It's so sad that this happened when we finally had hopes for the game again. I hope the people that got laid off get somewhere to work soon, all of them were really talented
Its a real sad day for all the staff effected and the passion they had for this game, I’m sad that theyre not giving riot forge more of a chance. I hope LOR survives how much they just gutted it. I hope all the people are able to pick up new jobs quickly, at least the severance package sounds decent, I don’t really understand that stuff honestly.
@@AdventureSteve7looking at the post riot disclosed their severance package, and honestly it seems pretty good (my judgement might not be accurate as a non-American) So it's likely that they won't be negatively impacted by this.
Forts here! ⚔️ I wrote this song and duetted it with Tiffany Aris, and it was so fun to watch your analysis of the song! 🙂 Thanks for the great attention to detail and love on this!
You did a very great job. Honestly i did not like it firstly, but after 2nd and 3rd listening i felt all the greatness. Now i cannot stop replaying it many times every day (like keep "replaying in my mind" in your song=)). Thanks a lot, please continue, i also hope that you will have another collabs with Zwei.
What always stands out to me is how genuine your interest is. The simple fact that you remember Kindred and what they're about, to the point of recognizing Lamb's arrow before Kindred is even shown is neat. Means this is much more than just content you're pumping out for views.
I don’t really know the creator and am not hating, but it seems he knows a bit a about league here and there, there is just no way he is able to recognize that was kindred’s arrow. It could have been any arrow or Ashe’s arrow for that matter in that specific shot (ofcourse we know it isn’t) but I’ve played league since beta and know the lore, but you could not know that before she was shown at that stage of the video so quickly without analyzing the lore. Also not mentioning the beginning quote was from Kindred. It just looks like he did his research and made a reaction video that the viewers would like. All in all still nice video, even if it might not be fully genuine
@@Rory10101 He's made a lot of videos covering the theme music of different champions, looked into the lore and what they look like after analyzing, etc. He knows kindred because they had a specific song for when they were released, but that's also why he didn't know Tryndamere's name, because he hasn't done a video on him and as far as I know he didn't have a song on release. I would recommend watching the videos, they're great looks into music theory and how certain things are portrayed through music.
The one section that I think gets elevated immensely with context is the final section, between Tryndamere (big sword barbarian) vs Kindred (the Lamb and the Wolf). Put simply, Kindred are basically League's grim reaper in lore, and Tryndamere's ultimate in game is "I don't die". VERY cool juxtaposition
a little information about that: So kindred is not actually the grim reaper really but more like one representation of death in league and depending on what you believe in you will see a different representation of death when you die. They ofc used Kindred here because she is the only representation of death that is actually a champion in league, some others can be seen in riots card game legends of runeterra though. And a fun fact about tryndamere: He is able to not die because of Aatrox who slaughtered his entire tribe including him but in Tryndameres last moments, Aatrox infused him with blood magic (which is the reason aatrox and all other darkin were created) which uses and feeds on tryndameres rage and willpower to keep him alive. But you did say "Put simply" so maybe you already knew all of this xD
furthermore, I love the detail they represent in that battle with Kindreds lore. The Lamb kills you if you accept death, the arrow is a mercy kill (like Old-Man Yasuo accepting Lambs arrow with Wolf waiting in background) Wolf kills you if you refuse death. Lamb gives Tryndamere the option of an easy death, he refuses, so Wolf comes in. After a few attacks, Lamb sends another arrow for mercy, to see if he accepts again, but he refuses again. When Wolf cant finish the job, I love how Lamb tilts her head. Awesome attention to detail. (fun fact: Noxus only knows Wolf,)
@@verdipauwnz3458 Kindred IS the grim reaper of League's lore. However, they don't necessarily look like a lamb and a wolf. There's also a grim reaper of grim reapers: the Etherfiend 💀.
@@louisrobitaille5810 i'm pretty sure it is stated that there are other beeings who are exactly like kindred however they start to be forgotten. So yes she is the grim reaper for someone but only if that someone believes in her. Otherwise that someone will see some other representation of death.
Marco unknowingly describing Kayle and Morgana's relationship worsening and becoming non-existent purely off the music is fantastic, this cinematic where they fought Aatrox was the final recorded moment where they worked together as sister guardians and their relationship progressively got worse from that point onwards. On-point as always
7:05 “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” - Mary Anne Radmacher
The guy Kindred is fighting has an ability that makes him unkillable for a short time. It´s such a cool thought that he has to fight Kindred all the time, you can see it on his face when the music stopped. He knew she was there. Amazing
And in lore, it stretches even further - he has a limited degree of immortality thanks to Aatrox; we don't know how far it actually goes, but this cinematic gave a glimpse.
@@Kiroana AAtrox : I just want to die but i can't, kindred can't claim me ( seeing in the shadow of the flame.) Tryndamre : Litteraly too angry to die because of his fight with Aatrox, The Lamb failing to understanding why, hence the head tilt and the observation while she let Wolf fight Tryndamere. ( Lamb is claiming the soul if it accept their death, and the wolf is if not.)
@@MrKanooe I love that Lamb still offers him the arrow a second time and he bats it away. Like refusing the first arrow is understandable for a warrior but after fighting Wolf when she takes the second shot and he bats it away its powerful because you gotta imagine that most people take that second arrow after having to fight Wolf after denying the first. And theres no 3rd chance either. He chose the wolf, hes getting the wolf.
My G said he doesnt know whats going on, yet he understands much more than people with thousands of hours in league simply by understanding music and the vids. Amazing!
i didnt realize you actually know the league characters, they outdid themselves with this video, both the cinematic and the music fit each other very well and are really good
He has done quite a few music break downs of champions, going into their lore soon after, and observing their game play at the end. They are all definitely worth checking out! I recall he's done many of the champions in this video as well.
"it's in my blood, it's in my veins" this is so perfect for Aatrox and Tryndamere because they are both corrupted by darkin/blood magic. Tryndamere's ultimate (red eyes) is called "undying rage" here he can not die which is caused by the darkin/blood magic corruption which was done by Aatrox btw. In the lore he can not die because of his undying rage. In game this means his ultimate gives him a few seconds without sustaining any further damage which makes it clear that activating the ultimate is strategically the best when you are right about to die. This is exactly what we see in the Tryndamere/Kindred fight wich is a symbolic one - in reality he fights the goons from the winter's claw tribe you see at the beginning and who are shot by Ashe at the end. Kindred (lamb and wolf) who are the 2 faces of death in runeterra and face off with Tryndamere every time he is in his ultimate. And since Ashe saved him with her arrows, lamb and wolf dissapear since he won't die this time. Ashe rescuing her hubby is best league couple moment 2024! The lyrics and vocal performance again elevate this moment as the 2 arrows fly beyond his head singing "im still here(...with you. You are not alone - I'm with you!)"- you can literally hear it^^. His rage dying down as he sees Ashe running up to him with concern in her eyes is everything! You can see his love, relief and gratefulness in his face and also signaling her that it is not over yet which is why she shoots her arrow at the end to enlarge their vision. [Those 2 started out as a political marriage because of a power struggle but lately they catch feelings ^^] The head tilt of the lamb says so much - this is not the first time they faced off (fuelling the fantasy that tryndamere is always fighting death in his undying rage) and confusion: not that he resists death and punshes the peaceful death of lambs arrow away but that he dares to leap at death itself - not only does he fight them off but also tries to slay death itself. Probably a first for kindred to experience this even though you can not kill death and they have not to worry(lambs bow regenerates out of nothing immediatly) but still the emotionless and rational lamb is confused about such a strange behaviour since normally everyone fears them - meanwhile wolf only cares about his hunt. The more they struggle the more fun the hunt gets ;) great reaction btw :)
@@mumbo_fuze2484 No, no, no. Personally, I think it'd be cool if he listens to Kai'Sa's theme first before he watches/listens to the Call. I like the idea of him recognizing champions when he watches these cinematics EDIT: And Rek'Sai's theme as well
Knowing that in lore Kindred's attacks are supposed to be killing blows, Tryndamere is literally going against the very nature of life and death of his universe with nothing but a sword and his hands
Love how you break down the song in each scene. When it came to someone's posable last stand you were soaking in every moment of it with amazement. Kindred's moment was long overdue in the cinematic universe. Thank you for your input in this video and it's music
Marco just figuring out the entire theme of facing death (kindred lamb\wolf) at the end of the line from literally 5 notes of melody at the start of the cinematic while actual league folks called this cinematic "mid" while not paying attention because it went over their heads. Woah
Something you might appreciate, is that the Kindred are present in each of the three storylines. Each more overt than the last. In Morgana and Kayle vs Aatrox, you very briefly see a silhuette of Lamb in the flames after he is "defeated". In Yasuo's (old sword man) portion, you already noticed Lamb's arrow, but in the trees in the distance you can see Wolf's eyes, as he watches and waits. And then finally, Tryndamere where they make a personal appearance.
