Dark Aspects of the Official EarthBound Novel - Thane Gaming

Dive into Dark Aspects of the official MOTHER 2/EarthBound novel by author Saori Kumi, as presented by Shigesato Itoi! Learn the reason behind Ness' father being absent from his life, how Giygas takes Pokey as a host, and why Lucas & Jeff might want to attend group therapy together in this [hawk]eye-opening analysis!
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Sources & further reading:
Translation
⍟ Nyaasu Nekoban's website
nyaasunobouken...
Fan art
► "No blue song wanted", "Russian Roulette", & "Reconciliation" by BluegirlWoomy
www.deviantart...
_
► Ness left in the dust by kenisu
► Hotel Threed neon sign by HAK2
► Pokey car sprite by Pigmask Private
web.archive.or...
_
► Illustrate the MOTHER 2 Novel contribution by Aangie
► Hotel Thread postcard by AnnK
► Tendas, Pokey drifting, Hotel Threed mural, and Jeff in hyper wheelchair by Lukas17
► Pokey taunting Ness from car by Mattesp
web.archive.or...
_
► Trash Burger by ethereal-kohaku / im_not_the_greatest_ar...
► Ness’ Mom by Echoperson
/ i_drew_nesss_mom
► Ness & Lucas comic by FizTheAncient
www.deviantart...
► Mani Mani by プンチョ
www.pixiv.net/...
► "Gear" Inktober by Nyaasu
/ 1586886196638220288
Images
⍟ MOTHER 2 Enix Guidebook scans by Orange & Echoes of Mother Forever
mother4ever.ne...
⍟ EarthBound sprites ripped by Bacon, Depressed Mario, M. Bison, Random Talking Bush, Matheus123, SmithyGCN, and Tonberry2k for the Spriters Resource
www.spriters-r...
⍟ Ness's Adventure Memoirs manga translated by kenisu, scans by Satsy (on a long hiatus)
www.tumblr.com...
⍟ Chef's hat
itempics-tiger...
⍟ IRL Meteorite Car
craighill01.fi...
⍟ Eiffel 65 cover art
www.discogs.co...
⍟ Leg bracers
pool.hesperian...
⍟ Lion & cub
www.pexels.com...
⍟ All other stock photos used are free for commercial use via Pixabay
pixabay.com/
⍟ Mani Mani Hobonichi merch photos by ずぼらいたーゆいきのずぼらマガジン and こむっとさん
www.yukwi.com/...
/ 1519986687564156929
⍟ Playground vault bar
freeoutdoorfit...
Footage
⍟ MOTHER 4 teaser archived by Ryan Jordan
• Mother 4 Teaser (Reupl...
⍟ The Giftman Chronicles (EB hack) footage by Rowe Reviews
• EarthBound Christmas H...
⍟ POLLYANNA: An Animated Earthbound Tribute by SaganYee
• POLLYANNA: An Animated...
⍟ Chewy livestream (EarthBound Bash) by Fangamer
• The Earthbound Bash 20...
⍟ "Wendy's Grill Skills"
archive.org/de...
⍟ Ferrari on Fire by Jordi Gumbau Ciurana
• Ferrari F40 on fire at...
⍟ "Goodnight SpongeBob" uploaded by Times 2005
• Goodnight SpongeBob - ...
⍟ Wii Unfit by Poofesure
• wii unfit
⍟ Fish chasing hot dog by Village FishingTube
• Video
⍟ Tying a sailor’s knot by NightHawkInLight
• How to Tie the Most Us...
⍟ Wicked Witch melting uploaded by Eagle Burger
• Video
⍟ Kirby Right Back At Ya opening uploaded by The Technical Miracle
• Kirby: Right Back At Y...
⍟ "Bionic Burger" clip by KGPT-26
• Bionic Burger on Shop ...
⍟ "Bio Burger" clip by October
• Histoires d'entreprise...
⍟ The Hobbit melting statue uploaded by DOGHEIST
• The Hobbit: Desolation...
⍟ Smash Bros. Dungeon Man clip by Masahiro Sakurai
• Distinguishing Between...
⍟ Barney parade float uploaded by DelhiTheCat
• Thanksgiving '97. The ...
⍟ The Exorcist clip uploaded by Movie Clip Microcosm
• The Exorcist (1973) Vo...
⍟ Mario Sluggers clip uploaded by New Challenger
• Mario Super Sluggers -...
___
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► Instagram - / thanegaming
#mother2 #earthbound #supernintendo

[@fluffcake]

The Porky Pregnancy Progression was so disgusting and squeamish, it’s a perfect example of body horror done so horrifically right.

[@ThaneGaming]

Absolutely agreed--I got excited whenever the novel cut to Porky, due to a combination of morbid curiosity and how it better victimized this otherwise irredemable villain! I loved Porky's character in this, from his fitting backstory to the evocative descriptions of his declining health so disturbing I couldn't look away...

[@MorphBaller388]

WHAT IT CANT BE

[@PressStartToContinueYT]

I finally got a chance to watch this, what a great analysis! I think my favorite part of the novel was the backstory on Carpainter. The lore of the Mother series has always intrigued me but some of it is barebones at best. Your editing skills are also improving! Can't wait to see what you release next :)

[@ThaneGaming]

That's a great choice for favorite part of the novel! You're right, I liked how the author handled Carpainter--she could've written around a reason for his actions and kept things vague but chose to explain what exactly the Mani Mani is pulling out of him to inspire such a bizzare directive. It gives clarity to the game's more surreal plot events, but doesn't overexplain as to reduce the perfect weirdness of it all 😅 Thank you for the comment & compliments, glad to see you here 😁

[@supernintendo182]

When you talk about Pokey being a pulsating mass of flesh in the climax of the novel I think of Cartman from the ending of the South Park episode Weight Gain 4000.

[@lolly3087]

That's ironic, because this Pokey is even more like Cartman.

