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I would Highly recomend watching "Furina's 500 Years of Suffering | Genshin Impact" as it was in this scene at about 7:20 but the video creator cut it out
we knew what Neuvillette is about, he is a student of humanity for 500 years, and he behave constantly. but Furina come to us in layers, even from the start her behavior does not match that of a god, and that is a hint of panick when things don't go as it expect, even when you learn her role as a god is an act, there is still more to it, her over performance was intentional to mask any doubt that other people may have. that she learns how best to perform her role based on her "audience" response... it kind of like how directors and actors knows their protrait is unrealistic, but it would earn the best reaction... it kinda like Nicolas Cage. and alot of streamer do this too, they overact to get a response from the viewers, when I first saw Furina, I relate her to the many streamer I watch XD
I think they took great inspiration for this quest from Sandman by Neil Gaiman (I think you know what I am speaking about). And obviously there are many reference to christianity. Anyway every character is written wonderfully....Focalors, Furina, Neuvillette...I can't choose because they are a part of a masterpiece.
Some Vtubers compared Furina to marie antoinette, queen of France who was executed in Guillotine in 1793. Fontaine is Genshin representation of France and song number in hr character quest IS FRENCH ❤
I wanna add that in the Neuvillette scene, that heavy rain symbolizes Neuvillette's crying, because when Hydro Dragon (who is Neuvillette) cries, it rains in Fontaine. So It's extremely emotional moment when he just let that tears down after forgiving the sins of people of Fontaine. He is such a cool and well-written character.
@@Malam_NightYoruagreed. It's world quests are so epic, even the characters. Navia, Sigewinne, Weiothesley, Furina, Neuvillette, and even the world quests NPCs are great. Jakob is an excellent villain. I love the cast of Seymour, Mamere, Ann, and also Caterpillar. Caterpillar's dialogue bits are dialogue done right- informative, non tangential, important to follow, and explains the world building elements without being over the top explanations or too wordy. Just the premise of the world questlines and how multiple converge into one linear questline that even correlates with the archon quest is such a brilliant questline execution. The melusine NPCs are interesting. Like Mamere a lot. Canotila is sus and she is hiding some valuable information. Talochard is such a savage and I love her. Curve is a gigachad. Seymour is also cool, but Curve is better imo. Pahsiv is probably the most easily understandable character that speaks in yes/no codes and Hulk speech Just a very vibrant cast of characters, playable and non playable, in Fontaine. Hoyo really upped their game in Fontaine.
If you look closely before the sword descended before her, she shed a tear. I think it was the fear that her time was ending, the regret that she cannot live the way she wanted and towards Furina who also sacrificed herself throughout 500 years. The final dance was so beautiful yet sad to watch.
I couldn't stop myself from laughing when Focalors just went "Anyways- so then I cursed her" after she said Furina was everything she wanted to be. It's like Furina is too perfect.
It is funny in the sense of how direct it was delivered but all the more tragic for Furina because she's so perfectly and innocently human, she would believe Focalors as her fairy godmother or higher self without questioning the details of what Focalors plan really is. Like for 500 years, Furina believed until Focalors told her to stop acting she could not stop when in truth Focalors never intended to do so because she expected the prophecy to do it for her. And with the way prophecy works, had the traveller never came to Fontaine or the narwhal decided not to bother Fontaine any time sooner, she would've waited for another 5 centuries, because Focalors made her promised not to fail or else all will be lost
Another parallel I haven't seen anyone really mention is the sword above her- not only is it a guillotine, but it also seems to be inspired by the so called "Sword of Damocles". Damocles was a man who aspired to be a king, and was offered the position for a day. Amidst the luxuries he lived, there was a sword above him at all times, poised to kill him should his attention lapse. It shows that those in power do not only enjoy wealth, but also extreme danger and anxiety. And for 500 years, that sword hung above Furina as she played her role. One slip up, and the blade would descend upon her nation. It's only fitting then that Focalors, in her final "F you" to Celestia, chooses to not only deceive Celestia and remove the seat of the Hydro Archon from play, but also willingly accept that blade and force it to fall upon her. She turned the greatest weakness of a King into a strength, and in this we can see that not only did she defeat Celestia, but also Fate. Powerful stuff indeed
Interestingly, it's also still an expression in France: "to have a sword of Damocles hanging over your head." We use it very little, even never, but we can find it easily in readings. (and I always really liked this imagery personally)
its a shame you didn't include the parallel of this scene. The entire time these two have this conversation, the mc is looking into furina's human inner mind at the same time which is what you see when she touches her tear and the world darkens. There the mc is shown a "play" where they see what furina went through day by day throughout those 500 years and how she slowly loses her mind. That's the real tragedy, and it becomes worse when you realize the reason furina is crying in the real world at the beginning of this scene is because she thinks she failed her mission after all she endured for 500 years.
This is a live reaction. It's understandable that not everything can be analaysed that way. Film creators in fact review scenese over and over again irl. Get your ass out from your little corner, keyboard warrior.
Why do you haver a stick up your ass lmao. Such a hostile reaction when none of the prior comments were negative in any way. First was pseudo explaining and 2nd was just confirming his statement. Of all the comments I chose to click more replies on I chose this thread
Genshin always had a good story on paper, but the execution was rough at times. This quest though? Easily one of my favorite pieces of media , ever. From the absolutely astonishing music, to the fantastic VA work, over to the intruiging lore, the tension and the spectacle and drama of it all. I'm utterly blown away by it and Furina (Focalors) might just be one of my favorite characters in any media ever. Of course, Neuvilette and even Navia played a phenomenal role as well.
