There's a lot to love about "Still Here," but...

[@6ofrozes657]

Yasuo inting for the last kill instead of having any sense of self preservation is now in game and lore accurate

[@Rells2coolpeoplehavebadtastes.]

Lol!

[@Roman-fj9my]

he was pushing him out of the way of the arrows, no? he didn't actually kill anybody

[@BasedOverflow]

@@Roman-fj9my Doesn't the wind cut? His bandages were being cut by his own wind power when he started to use it, I think it's more likely that Riot simply censors their cinematics by not showing blood, like they have done before on most of them.

[@linkisraan4639]

Maybe the guy had a shutdown, maybe it was worth

[@RepstarVixen]

windwall was still on cooldown though

[@synmad3638]

📺I mostly agree with your criticism but I do think the realistic style did work for Trynda's segment specifically. The idea that every time he defies death he has to LITERALLY FIGHT DEATH is insanely cool to me, and going for a surreal, symbolic aesthetic would've undermined that interpretation

[@daktotathecolossus7404]

Also the realistic style sort of made him seem a lot more rugged and unhinged, which helped i think.

[@Thulgore]

Also gives an idea as to why Olaf can't die. Olaf does not shun death, maybe Kindred has a soft spot.

[@TheBrandonwelty]

Agreed, Tryndamere's segment looked great, but without the blood and bruises, it wasn't able to use one of the main strengths of this highly rendered realistic style. They chose a style that they knew was neutered by censorship right out of the gate. Also, his ultimate defiance of death rage state is just his eyes getting red? Not like, bloodshot with rage and fury, but like color contact red?? Really? LoL That was silly. IMHO of course. =^)

[@luckas221a]

@@washada but Olaf wants to die. His whole schtick is that he craves a glorious death in combat, it’s his sole motivation. The Wolf only kills those who don’t want to die

[@nayumid8352]

@@TheBrandonwelty I believe it to reference to the in-game ability illustration, which performs well in 9:45, and also to makes the transition when he sees ashe a little easier (10:23). I feel like the bloodshot would have been really cool to signify the rage, but won't make it to the 9:45 when his whole eyes are blinded and would be non-logical to make it disappear so easily after seeing ashe. Maybe they should have kept the eyes being whole red instead of just contact lense in some scenes while full in other?

[@pavelsvacha]

📺 Tryndameres rage leaving as soon as he sees Ashe made me tear up the first time i saw the cinematic, i have a soft spot for "Big tough angry guy who is also a huge wife guy who loves his wife very much"

[@hewhoisnamed9050]

Dude, me too, I've been programmed to love the whole "love wife" thing. I blame my wife

[@CasaHouse2205]

Literally too angry for the normal rules of life and death, but never too angry to be a cinnamon roll for his wife. That's that good shit.

[@ch3rrily]

ME TOO!! THE POWER OF LOVE IS REAL 😭🩷🩷🩷

[@bocoom]

So basically Vegeta from DBZ

[@Nishant-r8e]

'Also gabimaru'

[@jtreview7506]

I kinda like the idea that Kayle and Morgana aren’t exactly in or out of sync, it’s kinda like they’re two extremely skilled dancers who can perfectly read their partners but they each are performing a different dance, thinking that they are doing the same one, so they get the next move wrong despite the skill

[@timothymclean]

55:25: People liked it when Yasuo overcame the guilt and trauma from his tragic backstory. So either we can keep telling a story about what happens next, what Yasuo does when he learns to accept himself...or we can keep telling that story people like over and over, until Yasuo dies of old age. 📺

[@orabijuu8550]

yasuo the unforgiven

[@nidhogg8446]

Now to be fair That method has worked wonderfully for Bruce Wayne and learning to accept help from others He's learnt to open up like two dozen times and he still dies alone having pushed even his sons away from him

[@timothymclean]

@@nidhogg8446 Yeah, but he's been in at least three dozen continuities over the decades.

[@rraimundobruno]

@@nidhogg8446 Maybe people wouldn't go away if he spent less time thinking of ways to kill his own friends if they ever misstep

[@strongerthanever2039]

📺 30:48 Isn't it easy? It's like "Oh, they are perfectly coordinated, they must fight together a lot, they are really close", BUT then they are also crossing each other paths multiple times, Morgana ducks so Kayle has to parry Aatrox's sword etc. There is a slight dissonance in that coordination, not enough to really impair their fighting capability, but enough to foreshadow that there is some conflict, some difference in oppinions between them. It might be a hidded bonus thing for all the "lore hounds", how you called them.

[@nathaningram347]

📺 Honestly, with the Old Man Yasuo Skin, I don't feel like it is a vision of him defying death and retaking the path. I think the skin is an alternative vision. The Cinematic shows him accepting death and allowing the path to end. I think the skin is more... Akin to how Yasuo changes after seeing that vision. Because in the Foreseen Vision, he lacks the blade, or even its sheathe on his person. He appears more vibrant, and still, in that old age, full of life. His hair and expression are slightly wilder, and his outfit feels more well tended to. Might just be design choice differences in order to sell it better? But honestly, I think its at least indicating something interesting. Either way, I do love the video. Another damn good analysis.

