New ENA Plushies right here!! fanga.me/r/ena Hello everyone, this video should have been 40 seconds long, but everything went out of control amidst the process as everyone's already noticed. Enjoy!
I love the symbolism in this one, the way ENA positions herself in the camera to hide her sad side and the literal mask she puts on to hide her sadness.
The acts too are symbolic. I don't understand the first one but the second seems to be an abstraction of a party at a concert, something where a crowd of people follow the same rhythm. The third and fourth acts seem to relate to some kind of performative art, so the joy of performance or maybe the joy of creation. ENA refers to it as a chore meaning her lack of enjoyment may be something similar to burnout. I don't know any of these things for certain, I'm just throwing interpretations on the wall.
On the wiki they're referred to as Ivy because that's the name of the track that plays during their scene. It's not entirely confirmed to be the rabbit's name though, at least to my knowledge.
I don't know what it is, but ENA seems a lot more sentient in this episode, as if she's out of place in this nonsensical world now. Your mind truly is something Joel.
i feel like the blue part of her face is where all the randomness comes from because when the blue part of the face is talking it sounds like how she would sound in the older episodes
I genuinely love how everything still remains weird to ENA herself and not to others. Like the ending with the... dog... man... thing. She's really hard trying to comprehend what the hell she is looking at -relatable- and Moony doesn't even question it.
Also she finally expresses her general befuddlement with whatever the heck Moonie is doing/hanging out with. Like I think her staring at that weird 3D horse dude thing inspired such a level of perplexion in her that I'm earnestly amazzed I don't think we've seen it before.
Its like Joel G decided that poetry, painting and animation were boring so he mixed them together to create ultimate art. And also, spiced it up with gaming. Truly epic.
@@Muddy-Goldfish72True, but I find this one to be much more… inspired, I guess. Like, for when ENA is travelling through the Acts, it reminds me of Final Fantasy VII with the contrasting 2D backgrounds & 3D models , and the way the models are textured and shaded make me think of GameCube games like Wario World and Smash Bros. Melee.
Ena goes to the theater, gets therapy instead My thoughts on this episode is that the mask is covering her sad side with a very happy go lucky personality ,it almost acts like a parasite.Ena herself doesn't think and feel this is "real joy",the therapist comments on it saying how exaggerated it is and Ena admits it, destroying the mask so now her sad side is unhidden. Her emotions are unmasked. I love how confused she is here 8:20 / 8:35 , honestly Ena seemed really expressive in this episode and i like it, 3:19 and this powerfull walk
i had to rewatch it, but now i think i have my own interpretation. i know you already have said this, but throughout the episode, ena tries to find "joy" in herself, and she even gets lost in this small journey, but she keeps saying how she can't understand other people's hapiness ( 2:05 , 5:23 ) and i really like how in the therapy act, the mask she had keeps bouncing around the screen, and exagerating and being super energetic, just to then, when ena actually tell how she feels, it explodes. and after that, ena actually seeks help with the, guy she was talking to, and the episode basically ends. i really like this episode because it allows you to have just so many interpretations of the characters, the visuals, and a lot more. it was very deeply explored.
I got the feeling that it was about the cycle of depression, especially with how the skull guy says that she "has been here a few times". Which is really sad, but also there is a silver lining now I think about it. We thought ENA had finally become fully happy at the end of Temptation Stairway, but this shows that you have to take the good with the bad, and being happy all the time is no real way to live
@@nitricswight i really like your interpretation! depression is a word that can describe a lot about this episode, especially the parts where she doubts about her own hapiness and seems to can't find joy in her life.
@@nitricswight while there's still the question if every Ena in the episodes is the same or different Enas, i really like that question if the Ena in Temptation Stairway did actually get "happy" Ena is a troubled individual who has a hard time with her emotions and she thinks being happy all the time is the solution ,and the "people" around her influence that,like how moony gets pissed at her distress
This has to be my favourite ENA episode being the fact that Ena is actually questioning what the hell is going on in her fever dream of a world is genuinely interesting, we never see her that confused before
It's quite strange. This is easily the most coherent and "normal" ENA has been outside of the Yellow half. ENA was confused by their surroundings and the abstractions here felt very on-the-nose about each of ENA's emotions and therapy.
The problem is that if it's true surrealism, you're never going to understand it beyond the raw emotion it generates. It's like when people try to give lore to Salad Fingers or analyze the "deeper meanings" of work by Dahli or Magritte: trying to "understand" it is missing the point.
After rewatching, the message hits hard. "Fun is an elusive varmit....but it is never lost forever." As someone who's dealt with stuff regarding emotions, it's REALLY HARD to feel like anything gets better when you get in a rut, but it's so true. Bad things never last forever. Bad feelings don't last forever. It's okay to admit when you feel bad, to not put on a happy mask, but it's also imperative to remember you won't feel bad forever. There's good in the little things.
6:10 I like how for the first time we see both personalities coming together and not interrupting each other. Happy begins his somber sentence and sad seamlessly finishes it, as if they agreed to throw the mask away.
I also noticed that happy was talking about things that bring joy to the brain, like pleasure and excitement. While sad, talks about the more pessimistic and repressed part of their phrase, like they began to understand themselves, but still used their own personalities.
I only just noticed that right at the beginning you can hear Moony yell “ENA, RUN” after she rings the doorbell and doesn’t move. It’s the perfect foreshadowing to the later gag!
So, one of the things about Ena is that she mostly talks with her happy side. Like, throughout all of the videos so far, the happy side gets the most lines, especially of lines that actually move conversations forward or serve to interact with others. The sad side gets comedic asides and bits that mostly go ignored, or are treated as annoying and rude by the other characters. And that goes for this video as well - in fact, Ena doesn't use her sad side at any point up until the mask is destroyed. Given the mask is credited as a different character, and that it doesn't use the same dialect (the uwu speak) of her sad side, I'm going to count that as not her sad side speaking. But the emotional climax of this one seems to be about Ena denying her sad side, masking it for the sake of others, and seeking happiness at the sad side's expense. And the biggest line in this video was the sad side's, acknowledging her true negative feelings rather than the performative thing she does normally. Idk if that's going to end up meaning something for her sad side going forward (especially considering the game is eschewing happy/sad for a different pairing). But it have some interesting interplay with previous videos, at least.
@@Nobynoby2763 bro masking is literally a term, it being a mask is a metaphor for the word masking, used in the sense to hide the truth of your emotions on the matter. its irrelevant to anything else going on
Seems like ENA's happy side is a lot more aware in this video. Like, instead of facing every situation with the same cheery attitude, we see her feeling a range of "negative" emotions without switching straight to sadness- such as being confused or underwhelmed, and generally a little less extroverted than usual. Not just that, but she's also thinking a lot more reasonably, with moments where she actually questions why things are happening or where she is, when normally she'd just go along with anything (you can also see this in her greater variety of expressions). It's really interesting to see!
yesss im so glad someone else noticed this! the happy side was definitely less extroverted this time, and felt way more emotions, especially negative ones, which is so intriguing.. so im interested as to where this will go as it definitely isnt a one off thing
An observation: This is the first ENA video where we follow her from an isometric perspective, as opposed to a first person perspective. It also happens to be an episode where half of her face is literally separated from her body for most of the runtime. While I'm not sure if it was intentional, it lends to the vibe that ENA's quite literally not feeling like herself, as if she's outside of her own body.
Statement: Yes! It fits within the interpretation of depressive feelings or other issues of mental health rather nicely, I feel Observation: Even more than that, this perspective also gives a constant view of the mask which pushes her forward. If the mask could be interpreted as Ena's repressed negativity, then one could say in that, the viewer and Ena are made aware of the theatricity of this and how the faked enthusiasm of the mask hides behind it a very real, if unconscious, push towards fixing this forced display and attempting to live in the present once more.
I just realized, ENA’s hair is short on one side (the happy side) and long on the other (the sad side). This could symbolize the saying of ‘hair holding memories’. Cutting her hair short on the happy side could mean she is trying out a new start in life and forgetting anything bad that happened in the past, making that side happy. However, leaving her hair long on the sad side could mean that she can’t get rid of any memories of traumatic events or sad events in her life, making that side sad and kinda su!cid@l. It’s just a theory though. A film theory.
My interpretation is that after temptation stairway, instead of getting rid of her sad face, she just manages to conceal it on a mask that mimics happiness while literally chewing her depresive antisocial self. She tries to have fun, but fail's to understand what is about. In act I, she doesn't get how funny actions and the amazement you get from them are supposed to give you "fun", on act II she understands that people flow along with that "fun", and while her mask pretends to have fun alongside them, inside she doesn't understand where's the "fun", to her all the expresions remain bored. On act III she becomes the source of "fun" to the audience, showing a funny silhouette while her inside remains dead, and act IV is about how, even though she gets pleasure from the audience's praise, she can't get the fun she's been looking for, finally breaking, her mask no longer concealing her sad side In act V her mask is desperately trying to hide her evident sadness, and once she gets therapy, she destroys her mask and aknowledge that she just can't feel fun. To summarize, I think the mask is a representation of her denying and concealing all her sadness and atempting to live a 100% fun life, but in the process she lost the meaning of what "fun" is supossed to mean. in the end, "fun" trully is precious when it's in balance with sadness, is it's scarcity what gives it it's value. Or perhaps, ENA's weird and has no repair, I'll have to rewatch the video a couple dozen times just in case i missed something. I really love these series. pd: VLIF's dog-horse thing at the end is the first time I hate a character in these series, but seeing ENA makes my day so I don't mind, I hope you keep up with this amazing work
I think it being about fun is true, but she can't feel fun mostly because she isn't able to let herself feel anything else. Even though the pain is still there from the sadness, she convinced herself she needs to be happy and do things that make people happy, sposedly; and when she gets the thing she wants, she feels not the happiness, but the feeling of shame that she isnt immediately happy. She's feeling emptiness inside. Meanwhile your mask that you show others begins trying to change how you feel and it immediately starts to make you feel ashamed that you really arent like this on the inside as well as argue for you tto stop liking the things you do like. Idk
i think the mask is the wish she got from the great runas. she wished to be happy, but one cannot be made to feel happy. The mask was a drug that may have "worked" at first, but eventually wore off. notice how the mask is the only one that seems happy throughout all this, while ena could only question what she was feeling. When the mask came off, the true ena came out.
@@SmugBab it was an extension of hers, intended or not, although ripped off and destroyed easily, it didn't really change what's outside, only what's inside if it had more of an external effect it'd change her appearance drastically more, but all it did was channel her sad part forcibly, and chewed on it
small detail i liked: when Ena greets the bunny dancer, Ena asks for her to 'sing her towards the fun', which on its own is a quirky way to ask for directions, but then you realize that the bunny actually 'sings' along with the music and Ena knows this because they've met already!
ENA seems a lot more emotive now, and more sure of what she does and does not want. Seeing both sides of her essentially have a conversation (blue mask and yellow side of face) was very interesting. I think ENA is amazing, honestly.
not only that, but also she seems to be committed to finding some sort of meaning like happiness. Also, the crazy emotions disappeared, probably meaning that she has solved the drinking problem in extinction party.
I'm so glad we live in a time where creative tools are freely available and self-publishing is easy because we get to explore the VAST and UNIQUE worlds that are spun by creative visionaries like Joel. It's art in every sense of the word. I love it.
