Opera Singer Reacts: "Ups and Downs" - Slayer's Theme from Guilty Gear Strive OST

[@Mrinsecure]

My favorite thing about Slayer is that he's the ultimate Wife Guy. He and his wife are both immortal, both take their marital vows *very* seriously, and they are both obviously, disgustingly, embarrassingly in love with each other. They are the couple you can't bring out to dinner with the rest of your friends because they'll spend the whole night telling each other how cute/handsome/sexy they think the other is, and always seem like they're five seconds away from making out in public.

[@shadowthief19]

Basically Morticia and Gomez

[@Alacaelum]

@@shadowthief19 EXACTLY. GOD... this is so right, Gomez and Morticia are THE couple goals, the duo that not only loves and respects each other, but have a deep friendship too, because this is important, being friends with your loved one is the thing that people seem to think isnt necessary, but is the essence of a true loving marriage.

[@hypercube8735]

Slayer *is* a suave, sexual vampire, but unlike most fictional vampires he's also aggressively monogamous and extremely happily married. It's one of my favourite character choices they made for him.

[@bobono]

@@hypercube8735 i mean it helps when you don't have to eat anyone else because your wife is immortal

[@AfroMidwestern]

You should never be embarrassed about being so deeply in love with your partner that literally can't think about anything else sometimes.

[@gladiumthebrazilian7803]

"My lovely wife is waiting, let's make this quick." -Slayer

[@shadowthief19]

*gets mixed up once* *TOD* *flexes on me with immortal wofe*

[@montigrom]

God i wish somebody crop this phrase without any other sounds, cause i want to make my discord entry sound.

[@DexDavican]

Fun fact: part of the reason Slayer doesn’t struggle with bloodlust is because his wife is immortal and perfectly happy serving as a meal for him. In older games he’d drain her dry at the start of a match.

[@Sassaparilla]

and you could see here fly away like a plastic bag comically.

[@phlogistinatorpb]

God, I wish that was me

[@NeIIy]

Real

[@kachosuffer7]

How the hell does she get all her blood back?

[@gnerus1972]

@@kachosuffer7 from being immortal

[@GothMoth_exe]

fun fact: when slayer wins a game, he takes his wife by the hand, poses, and recite randomized haikus. they went SO hard in pushing the image with him and it goes a long way for how iconic he still is

[@FalseHerald]

In the older games he used to recite a random haiku alongside his instant kill move.

[@firepuppies4086]

Mother gorilla Drenched in heavy sweat Happily bankrupt

[@BackOff_xd]

​@@FalseHeraldAll Dead

[@aganaom1712]

7:27 funnily enough he may actually be talking literally about his wife Sharon. she's an immortal woman due to a coding glitch in the fabric of reality (im not kidding). she has been shown being capable of literally emanating blinding light and is completely immune to any debilitating effects/ illnesses and is incapable of carrying parasites of any kind . she also gets violently jealous when slayer talks to other women

[@randomly2770]

God i need to read Guilty Gear lore

[@16Vessel]

In Xrd, Slayer literally uses her as a blood source in every match intro, after which she flies away like a deflated paper bag

[@roar104]

@@randomly2770 go search up the woolievs guilty gear lore series. It goes through near everything before GGST

[@ThorDude]

​@@randomly2770Don't. Seriously, unless you love diving into many, many wiki articles. Guilty Gear lore and it's story is great, but it's so fragmented across games, trailers, and freaking drama CDs that it's almost incomprehensible.

[@tanamisalt.4415]

and I'm 100% sure she is in to it ​@@16Vessel

[@guiltygamerxrd]

Something I love about this song is that unlike many other Strive songs is that it doesn't evolve over the course of the song. Most other Strive songs the music matches the characters backgrounds and how they were able to develop and grow as people. You hear it in tons of the themes, Bridget, Elphelt, A.B.A, Baiken, Ramlethal. The music eventually has an audible point of overcoming and acceptance, you hear it with either tempo or key changes, or reprisals. Slayer's theme does not do this. Why? Because he's a vampire dandy. For pretty much as long as anyone in the series has known him, he has not changed. He is content and has long since figured out how he wants to live. So his song likewise, keeps a steady measured pace through out the whole thing. His song isn't about him changing, it's giving you advice on what is really important so you can reach that level of Dandyism he has.

[@Alacaelum]

I think they only other character with they same feel... is Johnny, by sheer himbo confidence.

[@jurtheorc8117]

@@Alacaelum *Johnny Bravo theme song starts playing* That's the Johnny you mean, right?

[@Alacaelum]

@@jurtheorc8117 Well... not fafetched why you would think that Johnny, but i mean GG's Johnny... that is pretty much that Johnny too... but he walks the walk as much as he talks the talk more than Johnny. Decipher this one XD.