[@wi11ow8]

“Babe wake up, Thane just uploaded”

[@astriverofstrengthandknowledge]

This was an even bigger mindf*ck than the original Mother 2. That’s enough Internet for tonight

[@lolly3087]

Jeff's backstory makes me tear up, especially since it sounds so much like something that would happen to my little brother and I.

[@x_rl_z]

holy sh*t, Pokey's pregnancy sound like a Junji Ito + DeviantArt fanarts thing

[@MagillanicaLouM]

Very interesting. Good to know there are official novels out there. Adapts/changes a lot of stuff nicely. Also props to your wife having impeccable taste and playing Okami lol

[@rianthreeden]

So your telling me, toby fox the baby is you is cannon to Earthbound, as well as Homestuck scratching with Jeff and his brother swapping places... Dear God XD The novel interpretation is really cool and was interesting to hear about it!! my favorite part tbh Was the part with porky driving the car, and hearing about Jeff's tragic backstory. The connections between Jeff and duster with them having messed up legs is an interesting connection to make, and the discription of the world being destroyed in ness' mind with the swirling black tornados also comes up in mother 3... Could this of inspired the ending? Or did the books come out after the games... I really wonder how dungeon man was proceed in this...

[@ThaneGaming]

The books came out the same year the games were released in Japan (1989 and '94 respectively), so this book certainly could have influenced MOTHER 3 in some minor ways! Unfortunetly, Dungeon Man does not appear outside of that spoken cameo, but I'm glad he was included in some way!

[@johnathanegbert9277]

I just realized the relations to Homestuck here now.

[@kenisu3000]

Hey cool, you used snippets from the official MOTHER 2 manga! BTW, the name is closer in translation to "Ness's Adventure Memoirs" (or "log", though "memoirs" is what I went with for my translation, which is what's in the video here. Satsy made the scans). I think "Great Adventure" was a mistranslation from an old Starmen page.

[@ThaneGaming]

Thank you so much kenisu! I did get the translation from the old Starmen page, so I'll update the description & comment credits accordingly 😁

[@ThaneGaming]

Oh and I wanted to ask: a user named Sketch the Cow has them up on the Internet Archive--is there another place you and/or Satsy are hosting the scans I should link to instead?

[@kenisu3000]

@@ThaneGaming Personally, I'm fine with it (I don't have it hosted anywhere). I haven't consulted with Satsy though. The only thing is, it looks like the Internet Archive version is only half complete -- it ends just as Jeff is leaving the boarding school. I know the cbr file started showing up on a bunch of different manga reader sites once I uploaded it years ago, but I'm pretty sure those sites were dodgy, so I wouldn't recommend linking any of them as your source.

[@ThaneGaming]

@@kenisu3000 I know what you're talking about and I had the same thought, "dodgy" is a good way to describe those sites 😅 do you know if Satsy is currently on social media? I could reach out and see if they have a place they'd like me to link it

[@kenisu3000]

@@ThaneGaming MattedWithSatsy

[@ZootWorld1]

YES! Was looking forward to this for a long time! Your analysis and storytelling skills are excellent and deserve more attention.

[@ThaneGaming]

Thank you for saying so, and that you've been looking forward to this--I've been antsy to share it these past few days (I finished this final version on Thursday but figured that'd be a bad time to post). Makes me ecstatic to see others enjoying it!

[@ZootWorld1]

@@ThaneGaming That's great to hear the amount of passion you put into these videos. I really enjoyed learning about how in the Mother novelization Giygue/Giygas had a happier ending, and that makes it so much more tragic when he basically becomes the literal embodiment of evil, even after being reunited with Maria (since both are written by the same author.) Hopefully after fully watching this video the novelization will somehow again give Giygue/Giygas a more optimistic ending.

[@ZootWorld1]

@@ThaneGaming btw, I don't know if you've seen this Mother video yet, but it's an excellent analysis on the meaning of Pollyanna and how it pertains to the series: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eIWod3WjfMmlhKc

[@ThaneGaming]

@@ZootWorld1 I have seen that video & loved it! Thanks for the recommendation!, it's been long enough so I should probably watch it again actually 😅

[@ThaneGaming]

@@ZootWorld1 I appreciated that about the first novel, too! Without spoiling exactly what happens, you probably won't wind up liking the ending of this one in that regard though (it's also as vague as the game was) 😬 I'll be curious to know what you think!

[@The93195]

i cant believe they turned giygas into a fucking chestburster

[@enricooler1433]

loved this video!!! The visuals made it 100 times better

[@ThaneGaming]

Hey there, EnriCooler! Thank you for the kind words, I'm really happy to hear that you liked the visuals specifically. That's something I really tried to focus on with this video!

[@sahilhossian8212]

Lore of Dark Aspects of the Official EarthBound Novel momentum 100

[@razorbackroar]

Loved it bro as always

[@ThaneGaming]

Hey thanks for letting me know!

[@laslosermcuseless1574]

I'm in a server that makes fun of kumi a lot for writing a lot of questionable things. I did some light research on her. Apparently she tried to sue square Enix because of a dragon quest movie that shared a lot of similarities with some dragon quest novels she wrote. I'm kinda interested in what those novels look like even though I'm not really a fan of that series

[@christopherbadeaux3889]

The "Gigyas" in the Mother 2 novel was actually George from the first novel, who, upon having his soul warped into a psychopath, first murdered Giegue and Maria, then moved onto massacring Giegue's people next, before proceeding to invade Earth with his own army, with his spider-like appearance reflects his rather parasitically poisonous and sadistic personality.

[@CellButWeirdo]

Wait fr?? Where does it say that

[@christopherbadeaux3889]

@@CellButWeirdo Just a theory.

[@FairyBlackMother]

This like the movie The wizard was fused with explorers and invasion of the body snatchers from the 80s! I love it!