@@stevieveringus3857sorry to break it to you but genshin IS a storytelling game giant now😭 it’s been out for awhile and has an enormous world wide following, if that doesn’t constitute giant then I don’t know what does
Yeah, it's actually insane how hard this gaps the rest of the game, apart from act 3 (which was deliberately drawn out) Fontaine is just perfect, and act v especially moved me in ways media hasn't done in a while. Really hope this trend continues.
This was almost exactly me. I remember telling my son (who did these before me), at the beginning of the Fontaine archon quest, 'I don't really like Furina; she's very irritating.' After Masquerade of the Guilty, she's my favorite character, displacing the Raiden Shogun. If you know the Stormlight Archive, I see Furina as the same as Talenelat.
I think was impressed me the most from an analytical perspective is Furina's voice actress's range; the quiet, seemingly insecure girl who knew nothing but endured immortality thinking 'she' would be the one ultimately sacrificed, 'what humans think an archon should be' the girl played, and the divine woman who knew everything and what her sacrifice had to be.
I love that even the character card over Folcalor's Textbox is at first "Uh... Furina?", as if even the script or the narrator of the story is completely thrown off about what is going on.
It's not script narrator. It's us. At that point we "don't know" yet but she's rather similar to Furina so it's the best guess we have. The game is rather consistent in that regard, though it most often shows when we meet someone new - it shows "???" up to the point when they introduce themselves.
It is still consistent because it is also implied that The Traveler does interact with everyone in the city and meets people off screen. She does stuff in each city off screen, but we know because they reference it. Often. Especially when it comes to food because Paimon often references that they eat almost every dish when they are there, but we don't see Traveler eat a damn thing aside from like 4 individual instances. Which doesn't compare to the over 50 they truly mean.
So far out of the 5 Archons we've met, both Furina and Nahida have the most tragic stories imo. The isolation and loneliness they had to endure for their whole lives is heartbreaking. Especially when you see just how broken they are due to their isolation.
Ei's is not any less than theirs. Especially considering that she watched the only person she ever had any love for die and deal with that for over 500 years. I'd say it's equal to Nahida, but I doubt anyone will ever top Furina. However, Natlan is The Land of Dragons and War. It is also where the Mare Jivari is, The Desert of Ash where Adventurers go to die. So it might actually get worse. xD
Every god has been isolated and lonely one way or another, once you look at their stories (instead of the fan memes). Venti granted Mondstadt the freedom they wanted, and so chose to be hands off. Living among them as a bard that dropped by from time to time, but never truly with them. Zhongli, filled with regrets about his past companions who had died or eroded, constantly contemplating his memories of better times with them, and even the tragedy of those he slew as a war good. Then there's Ei, who after the death of her sister chose to isolate herself and nearly dooming her own nation to ruin under an enforced "eternity" that was, in the end, an expression of her inability to deal with the tragedy and move on.
@@zern7617 I still get goosebumps and feel tears well up when I watch Nahida's "Happy Birthday" trailer I think what sets Nahida and Furina apart when it comes to the tragedy of their story compared to the other Archons is that they had to endure unfathomable loneliness from the very moment they were born. Nahida was found a newborn by the sages and was promptly locked up in the Sanctuary of Surasthana, while Furina was immediately told upon gaining consciousness to play her part as the Hydro Archon, never to confide in anyone but herself. And both of them never knew other life than this for 500 years, only finding respite in their dreams.
I just hope Murata break again the expectations with a even more tragic story and background, because I'm sure the Tsarina will be the most tragic character till now, so a prelude for that that surpass Furina would be great
It only just hit me but Furina and Focalors are dancing at the same time, the same dance, BUT ITS MIRRORED! Focalors is facing the back of the stage and Neuvilette while Furina is facing the Traveler. Its the dance of death for both of them, Focalors knowing when her time would come, Furina not knowing when her performance must end but continuing to dance perfectly. With the Traveler as her witness, she stayed true to her role until the very end. Sidenote: its absolutely tragic you didnt get to see Furinas side of it. The part where she meets a descendent of one of her first private citizen interviews (which you got to see) and its centuries later and she's seen so many of this loving family die, so while she's talking all stiff and by rote she ends up crying in front of this person. She doesnt even realize it until the woman says something. She thinks she may be dead already if even her own tears have to escape her in a way like that. But she doesnt stop. She doesnt give in. She loves the humans just as much as Focalors and she keeps going. For all her bluster and mischief, Furina was the loneliest and most self-sacrificing of all the archons.
The way they face the stage is explained in Neuvillette's character stories. Focalor's back to the audience shows that she is giving up her seat in the human world through death and giving it to Neuvillette. Furina's back to the stage is the end of her 500 years of suffering. That's the time her suffering ends.
@@boeman6702 except it doesn't really, she remembers all the nights she cried herself to sleep. She got a fresh start but rainwater can't wash away the wound she carries.
@@64chrom which is true, but now she's free to do as she pleases. she no longer has the weight of Fontaine on her shoulder. she can finally live, grow, and die as a human in the nation she saved and a nation that loves her. it wont be easy, but it's finally a turn of fate
I loved how their wacky justice system being more like theatre taking place in an opera house turned out be be an allegory for how a punishment from the heavens was being subverted by a centuries long stage performance. How we also had a murder mystery interwoven with an illusionists magic show. How the Fontanians culture and extravagant dress style shows them trying to embody being human more than the other regions while the region is filled with automaton simulacrums of humans hinting at the truth.