[@skkadoot9533]

the vibe i get from the old yasuo on the cinematic is that he had put aside his sword and decided to live peacefully in the village, picking up the sword again to defend it. The skin yasuo feels like he has never stopped practicing his swordsmanship and wind techniques, to the point where he can conjure lighting and flames from it (that's what the vfx suggest). Basically, in terms of power, cinematic yasuo is at his lowest, and skin yasuo is at his peak

[@dvs7392]

It reminds me of Ezio’s journey in AC. Old man at the end of his journey - a journey we got to take with him, so we too are ready for rest. So satisfying

[@jinfreaks611]

We can't be sure a character is dead until We clearly saw it What I mean by that is : you can imagine he draws his windwall juste after the cut and then fights Wolf. In the same cinematic, firstly, he accepts death but then cuts the arrow. Maybe he does the same with kindred's arrow

[@orabijuu8550]

​@@Rev1n05 what the other guy said is more possible now that we see his recall, where he dies to wolf

[@hominem7169]

I disagree with all of your feedback until the last like 3 minutes

[@demianguzman9499]

19:20 Well, the lamb is the one that takes the souls of those accept their destiny in death so the lamb is the representation of the gentle "painless" death while the wolf is the one that hunts the ones that refuse the lamb's call into the afterlife. So the lamb being all cute and harmless looking is part of the duality of them, while the wolf is a reminder that if you want to beat/cheat death you need to prove you can keep youself in the world of the living.

[@gooeymon8146]

📺 I understand the criticisms you point out, and I agree with some of them, but for me the positives far outweigh the negatives for this cinematic. I just love the attention to detail here, even in the little touches of animation. My favourite part is seeing how Kindred is present throughout the entire cinematic. The first viewing gave me hype, the second viewing picked my curiosity about the storytelling and lore details. And I think that's perfect for a season start cinematic. Give hype to first time viewers, while giving plenty to analyse for lore nerds. With all of that I still believe this is one of the best cinematics they have done

[@thenerdymikayuki]

Agreed! All criticisms are valid and yet I’m still hyped each time I watch Still Here 😊

[@raziel5835]

Totally agree! We love to nitpick things we are pationate about, but I appretiated this cinemetics concept, music, characters. It made me tear up multiple times, specially after following these characters for so long

[@skycharts7054]

But i think that's the entire point of the video. It works, it's a great cinematic, it got people hyped, but clearly some of the artistic and pacing decisions were made without thinking about the quality of the production, instead trying to make it feel big budget and all and, like Skyen said, after last year's cinematic, this seems even more like a "hey forget about last year's video". That's why the criticism section is only 1/3 of the video. It's really good, just there're things that could be better. Like the storytelling being compressed to fit the song length and the AAA realistic design. I think this video isn't trying to make the positives irrelevant.

[@gooeymon8146]

@@skycharts7054 That's actually the thing I disagree the most about the criticism. I don't think it feels like a "hey forget about last year", as they have said, this cinematic took only slightly longer to make than the others. I believe the choice of artsyle was made BECAUSE its a seasonal start cinematic. Because the have always been like that, because its whats marketed to the general public. Riot experiments with a lot of different animation styles for other cinematics, like champion cinematics, skinlines, tft. But when it comes to seasonal cinematics like Awaken, all of the ones I remember, at least the last 4, have this hyper-realistic style. Which comes with limitations. And yeah I agree with those limitations' criticism, but saying they chose this artstyle just to show how muich money they are flexing this year feels just like a weird way to look at things when its been like this for half a decade. i also dont agree that we need context for some stuff, like Skyen said, this is primarily made for the hype. And for a cinematic made for that, the amount of good storytelling here is really good. Like I think even people who dont get the lore can pickup on whats happening based on the little touches of animation and direction

[@D3LTAMAST3R]

I also made the connection that Morgana, a Demacian is removing her armor to become full power, which i thought kinda played into the whole future of Demacia with Petricite in a cool way.

[@bthsr7113]

Good idea.

[@wanderer2205]

I really like this idea! Kayle kinda does the same!

[@sombreroanonimo8866]

The reason that I have for the way Kayle and Morgana fight in sync, but also cross their ways from time to time. Is because they have a strong connection due to their mother's, but they choose to perceive the world in different ways. Until those decisions ultimately disconnects them form one another. 📺

[@shantysixix]

📺 would have loved it if you mentioned that trynd’s body language shows that it’s not his first time fighting kindred, the moment he saw the lamb he expected the wolf to jump him from behind. Other than than fantastic video as always and on point criticisms, around this day and age most people should know that stylized animation DOES look expensive and better than just realism in most cases especially in a world where arcane exists, it’s weird how the company itself hasn’t realized that.

[@UltimusNovus]

The way I took old man Yasuo having those bandages is not him hiding those parts of himself, but rather protecting himself. After all, the purpose of a bandage is to protect a wound, not hide it. So in losing the bandages, he is making himself vulnerable again, rather than running away and seeking safety in everything. He has been protecting himself from his responsibility and guilt by running, now the old wounds are laid bare and he has to deal with them again.

[@annelie3452]

oh that makes much sense! 👍

[@CrimsonHybrid]

8:10 - Local man too angry to die With Lamb, I like to believe that she's purposely designed to be adorable/attractive/pleasing because she is the gentle guide to those who accept death as opposed to wolf's violent, sudden, brutal chase of those who try to escape it. I mean, if I wanted to die, I would find peace and solace seeing Lamb come for me. :) And I think that's why Wolf is the one dealing with Trynd, too-because Trynd is cheating death.