[@TheBrotherLetsPlay]

Also please explain to me why my favorite character/enemy the kraken is a monster instrested in gun control politics

[@zackman9230]

Since when did Earthbound get a novelization?

[@ThaneGaming]

The novel released the same year as the game in Japan! Then translated into English in 2021

[@ARCHIVED9610]

thank you thank you thank you finally something else to watch apart from choo choo charles \o/ \o/

[@ThaneGaming]

Glad I could pull you away, at least for an hour 😅 I've also got a video about the first MOTHER novel, if you're interested! kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIurgnhng5l7obc

[@_DF_]

My favorite part of this book is that it's cannon that Paula is an nightowl

[@ThaneGaming]

As someone who's naturally a night owl this also makes me happy, though in recent years I've had to force myself to become a morning person!

[@otherverge]

The way they treat Pokey in this is one of the most unnerving things I’ve ever heard and I can’t get it out of my head lmao

[@ThaneGaming]

Same here, it was haunting every time they cut to Pokey in the novel and his condition just kept getting worse...my eyes were wide open reading those sections!

[@puppytree6343]

@hypnospace outlaw I since I haven’t read the novel yet or finished the video , I had no clue what you meant at first until I scrolled down and was Immediately hit with another comment saying “porkey pregnancy progression”

[@revolverspsychedelicbreakf8747]

I actually got fucking nauseous hearing about it.

[@diblovescopyX]

@HypnoSpace Outlaw EW

[@ThaetusZain]

When you have multiverse shenanigans anything is possible. It can just be another Pokey that was able to use machines to hold Giygas at bay while still being corrupted by them.

[@eltiolavara9]

what if giygas' lair in earthbound IS pokey

[@allosaurustime]

Pokeys story is horrific, holy shit. This poor bastard is just doomed to face consequences worse than death regardless of the medium or timeline. Wow

[@ThaneGaming]

That's a great point to make! At the very least, we know that with the end of this book, there is at least one interperetation/timeline where he can live his life in peace without the influence of Giygas (or his abusive parents). He sure had to go through hell to get there, though...

[@allosaurustime]

@@ThaneGaming it’s nice to see Pokey in a good timeline. He needs a break

[@EchoGulch64]

This bizarre ass novel has been the biggest inspiration for my mother fic, thank you sm for covering this bizarre, so bad it's good novelization of one of my favorite snes rpgs

[@ThaneGaming]

Haha of course! The book is absolutely a wild ride--it's cool you've taken inspiration from it for a project of your own 😁 feel free to share it here, if you'd like!

[@guyrocketram9698]

man i love how pokey's characterized in this book. kinda wish they went into it more, they made him such a sympathetic villian, and i legit got chills at a few parts. im glad he was able to get a happy ending. always wished he was more fleshed out in earthbound.

[@theleonpasta7336]

Maybe a Mother 3 Novel would follow Giygas fused with the Pokey from the old universe as the villain coming back 1000 years later in the converged universe, I think that could work plus a version of Pokey getting to see his fantasy but not live it would be even more tragic and add to his motivations in Mother 3, man I wish that existed, these novels are weird, uncomfortable and amazing and Mother 3 would only make for even more creative stories

[@ThaneGaming]

That would be super cool, I can visualize a third novel but I guess it just wasn't meant to be...I'm not sure how well these books sold in Japan or how exactly they were recieved, but it'd be amazing if Kumi was offered to write it all these years later for the Hobonichi store!

[@Cosmitasiarts]

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this novel, mostly negative... This comment is gonna be a long one. *1.* Jeff. Generally. I have a lot of mixed feelings towards how he's handled. The author seems to have a strong favoritism towards him and I think it pulls a little bit too much focus from the other characters. Don't get me wrong! He's one of my favorite characters in the entire series, but he gets a disproportionate amount of focus. The concept of him being disabled is a welcome one, but I find the way it was handled really poor. His consent is completely disregarded when he's given prosthetic legs without his permission, and it's never called into question, which is emblematic of how people tend to disregard the bodily autonomy of disabled people. It's also clearly just used to ignore his disability from that point forward, since once his legs are replaced, his disability is never mentioned again. I think this unintentionally, but effectively foreshadows Andonuts's actions in Mother 3, and I find that interesting as a character flaw, but due to the framing in the novel, it doesn't seem to be intended as a flaw. I think with a framing change the same events could be engaging and cool, but as it was it feels lame. *2.* That one guy's pedophilic behavior is not treated as seriously as it should be. It has been a long time since I've read the novel, but from what I remember it was treated more like a character flaw instead of irredeemable behavior. *3.* The way the novel ties fatness and evil to each other, whether intended or not, contributes largely to the dehumanization and cruelty aimed at fat people, and the seemingly "ideal" universe at the end making Pokey "fit and attractive" adds to this. Of course the novel goes on to depict unrealistic, absurd levels of fat, that could never happen in real life, but it still feels rooted in extremely mean spirited perceptions of fat people. I find it distasteful to tie morality and appearance together under any circumstances, people's bodies and appearances are morally neutral, and any attempts to use physical traits as shorthand for someone's personality or morality will inevitably throw large amounts of people under the bus. *4.* Okay this one is entirely personal taste with 0 moral or objective reasoning. I thought the Ness Burger stuff was cringy and annoying. I just personally don't like the idea of Ness being this well known name already, something is more charming to me for Ness to just be some random nobody kid. THAT ALL BEING SAID... There were some select things I really enjoyed. I thought the writing was frequently funny, characters like Frank Fly and Belch were very charming. I liked the opening of the novel, and the focus on Pokey and Ness's relationship was a nice idea because Pokey is an incredibly compelling villain to me, even if I don't entirely like how it was handled.

[@Cosmitasiarts]

All that out of the way, great video! I find the amount of research and passion you put into these videos admirable.