"More lies! More lies! Why does everybody keep. LYING TO ME!?" "INNA there wasn't any peanut brittle. AND PUT IT BACK! the whole point of it, was THEY open the can, AND THEY GET SCARED!"
One thing I love about Ena as a whole, is that it's never on the nose; there are so many twists and turns, and yet there's a solid story, and perhaps even message to be found. But, I suppose part of the fun is not knowing if those things are there at all. I could just be making it up. No matter what one chooses to believe they watched, I had fun! Amazing work as always! Ena never seems to disappoint as a series.
I think the joy she doesn't recognize is the prank her friend keeps dragging her along to participate in. The mask comes from trying to fit in, trying to get the same fun out of it that her friend does. The therapy is in finally understanding that she really doesn't get anything out of all this.
That's the fascination behind this internet webcore aesthetic. It's multi-cultural from focused early internet history. Makes me happy to know others appreciate that :)
This is such a fascinating in-universe breakdown of Ena as a character, managing to be just a bit more comprehensible than usual while still providing no concrete lore or answers. I love how the mask was used to cover up and detach Ena's sad side while also showing that the two sides aren't always as clear as they seem, a wonderful continuation of the story from Temptation Stairway! Also Moony just grabbing literally anything she can find and stuffing it into her weird eye hole thing is such a great bit, I love it.
The social pressure to perform a role, the difficulty in understanding the emotions of others and their own, I'm scared how ENA makes more and more sense each time.
she's getting smarter if she wasn't already, becoming sentient each passing episode i feel like... but sadly i don't think we'll see more about _this_ Ena for a long while. very much loved this episode, the game is also going to be such a fever dream to watch
Ena is so relatable, she looks for happiness in this episode but its all just so absurd to her while everyone else enjoys it, shes different in some way from the others, even though she probably isnt, she FEELS different, it FEELS different and weird for her, everything is weird for her while shes just as weird, i also like her friendship, she finds her friend weird but they still hang out and seem to get eachother on a level where ena enjoys her company and even visits her
I also relate to that so much. As someone on the spectrum I often feel like I'm just wired different than everyone around me. I've often been in situations where everyone around me is laughing and having fun, and here I am clearly NOT having fun, and trying to figure out WHY I'm not enjoying the situation like everyone else, yet at the same time trying to wear the mask of someone who is having fun.
words to a friend when explaining this video: I think it was ENA seeking this figment of fun they heard so much about. They understand the surface level of self expression, posters, films, and even silent plays and choreography. They wanted to go onto stage and advance through the acts to get to that forespoken FUN. They felt the need to show off a mask of FUN to even get into the playhouse - but they never achieved it. And that deeply bothered them. I believe the therapy💀guy saw this - heck a lot of other playgoers saw this, the lack of fun ENA displayed - and gave ENA some words of advice. "Fun is quite the elusive varmint. But remember: it is never lost forever." what's even sadder to me is that ENA had to ditch Moony and her other friends to get into the playhouse, like they felt ashamed or embarrassed to hide this side of themselves, like they would be a social reject if they didn't always be all peppy, zany, and wacky. So they play on the idea of "oops, I did not know I was supposed to run afterwards" when confronted. But yeah, that's at least my idea of it. I heavily relate to ENA a lot, especially about presenting that mask she carried around... and then Moony shoved stuff into her weird cube hole lMAO.
I love watching the very beginning in hindsight so much: both of ENA's voices talking in unision, and the psychedelic animation of her pressing the doorbell.
Ena searching through so many ways to find joy or pleasure, either through acting, hiding, a dance of death and displaying for others, mindless activities... It's kind of amazing how uncomfortable an abstract character can feel in a world of senslessness. I love how stuffy the building actually managaed to be, compared to outside. HOW DOES SOMEONE CREATE A STUFFY WORLD IN A PLACE OF RANDOMNESS??
I like seeing ENA confused at something for once, it's so rare yet it feels like one of the few familiar things you get to share with the character after so many instances of just getting shaken along in this abstract ride of concepts everyone in this universe seemingly don't even question and take as ordinary
6:51 "Fun is quite the elusive varmint - isn't it? But remember: it is never lost forever. Often, the greatest of fun can be found in the little moments." Wise words indeed.
Good lord, seeing Ena's sad face be so forcibly happy reminded me so much of my own struggles with depression. The happy face being able to tell that this ain't right and the sad face just forcing it out the whole time... Feels weird. Thanks for making this Joel
tbh the mask doesn't read as an extendant form of ena's sadness, it reads as a parasite. something that's weird to me is that in all of the ena vids, the sad and happy sides never talk as if they're separate people, but the mask and ena DO talk to each other as if they are. i do think that the mask is the remnant of runas's wish, bc even moony didn't get to keep her wish permanently, tho her skinny self is still there, it's just inside her.
It looks more like the mask is the result of the runas wish, ena attempted to separate herself from sadness and it did just that, separated it. Whereas moony asked to have a skinny self but appeared to be embarrassed by it at the same time, so she put the shell back on (as it simply split in half when she popped out of it), but she still retains her new body, hence her being able to just grab things.
@@williamdaniels1662 that's exactly what i don't mean by the mask as a parasite! i don't think that sadness was ever separated from ena: she was covered up. the mask, over time, wore, and ena must've started turning blue again, and as that happened, the mask grew further and further away from ena, both literally and figuratively, until it was essentially a separate being, which would explain why the mask looks so "other" than ena, with the teeth and the eyes
i think the mask represents “masking”-hiding your true sadness behind a veneer of false joy. This whole journey, Ena was searching for fun. And while the mask outwardly seemed to enjoy it all, Ena’s normally happy side was always confused that they weren’t feeling the same. “I don’t recognize this strain of joy.” It’s only when she finally allows her sad side to speak that the mask finally cracks and Ena becomes herself again. Ena is depressed, and is looking for some way to escape-which is why she’s been visiting this place “over and over”. But at the end she leaves, accepting that this facade will never make her truly happy
You ever read a comment and go « damn they put it perfectly Im now gonna adopt thier train of thought to better understand/explain this perspective » because this is one of them. CONGRATS!
One that that stood out to me regarding the mask is that it seems rather parasitic. Notice how its attached to ENA's sad side via a veiny tether that it uses to drag ENA along, and yet when ENA's sad side reemerges and admits her problems, the mask turns grey and dies. In other words, it only has power over ENA because she allows it to, and when she decides to try being herself again, the mask loses all it's power over her.
This type of fun is of the highest quality! I love how " fun " equates to being happy in this one, and how the " sad mask " seems to represent some form of forced positivity, tho i'm not sure how it came to be now if Ena didn't make it herself
The amount of creativity in the ENA series has always been so insane. The character design is out of this world. Every time there's a new episode I know I won't be disappointed. Can't wait for the game.
@@Game_HeroI absolutely loved the silhouette mage…skeleton…thing, couldn’t stop smiling when I saw it! Character design (along with everything else) is no doubt amazing.
Some thoughts on this wonderful episode. This seems to be a clear continuation of some sort to Temptation Stairway. Remember how ENA seem even more overwhelmed than usual in that ep? Even to the point of being downright suicidal with some of the comments she made... and at the very end, once they've seemingly reached the Runas, her blue side has suddenly disappeared. It makes me think that the wish that ENA made was to get rid of her sadness, finding it too much to bear. But as Ulysses warned her... desires are never fulfilled nor quenched. So she hasn't gotten rid of her problems, not really. She's just literally 'masked' them now. And as a result of this repression, even her happy side isn't as bright as it used to be - now more passive and doubtful, downright confused on how, no matter how much she searches for happiness, it seems so far out of reach now. She feels utterly out of place in this world that she used to fit right into, even if it overwhelmed her at times. Because how can you feel connected to what's around you if you don't even feel connected to yourself? And while that's all obvious enough - I wanted to try and theorize a bit on the different acts here, too, and what they mean. Before the acts even start, we meet the Bunny, who says "What a stink! That is not the essence of merriness... aren't you entertained enough?" Irl, there's plenty of people who make comments like that towards depressed people. _What's with the long face? Why aren't you happy? You have everything you need, right? Your life is good, right? Quit moping, you're bringing the mood down..._ and sentiments along the sort. That's just what that made me think of. Now, the first act is a bunch of pipes connecting - "Connections and bonds that are meant to transmit cheerfulness", as ENA puts it. And the immediate first thing that came to my mind, both from the visuals and the wording, are... the neural pathways in our brains. Whatever is wrong with ENA, it's obviously neurological, as all mental illnesses/disorders are, and it's not something that you can just 'think' away. There is something legitimately different in your brain. "I don't recognize this strain of joy." Before the second act, we meet the lady in the wall, who is crying. ENA, almost accusatory, asks her "aren't you supposed to be cheering?", as if she has come to believe that emotions, the 'bad' ones at least, are a inherently, well... bad. And the lady just replies that these tears are from joy, and that this happiness isn't one that can be bought. I think this represents what it's like to truly be able to experience your emotions in full - unembarrassed, and not caused by anything like drugs or any other addictions... just fully so happy you could cry. But, of course, ENA can't understand that concept yet. Which we see in the second act - the one that supposedly made the lady that happy, and one that ENA can't comprehend at all. "Am I the one the rhythm can't catch?" _Am I just the odd one out here?_ If we're stretching the metaphors, we could also extrapolate that the mask's line of "the entire universe is waltzing with me" has a sort of meaning of feeling connected to the world around you and stuff... and I could try to explain what the visuals mean, but that might be digging too far even for me, lol. Important thing is, again, ENA struggles to find joy in things others can. The third and fourth act, is a "story of silent movements." A performance. I think this represents ENA trying to go along and _pretend_ to be happy even if she can't feel it inside. Maybe if she just looks the part, if she gives out something to the world, it'll help, right? But... "Though I feel the gratification of the audience, I can't feel any change in me." She can try to be happy for others, but she _can't_ fake it 'till she makes it, not on this. All that it makes her realize is, in contrast, how miserable she feels deep down. "Hey... how could a chore like this jollify someone, anywho?" That's all that this is to her, at this point. A chore - anything that seems fun just feels like a chore to her now. This could be many things - art, performing, eating, waking up in the morning, meeting with friends... when you're depressed, things that would bring you joy normally no longer do, and you're left just cruising, forcing yourself into things. And that can be... very tiring. Notice how the mask falls, when she says that. She's finally out of her denial. And then she, quite _literally,_ goes to therapy LMAO Which, the fifth act speaks for itself, I think, and this comment is already WAYY too long so I'll just end it here lol If anyone actually read this - hi and have a virtual cookie, thank you 🍪 Gosh this series is amazing
I think this comment is definitely onto something, if not you at least added some pretty insightful commentary. Besides, overanalyzing is fun. The only issue is that, that Game Theory guy gets paid to do it and we don't...
I love this episode. I think it is my favorite! How the whole thing was divided by acts made it feel different, and Therapy's voices were a top notch. Like, through the video, we see the other characters speaking with sounds, but he's the only one who speaks like an actual person. Like an old, wise person. Also, I loved the part where her sad side appears again, showing that she would never be able to hide it well, and even if she tries to mask it, deep down, she will still weird and sad with herself.
I find it quite beautiful that, while hiding her sad side, her happy side wasn't as cheerful as usual, but way more thoughtful and introspective. It also could seem this way because the comparison agains the mask, a fake display of exaggerated joy. But in the end, somehow her sad say was always showing, ENA was just trying to deny it and at the end it seems she learns to live with it and embrace it in a healthier way
same, definitely my favourite aswell. its just so well thought out and theres definitely some metaphor for masking in here, like no way there isnt, and its a literal mask too!