If you're new I recommend checking out his other League stuff, he's done reactions to a lot of the champion trailers. He knows more about the lore than the average player.
He's fumbled several points of the cinematic because of his infamous headcanons. A lot of the league lore community resents the guy because he's "the" lore youtuber but he keeps explaining stuff the wrong way and outright lies about the story sometimes. Not a great reference.
The first segment of the song actually feels dedicated to Aatrox, lamenting the glorious celestial form he once had and the hollowness from being trapped in darkness for millenia. He wants to die, and "it could all end here" is exactly what he hopes for in every battle. He cannot die, so Kindred can never claim him, and at the end of it all, much to his dismay, he is Still Here. The cinematic shows stories of one who has sought death since times long past, one who would embrace it in the future, and one who defies it in the present; and they are all Still Here.
"Schwells." I love it lol. Your review and breakdown was on point, ON POINT. I've seen other reviewers who get stuck on the graphics and forget the subtle techniques used in the music and vocals. They uplift the story so much by highlighting the hidden emotions of characters and their symbolic actions. These fight scenes are not just from the game, they are the fights every human must have with in themselves and they music/vocals express the emotions we all go through yet cannot express ourselves.
So a lot of people already explained it, but i really like to think that tryndamere was fighting the guys surrounding him, but was so close to death that he saw kindred. His Ultimate ingame makes him unable to die for a very short span, and his eyes being red simbolizes him using this. Not the coolest character but its a cool improvment for him.
@@miltortmanapaste6302 Yes, every hit that Tryndamere got into Wolf ended up in one soldier attacking him, but the marks on his shoulder pat were from Wolf himself, and i believe that he was fighting in both realms at the same time, but with the advantage that wolfs had to give the final blow with the position of a soldier, cuz he can't kill something that isn't gonna die so yeah, furthermore, if you think this is not possible, remember that aatrox gave trynda the blood magic because he already deemed worthy of it, so he's kinda special even without that, and Shen for example, can travel between realms and if he ends up hurt in the spirit realm, the wound will still be on our realm, anyways, Trynda was fighting both Kindred and the soldiers at the same time imo (also, he was not attacking a soldier in the final scene, he went directly against wolf)
@@rrraven369 I mean that appeared exactly when Wolf bite him tho, and those guys didn't have a weapon or something looking like that to be the ones marking it
@@IoniaZerolamb and wolf dont actually kill you though, they are symbolic. The arrow shot at yasuo wasnt lambs, it was an actual arrow. But its symbolically him accepting lambs arrow so thats what he sees. Trynd isnt literally fighting wolf, he is choosing to fight in the face of death, symbolically declining the lamb and choosing to go on the hunt against the wolf. He isnt immortal due to "beating kindred". His poweful blood magic via aatrox allows him to always end up on top even when his head is symbolically between the wolfs jaws.
The fact that "I dont play league of legends" guy knows characters AND their specific lore more than most of the react Andy's who play LoL is warms my heart. Great job
Something I think gets overlooked a lot (or maybe people just don't know) is that the line "heel crushing the snake" is a biblical reference. It's a bit of a mashup of God's curse on the serpent in the garden of Eden: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." I don't know if this was the intention (I kind of doubt it), but there's an implication in the song that the snake is being crushed with the body part that is injured by it. And that's super cool.
Been waiting for the moment you got to see this one! So glad I got here for the premiere, love seeing how you always perfectly connect it all to exactly what we’re all feeling. Stay awesome Marco!
So tryndamere's ultimate is becoming imortal for a short period of time and if he comes out victorious he gets to live ! So every time trynda ults he fights kindred who try to claim his soul wich wass amazing in my opinion
Your League analysis videos are always a treat! I not only learn a lot about music theory and terminology but also a great look into the composers thoughts and emotions. Would be so hyped if Riot offered you to voice a new character track in the future. You’re a great content creator for League and other games and I’m happy that you enjoy this as much as I do! Cheers!
I am so overjoyed that I finally found someone who had my exact same reaction at the first "drop" 4:04 . All the other people i know who've watched it just went "oh, that's kinda cool ig". But for us musicians I think we really see the almost geniusness that the composer and singers did there (exactly what you talked about) that people without a musical background have a harder time to notice.
It took almost a decade but we finally got Kindred as the main character of a cut scene (They're in all three scenes) and god I love how much the music and cinematography is in utter awe of one of my favourite death myths.
So refreshing to see a reaction from someone who's actually in tune with the music and its meaning. Makes the league pro players who reacted to it seem about as insightful as my toaster. Earned my sub with this one!
Nathan you absolute genius. That edit after his quote had me spitting out my coffee in laughs. Caught me completely off guard. Top notch video as always guys.
If you haven't yet, listen to the music track alone. At the moment in the third scene when wolf charges in, the low brass are complementing his roar, which seems to be mostly covered up in the cinematic. Everyone involved with this project deserves so much credit!
I love the minute head-tilt from Lamb at 10:43. It's this perfect little moment of apathetic/ emotionless curiosity. It feels clinical. Lamb isn't shocked, merely interested
It's so cool that you're watching this after knowing who Kindred are so you know Tryndamere is fighting Death itself! Funny thing is: Tryndamere's ultimate is that he won't die for eight seconds even after dropping to zero hit points.
i absolutely LOVE during the Tryndamere scene, when he almost lands a blow on her and destroys her bow, Once she lands and settles on the ground she stops for a moment and tilts her head as if surprised at tryn's pure reluctance to die.
We make sound of the word “here” last longer, just like we are here fighting for our hopes and dreams for as long as we can. Also, when Ash comes and saves Tryndamere, the “here” is no longer going up and down the scale, it only goes higher. Like a turning point was hit. A point where, even though death told us that “tomorrow is a hope, never a promise”, we now twist the plot on death, and make our own promise to fight for our tomorrow.
Im glad you chose to check this out! I love how much you can glean just from listening to the music without context! I occasionally rewatch your Kindred video, cuz it blows my mind how much you were able to pick up.
I love the dual movement at the end. but not only the movement but as well the meaning. I love how double edged arrows in the scenematic are. They mean death at times and they mean life at other.
I just realised that Yasuo's section ends with the melody of accepting your fate once it's your time, and Tryndamere's section ends with "But not today!"
Still Here is a masterwork of music, animation and cinematography. And it only gets better with all the characters that are shown in it, especially Kindred!
Hey Marco, if you habe not reacted to the other season cinematics (awaken, warriors and the call) you definitely should. They are all really really good both musically and visually. Oh and i'm still wating on that Kai'sa champion reaction.
I saw many people react to this and I must say this is my favourite! I also love that you shared your interpretation and what you said about the significance of art and music.
It's Lamb's arrow, a bandit's arrow, and Ashe's arrow from the next scene, all at the same time. As we see in Tryn's fight, the real world and the Shadow Realm are mirrored. Whenever he fights off Wolf, he also fights off one of the attackers. But Kindred is real, as evidenced by the bite marks on Tryn's armor. He fought Wolf and Lamb and while he was in the ultimate, they couldn't put a scratch on him because he was literally immortal, even if only for a short time.
The whole theme is "StillHere", referencing Kindred who is DeathIncarnate. Whether it's the Past (Morgana &Kayle), Present (Tryndamere), and Future (OldMan Yasuo). Death is "Still Here" no matter whattime it is. You can see Kindred in the Fires of thePast destroying Aatrox, Facing Tryndamere, andShooting a Fatal Arrow at Old Man Yasuo in thehead.
I would highly suggest watching Necrit's breakdown of the visuals given you're interested in the lore. I was truly wondering when you were gonna do a video on this though. Great job, loved it. Edit: Also, wanted to point out if you weren't aware, from the last couple of months anything Riot puts out media-wise is completely canon, and that also includes Arcane! There's bound to be some retconning for some of the other stuff, but they're really trying to tie the lore together (likely to help for the MMORPG in the making), so it's not just some cinematic, this is pure visual lore!
i would definitely recommend checking out more of league's other music videos! Those include all worlds songs, season start cinematics (such as still here), k/da, true damage, pentakill and heartsteel. even if all the genres arent up to your alley, they have amazing production quality and fun and great music videos!
