, she found herself needing to chase after the fading pain that was feeding her, and to do so she found that it was easier to make herself look visually appealing to draw the victim in rather than hunting and killing them. To do so she shape shifted into the facade of a beautiful woman to lure them in (not always a woman because she can feed off of straight women or gay men too, and also any creature that can feel suffering such as animals or dragons etc), but always maintaining a blue skin shade to recall back to her being a demon (this could also serve as a reference to animals with aposematism, but kind of like in a reverse fashion, since she is the predator and not the prey) She finds that the happiest people are the most delicious to feed upon, because they have so much farther to fall. She stalks them (while invisible, that's her gimmick in the game, that she's permanently stealthed) and finds the "rotten spot" inside their soul, which she then exploits along with immense physical torture so she can feast upon. The "tails" are called lashers, and she uses them to flay and whip her victims, obviously along with her claws. 2. In the K/DA universe, Evelynn is the manager of the group and is a rebellious diva that is always polarizing. She was also linked to the mysterious disappearances of famous male celebrities that vanished after starting to date her LOL 3. I love that you noticed the numerous Medusa references! The story you said about Medusa was correct, however there are many modern interpretations concerning if what Athena did to her was a curse or a gift. Some see it as a gift because she could no longer be taken advantage of like Poseidon did, so Athena was looking out for her. Some others see it simply as the rage of Athena because of the fact that Medusa was one of Athena's virgin priestesses, and her being involved in sexual intercourse (including rape for some fucked up reason) would be a violation of her vows.

[@faeb.9618]

"cause us gays are obsessed with her" you didn't have to call me out like this man

[@PixiePrix]

So, Evelynn is actually an amorphous demon. She learned to fashion herself into this form to lure "prey".

[@ghostphil6030]

At some points I am actually not even sure, if she is animated or an actress 😅

[@alpi7411]

100% animated

[@sethwindus1321]

@@alpi7411 no shit

[@lh2293]

Animated but they used motion capture if I'm not mistaken... They did it for Popstars 100%

[@mrrodgers0]

@@lh2293 They used mocap to generate references, but the final product in popstars is all keyframe/hand animated.

[@-imjustjoshinya8254]

11:35 when the light is briefly on her face.. its a real actress

[@stormyalice]

Is no one going to mention her skin texture? It's so real she has a few pimple scars. Literally gave her life-like skin in the close-ups.

[@kimgodwin]

It's interesting that she's walking past her claws in that barren landscape.

[@kingyplays5099]

Omg i thought i was the only one that noticed

[@JickAudio]

I feel like this video represents Evelyn a whole lot and you definitely brought out a whole lot of perspective on this that I didn’t notice. In the beginning scene when she’s standing on the outskirts of the city, I think that’s where she marks her next “victim”. Possibly a booty call. The fact that it’s in the dead of the night and dark and empty kinda gives this feeling of her victims always being preyed on when they’re by themselves. Which makes sense in game since if you’re a squishy by yourself you’re pretty much dead if the Evelyn is ahead. The scene where she’s driving (almost recklessly) is possibly her on her way to the apartment which is proven to be the case when we see the arrival of her car entering the the building parking garage area (the scene after all the furniture combine) and her standing outside the building with the one light on. Possibly with all these hallway references it might be a representation of her the hoops she has to go through to get what she wants. When I play as her you have to work your way around the map to make sure you’re in the best position to attack the enemy. And we are later rewarded with the barren room and two chairs which look like thrones. Normally if they’re aligned like that it represents a queen and king. At some point in the video the chair becomes a snake throne and it’s only once chair left. Which, as we watch, represents her and her venomous aura. There’s also a scene with the heart cloud and a loveseat. The heart definitely is a callback to one of her skills which is a charm which of course charms her victims to come towards her making it easier for her the kill them. In the video the smoke becomes a loveseat which of course kinda has its name for reasons. I’m assuming that when she gets what she wants she “kills” her victims by ruining their lives through scandal or whatnot which is why all the chairs then combine into that one snake throne and the apartment area is on fire. When you said that “she’s controlling the fire and not trapped” really clicked with me. In reality she controls the whole situation and enjoys ruining people’s lives (stated in the song and in actual game lore). And she does it all in the dark with no evidence she was there. That’s why later in the video she’s back on the outskirts of town with all the lights turning on leaving her victim to burn by themselves. Evelyn is a snake. She’s pure evil in game lore. And in the K/DA lore she’s a diva who isn’t afraid to trample over people to get what she wants. We barely see her here because you don’t see her in game at a certain point. The only time you do see her is when it’s too late and she’s in your face killing you.

