Xenogears Story Analysis (Ep.13) | State of the Arc Podcast

[@ResonantArc]

For the next episode, play all the way through the Shevat Sequence. In other words, you can save and stop after leaving Shevat.

[@nathansmith3168]

"Ouchie wow wow" is more of a southern phrase like if you touch something that was very hot back even before the 80's like "Dag gum" "Dag nabbit" all that. It's stupid but I believe they where trying to match that with Jessie's character. Everything is over dramatic. Showing my age here. But yes, I heard that and "Sass-a-frass" lol

[@Zarggg]

@@nathansmith3168 This game is FULL of outdated colloquialisms from the mid-late 20th century 🤣

[@mikemick7885]

Could “ouchy wow wow” be another Australian slang term that Honeywood inserted? It comes up as “ouchy wah wah” on urban dictionary as an Australian phrase, and seems to maybe be related to the Spanish phrase “ay chihuahua” which basically means “yikes”

[@origialtych]

I have watched old Loony Toons where they had certain characters say pretty much or close enough to what I recall to being "Ouchie wow wow" but it was used as a old comedian's catchphrase when something unbelievable happened

[@Old-ded-memes]

48:20 Maybe someone has already said it, but it looks like the translator misunderstood the common Spanish phase “Ai Chihuahua” with “Ouchy-wow wow”

[@samueldrake6138]

Was just popping in to say this but you beat me by about 7 months! Still a ridiculous thing to say, but maybe less so in 1998

[@patrickholleman9323]

STYLE GOALS: Make an entrance like you're Id. Make an exit like you're Krelian.

[@xenogears4398]

Gigachad style

[@vollkerball1]

Id is completely overpowered! and i like it

[@ravset]

This is exciting! We got to the point of "revelations" where everything starts to be clarified. It's amazing to see how the story keeps on adding more and more and it's all very interesting.

[@WildMatsu]

I think we glossed over the fact that Citan Uzuki built the Buntline, a weapon where the pilot rides in the bullet and dies. Citan Uzuki is a war criminal.

[@transientanus]

Literally every member of your party, even chu-chu, is a war criminal.

[@CookedPages]

could have talked about it last video but Billy's Gun-fu is for me is the most badass non-gear combat animations in the game. It's very close if not top for me for 2d combat for sure. I'm actually mostly not a fan of guns in RPGs in general, but billy's combat style just owns. The timing of the shots, the air juggles. Shotgun to the face of the bastard you initially kicked into the air and juggled with pistols. I just loved it so much when I was younger. I feel like it still holds up. I know this is a play-along story analysis and this is irrelevant, but I just wanted to bring up that it was kind of genius for it's time imo. He's basically pulling maneuvers that didn't seem doable at the time, though with the fidelity of graphics and animations we have now it's probably just quaint at best to most people.

[@CassidyListon]

"Current Day Fei" sounds like an alt rock 90s band name.

[@iseeyou236]

@@eternalgracenote slayer of god A fractured mind The contact

[@MichelGarciaH]

@@eternalgracenote Id, myself, and I

[@CassidyListon]

@@eternalgracenote most people agree the 1999 single "You Shall Be as Gods" is their best song. It's like listening to VAST but the lyrics are more like TOOL.

[@kalandarkclaw8892]

Get your Fei action figure collect them all Lab Coat Fei Painter Fei Red Fei Small-town Fei (Each sold separately)

[@Xenobears]

@@kalandarkclaw8892 small town Fei: now with explosion effect parts for the Weltall in Lahan play set* *PTSD and flaming villagers sold separately.

[@AcappellaGamer]

Love we’re still going strong on this series. This is an epic undertaking the community will cherish for a long long time

[@JohnOethGuitar]

Thanks, guys! These discussions have become addicting.

[@bainjohn]

So true! And thank you for providing the occasional soundtrack arrangement to enjoy alongside them 😃

[@Zarggg]

I live for this series. Xenogears is one of my fave games and I love seeing people experience things for the first time, so this gives me *so much* serotonin.

[@GracelessTarnished]

This game is so good, I get chills to this day during some scenes.

