Let's Watch - Digital Circus

The jester girl MUST suffer...
Watch the pilot here - • THE AMAZING DIGITAL CI...

[@alipenn5302]

One of my favorite theories is the one where Kinger was originally a game dev, and the insect collection was a reference to him looking for bugs/glitches

[@pteroid11]

Could explain why he's characterized as a King. He has Admin privileges but because the circus erases your memories he forgot.

[@alipenn5302]

@@pteroid11 and maybe the same goes for the queen character whose picture was crossed out on one of the doors

[@Multi1]

I actually developed the same theory when Jax said he was the first one there.

[@carolinemckee7009]

One of my theories is that Pomni isn't new to the digital circus. Whenever someone abstracts and their mind breaks, Cane seperates the player from the now broken and glitched out character model, wipes their memory to prevent them from relasping into that state, and puts them in a new avatar. The reason he dosen't tell anyone else is to keep them from worrying or having a crisis. This does imply Pomni was formerly Kauphmo (however you spell it), who was referenced to be a dude, but if the game has the power to wipe someone name and physcial appearence from their mind, I don't see why it could change their voice. Again, just a theory from one episode with a lot of holes. But it is interesting that Pomni showed up around the same time Kauphmo abstracted.

[@zcubeDbz]

I think the insect collection was in reference to the gloinks

[@hpalpha7323]

I saw a japanese person on twitter say that the ending was really scary to them because in japanese folklore, if you find yourself in another world and you eat the food, you can never return home. It's a big part of the plot of Spirited Away

[@durratulaishah3703]

Oh gosh 😰

[@finiffox9945]

reminds me of hades and persephone,and how eating the pomegranates would ensure a permanent stay in the underworld.

[@jacobwansleeben]

Wasn't it also a big part of the plot in Spirited Away that the main character was only able to return to the mortal world because she was able to remember her own name (something that none of the characters in The Digital Circus can do)?

[@noremac7216]

That's common in multiple mythologies from different parts of the world. Someone already referenced the Persephone myth but it's even found in some native American. I think it's because eating is such an innate part of our existence that it's normal for cultures to spiritualize it in a way that connects them to the world

[@anitachamberlain3391]

I wonder if that type of storytelling/mythology has to do with the Christian narrative I always heard about there being a big feast once you get to Heaven. A bit weird to draw a connection, but I'm just seing the pattern of "strange new mystical world.... then you eat the food of that place."

[@zixserro1]

One of my favorite little behind-the-scenes facts about this pilot is that Gooseworx had 5 or 6 different concepts that she wanted to make the pilot be about, and couldn't choose which one to use, so she just threw them all together because she thought it'd be more chaotic.

[@RoyalStarlord]

What even were the concepts?? :3c

[@_raboot_]

@@RoyalStarlord they were all about you! :3c

[@RoyalStarlord]

@@_raboot_OH FUCK BEING STUCK IN THE AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS WOULD BE A FREAKY COMBINATION OF HEAVEN AND HELL The colors are nice, but everything is rated for teens and pre-teens. I would lose my mind after a while. D:

[@_raboot_]

@@RoyalStarlord that's true, imagine having to live in a way that you're being recorded 24/7 and if you ever get demonetized you explode

[@feritye767]

@@RoyalStarlord probably gather the gloinks, kaufmo's abstraction, pomni trying to escape, zooble being abducted, and MAYBE the ''gloink queen'' was a seperate concept before it got combined

[@NadirEatsRocks]

I love how the pilot was 20 minutes, the actual stream was 90 minutes, and the highlights reel is a full hour

[@DraconasTenZHG]

You know what's super funny? The Cane's voice actor is the same dude who made Spa- Spamton G. Spamton voice dubs. And both these characters have same vibes.

[@Jarp5872]

Jax is N from murder drones And the abstraction is Uzi from murder drones … HOW?!?