[@davegalinato5207]

Nice one girl 👌

[@KailasProject]

Thanks for giving me some true insight from the point of view of someone who actually plays the game. I love this video, and I think the more I learn about Evelynn as a character, the more it all makes sense in the concept video. It also makes me wish there was an entire show dedicated to her that I could watch. I'd be such a sucker for that. I'm having a crush on her right now.

[@MrJethroha]

The snake imagery might also be a reference to the mating tendency of some snakes, where males pile onto one another on top of a female to vie for her attention. Female snakes tend to be much bigger than their male counter parts, enjoy the heat they give off in order to recover from hibernation, and occassionally cannibalize their mates after the deed is done - so it all kinda fits with Evelyn's character.

[@Whysoshort]

So the league of legends character Eve isn't cursed so much as it is the nature of her existence. She is a force of nature. A predator and there was never a time when she didn't feed on the pain of others. She was actually born during a world War where she was surrounded by pain and suffering and would eat to her hearts content But now the world (Runeterra) is in a time of relative peace so she is literally starving. She does everything she can to bring more pain to those she hunts but it is never enough. Her KDA persona though is a different universe and a different person. There we don't know the whole story but it is implied she is killing her lovers. Since she is more or less a human in KDA im actually really interested to learn more about her psychology

[@rayelikesdancing6181]

Very interesting! I’m imagining that her KDA persona, according to the videos and the songs, is that she’s a celebrity with teeth. I don’t see her literally murdering people, but I do see her as a shameless Diva. One who would yell at an intern and never lose sleep. Maybe would sleep better. She’s all the stereotypes of a Heartbreaker, selfish, materialistic, promiscuous, etc celebrity. But she has no remorse. Would imagine her to be a high functioning sociopath in the world of fame. Her most likable virtue would be that she’s not fake like others. She tells you who she is from the get go. But people are still seduced by her charms, but like in the fable about the snake and the boy, she says “you knew who I was from the beginning.” Anyways, that’s how I imagine her.

[@Whysoshort]

@@rayelikesdancing6181 i really like this interpretation and it feels pretty much spot on. In her KDA blurb it starts shes notoriously difficult to work with because she has to have everything done exactly her way and she once walked off the stage at a concert because they used a backing track she didn't approve. When I said its implied that she is killing her lovers its more like: Those rumored to be her lovers are disappearing mysteriously. Anyway. I love Evelynn. KDA or Base Evelynn.

[@QuarkDoge]

Villain isn't perceived as a k-pop music video, like other K/DA videos do, it's kinda closer to cinematic representation of the character, i think. Out of K/DA style but more beautiful and deeper.

[@кринжовникк]

Oh hi quark, what are you doing here? Ах да, я забыл, что ты тоже человек... Лигой увлекаешься или просто анимациями от рито?

[@QuarkDoge]

@@кринжовникк к риотам неровно дышу)

[@Schpyder]

God... this video. Whoever the director was on this needs some serious props, because this really is some next level auteur shit. The framing, composition, and lighting are just fantastic in a way VERY few videos reach. The thematic consistency is spot on for almost the entire video. TBH, the muscle car scenes are a *little* out of place vis-a-vis the rest of the shots; I understand how they work from a lore perspective, but the high action seems just a little off compared to the very... deliberate pacing of just about every other shot. Still, that's an incredibly minor complaint. And can we just go ahead and throw some major recognition to Trizz Studio for realizing this? Pop/Stars and More had some nice visuals, but this is some next level stuff. The quality of the materials and material physics, the lighting, the water/fire/smoke simulations, all about the best I've seen. That iridescence on the car-to-snakeskin transition! And the level of detail in the physical structure of Eve's hands as we get the closeups of her running them up the spikes in the first prechorus! Jaw-droppingly good. I didn't know I wanted this song, and it blew me away. I had no idea they were going to go this far above and beyond for the video (I expected a Baddest-eque lyrics video, honestly), but this is now by FAR my favorite bit of video work from Riot. Just a fully-realized concept, start to finish.