[@purupumpkin]

Morgana is so goated, kayle could never

[@xanderquinn6010]

I heard one take that I really like that yasuo wasn’t actually killing anyone, he was just using the wind to knock the shit out of them, see how they emphasize that his sword isn’t hitting anyone, and that instead of creating a wall to save himself, he knocks the other guy away from where the arrows are falling, this is from Necrits video btw and I like that take on it.

[@sagittariusa2145]

I think also the song itself enhances the 📺cinematic really well, especially the synchronization with the Trynd vs Wolf fight, that hit hard. But yeah I would've loved to see a more in-depth Morgana and Kayle fight, and the censorship is kinda sad. But regardless of all of that, the first time I saw the cinematic (and the 15th time) I still love it. It just sparks joy for reasons I can't fully explain. It's amazing, and I think, personally, that matters more, to me, than the flaws it may have.

[@L3FT2BURN]

I forgot there was a song. It was so forgettable and boring that I was only reminded of it at the end. Riot can make some amazing music too, Pentakill's Smite and Ignite is still an album I listen to regularly so you can't excuse the shitty music on the fact that they are a video game company.

[@rdesignartes2520]

​@@L3FT2BURN I will respectfully disagree that the song is boring. Generic? Yeah there's a debate to say this, but forgettable and boring? Nah, I don't see it that way. While it's not a very groundbreaking song, it is very fititng with the story that it's trying to tell, the lyrics fit, and it's well in sync with the visual storytelling going on. Again, it is fair to find the song "more of the same". Play that one next to awaken, or the other one that sylas appears on can't recall the name atm, they are all awfully similar. I too wish that Riot would be a bit more daring when making these cinematics, maybe try to switch to a different style aside from the ultra realism and high rendering, since all of Riot's 2d animation mostly looks cool as fuck.

[@bradleymoore2797]

I really liked someone's reaction to the cinematic saying the music isn't actually something you'd hear on the radio because it's specifically designed to match the cinematic. It only works as well as it does when you're watching the visuals playing with it. Currently, the only riot song I've heard on the actual radio is Star Walkin by lil nas x.

[@stijnvandenheuvel8117]

​@@bradleymoore2797I've heard Enemy and Warriors once or twice, but that's probably because it's Imagine Dragons. I'm still waiting for the day the general public discovers What Could Have Been.

[@Thesmus]

@@L3FT2BURN i could say the song sounds forgettable/boring at first listen, especially cause it sounds very similar to many of their cinematic songs (had similar sentiment with their other song breathe). but bad? nope. the song hits hard, and after listening to it for a few more times, the song just gets in my brain and can't help but want to replay again.

[@HydraneousHadokenPent-Striker]

📺One thing, Aatrox is still responsible for Tryndamere's Undying Rage, the red is from the blood magic kicking in, its actually easier to see in his LoR card as they give him a red blood aura. I wish we got some Ashe x Tryndamere stories, there is a lot of potential that can get played around with there, but that would require actual lore updates. Tryndamere, Ashe, Kindred part is easily my favorite part of the cinematic though, I'd go so far as to argue that this is the best section we've ever gotten in any of the cinematics. I agree they've basically been repeating the same Yasuo story over and over again. I think the best way to handle Yasuo's story going forward is to help someone else (Riven) find their redemption. Which they did set up at the end of the Ruined King, but thanks to the mess known as SoL who knows what is gonna happen with that plot point. But hey they don't tell stories anymore so maybe we'll see something in 5 years if we're lucky. After watching a wide range of reactions I'm fine that the cinematics cater a bit towards the lore community. It creates engagement in the community, but also if you watch reactions from some streamers you realize they just wont get it even if they dumb it down and I don't think riot should cripple what little storytelling they actually do now a days by catering to those who don't care about the lore to begin with. That said, I agree, story telling issues with the cinematic are part of the bigger issue of Riot handling the lore by no longer doing short stories and doing stupid stuff like making Arcane canon. And yea the censorship made Yasuo slashing through people look goofy as heck, its really the main flaw of this style.

[@Macaulyn_97]

I have such high expectations for the video on why Arcane becoming Arcanon is bad. Because every time I think of Piltover and Zaun, I see a retcon happening and I also noticed that there are some big retcons related to other regions as well, which already makes everything kinda fucked up. I can't imagine how many things you've found if the script is taking so long, and that's not to mention the fact that they're doing this for brand recognition, basically...

[@luizotavio44]

like the fact that every bit of lore related to hextech will need to be retconned there will be changes in how piltover and zaun interact with other nations since they are doing the political plot with noxus and many other things

[@bruh1704]

@@ruvkyuseraphine riding the green goblin glider powered by tortured pacifists should never be forgotten. Riot Tencent erased them for Seraphine.

[@cartoonishidealism582]

As a whole it just feels… counterintuitive. Arcane was good partly because it didn’t have to be shackled to an expanded universe. It could pick and choose whatever bits it needed to tell the story it wanted to tell. It took the Ferros family’s role as the inventor of Hextech and gave it to Jayce because that fit the story it was telling much better. It didn’t acknowledge the brackern being hextech because that wasn’t relevant to the story and would have just dragged it down. It doesn’t make room for characters like Twitch, or Dr Mundo, or Zac, because those characters aren’t needed for the story. But now you’re telling me they HAVE to somehow make room for all these characters, all these plot threads? It would lead to a worse story. And if the Arcane team ISN’T limited in that way then… what? Is the rest of the Riot going to be limited by what Arcane does? Do we have to wait years upon years to see what Arcane does with Noxus before we ever touch Noxus in the lore again?