Honestly this has gotta be my favorite ENA episode so far. Through the whole thing I knew something was off and I love the idea of ENA trying to explore ways to get rid of her sad side, but nothing works and she ultimately has to accept it. How the journey is presented through environment and dialogue feels so real. It can be applied to so many different situations and interpreted in so many different ways, from pressure to keep producing content for the masses to the struggle of finding happiness in seemingly mundane life, it’s a message that speaks to all. Putting on a mask and fabricating a hopeless attempt of joy to try and fix yourself through shallow ignorance of your problems. Also I loved the characters “voices” syncing with the background music. Every detail from the somewhat empty and shallow dialogue of the NPCs to ENA’s movements being less enthusiastic while talking than what we’re used to really brings everything together. Hey… how could a chore like this jollify someone, anywho?! Because it’s a joy you still don’t understand. Thank you! (this message is edited because the longer I think about this episode the more I have to say about it so I keep coming back and adding to this)
i think it more was like she was trying to understand fun and joy, and as skull dude said she keept coming here over and over again, and all she got was wierd emotions and this mask, mask was turning off her sad side and was trying to guide her into theatre, but ena still didn't understanded concept of all this stuff being unique and fun and even mask couldn't help so skull dude said that in this place she won't be happy
That ending was strange It was as if Ena was becoming self aware of her existence and realizing how chaotically awful it must feel to exist in this digital nightmare world.
Yeah, I really like the consistent theming of Ena just not quite fitting in, like she's unfamiliar with how the place she's seemingly always lived in works. The dog man is both unexplained to the viewer and to Ena, and I love the consistency of her being presented in a videogame-y way with us in the position of the player, despite our lack of control, all soon coming to a head with Dream Barbeque where we actually ARE playing as her.
@@MeloniestNeon Well, i think it's confimed it won't be the ENA we know. ENAs are confirmed to be a species, and Joel himself has said the ENA from Dream Barbeque (aka ENA Season 2 Episode 1) is a whole another ENA. I guess that if they ever make other seasons, they'll make more ENAs.
@@parvitz I know, I just mean the consistent theming will have its payoff in us finally playing as "an" Ena, even if it's a different... Subspecies??? than usual, lol.
Everyone talking about Digital Circus when ENA was the original 90's-early 2000's era digital nightmare world series. This series deserves so much more attention.
5:00 That might be a reference to "Bunraku", a centuries old Japanese puppet theatre where the black-robed puppeteers move the puppets from behind against a dark background, so that they won't be visible for the audience.🤔
This makes me think back to that “are you drunk again” line from Moony. That, and ENA’s overall social anxiety being “allergic to people”. She also had that moment before the auction of extreme pessimism that she immediately tried to wave off. I’m guessing the mask is the tenant of ENA’s wish from the last episode where her face turned yellow like her happier half. Guess she wished for happiness, but what she got was fake.
Absolutely blows my mind that we got ENA episode 5 before ENA episode 4. I think it's a really interesting creative choice. It consistently matches up with the disordered and chaotic vide of the series and the META theme in general. Maybe even hints at the difference of how chronology and time work in world. Really fun animation too, Joel G and Co., keep it up!
Is it just me or is this clearly a representation of masking when you're neurodivergent? The way ENA is constantly struggling to keep up with her emotions and has trouble trying to adapt in her constantly changing environment definitely feels relatable as someone on the spectrum. Society tries constantly telling her to perform, yet when she has the chance to talk about her feelings, the mask disintegrates. She also cant begin to comprehend unpleasant sensations / feelings. Thoughts?
Yeah, the masking metaphor seemed pretty on the nose to me. The rest of it though still feels like an abstract fever dream of nonsense. It could be a metaphor for depression in which you can't find joy, or perhaps autism or alexithymia, where you struggle to recognise your own feelings. But that's just this episode... most the series still seems like nonsense to me, so I'm not sure if it was meant to be neurodivergence the whole time
Honestly, as a neurodivergent myself? I totally agree. When I was in my early years of schooling, I remember having to hide my tics from the public like I was following some sort of script.
I see the mask as also some sorta parasite. It's not just a mask, it's attached to her, feeding off of her through veins. This was genuinely disturbing as it's like ena just... broke. A parasite burrowed itself between the cracks in ena's heart and started to, quite literally mask over her, a fake invader making you something your not. I guess the best way to describe this is ego-horror or identity-horror. It's like body horror but involves the crude manipulation and distortion of the psyche. As someone who is also on the spectrum, this hit a bit close.
Act 1 - "Connections and tubes" (social and personal connections, maybe specifically social media?) fail to make ENA happy. Act 2 - "The cosmic rhythm" (maybe representing music or art in general?) can't "catch" ENA - it doesn't provide the ecstatic bliss that it offered to the crying women earlier. Acts 3 & 4 - "Acting" or creating content for others to make them happy lets ENA see and acknowledge the joy that others feel, but still doesn't allow her to feel it herself. Yep, sounds like Depression.
In act 5, when she goes to therapy and the therapist says "because it's a joy that you still don't understand" makes me think that her possible depression is treatment resistant and linked with something more serious than the therapist can't help with. When the therapist says "you need not return here anymore" it feels like they mean: "You've been coming here for a very long time and even with all the work that we've put in, you don't seem to be getting any better. I don't think I can do anything for you.
@rileycoyote4924 I also believe however, that ena is improving, she may not ever be like other people, but at least they're free of the need to act exactly like them either, the mask was a parasite, and although i don't know what it symbolizes, i do have a feeling ENA is better off without it
didn't even have to finish it was so on the nose im hopeful that the ENA team doesn't go through that often, they just made an episode about it for people in need
After rewatching the other episodes, i realize that Ena is frequently sad, and plenty of times during the outbreaks Ena yells about wanting to die, but then apologizes afterwords or brushes it off, and her friend moony seems very self centered, not paying attention to the outbursts and just brushing them off aswell. Though maybe I’ve ignored the times Ena was happy?
This series keeps getting stranger and stranger and I'm all for it, this episode feels like a literary classic that's been shredded and put back together with the essence of a fever dream and it's incredible
Random thought but y'know how ENA seems to be struggling to find satisfaction or happiness in all of these episodes (with her trying to achieve a goal as a form of happiness achievement or purpose)? You think Moony, despite her confident and brash exterior, is also struggling to find happiness/satisfaction in her own way? One of the key details about Moony's design is the big square shaped hole in her face, which is always carrying something different in it- as anything that goes in never stays forever. It's like she's trying to fill a void in herself (literally, but perhaps also metaphorically) but the pieces she tries to put in there do not fit (or she herself ends up throwing them away, like she did with the red piece in this episode). Moony is also shown to be very willing to grab/steal things that belong to other people in order to fill the hole, such as the zipper guy's...guy at the end of this episode, or the Shepherdess' staff + a mannequin person's limb in Temptation Stairway. Maybe she's willing to steal things from other people to fill the void, in hopes that the things that make other people happy/complete will make her happy/complete? ENA's search for happiness is shown in a very emotion/character based way, but she's also our focus character- perhaps Moony's own search for happiness is also happening in the background, never shown emotionally since Moony acts so brashly outwardly, but rather in Moony's actions ENA and Moony also both lose critical details of their designs in the finale of Temptation Stairway: ENA's body becomes entirely yellow (losing her iconic two-toned palette- losing the blue side of her that represents sadness), while Moony's entire old design is lost when she develops a humanoid body that barely resembles her old self (and lacks the square hole she's always trying to fill)- and these are both implied to be the combined results of a wish to the Great Runas and the winner of their race paying the debts of the loser (a wish that would presumably give the winner/wisher happiness, and repaying the debts of the loser would presumably also give the loser happiness) I dunno...maybe that's just a bunch of nonsense but just a shower thought I had XD
This is without a doubt my favorite piece of ENA content so far. It feels like the visuals are pushed the furthest they’ve ever been, with incredibly realised animations, models and renders all perfectly fitting in and elevating the retro style. The voice acting, music and sound design are superb like always, I’m a HUGE fan of the character designs, and the tone of it all is still so absurd, but in a way that’s barely cohesive enough. I love this !
I love how much stranger and out of place everything looks just to make everything that much stranger. Some of these models look like they're from completely different eras and/or games and I love that.
I like how the mask unquestioningly follows along with everything, with ena herself often being a bit more reluctant. Her true feelings on the matter are hidden behind the desire to please, even when being given advice by others
can we please appreciate the new VA for ena's happy side rn? after the incident with the former VA, i was really worried that ena might not be the same, but griffin did so well. he really captured ena's essence and made it his own. also, as always, lizzie did an amazing job as sad ena and moony
@@killdestroy69well the very very first Ena (yellow) va from "Auction Day" was accused of gr@@ming minor. Due to that, the second va was taking role in Extinction Party and Temptation Stairway. But he then accused of $exu@l @buse. That's why the va has changed in this ep Edit : The first va is not the same as old va for Tighnari btw, I already edit my comment
This episode was so awesome! And so deep too, how ENA was masking her sad side and negative emotions through the mask, disguised as unreasonable joy, even more cheerful than what ENA's happy side usually is. It's truly a beautiful way of showing how the "fake it 'til you make it" mentality can go wrong when it develops into denying your true emotions, and how she finally seems to understand the importance of sadness in life, how it's all about the highs and lows. Man, another banger by Joel! It was beautiful
@@TheSilly6403 There are a lot of different approaches to how a therapist may approach therapy, and some people are more receptive to different formats than others. If it works, I feel like a person is less likely to go spilling out about it because it just feels like becoming normal and 'ok'. If it doesn't work though, it makes a person feel unfixable or their condition worsens over the time used. Since the negatives are dramatic and the upside is just stopping the negatives, more people are liable to complain. There's also a few forms of analytical therapy styles that don't 'feel' like the therapist necessarily fixed you, so much as gave you the right kind of push in the right direction and then you figured the rest out for yourself. The type of therapy that worked on me for instance didn't necessarily fix me, *I* fixed me using the therapy. I was simply given a handful of definitions that I was able to use to re-contextualize my emotional problems into something I was able to use and understand under my own light. As such even though it worked for me, I would never really say that to anyone offhand. I would just talk about the journey itself without the context of mentors who lit the path, if that makes sense.
@@TheSilly6403Never tried an internet therapist. I have gone to IRL therapists before. One of em was a religious hardliner who believed only prayer worked to solve anything, and if the problem wasn't solved from it then clearly you didn't pray hard enough. He would tell literal schizophrenics to just pray and listen to whatever "signs" that "God communicates through".
I love how through each episode, we never get an understanding of the lore of the world and how it all works, but we get a little more character development though each episode, as if we are seeing the world through ena’s eyes. The world is supposed to be confusing and strange ,and we’re just riding along with Ena and how she experiences and deals with the confusion of everything. Just my take on things. I love this show with all my heart ❤️
Joel, idk if you'll ever see this but if you do, I just wanna say you are an inspiration to me, inspiring me to make my own interpritations of art as you have done here.