[@KurohigeDTeach]

In regards to why Giegue and Gigyas seem to be completely different entities from the first novel to this one, it could be that the spider like Gigyas in this universe is just another version of Giegue from another universe that made it there just like how it went to another universe after the team defeated it. Like Giegue showed up in the past to be defeated by Ninten and friends only for another one to show up a few years later. Would make for a good ongoing series of PSI users fighting different iterations of Giegue/Gigyas at different points in time on Earth. That would really make it like Link and Zelda vs Ganon.

[@Bluegirl12345]

It's awesome and thanks for crediting me for the art. The novels were really interesting and I love how the author adapted the characters.

[@ThaneGaming]

Hey of course! Thank you very much for letting me use the art, your drawing of Jeff & Jack + the Russian roulette scene really helped paint the scenes they were shown in--Paula destroying the boombox in "No blue song wanted" was awesome, too 😁 for anyone reading, this is a link to Bluegirl's DeviantArt page! www.deviantart.com/bluegirlwoomy/gallery/75751229/earthbound

[@lucakoddsy3000]

You are very talented

[@ThaneGaming]

Hi all! Hope you enjoyed the video. Please let me know what you thought of it (and the novel, if you’ve read it) below! In case you didn’t want to dig through the description, here are the all of my sources used with links: Translation: ⍟ Nyaasu Nekoban's website (where you can read the books for yourself)! nyaasunobouken.com/ Fan art: ► "No blue song wanted", "Russian Roulette", & "Reconciliation" by BluegirlWoomy www.deviantart.com/bluegirlwoomy _ ► Ness left in the dust by kenisu ► Hotel Threed neon sign by HAK2 ► Pokey car sprite by Pigmask Private web.archive.org/web/20131115090526/novel.fobby.net/fanart/ _ ► Illustrate the MOTHER 2 Novel contribution by Aangie ► Hotel Thread postcard by AnnK ► Tendas, Pokey drifting, Hotel Threed mural, and Jeff in hyper wheelchair by Lukas17 ► Pokey taunting Ness from car by Mattesp web.archive.org/web/20130817012105/forum.starmen.net/forum/Fan/Forum/OPEN-PROJECT-Illustrate-the-Official-MOTHER-2-Novel _ ► Trash Burger by ethereal-kohaku www.reddit.com/r/earthbound/comments/akyj3e/im_not_the_greatest_artist_but_i_tried_to_draw/ ► Ness’ Mom by Echoperson www.reddit.com/r/earthbound/comments/87jd9t/i_drew_nesss_mom/ ► Ness & Lucas comic by FizTheAncient www.deviantart.com/fiztheancient/art/Trash-Burgers-85436233 ► Mani Mani by プンチョ www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/67022922 ► "Gear" Inktober by Nyaasu twitter.com/NyaasuNekoban/status/1586886196638220288 Images: ⍟ MOTHER 2 Enix Guidebook scans by Orange & Echoes of Mother Forever mother4ever.net/art-mother2/ ⍟ EarthBound sprites ripped by Bacon, Depressed Mario, M. Bison, Random Talking Bush, Matheus123, SmithyGCN, and Tonberry2k for the Spriters Resource www.spriters-resource.com/snes/earthbound/ ⍟ Ness's Adventure Memoirs manga translated by kenisu, scans by Satsy (on a long hiatus) www.tumblr.com/mothermangascans ⍟ Chef's hat itempics-tigerchef.netdna-ssl.com/Chef-Works-CHAT-Poly-Cotton-White-Chef-Hat-168804_medium.jpg ⍟ IRL Meteorite Car craighill01.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/oct-09-peekskill-meteor-car.jpg ⍟ Eiffel 65 cover art www.discogs.com/ko/release/3188319-Eiffel-65-Blue ⍟ Leg bracers pool.hesperian.org/w/images/a/ab/DVC_Ch58_Page_543-6.png ⍟ Lion & cub www.pexels.com/photo/animal-cute-fur-africa-40803/ ⍟ All other stock photos used are free for commercial use via Pixabay pixabay.com/ ⍟ Mani Mani Hobonichi merch photos by ずぼらいたーゆいきのずぼらマガジン and こむっとさん www.yukwi.com/mother-4-20210720/ mobile.twitter.com/Goldeen_Lv29/status/1519986687564156929 ⍟ Playground vault bar freeoutdoorfitness.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Riverdale-Park-101221.jpg Footage: ⍟ MOTHER 4 teaser archived by Ryan Jordan kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWa7ZIKHopVrg6M ⍟ The Giftman Chronicles (EB hack) footage by Rowe Reviews kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z33Gq6uVgbaKfqc ⍟ POLLYANNA: An Animated Earthbound Tribute by SaganYee kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y5m5pqltoqmBp68&ab_channel=SaganYee ⍟ Chewy livestream (EarthBound Bash) by Fangamer kzbin.info/www/bejne/fpK0faSoiN2AapI ⍟ "Wendy's Grill Skills" archive.org/details/Wendys.Grill.Skills.1989.Other.Xvid-CG ⍟ Ferrari on Fire by Jordi Gumbau Ciurana kzbin.info/www/bejne/rH61gYGEeNekoKM ⍟ "Goodnight SpongeBob" uploaded by Times 2005 kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4esc3l8g82Vq68 ⍟ Wii Unfit by Poofesure kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKOqZaGlpaymhdE ⍟ Fish chasing hot dog by Village FishingTube kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3vLdGCma9dqhLM ⍟ Tying a sailor’s knot by NightHawkInLight kzbin.info/www/bejne/h2qxonqabJlparc ⍟ Wicked Witch melting uploaded by Eagle Burger kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJ-TqICbhMmjnZY ⍟ Kirby Right Back At Ya opening uploaded by The Technical Miracle kzbin.info/www/bejne/mHqTc5mrg9KIjLs ⍟ "Bionic Burger" clip by KGPT-26 kzbin.info/www/bejne/iIrQoJ-AbpWfh7M ⍟ "Bio Burger" clip by October kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6nSYauJecuth8U ⍟ The Hobbit melting statue uploaded by DOGHEIST kzbin.info/www/bejne/hWrRdWipd9SdnqM ⍟ Smash Bros. Dungeon Man clip by Masahiro Sakurai kzbin.info/www/bejne/hHO7pWCLppyXfsk ⍟ Barney parade float uploaded by DelhiTheCat kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6HKiaiDd5amfJo ⍟ The Exorcist clip uploaded by Movie Clip Microcosm kzbin.info/www/bejne/pqOxc32Ya8aKeck ⍟ Mario Sluggers clip uploaded by New Challenger kzbin.info/www/bejne/mpPFhmyOaq-aZqucttps://kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2WQiGywbqaZh68