[@joemoe650]

​@@cartoonishidealism582 here is my hot take. There should be no canon for league. Runeterra is a world created to provide cont4dt to a hypercompetitive moba where most of the playerbase probably doesnt acrually care about it. And i understand there is a diehard lore community, but imo eith how the lore is presented snd told a xohedive and well put together narrative is fruitless. Instead riot should focus on makong templates for regiom/characters and let artists kinda do whatever they want with those regions without tbe need for canon. Now of course there needs to be some consistency, but i preach for flexibility over rigidity

[@pedrovilar6123]

I mean but retcon isn't always a bad thing. Arcane's retconed Jayce is galaxies better than the canon version is and hopefully same can be said for Viktor. Lets not treat lore written years ago as sacred for the love of christ. LOR's version of Kindred is better, later takes on Seraphine are better, etc.

[@water-poweredmachine8291]

The casuals may not have understood all of it, but they certainly enjoyed it as much as you and me

[@Tyberes]

The other thing about the scar being missed by lot of people is not just like an aesthetic thing in my mind, but it's also like a technical thing. I'm watching the video right now compressed through KZbin probably twice, at minimum once (no idea if you've got direct feed video footage or not). I can barely even notice the scar's presence in the compression. Like it kinda just blends into the shading on his hat more than anything.

[@alicepbg2042]

I certainly missed it. just assumed it was a character I didn't know until he did the wind wall. which I don't think is an issue really...

[@Thesmus]

@@alicepbg2042 i honestly thought it was master yi lol then he did wind and was confused if that's like someone related to yasuo or something

[@davilandin5754]

📺 Great video as always, Skyen. Listening to you lecturing us about the arts of animation and storytelling for an entire hour is always a delight!

[@shieldgenerator7]

23:40 thats such a good insight! i didnt even realize it until you mentioned it!

[@MineCraeper]

📺 I was anticipating this video greatly. Not only for the details I missed, but also because I learn so much about visual storytelling. Thank you for this analysis.

[@Mowlterran]

Wonderful Video, Revently found you through shorts and I am glad to enjoy oyur full length content. Also Jazz in Paris Outro, gotta love it.

[@friday8531]

I think it's cool that it's a different short for people based on their familiarity with the lore. Little things like the significance of kayle/morgana's swords and the point that yasuo's identity is revealed. Also made this video really valuable for me to hear a more experienced perspective. Appreciate ya!

[@cheglock4314]

📺 Thank you for long videos, I just adore these video essays, I got so much new from this! Also, i want to mention, that in Morgana and Kayle segment after the first defeat, Morgana is the one who steps forward to protect people, not to just complete her duty. Trynda and Ashe as Kindred is just brilliant, never could think about them like that Thank you again for your work, I wish more people could see and appreciate it

[@wolfsis89]

📺 My favorite part of the whole cinematic was honestly lamb's head tilt. Chills everywhere. I was excited at the idea of arcane being brought into cannon originally. But the more I've heard you briefly touch on it, the more I've thought on it and what will all have to get changed? I'd say I hope riot knows what they're doing but I'm more willing to bet they don't

[@AdrianoDonizetiJr]

📺 Really cool analysis, I allways fell that I take so much from your talking about storytelling and framings, and scenes, and even animation, to just write a good story, to be able to make de reader see things inside his head in a cool way such as the videos and things you analysis. I really wish to have more comitment to writing and things, but I find hard to start it and go to the end without droping, so I really find amazing how you go trough every single little detail and post so much amazing things! Thanks for beeing an amazing creator!

[@dantenarede]

📺 I think a good shorthand to emphasize the sword would be: Close-up of Kayle's eye, reflect the sword on her eye, purple power surges - contrasting with the swords silhouette -, Kayle glares

[@Thiers2810]

I am always deeply mesmerized by your videos. Thank you for all the amazing content! 📺

[@Epok17]

This Tryn vs Kindred scene is me running late looking for my keys and my wife shows up out of nowhere and finds them.

[@mu4784]

Thank you for your work 📺

[@davidandreschiang431]

📺 love your videos, honestly didnt notice how time stops when the Kindred are in the frame. This eye for detail is why i enjoy watching your content. Please keep up the fantastic work.

[@ofanichan]

Only Tbskyen is able to talk about a 5 minute video for 1 hours and 32 minutes. And we love him for it.

[@ethanstyant9704]

Rivaled only by necrit

[@CasaHouse2205]

📺 Thanks for the content as always! I already wrote a novella in the comments on your initial reaction so I'll hold off on rambling here, but it's always lovely to hear the breakdown of animation from someone with a fundamentally different perspective when looking at animation. It helps me pick up details I missed but also overarching concepts I lose because I'm so deep in my feels when watching these things. I am of two minds about Arcane becoming canon and everything else being shoehorned into it. I agree with you that it is going to cause a way bigger mess than Riot want to admit when they actually try to reconcile all the different plot threads, but as my group's resident lorehead I'm also really excited for it because it means they will actually pay attention to their lore and let their writers do their damn job for once. It'll be an absolute clusterf*** but it'll definitely be interesting and I look forward to your future analyses on it. My only hope is that they keep it weird and don't just sand off all the sharp edges for lowest-common-denominator across the board. I know it'll happen because that's just how media is anymore, but I hope it doesn't happen to absolutely everything. Have a great day man! And from one ADHD-haver to another, may your brain chemicals treat you with mercy.