I love the double meaning of Neuvillettes sentence. He ascends, declares Fontaine not guilty, with it stops the rain as the prophecy, as divine justice itself is momentarily halted, and then, what was somewhat normal rain turns into almost violent downpour, symbolizing not just the absolution from the original sin, as he literally "let[s] justice run down like water", but also his own feelings towards all of it - as we know, when the Hydro Dragon weeps it rains, and, even though he found the resolve to push through and do what he had to do, observe what had to be done, one would imagine him to be at least somewhat hurt by Focalors' Death and the wider implications of the deception she orchestrated. In a way, then, this rain can be seen as the prophecy coming true in its own way, the flooding being turned from a cataclysmic event into a symbolic act of washing away the sins of the past.
notice that in the scene where neuvillette flies to the sky, the theme playing in the background is the same as his trailer and demo theme in a grandious way to show his power now.
17:32 I LOVE the double meaning of the Traveler in the audience. On the micro scale an audience member there to watch the "spectacle" of Furina's "play," to see Furina's story, but on the macro scale they're just an outsider of Teyvat wwho can only witness it's story unfold without the ability to significantly intervene in the fight between the Celestia and its subjects. The whole of Fontaine's plot has been such a treat to watch. 💙
The Archon quest of Fontaine is one of the greatest stories ever told. And both Focalors and Furina are amazing characters with insanely good writing. What a masterpiece Genshin is, top quality in every single aspect of the game (except the artifact farming and the Abyss...)
Furina wasn't a puppet copy of Focalors. The Hydro archon partitioned her godly aspect of herself from her human aspect and kept it hidden. The execution was a sort of beheading which separated the Focalors "head" godly aspect from the Furina mundane body. ps: There's a Holy Trinity at work here: Father, Son and Holy Ghost = Neuvillette the Father, Furina the "Son", and Focalors the Holy Ghost. The original dragon sovereign power was divided to create the incomplete Neuvillete, and the Hydro Archon which partitioned herself into Furina and Focalors. Of course, there are parallels with the French Revolution and Marie Antoinette who was found guilty of treason and beheaded. I wonder what her reality was.
Not exactly, Furina and Focalors have been separate since the beginning. Focalors was an oceanid, not a human. She made Furina as a copy of herself of a sort, but with none of the memories and none of the powers, as a human girl, to pretend she was Focalors to fool the heavenly principles. Focalors herself was in the Oratrice all along.
Holy Trinity indeed, though there is another interpretation of who represents what if we go a little deeper into the Pneuma Ousia stuff. Its worth noting that the Holy Trinity even originates from Pneuma, Ousia, and Logos (notice how Logos is missing from the Arkhe's in Genshin). Pneuma is Spirit and Ousia is essence/body, AKA "Mind and body" that is Furina, which is even Focalor's own words when describing how she came to be. Furina has access to both Ousia and Pneuma, so Furina is the Holy Spirit *and* Father in the Holy Trinity. Which leaves Focalor as The Son and missing Logos of the trio. The Son seems particularly apt for Focalors as she... dies for Fontaine's sins.
@@ancalyme As far I understand Focalors was transformed by the former Hydro Archon Egeria into a human. After Focalors became the new Archon her consciousness left her body and the remaining body was renamed Furina.
Normally, when all of the Archons are released as playable characters in the game, their character theme music has ties or somewhat resembles the main theme of Genshin or their respective region. You can hear the main theme of the game in Venti's theme, and you can hear one of the main themes of Sumeru in Nahida's theme. However, when they released the character demo for Furina, many wondered why her theme, despite being the hydro archon, was completely unique and set apart from any of the Fontaine themes so far. Finally, in this cutscene, everything makes sense. When Focalors (and Furina) start their final dance performance, the theme you hear is a whimsical almost tragic version of the main Fontaine theme, since this is the farewell of the true Hydro Archon since Furina has always been human.
Furina's side of these events was great too. You see her story of taking on the role, and the suffering she went through having to maintain an act without any flaw or break for 500 years. A shame it wasn't included in the video.
It looked to me like you don't know, but the "Hydro Dragon, Hydro Dragon, don't cry." is something Fonatinians say when raining, as it's said that that's the reason of it (mostly children do I think).
You forgot to add that it means that the reason for rains is sadness of hydro dragon, fun fact there is a place where if you go with neuvilette it starts to rain and when you leave the area it stops and he apologize to you for that
Also important to note that he does not seem to be able to physically cry either. The rain itself seems to be a stand in for that. It makes a lot of sense now since he basically is The Hydro Archon now. There is a possibility that Liyue never had an Archon and I'm starting to suspect that Rex Lapis is a Dragon Sovereign. They do not even hide the fact he is a Dragon. xD
Genshin has made me cry 7 times so far, Perilous Trail(towards the end), The Exquisite Night Chimes(2023 Lantern Rite quest), Sumeru Archon quest, Neuvillettes character quest, and then Fontaine got me freaking twice in the last half of the Archon quest, Meluse and silver and then Focalors death scene . . .there are very few game that the story make me actually cry. im sure Genshin will kick me in the feels and a fair few more times before this amazing journey is over.
Something I love is how it starts with a mixture of Focalors' and Furina's themes and then dies down, literally, before being built back up into a hint of Neuvillette's theme. It does a wonderful job at thematically showing how Focalors time in charge of the narrative is done and now it's Neuvillette's time and he is the one that dictates how the song ends, it's a metaphorical passing of the torch in not just the scene but in the music.
Weird it skipped the entire sequence of Furina’s inner stage play and the impact it affected her mentally and emotionally for acting as the Hydron Archon for 500 years while being doomed to a prophecy. I get that it would make the video rather long, but it helps understand Furina’s perspective, the pressure she was placed under all of this, and how she clings to Focalors’ words from 500 years ago in the hopes that her divine half’s plan (that Furina doesn’t know how or when it would be executed) would save everyone.
Yes, I think that Furina's part is very important to really understand the truth of the character, and it is also one of the best parts of the entire mission, it should not have been skipped.