I'll be your paragraph guy for today, so here is the lore for the video: Kindred is the personification of death in Runterra. Everyone sees kindred differently depending on their belief of the kindred but there is usually two - the Lamb (the archer) represents the acceptance of death, and the Wolf (the wolf) represents the attempt to fight or flee death when it comes in the beginning of the video the Lamb speaks trying to lull or convince someone to accept death after setting up the scene for Tryndamere later in the video we can see an earlier time of Demacia when it used to be mostly made of wood. The wood it is made from has been petrified by stone that absorbs and stores magic, weakening or completely nullifying mages. The aspects powers come from divinity so it is not seen as an evil like magic. Demacia was built as a haven against magic protected by the two aspects of justice - kayle the aspect of justice and judgement and morgana the aspect of merciful justice. Kayle's powers are to destroy evil, Morgana's powers are only to restrain it. This represents their opinions on justice. Kayle believes all criminals should be punished or killed where as Morgana believes that everyone can be changed for the better given the chance. Aatrox wants to destroy everything for when there is nothing he will become nothing and die. Aatrox is darkin, a person who ascended to godhood but had been corrupted by the void, an all consuming evil from a different plane of existence. He wants to end his immortality and in his mind death to all is the only way he can do that for himself. The four darkin in the game represents the four horsemen of the apocolypse. Naafiri is famine represented as a pack of hungry dogs, Kayn is death represented by a scythe and the ability to pass through shadows so no one escapes death, Varus is pestilence represented by a blighted bow that spreads a blood magic infection, and Aatrox is war represented by his unending battle until his very death. In the burning village scene you see an old man with a staff, later revealed to be an older wiser Yasuo. Yasuo has left the blade behind probably as an oath to no longer use his wind abilities to harm anyone else, but he unleashes his technique one final time to save a mother and her child. When you see him drop his broken staff and pick up a sword this represents his call back to battle and a voice line he says when you choose him in game "death is like the wind, always by my side." During his fight we can see he can block, counter, or even use his windwall to dodge walls of arrows, but after the survivors of the village have fled and he has taken down the final bandit in the wreckage he sees the Wolf's visage in the forest mountains right below an arrow shot at him. The arrow is the question - will you accept death, or will the wolf have to run from the mountains to chase you? Yasuo closes his eyes in acceptance. The arrow itself is not from the kindred, but in his mind during his moment of death that is what he sees, a glowing arrow. transition to the next scene a ring of light flashes upon Tryndamere leaving a snowflake upon his blade. He recognizes the magic from his wife, Ashe. She is looking for him. Tryndamere makes a final stand an nearing his moment of death he sees the bandits as the Kindred. The wolf attacks first seeing Tryndamere choosing to fight, but the lamb offers her mercy twice seeing if he will accept death peacefully. Tryndamere makes a final push towards both by using his ultimate ability. As his eyes glow red using magic to stave off his own death, he charges through the Wolf into the Lamb as an act of defiance. The kindred is pushed back and raises its bow a final time only to put it down. Tryndamere himself knows that death will not claim him this time as Ashe finally makes it to him. For only a few frames, Ashe replaces the Lambs silhouette. In Tryndamere's mind the kindred disappears because the very sight of his love gives him safety ... and the arrows she shot to save him from getting jumped from behind. Ashe saves him spiritually and physically (so romantic). Ashe sends another hawkshot into the air to reveal her location, calling for back up, and using her magic to scout the area for more possible enemies. Circling back to the beginning of the video, Kindred Lamb says "tomorrow is a hope, never a promise." Tryndamere and Ashe began their marriage as a political tool to unite their two tribes in hope of bringing peace to the Freljord. Tryndamere is a barbarian and his warrior tribe only knew hardship and death. Ashe was his hope to save his tribe from pain and annihilation. The two grew close and actually formed a loving relationship. Ashe has always been Tryndamere's hope pushing him to fight to see tomorrow.
Love the end when Tryndamere fights Kindred, the music and choice of only character in game that can be pissed so much that he will refuse to die is just brilliant
‘Courage is the quiet voice that says: "I will try again tomorrow, and then I will roar."’ Is such a powerful quote. Thank you for sharing it Marco, it really made me feel better about the struggles I’ve been having for the last couple of days.
League of Legends music videos - especially their anthems - always weave this narrative of defiance and triumph that is so evocative to me. I really love their work because of this.
"That music is obviously showcasing sadness, because what we are facing now is death." Spot on in the first 10 seconds. I love your reactions and I love how in most cases you are able to immediately tell what it is about.. Just wow.
The moment where Ashe breaks through the shadows is so amazing. I get goosebumps every time. You just feel that she is Tryndameres hope for a tomorrow.
I pulled up the video before watching any reactions, and even then, it brought tears to my eyes. The whole message of "I'm still here," along with the theme of pushing through adversity is very significant to me. I've been through a lot over the last few years. Over the last decade, honestly (though, it was one of those 'if you put a lobster in a pot of cold water and raise the temperature, they won't notice until it is too late' kind of decades). But I've survived it and I'm moving on from all of that, and in the last year, as I've been focusing on rebuilding myself, this whole message of "I may be beaten down and tired, but I am still here despite all of that" is very much frontmost in my brain. But, apparently, this one is a fully canon cinematic from League, and it is filled to the brim with lore deep cuts. I actually watched a video from Necrit going over the lore in it. I knew... next to none of the lore going into this, but one thing is that the character with the round glowing eyes and the wolf are, fundamentally, this world's embodiment of death, and they show up in each of the three scenes. In the one with the 'valkyries,' as you called them, it doesn't step in because that great demon isn't able to die. In the middle story, you see the wolf as the arrows are flying up to come down on the samurai character (who is the guy with the wind powers, just decades later than the in-game present), and the one that comes straight for him is the same kind of glowing arrow that we see the death archer firing in the last scene, implying that this is his death years later. Most interestingly, the scene implies that he's at a point in life where he has forsaken killing - none of the bandits that he fights are killed. Even the leader, who he blasts with the wind... it seems as though he is knocking him away from the rain of arrows. And the last scene is a character... having a kind of near-death experience, with some of the implications being that he isn't actually fighting death, but rather the warriors who were surrounding him in the first place. Phenomenal storytelling all around!
The music with the cinematography really enhanced the whole experience. I read about the characters, the lore, and that further enhanced the whole. Knowing about Kindred and how Yasuo accepts the Lamb’s death, even while the Wolf is waiting in the woods, was so moving. Again, as someone who does not game, but just loves the music, I have to say…I think I may be missing out.
I started to grin when you named those champions. That end scene gets me every time, when Ashe (woman with a bow) comes to rescue her man Tryndamere (man with the big sword).
Kalista seen through her song. Not sure if it gives enough to go on or not, but she has a one very strong emotion that her song might cry out to express.
the progression of lyrics and delivery is amazing. One can take the verses to pre-chorus as a moment of introspection and doubt. The low brass during the sisters/trynd and the dead silence before each sisters and yasuo, respectively is a pull to reality as a time of reckoning to scream defiance. The Ashe appearance solidifies this point, where Trynd’s spiritual fight with death is pulled away into reality where Ashe comes to the rescue AT THE SAME TIME as the scream of defiance.
Yet another briliant video with greatly articulated knowledge and tons of entertainment. Your videos not only bring back my passion to music but also make me fall in love with music's theory as well as its ability for both manipulating and enhancing emotions. Amazing job, really impressive.
I don't comment on videos much but I wanted to say that I truly enjoy the passion and genuine love you have for the music you're listening to. It's so rare to have people that break down game music like you do. I love seeing musicians break down the mechanics of music, but it's something different entirely to see people get into the feel and emotion of the music and what the music represents. Your content is truly amazing to listen to. I originally found you through your breakdowns of Ace combat music, which is some of my favorite gaming of my youth and even into adulthood. I've never been too artistically inclined but it's kinda awesome to have content that can put into words some of the feelings that I've felt for music but couldn't really explain. From the knot in your throat making you choke up to the hype that makes you want to jump out of your chair and let out a shout of challenge or triumph. Your work with this channel has been nothing short of amazing and I personally have enjoyed it immensely. The world needs more people that have the kind of passion for what they enjoy like you do for music. It'd be a much less dreary place. ♥
Appreciate that you are reacting to the cinematics to. Watching you, how you explain how the music creates the feelings together with the lyrics and the scene is amazing.
I really love that moment when Tryndamere's and Ashe's gazes meet and Trynda's Undying Rage fades away. And right after that Ashe look at the enemy warriors on the ground, dead. We can see she can't believe her own eyes in that moment. "WOW! Look at all those warriors he's killed all by himself! *AND THIS MAN BELONGS TO ME!* I'm such a lucky woman."