[@invarkul7831]

Same goes for Sol. As far as I understand music his theme does not evolve either

[@Aurilion44]

@@invarkul7831 Makes sense. I don't know Johny's lore, but Slayer and Sol Badgus are immortal mature men who long since worked out what works for them and are content with following their rules and philosophy. Almost all others in the cast are searching for that something

[@trollman_2345]

Opera singer Shocked by jazzy piano Vampire dazzles you *DANDY!~~*

[@controlcore1]

Dandy....

[@NekkiNosra07]

Dan-dy!

[@crickson9434]

Danmdy..

[@ilavain]

woah... dandy...

[@dragonarchive7443]

Isn't vampire 3 syllables?

[@WhoWhat-vw6jl]

There are two main ways I see people interpret this song. One is that slayer as a vampire has grown old and can’t enjoy the things that he used to like watching the sun rise, but he reminds himself that life has both ups and downs. The second way that many people interpret it is that in the song slayer is talking to two of his students Zato-1 and Nagoriyuki. Zato is blind so he can’t see the morning sun and he can’t feel emotions “the heart turns into stone”. While in the second verse Nago, a vampire swordsman, enjoys fighting (much like slayer) but he’s become so strong “What he missed is that he cannot be overthrown,” that he can no longer enjoy the thrill of battle because he’s too powerful. Slayer reminds them how life is a journey not just a destination.

[@WitnessesSay]

Jokes on you, now we know it was “what he needs is an economic overthrow”. Now it’s referring to uh, gabriel? Man idk.

[@trypticon8619]

@@WitnessesSayI think it’s still talking about Nago, as his theme has the one part about worldly economics

[@ShwingFlam]

COULDNT EVEN JACK MY DANDY TO THIS, I BURST IMMEDIATELY, CLEAN UP IN ISLE, MY NEUTRAL!

[@Sassaparilla]

Can't believe Anji hits a lat spread while lobotomizing his opponent...

[@bingo2744]

Cleanup on aisle Lars canyon!!!

[@captainbones-is3tx]

Guilty gear is very captain bones approved

[@KaptainKommissar]

geek ass

[@RoyaltyFruadulent]

Captain bones

[@limelaminum2935]

Thank you captain bones

[@slayeroffurries1115]

Captain Bones

[@WitnessesSay]

Thank you captain bones

[@jamarswope2341]

Slayer is a fascinating inversion of the typical vampire. So often they’re characterized by emptiness and an inability to follow the voids in their hearts, but Slayer manages to be a vampire with a fulfilling life and positive worldview. I think, perhaps, he realizes how lucky he is to have found a wife who is immortal.

[@drinkingproblem8934]

The song's piano notes feel like Slayer, despite being so immensely old, powerful and elegant, still doesn't lose an almost childlike joy of life and it's many aspects and spreads the message to others Also, the "others" here are most likely Nagoriyuki and Zato, who are his pupils in Dandyism and both can really use this advice

[@maskednobody7906]

Yeah, Nagoriyuki should follow Slayer's ways and marry Elphet already

[@tezla6332]

@@maskednobody7906Nago Gio for life man

[@Vikaryous21]

The format change to a kind of listen-along before the majority of analysis is great, it's fun to jam along especially with pieces so full of joy like this one. As a longtime Slayer player this was such a glow-up, both the new look and the track, glad you enjoyed it!

[@Alacaelum]

Slayer is deeply connect to both Nagoryuki and Zato1, he was friend, master, life coach, and even father figure for both (he is Nago's vampire "parent"). And they deeply respect him. You can see some "dismissiveness" when he talks with them about their struggles, which both are prone to think too much on their present problems, but he too highly praises them for the men they made themselves to be, and they in return are grateful for having this role model to which they can find counsel and follow his steps in their own unique ways.

[@skellyslav]

I don't think he's talking about Nago during the line "My friend enjoyed Paradise for the Palate Holding a platinum knife with sapphire gloves But his eyes did not shine What he needs is an economic overthrow"

[@Grimm_Flame]

Truly 𝒟𝒶𝓃𝒹𝓎.

[@FizzieWebb]

12:29 Slayer is the only one to not get scared by Dizzy's IK in xrd rev 2, where he just shrugs as the nuclear level blast goes off in the distance behind him. Everyone else, even beings as powerful as Sol Badguy will show at least a little fear (or arousal, in the case of Ky Kiske).