Can I just throw all my love and appreciation for this episode? It's LONG, so just sayin. Personally it's been my favourite so far. From the soundtrack, npc's, desings, to the message. The music was absolutely beautiful and fitting for this webcore series. The new characters here are so cool, literally my favourites out of the bunch. The fact that their dialogue sounds are "part" of the music makes it so much better, and don't even get me started on the desings. The bunny woman, the fact she is like split in several places makes it so cool to me. The water creatures that speak through a head coming out of their mouth and projecting the mouth like a film??? This is so original and awesome. I love the fact that the film is literally a moving mouth. The shadow-skeletons are kind of drowning in all of this but I absolutely love therapist's voice. His conversation with Ena is a really good finale to Ena's journey in that place. The whole shtick with them ripping a part of her face is really interesting, even if it doesn't mean anything, I'm adding it to my lore theories. And finally, I was afraid I wouldn't see Moonie but here we are. Overally I love this episode and can't wait for dream bbq
Gotta love how many independent animators are trying out weird, dark, wild concepts and styles. Ena is an amazing show and this was an awesome episode!!
"Every time, I acknowledged the enjoyment and pleasure... and all I got were incomprehensible feelings... and this lousy mask." Normally ENA as a series is a mostly incomprehensible word-salad in its dialogue, but this line in particular resonated with me on a deep level.
This episode kinda resonates with me, the mask being another personality to cover up another (aka masking) is something i experience and the themes of depression. Visiting something that use to make you happy. Something that "should" make you happy. That makes others halpy. And just the empty un-nameable emotion. and the realization of knowing it will no longer make you feel anything, and having to just accept it and move on, in hopes of so something else that can make you feel anything at all
@@Six-v9jA lot of times when I’m with a big group of friends they all want to do something like go to the store or whatever and I just don’t get anything out of that. I thought that I _should_ have been enjoying it because it was something everyone else thought was fun, but at some point I accepted that I’m just built different 🤷
5:20 This is probably my favorite part of this episode, and i feel like a lot of TH-camrs/content creators can relate to. Ena tries to get joy out of performing on stage (aka, performing for an audience, like a youtuber or content creator does) but although Ena can sense that the people watching the performance are enjoying it, Ena herself can't seem to find joy in it. It's even sadder a moment later when she calls it a "chore" meaning that she sees the performance more as work, rather than something that fulfills her, similar to how a TH-camr may feel trapped in a content hole of only being able to produce videos that perform well, rather than producing videos that they truly enjoy.
I resonated so hard on that part. I have a relatively "successful" art account and sometimes it really feels like a chore to provide content for people. The fact the algorithm doesn't favor content I actually enjoy makes me sad too. And exactly as you put it, Ena senses people are enjoying the performance but she cant find the joy in it is something I heavily relate to
Here's an observation as well: This is the first episode where we see ENA from a third-person perspective as she travels through the bizarro realms, instead of first person. It helps add to the vibe that ENA feels "separate" from herself, like she's seeing someone else instead of experiencing things firsthand.
@@Hayley_.z in your situation, i would suggest alongside making the art that performs well on your account, you try making art/content that you personally enjoy creating, no matter how personal/surreal it may be it would perform badly at first, but eventually you would build up an audience that can appreciate your more personal artwork, alongside having your regular art carry your account idk if you make money/depend on the performance of your account, but in the long-term for all types of content creation, what matters most is that you enjoy what youre doing so you dont get burnt out (but im just a guy on the internet you don't have to take my advice)
This was just incredible, I love how Joel uses each short to explore some different type of aesthetic from the 90s-early 2000s This one was the most reminiscent of click-based digital museums, with the 3D renders and the way ENA traversed it. So damn awesome! Also, I love how this episode at the end confirmed that Moony just takes random things and eats them on a whim, it might confirm the theory that in Temptation Stairway she was just following ENA the entire way and eating everything/everyone ENA encountered previously, as dark as it is (Edit: I meant to say Temptation Stairway not Extinction Party)
New ENA Plushies right here!! fanga.me/r/ena
Hello everyone, this video should have been 40 seconds long, but everything went out of control amidst the process as everyone's already noticed. Enjoy!
YIPPEE ENA PLUSHIE
Neato
OMG
Wago wago
Poss
I love moments where Ena just realizes a lot of things doesn't make sense around her
Ena is like someone who was plopped into this world and is trying reeeeaally hard to be chill with it
@@cassiapeian Pomni?
SAME!! It just gives alot to the story and i love it
@@BrendanSmallButera you're so right
Mood tbh
Both loving those moments and feeling that myself, I mean.
Seeing ENA go to therapy and talk out her feelings seems like the resolution of a series-long character arc that we hadn't known was there until now.
Stop pretending like you know the hidden meaning, she went to the theater!
@@Sımona-12.123 then she meets the therapist
@@Sımona-12.123act 5 is literally called therapy
@@Sımona-12.123honey, sweetie, just admit you didn't see a relatively blatant narrative instead of thinking others are lying or making it up.
@@Sımona-12.123Hidden meaning?! The final segment is LITERALLY NAMED "THERAPY" ffs! 🫵🤣
I love the symbolism in this one, the way ENA positions herself in the camera to hide her sad side and the literal mask she puts on to hide her sadness.
The acts too are symbolic. I don't understand the first one but the second seems to be an abstraction of a party at a concert, something where a crowd of people follow the same rhythm.
The third and fourth acts seem to relate to some kind of performative art, so the joy of performance or maybe the joy of creation. ENA refers to it as a chore meaning her lack of enjoyment may be something similar to burnout.
I don't know any of these things for certain, I'm just throwing interpretations on the wall.
cuz that's what the mask is, that's what the point of the mask is
i wear a mask with a smile@@UltraFicus
Been wearin' a smile for so long, it's real
so long it's real
the bunny lady is such a neat design concept and the chirping singing voice equally rad.
Ena's happy male voice kinda sounds like Veneer from Trolls 3
Not sure but I feel like she'll fitt in perfectly in the world of Popee the Performer
she scared me at first
On the wiki they're referred to as Ivy because that's the name of the track that plays during their scene. It's not entirely confirmed to be the rabbit's name though, at least to my knowledge.
I don't know what it is, but ENA seems a lot more sentient in this episode, as if she's out of place in this nonsensical world now. Your mind truly is something Joel.
So real
Yes
Fr
i feel like the blue part of her face is where all the randomness comes from because when the blue part of the face is talking it sounds like how she would sound in the older episodes
yes, you should be afraid
I genuinely love how everything still remains weird to ENA herself and not to others. Like the ending with the... dog... man... thing. She's really hard trying to comprehend what the hell she is looking at -relatable- and Moony doesn't even question it.
the gmod ragdoll sounds got me laughing
Rude
She'll never understand what she's looking at.
But she accepts that anyway.
theyre just that silly
Moony is just chill like that
ENA as a character has been so consistently extra that having her simmer down and describe something as mid feels like a big step forward
Also she finally expresses her general befuddlement with whatever the heck Moonie is doing/hanging out with. Like I think her staring at that weird 3D horse dude thing inspired such a level of perplexion in her that I'm earnestly amazzed I don't think we've seen it before.
Overrated character
theres something so cursed about confused ENA, girl if you dont know whats going on how are we supposed to know??
@@grammy_hnng Ena is just a loveable polygon trying reallyyyyy hard to just vibe with everything
@@Exipher222Underrated* There, fixed
3:18
There was no need for her to enter the curtains like this. Yet you did because it looked cool. And does it look so good.
its a reference
@@danny-ky8ita referanve to what? it looks so damn cool
Its like Joel G decided that poetry, painting and animation were boring so he mixed them together to create ultimate art. And also, spiced it up with gaming. Truly epic.
All of the ENA videos are like games though 😭
@@Muddy-Goldfish72I was going to reply that but yeah they're put together like games
@@Muddy-Goldfish72True, but I find this one to be much more… inspired, I guess. Like, for when ENA is travelling through the Acts, it reminds me of Final Fantasy VII with the contrasting 2D backgrounds & 3D models , and the way the models are textured and shaded make me think of GameCube games like Wario World and Smash Bros. Melee.
Ena goes to the theater, gets therapy instead
My thoughts on this episode is that the mask is covering her sad side with a very happy go lucky personality ,it almost acts like a parasite.Ena herself doesn't think and feel this is "real joy",the therapist comments on it saying how exaggerated it is and Ena admits it, destroying the mask so now her sad side is unhidden. Her emotions are unmasked.
I love how confused she is here 8:20 / 8:35 , honestly Ena seemed really expressive in this episode and i like it, 3:19 and this powerfull walk
i had to rewatch it, but now i think i have my own interpretation. i know you already have said this, but throughout the episode, ena tries to find "joy" in herself, and she even gets lost in this small journey, but she keeps saying how she can't understand other people's hapiness ( 2:05 , 5:23 ) and i really like how in the therapy act, the mask she had keeps bouncing around the screen, and exagerating and being super energetic, just to then, when ena actually tell how she feels, it explodes. and after that, ena actually seeks help with the, guy she was talking to, and the episode basically ends.
i really like this episode because it allows you to have just so many interpretations of the characters, the visuals, and a lot more. it was very deeply explored.
I got the feeling that it was about the cycle of depression, especially with how the skull guy says that she "has been here a few times". Which is really sad, but also there is a silver lining now I think about it. We thought ENA had finally become fully happy at the end of Temptation Stairway, but this shows that you have to take the good with the bad, and being happy all the time is no real way to live
@@nitricswight i really like your interpretation! depression is a word that can describe a lot about this episode, especially the parts where she doubts about her own hapiness and seems to can't find joy in her life.
@@nitricswight while there's still the question if every Ena in the episodes is the same or different Enas, i really like that question if the Ena in Temptation Stairway did actually get "happy"
Ena is a troubled individual who has a hard time with her emotions and she thinks being happy all the time is the solution ,and the "people" around her influence that,like how moony gets pissed at her distress
.
This has to be my favourite ENA episode being the fact that Ena is actually questioning what the hell is going on in her fever dream of a world is genuinely interesting, we never see her that confused before
Alice in Wonderland vibes.
@@jojoojoratti123 complete with a Cheshire Cat/Blue Caterpillar figure in the form of a gigantic smiley face made of skulls dropping some sage advice
So true
It's quite strange. This is easily the most coherent and "normal" ENA has been outside of the Yellow half. ENA was confused by their surroundings and the abstractions here felt very on-the-nose about each of ENA's emotions and therapy.
The problem is that if it's true surrealism, you're never going to understand it beyond the raw emotion it generates.
It's like when people try to give lore to Salad Fingers or analyze the "deeper meanings" of work by Dahli or Magritte: trying to "understand" it is missing the point.
After rewatching, the message hits hard.
"Fun is an elusive varmit....but it is never lost forever." As someone who's dealt with stuff regarding emotions, it's REALLY HARD to feel like anything gets better when you get in a rut, but it's so true. Bad things never last forever. Bad feelings don't last forever.
It's okay to admit when you feel bad, to not put on a happy mask, but it's also imperative to remember you won't feel bad forever. There's good in the little things.
6:10 I like how for the first time we see both personalities coming together and not interrupting each other. Happy begins his somber sentence and sad seamlessly finishes it, as if they agreed to throw the mask away.
And at the begining of the video both "speak" at same time the samething.
(Don't remember that happening in others videos.)
I also noticed that happy was talking about things that bring joy to the brain, like pleasure and excitement. While sad, talks about the more pessimistic and repressed part of their phrase, like they began to understand themselves, but still used their own personalities.