[@bthsr7113]

On the one hand, self improvement isn't necessarily a straight line and all, forward motion, but on the other, when it's not framed as a relapse, but just a repeat, "This is starting to sound like a bad comic book plot."

[@Vickiraytive]

57:45 I saw a review of this part that speculates Yasuo chooses to push away his adversary to save him, not kill him. Instead of saving himself, he chooses to end his own life showing mercy to his enemy. None of the guys he attacked were hit with killing blows. I think after a life of running from death and killing others, he chooses to poetically end the cycle of violence by embracing death for himself.

[@a.a677]

the kayle and morgana section is my favourite

[@ethanstyant9704]

Kindred finally being acknowledged is my fav

[@VaryaTheVillain]

11:00 marriage out of political convenience then ends up actually emotionally beneficial to both people in the marriage is one of the best tropes, and I hope it *is* what whoever in Riot might be working on these two is doing with that storyline. edit: finally finished the video since I had a lot of work today, but. MWAH. always a good breakdown from Skyen. 📺

[@TheMrmonkeyman5]

I like that even with the fights being super anime, it doesnt have anything super flashy like unnecessary spins or weird movements just to make it look fancier. Every move the characters make are planned and necessary, and it makes the fight feel way more real and pressing

[@chariiteee]

this is super interesting. i always appreciate your perspective, thanks for doing what you do!! 📺

[@PolarBearon]

A sidenote about the difference in powers between Kayle and Morgana. I find it interesting how morgana using her powers almost make it seem like shes weighed down, and she kneels afterwards. While Kayle literally levetates into the air. Kayle goes up, Morgana goes down. Kayle is an angel, and Morgana is a fallen angel.

[@loa02]

Got my eyes stuck to my 📺 while watching this masterpiece! Thank you!

[@Rells2coolpeoplehavebadtastes.]

📺1:17:35 One think I really love is how you are able to weave your arguments for "why this dosen't work" with your metaphores in such a well articulated maner. It's very impreasive how you are able to think of them. Deci bravo!❤

[@Lilsolris]

Also the burned wings of morgana!! Her upper wings r burned (her sacrifice) and kayles are glowing (her giving into divine)

[@QephetzialGoose]

📺 couldn't watch it all in one go because of job debuff but appreciated the hard work that went into this.

[@HargenBlargBlarg]

A thought I had on the Kayle/Morgana thing: Morgana sacrifices herself, literally, in that what she does is straining and takes a lot out of her. Kayle, on the other hand, sacrifices *her self*, in taking on the role of pure immaculate justice, inhuman and immoving.

[@shmooters5599]

My thoughts 📺: The look was decent, it worked great in some places and not as great in others but I imagine that changing between visual styles in the middle of the same video would me jarring so I get why they didn’t do tht. Personal favorite touch other than the somehow both adorable and chilling head-tilt from Kindred is the introduction of color to Tryn. You touched on it a bit but my focus was on his skin. In the unsaturated tone he quite literally looks like a corpse, all grey with no blood flowing through it. Only after Ashe’s shots does his skin warm up and look lively again, emphasizing the idea of being “brought back to life.” Biggest gripe has got to be the censorship. This is not to say that I don’t understand why they chose to do it this way, only that I do not like how it makes everything weaker. Every piece of this cinematic would benefit from showing injury, give me a broken or bloody nose, some bruises, actual cuts with blood spraying out of them unrealistically as they typically do in media. It plays out the dramatics and makes everything land harder, I get if you don’t want to amputate the guy but you can’t tell me that having the goons not even get their clothes cut works to the cinemática favor. Basically, what was done well did great, but the misses really throttled the potential imo. Thank you for coming to my TedTalk see y’all next week

[@Nemenian]

Kindred is my favorite character, and I really loved your analysis of them. It was great to see Kindred actually be scary and not kinda goofy! (although I love both sides of them)

[@4nh3d0n1a]

that last look kayle gives morgana also read a lot like "I can understand your sacrifice, but you made a choice I can't understand/get behind" but maybe it's my kayle-still-loves-morgana pipe dreams idk lmao

[@RooksTavern]

📺Never played League but I enjoy your thoughtful analysis of the videos and the lore dumps that come along with them.

[@peixeterrestre6214]

📺| Watching Skyen's videos will always feel like im just in a call with a friend talking about my hyperfixations and i love this SO MUCH second time that I do my nails while watching and I always finish a little faster than usual!! which means a lot bcs i normally take hours with those things lol

[@carlosmiguelteixeiraott3643]

Oh yay, now let's see if I was right and Skyen will giggle uncontrollably with Kindred's little head tilt.