[@legomonstuff8601]

Ky really is the true successor of spike

[@hann.1559]

🧛❤🗣️🗣️MY HEART TURNS INTO STONE🗣️🗣️❤️🧛 ⬇️↘️➡️ P

[@xipin5334]

🗣🧛🧛❤️HARDLY THE STUFF OF ❤️🧛🗣🗣BED TIME STORIES ⬇️HS

[@s4tt0o]

🧛‍♂️ ❤🗣🗣 ENJOY THE RIDE🗣🗣🗣 WITH UPS AND DOWNS 🧛‍♂️🗣🧛‍♂️🧛‍♂️ ⬇️↙️⬅️P P

[@toornesol]

*PIANO* 🧛‍♂❤🗣🗣🗣 ⬇↘➡⬇↘➡HS

[@exe7485]

🧛❤🗣️🗣️SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO PLAY SUPPORTING ROLES🗣️🗣️❤🧛🧛 ➡️↘️⬇️↙️⬅️➡️S

[@Sigmund_Froid]

Slayer isn't just Suave, he is DANDY! It's really fascinating to see how Slayer is such a fascinating subversion of the immortal vampire. He isn't bitter, he isn't evil, he isn't sad. He enjoys his life, he has still so much to experience, and he gets to spend that time with his lovely wife. He realizes this isn't his story, he went through his story arc long before the games even started. He's just a side character in this world, giving help and advice to others.

[@GrzegorzSobkowicz]

As far as I know vampires in Guilty Gear are unaffected by daylight, and their only weakness seems to be need to drink blood to survive.

[@kaialone]

They prolly are affected cause in Xrd Slayer's drop item is sun screen with a protection factor of 1000

[@KazeMemaryu]

@@kaialone That's very likely a joke, seeing how neither he nor Nagoriyuki ever showed any aversity to sunlight or mentioned it. He might just not want to get a tan under any circumstances.

[@kaialone]

@@KazeMemaryu TBF Nago has much darker skin than Slayer, so he'd be slightly more resitent in any case Anyway I dont think vampires would literally turn to ash in GG, I just feel its likely the sun isnt pleasant to them

[@Benxall]

​@@kaialone The only mention of the sun and vampires in all of guilty gear lore is the begining of slayers theme funnily enough lol

[@Aurilion44]

@@kaialone That's probably a joke on his dandyism. Getting a tan would mess with his personal sense of aesthetic for himself

[@cream-gravy]

2:01 What so often gets overlooked is that oftentimes, one of the best instruments you can use in songs like this is, ironically, silence. Even just a moment's pause can catch you so off guard, and when used right makes the song impact just that much more. I think Ups and Downs is a phenomenal example of that.

[@Djindas]

YES, thank you! More people need to appreciate these tiny incredible details ❤

[@vaskopoh9512]

LET'S GOO MY FAVORITE THEME! (a side not that just came to my head, the next time you have Dan Graser on the channel, you should absolutely play him The Face of The Deep from Risk of Rain 2, it'll blow him away)

[@combustion1041]

I just got ggst and I became a Slayer main instantly. I love his theme and its even cooler to see Marco review it! You're the goat Marco!

[@captainphoton1693]

The first couplet is actualy zato-1 oriented. Zato became possessed by his forbidden spell (the demon) and is now immortal and has lost his sight. His theme is about how he forgot how people around him looked and how sad and depressed he is about it. Especialy because it will last forever. In slayers theme the first couplet is his storry. Followed by slayers advice on hw to enjoy an immortal life. Second couplet is about nagoriuki. He love fighting. He eat courage by the plate as he try to find powerful foe that dare to challenge him. And use a platinum sword to fight. But he has transformed into a vampire by slayer. And he now cannot be defeated. And so what he enjoyed. Fighting. Has become dull to him. As he is now immortal. No thrill. And again slayer give him advice. Last part is just slayer tho. And how he love his lovely wife. And that he doesn't engage in every fight humanity is having. As he shouldn't always carry humans to victory and let them grow and have a purpose. BTW vampire in guilty gear are actualy immortal, to a certain extent. Both slayer and nago just wait on the ground when you defeat them instead of being knocked out. If I remember right. And don't care about the sun. Slayer's wife is also immortal. And she supply him with all the blood he need as it doesn't affect her. They also come out their castle to go "people watching" as one of their favorite things to do.

[@skellyslav]

2nd line has been confirmed to be "My friend enjoyed Paradise for the Palate Holding a platinum knife with sapphire gloves But his eyes did not shine What he needs is an economic overthrow'

[@captainphoton1693]

@@skellyslav ok so still nago rright? he has blue gloves right? or ky??? why tho

[@captainphoton1693]

@@skellyslav wait I read I through the end. Bruh. I'm dumb. Good one. But I don't get the joke either.

[@skellyslav]

@@captainphoton1693 personally I don't think Slayer is talking about Nago in this line, but Ky. All of the descriptions in the line "Sapphire" "paradise for the palate" "platinum" are indicating that the person in question is quite rich, Ky's a king. The lines also talk about how the person in question isn't enjoying their life/finds life to be quite dull, which lines up with the fact Ky never wanted to be a king and was forced to take a role of leadership that he was quite resistant towards. Then the line "What he needs is an economic overthrow" which happens in the form of Ky's abdication and letting Leo become ruler of Illyria, and this causes quite a bother to the economy and politics of Illyria, he relinquishes control over his kingdom, his riches, so he can live with his wife and child. Same thing with Zato and Milia, Zato's lines about playing a supporting role is all about giving up control to help Milia, the one person he can feel things around. Pretty much the whole song's leitmotif, taking a supporting role and stepping back from the spotlight to enjoy what life has to offer. Even the beginning of the song is a colourful way of describing how it is to be on a stage and suddenly a spotlight gets turned on and it's focusing on you.