Omg that’s what was different!
Naah, we see them doing that in temptation stairway. Look out for the first turron scene, and then when after entering the runas for the first time
@@leonardomadera3157They meant that both happy and sad side was talking
I only just noticed that right at the beginning you can hear Moony yell “ENA, RUN” after she rings the doorbell and doesn’t move. It’s the perfect foreshadowing to the later gag!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA JUST REALIZED
Timestamp if you so please.
@@RoastyRoachy
0:09
Although I now realise Moony starts with “RUN”
@@derpiedoxieENA!!!!! RUUUUNNNNNNNN!!!!
SO GLAD IM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO HEARD IT
So, one of the things about Ena is that she mostly talks with her happy side. Like, throughout all of the videos so far, the happy side gets the most lines, especially of lines that actually move conversations forward or serve to interact with others. The sad side gets comedic asides and bits that mostly go ignored, or are treated as annoying and rude by the other characters.
And that goes for this video as well - in fact, Ena doesn't use her sad side at any point up until the mask is destroyed. Given the mask is credited as a different character, and that it doesn't use the same dialect (the uwu speak) of her sad side, I'm going to count that as not her sad side speaking.
But the emotional climax of this one seems to be about Ena denying her sad side, masking it for the sake of others, and seeking happiness at the sad side's expense. And the biggest line in this video was the sad side's, acknowledging her true negative feelings rather than the performative thing she does normally.
Idk if that's going to end up meaning something for her sad side going forward (especially considering the game is eschewing happy/sad for a different pairing). But it have some interesting interplay with previous videos, at least.
girlie pop had character development!
Seems anxiety is only a temporary distraction for her
I wouldn't use the word masking since it has a connotation with recent internet culture, even if it is literally a mask.
@@Nobynoby2763 On the contrary, it's probably better to use it more in the correct way so that it does not gain a connotation.
@@Nobynoby2763 bro masking is literally a term, it being a mask is a metaphor for the word masking, used in the sense to hide the truth of your emotions on the matter.
its irrelevant to anything else going on
LOVED the source engine ragdoll sounds at 8:40
Really brings the whole thing together
and the fact that they *captioned* the bloody thing helps too
Seems like ENA's happy side is a lot more aware in this video. Like, instead of facing every situation with the same cheery attitude, we see her feeling a range of "negative" emotions without switching straight to sadness- such as being confused or underwhelmed, and generally a little less extroverted than usual. Not just that, but she's also thinking a lot more reasonably, with moments where she actually questions why things are happening or where she is, when normally she'd just go along with anything (you can also see this in her greater variety of expressions). It's really interesting to see!
yesss im so glad someone else noticed this! the happy side was definitely less extroverted this time, and felt way more emotions, especially negative ones, which is so intriguing.. so im interested as to where this will go as it definitely isnt a one off thing
The mask of denial
The mask that was so gluttoning for fun seemed to had her sad side quit literally eaten up.
Only once it got detached, did her sad side return
An observation: This is the first ENA video where we follow her from an isometric perspective, as opposed to a first person perspective. It also happens to be an episode where half of her face is literally separated from her body for most of the runtime. While I'm not sure if it was intentional, it lends to the vibe that ENA's quite literally not feeling like herself, as if she's outside of her own body.
Statement: Yes! It fits within the interpretation of depressive feelings or other issues of mental health rather nicely, I feel
Observation: Even more than that, this perspective also gives a constant view of the mask which pushes her forward. If the mask could be interpreted as Ena's repressed negativity, then one could say in that, the viewer and Ena are made aware of the theatricity of this and how the faked enthusiasm of the mask hides behind it a very real, if unconscious, push towards fixing this forced display and attempting to live in the present once more.
@@thosebloodybadgers8499 Are you talking like Juno?
@@lkierzx Objection: Negative, master. It is merely one of the quirks of my model.
@@thosebloodybadgers8499the way you are talking personally reminds me of HK-47
That's always been the vibe tho, I'd say all of the character designs have this aspect of them with the face being distant from the body
Strangely enough, this episode feels the most real and relatable episode. It's a weird feeling, to say the least.
The joy is a lie if it’s not paid in tears.
seriously, ENA keeps progressively becoming more and more like a rational human person and it's weirding me out
ong
yeah it's a little unsettling
@@Jake28лучшее описание. На самом деле, она была для меня нормальнрй с самого конца.
I just realized, ENA’s hair is short on one side (the happy side) and long on the other (the sad side). This could symbolize the saying of ‘hair holding memories’. Cutting her hair short on the happy side could mean she is trying out a new start in life and forgetting anything bad that happened in the past, making that side happy. However, leaving her hair long on the sad side could mean that she can’t get rid of any memories of traumatic events or sad events in her life, making that side sad and kinda su!cid@l. It’s just a theory though. A film theory.
Huh, interesting.
Idk why, but i would like it as a real hair style.
or that she hasno motivation tocut it when shes sad, since, you dont really have motivation when your sad
bro its just rep she isnt feeling su1c1dal or anything calm down
@@crystalkrustal The sad side screamed that she wants to die quite literally in the first episode.
My interpretation is that after temptation stairway, instead of getting rid of her sad face, she just manages to conceal it on a mask that mimics happiness while literally chewing her depresive antisocial self.
She tries to have fun, but fail's to understand what is about. In act I, she doesn't get how funny actions and the amazement you get from them are supposed to give you "fun", on act II she understands that people flow along with that "fun", and while her mask pretends to have fun alongside them, inside she doesn't understand where's the "fun", to her all the expresions remain bored.
On act III she becomes the source of "fun" to the audience, showing a funny silhouette while her inside remains dead, and act IV is about how, even though she gets pleasure from the audience's praise, she can't get the fun she's been looking for, finally breaking, her mask no longer concealing her sad side
In act V her mask is desperately trying to hide her evident sadness, and once she gets therapy, she destroys her mask and aknowledge that she just can't feel fun.
To summarize, I think the mask is a representation of her denying and concealing all her sadness and atempting to live a 100% fun life, but in the process she lost the meaning of what "fun" is supossed to mean. in the end, "fun" trully is precious when it's in balance with sadness, is it's scarcity what gives it it's value.
Or perhaps, ENA's weird and has no repair, I'll have to rewatch the video a couple dozen times just in case i missed something. I really love these series.
pd: VLIF's dog-horse thing at the end is the first time I hate a character in these series, but seeing ENA makes my day so I don't mind, I hope you keep up with this amazing work
I think it being about fun is true, but she can't feel fun mostly because she isn't able to let herself feel anything else. Even though the pain is still there from the sadness, she convinced herself she needs to be happy and do things that make people happy, sposedly; and when she gets the thing she wants, she feels not the happiness, but the feeling of shame that she isnt immediately happy. She's feeling emptiness inside. Meanwhile your mask that you show others begins trying to change how you feel and it immediately starts to make you feel ashamed that you really arent like this on the inside as well as argue for you tto stop liking the things you do like. Idk
i think the mask is the wish she got from the great runas.
she wished to be happy, but one cannot be made to feel happy.
The mask was a drug that may have "worked" at first, but eventually wore off.
notice how the mask is the only one that seems happy throughout all this, while ena could only question what she was feeling.
When the mask came off, the true ena came out.
@@SmugBab it was an extension of hers, intended or not, although ripped off and destroyed easily, it didn't really change what's outside, only what's inside
if it had more of an external effect it'd change her appearance drastically more, but all it did was channel her sad part forcibly, and chewed on it
That's an impressively detailed analysis of the video so short after release! Well done :D
Pretty good concept!, but why do you hate the Doghorse?
small detail i liked: when Ena greets the bunny dancer, Ena asks for her to 'sing her towards the fun', which on its own is a quirky way to ask for directions, but then you realize that the bunny actually 'sings' along with the music and Ena knows this because they've met already!
I kinda wanna cosplay the bunny dancer
do it, her design is really gorgeous!@@_tinsel_7979
What's her name????
@@DaisyFlowuh1014 i think is ivy
@@karluchapro4062 omg tyy
ENA seems a lot more emotive now, and more sure of what she does and does not want. Seeing both sides of her essentially have a conversation (blue mask and yellow side of face) was very interesting. I think ENA is amazing, honestly.
not only that, but also she seems to be committed to finding some sort of meaning like happiness. Also, the crazy emotions disappeared, probably meaning that she has solved the drinking problem in extinction party.
Wait, there's an actual story to all of this? I thought it was just chaos.
@@TayoEXEyou just gotta analyze it lol
@@TayoEXEit’s orderly chaos believe it or not
@@TayoEXEit is chaos but the more deep we go the more meaning we give it and gain more questions as well. Kinda like with life in general?
I'm so glad we live in a time where creative tools are freely available and self-publishing is easy because we get to explore the VAST and UNIQUE worlds that are spun by creative visionaries like Joel. It's art in every sense of the word. I love it.
It’s insane how much talent goes into Ena. Absolutely no dissatisfaction coming from any Ena video.
No dissatisfaction because by the end you have no idea what the hell to make of it
Huge props to Griffin Puatu, the new VA for Ena’s happy side! They did an incredible job! So excited to see Ena back!
What happened to the old actor?
@@Stroyer09he was exposed for some nasty stuff. i recommend just looking it up
@@Stroyer09Trust me, you don't wanna know.
@@Stroyer09they were a creep
@@Stroyer09their ex girlfriend spoke out about how terrible, disgusting and abusive they were to her
The punchline is hilarious. Can we have more of ENA not understanding how pranks work?
"More lies! More lies! Why does everybody keep. LYING TO ME!?"
"INNA there wasn't any peanut brittle. AND PUT IT BACK! the whole point of it, was THEY open the can, AND THEY GET SCARED!"
One thing I love about Ena as a whole, is that it's never on the nose; there are so many twists and turns, and yet there's a solid story, and perhaps even message to be found.
But, I suppose part of the fun is not knowing if those things are there at all. I could just be making it up.
No matter what one chooses to believe they watched, I had fun!
Amazing work as always! Ena never seems to disappoint as a series.
I think the joy she doesn't recognize is the prank her friend keeps dragging her along to participate in. The mask comes from trying to fit in, trying to get the same fun out of it that her friend does. The therapy is in finally understanding that she really doesn't get anything out of all this.
Ooh, that’s a fun take.
That makes a lot of sense
That's cute
Can I just say, from someone who adores art history, I just love all the character designs with inspirations from cultures around the world.
As well as the nonsense
@@berhonkusbardledoo Yes, as well as the nonsense. Adds to the beauty of it.
It appears a certain yellow thing I can’t say his name is no more ENA
Now it’s a new fella
I hope this works out well
Oh outside of Ena I didn't realize the characters designs were inspired by stuff like that. Do you mind saying which characters were inspired by what?
That's the fascination behind this internet webcore aesthetic.
It's multi-cultural from focused early internet history.
Makes me happy to know others appreciate that :)
This is such a fascinating in-universe breakdown of Ena as a character, managing to be just a bit more comprehensible than usual while still providing no concrete lore or answers. I love how the mask was used to cover up and detach Ena's sad side while also showing that the two sides aren't always as clear as they seem, a wonderful continuation of the story from Temptation Stairway!
Also Moony just grabbing literally anything she can find and stuffing it into her weird eye hole thing is such a great bit, I love it.
Agreed on every point you made!
Having more ENA screen time in the first place is all the lore I'll need.