[@heyimSkyee]

This series is a godsend.

[@wyatthall2142]

Thank you once again fellas, for keeping me company during the midweek grind.

[@redacted8846]

I can't remember if the guys mentioned the "black boxes" that the gear mechanic found in Weltall when you first get to Barts hideout, but that is some key evidence to Weltalls ability to transform into ID. Or atleast that what I think.

[@FranklinGervacio]

Yeah I think that's basically what is implied.

[@ltheroyalwe]

Yep, good call.

[@sarahbrewer9483]

Wanted to bring up the same thing! I always read that as the black boxes allowing transformation into Welltall ID. I love Xenogears more than pretty much anything, so don't take this as an endorsement of Xenosaga over it, but merely an anecdote on the same concept. KOS-MOS's frame from the first saga game also has black boxes....which may have come to something in that series, had Takahashi/Sorya Saga not been pulled off the project (and had it remained a 6 game series). Regrettably, episode 2 was a complete mess without them and a lot of potentially good setups from the first game were dropped, the purpose of the black boxes among them.

[@redacted8846]

@@sarahbrewer9483 interesting tidbit on Kos-Mos. I tried to get into Xenosaga, but never could.

[@MichelGarciaH]

They did. The black boxes were put on the arena to collect data.

[@lindenstromberg6859]

It does explain the difference later on. I totally didn't land on "Oh! That's Fei" until the part when they're leaving with a certain place and a transformation occurs. All of the hints were there, the foreshadowing was strong, so it was a very "HOLY Sh't!" moment when I saw it all happen.

[@yvastel8153]

I love Maria. She's like this cute, small, but incredibly angry dog that's on top of a very loud, intimidating roomba or driving a remote controlled car (you know, those things for kids that I wish I had when I was a kid). She's great! With the Prim talk, it makes me wonder if the same goes for Midori. No one mentions if she talks with her mother, but she might only be giving the silent treatment to her father (and Fei). I wouldn't throw away the telepath idea. Man I really do wonder what, or where, they were going with this. Could be some things they'd use for Episode 6. Oh wels...

[@tiredastired]

49:35 really nice catch, super subtle. it's this kind of meticulous detailing that makes this game leagues deep

[@shayne1062]

You're doing a wonderful job with the analysis, boys! I've been loving this gaming 'book club' concept, and despite the number of times I've gone through this game since '98, an observation here and there by the two of you will show me a small detail I overlooked, making a subtle connection more pronounced than I had considered given how easy it is to get lost in the deep analysis of the greater story. Case in point: I'd missed the Primera piece where she goes back in the orphanage during the scene where Stone visits and how Billy's blindness to the subtle hints at Stone's true nature and motives creates a disconnect between her and Billy that he can't understand. Regarding the Midori/Primera telepathy theory: I don't think you are off the mark, Mike. Ever since the first time I'd played Xenogears, I had the impression that Midori and Primera - two children born of former Elements - were manifesting high elemental synchronization in a different way than most. It's interesting that Citan mentions Midori not speaking to or of him to parallel Billy's situation, which serves as another subtle hint alluding to Citan being either morally grey at best or is/was complicit in something more sinister in the worst case and that he should know better (much like the assertion that Primera feels Billy should have known better). After having read Childhood's End on your recommendation, I feel like there's a parallel to be made with the children and the beginning of their 'evolution', or that an element of that was on the creator's minds when writing this story. I don't necessarily put all my faith in what's written on the Xenogears wiki page as the 'be all, end all' about what's true or not; if nothing else, it would make for an interesting interview question if Takahashi isn't sick of being asked about the game by this point. As an aside, Babel Tower is one of my favorite places in the game. The song that plays throughout the section - 'Omen' - is quite possibly my favorite and captures the mood of the place perfectly in my mind. 'Shevat, the Wind is Calling' is my next favorite song in the game, another perfect piece capturing the sense of wonder and history of Shevat with an airiness befitting a city in the sky. I'm eager for your breakdown of Shevat next week; that place is gold for fleshing out more of the lore and is densely packed with so much intriguing information...