[@captainphoton1693]

@@skellyslav OK so you think it's talking about ky. A fairly random character from slayer standpoint. And not the other 2 immortal character. That are really close to slayer, both havnt had too much time to think about how they will live their immortal life. And bothave been robed of something they liked. Nago having central stage in the storry mode for that exact thing he misses, because of slayer, while slayer did actualy saved his life so he is e'cline to give him advice. And the fact that the first one is clearly zato. This one hasn't been disproven yet. Another imortlal character that was in slayer entourage. And that secondary role also goes with the fact he doesn't always come help the humans. And it's in the third couplet. Wich feel much more it's own thing talking about slayer and not the other 2. Like it's just fit well. While yours fit with the sapphire gloves. And that's pretty much it. The platinum blade isn't particularly ky. As if I'm right we know that nago's blade is made of platinum / also made of platinum. Paradise for the palate also fit nago even if less so. And economic overthrow is quite a stretch. Like if that's the official lyrics. And I do mean officials. Not someone saying its more this and less that. OK. But that's so random and less fitting. Plus why would slayer of all, give advice to ky of all? And bythe way. If your source is the wiki. Then scroll a bit down and you will see comment of the guy writing the page. Literaly arguing with someone over how it SOUND... it's not official.

[@Ken-je6fd]

Hey man! Just wanted to say that I really like that you listened to the whole piece before analyzing it.

[@stillwel3989]

absolutely loved, how you breakdown the music fully, and i do like how its seperated from the music listening section so alot more time could be spent on like the analysis of it !

[@AdderMoray]

"Surrounded by precious things the heart turns into stone" It is, as I understand it, more along the lines of Slayer's philosophy as opposed to other vampires and long lived monsters. He doesn't get bogged down in surrounding himself with possessions. He lives for people and experiences and he stays moving. And that way he avoids becoming the broody, calous, self-serving monster of myth. He stays his positive, Dandy self.

[@SuperHexer123]

Slayer is genuinely up there as one of my favorites characters storywise. He's up there as one of the strongest characters, but with his beliefs he favors a fair fight, so he nerfs himself immensely. I also find it funny how Daisuke basically wrote him to be the antithesis to the common vampire in media. He's not bloodthirsty, can vibe in the sun like normal, is adorned in crosses, and wears silver. As far as I'm aware there's no mention of garlic, but I've seen the community joke by saying he's probably fine with it, but just doesn't like the taste or smell lol. They really hit it out of the park with his strive theme and it quickly became a top favorite (granted they keep doing that). Edit: Oop almost forgot, he also isn't affected by stakes. In a past cutscene where he fights Bedman he gets triple impaled by the bed's claw and just walks it off like its nothing.

[@Sassaparilla]

The Nightless (Vampires in GG) are such a cheat code, lol. They're glitches in the universe's code, which is why they are automatically busted, and can do crazy shit like lose an arm to an attack, proceed to punch someone with that now airborne limb like a homing missile, and then just grow another one to punch with that one too.

[@nex8742]

One thing to note is that the lyrics in these videos are not always correct. Naoki is not the greatest at pronouncing english, so it becomes a guessing game of what it is sometimes. The line "My friend enjoys courage for the plate, holding a platinum knife with soft fire glow. But his eyes did not shine. What he missed is that he cannot be overthrown" is really "My friend enjoyed Paradise for the Palate, holding a platinum knife with sapphire gloves. But his eyes did not shine. What he needs is an economic overthrow"

[@JamJarsookLOL]

Idk if you have the lyrics 100%, but yours make more sense and tell a more coherent story. I always love Naoki's passion even if the language barrier gets the better of him from time to time

[@nex8742]

@@JamJarsookLOL Lyrics come straight from Naoki. He'll sometimes post lyrics on twitter when people ask. But yeah his voice carries a ton of emotion and flavor, hes a fantastic artist.

[@Sassaparilla]

@@nex8742 I don't think he's actually that bad at english pronunciation at all. If anything, a lot of the strangeness of the "engrish" in GG Lyrics is part of the beloved camp, and it wouldn't feel right without it. The exaggeration feels too intentional, and often leads to clear intended flow that wouldn't work if the word was pronounced normally.

[@xavgui100]

There's also "Happy ending is just a sad short tea time" instead of "snapshot in time" though you can best hear that near the end when the sing slows down a bit, not that the lyrical difference matters too much from my perspective, since the message is more or less the same.