[@Jarp5872]

Or the monster one of the two

[@KrasMazovHatesYourGuts]

I'm still convinced that these aren't the actual people, but digital copies that were made when these people put on the headsets. The originals are still out there, but the copies are basically stuck in the Circus.

[@readwrecks]

I thought that too! That’s pretty much the only thing that explains why they have personalities and language and some understanding of the concept of a digital world. And why they don’t eat or sleep, but don’t die, or have any memories of who they were before.

[@jacobwansleeben]

It's never stated that they never die. So another possibility is that they're hooked up to a machine so technologically-advanced that it's capable of: 1. Selectively erasing specific memories they have while keeping others, that way they still remember things like what they did right before entering the circus, or how to speak, or what a digital world is 2. Giving their bodies nutrition so they never need to eat 3. Reenergising their brains so that they never need to sleep. I do think your theory is more likely however. @@readwrecks

[@reitrace]

the ark from soma is the predecessor to the digital circus

[@midnights2631]

That would be interesting

[@VENTABLXCK]

oh thats devious, gives huge soma vibes as well.

[@ferociousfeind8538]

10:53 this is in reference to later on when you see that Kaufmo has "been abstracted", and Pomni is definitely being driven insane by her situation but doesn't become abstracted, and Zooble comments that Kaufmo "just gave up like that" I think it's that last key part, Kaufmo "gave up" in some way, or gave something up in some deal with the devil to try to escape no matter the cost, and it costs him his body and/or mind. I think that the abstracted creature has no part of Kaufmo still in it, that it's a body without a mind, hence Caine (who says he has no control over their minds) can't do anything but lock the abstraction away, while being perfectly capable of fixing Ragatha's glitching (and presumably all the rest of the glitching throughout the Tent, including Pomni's) because Kaufmo's mind is somehow beyond saving (even through professional therapeutic help) while Ragatha's mind hasn't been affected supernaturally by the glitching (just in the natural way of, like, pain, and difficulty moving and speaking through the sheer noise that is the glitching around) But, of course... we can't know without more information. Gotta wait for episode 2 and beyond.

[@zixserro1]

There's something to this pilot that it gets absolutely right, which I think may be why it has such a fandom around it (aside from the incredible character designs and characterizations), something that I've seen a lot of pilots/first seasons of animated shows fail to do. It gets its entire premise and story across. This short could be all that ever exists of TADC, and it would be fine as a standalone one-off cartoon. A lot of cartoons lately have been written under the assumption that they can spread a story across three or more seasons, when many aren't guaranteed more than one. While TADC's odds are high to have a lasting series, it seems like it's packing a lot of information into a single episode, so I feel like they could put out ten episodes and make something that feels like a completed show, which is something that more animated shows should be doing. The team working on this feels like they understand that more than most "professional" teams making shows for actual networks, where they make two seasons of a show expecting to wrap everything up in the third, then getting told during the start of third-season production that the show was cancelled for an unknown reason, despite massive popularity and a wide audience. It feels like whatever gets made for this, it's going to be a full complete show, and if anything gets made beyond what's planned for the first season, it'll only be additive to what was done in season 1, rather than being a continuation of a story that was set-up in season 1.

[@alipenn5302]

TADC THEORY: The characters are all COPIES of the human users who wore the headset. Said humans are now just going about their daily lives, maybe a bit confused about why the headset just stopped working after "Scanning Them Into The System", but ultimately shrugging it off, if they think about it at all. Meanwhile their digital selves have NO IDEA that they're actually copies. Could also be an AU idea depending on where canon goes

[@hpalpha7323]

that's kinda the plot of Soma

[@montyshark3993]

Black mirror

[@alipenn5302]

@@montyshark3993 I've seen the black mirror episode.