[@Last__Star]

Super late, but this I only recently stumbled across this channel so… Anyway, I’m wondering if Midori and Primera could perhaps be a precursor to the next generation of people and that, perhaps, the Gazel are about to lose a window of opportunity - if the human race evolves past the point that the Eldridge humans were at then perhaps they would no longer compatible with deus? This could explain the sense of urgency that the gazel seems to have, which I’ve always kind of felt was unnecessary from their POV.

[@mytyhekiller4]

Just passing by to say that you guys motivated me to pick up Xenogears and now I have just completed Xenoblade so thanks a lot

[@GracelessTarnished]

Xenoblade is awesome. At least the first one is, X and 2 were average at best. The first ones story was epic and it's soundtrack rocked.

[@mytyhekiller4]

@@GracelessTarnished It's a bit more to the shonen side than Gears but the game is so much more polished

[@FranklinGervacio]

Man the more I watch this the more I'm so thankful that my parents had no idea what they had gotten their 8 year old son for Christmas lol. But also props to 8 year old me for doing Babel Tower. I have no idea how I didn't rage quit back then.

[@tiredastired]

yeah, I wish I kept a diary of my thoughts while playing this game as a 10 year old in 1998. I have zero specific memory of what I thought, I just remember it messed with my mind quite a bit

[@Kara99tg]

When I first played Xenogears, Id didn't look anything like Fei to me. I think it wasn't as obvious back when we had CRT TVs that lacked the sharp details of what we see on HD screens now. Another thing I've noticed since replaying the game in higher visual quality is that you can easily tell that the red gear's face looks exactly like Weltall since the picture isn't as grainy as it was in 1998.

[@tiredastired]

that's a pretty good point

[@ninjasoundaz]

I think that's the point, you're not supposed to be able to tell that it's Fei right away... I always considered Id and Welltall-Id to be like Super Saiyan transformations of Fei and Weltall.

[@Ultimateunit34]

Not many people like to get into these JRPG games on the released of 1998. The details of Xenogears were hard to understand playing the first time. Second time, you began to get more informations. The knowledge is very powerful. I enjoyed everything you guys say on the podcast. 1 of my favorite game!

[@cultured-fuel543]

My dad was a welder and drank a lot. I believe my dad shouted "Oucheeyahyah," upon burning his hand around my brother and me whenever we were kids instead of swearing up a storm.

[@AceBadguy]

Amazing analysis as always, gentlemen. I look forward to another episode and whatever game you plan on analyzing next.

[@RobbyHuang]

Really appreciate that this is in video form and you guys put the relevant scenes on the screen. Just a delight every week. As much as I’m enjoying this, also super excited to see what game you cover next.

[@FCCdockrat]

Love the Zeboim sequence - one of the best parts in the game.

[@zayman40]

The way you guys dug into the line when Jessy was trying to comfort his son was pretty awesome! Can't wait to see the next episode

[@CliffConway]

You edited it well Casen! This was one of my favorite episodes in the podcast series so far!

[@tiredastired]

yeah i didn't notice anything weird like mike was worried about, it all came together well

[@DSzaks]

If I recall correctly that Big Computer is actually the bridge from the opening cinematic. Also Shevat is like super advanced but they lack the resources to take on Solaris. They are basically confined to just their little ship and wouldn't be able to take on Solaris in an all out war.

[@Norel_Nieves]

They lack the resources, because Krelian sealed them off with the Gate. He tricked them 500 years ago, he developed the life enhancing nanotechnology for the emperor and then went to Shevat and gave it to the queen and elders, and gave them the Gate. The gate was supposed to shield them from Solaris, but it sealed them off from the world. He punished them for their betrayal

[@bartandaelus359]

"Ouchy-wow-wow!" Is an Australianism that was pretty common around the turn of the millenium. Usually pronounced 'OW-chi WAH-WAH' and is often substituted for a swear or curse word by adults around children. You'd hear it a lot around parents of young children, teachers and schools.