[@chrisanderson7820]

They really accomplished this fine balance between making her "real" or "human" and also otherworldly, both simultaneously. A lot of it is accomplished by really simple things like the way she taps her fingers on surfaces, it looks both like a human hand with nail extenders then the way they sort of skitter make you think "errr there's something alien under all that". Favourite visual though? Going inside the eye, entering her mind, snakes and chaos. That and the blood vein wing silhouette in red, the devil-angel imagery. I love both styles the energy KPop and the experimental stuff, the fact that they can branch out with different styles yet still feel like a KDA core. Those guys at Riot Music feel like they've locked themselves in the Tower and the rest of Riot's game division just hear the mad laughter as they go full Mozart+Lord Byron.

[@morvous1]

Another video where the purposeful imperfections are so perfect. Like when she is walking out into the wasteland for the first time and you get the hero shot of her walking into scene, You get to see just a hint of a stumble in those high heels like a real woman might have on loose footing like the dirt scene. Such details make all the difference.

[@kunaiflicker]

I love the analysis. I never thought that this artistic take on her revealed her weakness in a sense which is loneliness and the inability to be satisfied. She's so badass that somehow I didn't see that before but now I see it and I realized...that's how this is a compelling video in a sense. She's not just sinister or sexy, but you can feel her longing for something and that's crazy to sense in an animated character.

[@kevinshen3208]

How to actually portray a strong female while maintaining the feminine aspects.

[@muffy7323]

A little detail that I didn't see many people pointing out, is that Evelynn's hair when she is only a silhouette makes her look like she haves horns, like in this part: 6:15

[@moviecrush8624]

Whoops, totally bought Eve's skin because of this video

[@siah7715]

Whoops got this skin for free from KDA event

[@lauravedovatto100]

;-;

[@shimotsuki.4385]

@@siah7715 how-

[@shimotsuki.4385]

@@siah7715 i didn't-

[@siah7715]

@@shimotsuki.4385 League of Legends Philippine Server held an Event. Every week you need to earn 25 points. 1 point for logging in and 3 points for winning when you reach 18 points you can claim first prize then 23 points second prize then 25 points is for the last prize. I got this Evelyn skin at first week she is the last prize for the first week. And this event last for 4 weeks so Philippine League of Legends players got lots of Free orbs and skin. But now the event is finished. Sorry my English is bad hehe

[@hazelnutcola]

just a tip, if u wanna talk for a long time like when you explain the medusa story you should pause the video rather than repeating it again and again lol great video tho

[@Shiroze]

Yeah, that distracted me a lot 😅

[@lh2293]

It kind if got me enraged hearing the same 3-5 seconds of song over and over again 😂 I was like: the cd got stuck how do I slap this cd Player so that it goes on again!?!

[@intrepidsomnambulist3413]

This MV is what made me love Evelynn. What I also love about it is that the song also basically shows how Evelynn should be played: you do ganks from the shadows (as with most junglers) and with these ganks, it's not always a sure win, or maybe youll pick off a squishy enemy champ but then get killed by another champ, hence the line "Type to risk my life, not afraid to die": it's always a gamble. She also has the ability to go invisible at level 6 with a heal, which is how she stalks enemy champs, or escape almost deaths but return when enemy thinks you've gone. And when you get hit by her charm ability, you get to see the timer above your champ's head: either enemy evelynn is going to damage you or she's harassing, which I think could be connected to the line "Is it really a surprise if I'm playing with your mind". As a jungler, you also have to be in control of the map: you keep track of where everyone is then you pick off an enemy champ that's alone (and squishy), which is also important when you're playing Eve. I really love the concept they have with this MV. It's both something you can appreciate with zero knowledge of League and appreciate even more if you do.

[@Urukage]

Man my mind was absolutely blown when I saw this the first time. So amazingly well done. Also, that hip swagger though.

[@karolinatrepsyte9667]

Regarding the cloak over her, I remember that in game, one of her lines are "The night is my veil", maybe it represented those lines

[@raistormrs]

they even went so far as to include the instable walking on the uneven ground, when u look closely u can see her wobbling a bit when she walks best seen in the closeup on her feet at 0:56

[@tsukkirina]

How they captured Evelynn in this video is just soooo good, i too never expect they would do this kind of video. Riot sets a new whole level of how you produced music and video for your game :)

[@Fecal_Eruptions]

This is by far my favorite KDA video, and one of my favorite videos of all time, in any space or conversation. Also never disappointed with your analyses. Best breakdown channel I've watched. Outstanding intuitiveness, perceptiveness, and overall interpretive ability. Keep up the good work man!