[@pineapplefrostyfruits9225]

📺In regards to the censorship, I believe there is one, as in ONE, established way to get across the visuals of Violence and gore in a censored way. And that is through the visual language of a pre-established Riot Character, actually: Jhin, and Abstraction of meaning through symbolism. Having flashes of stylized flowers or branches in places of blood splatters, having something that visually RESEMBLES the impacts yet has a completely dissonant meaning - it is the only real way to have your cake and eat it too. Im not saying that Jhin needed to BE in this cinematic, I am simply trying to express that the ideas they use for him as a character - how they visualize his violence and show what he does - would be a brilliant way to translate that into a censored form so you can have that intense feeling of impact without breaking any censorship rules.

[@MarluxionProductions]

My interpretation of the end of the Yasuo scene is that he is using his wind power to knock the half-masked general OUT of the rain of arrows that otherwise would have killed him. Specifically him noticing the arrows falling and then reacting with the tornado to push the guy away.

[@batmabel]

I've never felt like Lamb was supposed to be scary. Wolf is supposed to be scary, but Lamb doesn't really hunt you, she in fact only takes you if you accept her, while Wolf is there to take those who refuse her peaceful death.

[@bdletoast09]

She's still Death tho, even if she's not intended to be frightening like Wolf is, she still has to remain, at the very least, a bit unnerving. The mask covering any sort of readable expression as well as the inhuman movements and posture do a pretty good job at making her creepy to me though, and I don't think she needs more.

[@andrewmichael9201]

📺Thank you for helping explain what all happened in this cinematic. As someone new to LoL I was incredibly confused by a lot of what happened. I could guess at the symbolism and that but it still left me mildly confused

[@desocialistcat]

Hasn’t every seasonal cinematic been in the expensive hyper realistic style? It seems like a must for them which is a shame because I love the experimental animation styles that they try with other cinematics.

[@maz9665]

📺when it comes to the morgana/kayle fighting- I think it shows that it is coordinated, but only from Morgana. We see that in a very kayle-like fashion Kayle blindly rushes ahead- she literally cannot see Aatrox at that point but still dives in. And ofc, Morg follows; Kayle goes in, morg follows, Kayle ziggs, Morgana zags. I think that when Kayle breaks that coordination and Morgana can't follow up is when they get hit out of the sky. This is also when Morgana takes it into her own hands and ditches 'kayles way' completely, dropping the sword and tapping into her own magic on her own accord . I think its supposed to show that Morgana follows Kayle and supports (haha) the duo, where Kayle only works on her own accord because she's Kayle and ofc she does - It's showing that even in ancient Demacia, it is in Morganas nature to care and support and that it is in Kayle's nature to rush in and come out victorious (also shown in how Kayle's attack is the final blow that finishes the battle) I think it's also interesting that when Morg is thrown to the ground, she is attacking head on with the sword - representing that the sword is not how she will win this battle and her greater weapon is her own magic, which juxtaposes Kayle who wins the battle with both swords in hand.

[@muqabe5386]

I love your work, its so chill to watch you speak smart things

[@ppwi3348]

Kind of ironic when you think about the fact that ashe's arrows in which made of ice, an element that represent coldness bring light, an element of life into the scene

[@sebrussell]

If you want to expand on that irony, the most emotionally cold character in the cinematic is fire-wielding Kayle as she tries to end a life (failing only due to Aatrox's immortality).

[@kaiseayaandruis1597]

📺my fav detail from this cinematic has to be the way Aatrox's sword pulses, even if you don't know the sword is him you can see the weapon is alive in some way

[@ĐứcDuyTrần-o7t]

11:46 "Trydamere is this like smelly, raging, battle hobo"

[@abandoned__]

it's always a good day when skyen uploads. these videos are keeping me afloat this winter

[@marc0s158]

📺 I adore your animation breakdowns. I don't play league and if the internet is to be believed, Im better for it. That said. Thank you for sharing a corner of your world with us, It was a delight to watch and Im looking forward to your next video :)

[@emilianomonteleone7962]

Tbskyen being very professional while explaining every little detail in the animatiln for an hour straight. Also tbskyen one second later: "I love big butts" 😂 I love you skyen

[@silverdream]

📺 Your final point about crumbs actually gave me chills. Thank you for the insight

[@deliscon9029]

At 3:45 we can see a white circle starting from the middle, I believe that's Ashe's E ability, basically her finding where tryndamere and going to his location, making it in time to save his life before kindred takes him. Also the snowflakes that are suspended in the air can also be the VFX od Ashe's E.

[@callmegoats]

I like the idea of Yasuo accepting his death, methaphorically the arrow from Lamb but in reality no arrow hit. So the Lamb arrow being only metaphor.

[@renzofaytaren7755]

📺 i love your animation breakdowns and telling your take on the cinematic video

[@mik4li_cosplay]

📺📺 I'd also like to add to Kayle and Morgana design - Kayle's wings are on the top of her back (between her shoulder blades) and Morgana's are on her lower half (I think tailbone is the English word?) kinda symbolizing that Kayle is more in touch with the heaven/godhood/divinity and Morgana is more down to earth Also Morganas eyes have the same blue colour as Kayle (making them closer in appearance) until she dips into her chain magic and it changes her visually even more (the black makeup and purple eyes) setting these sisters apart not only in their values but also their looks. And also I LOVE ASHE AND TRYNDAMERE SO MUCH!! THEY ARE IN LOVE YOUR HONOR! His whole body relaxes and his face softens when he sees his wifey

[@lx-icon]

54:40 - I think this speaks to your point about the lack of time to properly tell the story, because I absolutely read the bandages as a frailty that he had (a wound or even to help with arthritis) that he wore to help deal with the pain. Now once he is using the wind to guide his body, the frailty is gone and his body is able to be powered up; temporarily restoring his youth for a short while.