[@lionsoldier1179]

Fun fact: This song isn’t actually about Slayer! This song is a lesson to his protégés, Zato-1 and Nagoriuki, who are both also practitioners of Slayer’s philosophy , Dandyism. The first verse is to Zato, who is quite literally blind and can no longer see the sun. Slayer is imparting to him that he’ll get used to it and to not be upset about it, because Slayer knows what it’s like to see and know things that go away. The second verse is to Nagoriuki, who was turned into a vampire by Slayer himself. Nago has never lost a fight, and this gets to him, because he’s grown so tired of winning. Slayer is telling Nago that even though he can’t lose, he should still strive (lmao, pun unintended) to be the best man he can be (to let his eyes shine). Then, finally, the final chorus is to both of them. “Heartbeat stopper, bedtime story Sometimes you have to play supporting roles! But what matters is that your eyes shine! In the moment.” Slayer is telling both of them that sometimes they won’t get the spotlight, and even if that’s the case, they should still give it their all, as true believers in Dandyism.

[@kaialone]

That's one interpretation of course, but not confirmed I always felt the first verse was alluding to Slayer and his relationship with humanity after all other vampires (sans Nago) had died out. Like "the darkness is pierced by the morning sun" (vampires die out and humanity becomes the definitive ruler of the world), "that light is beautiful, and I'm mesmerized by it" (nonetheless, Slayer enjoys watching humanity; he'll never be quite the same as them, but their company is not lonesome to him)

[@hamstereater8353]

I wouldnt take gekkosquirrels depiction (hes the only one ive heard this theory from). Why tf would someones theme not be about them? It already fits with slayer himself really well.

[@lionsoldier1179]

@@hamstereater8353 I think it makes sense because Slayer would rather impart knowledge onto others than brag about himself more. He’s powerful, and he knows it, and doesn’t need others to know.

[@skunthundler]

@@hamstereater8353 It's extremely obvious if you've seen his story mode.

[@kaialone]

@@skunthundler Not really, just cause his arcade mode features those two doesnt mean each verse of his theme is about one of them- that's a shallow way to look at it By that logic, Elphelts theme is about Nago and Faust

[@shyguy6898]

Guilty Gear music is a delight I think it's something I have always valued regarding what Arc and their team can cook up regarding the music of fighting games and games in general. Naoki's voice helps with that too, idk why but something about a man from another country speaking in English for a rock song kinda blows me away. Regardless of me tooting their horn I love Guilty Gear and the music they bring. Of course Slayer is no expectation and I think a lot of this music should be studied as its so different from what people are "use" too and thats why it is so captivating to almost any audience because it's very genre breaking nature. As you have stated before Guilty Gear is a Genre and I couldn't agree more with that. I am pleased to see more Guilty Gear on the channel as well as showing others this music as well. It's important that it's shown. Because if every generation can get behind it, then it truly is excellent.

[@gatr2897]

I was wondering if you were gonna react to this after seeing Jack-a-Dandy in your most recent non-gamer video. Excited!

[@ucNguyen-ty9cx]

Man, I love this song so much - I've been listening to it repeatedly since it was released a month or two ago, and it's such a jazzy banger! (Also, DANDY!)

[@oli428]

new vid structure of doing a full unbroken reaction and analysis afterwards works pretty well, good stuff

[@Dracobyte]

Dandyism is backÑ

[@mr_TACTICO]

Ñ my man

[@Benxall]

My ñ

[@cashordeals3672]

Love how his theme is classy Immortal man telling us to enjoy the journey that is life with it's ups and downs 😮‍💨🔥👌🏾

[@thealdoc]

One interpretation is the the first and second verses are him talking about his two pupils, Zato and Nagoryuki, respectively

[@VerCasGa]

THIS is the stuff of bedtime stories.

[@CalebWeirdMind]

The word you were looking for when addressing the seductive appeal of the piano is DANDYISM

[@Catmanjones-]

love the GG reactions

[@justsomeguy727]

The dandiest man to ever do it. Always loved how Slayer is canonically so unbelievably overpowered and it's shown in gameplay by how he just NEVER takes anything seriously. When you beat him does he get knocked out? No . He just casually lays on the ground. Oh you pinned him to the wall? He just chills there with his arms crossed. Hell, his blocking animation in every game has always been him just playing rock paper scissors haha and of course getting hit by him is always terrifying cause of how much damage he always puts out. If there's ever a character that truly embodies the word "Chad", it's definitely Slayer.

[@geraldthegoose1685]

My grandma used to have this old fancy record player that she put in the living room and this song makes me feel like a kid again since this is the type of jazzy frank sinatra music she would have playing constantly

[@hakuya14]

I am absolutely in awe in how much you can discern emotion and character quirks just from the music alone.