[@LuegiM-y6l]

As a league player and a fan of greek mythology, I really appreciated your thoughts on the medusa imagery analysis present here and in the More MV. Thank you sir, you are quite well read. That is also the 1st time I heard of the interpretation that it was a "between 2 girls" thing. It always struck me as odd that the victim was given a sentence/curse, great (modern) insight. With regards to K/DA Evelynn and the Runeterra Evelynn, Riot has stated that these are alternate realities that have individuals who may have similarities but are distinct from each other For example, these two 1min vids from Riot summarizes Runeterra Evelynn kzbin.info/www/bejne/nmqbp3SdibacntU kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZzYYWubm5KSepI She doesn't really exist for anything other than to feed on pain as opposed to K/DA Evelynn whose personality is deeper, given the music vids and comics released about the K/DA universe

[@FallenLight0]

I thought I was the only one who thought the heart was "anatomically feminine".

[@rafaelhanzen]

I Love your analysis man, thank you for sharing your thoughts on this masterpiece.

[@devilboy1101]

A moment of silence for my man here Eve has finally taken him it’s been almost 2 weeks

[@pikaboubou]

Dude, Evelynn is the most stunning character ever. She's delicate, smooth, epitome of female beauty, and yet she has this deadly, raw, masculine energy. I feel like you could be any sexuality and still fall at her feet. She's like... pure sex and 'unexpected' death. A true hunter, Venus fly trap, exotic predator. Oof, girl is perfection 👌

[@Miku-Izayoi]

The audio clip evelynn has for her song at first felt weird since she said she likes to focus on visuals,tell a story and take us on a journey. After seeing this mv, it finally made sense XD Im guessing somethings are meant to be interpreted since in her audio clip she says at the last part that "its not what you see that matters, its what you dont."

[@bowwing333]

What you said about Medusa who was cursed but also given the gift to protect herself from that happening again..just flipped my whole world around. Medusa must have spent so much time being terrified...lonely....bitter...disgusted by herself... and her only sin was that she was born appealing to the eyes. What a land mind of a curse it is to be beautiful. It would be better to be homely and know genuine love than have all the powers of attraction beauty can afford but become more and more hallow inside trapped on the other side of a reflection that is not truly their own.

[@Jonili]

Incredible breakdown not knowing her entire lore. Very precise taking it in to account ! The medusa theme is used in "kda" songs even though it has nothing to do with her lore. She is more like a "Succubus". One of the 10 primordial demons in Runeterra.

[@pahan131]

Evelynn is one of my favourite character cuz I love demons and I love her style

[@Spongie]

If you enjoy this kind of artistic direction, you might want to check out a very short one they made a few years back called "Jhin: Mind of the Virtuoso". You could add it at the end of your next video as a bonus since it is pretty short.

[@OwlOnFire]

Yes!!

[@LeftInLyoko]

I just want to say that you're great man. I've been watching reactions trying to figure out why I found this video so stunning. I'm not a filmmaker so I wanted that perspective. I watched a bunch and I have to say you're in a league of your own. You broke everything down in a very concise way that I could understand and it was still really interesting. You seem super genuine too. Keep it up!

[@PhilipHarts]

Thank you so much for this 🙏🏻🍻

[@meep424]

I absolutely love the almost realism of this video. I hope they do more of this with the other characters. The song itself I can’t stop listening to

[@fanboy6584]

When I first saw the video during the premiere, I thought Philip will be the perfect guy to react with the video and symbols within. Thank you for the reaction

[@SushiCat0316]

btw you can pause when explaining the video, the sound of the music and your voice is kinda mashing up especially when you tell the story about Medusa and Athena punishes her...

[@crystalfae788]

Sephiroth is my favorite girl from K/DA. Thanks for the great video!