[@sammadden5540]

True

[@sonnieandjacob]

Its also Hispanic as well. Paco loco in sunset riders says it before he starts shooting

[@JoeyKastelic777]

I thought today's episode flowed nicely. Keep up the great work guys

[@DSzaks]

The line about guns killing people is a statement equating guns to tools. By themselves they are inert and do nothing. It is only when a human utilized that tool do they have any effect. Thus a person can use a gun to kill someone else, but it is the action of the person causing the death, not the act of the gun.

[@claudio3431]

I hope this does not come wrong, but this is an actual statement (word by word) used very commonly in the United States to defend the right to carry guns (which I not agree at all). I am somewhat surprised this did not come in the podcast since it is usually a popular controversy in that country.

[@DSzaks]

@@claudio3431 I'm not really sure where Mike and Casen are located, but I was also surprised they didn't seem to recognize the saying. It is also a rather widespread 'quote', not just confined the US or recent history and debates about gun control. Personally I probably fall somewhere in the middle regarding my view of it's accuracy but I was just trying to explain the idea, not promote it as correct.

[@mikemick7885]

@@DSzaks They definitely recognized it, Casen referencing Ted Nugent is basically making the point that this is a common phrase in the US that’s been co-opted by the right wing and therefore has a loaded meaning

[@andreiulyanov9241]

I am actually retelling the story of Xenogears to my Spanish teacher every lesson. Tank you so much for the analysis, I tell her about many of your observations.

[@tiredastired]

i'm sorry but now you have to explain why on earth you are doing that with your spanish teacher 😆

[@andreiulyanov9241]

@@tiredastired I retell her the stories of my favourite JRPGs as hometask. I write the story at home and edit the walkthrough into a film. Have already told her the story up to the escape from Kislev.

[@tiredastired]

@@andreiulyanov9241i see. that's a more normal, reasonable response than i'd been hoping for 😆 good luck with the final chapters of the game, you've given yourself some difficult homework with that part...it gets tough to explain even in one's native language!

[@tiredastired]

10:50 i think at this point id is focused on battling the party for now, but it's clear to stein and co that id's keeping an eye on out will vaporize them in an instant if they try to leave with the nanomachine colony. i do wish there were one extra line of dialogue in place to establish this point, but it's heavily implied by stein saying "now's our chance" once id is immobilized. i think mike read it basically the same way

[@tiredastired]

that's a great idea too, about having a pincer battle with stein's party on the other side of id. iirc the game already has some of that functionality, with the staggered terrain in the wolf area between lahan and citan's house. oh well!

[@LordKaiserRSC]

Now to wait another week for the next episode, smh. Loving this series

[@DSzaks]

Ouchy-wow-wow is the best line. I love the discussions about the translations. Maybe it was supposed to be something like Hot Damn.

[@QuadraQuack]

Holy Analysis Batman! What a great episode - keep 'em coming guys!

[@ottolehto]

Great stuff as always! I recommend you check out the Xenogears Anniversary concert at some point after the game. It really is one of Yasunori Mitsuda"s highlights.

[@someguy4405]

“Guns don’t kill people, people kill people” doesn’t mean guns are as dangerous as hands, it’s that the root cause of violence is the person and their motives. They are responsible, not the weapon.

[@johnnyscifi]

Beginning part of this is one of my favourite parts of Xenogears. Concerning "Fei" I vividly recall it actually scaring me, as a kid

[@johnnyscifi]

PS: do you know who ID also resembles?... Dan!!!

[@tyronemccarter1907]

Why did they not know Fei was Id? Fei has never tried to kill either of them. And he has no uber Ether as Fei either. The entire cast is Ether sensitive. The amount of Ether, combined with the malevolent nature of Id, would confuse any of them. And before they saw that pilot, they saw the gear--immediately causing alarm. Have you ever known a person well, then seen that person enraged? They, by their actions, voice, body language...makes them an entirely different person.

[@marcushealey8777]

Haven't watched yet, but I am tearing through your content. Keep up the excellent work!

[@quinnchameleonplays5230]

"Guns don't kill people, people kill people." Is a popular gun slogan seen on bumpter stickers and such from the 1950's -60's. It was probably just Richard putting in a contemporary pro-gun reference for Jessies chararcter. Depending on how much libterty was taken with localization. it's a turn of phrase from Roman philosopher Lucious Seneca (5 BC-65 AD) who said "A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in a killers hand."