It was intended to be played in sequence in game for a reason. I'd argue that the prophecy happening immediately after this is just as important as that as well. I would also like 10 more Furina story quests pwease. =3
even though i have seen it once before, i still couldn't stop myself from crying when watching it in this video. the scene and worldbuilding leading up to it has so much emotion, which ends in a massive catharsis, making you feel bittersweet about what you just watched. mihoyo really did an amazing job with this archon quest
It's the Sword of Damocles, but it is an execution nonetheless. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the origin story of that sword if you care to look it up.
Neuvillete does inform you of what happens to furina after. It’s incredibly human. Spoiler: He explained what happened and she showed little emotion. She said she was tired, then she simply packed her things and left the opera house. ‘Much like an ordinary human would’. Although Neuvillete said he would make sure she wanted for nothing in the future.
The moment after Focalors execution you’d see Furinas hat dropping to the ground, I feel like that moment represents a “off with the head” type of feel because the giant execution sword is representative of a guillotine
Fyi the rain when neuvillette says that the people of fontaine is innocent, it resemble his sadness. Because as they say, sky will pour rain when the hydro dragon is sad. And you can see neuvillete’s drop of tear on his face too
just when i thought i couldn't appreciate that last cutscene more, your analysis of it hit me in the feels all over again. the amount of experience you must have to notice all those little details!!!
I've been calling that giant sword the "Sword of Damocles" since I've seen it. I like how it doubles for a guillotine in Fontaine. Truly a spectacle worthy of the Opera. I've rewatched this scene way too many times already. Stunning.
All this part, and especially the final dialogue between Focalors and Neuvillette, and the following Hydro Archon last dance, is a masterpiece. Probably one of the most beautiful moments in videogame history.
The Masquerade of the Guilty archon quest was the best among archon quest so far for me. The lore, the music and the voice acting skills all played so well here. It might not be on this cutscene, but I admired Furina, not confessing to the traveller to the very end. Had she made very little mistake, then Focalor's plan would have been derailed.
I think theres also some french culture and history conveyed through this too, with the leader of the region ending with the french ballet, only to end "judged by he people" and faced with a falling blade, perhaps mirroring the french revolution, and the guillotine, which would also give a second meaning to the hat that falls and rolls accross the ground after the blade falls, and the plot of her death ending the concept of divinity in fontaine, much like the royal line was ended in france with it being replaced by democracy.
of all the games i have played, genshin is my number one favorite because its not only a free game but its also fun to play, it is very colorful and kinda childish when you first see it but when you get invested in the stories and lore you can see how how dark it can actually be which i really like. The music is amazing and it has waifu's so plus points for that.
i was trapped in this "special storyline" for over an hour late at night when i had college the next day. i must say i did shed a tear. the cutscenes for this were so gorgeous. the stormy rain outside being caused by nuiv crying had me emotional. i cant tell if this is genshin genuinly improving or if they favour fontaine.
Ok, an easter egg in the original chinese version is that this act (see what I did there) is call the "罪人舞步旋" which basically mean "Sinner dancing and spinning" (rough translation) Now what is really clever about this name, is when you flip the characters around it turns to "旋步舞人罪" and when you say it out loud it turns to "宣布无人罪" which means "Announcing that Everyone is Un-guilty" Which is basically the plot!
Moral of the story - Furina is not the hydro archon but the human form of the actual focalors (hoyo fooled us into pulling her again, same as Raiden whose is a puppet not actual Ei that we pulled). Also, C6 Neuvillette is equivalent to him gaining back his ancient hydro dragon powers that's why he is so OP at C6 with his 'unlimited' CA hydro pump that eliminates all that stands in his path. His voice line at full ascension also reveals that he gained back his powers as well and has the ability to judge the heavenly principles. In short, pull for C6 Neuvillette 😂😂😂
This was the best and truly very anime'sque archon quest ive played in Genshin... it is bittersweet, sadness and joy delivered in stages and in this order to leave the sad part in a positive tone But im also curious what would you say about the latest jujutsu kaisen fights, there are some camera angles and scenes / sound designs , out of this world
If you would like to get the "feel" of it, I suggest watching the gameplay of somoene from the first cutscene as there were some parts that really, really hit hard that weren't in cutscenes
There is another scene that happens in the middle of the one of this video, this other scene is Furina's point of view of what happened. You should react to it also, it's an amazing scene too.
or context about the archon quest: it start wit a trial where we discover that a specific water disolve only people from Fontaine. their mind stay alive but they basicly become water with no way of reversing the process. part 3 is just us in jail where we learn where the primordial sea is(the water that disolve fontainians) and that Neuvilette is the hydro Dragon. the end is just us setting a trial where we trap Furina to prove she isn't the hydro archon (god) and force her to take the crysis more seriously. it is during the trial that we learn that 100% of the people from fontaine are Oceanid (a creature made of water that look like a mix between a mermaid and a bird) transformed into human by the previous hydro archon which agered the heavenly principle and made them create the prophecy. this is (in a quick resume) all the context needed (also it only rain when the hydro dragon cry)
Furina was always human pretty much an average Fontanian, but as Focalors cursed her, she couldn’t age if Focalors was still alive. Now that Focalors is dead, Furina will age like a normal human, just like she always should have. There’s additional lore of Furina, where she lives away from Palau’s memoria and while it’s a bit hard due to every Fontanian not knowing her story, thinking she just decided not to be an archon anymore or something (also technically not getting her death sentence and not helping them from the flood), she’s doing her best to live a normal human life.
it was very interesting to see what a filmmaker thinks about this ^^ I really really love this area and its archon quests and I must admit, that part of the archon quest really broke my heart and everytime I watch it, I cry BUT that shows how much emotion they really put into these scenes. imo hoyoverse did an amazing job with writing the script and I love the voiceacting so so much. it's just...breathtaking and while playing through these parts I felt like I was watching a movie and not only that, but being inside of it. so crazy but so insanely good.