[@drive2160]

Bruh, it squirms in your heart, as you vanish into the music! XD

[@kibo8206]

I'm so happy Slayer came back, not even for the gameplay or anything but he's such a good and fun character by himself

[@prrocker9637]

You're right with The beginning of the song making slayer sound like a badass because he is being a vampire and living as long as he has he is strong and like you read in the wiki he is pretty chill and likes people and is madly in love with his immortal (but not a vampire) wife he's basically that friend that is chill gets along with everyone but when it comes to a good fight he's gonna enjoy it and lay down the smackdown

[@TheAngryBeard]

Those little details you brought up, throughout all of Strive's soundtrack, make for a particularly textured experience. I think my personal favourite is during Love The Subhuman Self, where the guitar lead-in at each chorus starts earlier and gets more aggressive as the song goes on.

[@Karlik044]

Funny fact about Slayer In Guilty Gear Xrd, Johnny, a leader of “Jellyfish pirates”, has a “coin” resource. He uses them in combos, kinda like throw and hit them to deal more damage. They are not infinite, so he can steal personal stuff from opponent to use them as a “coins”. Every character has a unique type of item, that is related to him. Millia has a shampoo, cause she uses her magical hair as a weapon, Potemkin got pencils, cause he likes to draw and etc. So, Slayer has a «100% sun protection cream», that gives us a clue, how he can resist sun rays.

[@D-Class-gv9et]

Always great to see you reacting to more GG stuff, I would LOVE for you to react to some older GG songs, like Ride the Fire! or maybe N.S.F.W

[@Justadude.]

I've been waiting for this to happen, I was super happy when I saw this show up on my searching page. Also, nice video! ❤

[@mkol1998]

This song makes me feel like I see a friend and know that they have had a great day, disregarding my day, and feeling happy for them. Odd way of putting it but it's what my mind thinks about while listening!

[@Some_Gamer]

"For one, the iron will to keep one's life or death out of bounds of consideration." "For two, the art of molding that iron will into shape, and the pride that it brings." "For three, what truly decides a battle. Not will, pride, victory, life, or death, but that which delivers those in peril and preserves those in privilege. That is to say..." "Dandyism"

[@KenjiTheSnek]

Idk if you noticed or anyone else noticed: When the song says “sometimes you have to play a supporting role” the overdrive/lead guitar kicks in not as the main instrument, but as an accompanying background instrument.

[@roar104]

really enjoying this format where you listen through once first then break everything down

[@ToyotaCorolla-en2mv]

Slayer, Hellsing's Alucard, and Dio are part of my dream blunt rotation. And Nagoriyuki. If you cant tell i really like vampires

[@lagartopunkarra]

Slayer is the book definition on how to make a good guy vampire

[@deddrz2549]

Slayer is a vampire that is a symbol of dandyism, having that be his main principle as a sort of mix of chivalry, poetry, and being laid-back

[@DeterminedDark13]

I'm pretty sure the song is Slayer talking about his two students Zato-1 and Nagoryuki who are both immortal. The lines "The light is beautiful, I'm mesmerized by it, But soon I can't open my eyes, But eventually I get used to it" is Zato Zato being blind but having his other senses enhanced, he perceives people as "Light" and "Darkness", like he would call a good person a "blinding light". The lines "My friend enjoyed courage for the blade, Holding a platinum knife with sapphire glow But his eyes did not shine, What he missed is that he cannot be overthrown" is Slayer talking about Nagoryuki. He wandered the world trying to find someone who could best him in battle, but the only person that can is Slayer, so he became apathetic.

[@SinApex]

I've been maining Slayer for years, literally 1000% my favourite character in GG. His theme? Banger. His look? Banger. His playstyle? BANGER.

[@diaborosyuzuha9865]

Slayer has some of my favorite animations in any fighting games.

[@WhisperWings_]

Loved this way of breaking down music by the way! was great to get your uncut first impressions then going into your more indepth thoughts ^-^

[@gatr2897]

He feels like such an uncle to the majority of the Guilty Gear cast, especially the other Assassins. He loves Millia, and Venom, and even Zato despite his crimes, he just views them all almost like his children of Dandyism. In Strive when Slayer and Nagoriyuki were reunited, Zato spotted them and he got jealous of Nagoriyuki, and wanted to assert himself as the true inheritor of Dandyism by dueling Slayer, to which Slayer was obviously thrilled. Zato lost but Slayer said he was finally able to go all out against him which made him extremely proud of Zato. It was really cool to see this development from Zato, because up until now the only thing that's really managed to bring his emotions back out since his resurrection has been Millia. It was also cool to get confirmation that Nagoriyuki (another vampire in the series, this time a dandy African samurai vampire! Implied to possibly be Yasuke from real life Japanese history) was indeed turned into a vampire and trained by Slayer. Slayer admits to being pretty irresponsible back then, but Nagoriyuki, despite his jadedness, is thankful for the opportunity to see so much of human history. I can't overstate how powerful Slayer is btw. More people have gotten closer and closer to matching him over the years, some have even debatably surpassed him, but it's still just comical how strong he is. In actual gameplay you can tell he's holding back in some attacks, and yet those attacks still do a ton of damage, and if you defeat him he doesn't pass out on the ground, he just lays there elegantly and gives your character a funny stare. In Xrd, Dizzy's instant kill is one of her wings firing off a blast powerful enough to cause a huge mushroom cloud miles away when it misses, and most characters react to that by being terrified and then surrendering, but Slayer just shrugs and bows out. His own instant kill in that game is him uppercutting the opponent so hard that they break the laws of physics, flying fast enough to exit the milky way galaxy in seconds, all while Slayer recites a randomly generated haiku from a pool of possible lines.