[@dexitio]

I love what they're doing with her🔥🔥

[@PhilipHarts]

Yes definitely best girl, you must’ve caught the subliminal messaging with one winged Angel, good my conspiracy with the La-le-lu-le-lo is going as planned

[@zal2303]

Cursed

[@rowiian]

Something that stands out to me in your reactions is the mature perspective you have, if that makes sense. The way you notice imagery and how you word yourself, like "feminine imagery" and your tangent about Medusa, is so different to other KZbinrs i've watched. It really matches the more abstract tone of this video, and I really enjoyed what you had to say! One of the reasons I'm subscribed to you lol Also, if you enjoyed the aesthetics and design choices of this video, I was wondering if you've played Control by Remedy? It's got striking visuals, centered around Brutalist architecture and the New Weird genre. There are some trailers around showcasing the look and feel of the game, and I'd be really interested to hear your take on it!

[@PhilipHarts]

Thank you!! I haven’t but I’ll add it to the list, 🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@legitimatemedicine]

The aesthetic of this video was amazing. I had no idea Villeneuve directed it, but that makes all the sense

[@ztsquid3000]

Most parts of the video almost fooled me into thinking that Eve was played by a cosplayer. But when I realized she's animated just like the effects; I was like"Holy crap, they did an amazing job with her!" 😃

[@naomichan16]

5:09 someone finally said it :D

[@ModernRocco]

One of my favorite parts of this video is how it seems like you are venturing freely into this part of Evelynn's mind, but it slowly brings you to the realization that you are in the clutches( her claws) of her mind the entire time. She has orchestrated everything in this world from the shadows like a true villain, never giving herself away until it is too late to take action.

[@TheCombatWombat0]

No, I disagree, I LOVE the visuals. I love artistic visuals where you just watch and try to cerebrate. It's like the difference between communicating directly with words and then this communicating with cerebral images and I love the emotional response they illicit. Absolutely loved your breakdown, best one I've seen. Have a sub and comment!

[@elfhchan]

Ok, since i am Greek i have to say this... ...The way u potrayed Medusa's character and how it ties in with Evelynn's is amazing to say the least. I have never seen someone else truly grasping how deep the story of Medusa is, how intimate her curse and how painful, you did a great job explaining, and for that i have to say thank you. Medusa is one of my fav figures of greek mythology and Evelynn one of my fav lol characters, i enjoyed your video so so much, well done!

[@yuchichiu5162]

when u said "this style" in the beginning; i thought u said "this thigh" lol

[@andyelbevis]

Evelynn’s thighs are worthy of obsession lol

[@tensai_kodai]

From marketing, skin design, music production, video production, etc. There are at least 10 teams of masters of their craft coming together for K/DA this time around. It is truly something to admire!

[@sylstudio2240]

Great analysis man- very fascinating

[@PhilipHarts]

Thanks Joe!

[@Cilibi]

It's interesting they went with snake imagery - she always gave me spider vibes with the claws, especially as we see her trail them up walls, I never made the Medusa connection but it's a super cool thought.

[@PhilipHarts]

Thank you!!

[@Sohalia06]

I ended up watching a few different analyses of this song by you, a music producer, and a music video editor that's really made me see a number of things in a new light, but it wasn't until I landed on your video that I realized the snakes, besides the medusa theme you pick up on, probably also represent her ensnaring her prey even tighter, much like snakes do in real life. Some of the shots show them all flowing around an otherwise unseen object which could very well represent the implied target of the video and I think that's actually so cool and thematic to Evelynn. Actually forgot to add that the scenes with the couch... during the second verse, the couch is revealed from a cloud of smoke after the heart, with the implication that she's charmed her target and has invited them to an intimate space, but later into the video, during the 3rd and final chorus, this time the couch is swallowed up by the smoke as her true intentions become more obvious and dreadful and it's clear there was never really any good intention and comfort to be found there. Anyways! Thanks for sharing your perspective and getting me to see new things! It's super cool to hear how other people interpret it!