@12:42 Can we just appreciate the subtle detail here The background "crowning" Neuvilette's head after Focalors just mentioned about returning his original powers to him. Sneaky hoyo 😭😭
I think the scene just after the sword came down of Furina's hat rolling on the ground is especially significant, Furina's top hat is designed to look like a crown and as focalors dies, Furina loses her façade as the Hydro Archon and her right to the throne of Fontaine and subsequently, the 'crown' falls off.
While Focalors' is dancing there's this one yop down shot where you see that even the sword above focalors' is moving with her idk about anyone else but for me it felt almost like the sword was dancing with her and then when it finally fall down on focalors' the furina version that the traveler was seeing also disappears except for the hat which in a very dark to e symbolises thehead rolling after the Gillotine Hits Focalors'
i teared up when neuvilette flew to the sky and took a shaky breath, he was so sad (it rains when the hydro dragon a.k.a. him is sad and this was a total downpour)... and how he declared the people of fontaine are forgiven, we can hear how much strength it took him to push out those words through the grief :(( i felt so bad
id lovee to see you react to the scene with furina between 7:21 and 7:27…even though it doesnt have a cinematic cutscene, to me, it gives so much insight to her character and has so many brilliant and creative shots
15:16 I love when he says "it's like a death", because it seems that way, but then immediately we learn, its actually a birth. Furina has been released, and she is human now; free to grow and live as one now that focalors is gone.
I LOVE that you basically had no context to the archon quest and yet also labeled the Traveler's "i still need answers" line as selfish. I'm so glad that I wasn't the only one who saw it that way T_T ESPECIALLY when Furina was about to "die" Also gonna clarify, Focalors did not place a "puppet copy" of herself. The Focalors we meet and the Furina we know are the same person, or more accurately, are two parts of the same person: the divinity and the physical body. Along with the divinity is the memory and knowledge of being the Hydro Archon, all of which was placed within the Oratrice. All so the physical body can act without knowing a thing.
Furina's Stage is Dark = Ousia Focalor's Stage is Light = Pneuma Just something I thought + Traveler is Ousia Aligned and Traveler is with Furina Neuvillette is Pneuma Aligned and he is with Focalors
Almost 70k views in 1 day. Damn Philip! Going strong lately 😀 But talking about this scene, was very profound and deep. It all served a higher purpose but the cost was quite great - Furina's mental breakdown over 500 years, faking herself for all this time by always carrying a fake mask and not showing trust to anyone just to keep her true identity hidden. I think enduring alone for this long is more painful than being stabbed. It's a long-lasting CURSE that inflicts consistent suffering throughout the years. This was a really sad AQ I would say. At first, I was reserved towards Furina but after this quest, I feel very, very sad for her. I think I haven't been this attached to a character emotionally for a very long time. My perspective changed after this. Moments like these make me want question my existence - you know, the emptiness in your heart. _"It's finally over. It's done. I'm free but I feel empty."_ I can share a real story quite similar to this. Won't name their actual names since most of you will not know them A musician had been forbidden from getting a penny for HIS music which he produced (he was the author) but due to a 'scuffed' agreement between the music agency and the music author. Every time he wanted to sing his own songs he had to ask permission from the agency (actually two guys who basically owned the man's work). He was fighting in the court for more than 20 years for his right to his own work. He won the case in the end. Quite recently actually. And then tragedy accured he died of heart failure. Before he died after the court he said: _"I'm free. It's done. No more. I'm tired. I feel empty. I wanna die."_ Really sad story. And even then when you prove your 'Justice' people will not want to see it and admit that it was justice because in the mind of a bystander, Justice is always right if they're guilty. Which is very sad.
Wow. Another parallel just occurred to me. We talk about the theoretical Sword of Damocles that hung over Furina’s head for the past 500 years, over the course of her starlit solo. She could not give even a single hint as to her true nature, because if she failed to perform the role of the Hydro Archon for even a moment, the nation and the people she loved so dearly would be destroyed, and her efforts too would be washed away with everything in the flood. Across the same 500 years, meanwhile, Focalors slowly builds her own physical Sword of Damocles, hoping (and indeed succeeding) in accumulating enough power to destroy the Authority of the Hydro Archon and remove Fontaine from the Archon System entirely. I continue to wonder: if this didn’t wake the Heavenly Principles… what will?
Another tiiiiny detail toward the beginning of this scene is how the Traveler is transported into Furina’s memories through a black abyss, representing the curse and Furina’s “humanity,” while Neuvillette is pulled into the Oratrice to meet Focalors with a white light, symbolizing the “divinity.”
I swear, at this point, i have lost count how many timea I cried eversince Fontaine. The archon quests, melus and silver's death, Thelxie..i love rewatching reactin videos like this just to cry again. Lol
I've watched this at least 15 times when it first came out after finishing the Fontaine story, and even after 5 months I still have tears running watching this.