[@TheNeoVid]

When Slayer finally got English voice acting, his voice turned out to straight up just be Sean Connery. It was perfect.

[@lykosvon9142]

Dude this song just makes me so happy, everytime I listen to it I smile

[@popeneiad7968]

Man I love Ups and Downs, every character has some deep philosophical delve into their backstory or arc but Slayer is just here to have a good time :D

[@justinleach4775]

Buried the lede here, but Greg is coming back? Let’s go, meatballs!

[@Unotuchable]

It's great how they went completely in a Jazz direction with his theme this time, his two previous themes (Haven't You Got Eyes In Your Head & Jack A Dandy) are more in a prog direction with saxophones. They both are great tracks but this really does capture that Slayer is just this dandy guy who is just interested in living more than anything else. Also as others have noted in the comments, he is the ultimate wife guy.

[@freelancebabymaker]

if you havent already youve got to do requiem i-nos theme its a really great one for someone like you who looks at both the instrumentals and the lyrics

[@MyxMage]

It is not suaveness, it is not elegance. It is dandyism, my friend. 6:48

[@veryferris]

i like the longer video style, always here for guilty gear reacts!

[@theskinnyone154]

YAAAAAAY I was so excited to see this pop up in my recommended!!!!

[@Joseph-Angelo]

Pilebunker!!

[@aralanstradivari2841]

Honestly, I do like getting to jam at first for a while. Rather than having to pause for an always each time, you just get to have fun with some awesome music, and then go over it after. Plus it helps to preserve the natural flow and momentum of it. To immerse yourself in it. You don’t analyze by tearing it apart, but diving into it. And diving into music and exploring it, you are exceptionally good at.

[@MarcoMeatball]

Thank you! My older videos were more spaced out anyways so I’m going back to that. The thing about music is that you can nitpick everything or not it’s very fun

[@lbinderdal]

Without the lyrics on screen I heard "heartbeat stopper" instead of "hardly the stuff of" and personally like the misheard more.

[@FigAndFriends]

The lyrics are very often wrong, it may actually be heartbeat stopper

[@FigAndFriends]

The lyrics are very often wrong, it may actually be heartbeat stopper

[@FigAndFriends]

The lyrics are very often wrong, it may actually be heartbeat stopper

[@thegoldenaegis]

God I love immortal characters that don't become depressed and instead live out their lives with the happiest attitude a man could possibly have.

[@Grac01]

Lets go more guilty gear! I dont play as much as i used to (all my time to play fighting games rn is being spent on tekken lol) but i still gotta check in for all the dlc characters JUST FOR THE MUSIC Daisuke amazes me every time, i swear

[@AdvayBasavaraju]

This song really does just put the joy of the world and living into your heart! I know it has been a while since you've done anything with Reverse 1999 but their recent patch just featured an opera singer who even sings in some of her voicelines. Curious to see your thoughts on the music, setting and the operas featured. Other than that great analysis as usual Marco and looking forward to more :)

[@MarcoMeatball]

Sponsored vid is coming soon actually and aside from that I was genuinely really pleased

[@AdvayBasavaraju]

@@MarcoMeatball That's great to hear! I eagerly await the video :)

[@nickfrigillana2645]

I don't know musical terminology, but the second piano solo is one of my favorite things ever. It's played like it could resolve at like 6 different moments, but it keeps pushing and climbing forward and up

[@Chopperjaxon]

My favourite interpretation of the lyrics of ups and downs is the one I heard from the guilty gear youtuber GekkoSquirrel. In his idea, the theme is slayer giving his advice of being an immortal untouchable vampire to his disciples of dandyism Zato and Nagoriyuki (Zato you've covered on the channel so you should remember him). The first verse is of Zato's troubles, in his ritual to summon eddy he's been blinded and can't see beautiful things like the sunrise anymore and after his resurrection he can't enjoy the beauty of the world (other than love). The second verse is of Nagoriyuki's worries, as a samurai he is always seeking worthy opponents and testing his skill to be able to become as strong as possible, eventually though he is running out of strong foes to fight mainly due to him being as strong as he is and feels as though battle isn't improving him and he's ran out of worthy opponents. The chorus is Slayer's advice to both of them, they should enjoy their existence with ups and downs, respecting the journey not the destination.