Kindred as "Embodiment of Death" is in every Scene - Necrit has a good Video on that whole Cinematic, because it refers to the Past,Present and Future of LoL Characters. Nice Reaction :)
I like that the song is about never giving up and standing your ground. No matter what the world throws at you, you remind it that you are "still here". In that sense, I like how it parallels with the Kindred. We see a lot of "death" in this cinematic, and the Kindred is always there in those moments. And even if they face beings imbued with immortality (e.g. Tryndamere with his "too angry to die" schtick), they remind you that they are never far away, they are "still here". This is best shown during the 3rd scene with Tryndamere fighting off the Kindred. Right after Tryndamere gets up, we hear whispers of "I'm still here" as the Lamb appears from the shadows; Death is "still here". Afterwards, we see Tryndamere doing his spinning slash move and successfully pushing back death even if for just a moment, reminding the Lamb and Wolf that he is "still here".
Incredible song, and incredible analysis, as always. The character in the middle you didn't recognize is actually a much older version of Yasuo. At the end of his life, he decides to stop running away, even if it gets him killed (as seen by kindred's arrow striking him at the end) he fights until the end, and, when facing death, he simply accepts it, knowing all the things he has done has led to this exact moment.
An incredibly high-quality analysis of a not-so-long cinematics. Against the background of other reviewers, Marco is a real gem. No kidding - when everyone else is just watching the beautiful graphics, Marco FEELS IT and I just love it. Thank you for your creativity, Marco, we are with you! (And also, pls look at the analysis of "Still here" from Nekrit, there everything becomes 10 times more interesting)
Not only is that kindred's arrow, in the seconds after the old man (Yasuo) throws the tornado you can see wolf's eyes at the background in the trees below the rain of arrows
This song is super amazing and I love your analysis videos. Kindred appears in all 3 scenes. the 3rd is obvious with the wolf becoming the random soldiers trying to take down tyrndamere while Kindred fires her arrows. As you pointed out it is her arrow that ends Yasou's scene. At the very end of the first scene you see a shadow of kindred in centre of the fire. They tell so much story here without actually telling it. Morg and Kayle. We see the exact moment Morgana falls and Kayle rises. Morg discards her mother's sword and fully embraces her shadow magic which is clearly painful. Kayle's side eye is all you need to understand her contempt for that magic and that choice. She takes up the other half of her mothers sword and fully ascends into the aspect of justice.
The fact that you don't play LoL, and still knew the lore and made such an amazing and beautifull reaction made me subscribe. I'm excited to ypur next videos!
I don't even wanna imagine, how much people worked on this. How much time it took to create this *Masterpiece* It's absolutely stunning! From the Visualization of the Characters, the music building up, the depth of the characters expression that make them look so real - aswell as the Details of fictional characteristics like with Aatrox or Kindred. That first Attack of the Wolf was timed so perfectly with the music, the blade strifing Kindreds Throats, the slight tilt of the Head... The more i watch it, the more details catch my eye. This Trailer gets better with every single time watching/listening to it! Absolutely amazing piece of Art - what a start into 2024! The Animators Team and Forts + Tiffany Aris created something amazing
A very cool fact some other youtuber pointed out: First of the old guy is actually Yasuo in a vision of his own death. The cool thing is that when we get the profile shot of his face for the first time we are also greeted by a short flute sound which is iconic for both Yasuo and his theme and I think that's really cool
The last scene was my most favorite cus I love those characters but it also so dramatic cus he’s actually fighting with his own fears and hatred and does not realize he was actually fighting that one lady that shot the two arrows after but at that point he realized she was actually trying to help him, so basically that wolf and her (sorry idk all the characters names) he was fighting was not real but was actually fighting the lady trying to help him. Hopefully you understand what I mean ^-^
The fact that you recognised kindred's arrow and then when kindred appeared you say "its kindred" and then you are left speechless for the whole section is awesome xd
"I have no idea what is going on" yet you caught Kindreds arrow that I didnt see until the 10th time i Watched the cinematic lmao, love how you can catch little details like that! I can really tell that you dont just watch the videos to react to it, but to really focus and analyze it.
This along with Necrit's breakdown of "Still here", couldn't ask for 2 better breakdowns of this. One from a musical viewpoint and another from a lore viewpoint. Amazing work from Riot.
Massive props for immediately recognizing that that arrow was Kindred's arrow, for better understanding, the old man with sword is Yasuo, video is also moving throught time, beginning is what was in the past, when Morgana still had her sword and haven't fully embraced the dark, then it moves to future where we have old man Yasuo (that's also his brand new skin in the game), he is fighting those masked gang members and if you take a closer look, just before Kindred's arrow hits him (by the look of it, we never see his body and scene shifts to trynda and kindred) but he closes his eyes as if he accepted his fate, in other words accepting death, since Kindred is death herself, it's very possible that the overall lore got it's first cannonically dead character after this video, that being Yasuo some time in future when he grows old ( scene can also implement that he dies from old age and and Kindred came to "collect" him), and then final scene is in present, Trynda is surrounded by dudes and he is facing death due to being weak and outnumbered, thats also why he sees Kindred and why he's fighting her, because there is a high possibility of death, when his eyes turn red thats his ultimate called Undying Rage, and he literally cannot die for some period of time, thats why he is successfull in throwing kindred off, but actually while fighting Kindred he is taking down all those dudes that surrounded him, and right before he runs out of time and before his ult ends, you can see Ashe's (his wife) arrows passing by Kindred's head hitting 2 last remaining guys and saving him from death, and thats when Kindred also dissapears, because Kindred was not actually there, Kindred's physical form is manifestation
![WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THIS?!? [Reaction & Analysis: Still Here Cinematic]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/6eDWM_g-XdQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Sad to hear about the 11% of folks that were laid off from RIOT. If you’re watching this and you are affected, my heart goes out to you.
why ? Sorry for asking
@@TheyCallMeZiggs 11% of the Riot Games team was laid off recently
It's so sad that this happened when we finally had hopes for the game again. I hope the people that got laid off get somewhere to work soon, all of them were really talented
Its a real sad day for all the staff effected and the passion they had for this game, I’m sad that theyre not giving riot forge more of a chance. I hope LOR survives how much they just gutted it. I hope all the people are able to pick up new jobs quickly, at least the severance package sounds decent, I don’t really understand that stuff honestly.
@@AdventureSteve7looking at the post riot disclosed their severance package, and honestly it seems pretty good (my judgement might not be accurate as a non-American)
So it's likely that they won't be negatively impacted by this.
Forts here! ⚔️ I wrote this song and duetted it with Tiffany Aris, and it was so fun to watch your analysis of the song! 🙂 Thanks for the great attention to detail and love on this!
You did a very great job. Honestly i did not like it firstly, but after 2nd and 3rd listening i felt all the greatness. Now i cannot stop replaying it many times every day (like keep "replaying in my mind" in your song=)). Thanks a lot, please continue, i also hope that you will have another collabs with Zwei.
You're incredible for your part in making this, thank you !
Masterpiece
Keep rockin'🤘
Standing O, Forts! This is truly a special piece!
What always stands out to me is how genuine your interest is. The simple fact that you remember Kindred and what they're about, to the point of recognizing Lamb's arrow before Kindred is even shown is neat. Means this is much more than just content you're pumping out for views.
My words exactly
@@rawinn6523might have been your thoughts exactly, but those were, in fact, the other guy’s words
I don’t really know the creator and am not hating, but it seems he knows a bit a about league here and there, there is just no way he is able to recognize that was kindred’s arrow. It could have been any arrow or Ashe’s arrow for that matter in that specific shot (ofcourse we know it isn’t) but I’ve played league since beta and know the lore, but you could not know that before she was shown at that stage of the video so quickly without analyzing the lore. Also not mentioning the beginning quote was from Kindred. It just looks like he did his research and made a reaction video that the viewers would like. All in all still nice video, even if it might not be fully genuine
I've played league for years, but I didn't catch the part about it being kindred's arrow specifically until he mentioned it
@@Rory10101 He's made a lot of videos covering the theme music of different champions, looked into the lore and what they look like after analyzing, etc. He knows kindred because they had a specific song for when they were released, but that's also why he didn't know Tryndamere's name, because he hasn't done a video on him and as far as I know he didn't have a song on release. I would recommend watching the videos, they're great looks into music theory and how certain things are portrayed through music.