one thing i noticed, when furina is the one dancing the music has a higher pitch and sounds more childish, while still having hits of a sad tone, but when focalors is in shot, the music changes slightly, it has a more 'mature' sound, showing how well thought her plan was, and has hits of furina's childish sounds, showing their connection as well as the fact that furina and focalor share one core thing, fear of death, highlighted when the giant sword is about to fall on focalors and the music stops, as if their hearts had stopped before focalors death, soon to be re introduced on the close up of focalors face, the tear on her cheek shows sorrow, fear and apologies to furina for the torture she had endured
13:59 - 14:34 this says a lot to me about focalors and furina, because when you think about how the traveler is seeing furina it really symbolizes that even though they serve Different counter parts and roles they still are the same person with furina being the humanity and focalors being the non human more divine counter part of furina. So even if the traveler Was seeing furina with furina sitting on her "throne" (At least I’ve thought of it that way) it is possible it was focalors playing that part as well. I always thought of it as focalors playing cut furina’s Journey through These last 500 years while she weeps on her so be e it "throne" in the opera epiclese in the human counter part of that as well as she speaks to neuvillette. Which is exactly Why furina speaks to me more than any other character in this game. We all have suffered in silence for long as furina did for her people as we have for ourselves. It’s the selflessness, determination, and self moral code in all of us that prevents us to feel no guilt and for being selfish. Like furina. But such selflessness can only last for so long before one begins to crack under self-inflicted pressure for a good cause. All people with self moral codes believe that it’s better to choice multiple people before a singular person such as ourselves. Which is exactly why furina couldn’t continue her act forever no matter how long the prophecy was postponed. It was only a matter of time of how long she could do it, and how long it would take focalors to finish accumulating indemnitium in the Oratrice. Keeping to herself, through her suffering and silence for the sake of the people and fulfilling her role as “Archon” to save “Her people” in any necessary pain it would take her. This is exactly why furina speaks to me more as a person with self-righteousness and a moral code. If there was a replay button for any archon quest I’d constantly be replaying fontaines cause this was gorgeous in the sense of the word, from the music, to the tearjerking feeling seeing a character you’ve always seen as a confident, cocky character you’ve seen beforehand lose that part or stop playing the act and come to the realization that she’s not like that at all. I love Fontaine’s archon quest.
This made me cry. Every time I think about her pretty little foot and her little toe ring I cry and the way she danced the way she told the dragon not to cry all of it this is the most sad thing I've ever seen in the game
Another thing to note is that furina was stuck playing the role for 500 years, and couldn’t even be herself cuz the ppl suspected her to be a fake. So she started acting the way that the people expected an archon to be like. For 500 years she was masking not daring to be her true self or else all of Fontaine would’ve died. That’s such a heavy burden. Poor child
one thing i loved about the music was that during Neuvillette's verdict, the cello was playing his motif in the higher octaves, as if grieving the loss of focalors' violin from before. it's a bit overwhelmed by the choir in the cutscene tho
I just watched this quest on another channel and its just mindblowing on a Honkai level, so damn good! I totally recommend u watch/play the entire quest yourself.
It did take a significant amount of time until Honkai got to the quality people praise it for. Almost as much time as Genshin has been out for now. They did also funnel a lot more into Star Rail than either of those. xD
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You should also see "Furina: The Unseen Sacrifice". I definitely recommend you reacting to it. It explains everything about Furina and her backstory.
I would Highly recomend watching "Furina's 500 Years of Suffering | Genshin Impact" as it was in this scene at about 7:20 but the video creator cut it out
we knew what Neuvillette is about, he is a student of humanity for 500 years, and he behave constantly. but Furina come to us in layers, even from the start her behavior does not match that of a god, and that is a hint of panick when things don't go as it expect, even when you learn her role as a god is an act, there is still more to it, her over performance was intentional to mask any doubt that other people may have. that she learns how best to perform her role based on her "audience" response... it kind of like how directors and actors knows their protrait is unrealistic, but it would earn the best reaction... it kinda like Nicolas Cage. and alot of streamer do this too, they overact to get a response from the viewers, when I first saw Furina, I relate her to the many streamer I watch XD
I think they took great inspiration for this quest from Sandman by Neil Gaiman (I think you know what I am speaking about). And obviously there are many reference to christianity.
Anyway every character is written wonderfully....Focalors, Furina, Neuvillette...I can't choose because they are a part of a masterpiece.
Some Vtubers compared Furina to marie antoinette, queen of France who was executed in Guillotine in 1793. Fontaine is Genshin representation of France and song number in hr character quest IS FRENCH ❤
I wanna add that in the Neuvillette scene, that heavy rain symbolizes Neuvillette's crying, because when Hydro Dragon (who is Neuvillette) cries, it rains in Fontaine. So It's extremely emotional moment when he just let that tears down after forgiving the sins of people of Fontaine. He is such a cool and well-written character.
Fontaine as a whole is so well written
it felt so refreshing after playing so much garbage in other games
doesnt tear also run down his cheek?
15:33, look at his chin, you can see a tear clearly shed from his eye
I tought it was because of rain, but that's a amazing detail!
@@Malam_NightYoruagreed. It's world quests are so epic, even the characters. Navia, Sigewinne, Weiothesley, Furina, Neuvillette, and even the world quests NPCs are great.
Jakob is an excellent villain. I love the cast of Seymour, Mamere, Ann, and also Caterpillar. Caterpillar's dialogue bits are dialogue done right- informative, non tangential, important to follow, and explains the world building elements without being over the top explanations or too wordy.
Just the premise of the world questlines and how multiple converge into one linear questline that even correlates with the archon quest is such a brilliant questline execution. The melusine NPCs are interesting. Like Mamere a lot. Canotila is sus and she is hiding some valuable information. Talochard is such a savage and I love her. Curve is a gigachad. Seymour is also cool, but Curve is better imo. Pahsiv is probably the most easily understandable character that speaks in yes/no codes and Hulk speech
Just a very vibrant cast of characters, playable and non playable, in Fontaine. Hoyo really upped their game in Fontaine.
If you look closely before the sword descended before her, she shed a tear. I think it was the fear that her time was ending, the regret that she cannot live the way she wanted and towards Furina who also sacrificed herself throughout 500 years. The final dance was so beautiful yet sad to watch.