[@musichousesection1264]

pokey nearly died riding a helicopter now he wants to drive a car (talking about the thumbnail to your video btw)

[@ericanightshade]

Wait Porky was the eponymous Mother all along? ... ... wao

[@ccshade7294]

I'm surprised you didn't mention Spoilers Ness's dad actually showing up and having a reunion with his son, I thought it was really cute and one of the best moments

[@kingofsnacks8566]

Can’t believe in this book they made giygas a psychic Xenomorph smh

[@sahilhossian8212]

Can't have nice shit in Ohio nor anywhere else

[@shadiussokralio1901]

I loved how creative you got with visualizing most of what's happening like for example you showed very chubby Kirby for a stand-in for porky. This and some of the jokes you put in made this video both light-hearted and dark at the same time. But I'm all here for it! I love the Dark Aspects Series, no matter if it's bound to just games or related media like comics too.

[@ThaneGaming]

Thank you so much for the feedback and being specific about what you liked! I'm really glad to hear that you liked the visualizations in particular, that was a big focus for me this time around as it posed quite a challenge. Thank goodness for Kirby 😅 Also, nice to know that you'd be up for more Dark Apsects based on external game-related media!

[@A.B.-ub9un]

It's funny how this novel basically confirms the theory of Giygas being a fetus.

[@worldssmallestdestron7819]

dear Primus... I am only 11 minutes in, and I already feel bad for Porky. also, my head cannon for Mr. Saturns' hands are that their feet act like a monkey's. that's how the Mr. Saturns built everything they did. and also why they have such terrible handwriting.

[@yagofazcoisaseuacho8035]

Oh man, I loved both novels, something funny is that I'm somewhat of a Mother 1 defender, it is probably my favorite game out of the three, but I enjoyed the second game's novel way more. I think the biggest thing is that the first game's novel had changes I didn't really like (Like Eve kinda being Lloyd's mother, Ninten's whole personality, Hurricane Joe lacking Teddy's apparent motivations [according to Mother Encyclopedia at least]) The Mother 2 novel's changes however? I'm pretty ok with most of them. I loved everyone's characterization on the novels (Porky specially) and would make Porky's backstory from the novel canon in the games if I could :v

[@ThaneGaming]

Yes thank you for your comment as someone who's read both novels! I'm with you on all your points about the first book vs. the second. I still like a lot of what the former did (the Rosemary Manor, Yucca Desert, and Magicant scenes were all handled in an interesting way), but how much I enjoy any given story is largely determined by its characters, so I agree that Kumi's sequel is superior because of how they were all handled. Porky's backstory is a perfect match for his rise in the third game (and why he seems to be obsessed with Ness), so I'd love for it to be considered canon, too 😅

[@yagofazcoisaseuacho8035]

@@ThaneGaming oh, yeah, there were some fun changes in the Mother 1 book too, like you mentioned in the video, following Ana's point of view was an interesting take. I also liked the idea of Lloyd going along with the quest for his own reasons (coincidentally related to his mother, which fits well considering the whole mother-child relationship themes the Mother series have) Also, while I didn't really like Ken that much, Lloyd and Ana were great overrall, the Youngtown baby was a fun addition to the plot and imo the novel did a good job at making the first game's plot feel a bit more real in a way P.S. in the M1 novel video I mentioned that I wondered how a M3 novel would work since , y'know, the M2 novel's ending is pretty different from the game. But after this video, yeah, I feel like it could work actually (sorry for the long comment btw :v)

[@ThaneGaming]

@Yago Faz coisas, eu acho No need to apologize for the long comment, it's great to hear your opinion on the novels, since I haven't been able to chat about them with too many other fans! I also liked Ana and Lloyd's characterizations more than the others, and agree that baby Noel joining their party as a means of transportation (rather than him just teaching it to them) was a fun addition! I'm glad you're also thinking about how a M3 novel could work--I'd be fascinated to see Giygas return, taking on the form of his corrupted version of Porky!

[@Fideothedog2021]

I’m gonna write a fan novelization of earthbound that more closely follows the story of the game but also has some differences. The reason I’m doing this is because while i loved the novelization and it’s changes I can see why others may not. Some changes in my novelization include: 1. Ness, Paula, Jeff, Poo, and Porky will be around the ages of 10 to 12, with Ness being 11, Paula 10, Jeff 11, and Poo 12 as I want to give him to have sort of a “ big brother” role, and Porky is also 12. Some might call this change unnecessary but the reason I did it is because I want the novel to have a sort of “Stephen King” feel and the Losers Club are all 11 in the book. 2. The countries like Eagleland will be renamed to simply America. With Winters being renamed to Great Britain. This change is simply one I made because I wanted to share what I think the countries in the game are based on. ( And yes I believe that Jeff is British). However, Dalaam and the city names like Onett will remain the same as although Dalaam is based of East Asian culture and architecture I like considering it a separate place entirely. 3. Giygas’s race will be treated as a hive mind so basically when giygas is defeated all his minions will die too. 4. And finally and this is just for shits and giggles but one of the Mr. Saturn’s will be described as having a voice similar to Micheal Jackson and even frequently has a fedora and does the moonwalk. Feel free to suggest something to me. Constructive Criticism is welcome 😊.

