Ranking Animorphs 10: The Android

[@rikuleppanen6292]

It does not matter where you are in drawing a short straw. First its 1/5. Second, to get the short straw the first has to not get it so the chance is (4/5)*(1/4)=1/5. Third: the first and second dont get it so (4/5)*(3/4)*(1/3)=1/5. Second: (4/5)*(3/4)*(2/3)*(1/2)=1/5.

[@marcellom]

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

[@SirJosephZhou]

Keep the videos coming dude

[@loganbigmo]

Erek King is probably the most rewarded Animorphs fan ever, to have their name immortalized in the canon in such a way. And it's not like Erek King was some one-off character, he was a major recurring character all the way to the very end.

[@marcellom]

Yeah other authors have similar contests and will use a throwaway character, Erek is a huge part of the series. I wonder where he is today.

[@loganbigmo]

@@marcellom If I recall, the podcast Animorphing Time tracked him down & interviewed him. He's just living a regular 9-5 life.

[@ani_anonymuncle]

The explanation of a phone book aged me 1,000 years and the explanation of a home phone buried me.

[@mokecity9723]

I'm a simple man, Marcello posts and I drop whatever the fuck I'm doin

[@calebtobey]

Amazing analysis. Honestly when I read back these as a 13 year old kid i never given that much thought about the inner characteristic and ethics of what was happening, i guess because i just didn't know any better. But to hear adults discuss and dissect not only the plot of the book but also the psychological aspects and drives and motivations behind each action gives it a whole new dimension. Please keep 'these reviews coming. You're my favourite YT channel as of now.

[@AmataRayne2492]

Hi Marcello! We don't mind that your video is up now. That darned work-life. It's always getting in the way of the fun stuff. This is probably my favorite Marco book of the whole series. I love the idea of the Chee, basically a reverse Terminator, and the incorporation of their love of dogs. I love dogs. I loved this book. And, you get a really good feeling of how the Chee are as lonely as the Animorphs- two groups trying to fight the Yeerks, who are the only defense for a planet they love so much. Erek really identifies with Marco (and vice versa- the Yeerks are a threat to what they love most), and their relationship in the series is so great. Where it ends up is... well, I won't get to that. But, I genuinely love it. Mr. King restrained Rachel, but when Erek asked her if she was hurt, I think he was asking along the lines of asking if she hurt herself. Mr. King can restrain her and not hurt her, but Rachel is unpredictably human. She can thrash and struggle and genuinely cause harm to herself in trying to get free. I think that was what Erek was referring to. Also, I want to point something out here about Erek and the Animorphs. The Animorphs did nothing wrong in giving Erek the crystal. In fact, the decision they made to give it to him is an amoral one, not a right or wrong thing. Erek still has limited free will to make his own decisions. And, the decision he made was, ironically, morally right, even though it was unethical (to Chee standards). He did as a good soldier would do- Erek saved the Animorphs' lives by sacrificing the lives of the enemy. Does it make it right to take a life? No. But did he do it to save lives? Possibly the lives of many others that the Animorphs will save in the future? Yes. He's very Vulcan in his thinking, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few"- the 'many' would be the many humans and Pemalite namesakes that would continue to live if the Animorphs lived. That's why Marco is cynical about his canine robot friend. Because he sees right through Erek (literally and figuratively). Erek made the logical choice, not the messy human one. Because at the end of the day, Erek is not human. He is alien and android. He can only think logically, and can only do as his programming tells him. (To me, the messy human response would be to not care about the Animorphs dying at all. It would be to go scorched earth on the Yeerks as much as possible, and consequences be damned. It would be intentionally introducing the same program into all the Chee, to fight off the Yeerks until they were all destroyed. It would be seeking revenge on the Howlers somehow, even after all these years. [Which, I am interested in seeing your recaps when THEY pop up too!]) Plus, even though we don't see it, once that crystal changes Erek, and he changes himself back, don't you think his system wouldn't have made a log of what exactly those changes were? If it's a simple programming situation, once the crystal introduces rhe change and changes it, his own system would logically log the change and reverse the change, without using the crystal at all. You've already introduced the coding into it. I think Erek said he deleted the coding to the changes he made from his mind, but we don't know that. We only have his word. Personally for me, it would not make logical sense to do that. What if the Yeerks were on the verge of winning? Do you really see Erek as something capable of sitting around and doing nothing about it? Erek is a fascinating character. You're right. This whole mini "mission impossible" book would make an excellent episode of a series. And it's the most adult so far. Again, KA does not shy away from the horrors of war, and I think this is the first turning point of how war is brutal, cold, and not for children. We got battles before, but this one feels different. It feels like the rosy, somewhat glossed over violence and brutality is something that can't be sidelined anymore. The Animorphs are conscripted, and they're right in the middle of this war. Everything prior to this was just the appetizer. It's like the gang grew up and now they're preteens. They can read slightly more mature books. They're a bit more jaded, and therefore, KA naturally progressed how we perceive the story in the book into the same, maturing viewpoint. NOW. In regards to your "Most Dedicated" video coming up, I think it's a great decision, and would make a great video. However, I think you will have to make it a "Top 5 Most Dedicated" video, out of the 6 Animorphs. Why? Because of Rachel. It's been awhile since I read the entire series. A LONG WHILE. But, even at her worst, I don't think she ever changed her opinion or her passion to fight the Yeerks. She was 100% ALL THE WAY COMMITTED. Her absolutely terrifying bloodlust would not allow her to do anything else. If there was a fight, she would be in it, whether it was in gymnastics or in battle. She wouldn't give up until the end. So, because she never waivered in her dedication to the cause, you could say she was the most dedicated, all the time, and it would completely ruin your ranking system- by definition alone, she'd be the #1 on every list. Instead, I suggest you use Rachel as the baseline, the constant, the measuring stick that everyone would be measured against. Rate those on what makes Rachel Rachel- 1. Loyalty to the cause 2. Passion to fight 3. Endurance in battle 4. Moral heart 5. Compassion for others