In the 4.2 trailer it was furina who shed the tear at the end
What a clever subversion
It is a Swan Song, The Final Dance. Profoundly tragic, yet tragically beautiful
Which moment? Could you timestamp? I can't quite see
@@soran_skies14:30. Right when the close up of her final bow. You can zoom on it or you can search for a more clearer cut scene if you like.
@@YenBi33198 Thanks for telling me, I've tried watching a higher quality video and zooming in but I still can't see it, but that might just be me
I couldn't stop myself from laughing when Focalors just went "Anyways- so then I cursed her" after she said Furina was everything she wanted to be. It's like Furina is too perfect.
Same, that was so funny because it sounded so dismissive in a way😂
No
Yeah, that one sentence was funny. Like "Oh well, then I cursed her. Fuck it!" 👌😂
It is funny in the sense of how direct it was delivered but all the more tragic for Furina because she's so perfectly and innocently human, she would believe Focalors as her fairy godmother or higher self without questioning the details of what Focalors plan really is. Like for 500 years, Furina believed until Focalors told her to stop acting she could not stop when in truth Focalors never intended to do so because she expected the prophecy to do it for her. And with the way prophecy works, had the traveller never came to Fontaine or the narwhal decided not to bother Fontaine any time sooner, she would've waited for another 5 centuries, because Focalors made her promised not to fail or else all will be lost
Making a character so perfect and living in a cushy life, you need to throw a flaw and impediment or two. XD
Another parallel I haven't seen anyone really mention is the sword above her- not only is it a guillotine, but it also seems to be inspired by the so called "Sword of Damocles". Damocles was a man who aspired to be a king, and was offered the position for a day. Amidst the luxuries he lived, there was a sword above him at all times, poised to kill him should his attention lapse. It shows that those in power do not only enjoy wealth, but also extreme danger and anxiety.
And for 500 years, that sword hung above Furina as she played her role. One slip up, and the blade would descend upon her nation. It's only fitting then that Focalors, in her final "F you" to Celestia, chooses to not only deceive Celestia and remove the seat of the Hydro Archon from play, but also willingly accept that blade and force it to fall upon her. She turned the greatest weakness of a King into a strength, and in this we can see that not only did she defeat Celestia, but also Fate. Powerful stuff indeed
The sword of damocles imagery wasn't lost on me either
It's very nice to see people who noticed this reference, I thought I was the only one
Interestingly, it's also still an expression in France: "to have a sword of Damocles hanging over your head." We use it very little, even never, but we can find it easily in readings. (and I always really liked this imagery personally)
its a shame you didn't include the parallel of this scene. The entire time these two have this conversation, the mc is looking into furina's human inner mind at the same time which is what you see when she touches her tear and the world darkens. There the mc is shown a "play" where they see what furina went through day by day throughout those 500 years and how she slowly loses her mind. That's the real tragedy, and it becomes worse when you realize the reason furina is crying in the real world at the beginning of this scene is because she thinks she failed her mission after all she endured for 500 years.
the video he's watching doesn't include the furina part I realized because he didn't understand why the furina was dancing for the traveler at the end
This is a live reaction. It's understandable that not everything can be analaysed that way. Film creators in fact review scenese over and over again irl. Get your ass out from your little corner, keyboard warrior.
@@haku0103 i dont think its ever been that serious
Why do you haver a stick up your ass lmao. Such a hostile reaction when none of the prior comments were negative in any way. First was pseudo explaining and 2nd was just confirming his statement. Of all the comments I chose to click more replies on I chose this thread
@@haku0103poor guy.
Genshin always had a good story on paper, but the execution was rough at times. This quest though? Easily one of my favorite pieces of media , ever. From the absolutely astonishing music, to the fantastic VA work, over to the intruiging lore, the tension and the spectacle and drama of it all. I'm utterly blown away by it and Furina (Focalors) might just be one of my favorite characters in any media ever. Of course, Neuvilette and even Navia played a phenomenal role as well.
If they simply use good storytelling, the lore is great enough to put actual gaming storytelling giants to shame
Im honestly surprised how well the entire quest managed to keep my attention without combat wich is something sumeru utterly failed at
@@stevieveringus3857storytelling in genshin is good
@@stevieveringus3857sorry to break it to you but genshin IS a storytelling game giant now😭 it’s been out for awhile and has an enormous world wide following, if that doesn’t constitute giant then I don’t know what does
Yeah, it's actually insane how hard this gaps the rest of the game, apart from act 3 (which was deliberately drawn out) Fontaine is just perfect, and act v especially moved me in ways media hasn't done in a while. Really hope this trend continues.
4.0 "Who's this little arrogant brat"
to
4.3 "My judgment was severely impaired... I'm a blind man"
This was almost exactly me. I remember telling my son (who did these before me), at the beginning of the Fontaine archon quest, 'I don't really like Furina; she's very irritating.'
After Masquerade of the Guilty, she's my favorite character, displacing the Raiden Shogun.
If you know the Stormlight Archive, I see Furina as the same as Talenelat.
I think was impressed me the most from an analytical perspective is Furina's voice actress's range; the quiet, seemingly insecure girl who knew nothing but endured immortality thinking 'she' would be the one ultimately sacrificed, 'what humans think an archon should be' the girl played, and the divine woman who knew everything and what her sacrifice had to be.
fr, it’s ei/makoto/the shogun all over again lol
yeah..Furina's VA really did her part very very very well..
@@shadycactus6146sorry, not even close
fr best voice actor in the game so far
I love that even the character card over Folcalor's Textbox is at first "Uh... Furina?", as if even the script or the narrator of the story is completely thrown off about what is going on.
In trying to deceive the Heavenly Principles she even deceived the game itself
It's not script narrator. It's us. At that point we "don't know" yet but she's rather similar to Furina so it's the best guess we have.