[@montyshark3993]

@@alipenn5302 okay, so not very creative shame, shame, get shunned

[@martinderabbie3429]

More likely the Lighter AU Version

[@Cecona]

I have seen quite a bit of thirst for Jax. I feel this was expected considering he and Pomni are the first to get plushes

[@musicaddic95]

17:22 OH MY GOD! I haven’t thought about that in forever; talk about triggering a core memory, thanks Saber! 😂

[@HeraclesN-fp1bw]

6 Characters in Search of an Exit - Pomni is voiced by Lizzie Freeman who also voices Hinata (Tokyo Revengers), Chisato (Lycoris Recoil), Chizuru (Rent-A-Girlfriend), Trish (JoJo), Rin, Charlotte, & Sumella (Isekai Cheat Magician), Sempai (Magical Sempai), Kizuna (Shield Hero), Chitose (Tonikawa), Lisia & Sabrina (Pokemon), Patamon (Digimon -2020), Falfa (I’ve Been Killing Slime for 300 Years …), Labilia & Mithra (Edens Zero), Kaya (My Happy Marriage), & many more - Caine is voiced by Alex Rochon who also voices Foxy (Fazbear & Friends) - Jax is voiced by Michael Kovach who also voices Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel pilot), N (Murder Drones), Rocky (Lackadaisy), Letty (Dragon Goes House Hunting), Bunny (Akudama Drive), & a few more - Ragatha is voiced by Amanda Hufford who also voices Haniyyah (Genshin Impact), Spectral Shifter (SMITE), Engineer #1 (Rumble Garandoll), & a few more - Gangle is voiced by Marissa Lenti who also voices Yuna (Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear), Arue (KonoSuba), Sadie (One Piece), Libra (Fairy Tail), Celestia & Cadance (My Little Pony video game), Malva & Mayshure (Pokemon), Chiaki (Gamers), Ariadoa (Cautious Hero), Celestine (How Not to Summon a Demon Lord), & many more - Kinger is voiced by Sean Chiplock who also voices Thad, Ronathon & Sam (Murder Drones), Subaru (Re:Zero), Shiki (Edens Zero), Metal Lee (Boruto), Guido & Sorbet (JoJo), Daewi (The God of High School), Shin (Dorohedro), Keiji (Mob Psycho 100), Siebold & Nanu (Pokemon Masters), Kyo (Shield Hero), Draken (Tokyo Revengers), Choromatsu (Mr. Osomatsu), Bukkororii (KonoSuba), Shun (Oddtaxi), & many more - Zooble is voiced by Ashley Nichols - Bubble & the Moon are voiced by Gooseworx aka the creator of the series herself - Gloink Queen is voiced by Elsie Lovelock who also voices Uzi (Murder Drones), Charlie’s singing voice (Hazben Hotel), Mary (Moriarty the Patriot), & a few more

[@epicthecandydragon6079]

I buy into the theory that they’re not humans at all, they’re digital copies. Pomni couldn’t take off the headset because for her, it didn’t exist, she had been split from the real life brain she was copied from. My current running theory is that their human counterparts are still outside running the program. maybe it’s to test and debug brain downloading tech, or maybe this is all to train Caine. Maybe they originally had an idea in mind for an online game with an AI curator, but the project went in a different direction after they started observing how the digital copies were reacting to and coping with being in the program.

[@Cordray.]

That’s actually a pretty interesting and good theory tbh.

[@kenevans6565]

As a Canadian, this looks like it references so many cartoons from my childhood in the character designs.

[@funnyhappystudios]

It’s all my computer related phobias in one pilot 😳

[@splitdragon3004]

Them not knowing what wingdings are (the phone number) flabbergasted me. Its so easily translatable

[@howdoesonesocial]

Yeah, i was a little caught off guard actually lol. Though I think most people only know about windings because of Undertale.