The one section that I think gets elevated immensely with context is the final section, between Tryndamere (big sword barbarian) vs Kindred (the Lamb and the Wolf). Put simply, Kindred are basically League's grim reaper in lore, and Tryndamere's ultimate in game is "I don't die". VERY cool juxtaposition
a little information about that: So kindred is not actually the grim reaper really but more like one representation of death in league and depending on what you believe in you will see a different representation of death when you die. They ofc used Kindred here because she is the only representation of death that is actually a champion in league, some others can be seen in riots card game legends of runeterra though.
And a fun fact about tryndamere: He is able to not die because of Aatrox who slaughtered his entire tribe including him but in Tryndameres last moments, Aatrox infused him with blood magic (which is the reason aatrox and all other darkin were created) which uses and feeds on tryndameres rage and willpower to keep him alive. But you did say "Put simply" so maybe you already knew all of this xD
furthermore, I love the detail they represent in that battle with Kindreds lore. The Lamb kills you if you accept death, the arrow is a mercy kill (like Old-Man Yasuo accepting Lambs arrow with Wolf waiting in background) Wolf kills you if you refuse death. Lamb gives Tryndamere the option of an easy death, he refuses, so Wolf comes in. After a few attacks, Lamb sends another arrow for mercy, to see if he accepts again, but he refuses again. When Wolf cant finish the job, I love how Lamb tilts her head. Awesome attention to detail. (fun fact: Noxus only knows Wolf,)
@@verdipauwnz3458 Kindred IS the grim reaper of League's lore. However, they don't necessarily look like a lamb and a wolf. There's also a grim reaper of grim reapers: the Etherfiend 💀.
@@louisrobitaille5810 i'm pretty sure it is stated that there are other beeings who are exactly like kindred however they start to be forgotten. So yes she is the grim reaper for someone but only if that someone believes in her. Otherwise that someone will see some other representation of death.
@@verdipauwnz3458 Still tho, Kindred as we know them in League, it's said that is the more vastly known in all of Runeterra so still not wrong
Marco unknowingly describing Kayle and Morgana's relationship worsening and becoming non-existent purely off the music is fantastic, this cinematic where they fought Aatrox was the final recorded moment where they worked together as sister guardians and their relationship progressively got worse from that point onwards. On-point as always
7:05 “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” - Mary Anne Radmacher
Nah i think its 'i dont think i will'
The guy Kindred is fighting has an ability that makes him unkillable for a short time. It´s such a cool thought that he has to fight Kindred all the time, you can see it on his face when the music stopped. He knew she was there. Amazing
And in lore, it stretches even further - he has a limited degree of immortality thanks to Aatrox; we don't know how far it actually goes, but this cinematic gave a glimpse.
@@Kiroana AAtrox : I just want to die but i can't, kindred can't claim me ( seeing in the shadow of the flame.)
Tryndamre : Litteraly too angry to die because of his fight with Aatrox, The Lamb failing to understanding why, hence the head tilt and the observation while she let Wolf fight Tryndamere. ( Lamb is claiming the soul if it accept their death, and the wolf is if not.)
@@MrKanooe I love that Lamb still offers him the arrow a second time and he bats it away. Like refusing the first arrow is understandable for a warrior but after fighting Wolf when she takes the second shot and he bats it away its powerful because you gotta imagine that most people take that second arrow after having to fight Wolf after denying the first. And theres no 3rd chance either. He chose the wolf, hes getting the wolf.
@@AmbushIntheDark thats interesting because in game Kindred's E, the third attack is the execute. I havent thought about it until you mentioned it
@@grasssnail8348 holy shit you guys opened my eyes. How many layers does this cinematic have? WTFFFF
These videos feel like us sharing our excitement for a hobby with our friend and he actually really likes it. It’s very wholesome reading the comments
Makes me feel super fuzzy ❤
My G said he doesnt know whats going on, yet he understands much more than people with thousands of hours in league simply by understanding music and the vids. Amazing!
i didnt realize you actually know the league characters, they outdid themselves with this video, both the cinematic and the music fit each other very well and are really good
he has done a huge chunk of the champion theme reactions, and then checks the lore on them. kindred being one.
He has a 33 video long League playlist bro 😄May not be lore connosiuer but defo not a complete stranger
@@glibchubik4090well he have more knowledge on the lore than the average league player
He has done quite a few music break downs of champions, going into their lore soon after, and observing their game play at the end. They are all definitely worth checking out! I recall he's done many of the champions in this video as well.
very cool. very fun. drop a like, thanks a ton.
Definitely watch "The Call"! IMO the second best league cinematic
The Call is the best one IMHO.
"it's in my blood, it's in my veins" this is so perfect for Aatrox and Tryndamere because they are both corrupted by darkin/blood magic. Tryndamere's ultimate (red eyes) is called "undying rage" here he can not die which is caused by the darkin/blood magic corruption which was done by Aatrox btw. In the lore he can not die because of his undying rage. In game this means his ultimate gives him a few seconds without sustaining any further damage which makes it clear that activating the ultimate is strategically the best when you are right about to die. This is exactly what we see in the Tryndamere/Kindred fight wich is a symbolic one - in reality he fights the goons from the winter's claw tribe you see at the beginning and who are shot by Ashe at the end. Kindred (lamb and wolf) who are the 2 faces of death in runeterra and face off with Tryndamere every time he is in his ultimate. And since Ashe saved him with her arrows, lamb and wolf dissapear since he won't die this time. Ashe rescuing her hubby is best league couple moment 2024! The lyrics and vocal performance again elevate this moment as the 2 arrows fly beyond his head singing "im still here(...with you. You are not alone - I'm with you!)"- you can literally hear it^^. His rage dying down as he sees Ashe running up to him with concern in her eyes is everything! You can see his love, relief and gratefulness in his face and also signaling her that it is not over yet which is why she shoots her arrow at the end to enlarge their vision. [Those 2 started out as a political marriage because of a power struggle but lately they catch feelings ^^]
The head tilt of the lamb says so much - this is not the first time they faced off (fuelling the fantasy that tryndamere is always fighting death in his undying rage) and confusion: not that he resists death and punshes the peaceful death of lambs arrow away but that he dares to leap at death itself - not only does he fight them off but also tries to slay death itself. Probably a first for kindred to experience this even though you can not kill death and they have not to worry(lambs bow regenerates out of nothing immediatly) but still the emotionless and rational lamb is confused about such a strange behaviour since normally everyone fears them - meanwhile wolf only cares about his hunt. The more they struggle the more fun the hunt gets ;)
great reaction btw :)
@@mumbo_fuze2484 No, no, no. Personally, I think it'd be cool if he listens to Kai'Sa's theme first before he watches/listens to the Call. I like the idea of him recognizing champions when he watches these cinematics
EDIT: And Rek'Sai's theme as well
@@chrishaven1489 i am with you on this one
Tryndamere backhanding Kindred's arrow is such a blink and you'll miss it moment, but has SO MANY LAYERS of lore attached to it.
My man is too angry to die.
@@Zero-tk1hb GIGACHAD
Trynd 100% takes wolf's chase no questions asked
@@Arcavi0us Such is the way of the Freljord. Even Ashe would likely face the Wolf in her final moments, just like her mother did.
Knowing that in lore Kindred's attacks are supposed to be killing blows, Tryndamere is literally going against the very nature of life and death of his universe with nothing but a sword and his hands
Love how you break down the song in each scene. When it came to someone's posable last stand you were soaking in every moment of it with amazement. Kindred's moment was long overdue in the cinematic universe. Thank you for your input in this video and it's music
I appreciate that!
The fact that out of all people, Marco, who doesn't play league noticed Kindred's arrow in Yasuo's section. You are really observant.
Marco just figuring out the entire theme of facing death (kindred lamb\wolf) at the end of the line from literally 5 notes of melody at the start of the cinematic while actual league folks called this cinematic "mid" while not paying attention because it went over their heads. Woah
Something you might appreciate, is that the Kindred are present in each of the three storylines. Each more overt than the last.
In Morgana and Kayle vs Aatrox, you very briefly see a silhuette of Lamb in the flames after he is "defeated". In Yasuo's (old sword man) portion, you already noticed Lamb's arrow, but in the trees in the distance you can see Wolf's eyes, as he watches and waits. And then finally, Tryndamere where they make a personal appearance.
Key here is the fact that Lamb is just standing while looking at Aatrox because she knows they can't claim him.
@@gabrieldartemius9940 so you try to tell me the man who gets controlled by Aatrox doesn't die after Aatrox gets back in the sword?🧐
@@gabrieldartemius9940 The man aatrox possesses gets claimed. She is not there for Aatrox himself.
Although Kindred's arrows in the cinematic never have fletchings........though ashes do.........Yasuo saw fletchings.