[@stalecheez-it1034]

how's it going so far?

[@reddrahvett623]

I think you should really take some inspiration from mother 1 for this, and maybe make some allusions to the protagonists from that game. Giygas is a very complex character when you take this into account, and aimply making him a hivemind doesn't sit right with me.

[@mx.pixiedowner4593]

I wish he was called Porky in Earthbound. Only because I love pigs and his pig theming in Mother 3 is glorious

[@ThaneGaming]

I'm glad a majority of the fandom recognize that "Porky" was his intended name all along! It's tricky with something like this, where he was officially known as "Pokey" in the west for over a decade (until the release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl), and any re-release of EarthBound of course still uses "Pokey". I personally tend to call him Pokey when I'm talking about this game, and Porky in any other situation 😅

[@mx.pixiedowner4593]

@@ThaneGaming That's very fair! I personally don't understand why they changed it, though it was probably translation error as is usually the case.. imagine if we got the stage New Poke City

[@Kalamari24]

Is it just me or does this read as a grimdark creepypasta? The porky stuff, jeff, amd suicide club just seems way too much

[@jackatk]

Oh boy! This will be a great video to watch at 1 AM, and I’m sure it will have absolutely no negative repercussions upon my day Edit: SURPRISINGLY, I’m having a better day than usual. Great video dude!

[@ThaneGaming]

Haha glad to hear it, and thank you so much!

[@thecunninlynguist]

wow this fascinating. I didn't even know there was a novel.

[@ThaneGaming]

I had only ever heard about this novel through snippets online over the years, but never thought I'd be able to read the full thing in English!

[@DeepWeeb]

Wasn't expected to hear about male pregnancy in a licensed Earthbound book

[@ThaneGaming]

Me neither...my jaw dropped when Buzz Buzz explained what was happening--I had to put the book down and talk to somebody about it 😆 the idea of Giygas taking him as a host though is incredibly interesting; I was excited whenever the novel cut to Pokey so I could see how he was doing (perhaps a morbid curiosity?)

[@DeepWeeb]

@@ThaneGaming Conceptually sounds great: the idea that Pokey being the "carrier" of Giygas, *brilliantly him becoming the "Mother" of Mother 2* (complementing perfectly with the supposed womb imagery from the Devil's Machine) and the explanation to why he ultimately becomes evil and it's the one to awaken Giygas and act as his right hand Not so fond on how this change is taken to the extreme of causing him to mutate into a bloated giant, even as a form of body horror seems a bit excessive and unnecessary, especially how detatched it feels in comparison to the final battle of the game

[@chriscanul4075]

The novel was so interesting on how it differed from the game, especially in the ending! Great video!

[@ThaneGaming]

I thought so too! The changes certainly kept me on my toes as a megafan of the game, and that ending was the biggest shock of all, as you mentioned 😅 thanks for letting me know you enjoyed the video!

[@kingofsnacks8566]

Can’t believe in this book the made a giygas a psychic Xenomorph smh

[@Bluegirl12345]

And they gave Jeff and whole sad backstory

[@sahilhossian8212]

Can't have shit in Detroit nor anywhere else

[@donnylurch4207]

26:50 is not hard to believe after what happened over the Popeyes chicken sandwich.

[@ThaneGaming]

That honestly did come to mind when I was thinking over what footage to use 😬

[@maccamachine]

This is a great video and a really interesting story I think the world of earthbound is so cool yet scary but can also be pretty chill. Also you did great putting photos and clips that match with what is going on in the story it definitely helps you visualize it better

[@ThaneGaming]

Thanks so much for the feedback! I'm especially happy to hear you thought the photos & clips matched what I was talking about in the story--that was a big focus for me with this one 😁 great point about the world of EarthBound being a relaxing albeit scary place, too!

[@fgfhjfhjfbhfghf5771]

I've got a few thoughts on this novel. Porky was definitely the highlight imo although I'm not a fan of how he was written pre meteorite. In the game he really isn't that bad of a kid in the prologue, he's cowardly and pushy but he still showed basic manners unlike in the novel where he's reduced to a cartoon bully. It was nice to see more detail on how the mani mani statue corrupted people that isn't just "ok I'm gonna punch children now". In particular making Aloysius become indifferent to his own son seemingly having a heart attack and later starving himself. One thing I didn't like was how Jeff was handled, I was really interested and excited to see how his disability would change the story only for him to immediately get magical cure robo legs. Also don't really get why he was portrayed as this super attractive guy like not saying his meant to be ugly ugly but this definitely isn't in line with the game at all. If anyone was meant to be attractive in the game it was Poo

[@kingofsnacks8566]

What? WHAT DO YOU MEAN NESS’ DAD ISN’T A PHONE?

[@ThaneGaming]

RIGHT?! I was shocked and appalled myself, had to put the book down for a couple of days. Revelation of the century 🤯

[@kingofsnacks8566]

@@ThaneGaming but how!? HOW!?

[@bulbavivi]

OKAMI MENTIONED THIS IS NOT A DRILL I REPEAT OKAMI HAS BEEN MENTIONED ON THANE GAMING

[@henryentertainmentsystem9923]

A dark aspects of the mother game book would be fun! I've used it a lot with my friends, and I heard that there was also a mother 2 game book, so hope that gets translated as well!

[@ThaneGaming]

I absolutely plan on it! It'll likely be sometime early(ish) this coming year 😁 I may start working on the script soon, since it wasn't too long ago I finished my first playthrough of the game...

[@locke103]

I see this was well worth the wait, as always. Definitely wanna find time to read the books now. As far a future video/essay ideas go, how would you feel or go about covering the subject of Magicant overall? Between the books, games and your own personal thoughts of the realm?

[@ThaneGaming]

Hey thank you so much, that's honestly a great idea! It'd be fun to compare/contrast the two Magicants from EB Beginnings & EarthBound (three if you count "Sunflower Fields" as Lucas'). Itoi has also mentioned being afraid of what is own Magicant would be like 😅 I'll consider this idea, thanks again!