[@TheRuneTail]

Michael is a great voice actor and Zooble is Ashley's first official voice acting gig and she did great The crossed out characters are the other Abstracteds

[@montyshark3993]

Pomni ong just like me when i realise the severity of my situation

[@zcubeDbz]

One of my favorite things to come from this is the fact that because so many people came forward saying that Cain was going to turn out to be evil, that I believe Gooswerks came out and said; "No, he's not evil and he's not going to be evil"

[@howdoesonesocial]

I would never suspect that he's evil necessarily. He's just an AI I believe and just seems to be playing his role as the ring master and keeping the digital world operating. He's chaotic for sure and definitely hiding stuff but I imagine there's some deeper reason behind that which we don't know yet. Maybe he has some sort of built in goal in his code or something that he'd designed to acheive or else something bad happens to him? If he's just AI, then he's replaceable, so if he can't complete his purpose then he could just be deleted by the humans who are probably running this program. I imagine Caine is being trained to be the perfect AI game ring leader/developer since he claims to be developing the AI himself in the second episode and making them more and more lifelike, so his desperation to get the cast to participate in the adventures is likely just him trying to prove he can actually do his job. Maybe he needs a certain level of participation for each adventure?

[@CaptainSeaDog_]

8:30 actual thing millennials do that annoys me a lot is assume zoomers are unaware of old tech or references to it. A lot of the tech yall grew up with was still in use not to mention when you see cartoon’s refrencing it you eventually learn about it. I don’t think I’ve ever met a zoomer who doesn’t get the dial up noise. Yall aren’t that old :P

[@drewo.127]

My young sister knows what VHS, CDs, and of course old computers are/look like, despite being born in the late 2000s, when DVDs and Blu-Ray and digital copies started becoming more common, and even iPods! I think I even showed her a few CD ROM games back when I was still in middle school and she was 2 or 3 yrs old I think! (Reader Rabbit Toddler anyone? Cars on CD ROM? Incredibles: Rise of the UNDERMINER? Those old Blues Clues games? Leapfrog and Jumpstart!? FREAKING ELF BOWLING!? SPACE CADET PINBALL!? MONOPOLY? WHEEL OF FORTUNE CD ROM?)

[@mosstits]

I think the main problem is that there are still a lot of people who confuse gen z with gen alpha. Gen Alpha is super young and may not actually know of these old tech (yet). In this case, Saber's comment is valid. Most of Gen Z today are old enough to know more about tech, especially as they're taught in school (usually history sections). It helps that retro has risen in popularity since the pandemic, so the younger ones are now familiar with them.

[@Lexibon_1906]

Finally. Someone with standards is talking. 🙏

[@tjm644]

51:26 I heard Last Supper reference and immediately notice Pomni and Gangle are the only ones with their hands off the table. What's going on there?

[@NicTheNarrator]

This was an amazing Pilot! Hope we get a full season! Also something to think on, if abstracted characters can make things glitch, is it maybe possible to crash the game? Maybe that's how they'll get out? Just a theory for you, a FIM THEROY

[@ztsquid3000]

C&A=Cain and Abel

[@momoluvr123]

Don’t worry, Saber, I LOVED the pinball game and that imitation was spot on 👌🏼

[@dontcallmeshirley5786]

I think Caine was human but has his consciousness trapped in the character that he created and has come to terms with the fact he is alone which is why he makes false exits to keep people in the game.

[@Zoeythedirewolf]

Caine is confirmed to be an ai

[@dontcallmeshirley5786]

​@@Zoeythedirewolf Okie dokie.

[@connorthompson8376]

Speaking of creator vs company and creative differences, there is a real story about that in regard to #TheOwlHouse . You made one review about it shortly after it premiered, but I would love to see a review video now that it has wrapped up.

[@Ashbrash1998]

I fins it interesting the clown's abstracted form looks like a seal, which can fit with the clown theme but they also had the "fins" work like feet. Which I have seen done before in animation.

[@japbstudios]

56:25 Man, there's supposed to be twenty-four hours in a day and I sleep for ten, consecutively, I'm pretty sure the amount I've slept is more than one third at this point, I'm willing to bet it's going to stay that way too.