[@ninjasoundaz]

Actually it says the same line in Japanese.

[@omensoffate]

Guns don’t kill people tho

[@rogue_newtype4364]

Keep it up guys another great one! Just want you to know you’re making a difference to a lot people. gamers new and old as well as non gamers with your analysis👍🏼

[@Aedeus]

Another brilliant episode. Good job guys.

[@davelzdr]

Pod going strong guys, looking forward for the next couple of episodes!

[@HuntSp19]

Just want to say you guys are doing great. This game is the 'final boss' of video game podcasting if you're going in depth. Keep it up. The game deserves it. Every other game will seem like a breeze after this.

[@nobingnobs8748]

Looking forward to him finding the reveals. Its so good!

[@gumielmgz]

Diving in! It's about to get sooooo interesting!

[@MillenniumEarl014]

36:35 Why? Is it not emotionally impactful because Jessiah didn't die? Or because 30 seconds after getting shot out the buntline he just pops out of nowhere instead of 10 hours later and we are gonna go "oh Jessiash alive!?!????" I think it's okay that Jessiah survived and we pretty much finished Billy's arc after that. At least Jessiah isn't that character that is just there to die, you know? Like old man sacrificing himself? But yeah. I don't really care about Jessiah at that point of the game. I agree tho. It's the same feeling I had in Xenoblade Chronicle when the party got separated just after the Sword Valley(forgot the name) fight. We got separated for like, what? 5 minutes? That's problem with Xenoblade Chronicles world not being huge, at least storywide. All they need to do is look below Bionis and Mechonis and they'll find Shulk and 7 there. 42:29 Are people willing to give their weapons away? I don't have a gun myself but we all know that's never gonna happen so people just say "guns don't kill people, people kill people". Same nukes. I don't think countries with nukes are the type of government/countries who listens to those without. Best the real world can give you is mutual destruction. Which is sad. Wait... When Shakespeare makes up words it's cool? But not Honeywood? Bummer! 52:35 No matter what people say. Prim, Midori and other kids have psychic powers or whatever. Maybe not directly reading minds but more like feeling when someone is lying? Or just a glimpse of memories? Or just straight up gut feeling like Sigurd. Doesn't matter what they have powers for sure. Childhood's End baby! 1:06:13 best mecha shows up! My favorite mecha design. Huge, fat and heavy.

[@brydyne3379]

The way they hid the Id reveal kind of bothers me. I've played ahead quite a bit (I'm near the final boss fight), and I don't think the way they reveal Fei's identity is particularly satisfying. I'm fine with his face shape being the same, but why the hell is his skin so pale? And why is his hair red? And does he just keep that outfit lying around somewhere inside Weltall? I feel like the way Id is portrayed visually is just meant to throw you off without making any practical sense. FF7 did the same thing a lot better because it was so practical that it makes you feel like an idiot for not seeing it. whereas Xenogears actively deceives you in a way that isn't satisfying. This is probably a nitpick, but I'm a character designer, so it frustrates me. If I missed something, please enlighten me

[@ResonantArc]

Because shonen anime/super saiyan transformation = cool or something

[@brydyne3379]

@@ResonantArc I know that's the reason, I'm just mad about it

[@rodrigohartmann9951]

Nah, you have valid grievances with this, and I agree with them. I just choose to put them aside to enjoy the story.

[@ShimaS-0079]

Your overthinking it. If you know what shonen anime manga is. Every detail is never completely explained.

[@dudemcguy1227]

Yeah, it might have been better if the character design for Id was still human-like, but also had some more non-human features and characteristics. Like Terra's transformation to Esper or Zidane/Kuja trance forms in FFIX. Then for the reveal they could have had an anime cutscene showing Fei transforming into Id with his features being changed or exaggerated.

[@magicianman534]

I kind of wish they did more with Citan's daughter. Their relationship feels like a thing that was ment to be more significant plotline than it ends up being. It''s pretty clear at this point that Citan's daughter avoids him because she can sense the kind of person he is and the things he's willing to do.