@@Thulgore Yeah, I don't get why people are so obsessed with it being Lamb's arrow 🤷♂️.
Now that you've seen this, I'd recommend paying a visit to Necrit. The depth of lore in this song specifically is INSANE
True, even though it wouldn’t be music related, he seems to be interested in the characters and world already
If you're new I recommend checking out his other League stuff, he's done reactions to a lot of the champion trailers. He knows more about the lore than the average player.
Marco you really should go subscribe to necrit. He is the Lore man
He's fumbled several points of the cinematic because of his infamous headcanons. A lot of the league lore community resents the guy because he's "the" lore youtuber but he keeps explaining stuff the wrong way and outright lies about the story sometimes. Not a great reference.
@@mrwallace7645 um, no?
The first segment of the song actually feels dedicated to Aatrox, lamenting the glorious celestial form he once had and the hollowness from being trapped in darkness for millenia. He wants to die, and "it could all end here" is exactly what he hopes for in every battle. He cannot die, so Kindred can never claim him, and at the end of it all, much to his dismay, he is Still Here.
The cinematic shows stories of one who has sought death since times long past, one who would embrace it in the future, and one who defies it in the present; and they are all Still Here.
Wow, well said.
"Schwells."
I love it lol.
Your review and breakdown was on point, ON POINT.
I've seen other reviewers who get stuck on the graphics and forget the subtle techniques used in the music and vocals.
They uplift the story so much by highlighting the hidden emotions of characters and their symbolic actions. These fight scenes are not just from the game, they are the fights every human must have with in themselves and they music/vocals express the emotions we all go through yet cannot express ourselves.
Glad you enjoyed it!
So a lot of people already explained it, but i really like to think that tryndamere was fighting the guys surrounding him, but was so close to death that he saw kindred. His Ultimate ingame makes him unable to die for a very short span, and his eyes being red simbolizes him using this. Not the coolest character but its a cool improvment for him.
Someone mentioned in a comment somewhere that the amount of clean hits Tryndamere lands on wolf is equal to the amount of guys he killed.
@@miltortmanapaste6302 Yes, every hit that Tryndamere got into Wolf ended up in one soldier attacking him, but the marks on his shoulder pat were from Wolf himself, and i believe that he was fighting in both realms at the same time, but with the advantage that wolfs had to give the final blow with the position of a soldier, cuz he can't kill something that isn't gonna die so yeah, furthermore, if you think this is not possible, remember that aatrox gave trynda the blood magic because he already deemed worthy of it, so he's kinda special even without that, and Shen for example, can travel between realms and if he ends up hurt in the spirit realm, the wound will still be on our realm, anyways, Trynda was fighting both Kindred and the soldiers at the same time imo (also, he was not attacking a soldier in the final scene, he went directly against wolf)
@@IoniaZero cool interperation, but those marks on tryns shoulder pad might be from the guys. their tribe has something to with claws i think.
@@rrraven369 I mean that appeared exactly when Wolf bite him tho, and those guys didn't have a weapon or something looking like that to be the ones marking it
@@IoniaZerolamb and wolf dont actually kill you though, they are symbolic. The arrow shot at yasuo wasnt lambs, it was an actual arrow. But its symbolically him accepting lambs arrow so thats what he sees.
Trynd isnt literally fighting wolf, he is choosing to fight in the face of death, symbolically declining the lamb and choosing to go on the hunt against the wolf.
He isnt immortal due to "beating kindred". His poweful blood magic via aatrox allows him to always end up on top even when his head is symbolically between the wolfs jaws.
The fact that "I dont play league of legends" guy knows characters AND their specific lore more than most of the react Andy's who play LoL is warms my heart. Great job
Something I think gets overlooked a lot (or maybe people just don't know) is that the line "heel crushing the snake" is a biblical reference. It's a bit of a mashup of God's curse on the serpent in the garden of Eden: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."
I don't know if this was the intention (I kind of doubt it), but there's an implication in the song that the snake is being crushed with the body part that is injured by it. And that's super cool.
Been waiting for the moment you got to see this one! So glad I got here for the premiere, love seeing how you always perfectly connect it all to exactly what we’re all feeling. Stay awesome Marco!
So tryndamere's ultimate is becoming imortal for a short period of time and if he comes out victorious he gets to live ! So every time trynda ults he fights kindred who try to claim his soul wich wass amazing in my opinion
Your League analysis videos are always a treat! I not only learn a lot about music theory and terminology but also a great look into the composers thoughts and emotions. Would be so hyped if Riot offered you to voice a new character track in the future. You’re a great content creator for League and other games and I’m happy that you enjoy this as much as I do! Cheers!
That would be awesome.
''TOO ANGRY TO DIE MAN'' STRIKES AGAIN !!!
I am so overjoyed that I finally found someone who had my exact same reaction at the first "drop" 4:04 .
All the other people i know who've watched it just went "oh, that's kinda cool ig". But for us musicians I think we really see the almost geniusness that the composer and singers did there (exactly what you talked about) that people without a musical background have a harder time to notice.
It took almost a decade but we finally got Kindred as the main character of a cut scene (They're in all three scenes) and god I love how much the music and cinematography is in utter awe of one of my favourite death myths.
So refreshing to see a reaction from someone who's actually in tune with the music and its meaning. Makes the league pro players who reacted to it seem about as insightful as my toaster. Earned my sub with this one!
Nathan you absolute genius. That edit after his quote had me spitting out my coffee in laughs. Caught me completely off guard. Top notch video as always guys.
Tbh recently im feeling kinda suicidal and those lyrics helps me in darkest moments.
If you haven't yet, listen to the music track alone. At the moment in the third scene when wolf charges in, the low brass are complementing his roar, which seems to be mostly covered up in the cinematic. Everyone involved with this project deserves so much credit!
I was so invested in your analysis, then the Captain America clip came up and I cackled so loud. Send my best to your editor. That was comedy gold.
I love the minute head-tilt from Lamb at 10:43. It's this perfect little moment of apathetic/ emotionless curiosity. It feels clinical. Lamb isn't shocked, merely interested
It's so cool that you're watching this after knowing who Kindred are so you know Tryndamere is fighting Death itself!
Funny thing is: Tryndamere's ultimate is that he won't die for eight seconds even after dropping to zero hit points.
i absolutely LOVE during the Tryndamere scene, when he almost lands a blow on her and destroys her bow, Once she lands and settles on the ground she stops for a moment and tilts her head as if surprised at tryn's pure reluctance to die.
We make sound of the word “here” last longer, just like we are here fighting for our hopes and dreams for as long as we can.
Also, when Ash comes and saves Tryndamere, the “here” is no longer going up and down the scale, it only goes higher. Like a turning point was hit.
A point where, even though death told us that “tomorrow is a hope, never a promise”, we now twist the plot on death, and make our own promise to fight for our tomorrow.
Im glad you chose to check this out! I love how much you can glean just from listening to the music without context! I occasionally rewatch your Kindred video, cuz it blows my mind how much you were able to pick up.
I love the dual movement at the end. but not only the movement but as well the meaning. I love how double edged arrows in the scenematic are. They mean death at times and they mean life at other.
Like for the editor's "no, I don't think I will". Good job, Nathan. That shit cracked me up.
Good one Editor Nathan! Best usage of the Captain America quote. Hahahaha
I love how he is reading, describing then explaining the whole lyrics 😂😂
I just realised that Yasuo's section ends with the melody of accepting your fate once it's your time, and Tryndamere's section ends with "But not today!"
20 seconds in... I dig it
Great sign
Still Here is a masterwork of music, animation and cinematography. And it only gets better with all the characters that are shown in it, especially Kindred!
Hey Marco, if you habe not reacted to the other season cinematics (awaken, warriors and the call) you definitely should. They are all really really good both musically and visually. Oh and i'm still wating on that Kai'sa champion reaction.
and Elementalist Lux..
and neeko theme
I saw many people react to this and I must say this is my favourite! I also love that you shared your interpretation and what you said about the significance of art and music.
It's Lamb's arrow, a bandit's arrow, and Ashe's arrow from the next scene, all at the same time.
As we see in Tryn's fight, the real world and the Shadow Realm are mirrored. Whenever he fights off Wolf, he also fights off one of the attackers. But Kindred is real, as evidenced by the bite marks on Tryn's armor. He fought Wolf and Lamb and while he was in the ultimate, they couldn't put a scratch on him because he was literally immortal, even if only for a short time.