You have 666 likes as of 1436 PST, 28 Nov 2023
I must say: one has invoked the number of the beast.
@@daviddebroux4708within less than 5 minutes, that number has increased by over half its value
I love how, for as weird as ENA herself is, even she has moments where she's baffled by the world around her.
3:20 this scene goes hard tho
"In the meantime, this is where I get off…"
Only Joel would give us a whole new animation as an apology for a delay with his game
Even under the pressure of not being able to release the game, a new episode was produced with the same quality and enjoyment of the series.
The social pressure to perform a role, the difficulty in understanding the emotions of others and their own, I'm scared how ENA makes more and more sense each time.
she's getting smarter if she wasn't already, becoming sentient each passing episode i feel like... but sadly i don't think we'll see more about _this_ Ena for a long while.
very much loved this episode, the game is also going to be such a fever dream to watch
Ena is so relatable, she looks for happiness in this episode but its all just so absurd to her while everyone else enjoys it, shes different in some way from the others, even though she probably isnt, she FEELS different, it FEELS different and weird for her, everything is weird for her while shes just as weird, i also like her friendship, she finds her friend weird but they still hang out and seem to get eachother on a level where ena enjoys her company and even visits her
I also relate to that so much. As someone on the spectrum I often feel like I'm just wired different than everyone around me. I've often been in situations where everyone around me is laughing and having fun, and here I am clearly NOT having fun, and trying to figure out WHY I'm not enjoying the situation like everyone else, yet at the same time trying to wear the mask of someone who is having fun.
me when i hear people talking about gender envy
The ENA series looks like a video game id want to play
SAME! 🟨◾️🟦◼️🔷️🟡⬛️🔘🔲🔳💠▫️▪️
thankfully theres gonna be one soon, its called dream bbq
words to a friend when explaining this video:
I think it was ENA seeking this figment of fun they heard so much about. They understand the surface level of self expression, posters, films, and even silent plays and choreography. They wanted to go onto stage and advance through the acts to get to that forespoken FUN. They felt the need to show off a mask of FUN to even get into the playhouse - but they never achieved it. And that deeply bothered them.
I believe the therapy💀guy saw this - heck a lot of other playgoers saw this, the lack of fun ENA displayed - and gave ENA some words of advice.
"Fun is quite the elusive varmint. But remember: it is never lost forever."
what's even sadder to me is that ENA had to ditch Moony and her other friends to get into the playhouse, like they felt ashamed or embarrassed to hide this side of themselves, like they would be a social reject if they didn't always be all peppy, zany, and wacky. So they play on the idea of "oops, I did not know I was supposed to run afterwards" when confronted.
But yeah, that's at least my idea of it. I heavily relate to ENA a lot, especially about presenting that mask she carried around... and then Moony shoved stuff into her weird cube hole lMAO.
So you don't enjoy putting things in your cube hole?
Ena’s a girl, not a they (just saying)
@@unknown_vixenerapeople can use they regardless of gender, it’s not strictly within pronouns
@@unknown_vixeneraIt's okay if they used they, it's easy to get confused about Ena's gender because of her different voices
Isn’t ENA like…two entities in one? You’re both right okay?
I love how you can hear Moony telling Ena to run from the door at the beginning. Homegirl went inside and got therapy instead.
Honestly, good for her. She needs it.
@@dalynagarcia3861True
@@dalynagarcia3861True
@@dalynagarcia3861True
@@dalynagarcia3861True
I love that Moonie's distorted voice is shouting "RUN!" at the beginning and "ENA RUN!" When she starts snapping out of the trip.
The question is, what was that zip-dog thing?
@@lexo632 *nacho*
"I-NA"!
@@Game_HeroUUUUUUGH Whatever, I'm over it
Maybe ENA mistakes “run” for “fun”
0:17
-May i see it?
-Nope.
*end*
Aurora borealis
deltarune reference?????
@@ivyzombii No. In any way
@@yalony Ah. I see.
I love watching the very beginning in hindsight so much: both of ENA's voices talking in unision, and the psychedelic animation of her pressing the doorbell.
Its actually Mooney telling her to run because they are pulling a prank
@@Ignite-pd1ssWell yes but no, they are both talking of you listen
Ena searching through so many ways to find joy or pleasure, either through acting, hiding, a dance of death and displaying for others, mindless activities... It's kind of amazing how uncomfortable an abstract character can feel in a world of senslessness. I love how stuffy the building actually managaed to be, compared to outside. HOW DOES SOMEONE CREATE A STUFFY WORLD IN A PLACE OF RANDOMNESS??
3:21 The way she disappeared behind the curtain is iconic, I adore ALL of the ENA animations. What a true masterpiece!
IKR IT WAS MY FAVORITE PART
ITS SO SATISFYING
I like seeing ENA confused at something for once, it's so rare yet it feels like one of the few familiar things you get to share with the character after so many instances of just getting shaken along in this abstract ride of concepts everyone in this universe seemingly don't even question and take as ordinary
ITS BEEN 96 YEARS ENA FANS RISE UP
ARISING
Unfortunately most of them are in urns as dust because it's been so long.
RISEEE
I HAVE AWOKEN
Rises audibly
“Without your permission, may I check it out?”
Followed by her not waiting for a response and just leaving was so funny to me
6:51 "Fun is quite the elusive varmint - isn't it? But remember: it is never lost forever. Often, the greatest of fun can be found in the little moments." Wise words indeed.
Thank you, skull.
How little are they tho???
@@caioalves8110as little as you need to have fun
@@hereforonereason That's a really good answer
I think skull represents this: 💀💀💀
"THE ENA FANDOM IS STILL ALIVE. " We all gaslight ourselves in unison
Real 😭🙏
I mean I joined this after the Dream BBQ announcement lol
Good lord, seeing Ena's sad face be so forcibly happy reminded me so much of my own struggles with depression. The happy face being able to tell that this ain't right and the sad face just forcing it out the whole time... Feels weird. Thanks for making this Joel
If there’s 1 thing that does give me joy it’s these wonderfully wild character designs
where can I go to become a shadow skeleton lol
Thinking of those weird characters must be so hard
@@성이름-h1x9o я пытаюсь создать подобные дизайны и это АБСОЛЮТНАЯ ПЫТКА
tbh the mask doesn't read as an extendant form of ena's sadness, it reads as a parasite. something that's weird to me is that in all of the ena vids, the sad and happy sides never talk as if they're separate people, but the mask and ena DO talk to each other as if they are. i do think that the mask is the remnant of runas's wish, bc even moony didn't get to keep her wish permanently, tho her skinny self is still there, it's just inside her.
It looks more like the mask is the result of the runas wish, ena attempted to separate herself from sadness and it did just that, separated it.
Whereas moony asked to have a skinny self but appeared to be embarrassed by it at the same time, so she put the shell back on (as it simply split in half when she popped out of it), but she still retains her new body, hence her being able to just grab things.
@@williamdaniels1662 that's exactly what i don't mean by the mask as a parasite! i don't think that sadness was ever separated from ena: she was covered up. the mask, over time, wore, and ena must've started turning blue again, and as that happened, the mask grew further and further away from ena, both literally and figuratively, until it was essentially a separate being, which would explain why the mask looks so "other" than ena, with the teeth and the eyes
久々に見返しに来てみたら何か更新されてんだけど！？会いたかったぞぉENAァ!!!!!
日本人だあぁぁぁぁぁぁぁぁぁ！！！！！！
i think the mask represents “masking”-hiding your true sadness behind a veneer of false joy. This whole journey, Ena was searching for fun. And while the mask outwardly seemed to enjoy it all, Ena’s normally happy side was always confused that they weren’t feeling the same. “I don’t recognize this strain of joy.” It’s only when she finally allows her sad side to speak that the mask finally cracks and Ena becomes herself again. Ena is depressed, and is looking for some way to escape-which is why she’s been visiting this place “over and over”. But at the end she leaves, accepting that this facade will never make her truly happy
You ever read a comment and go « damn they put it perfectly Im now gonna adopt thier train of thought to better understand/explain this perspective » because this is one of them. CONGRATS!
I think this also says in a very layman way that without sadness there can’t be happiness.
I love how you found logic in the illogical.
One that that stood out to me regarding the mask is that it seems rather parasitic. Notice how its attached to ENA's sad side via a veiny tether that it uses to drag ENA along, and yet when ENA's sad side reemerges and admits her problems, the mask turns grey and dies. In other words, it only has power over ENA because she allows it to, and when she decides to try being herself again, the mask loses all it's power over her.
Also the mask is moving just like Moony in the beginning of the third episode at 1:55 🤔
This type of fun is of the highest quality! I love how " fun " equates to being happy in this one, and how the " sad mask " seems to represent some form of forced positivity, tho i'm not sure how it came to be now if Ena didn't make it herself
the mask is litterally distached from her
wait how did i get so much attention lol
@@Game_Hero It did replace sad ena for most of the video, so i interpreted it as that
@@AloeHalo exactly, litterally detached from her emotions
@@Game_Hero I made an edit, It should be more accurate now, salutations as I go to sleep!
8:39 the perfect place to hide a dead body
100% fr
@@Jellyselfhat ikr
Can't wait to get my Moony plush, I don't have any place to put the remaining limbs in 😊
@@Kat_TheENAfanI love ur pfp
JAJAJAJAJ
6:35 she has been coming to the drug dealer to buy drugs
The amount of creativity in the ENA series has always been so insane. The character design is out of this world. Every time there's a new episode I know I won't be disappointed. Can't wait for the game.
Skull therapist is my favourite! Yours?
@@Game_HeroI absolutely loved the silhouette mage…skeleton…thing, couldn’t stop smiling when I saw it! Character design (along with everything else) is no doubt amazing.
Some thoughts on this wonderful episode.
This seems to be a clear continuation of some sort to Temptation Stairway. Remember how ENA seem even more overwhelmed than usual in that ep? Even to the point of being downright suicidal with some of the comments she made... and at the very end, once they've seemingly reached the Runas, her blue side has suddenly disappeared. It makes me think that the wish that ENA made was to get rid of her sadness, finding it too much to bear. But as Ulysses warned her... desires are never fulfilled nor quenched.
So she hasn't gotten rid of her problems, not really. She's just literally 'masked' them now. And as a result of this repression, even her happy side isn't as bright as it used to be - now more passive and doubtful, downright confused on how, no matter how much she searches for happiness, it seems so far out of reach now. She feels utterly out of place in this world that she used to fit right into, even if it overwhelmed her at times. Because how can you feel connected to what's around you if you don't even feel connected to yourself?
And while that's all obvious enough - I wanted to try and theorize a bit on the different acts here, too, and what they mean.
Before the acts even start, we meet the Bunny, who says "What a stink! That is not the essence of merriness... aren't you entertained enough?" Irl, there's plenty of people who make comments like that towards depressed people. _What's with the long face? Why aren't you happy? You have everything you need, right? Your life is good, right? Quit moping, you're bringing the mood down..._ and sentiments along the sort. That's just what that made me think of.
Now, the first act is a bunch of pipes connecting - "Connections and bonds that are meant to transmit cheerfulness", as ENA puts it. And the immediate first thing that came to my mind, both from the visuals and the wording, are... the neural pathways in our brains. Whatever is wrong with ENA, it's obviously neurological, as all mental illnesses/disorders are, and it's not something that you can just 'think' away. There is something legitimately different in your brain. "I don't recognize this strain of joy."