[@victoriliev265]

This is honestly insanely well done! It gives away so much! Basically it conceptualizes Evelynn's lore within the K/DA universe (K/DA is an alternate realm using the standard LoL characteers), where she is a high power Azakana (demon) that feeds on pain and she chooses to inflict it via seduction of men. Her name is literally Evil Villain (Evelynn). The video represents the events that happen once she targets you. It starts with the lonely city where there is no one and Evelynn is in the shadows searching for the next victim, when the light turns on and she goes in for the kill. That is when she peeks through the creek of the door and you can see the warm inviting light with the cold harsh city light behind her. The room represents her victim's mind. She appears there as a seductive image in almost like an oasis-like space in the middle, or as a very luxurious chair that you want to sit on in the middle of the empty room. You want to even though you know it is out of place and shouldn't be there. The dancing she does with her hands is very snake-like and shows how in control she is (those long deadly nails just caressing the surface without doing any damage but she could switch if she so desires). This is where she entices you, then the heart pop represents one of her abilities which is a curse on her target that makes it walk towards her (you are under her spell). Here she also scratches the wall showing she starts to inflict very subtle and controlled pain. The video progresses with her turning into a predator (the snakes, which also could represent her lovers). Finally she reveals her true self which is a demon (bridge) and kills her victim. The lights swinging around her represent people looking for her after her kill, hence the city coming to life. There is so much more! I don't want to go on and on but wow! Evelynn's era is now!

[@yuku6921]

yes they could only do the fun pop videos and hype generating cinematics... but do not underestimate the artistic passion of the teams behind Riot thats why we have stuff like Annie: Origins, As we fall, and maybe even Jhin's cinematic trailer.

[@NestorCustodio]

BY FAR the most thoughtful analysis I've seen so far for this video. Great job!

[@mal4797]

I like how you analyze every single scene down to the details. You should react to world of warcraft cinematics, they have many and incredibly good too! I think it's worth to analyze.

[@luboisfat]

16:28 "very feminine imagery.. anatomically speaking" 😂

[@viastephtop]

So while I wasn't sure about the loneliness angle, I kinda see it now. But knowing this character, I think it's less lonely and more empty. She's a creature that has an almost insatiable appetite for sorrow and agony, often using her seductiveness and her sexuality to lure her victims. Problem is, it's often said that her appetite is never ending and she's never truly satisfied. This video feels very minds eye, specifically the minds eye perspective of this character that will never truly be satisfied. She is trapped in that lack of satisfaction. She doesn't have a soul, she tells you that in the song, and I think what she's confined by is her outer shell. On the outside (beginnings of the video) shes trapped in her popstar persona. As the video progresses, you begin to meet the demon that lurks in there. UGH either way this entire video is my latest obsession, the stylings, the aesthetic, the iconography. *chefs kiss*

[@andreschneider2713]

Omg I KNEW IT HAD BLADE RUNNER VIBES!! The fact that it was directed by the same dude is so awesome!

[@Sseumday]

It look so good, I think it's their most realistic animation so far

[@SigroGaming]

How many time you gonna pause the video? Philip Hartshorn: YES.

[@RikyuMntRl]

I'm quite surprised you're not getting more views with such quality reactions videos... You deserve much more ! I'm also sorry to tell you that once you've started with LoL videos, the community won't let you stop haha they are a lot of them out there and you'll see that Riot games never disappoints (except for balancing the game itself hehe). I'm pretty sure you already got everything requested but I'll recommand you to check Annie's video, the art style is just amazing. And on the 20th we have a new KDA video for Drums go Dum (Kaisa's song), I'm hoping for the same quality as this one even though Eve is the queen !

[@rohans8117]

Philip : *watches video* Philip : LONLYNESS

[@Stizzossk]

Great analysis, really appreciate your thoughts. I love that you dive deeper into these and pull so much potential symbolism and concept design theory.

[@kajan_ganja]

I enjoyed your video so much, Your analysis, your comments, your references are just amazing and very interesting to listen to! Watched the whole thing without even noticing , gonna watch more

[@diegoalonso8945]