The whole theme is "StillHere", referencing Kindred who is DeathIncarnate. Whether it's the Past (Morgana &Kayle), Present (Tryndamere), and Future (OldMan Yasuo). Death is "Still Here" no matter whattime it is. You can see Kindred in the Fires of thePast destroying Aatrox, Facing Tryndamere, andShooting a Fatal Arrow at Old Man Yasuo in thehead.
I would highly suggest watching Necrit's breakdown of the visuals given you're interested in the lore. I was truly wondering when you were gonna do a video on this though. Great job, loved it.
Edit: Also, wanted to point out if you weren't aware, from the last couple of months anything Riot puts out media-wise is completely canon, and that also includes Arcane! There's bound to be some retconning for some of the other stuff, but they're really trying to tie the lore together (likely to help for the MMORPG in the making), so it's not just some cinematic, this is pure visual lore!
I was about to suggest the same thing. Necrit's "The Lore of "Still Here" Cinematic Explained" video is definitely worth checking out.
i would definitely recommend checking out more of league's other music videos! Those include all worlds songs, season start cinematics (such as still here), k/da, true damage, pentakill and heartsteel. even if all the genres arent up to your alley, they have amazing production quality and fun and great music videos!
I'll be your paragraph guy for today, so here is the lore for the video:
Kindred is the personification of death in Runterra. Everyone sees kindred differently depending on their belief of the kindred but there is usually two - the Lamb (the archer) represents the acceptance of death, and the Wolf (the wolf) represents the attempt to fight or flee death when it comes
in the beginning of the video the Lamb speaks trying to lull or convince someone to accept death
after setting up the scene for Tryndamere later in the video we can see an earlier time of Demacia when it used to be mostly made of wood. The wood it is made from has been petrified by stone that absorbs and stores magic, weakening or completely nullifying mages. The aspects powers come from divinity so it is not seen as an evil like magic. Demacia was built as a haven against magic protected by the two aspects of justice - kayle the aspect of justice and judgement and morgana the aspect of merciful justice. Kayle's powers are to destroy evil, Morgana's powers are only to restrain it. This represents their opinions on justice. Kayle believes all criminals should be punished or killed where as Morgana believes that everyone can be changed for the better given the chance.
Aatrox wants to destroy everything for when there is nothing he will become nothing and die. Aatrox is darkin, a person who ascended to godhood but had been corrupted by the void, an all consuming evil from a different plane of existence. He wants to end his immortality and in his mind death to all is the only way he can do that for himself. The four darkin in the game represents the four horsemen of the apocolypse. Naafiri is famine represented as a pack of hungry dogs, Kayn is death represented by a scythe and the ability to pass through shadows so no one escapes death, Varus is pestilence represented by a blighted bow that spreads a blood magic infection, and Aatrox is war represented by his unending battle until his very death.
In the burning village scene you see an old man with a staff, later revealed to be an older wiser Yasuo. Yasuo has left the blade behind probably as an oath to no longer use his wind abilities to harm anyone else, but he unleashes his technique one final time to save a mother and her child. When you see him drop his broken staff and pick up a sword this represents his call back to battle and a voice line he says when you choose him in game "death is like the wind, always by my side." During his fight we can see he can block, counter, or even use his windwall to dodge walls of arrows, but after the survivors of the village have fled and he has taken down the final bandit in the wreckage he sees the Wolf's visage in the forest mountains right below an arrow shot at him. The arrow is the question - will you accept death, or will the wolf have to run from the mountains to chase you? Yasuo closes his eyes in acceptance. The arrow itself is not from the kindred, but in his mind during his moment of death that is what he sees, a glowing arrow.
transition to the next scene a ring of light flashes upon Tryndamere leaving a snowflake upon his blade. He recognizes the magic from his wife, Ashe. She is looking for him. Tryndamere makes a final stand an nearing his moment of death he sees the bandits as the Kindred. The wolf attacks first seeing Tryndamere choosing to fight, but the lamb offers her mercy twice seeing if he will accept death peacefully. Tryndamere makes a final push towards both by using his ultimate ability. As his eyes glow red using magic to stave off his own death, he charges through the Wolf into the Lamb as an act of defiance. The kindred is pushed back and raises its bow a final time only to put it down. Tryndamere himself knows that death will not claim him this time as Ashe finally makes it to him. For only a few frames, Ashe replaces the Lambs silhouette. In Tryndamere's mind the kindred disappears because the very sight of his love gives him safety ... and the arrows she shot to save him from getting jumped from behind. Ashe saves him spiritually and physically (so romantic). Ashe sends another hawkshot into the air to reveal her location, calling for back up, and using her magic to scout the area for more possible enemies.
Circling back to the beginning of the video, Kindred Lamb says "tomorrow is a hope, never a promise." Tryndamere and Ashe began their marriage as a political tool to unite their two tribes in hope of bringing peace to the Freljord. Tryndamere is a barbarian and his warrior tribe only knew hardship and death. Ashe was his hope to save his tribe from pain and annihilation. The two grew close and actually formed a loving relationship. Ashe has always been Tryndamere's hope pushing him to fight to see tomorrow.
Love the end when Tryndamere fights Kindred, the music and choice of only character in game that can be pissed so much that he will refuse to die is just brilliant
fun fact kindered was in every part for example when kale defeated aatrox you could see the outline of lamb with his bow in his iconic pose
7:35 the regret of yasuo to pick up a blade once more while lyrics “all my reasons cut like knives” will always give me goosebumps
i love that through all your past league reactions you now recognize some of the characters
‘Courage is the quiet voice that says: "I will try again tomorrow, and then I will roar."’ Is such a powerful quote. Thank you for sharing it Marco, it really made me feel better about the struggles I’ve been having for the last couple of days.
League of Legends music videos - especially their anthems - always weave this narrative of defiance and triumph that is so evocative to me. I really love their work because of this.
"That music is obviously showcasing sadness, because what we are facing now is death." Spot on in the first 10 seconds. I love your reactions and I love how in most cases you are able to immediately tell what it is about.. Just wow.
The moment where Ashe breaks through the shadows is so amazing. I get goosebumps every time. You just feel that she is Tryndameres hope for a tomorrow.
I pulled up the video before watching any reactions, and even then, it brought tears to my eyes. The whole message of "I'm still here," along with the theme of pushing through adversity is very significant to me. I've been through a lot over the last few years. Over the last decade, honestly (though, it was one of those 'if you put a lobster in a pot of cold water and raise the temperature, they won't notice until it is too late' kind of decades). But I've survived it and I'm moving on from all of that, and in the last year, as I've been focusing on rebuilding myself, this whole message of "I may be beaten down and tired, but I am still here despite all of that" is very much frontmost in my brain.
But, apparently, this one is a fully canon cinematic from League, and it is filled to the brim with lore deep cuts. I actually watched a video from Necrit going over the lore in it. I knew... next to none of the lore going into this, but one thing is that the character with the round glowing eyes and the wolf are, fundamentally, this world's embodiment of death, and they show up in each of the three scenes. In the one with the 'valkyries,' as you called them, it doesn't step in because that great demon isn't able to die. In the middle story, you see the wolf as the arrows are flying up to come down on the samurai character (who is the guy with the wind powers, just decades later than the in-game present), and the one that comes straight for him is the same kind of glowing arrow that we see the death archer firing in the last scene, implying that this is his death years later. Most interestingly, the scene implies that he's at a point in life where he has forsaken killing - none of the bandits that he fights are killed. Even the leader, who he blasts with the wind... it seems as though he is knocking him away from the rain of arrows. And the last scene is a character... having a kind of near-death experience, with some of the implications being that he isn't actually fighting death, but rather the warriors who were surrounding him in the first place. Phenomenal storytelling all around!
LMAO the random Captain America insert at 7:05 was hilarious. Bravo!
The music with the cinematography really enhanced the whole experience. I read about the characters, the lore, and that further enhanced the whole. Knowing about Kindred and how Yasuo accepts the Lamb’s death, even while the Wolf is waiting in the woods, was so moving. Again, as someone who does not game, but just loves the music, I have to say…I think I may be missing out.
I cried while listening to your monologue man. It somehow resonated with something I thought I long lost. Hope.
I started to grin when you named those champions. That end scene gets me every time, when Ashe (woman with a bow) comes to rescue her man Tryndamere (man with the big sword).
Beautiful break down
This still gives me CHILLS!!! Ao goddamn powerful, not to mention GORGEOUSLY animated
Having watched over 100 reactions to this cinematic, I have to say yours is hands down the one I enjoyed the most. I think it's the genuine interest
Kalista seen through her song. Not sure if it gives enough to go on or not, but she has a one very strong emotion that her song might cry out to express.