[@Oiyuki]

I 100% agree that this book would be a fantastic episode if there was a modern animorphs tv show. I want a new animorphs series so very much.

[@Ophiophagus]

I was so afraid of spiders as a kid that I skipped this book because I didn't want to accidentally glimpse the cover, plus the page-corner flip book thing. I could tell from the context of the subsequent books that I missed some important plot, but still refused to read it (until adulthood) because spiders.

[@braydenb1581]

Oh man, yes..one of my favourite books. I thiiiiiink its the first one i ever read. Im not sure why but i confused cassie and rachels descriptions in my head and forever imagined Rachel as black and Cassie as white until my school library got their books in. For some reason we only ever had the books with the boys on them in our system for some reason. It took the tv show and a few more reads of rachel and cassie before i started imagining them as apple gate described them. Anyways, cant wait to watch this. Thanks for these, good sir.

[@jeslybarillasmeraz880]

When I was a kid I always imagined the Chee as those robot dog toys that were advertised on TV. I kinda like it better that way, the clips of the Chee from the TV show look more like dinosaurs or lizards.

[@shingshongshamalama]

In the UK we used to call it The Yellow Pages. Because that's what its name was.

[@marcellom]

Yeah we had Yellow Pages and White Pages, I think yellow was businesses and white was people, but we also would just broadly refer to them as "the yellow pages".

[@shingshongshamalama]

@@marcellom Hmmm. I wonder if there's a trademark. I wonder who holds it. I wonder if the UK trademark and the US trademark are at all related. I wonder if there's a comical obscure corporate lawsuit about that. Probably not but it'd be funny if there was.

[@chaseredmoon407]

Anger squad unite!!!! That dedicated to the fight video would be fantastic! I think you should break it down into rough time periods: following the first few books (probably after 8), somewhere towards the middle (probably near or around visser), and then towards the end but not quite the end (book 50 or so). I also think you should do it after the ranking series so you have fresh eyes on everything. Just my two cents One of my favorite aspects of the series is that who is your favorite character changes. Whether due to life experience, how alike or unlike a character you are, and even what book in the series you happen to be reading. Each one of the kids has a special place in my heart and thats why the series is still so good. I'm pretty sure mr. King didnt hurt rachel and was just saying something as humans would traditionally say something after such a confrontation. A way to make the chee feel human even though they arent. Oh no! The audio when editing marcello kicked in doesnt seem to be working. I wanted to hear what your thoughts were. This book is so good. I love the chee and even though people get frustrated with them, i feel like they are very important to the points Grant and Applegate were making. Great video as always!

[@marcellom]

I cut out the additional thoughts, I'll add a segment in the beginning of the next video. Basically I wanted to emphasize that it was probably a conscious choice to give this book to Marco, even though you'd imagine that it would be a Cassie book due to the ethical quandary involved, and that this was because Marco is more prone to both anger, and rationalization of violence. And how while we're supposed to learn through the series that violence is not the answer, necessarily, that we aren't supposed to be there yet, so KA is basically using the narrator to guide our own development as the plot itself unfolds. Then I rant aimlessly about how brilliant the books are in a really meandering way. I agree about the favorite characters, I still change my mind. And I appreciate your breaking down the "eras", that is probably what I'll wind up sticking with. There are so many videos I want to do AFTER this very very thorough reread I'm doing, but there's so many books! I will do some thinking on a release timeline. Thank you so much for watching, and your comments are always a highlight for me.