******Little facts about Evelynn******* (I don't speak much English so I get help from the translator who usually fails xD) I think that although the cinematic may like without knowing anything about Evelynn's lore, it is much more enriching to know her. Evelynn is one of the most important demons that was born from the suffering of people in the middle of a great war that claimed lives around the world, the suffering fed her, however, once the war ended the pleasure she felt decreased along with the suffering of the people. But this demon had to feed and as people fled from this demon (since it looked monstrous) she could not cause suffering for it, she had to devise another strategy, observing the humans it occurred to her to adopt the form of a woman (because She doesn't really have sex) in order to seduce men and when they reach the climax of their happiness or emotion due to lust, She dismembers them to turn that emotion into disappointment, sadness, fear and suffering with which he delights While this is Evelynn's original lore and is not the same as her character in KDA's Parallel Universe, her main personalities and qualities always remain. You could say that although this Evelynn is human instead of feeding directly on people's suffering in a literal way, in this case people's attention feeds her ego and she is still a dominant woman and even cruel if she wants to, she is sexual because his original counterpart uses sexuality to excite men and feed on them. In the video you can see how the monster is symbolized (although always aesthetic) that Evelynn has. When she walks elegantly showing her two tails (which in the original universe she uses to tear her victims to pieces), when her eyes shine in the dark symbolizing the huntress at night and when her silhouette is seen pulling out dark branches from her, all this refers to the monstrocity and true identity of Evelynn, the demon. Original Evelynn login screen (in case you are interested in seeing her design) : kzbin.info/www/bejne/nmqbp3SdibacntU And her presentation of champion: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZzYYWubm5KSepI Finally I tell you that League of Legends you have a lot of content to do although probably due to a question of technology and budget, these videos that you have seen are obviously the ones with the best quality in general. My recommendations are: - Annie Origins: probably the most difficult project of Riot to do in terms of cinematics - As we fall: a musical cinematic that caused a lot of controversy at the time due to the change of lore of a character and certain inclusion in it. - True Damage / Giants: A collaborative group created by Akali, brings together rap, pop and trap and reference a lot to Into the Spider Verse. - The Climb: Cinematic of lore / season - Awaken: Cinematic of lore / season - The cinematics of champions and Legends of Runeterra from the last 2 years

[@diegoalonso8945]

And since we are in this I attach the logins screens of the other kda champions so you can see their original designs from the main universe. Akali: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKC3eqamgKmfqZI Kai'sa: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aaGzXoCmZcipn7c Ahri: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5-9qX1_mLKtn68

[@TassiloVolk]

I believe the "prison" is a metaphor of the mind of the victim. Evelynn is kinda invading spaces every time. Empty Space suddendly filled with furniture? Does it mean, that the thoughts are preoccupied with evelynn,? A Window shes pressing against is weakening? I guess the film depicts how evelynn hunts down lonely men, filling their emptyness and in finale is tearing out their souls - showing in irony how empty she herself is. The lights give the feeling that someone is looking for the preperator but she doesn't give a *. As the city begins to shine - probably signals all options that are available to evelynn.

[@JamesonGaming97]

The animation is so satisfying. I love visual based stuff and this animation is next level with that. ❤❤❤

[@zelioth1405]

Great reaction, I really appreciate how u delved fully into trying to understand the concept of the video in its abstractness. As you said Riot didn't really have any need to have a project like this I feel like most of the league community wouldn't appreciate this work of art as much as just regular hype music videos.

[@foxfox6156]

This deserves number 1 trending and a milion likes

[@daizeemi]

Welcome to the Eve stan

[@rucereal461]

Shes on stalking you...making you drunk n trippy first before you go... whop... Pah!😈🐍 Love to see the gamer + filmaker thoughts on this. :)

[@drdiego3]

I love your analysis. It added so much I hadn't even considered.

[@sonielsoni2940]

Evelynn is what made me start playing league i love that she’s getting love from riot !

[@Zealot2GameParkCZ]

Great reaction and break down... This music video is so unique in a certain way. And it fits Evelynn's character and lore so well. Respect to Riot team, they put so much effort to these videos. PS: If you want to know more about Evelynn or other characters, there is plenty of stories / comics on the League of Legends page.

[@TheMatsuoo]

what's interesting about you mentioning the Medusa imagery is the fact there is also a character name Cassiopeia in the game who is, I'm not sure the name of the creature but her lower body is a serpent and her upper body human. She poisons people, has similar claws to Eve here, and also turns people to stone with her gaze.

[@m___2454]

Evelynn is a demon so basically finds pleasure in seducing and killing her victims. So she's pretty happy doing her evil acts and stuff. Her tails are considered weapons like her claws. She's a demon who disguises herself as "human" so that's partially why she is in so many shadows because she's hiding her true form. She's also in the shadows because in-game Evelynn hides before she kills. She's an assassin character.

[@potatotv7236]

Villain is by far, my favourite Track from KDA. I couldnt agree more with your agruments, and love the analysis. You, dear sir, have earned my subscription.

[@willfrodoful]

Louis Kahn is in this video and that totally makes sense with your analysis on modern architecture.