[@alblin]

📺 I'll never tire if your mind, Skyen. Thank you for this extended treat!

[@topdog_5456]

I never heard TBskyen swear so much, and I'm not sad. 📺

[@Thesmus]

📺i do like the concept of past, present and future. also, i am down for artistic styles, but i do dig this realistic artstyle. especially liked it during tryndamere scene. seeing a realistic looking wolf (with legs even) awed me so much.

[@GuiltySoul73]

Finally watch the full thing 📺 Great analysis as usual skyen! Thank you for pointing out the things I missed from the cinematics and I understand the criticism you put out, I agree with most of them.

[@0megasight]

My headcanon for the figure at the end of Trynd and Ashe section is that Lamb just enjoys watching the two of them fight together, and gets to hang out with them a lot because of Trynd’s power, and she just lurks in the background for a bit.

[@kujojotarostandoceanman2641]

The Aatrox fight is the realistic depiction of how he can't move and just gonna get CC to death

[@bthsr7113]

📺 Honestly, the vibe I get with the Morgana and Kayle segment is that this is in the ancient past, given what I know of them. Seeing them actually in matching attire, Morgana with half of her mother's sword, Morgana favoring the sword shard over her chains, the tension in their coordination, the lack of any harm or hobbling on Morgana's wings, the city feeling small and sparse.... And this would kind of line up with Old Man Yasuo being a future story while Tryndamere's feels current. And if they wanted to do a present day story of the two sisters forced to unite against a foe too strong for either alone, there are much better ways to write and choreograph that. Like having Morgana showing up to save her sister who's being overwhelmed, or possibly first move civilians clear while Kayle goes all JUDGEMENT AND PUNISHMENT! on Aatrox. Say, have Morgana coming from offscreen with her chains being the first thing seen, as Kayle looks on in a very conflicted face. Maybe have what really turns the tide and reach a climax is Morgana unshackling her wings and picking up the part of their mom's sword that Morgana used to use. Accepting the parts of herself and the parts of her family she shunned But with how the short is constructed, it feels far more like this is a turning point in the sisters going down their divergent paths with Morgana abandoning the sky and sword for earth and chain while Kayle doubles up. That this is one of the last times they'll fight as allies before their falling out. As for the Old Man Yasuo bit, what really concerns me is what it seems to say for Ionia. That it is a broken land of broken people who will not find a new balance, harmony, or peace. That they are forever doomed to chaos and strife from within since the first invasion by Noxxus broke the status quo. That bandits and civil war will continue to plague the country for decades, with the champions just giving up until the carnage comes to shock them out of stupor in their neck of the broken woods. It's very much not something I care for. And for much of the same reasons I don't care for stories like Old Man Logan. It's an ugly depressing future that should not be. It means the people we rooted for failed or worse, gave up. And I do mean Old Man Logan the comic. Because Logan the movie had more hope and was all around less mean spirited. Of course the bandits are media illiterate. They're probably some peasants given weapons, and accessible mass media doesn't have the technological framework to exist in Ionia. In regards to wanting different aesthetic styles within the same trailer, that runs the risk of feeling jarring, while keeping a cohesive graphical tool kit makes it clear this is all equally valid in the same world. It keeps cohesion. But I do agree that the the lack of blood and fresh damage is hurting the story here. If I might offer a suggestion for how they could have had Tryndamere going feral for his blood rage, have him foaming at the mouth. THAT would sell him as a man unhinged. And when it comes to the bloated cast relative to the time limit, they've done it before to good effect, and part of LoL's selling point is the vast and diverse roster. That latter point is why they keep doing it. Having multiple champions is almost a requirement for their promotional videos at this point. Even if they put in 10 champions, that's less than 10 percent of the massive and increasing roster. Unless they're debuting someone new, they want anthology and ensemble. 📺

[@0metallix]

📺 Not a league player, but your analysis vids are always interesting to watch. Look forward to seeing more.

[@Tbrekke]

i agree with a lot of it, though as a casual who's barely touched league for the last 8 years, the 'OH SHIT IS THAT-' moment for me was when he picked up the sword. That's when i, who didn't know about the skin, went "OH SHIT THAT'S THE SPLINTER CELL SAMURAI". And it also read to me as less of 'forgiving himself' and more like him trying to walk the path of nonviolence or something with the staff; it breaking upon the second guy implies it wasn't a full on bludgeoning quarterstaff rated for cracking skulls but more of a walking stick. So to me that reads as Yasuo having *given up* the way of the blade, trying to live a nonviolent life or something or swearing off, and when he was confronted with nonviolence not being enough to prevent the evils of the world, he couldn't run away from this one aspect of him with which he could fight fire with fire. And so he took up the blade again, and yes alright wielding the sword again makes him whole as he reconnects with his wind stuff, going ahead and wrecking the immediate bastards, effectively distracting the rest to let the woman and the child run away as Yasuo welcomed death's embrace. But also i'm not that deep into the lore. My only real interaction with LoL nowadays is your character analysis shorts so could be i'm way off, but at least that's how it read to me.