Before the second act, we meet the lady in the wall, who is crying. ENA, almost accusatory, asks her "aren't you supposed to be cheering?", as if she has come to believe that emotions, the 'bad' ones at least, are a inherently, well... bad. And the lady just replies that these tears are from joy, and that this happiness isn't one that can be bought. I think this represents what it's like to truly be able to experience your emotions in full - unembarrassed, and not caused by anything like drugs or any other addictions... just fully so happy you could cry. But, of course, ENA can't understand that concept yet.
Which we see in the second act - the one that supposedly made the lady that happy, and one that ENA can't comprehend at all. "Am I the one the rhythm can't catch?" _Am I just the odd one out here?_ If we're stretching the metaphors, we could also extrapolate that the mask's line of "the entire universe is waltzing with me" has a sort of meaning of feeling connected to the world around you and stuff... and I could try to explain what the visuals mean, but that might be digging too far even for me, lol. Important thing is, again, ENA struggles to find joy in things others can.
The third and fourth act, is a "story of silent movements." A performance. I think this represents ENA trying to go along and _pretend_ to be happy even if she can't feel it inside. Maybe if she just looks the part, if she gives out something to the world, it'll help, right? But... "Though I feel the gratification of the audience, I can't feel any change in me." She can try to be happy for others, but she _can't_ fake it 'till she makes it, not on this. All that it makes her realize is, in contrast, how miserable she feels deep down.
"Hey... how could a chore like this jollify someone, anywho?"
That's all that this is to her, at this point. A chore - anything that seems fun just feels like a chore to her now. This could be many things - art, performing, eating, waking up in the morning, meeting with friends... when you're depressed, things that would bring you joy normally no longer do, and you're left just cruising, forcing yourself into things. And that can be... very tiring.
Notice how the mask falls, when she says that. She's finally out of her denial.
And then she, quite _literally,_ goes to therapy LMAO
Which, the fifth act speaks for itself, I think, and this comment is already WAYY too long so I'll just end it here lol
If anyone actually read this - hi and have a virtual cookie, thank you 🍪
Gosh this series is amazing
good comment
@@splitendautumn thank you kind commenter 👍
I think this comment is definitely onto something, if not you at least added some pretty insightful commentary. Besides, overanalyzing is fun. The only issue is that, that Game Theory guy gets paid to do it and we don't...
This was worded amazingly, thank you.
you need an award. absolutely heroic how you wrote all that 🎖
I love this episode. I think it is my favorite! How the whole thing was divided by acts made it feel different, and Therapy's voices were a top notch. Like, through the video, we see the other characters speaking with sounds, but he's the only one who speaks like an actual person. Like an old, wise person. Also, I loved the part where her sad side appears again, showing that she would never be able to hide it well, and even if she tries to mask it, deep down, she will still weird and sad with herself.
I find it quite beautiful that, while hiding her sad side, her happy side wasn't as cheerful as usual, but way more thoughtful and introspective. It also could seem this way because the comparison agains the mask, a fake display of exaggerated joy.
But in the end, somehow her sad say was always showing, ENA was just trying to deny it and at the end it seems she learns to live with it and embrace it in a healthier way
same, definitely my favourite aswell. its just so well thought out and theres definitely some metaphor for masking in here, like no way there isnt, and its a literal mask too!
@@barbiermusic exactly! fully agreed
I love that the plot is starting to connect and resolve. It didn't seem possible with how wacky and unspoken everything else is. I'm extra excited now
That little animation with ena walking backwards was so devious. I love it
It's also so satisfying to watch for some reason😭
3:19 I f*cking love how she walks into there backwards
Honestly this has gotta be my favorite ENA episode so far. Through the whole thing I knew something was off and I love the idea of ENA trying to explore ways to get rid of her sad side, but nothing works and she ultimately has to accept it. How the journey is presented through environment and dialogue feels so real. It can be applied to so many different situations and interpreted in so many different ways, from pressure to keep producing content for the masses to the struggle of finding happiness in seemingly mundane life, it’s a message that speaks to all. Putting on a mask and fabricating a hopeless attempt of joy to try and fix yourself through shallow ignorance of your problems. Also I loved the characters “voices” syncing with the background music. Every detail from the somewhat empty and shallow dialogue of the NPCs to ENA’s movements being less enthusiastic while talking than what we’re used to really brings everything together.
Hey… how could a chore like this jollify someone, anywho?!
Because it’s a joy you still don’t understand.
Thank you!
(this message is edited because the longer I think about this episode the more I have to say about it so I keep coming back and adding to this)
8:45 the outro is everything y'all😭😭
When ENA had her mask on, it was like she was trying hide her emotions and try to find a new one. Pretty cool!
It also reminds me of chapter 3 when she wished to make her blue part disappear and I think that's why her blue part was in panik
i think it more was like she was trying to understand fun and joy, and as skull dude said she keept coming here over and over again, and all she got was wierd emotions and this mask, mask was turning off her sad side and was trying to guide her into theatre, but ena still didn't understanded concept of all this stuff being unique and fun and even mask couldn't help so skull dude said that in this place she won't be happy
I am weirdly obsessed with the ending despite the entire thing being fantastic. Just the fact that ENA actually goes "WTF?" is amazing
That ending was strange
It was as if Ena was becoming self aware of her existence and realizing how chaotically awful it must feel to exist in this digital nightmare world.
Yeah, I really like the consistent theming of Ena just not quite fitting in, like she's unfamiliar with how the place she's seemingly always lived in works. The dog man is both unexplained to the viewer and to Ena, and I love the consistency of her being presented in a videogame-y way with us in the position of the player, despite our lack of control, all soon coming to a head with Dream Barbeque where we actually ARE playing as her.
@@MeloniestNeon Well, i think it's confimed it won't be the ENA we know. ENAs are confirmed to be a species, and Joel himself has said the ENA from Dream Barbeque (aka ENA Season 2 Episode 1) is a whole another ENA. I guess that if they ever make other seasons, they'll make more ENAs.
She does this in almost every episode too, it’s definitely something note worthy
@@parvitz I know, I just mean the consistent theming will have its payoff in us finally playing as "an" Ena, even if it's a different... Subspecies??? than usual, lol.
Everyone talking about Digital Circus when ENA was the original 90's-early 2000's era digital nightmare world series. This series deserves so much more attention.
5:00 That might be a reference to "Bunraku", a centuries old Japanese puppet theatre where the black-robed puppeteers move the puppets from behind against a dark background, so that they won't be visible for the audience.🤔
This makes me think back to that “are you drunk again” line from Moony. That, and ENA’s overall social anxiety being “allergic to people”. She also had that moment before the auction of extreme pessimism that she immediately tried to wave off. I’m guessing the mask is the tenant of ENA’s wish from the last episode where her face turned yellow like her happier half. Guess she wished for happiness, but what she got was fake.
How creative every single character design is never fails to amaze me.
Absolutely blows my mind that we got ENA episode 5 before ENA episode 4. I think it's a really interesting creative choice. It consistently matches up with the disordered and chaotic vide of the series and the META theme in general. Maybe even hints at the difference of how chronology and time work in world. Really fun animation too, Joel G and Co., keep it up!
I'm thinking the game isn't connected to the main series but takes place in the same universe, after all it has another ENA as protagonist
you mean this episode takes place before temptation stairway? how so?
This may have been a prequel. Given the fact moony is sphere again
@@gamerboiiiiiiiI think you're right, that also accounts for why ENA is split between blue and yellow instead of being all yellow.
honestly i think the chronological order is the same as when each episode released
Is it just me or is this clearly a representation of masking when you're neurodivergent? The way ENA is constantly struggling to keep up with her emotions and has trouble trying to adapt in her constantly changing environment definitely feels relatable as someone on the spectrum. Society tries constantly telling her to perform, yet when she has the chance to talk about her feelings, the mask disintegrates. She also cant begin to comprehend unpleasant sensations / feelings. Thoughts?
You cant read into ena, only watch
Yeah, the masking metaphor seemed pretty on the nose to me. The rest of it though still feels like an abstract fever dream of nonsense. It could be a metaphor for depression in which you can't find joy, or perhaps autism or alexithymia, where you struggle to recognise your own feelings. But that's just this episode... most the series still seems like nonsense to me, so I'm not sure if it was meant to be neurodivergence the whole time
Honestly, as a neurodivergent myself? I totally agree. When I was in my early years of schooling, I remember having to hide my tics from the public like I was following some sort of script.
I see the mask as also some sorta parasite. It's not just a mask, it's attached to her, feeding off of her through veins. This was genuinely disturbing as it's like ena just... broke. A parasite burrowed itself between the cracks in ena's heart and started to, quite literally mask over her, a fake invader making you something your not. I guess the best way to describe this is ego-horror or identity-horror. It's like body horror but involves the crude manipulation and distortion of the psyche. As someone who is also on the spectrum, this hit a bit close.
I thought about the internet lol
But that makes sense too
Act 1 - "Connections and tubes" (social and personal connections, maybe specifically social media?) fail to make ENA happy.
Act 2 - "The cosmic rhythm" (maybe representing music or art in general?) can't "catch" ENA - it doesn't provide the ecstatic bliss that it offered to the crying women earlier.
Acts 3 & 4 - "Acting" or creating content for others to make them happy lets ENA see and acknowledge the joy that others feel, but still doesn't allow her to feel it herself.
Yep, sounds like Depression.
In act 5, when she goes to therapy and the therapist says "because it's a joy that you still don't understand" makes me think that her possible depression is treatment resistant and linked with something more serious than the therapist can't help with. When the therapist says "you need not return here anymore" it feels like they mean: "You've been coming here for a very long time and even with all the work that we've put in, you don't seem to be getting any better. I don't think I can do anything for you.
@rileycoyote4924 I also believe however, that ena is improving, she may not ever be like other people, but at least they're free of the need to act exactly like them either, the mask was a parasite, and although i don't know what it symbolizes, i do have a feeling ENA is better off without it
@@SpinningScrewball Yeah, I will admit that my interpretation of it is filtered through my own personal experiences.
didn't even have to finish it was so on the nose
im hopeful that the ENA team doesn't go through that often, they just made an episode about it for people in need
After rewatching the other episodes, i realize that Ena is frequently sad, and plenty of times during the outbreaks Ena yells about wanting to die, but then apologizes afterwords or brushes it off, and her friend moony seems very self centered, not paying attention to the outbursts and just brushing them off aswell.
Though maybe I’ve ignored the times Ena was happy?
8:40: LMAO THEY CAPTIONED THAT
*ragdol lhuman noises*
THE "."
“fjingdkfngklfnlkdfgadfgdgf”
**gmod ragdoll noises**
"fjngdjkfngklfnlkdfgdfgdfg"
This series keeps getting stranger and stranger and I'm all for it, this episode feels like a literary classic that's been shredded and put back together with the essence of a fever dream and it's incredible
Mmm, pulled literary meat at the potluck~
Your word vomit describes my feelings exactly about this series.
How'd you describe it so perfectly
Random thought but y'know how ENA seems to be struggling to find satisfaction or happiness in all of these episodes (with her trying to achieve a goal as a form of happiness achievement or purpose)?
You think Moony, despite her confident and brash exterior, is also struggling to find happiness/satisfaction in her own way?