[@PhantomPhera]

I just know people are going to make Pomni's Trauma into a joke/ fetish

[@shadowofseattle1338]

How? And what? Please explain I'm morbidly curious

[@PhantomPhera]

@@shadowofseattle1338 Well a ton of people in fandom will say they like stories/ care about a characters mental health when they don't and treat characters who face serious Trauma as a joke or as some gross fetish For example on jokes. A lot of the owl house and Amphibia fandom will make compilations and memes about the characters facing intensely traumatizing events (Mainly characters like, Luz, Marcy, And Anne) Some people will often just go hands off and straight up say stuff like "WOO despresion, Oh man Trauma hooray" Obviously not at all treating it as an important thing in a characters story but more as a vector to point and laugh at. As for the fetish side. Fandom also likes to fetishize trauma and abuse by often sexualizing said things. There's too many fandoms that do this but the prime example would be the Shera fandom being that Catra was always super abusive towards Adora physically assualting her, Verbally degrating her, embarrassing her, threatning her friends ect. And the fandom and creator saw all that abuse and still shipped them, Alot of people snap at this criticism with the usual deflections like it's "Just fictional, fiction doesn't effect reality, well don't watch it" ect. Some people straight up said in question as to why they think it's okay to fond over woman who brutally beat echother and many said "Cause it's hot" Prime example of such cile behavior. This gross treatment of characters mental health and well being by both fandom and creators is unfortunately very common and more so when characters are of marginalized groups. So many people already are treating Pomni's clear mentel health crisis as a joke and this does effect how people in real life are effected.

[@shadowofseattle1338]

@@PhantomPhera oh.

[@PhantomPhera]

@@shadowofseattle1338 Yeah. Fandom pretends it's not real but it is

[@smugtomb2479]

This is where Johnny silverhand was when he got hit with soul killer:

[@Multi1]

I wonder if 150 million views is enough chance for enough money. It's probably the most viewed and especially popular pilot animation in history.

[@TheJester423]

“Have any of you seen Tron?”

[@ScarIsARebel]

Saber gonna drive me nuts 7:51

[@ScarIsARebel]

KZbin legit broke tho It froze tf

[@InquisitorXarius]

RADIO TIME!!!

[@geardog24]

I’m guessing either Kaufmo was the only one to actually escape or he almost escaped but Caine decided to make an “example” him.

[@cornerstonerailfanimation]

Microsoft 3D Pinball - Space Cadet - is what it is, Saber. (17:29). This is Mason by the way.

[@warwulf1889]

That was always fun to play.

[@animechic420]

Jax kind of reminds me of Angel Dust from Hazbin Hotel.

[@shadowofseattle1338]

I know! It's crazy!

[@beckiminden4837]

I think they have the same voice actor

[@weirdautumn]

Same voice actor

[@Jarp5872]

18:27 Only time you see it is 10:14

[@wraccoresxenos2212]

Was this reuploaded? Edit: saw the livestream ver that was 20 minutes longer then saw the edited ver in feed with a "not watched yet" bar under the thumbnail

[@ThatDudeWithBoobs]

Alex was absolutely the perfect pick for Caine, being the fanon approved voice for Spamton, those two are practically cut from the same cloth 😂

[@templeofthegods]