[@tiredastired]

it's true, it feels like we missed a beat with midori's character. it's a neat little twist to see her feeling more at ease in shevat, but it's not enough. i'm not sure what or when it would have to be but i feel like even just 10 seconds and a couple of dialogue boxes could've done the trick. oh well

[@magicianman534]

@@tiredastired I wish there had been a reconciliation between them or at least a scene where we got into how they feel about each other and why they're incompatible. Citan is my favorite character, so it stings how we're teased about his family.

[@Flako-dd]

I feel the discussion of Babel Tower, i stopped my original playthrough on the PSX at the end of the 90s at Babel Tower, only finished it a couple years ago on a new playthrough and thought: "well that wasn't so hard after all." I didn't struggle so much with it, but i got annoyed and started playing FFT without coming back to it during that time.

[@ANon-rp8qp]

thanks again lads always a highlight of my week

[@TheBeird]

I dunno if I could really consider myself Gnostic, but the general jist of it jives me with something fine. Finding your own unique path to the divine? Reminds me of that Alan Watts quote, which I shall now butcher, where he spoke of each of us being expressions of a Universe trying to understand itself.

[@kavlar3]

Another great episode, thank you!

[@Mrpancake72]

Yeah boy time to listen while I finish up work

[@yevgenyboyko3026]

Babel tower trip + Shevat is one of the turning points in a game, where you start "understanding the real situation and connecting things" as they should be. I remember falling down few times, but this never bothered me, especially during the first playthrough (just a little bit during the next playthroughs). It was so cool to see the inner space of the ship, which became the tower and relate it to the Babel tower myth we all know about...Right from the first hours, it was clear, that to jump correctly you just need to choose the right angle of view. Do you remember Vagrant Story, TombRider and SoulReaver games jumping experience? Was it so good? Waiting for the next podcast :)

[@Yiazmats]

atsui can also be hot for things, not only weather although it does use a different kanji. For cold it is samui for weather and tsumetai for objects

[@ForTehNguyen]

the moment i realized Fei and Id were the same was duriing the boss fight, exact same animations and fighting style

[@johnh1353]

about the "ouchie wow wow" ... my mother was Japanese (born and raised ) and when she would use the expression "ah tah-tah-tah-tah-tah" ... to get my attention, say I was going to touch something I shouldn't ... she'd also use the expression instead of cursing .... the expression brings back fond memories of mom thanks guys!

[@Oliverph0enix]

i have a question: when Fei transform/become Id how does he get his red clothes/suit does they come out of his skin are they nano machines????

[@yevgenyboyko3026]

with this kind of power Id uses - it can be just a telepathic projection for the people around him...

[@megamike15]

his whole body transforms. it's an anime thing.

[@yevgenyboyko3026]

@@megamike15 I don't have any problems with this. I just offered a more acceptable version of this "transformation" for the people who see this as a "superman-type-in-a-phone-booth"sequence :D

[@megamike15]

@@yevgenyboyko3026 thats fine. it also seems like id did not start doing that until fei got older. as we will see later on in some anime scenes when id would come out all would change is his hair.

[@ابراهيمالكعبيابراهيمالكعبي-ث4غ]

Great question

[@Xenocomplex]

I really think you guys are onto something with the telepathic thing and children. Seeing as this game was inspired by mecha animes, a knowledge of Gundam and Newtypes would really help. It syncs up nicely with the Xenogears story of mankind evolving to a certain state. To give some context, in Gundam, Newtypes are a new evolution of man that have a telepathic like empathy to understand people at a subconcious level.

[@JoshsGameClub]

I've said "Ouchie wow wow" as a teenager in the 90s.

[@andreiulyanov9241]

What I really don't like is how in the Raquel scene the Wels are clearly zombie-people, but in the combat they are these mummy-like creatures. It makes the reveal that they were actual humans much less unexpceted.

[@Rob_Teh_Builder]

Is there any plans to cover Legend of Dragoon?