One of the key details about Moony's design is the big square shaped hole in her face, which is always carrying something different in it- as anything that goes in never stays forever. It's like she's trying to fill a void in herself (literally, but perhaps also metaphorically) but the pieces she tries to put in there do not fit (or she herself ends up throwing them away, like she did with the red piece in this episode).
Moony is also shown to be very willing to grab/steal things that belong to other people in order to fill the hole, such as the zipper guy's...guy at the end of this episode, or the Shepherdess' staff + a mannequin person's limb in Temptation Stairway. Maybe she's willing to steal things from other people to fill the void, in hopes that the things that make other people happy/complete will make her happy/complete?
ENA's search for happiness is shown in a very emotion/character based way, but she's also our focus character- perhaps Moony's own search for happiness is also happening in the background, never shown emotionally since Moony acts so brashly outwardly, but rather in Moony's actions
ENA and Moony also both lose critical details of their designs in the finale of Temptation Stairway: ENA's body becomes entirely yellow (losing her iconic two-toned palette- losing the blue side of her that represents sadness), while Moony's entire old design is lost when she develops a humanoid body that barely resembles her old self (and lacks the square hole she's always trying to fill)- and these are both implied to be the combined results of a wish to the Great Runas and the winner of their race paying the debts of the loser (a wish that would presumably give the winner/wisher happiness, and repaying the debts of the loser would presumably also give the loser happiness)
I dunno...maybe that's just a bunch of nonsense but just a shower thought I had XD
This is without a doubt my favorite piece of ENA content so far. It feels like the visuals are pushed the furthest they’ve ever been, with incredibly realised animations, models and renders all perfectly fitting in and elevating the retro style. The voice acting, music and sound design are superb like always, I’m a HUGE fan of the character designs, and the tone of it all is still so absurd, but in a way that’s barely cohesive enough. I love this !
Wise words.
I still liked Temptation Stairway more, though. I think it’s the proper finale to the series.
MEU DEUS ENA VOLTOU AAHHHH!!!! 💥💥
A mina que parece a fehdubs, legal
ELA VOLTOU AEEEEEE BORA COMEMORAR FEH!!!
FINALLY
@@A._.Random_T.O.T.LAMO MUITO, TO ASSISTINDO SUPER EMPOLGADAAA
Nossa ela parece com a feh dubs😨
I love how much stranger and out of place everything looks just to make everything that much stranger. Some of these models look like they're from completely different eras and/or games and I love that.
I like how the mask unquestioningly follows along with everything, with ena herself often being a bit more reluctant. Her true feelings on the matter are hidden behind the desire to please, even when being given advice by others
can we please appreciate the new VA for ena's happy side rn? after the incident with the former VA, i was really worried that ena might not be the same, but griffin did so well. he really captured ena's essence and made it his own.
also, as always, lizzie did an amazing job as sad ena and moony
what happened with the former VA?! im so out of the loop + i didnt even notice the voice had changed 😭
@@killdestroy69he apparently harassed his girlfriend
@@killdestroy69sexual harassment
@@killdestroy69he harassed his GF, SA’ed her, and gave her an STD
@@killdestroy69well the very very first Ena (yellow) va from "Auction Day" was accused of gr@@ming minor. Due to that, the second va was taking role in Extinction Party and Temptation Stairway. But he then accused of $exu@l @buse. That's why the va has changed in this ep
Edit : The first va is not the same as old va for Tighnari btw, I already edit my comment
This episode was so awesome! And so deep too, how ENA was masking her sad side and negative emotions through the mask, disguised as unreasonable joy, even more cheerful than what ENA's happy side usually is.
It's truly a beautiful way of showing how the "fake it 'til you make it" mentality can go wrong when it develops into denying your true emotions, and how she finally seems to understand the importance of sadness in life, how it's all about the highs and lows.
Man, another banger by Joel! It was beautiful
Who knew that a pile of skulls could be a better therapist than his licensed counterparts
What kind of therapists do people on the internet go to... I've never heard a single good thing said about them
@@TheSilly6403 There are a lot of different approaches to how a therapist may approach therapy, and some people are more receptive to different formats than others. If it works, I feel like a person is less likely to go spilling out about it because it just feels like becoming normal and 'ok'. If it doesn't work though, it makes a person feel unfixable or their condition worsens over the time used. Since the negatives are dramatic and the upside is just stopping the negatives, more people are liable to complain.
There's also a few forms of analytical therapy styles that don't 'feel' like the therapist necessarily fixed you, so much as gave you the right kind of push in the right direction and then you figured the rest out for yourself.
The type of therapy that worked on me for instance didn't necessarily fix me, *I* fixed me using the therapy. I was simply given a handful of definitions that I was able to use to re-contextualize my emotional problems into something I was able to use and understand under my own light. As such even though it worked for me, I would never really say that to anyone offhand. I would just talk about the journey itself without the context of mentors who lit the path, if that makes sense.
Who’s to say they aren’t licensed?
@@TheSilly6403Never tried an internet therapist. I have gone to IRL therapists before. One of em was a religious hardliner who believed only prayer worked to solve anything, and if the problem wasn't solved from it then clearly you didn't pray hard enough. He would tell literal schizophrenics to just pray and listen to whatever "signs" that "God communicates through".
@@trustytrest that is pretty bad, i am a Christian myself but i know that God doesn't solve problems that way
ENAシリーズってただカオスで美しいアニメーションではないことに気づいた。
限りなく変わっていく社会や人間関係に違和感や自分だけ置いていかれる不安を感じている中でも楽しみと幸せを手に入れようとしているのか。
でも必死こいて自分を偽ったり誰かに尽くしきらなくても、それらはいつのまにか手を伸ばせば届くところにあるのかもしれない。
また手の届かないところにあっても、誰かが届けてくれるかもしれない。
ENAがMOONにしょうもないいたずらに巻き込まれてるみたいに...気づかぬうちに...
語彙力がなくて不快に感じるかもしれません...
I love how through each episode, we never get an understanding of the lore of the world and how it all works, but we get a little more character development though each episode, as if we are seeing the world through ena’s eyes. The world is supposed to be confusing and strange ,and we’re just riding along with Ena and how she experiences and deals with the confusion of everything. Just my take on things. I love this show with all my heart ❤️
I really enjoy the message. Sometimes the emotional parts of you are exhausting and nonsensical, but without them you are lost.
Joel, idk if you'll ever see this but if you do, I just wanna say you are an inspiration to me, inspiring me to make my own interpritations of art as you have done here.
Can I just throw all my love and appreciation for this episode? It's LONG, so just sayin.
Personally it's been my favourite so far. From the soundtrack, npc's, desings, to the message. The music was absolutely beautiful and fitting for this webcore series. The new characters here are so cool, literally my favourites out of the bunch. The fact that their dialogue sounds are "part" of the music makes it so much better, and don't even get me started on the desings. The bunny woman, the fact she is like split in several places makes it so cool to me. The water creatures that speak through a head coming out of their mouth and projecting the mouth like a film??? This is so original and awesome. I love the fact that the film is literally a moving mouth. The shadow-skeletons are kind of drowning in all of this but I absolutely love therapist's voice. His conversation with Ena is a really good finale to Ena's journey in that place. The whole shtick with them ripping a part of her face is really interesting, even if it doesn't mean anything, I'm adding it to my lore theories. And finally, I was afraid I wouldn't see Moonie but here we are. Overally I love this episode and can't wait for dream bbq
Gotta love how many independent animators are trying out weird, dark, wild concepts and styles. Ena is an amazing show and this was an awesome episode!!
ENA has an animation style that takes you to another reality with each scene making the viewer more involved with the story
1:36 3:19 The drawings and animations for Ena herself in this episode are so cool. Very expressive, very dynamic, she’s really serving today.
Same
It says so much and its satifying to me for some reason
THE ANIMATION, ITS SO SMOOTH AND SO STANDING I LOVE IT ))
"Every time, I acknowledged the enjoyment and pleasure... and all I got were incomprehensible feelings... and this lousy mask."
Normally ENA as a series is a mostly incomprehensible word-salad in its dialogue, but this line in particular resonated with me on a deep level.
Neurodivergent moment
Lovely to see her back up for another moment in the spotlight. Kudos to you all.
This episode kinda resonates with me, the mask being another personality to cover up another (aka masking)
is something i experience and the themes of depression.
Visiting something that use to make you happy. Something that "should" make you happy. That makes others halpy. And just the empty un-nameable emotion.
and the realization of knowing it will no longer make you feel anything, and having to just accept it and move on, in hopes of so something else that can make you feel anything at all
Usually, if you have that feeling irl it means you grown out of it- Or maybe I am not getting what you're saying lol.
@@Six-v9jA lot of times when I’m with a big group of friends they all want to do something like go to the store or whatever and I just don’t get anything out of that. I thought that I _should_ have been enjoying it because it was something everyone else thought was fun, but at some point I accepted that I’m just built different 🤷
Omg, the animation quality is impeccable! Love the mixed media!
5:20 This is probably my favorite part of this episode, and i feel like a lot of TH-camrs/content creators can relate to.
Ena tries to get joy out of performing on stage (aka, performing for an audience, like a youtuber or content creator does) but although Ena can sense that the people watching the performance are enjoying it, Ena herself can't seem to find joy in it.
It's even sadder a moment later when she calls it a "chore" meaning that she sees the performance more as work, rather than something that fulfills her, similar to how a TH-camr may feel trapped in a content hole of only being able to produce videos that perform well, rather than producing videos that they truly enjoy.
I resonated so hard on that part. I have a relatively "successful" art account and sometimes it really feels like a chore to provide content for people. The fact the algorithm doesn't favor content I actually enjoy makes me sad too. And exactly as you put it, Ena senses people are enjoying the performance but she cant find the joy in it is something I heavily relate to
wow that spoke to me waay too much, didn't know others had the same feeling as me.
I really hope joel enjoys content creating...
Here's an observation as well: This is the first episode where we see ENA from a third-person perspective as she travels through the bizarro realms, instead of first person. It helps add to the vibe that ENA feels "separate" from herself, like she's seeing someone else instead of experiencing things firsthand.
@@Hayley_.z in your situation, i would suggest alongside making the art that performs well on your account, you try making art/content that you personally enjoy creating, no matter how personal/surreal it may be
it would perform badly at first, but eventually you would build up an audience that can appreciate your more personal artwork, alongside having your regular art carry your account
idk if you make money/depend on the performance of your account, but in the long-term for all types of content creation, what matters most is that you enjoy what youre doing so you dont get burnt out
(but im just a guy on the internet you don't have to take my advice)
This was just incredible, I love how Joel uses each short to explore some different type of aesthetic from the 90s-early 2000s
This one was the most reminiscent of click-based digital museums, with the 3D renders and the way ENA traversed it. So damn awesome!
Also, I love how this episode at the end confirmed that Moony just takes random things and eats them on a whim, it might confirm the theory that in Temptation Stairway she was just following ENA the entire way and eating everything/everyone ENA encountered previously, as dark as it is
(Edit: I meant to say Temptation Stairway not Extinction Party)
Feels odd but nostalgic seeing Moony back to her usual form after Temptation Stairway
Moony the devourer.
That's why we never see any of them again...
It's all making sense now.
im sorry what was that last part
It highly reminded me of Hylics.
@@20000dino FELLOW HYLICS FAN SPOTTED!
ive been watching this everyday because I haven't gotten this kind of motivation for art since I was a teen, and its truly inspiring