I have the theory that the perfomers represent different personality disorders. Anxiety(pomni), fear(kinger), selfishness(jax), anger(kaufmo), etc. What if the headset was a technology that was supposed to help cure ppl of their debilitating personality disorders. Strap it on and instantly feel relief from your crippling issue. BUT what if the tech takes those negative aspects of your mind away and dumps them into the circus? That's why they have no memory. Also, it would lend itself to making the existential horror even worse because even with a route back to the real world, they've nowhere to go. 😱🙂 Interesting things I've spotted. * Before the introduction song Caine mentioned "paraphernalia" that "we" would be seeing. That implies objects/items/things and yet what we end up watching is the trapped performers... * When Caines watch detected a player in the Void, he said "oh no, they'll be *spoiled*". That's a word used for perishable goods/food/products..... * When Jax said "she still thinks it's a dream", he was not talking to Ragatha. He was breaking the forth wall and talking to us.... * The adventures aren't dangerous, but Kaufmo's abstracted form was as Zoobles fate barely bothered them but Kaufmo's was seen as a real danger. Re- Jax's reaction to the adventure compared to Kaufmo. *Caine isnt all-seeing because he had no idea what was going on to his circus or players, even abstraction, until Pomni entered the void. Then he still didnt know himself, his wacky watch alarm had to alert him. *Caine barely knows anything about the real world.... " *Drown* in the digital Lake,..... *ridery* at the digital fair" hint at that. If that's so how did he know what offices in the real world looks like? Maybe through the cameras in the place where the headset and computer are sitting? That also explains why the exit maze has "A" computer office room but is not "THE" computer office room. I dont think they are the same because Caine's had no windows or natural light but the one we come out of at the end has natural light streaming across the wall. * Other than the final corridor connected to the void the Exit Maze was totally stable, until Pomni's extreme reaction to the computer and headset started causing the lights to flicker on and off.... why then? 🤔 Thoughts on "sad and weak" Gangle. With Gangle's masks. They both look fragile, and the comedy mask did break after a small drop.( in a little extra from Gooseworx, we see Gangle looking in a mirror with broken comedy masks all over the walls.) But when she was dragged into the Gloink hole her sad mask smashed into the ground, hard, but didn't even get a blemish on it. That implies that her "smile" is so very thin yes.... but that her core, and yes sad, self is a lot tougher than she looks. 🤔..😥💪...🤔 Ok that's some of the stuff ive picked up on. Could it be meaningful or could mean nothing 😅 Edit... i ultimately think that whether it started for a different purpose the current goal of the circus is to create mindless A.I superweapons, the Abstracted human minds. Caine's role is to distract them with nonsense games while watching them slowly give up and Abstract. I suspect that the "Exit door" he created was designed to push Kaufmo over the edge. Appearing only to him, disappearing, and finally to be pointless when he does get inside. Being that it just accomplished its task Caine didnt know to disable it yet so Pomni got caught up with it.... maybe because she and Kaufmo are both clown/jester types? 🤔

[@howdoesonesocial]

I'm not sure "spoiled" was refering to perishable goods. It seemed more like spoiling some future event for that person, though I can't imagine what. Maybe an actual exit or an explanation for why the cast is even in the circus.

[@justenllanos4927]

One of my favorite theories is Jax is a robot wearing a bunny mask and that's why his mouth never moves like benders mouth

[@JJ_Animation86]

18:50 That's scary.

[@clockwerk35]

A reupload, why?

[@shadowofseattle1338]

I don't wanna check, but I'm certain there is already r/34 content of this

[@danicafugit2697]

I’m afraid to go look, it since there are already weird ship Art I’m guarantee there is

[@iamnotthatguy7166]

ADC is peak band kid humor

[@Jr837_]

360p?

[@Typhio]

Fixed now!

[@Malikimusmaximus]

Yo

[@anime_man9874]

im surprised this has so few likes

[@Janet71990]

Please do let’s watch Wings and The Giant King on Simka Entertainment

[@treblebat]

Fun fact: the word pomni or in russian помни, is the imperitive of the word pomnit- помнить, which means "to remember".

[@moxty2795]

Finally you turn off your furry mode

[@jacobhiller3289]

Little less talking. Or if you do, please pause. And do you have to be drunk? Is it that hard to watch a show and talk about it? just need that drink to get through? You are clever and funny without it plenty.

[@Russetfur1128]

It's their channel. They can do what they want. If you don't like it, find a channel that's better fitted to what you DO like

[@KingOfHeartsTANK]

Why is it always sword art online and not the series that started it, .hack//... swo4d art online is awful anime trash