[@pragmat1k]

I was very surprised when I got a game over the first time I fought Id, because after losing to Weltall-Id in the desert I expected this to be a scripted loss fight so I didn't try super hard We're going to break through Stein's Negative Hatred Power, with the power of friendship, and also this gun I found.

[@pelgervampireduck]

when this is finished you could do a massive full cut of all the episodes together.

[@zakuguriin4521]

Just a side note, but i think there could be a parallel between Esmeralda and Kos-Mos.

[@oboronyon]

So, concerning the "ouchy-wow-wow". It's exactly as Casen was explaining. In Japanese Jessy says "atsu-tsu-tsu", which is exactly what a Japanese person would say when they get hurt by "atsui" -unbearably "hot" - things. Like being burnt by a hot dish or boiling water. I guess in English you would say "ouch" or "ou-ou-ouch". In french we say "aïe aïe aïe". Some Japanese words are often used as onomatopoeias and can be stretched on one of their syllable for emphasis. That syllable can also be repeated like in this case. The Urban Dictionary (a very reliable source, lmao) references "ouchy-wah-wah" as an Australian expression. Not sure if that's actually true but it sure looks like an old fashioned kind of expression you could hear in a bad western movie. Maybe R.H went that way to picture Jessy's dialogues since the dude looks like a freaking Clint Eastwood caricature 🤣 There's nothing really weird in Japanese, beside being a bit comedic/silly looking coming from a tough man like Jessy.

[@ninjasoundaz]

Ahh ouchy-wahwah.. Richard Honeywood is Australian so that makes sense..

[@BinaryDood]

Babel Tower isnt as bad as people make it out to be IMO

[@brydyne3379]

I was really annoyed playing it, but looking back it wasn’t that bad

[@BinaryDood]

@@gregtroyan no problem even first time. Last dungeon is waaaay worse

[@origialtych]

wait I could have sworn that Bishop Stone stated or someone did that Stone's face we saw before his Red Skull reveal was a Mask because of a accident?

[@LeyeJoe]

i just wait for every wednesday please keep it up guys!!!!!!!

[@takendays5802]

This is probably my favorite part of the entire game.

[@origialtych]

is it weird I am suddenly thinking of diavolo and doppio from Jojo as I listen to Casen try and rationalize why Fei doesn't look like Id?

[@Sashimiburger]

あつっあつっあつ is just like saying "hot hot hot" in English, it's not uncommon for Japanese to abbreviate or inflect adjectives when conveying strong emotion. For example, you could just say あつい, simply stating that "it's hot", whatever it may be. Switch that up to あつぇー！and now you have something more akin to "it's freakin' hot". Another example is いたい, which simply means "it hurts" but if you see a native Japanese speaker hit their head or stub their toe you'll most likely hear いってってってぇー！Great podcast, nice to hear your take on the Japanese text vs the English.👍

[@Captain1nsaneo]

Quick thought about the "guns don't kill people, people kill people" reaction. The efficacy of the method of killing is a utilitarian sentiment not a moral one. The quote is an argument for treating the cause rather than the symptomology. In Xinjiang, the CCP has tracking codes for every kitchen knife. The tools are not the sickness, beware infantilization.

[@tiredastired]

everyone understands the quote

[@Jaysonmongan]

4K Fei & CD Fei. Done, easy to differentiate them now 🤣😂

[@ninjasoundaz]

"Ouchy-wow-wow" in the original japanese is "あつつつつ。" A-tsu-tsu-tsu-tsu like Casen says. It's a pretty common anime trope. I think particularly Goku would use it a lot. Characters make that sound after getting hurt, so it's an onomatopoeia of Jessie making a sound to show he got hurt. I think Honeywood's translation choice was quirky as they seem to be sometimes for the less serious goofy characters like Bart's "sorry-dorry" and "this moll's a mole".

[@nudetayne3782]

I do love the the on-the-nose names and references spread throughout this game, but the one I think that gets easily missed is Lacan. Just saying, Jacques Lacan was a French phycologist... expanded upon a lot of Freud's work and had a lot of neat ideas and insights... Was about as controversial as Freud... JUST SAYING that maybe the name Lacan was a little bit more deliberate than people may realize.