[@ixonia]

i love hearing you talk about books

[@frostfyrezero1830]

IDK if its belivable if Alanis would open for Nine Inch Nails. The Offspring maybe? Then again, Lou Reed did open for NIN back in the 90's, so its possible in some alternate universe.

[@tylerferguson3193]

Hope you're having a good day

[@marcellom]

Thank you! I hope you are as well

[@zwayhiual9854]

The Offspring. In Marco's defense he admits he isn't the best student. What is your canon for Erek King's massacre? I've always thought maybe it was like the hallway scene from Akira, but recently thought it might have been more like a Quicksilver scene with gore.

[@marcellom]

@zwayhiual9854 I just spent a minute trying to remember the name of the fast x-men guy before realizing you already stated it. For me it was always a quicksilver scene with gore. So fast you don't have time to appreciate how brutal it is until you think about it

[@starlightsoiree]

'The most noble Animorph' Me, knowing he abandons his dad's new wife (who is a wheelchair user) because he wants his parents together again): Sure Jan BUT for real though, having started reading through the series again after about 4 years and getting past the point where I stopped before (I got up to the end of the David trilogy and just stopped I think?), I thought on this go through I'd like Marco more. Everyone seems to love him, after all. But like... though I appreciate the intensity of his motivation as far as Visser 1, and acknowledge his place in the group, I still find him insufferable and people's adoration of him utterly baffling. I'm up to book 30 currently, and without fail, every single Marco book is a SLOG to get through for me. I was hoping 30 would be better than his previous (The polar bear one iirc) but it's just as slow even though it's plot relevant. I find that Marco's most endearing moments are always from the POVs of other characters. Hearing everyone laud him with praise is so odd to me. The only other person I've met who dislikes Marco is my spouse. Luck of the draw I suppose!

[@marcellom]

So I should probably disclaim at some point that I've never read the series through any kind of critical lens before, and am kind of trying to digest it all anew as I read each book. With that said, I may wind up hating Marco and loving Rachel by the end, who knows. Also worth noting that I've forgotten a lot of the less critical plot points towards the end of the series. I think it'll probably become apparent that Marco's only real goal is to save his family at some point, but I'm not there yet so I won't worry about it. Interesting that you're not enjoying his books though, but I guess it's true that I appreciate Marco's dialogue more than Marco's narrative voice. From that perspective I probably like Ax the most. I'm glad you were able to find a fellow Marco hater, but even more glad you have a partner who also is into the books. And thanks for the comment! Let's check in a few years from now when I'm finally reviewing book 30 lol

[@starlightsoiree]

@marcellom It's interesting to hear other's perspectives, and I do appreciate yours- they're well constructed, and I can definitely understand where it comes from! As for forgetting critical points, it is perfectly understandable given the series amount. I finished 30 in the span of time between my initial comment and your reply, and I did end up enjoying it! I think how I can best describe my dislike is not with the whole of his character, which I like conceptually, but himself as a person/how it would come across to me outside of the framework of the series (even if inside of it, his actions are selfish more often than nought and just so happen to benefit the team. Towards the beginning of 30, Ax has to threaten him with his tail blade like three times to not disturb his mom's body, which is chained down so Estrid/Visser 1 can feed- which would have blown their cover for certain. He doesn't seem to dwell on this for the rest of the book or think back to it much, which makes me... concerned LOL) In the way the Yeerk war gave Rachel a purpose, it also gives a reason for Marco's behavior to not just be necessary but vital to the team! If the war hadn't happened, I think he'd just be That Kind of irritating teenager who should seek therapy for the loss of his mother (rather than this timeline, where he needs therapy for.... literally everything). In any case! Sorry for the walls of text, I do mean this as a good-natured discussion- Animorphs studies/essays almost 30 years after the series releases get a thumbs up from me!

[@shingshongshamalama]

Your audio broke at 33:07

[@marcellom]

Thanks, I am obviously a very expert video editor. I cut it out, it was a lot of rambling, I'll include a brief recap in the beginning of the next video.

[@greyfox2822]

Your comments about your personal rage issues at minor inconveniences is so me lol😅. I'm really trying to work on it but when simple stuff that shouldn't be an issue goes wrong it just puts me in a terrible mood for like 20-30 minutes :/ and i feel so hollow and sad after. Just wanted to say you're not alone in that.

[@HunchbackOfNotreJon]

33:07 - 37:07 has no audio

[@marcellom]

Dang it. I'm just gonna cut it out lol it's just me rambling aimlessly about anger and how much I love the books. For some reason my editing software loses its mind when I try to use audio from two different microphones, I have yet to get it right.

[@HunchbackOfNotreJon]

@marcellom Editing software be that way, yeah. Random problems for no reason.