[@necroplayer97]

My personal ideas about the theme and meaning is that the first quotes about the sun and being unable to see it is in reference to zato , and the second part with the man with a platinum knife is nago the black samurai vampire, and him taking a backseat is him taking responsibility for their issues and helping them through them, since alot of zatos problems relate to the assassins guild, and slayer is the one who turned bago into a vampire

[@CodeNameX001]

Slayer is man who's lived for over 500 years, and seen just about everything. He's not just a Vampire, but the founder of the Assassin's Guild. But he's long since moved past all of that. All he cares about is living a fine life with his curiously immortal wife, writing poetry, and teaching the next generation. Despite being a vampire, he doesn't look down on humans. In fact, he finds them fascinating. The way humans are able to do so much, good and evil, with such little time on Earth is endearing to him.

[@n0ham]

New guilty gear ost analysis just dropped ? This is a great day

[@MapleLeafMatthew]

God such a great song! One of the few thats more simplistic then alot of the others

[@ohadcarmi3457]

You should do a video about “Muzan vs Hashira” from the new demon slayer session 4 soundtrack

[@FalseHerald]

Slayer is one of my favorite guilty gear characters. You've got the right idea with the "advice giving vampire" thing. He acts as a mentor towards the protagonist (Sol) as well as the Assassin's Guild members (namely Milia and Zato, Venom is more focused on Zato). He's one of the most powerful members of the cast, but because he's so chilled out he mostly serves as a supporting character. When defeated, most characters are KO'd, but his animation just has him relaxing on the ground. It's very fitting that his song is all about just enjoying life. He is definitely sexy (people went wild for that new design), but he is happily married to Sharon, an immortal inter-dimensional being who shows up in his match intro/win scenes. He's 100% a Wife Guy, so he doesn't really pull the seductive vampire bit ever.

[@Arthion]

The dandiest man in existence. He isn't just a badass (most of guilty gear are), he is THE badass. Also the mentor of at least 2 other badasses. Also happily passing on any advice he can to anybody he comes across. You should totally compare it with the themes of his protegés, Zato and Nagoriyuki.

[@Hamurator]

Quite amazing that they built a game around that soundtrack.

[@ГайдайНікіта]

one of guilty gear youtubers presented a theory that this song is not about slayer but about him teaching Zato-1 and Nagoriyuki dandyism. as they tell them their stories and struggles (Zato with the fact that he is unfeeling after getting ressurected and Nago with not being able to die) he tells them about how "life is a journey not a destination"

[@dariuszupan8145]

Elegance? I think you mean Dandy-ism

[@Strdangerous]

This song has become my most played song over the course of the past 12 months (and yes I am a slayer main)

[@blazingmonolith4323]

This song is great, but when you hear it like 30 times in a row because youre in training mode waiting for ranked matches it can get kinda old. But no doubt about it, its a fun track.

[@aaroncunningham8307]

Dracula, Strahd, Dio: Give in to predatory internal darkness. Slayer: “Skill Issue.”

[@dominykasradavicius8827]

i love your analyzation of music and it really hits the mark. Guilty gear GekkoSquirrel does the lyrics analyzation from lore perspective. I would advise (if interested in song meanings) to watch his videos some really say what i want to hear

[@dragonclaw4159]

Hi Marco, Here's a recommendation for a pair of soundtracks I know you'll enjoy reacting to. Ender lilies and ender magnolia. If you want to know why I'm confident you'll like reacting to this series ost, the composer for this series was also the composer for Arknights image song, grown up's paradise. The creator in question is mili.

[@ren7a8ero]

Slayer is a power immortal vampire, but he does live life at its fullest and give his dandy advice to us mortal kids, one doesn't need to be immortal to be dandy.

[@locustofchiron]

Slayer is such an entertaining character, spending years to decades in his castle in Scotland, where he has an enduring marriage with his beautiful immortal wife and everything he could ever want. but as the song says: "Surrounded by precious things, the heart turns in to stone." He could live a leisurely life, but he wants to experience difficulty and turbulance, vicariously or otherwise, so he can continue to truly appreciate what he has. Truly a role model to aspire to.

[@BrotherShaw]

When he hit that "Journey" note I was like ❤

[@simplythecat4068]

Bro canonically never lost a battle in his entire life, and he's an ancient vampire that's been living for hundreds, if not thousands of years

[@vlander1992able]

I would love a 90's sitcom with slayer as the main character.

[@flamingdeathbanana]

Slayer is so badass that even when he loses he doesn't actually lose. When his HP is decreased to 0 and he just lays down like "Wow good job I'm satisfied now"

[@corrupted3600]

The courage for the plate verse has confirmed to actually be paradise for the plate with sapphire gloves and what he needs is an economic overthrow, so this song is probably slayer talking about his rival Gabriel when Gabriel and Potemkin led a revolution to rebuild zepp