[@locke103]

@@ThaneGaming I've sorta adopted the idea of Magicant for some fantasy novel I've made no headway on. Probably "borrowed" too much from Beginnings as is, but the idea always fascinated me as well.

[@locke103]

@@ThaneGaming felt up for a rewatch. then felt inclined to maybe pester you for a magicant video.

[@largeeugene3373]

Pokey's fate reminds me of Judas' fate in early Christian text 'Expostions of the sayings of the Lord' by Papias. In a way they were both inflicted by the wrath of a higher power.

[@Fideothedog2021]

Funny you compare Pokey to Judas as Earthbound has a lot of religious allusions. Ness can be considered Jesus as he’s prophesied to defeat a powerful force of evil (Giygas), he acquires his own “disciples” in the form of Paula, Jeff, and Poo, and goes around spreading peace and love throughout. At multiple points he also feeds the hungry and heals people, hence performing miracles, and the Apple of Enlightenment I’m pretty sure is a reference to the forbidden fruit of knowledge as it’s mostly depicted as an apple. Also it’s very likely that the first enemy you will encounter in your play through is a Coil snake which I interpret as being a reference to the serpent in the Garden of Eden. Speaking of that the Sea of Eden in Magicant also has the Krakens who look like Leviathans but could also represent the serpent as they are very snake like, and Ness’ Nightmare being at the center of the Sea of Eden is most likely used to show how in the Bible sin was created after Adam and Eve ate from the fruit of knowledge at the center of the Garden of Eden. Ness is also technically resurrected along with his party members at the end. And Giygas is quite literally just Satan so there’s that.

[@bakuiel1901]

Thanks so much for doing these videos, I never played Mother but I always wanted to know more about it and your videos gave me tons of content to help me. Thanks.

[@SeannaRose]

I'm so glad I got to read the books. Mother 2/Earthbound is my favourite of the two, and I like what they did with the ending.

[@a.donnatella]

THIS VIDEO IS AWESOME!!! How the heck just 150 likes? You deserve far more than this. If you keep doing videos you can be assured that I am coming back.

[@ThaneGaming]

Thank you so much! Sometimes exposure is a slow process, I've had videos randomly blow up a year after they've released 😅 you can expect about a month of a wait between uploads at any given time, I will not stop making videos!

[@princeshadow13]

So, Pokey just got the Slither treatment, gotcha

[@Langtree]

your longer videos are some of my favorites even when they're just compilations

[@ThaneGaming]

I'm happy to hear that, thank you! I will actually be putting out a compilation of the novelization videos next week, and the next couple of videos after that will be long-form too 😁

[@OneOfFourLucasMains]

I read the novel before I played the game lol. This is a great video to watch in class

[@Usoony]

I like the way you say giygas.

[@ThaneGaming]

I'm glad someone does 😅 I know guy-gas is cooler, but Itoi wanted the name to sound strange and unpleasant!

[@Luiniss]

Excellent video!!! What a wild ride, especially the ending, thank you for making this Thane!

[@ThaneGaming]

Thank you, and you're so welcome! Thanks for watching it through to its end 😄 it's absolutely a wild ride I hope more fans will go on, whether it's through the video or by reading it 😁

[@Kupomasters57]

Im both glad and sad that we know why jeff and his dad were so separated.

[@mystikgleam9541]

Ayo If any y’all know where I can read the MOTHER 1 doujinshi “Believe” and other works pls let me know. All of the mega upload links are (obviously) down

[@xavierb.2378]

Thank you for mentioning it bc the final battle was basically the ritual of chud

[@battty_nattty]

Eyy, nice to hear someone interested in our local boogymen, WV is full of them. They just walk down the sidewalk around here

[@lucakoddsy3000]

i need this bro hardcover version would be absolutely sick

[@ThaneGaming]

The video or the book? Regardless, glad you're here 😅

[@lucakoddsy3000]

@@ThaneGaming well i was talking about the book but that would also be very nice lol

[@Remie_REM_Sleep]

Yet another gem from the Thane of thy Gaming. Your content never seizes to amaze me. Your doing great!

[@ThaneGaming]

Hey thank you so much, I've got another big one coming this Thursday after the Mother Direct! I've been watching your newly updated iceberg video btw, seriously awesome stuff. It's great you went back and adjusted the audio, I hope more people discover it in the coming months

[@gracekim25]

There’s a novel?! 😮 holy cow! 13.12.22

[@ThaneGaming]

There sure is! It was written by Saori Kumi the same year the game released in Japan, at the request of Shigesato Itoi. I've got a video about the MOTHER 1 novel here, if you're interested! kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIurgnhng5l7obc

[@sadib100]

Have you heard of Omori?

[@ThaneGaming]

I have, yes! It's on my backlog list of games to play next. I am actually currently playing through Undertale for the first time ever, since that's the topic of Mato's third Legends of Localization book (coming next month). Omori might be a good follow-up, then 😅 I was thinking about getting the Switch physical edition by Fangamer, unless the digital version goes on sale

[@sadib100]

@@ThaneGaming I kept not knowing where to go in Omori, so I decided to watch a let's play, which was done by a therapist. I'm so glad I did that. Parts of that game are super dark.

[@allosaurustime]

Some parts of this story reminded me of Omori a lot, especially since I purchased and finished the game very recently. I love it

[@sadib100]

@@allosaurustime Well, Omori is heavily based on the Mother series.

[@allosaurustime]

@@sadib100 yes of course, but I mean the original events in the novel, especially Jeff’s backstory

[@giganticmoon]

Oh my god, didn’t even know these existed, if they just adapted the story and characters..used Mr. Saturn’s font..oh wait, they do.