[@patrickholleman9323]

Bruv, this thing is up the nose and around the corner. Jacques Lacan's work actually explains how Xenogears's Lacan transformed from himself into you-know-who. The exact psychological process described in JL is what happens at Zohar.

[@Barterman20]

i hope this masterpiece can remake

[@GHart300]

Babel Tower almost had me throwing my Vita across my room but I powered through for the lore and story…its all too good to just give up.

[@origialtych]

it is directly stated Primeria saw Stone ordered the Wells to kill her Mother that's why she became Mute she was utterly terrified of him

[@latt.qcd9221]

I honestly never had a problem with the platforming in Tower of Babel when I played it as a kid, and I played it on original hardware without save states. I think I fell maybe once or twice. It really wasn't as bad as people make it out to be.

[@splendidmonkey]

Xenogears was the first time I heard the saying: "Guns don't kill ppl..." etc. At the time, and given the in-game context, it sounded quite profound to me. I'm sad to say the quote has lost much of its sheen since.

[@quezcatol]

I grew up with ps1 and had tons of games for it and loved the jrpgs but... 00:35 its too pixelated for me, that doesnt work...

[@p.d.692]

That thumbnail gave me flashbacks of my childhood, playing catch with my Mom.

[@nobingnobs8748]

To this day one of my desktop backgrounds is Id's Weltall. So cool

[@AxionZetaOne]

My parents absolutely said things like that, "ouchie-wow-wow" included, even in their 30s and 40s and older. Because they are hyper-religious reactionaries who think even the lightest swears will send you straight to literal Hell, minced oaths like "darn", "dang", "gosh", and "jeez" included. So when Jessie said it, it didnt even register as weird to me in my mid-teens.

[@ravset]

Let's get to it!

[@CliffConway]

@48:22 "Maybe a toddler said that once" HAHAHAHA

[@XenosbioZ]

Woahhh Lol, bonus patreon content should be a stream where Mike streams in Hammer’s voice and Casen in his Trump voice in a 1 v 1 Gear battle Training mode fight!! Anyways great discussion as always!!

[@Zeal543]

Regarding Id not seeming powerful (spoilers ahead) Id's power/control over Fei is weakened in the presence of Elly, this is explained a bit later

[@omensoffate]

I mean guns don’t kill people unless you see sentient guns walking around.

[@tiredastired]

guns kill people every day

[@Hassler247]

Always looking forward to Wednesday anymore 😊 As always great analysis. As for Id not destroying our party at this time, I always thought of it as that our party members are getting stronger by this time. Or maybe he could have just destroyed us if he wanted and he just playing games 😆 Idk for sure

[@jamesgomez9151]

Excellent observation of Primaria and Stone.

[@roaringviking5693]

46:10 It's not weird in Japanese. You hear it often.

[@Kain5th]

Was this the first time in the game Krelian was mentioned or seen?

[@Kain5th]

@Cliff Eye what was the first time? i cant remember

[@Kain5th]

@Cliff Eye i see thanks. its pretty crazy for such an integral character in the gme he's not even mentioned until maybe a 3rd in the game.

[@Kain5th]

@Cliff Eye yes indeed. im just remarking how amazing it is that you don't really know among all the villains in this game who the main one is until.... but i won't spoil that.

[@ninjasoundaz]

The first time he is mentioned is by the Gazel ministry along with the "M" plan after the Goliath ship is shot down and crashes into the Yggdrasil. Right after the following scene on Ramsus's ship. Mike and Casen totally skipped over it since Mike was getting tired of the Gazel's talks, but it would have been the conversation they're discussing at the end of Episode 10 of this podcast.

[@AlainSTO]

I remember as a kid putting tracing paper over a photo of Id and traced his face. Then I saw Fei.

[@megamike15]

you never see fei and id in the same room. i don't think they are trying to hide it.

[@yggdrasil7942]

God I love this game. I don't know which I like better, the music or the story. I so wish they would release it because not everyone has an original ps1 that can play import games.

[@CrowsofAcheron]

Yeah it is weird that Fei and Id look very different, but its even weirder that he has a completely different outfit.