I was waiting for this, glad you covered it.
the progression of lyrics and delivery is amazing. One can take the verses to pre-chorus as a moment of introspection and doubt.
The low brass during the sisters/trynd and the dead silence before each sisters and yasuo, respectively is a pull to reality as a time of reckoning to scream defiance. The Ashe appearance solidifies this point, where Trynd’s spiritual fight with death is pulled away into reality where Ashe comes to the rescue AT THE SAME TIME as the scream of defiance.
"Got my heel crushing the snake." That is not only best line, but also the most profound one. Very theologically and philosophically rich.
Yet another briliant video with greatly articulated knowledge and tons of entertainment. Your videos not only bring back my passion to music but also make me fall in love with music's theory as well as its ability for both manipulating and enhancing emotions. Amazing job, really impressive.
I don't comment on videos much but I wanted to say that I truly enjoy the passion and genuine love you have for the music you're listening to. It's so rare to have people that break down game music like you do. I love seeing musicians break down the mechanics of music, but it's something different entirely to see people get into the feel and emotion of the music and what the music represents. Your content is truly amazing to listen to. I originally found you through your breakdowns of Ace combat music, which is some of my favorite gaming of my youth and even into adulthood. I've never been too artistically inclined but it's kinda awesome to have content that can put into words some of the feelings that I've felt for music but couldn't really explain. From the knot in your throat making you choke up to the hype that makes you want to jump out of your chair and let out a shout of challenge or triumph. Your work with this channel has been nothing short of amazing and I personally have enjoyed it immensely. The world needs more people that have the kind of passion for what they enjoy like you do for music. It'd be a much less dreary place. ♥
Thank you so much ❤️
Appreciate that you are reacting to the cinematics to. Watching you, how you explain how the music creates the feelings together with the lyrics and the scene is amazing.
Love how when the arrow was launched at Yas, how they even had the big but small detail of Wolf watching and waiting to see if Yas would run
I love how, the cinematic being so cool, you get out of your usual step by step explanation and just enjoy the last third of the video :D
I really love that moment when Tryndamere's and Ashe's gazes meet and Trynda's Undying Rage fades away. And right after that Ashe look at the enemy warriors on the ground, dead. We can see she can't believe her own eyes in that moment.
"WOW! Look at all those warriors he's killed all by himself! *AND THIS MAN BELONGS TO ME!* I'm such a lucky woman."
Kindred as "Embodiment of Death" is in every Scene - Necrit has a good Video on that whole Cinematic, because it refers to the Past,Present and Future of LoL Characters.
Nice Reaction :)
I like that the song is about never giving up and standing your ground.
No matter what the world throws at you, you remind it that you are "still here".
In that sense, I like how it parallels with the Kindred. We see a lot of "death" in this cinematic, and the Kindred is always there in those moments.
And even if they face beings imbued with immortality (e.g. Tryndamere with his "too angry to die" schtick), they remind you that they are never far away, they are "still here".
This is best shown during the 3rd scene with Tryndamere fighting off the Kindred.
Right after Tryndamere gets up, we hear whispers of "I'm still here" as the Lamb appears from the shadows; Death is "still here".
Afterwards, we see Tryndamere doing his spinning slash move and successfully pushing back death even if for just a moment, reminding the Lamb and Wolf that he is "still here".
Incredible song, and incredible analysis, as always.
The character in the middle you didn't recognize is actually a much older version of Yasuo. At the end of his life, he decides to stop running away, even if it gets him killed (as seen by kindred's arrow striking him at the end) he fights until the end, and, when facing death, he simply accepts it, knowing all the things he has done has led to this exact moment.
An incredibly high-quality analysis of a not-so-long cinematics. Against the background of other reviewers, Marco is a real gem. No kidding - when everyone else is just watching the beautiful graphics, Marco FEELS IT and I just love it. Thank you for your creativity, Marco, we are with you!
(And also, pls look at the analysis of "Still here" from Nekrit, there everything becomes 10 times more interesting)
Not only is that kindred's arrow, in the seconds after the old man (Yasuo) throws the tornado you can see wolf's eyes at the background in the trees below the rain of arrows
The voice on this song, I can easily call it "Hope", Hope it's still here, always.
marco struggling to quote things is what i live for
This song is super amazing and I love your analysis videos. Kindred appears in all 3 scenes. the 3rd is obvious with the wolf becoming the random soldiers trying to take down tyrndamere while Kindred fires her arrows. As you pointed out it is her arrow that ends Yasou's scene. At the very end of the first scene you see a shadow of kindred in centre of the fire. They tell so much story here without actually telling it. Morg and Kayle. We see the exact moment Morgana falls and Kayle rises. Morg discards her mother's sword and fully embraces her shadow magic which is clearly painful. Kayle's side eye is all you need to understand her contempt for that magic and that choice. She takes up the other half of her mothers sword and fully ascends into the aspect of justice.
The fact that you don't play LoL, and still knew the lore and made such an amazing and beautifull reaction made me subscribe. I'm excited to ypur next videos!
I don't even wanna imagine, how much people worked on this.
How much time it took to create this *Masterpiece*
It's absolutely stunning!
From the Visualization of the Characters, the music building up, the depth of the characters expression that make them look so real - aswell as the Details of fictional characteristics like with Aatrox or Kindred.
That first Attack of the Wolf was timed so perfectly with the music, the blade strifing Kindreds Throats, the slight tilt of the Head...
The more i watch it, the more details catch my eye.
This Trailer gets better with every single time watching/listening to it!
Absolutely amazing piece of Art - what a start into 2024!
The Animators Team and Forts + Tiffany Aris created something amazing
the song alone gives me tingles but combined with the animation it just hits so hard
A very cool fact some other youtuber pointed out:
First of the old guy is actually Yasuo in a vision of his own death. The cool thing is that when we get the profile shot of his face for the first time we are also greeted by a short flute sound which is iconic for both Yasuo and his theme and I think that's really cool
Holy crap, it's insane how the melody from the beginning hinted you. This is why I love hearing the reaction vids from the pros.
The last scene was my most favorite cus I love those characters but it also so dramatic cus he’s actually fighting with his own fears and hatred and does not realize he was actually fighting that one lady that shot the two arrows after but at that point he realized she was actually trying to help him, so basically that wolf and her (sorry idk all the characters names) he was fighting was not real but was actually fighting the lady trying to help him. Hopefully you understand what I mean ^-^
The fact that you recognised kindred's arrow and then when kindred appeared you say "its kindred" and then you are left speechless for the whole section is awesome xd
"I have no idea what is going on" yet you caught Kindreds arrow that I didnt see until the 10th time i Watched the cinematic lmao, love how you can catch little details like that! I can really tell that you dont just watch the videos to react to it, but to really focus and analyze it.
I love that you already can recognize so many champions! LOVE!!
This along with Necrit's breakdown of "Still here", couldn't ask for 2 better breakdowns of this. One from a musical viewpoint and another from a lore viewpoint. Amazing work from Riot.
i love it how he instantly saw that was kindreds arrow in yasous scene where so many ppl still didnt recognize it
I absolutely love that you did this song, they have several more musical cinematics including Awaken, The Call, and more!
Massive props for immediately recognizing that that arrow was Kindred's arrow, for better understanding, the old man with sword is Yasuo, video is also moving throught time, beginning is what was in the past, when Morgana still had her sword and haven't fully embraced the dark, then it moves to future where we have old man Yasuo (that's also his brand new skin in the game), he is fighting those masked gang members and if you take a closer look, just before Kindred's arrow hits him (by the look of it, we never see his body and scene shifts to trynda and kindred) but he closes his eyes as if he accepted his fate, in other words accepting death, since Kindred is death herself, it's very possible that the overall lore got it's first cannonically dead character after this video, that being Yasuo some time in future when he grows old ( scene can also implement that he dies from old age and and Kindred came to "collect" him), and then final scene is in present, Trynda is surrounded by dudes and he is facing death due to being weak and outnumbered, thats also why he sees Kindred and why he's fighting her, because there is a high possibility of death, when his eyes turn red thats his ultimate called Undying Rage, and he literally cannot die for some period of time, thats why he is successfull in throwing kindred off, but actually while fighting Kindred he is taking down all those dudes that surrounded him, and right before he runs out of time and before his ult ends, you can see Ashe's (his wife) arrows passing by Kindred's head hitting 2 last remaining guys and saving him from death, and thats when Kindred also dissapears, because Kindred was not actually there, Kindred's physical form is manifestation
7:41 to 7:52 i feel like these words said at between these 2 time stamps are all straight from Yasuo's own mind. If you know a bit about him ofc.