[@ThaneGaming]

That's right! Maybe I should've mentioned the Mr. Saturn's font is actually used--that makes me happy 😄

[@Enriquito445]

3:30 MAHther 1 or MAHther 2

[@diblovescopyX]

isnt pokey 13 bro... sick dude

[@Fideothedog2021]

14 actually but either way….gross.

[@TheBrotherLetsPlay]

Gave me a nightmare 10\10

[@jairramirez1195]

DUCK THE BURRITO BOWL QUEST

[@superdean9966]

i refuse to say geegas. it just sounds wrong.

[@ThaneGaming]

It is uncool to say geegas lol, so I can respect those who continue to say guy-gas. As long as you know that is name is pronounced "Geeg" in Japanese, and it was Itoi's intention to have his name sound unpleasant & strange!

[@fgfhjfhjfbhfghf5771]

@@ThaneGaming I'd argue guy gas still sounds unpleasant and strange

[@heliax9924]

i read the whole novel and MAN O MAN it was good i am so glad you made a video on it and i didnt get spoiled i was expecting it to be a retold off earthbound but with more complex charecters but no i was wrong i mean the last thing i expected was to see paula get drunk lol i would go on a rant off how good the whole novel was but i dont want to bore you with that and besides now i got to watch your video there where i few changes i personally didnt like (like gyigas pretty much being a plot device ) but that is more off a preference than anything bless itoi for letting Saori write the novels i still have to read the first one and i found the first game story pretty flat so i feel like i am ganna love that novel a lot

[@ThaneGaming]

Haha yes, there's so many details in these novels that gave me such a surprise! I was also expecting a fairly straightforward interpretation of the game's plot, and while it does follow the general order of events the novel deviates in plenty of shocking & interesting ways! I'm glad you thought it was as good as I did, and it's nice to hear from those who've read the book so please feel free to rant 😅 I do think you'll like the first novel then, it's a wild ride in and of itself. Giygas/Giegue has much more character to him as well!

[@heliax9924]

@@ThaneGaming wait really giegue gets more screen time? YES i guess this is why he didnt even have one line in the novel i always been facinated with him i mean its the whole reason i even got into the mother series i guess he was a blessing in a disguise and i am also curious to see if ninteen and the party have more charecter to them its not that i hated mother 1 but it just didnt click with me, man i have really painful week ahead off me but your videos and the novel will for sure help me from not getting tired and bored ,man i am so glad i found this amazing community (:

[@ThaneGaming]

I'm happy you're here & part of this community, and that these novels have brought you joy during a rough time! I will tell you that yes, the main cast is absolutely given much more character, like Giegue 😁 Ana & Lloyd specifically are great, while Ninten's personality is...interesting lol. He's rude & crude in the novel, which is good for further differentiating him from Ness (and makes for some funny moments), but it was a little hard to root for him sometimes 😅 you'll see once you start reading!

[@heliax9924]

@@ThaneGaming yeah i am in the desert chapter and i am enjoying it a lot i dont mind ninten i always saw him as the guy who was suffering on the inside i mean his front sprite in mother 1 makes him look like he is about to game end himself but anyway i really like that he is different and the part where he says "pretty smooth off you playing it cool while you had that powerful move up your sleeve " made me love him cant wait to see how the rest off the novel is i finally get to relax now so i should be able to finish tomorrow or today even

[@ЗахарГончаренко-н8х]

18:24 Is that charri5?

[@ThaneGaming]

That's Vinny from Vinesauce, the clip is from this! kzbin.info/www/bejne/o2q4hYupl5hmrpI

[@ЗахарГончаренко-н8х]

Ohhhhh

[@ЗахарГончаренко-н8х]

Just the voice was similiar

[@blockfrog]

4:30 😂 love that

[@EpicNess4794]

Perfection

[@Ninjacat25]

Not only does this man produce great videos, he also even takes the time to reply to comments! What a champ!

[@ThaneGaming]

Thank you for the kind words! I don't reply every time but I certainly read them all. I love seeing the response and just talking about my favorite things with those who care enough to comment!

[@Ninjacat25]

@@ThaneGaming That's excellent!

[@buster5661]

Couldn't find the link for the rpg book in the description Liar

[@ThaneGaming]

Lol it's on Nyaasu's website, here: nyaasunobouken.com/mother.htm (third book, at the bottom)

[@Savagewolver]

There’s a novel?

[@ThaneGaming]

Yep! It was written by Saori Kumi the same year the game released in Japan, at the request of Shigesato Itoi. She's authored a novelization of the first and second game

[@Mike-di3mo]

😎

[@Mike-di3mo]

This was great

[@ThaneGaming]

Thanks for saying so!

[@MAXY44444]

Awesome video! I finished reading this novel a few months ago, so it's gonna be hard to remember what comments I wanted to make about it. Of course, the problematic club owner rubbed me the wrong way, especially how Jeff negatively refers to him as a "homo", as if that were the problem with that guy. That's especially weird since Tony seems to be gay and is never really portrayed in a negative way. In any case, a lot of the changes were pretty entertaining, like making Porky a more sympathetic figure and giving more depth to the characters. I was not expecting the time travel shenanigans to change the ending this much, but as a fan of Back to the Future I still enjoyed it. In the end, I'm glad I read these novels. Even if they're not without their problems, they're an interesting part of the Mother franchise.

[@ThaneGaming]

It's very nice to hear from someone who's read the book all the way through! I found what you mentioned about Jeff's comment just as odd & uncharacteristic; Nyaasu's correction of "creep" is what the original text should have been. That's a great point about Tony! He straight up confessed his romantic feelings for Jeff earlier on in the book and wasn't mocked or thought of differently, so why would Jeff harbor such a negative general stigma? I agree with your other points, and that you were OK with all the time travel stuff towards the end as a Back to the Future fan! I wasn't expecting that direction either since it's such a small part of the game, but I think this author pulled it off just fine 😁

[@lucilaloken7218]

*Promo sm*