[@Wild_PiCatchu]

Just because necrit never mentioned it either. Tryn swings at wolf and actually hits wolf as wolf is embodying the bodies of real people, while kindred is looking for a weak moment to strike at him with luteral death arrows, thats why when try enters rage mode he sees kindred and goes through wolf to attack kindred, thats why she is confused when her head tilts. But ashes arrows are meant to literally be life arrows, metaphorically and literally as she makes the light that snaps him out of the darkness of death. So arrows were showing the life and death.

[@truedamagekieran1874]

i think he used the tornado to save the bandit from the volley, not kill him.

[@TwoGems96]

I don't think it's so bad that there is a lot of subtle lore for lore goblins cause league has a ton of lore yes but I think riot can safely trust that there is a dedicated community of creators that can explain the deeper lore to those are interested. And because of that they can place a lot of different levels of references so that those who know can make connections and those who are interested have an entry point like necrits vid explaining the cinematic to see that there is a whole universe of previous lore for them to consume hence drawing them in to the lore community.

[@troikas3353]

There's nothing wrong with the realistic aesthetic beyond the lack of blood, injuries and wounds. Which that just feels like a compromise to maintain a certain rating. The trailer would have been stronger if they had added blood at least. But the exaggerated photo realism was a solid choice in itself.

[@Samot0423]

19:00 the other thing with lamb, shes waiting for him to accept death and each arrow is when she thinks he should be dead, and then confused when he keeps fighting. Thats how i interpreted it at leas

[@carlomoalastaid]

i think Yassuo not wanting to kill is believable since the tornado pushed the guy not pulled him inside and thrown him upward which could also be the reason he couldn't ult.

[@EldritchMango]

Leave it to TBskyen to poke all the problems that I could not see in my first 10 watches of the cinematoc. Love it 📺

[@hessblade]

📺 Great video as always Skyen. It was really nice to see another animation breakdown.

[@hiiamalice7586]

8:12 My headcanon is that they fought and Tryndamere's blood got mixed with Aatrox's so he now has some darkin power within. It has some holes but I think is cool.

[@mistyless7431]

So hype for another classic breakdown! Nice to see again

[@BrodinYT]

I Think They Stylized The Cinematic That Way To Soft Introduce Us To The MMO And How The MMO Will Present Itself.

[@-Salazari-]

Only 15 minutes less then I expected! I’m so good

[@aeryonyx4809]

One detail I'm a bit surprised wasn't touched on (unless I missed it) was that in tryndemeres fight against the Kindred, wolf chomps down on his shoulder guard (thankfully the only place tryn has a semblance of armor coincidentally) it leaves a lasting mark that can still be seen when ashe comes in and breaks his battle rage, showing that it was more than mere hallucination in some way.

[@Twitted5252]

📺 Honeslty, I believe finding your channel and engaging in your content was one of the healthiest things for my little artistic brain. Two years ago I would have been FLOORED by this animation, but now, with the time I've spent watching you and learning that just because something looks good doesn't mean it's inherently good, I didn't fall for the corporate bait!! I will be clean another year.

[@nearly_blind1017]

Me wanting to write the "Yasuo specifically doesnt want to hurt"-comment right when Skyen mentions it :D

[@MrEmafon4]

📺Your voice is addictive, thanks for all the hard work and being an inspiration for fellow ADHDs.

[@Lilsolris]

In tryndameres „act“ i was thinking abt how hes almost dead and starts hallucinating abt death (kindred) but its not the first time that happens, as the fight goes on, kindred realizes that tryn cant die, so they go off and ashe comes in

[@Lilsolris]

Lol exactly what u said, love ur vids lmao

[@Tiltigo]

I would love for Wolf with a full wolf-body to actually be Kindred's ultimate in-game, where maybe Lamb unleashes him and he violently chases low-health champions.

[@the_last_ballad]

Them being a shapeshifter, with Lamb being a duelist and Wolf being the clean up would be so much more fitting than the incarnation of the process of death... stopping death? When they appear before someone, the person is one choice away from death(like the theater troup lady, who if she ran from death she would have went back to her troup... who were being murdered at the time.) They don't control whether someone dies(Trynd, Shadow Isles, so on), they are just the enforcers. And neither of them are about life, one is about accepting death, the other about running and dying anyway. If Kindred's ult would ensure all within the circle would take the stored damage rather than healing them, that would make sense... but it doesn't.

[@escapegrass]

For sure, if you run from death (by not accepting lamb killing you) you should be hunted by wolf. But unfortunately, like lots of lore things the game doesn’t do a good job.

[@Tiltigo]

@@the_last_ballad the shapeshift idea is kind of funny that you bring up because that was literally how Quinn was like on her release, which apparently didn't work out in the long run, considering that they reworked her. But yeah, as an idea it fits Kindred.

[@alexmcfly31415]

Yasuo does not kill anyone in his segment. The reason there's no blood when he slashes people is to show that he's "knocking them out", and the reason he Q's the guy at the end is not to finish him off, but to push him away from the rain of arrows. This makes me think that the end to Yasuo's story is not "forgives himself again" but "gives up on fighting others" and that's why he chooses the Lamb. Yasuo at that time realizes that all of his life he had only been killing, and if he can't even save a person without drawing his blade, then maybe it isn't worth it for him to continue on living.