[@raavenlin]

Yes! I've been wanting to find someone react to Villain! It's probably my favorite song by KDA because Evelynn is the best out of all of them!

[@Altair467]

I absolutely love your indepth reaction to this sort of content. Honestly, reaction videos as a whole are kind of a mixed bag for me, because as a viewer it's nice seeing other people enjoying and appreciating the content that i myself enjoy, but after a while it becomes kinda dull to see non-professionals say "this is nice" and nothing else over and over again. You on the other hand bring a whole new perspective to the table. I have a movie and entertainment background as well and to see someone like you appreciating and pointing out the little details is really really nice. Also, I'd like to add that especially considering how far 3d-animation has come in the recent years and companies outside of disney and pixar pushing the medium as well, it feels really great to watch professionals like you looking at this content with a trained eye. Great knowledge on the directors as well! I can tell that you know your material. Subbed. May i suggest another video for you to check out aside from watching all the League of Legends stuff? Diablo 4 announcement cinematic trailer from 2019. Personally one of my favorites in the recent years regarding 3d-animation. Hope to see more from you!

[@rftg1793]

What an amazing analysis :o It's like you're telling me a story and I want to hear more!

[@ujashgp05]

Love these analysis videos of the games and videos I enjoy. I really like the way you explain things and I could listen to it for hours

[@PhilipHarts]

Thank you so much 🙏🏻🙏🏻 more on the way

[@AlaisDahen]

I really loved this myself as well.

[@TheFaithal]

I love your analysis and breakdown of villain. I definitely prefer the more artistic side of their craft than the more animated poppy style!

[@ghostofasphodel5418]

I love the contrast of this video because in game Evelynn is a demon who essentially feeds off of pain of others, but this video conceptualizes her being alone and as humans being alone can sometimes be painful. Makes all the laughing and and lyrics hit harder when you realize Evelynn wants us to feel alone and in pain so she can get pleasure.

[@lauravedovatto100]

Yes, that's what I said, I'm happy you saw my comment

[@PhilipHarts]

It was epic! Thanks so much for watching 🤩

[@Artificer1793]

Who's here, after watching the 2023 Cinematic, thinking this is 1000% better?

[@Karma12magas]

i like evelynn first because she is badass and second THIGHS also she is a demon that feeds on agony to survive she gets her victimsexcited (the naughty kind) and then she kills them slowly to feed of their agony

[@zubairadams6842]

I love how the whole video depicted her in her "shadow realm" with it being only her in it.

[@MelvaCross]

There is so much going on in this video. There are two things I especially like: The transition from the muscle car to snake skin to silken sheets. It just shows so much Eve is all about. Power, hedonism, luxury, evil and sex. The latter is important for the image of a pile of snakes. Because that's how a lot of snakes ... copulate. And she has control over those "snakes". Deciding when to become a part of the snake pile and when to leave them crawling on the floor. Very powerful sexual imagery going on. I love it!

[@YuenQestir]

loooved the inight on this! Very informative but while I agree with the part on the 'alone imageriny' Eve is not lonely in the lore bc she can't feel it - she's 'just' a demon who stalks and feed off of agony of others - If anything she wouldn't want anyone or anything to disturb her hunts

[@azuresparrow3453]

Bizarre sporadic ambition summarizes Riot's approach pretty well. They have this game with over 150 characters that they're adding more to every year. The most many of those characters will get in terms of narrative is their background and color stories on their Universe website. But since most players won't actually read those... Riot is usually very good at realizing a character & personality within the confines of the 4 abilities gameplay, the character designs and voicelines. Hopefully the Ruined King game coming out next year is just the start of many narrative games exploring the world they've made, right now being a fan of the characters of league is being a fan of a collection of mixed media and short stories and character concepts. They really go all out artistically when they do get a full video to explore a character, Curse of the Sad Mummy, As We Fall, and Annie Origins are their earlier attempts at something like this, because of how wild "As We Fall" was, I wasn't actually that surprised they went this weird. Love just how abstract they went here visually though. The music team there has been on point for so long, even in just the login themes that exist for all but the earliest champions.

[@brug-b6d]

Just to be clear, Evelynn has no abilities that turn her enemies into stone.

[@dexitio]

Great Video Phil!!

[@PhilipHarts]

Thank you, glad you’re enjoying them, more to come!

[@gioka6914]

One of my first champions, even when her was ugly around 2015 i love her