The game is rather consistent in that regard, though it most often shows when we meet someone new - it shows "???" up to the point when they introduce themselves.
@@kasuha isn't exactly consistent when i know the names of random npcs strolling down the street that i've never interacted with before
It is still consistent because it is also implied that The Traveler does interact with everyone in the city and meets people off screen. She does stuff in each city off screen, but we know because they reference it. Often. Especially when it comes to food because Paimon often references that they eat almost every dish when they are there, but we don't see Traveler eat a damn thing aside from like 4 individual instances. Which doesn't compare to the over 50 they truly mean.
the traveler isn’t even present in that cutscene though
So far out of the 5 Archons we've met, both Furina and Nahida have the most tragic stories imo. The isolation and loneliness they had to endure for their whole lives is heartbreaking. Especially when you see just how broken they are due to their isolation.
Ei's is not any less than theirs. Especially considering that she watched the only person she ever had any love for die and deal with that for over 500 years. I'd say it's equal to Nahida, but I doubt anyone will ever top Furina. However, Natlan is The Land of Dragons and War. It is also where the Mare Jivari is, The Desert of Ash where Adventurers go to die. So it might actually get worse. xD
Every god has been isolated and lonely one way or another, once you look at their stories (instead of the fan memes). Venti granted Mondstadt the freedom they wanted, and so chose to be hands off. Living among them as a bard that dropped by from time to time, but never truly with them. Zhongli, filled with regrets about his past companions who had died or eroded, constantly contemplating his memories of better times with them, and even the tragedy of those he slew as a war good. Then there's Ei, who after the death of her sister chose to isolate herself and nearly dooming her own nation to ruin under an enforced "eternity" that was, in the end, an expression of her inability to deal with the tragedy and move on.
@@philtkaswahl2124 the lore drops and sadness of furina and nahida is more pronounced than of zhongli and venti.
@@zern7617 I still get goosebumps and feel tears well up when I watch Nahida's "Happy Birthday" trailer
I think what sets Nahida and Furina apart when it comes to the tragedy of their story compared to the other Archons is that they had to endure unfathomable loneliness from the very moment they were born. Nahida was found a newborn by the sages and was promptly locked up in the Sanctuary of Surasthana, while Furina was immediately told upon gaining consciousness to play her part as the Hydro Archon, never to confide in anyone but herself. And both of them never knew other life than this for 500 years, only finding respite in their dreams.
I just hope Murata break again the expectations with a even more tragic story and background, because I'm sure the Tsarina will be the most tragic character till now, so a prelude for that that surpass Furina would be great
It only just hit me but Furina and Focalors are dancing at the same time, the same dance, BUT ITS MIRRORED! Focalors is facing the back of the stage and Neuvilette while Furina is facing the Traveler.
Its the dance of death for both of them, Focalors knowing when her time would come, Furina not knowing when her performance must end but continuing to dance perfectly. With the Traveler as her witness, she stayed true to her role until the very end.
Sidenote: its absolutely tragic you didnt get to see Furinas side of it. The part where she meets a descendent of one of her first private citizen interviews (which you got to see) and its centuries later and she's seen so many of this loving family die, so while she's talking all stiff and by rote she ends up crying in front of this person. She doesnt even realize it until the woman says something. She thinks she may be dead already if even her own tears have to escape her in a way like that.
But she doesnt stop. She doesnt give in. She loves the humans just as much as Focalors and she keeps going. For all her bluster and mischief, Furina was the loneliest and most self-sacrificing of all the archons.
The way they face the stage is explained in Neuvillette's character stories.
Focalor's back to the audience shows that she is giving up her seat in the human world through death and giving it to Neuvillette. Furina's back to the stage is the end of her 500 years of suffering. That's the time her suffering ends.
@@boeman6702 except it doesn't really, she remembers all the nights she cried herself to sleep.
She got a fresh start but rainwater can't wash away the wound she carries.
@@64chrom i think furina is very happy that she simply remembers the suffering rather than go through it
@@boeman6702 and that's fine, but I see that there were times she cried herself to sleep even after she got her freedom. It's anyone's guess.
@@64chrom which is true, but now she's free to do as she pleases. she no longer has the weight of Fontaine on her shoulder. she can finally live, grow, and die as a human in the nation she saved and a nation that loves her. it wont be easy, but it's finally a turn of fate
I loved how their wacky justice system being more like theatre taking place in an opera house turned out be be an allegory for how a punishment from the heavens was being subverted by a centuries long stage performance. How we also had a murder mystery interwoven with an illusionists magic show.
How the Fontanians culture and extravagant dress style shows them trying to embody being human more than the other regions while the region is filled with automaton simulacrums of humans hinting at the truth.
I love the double meaning of Neuvillettes sentence.
He ascends, declares Fontaine not guilty, with it stops the rain as the prophecy, as divine justice itself is momentarily halted, and then, what was somewhat normal rain turns into almost violent downpour, symbolizing not just the absolution from the original sin, as he literally "let[s] justice run down like water", but also his own feelings towards all of it - as we know, when the Hydro Dragon weeps it rains, and, even though he found the resolve to push through and do what he had to do, observe what had to be done, one would imagine him to be at least somewhat hurt by Focalors' Death and the wider implications of the deception she orchestrated.
In a way, then, this rain can be seen as the prophecy coming true in its own way, the flooding being turned from a cataclysmic event into a symbolic act of washing away the sins of the past.
notice that in the scene where neuvillette flies to the sky, the theme playing in the background is the same as his trailer and demo theme in a grandious way to show his power now.
17:32 I LOVE the double meaning of the Traveler in the audience. On the micro scale an audience member there to watch the "spectacle" of Furina's "play," to see Furina's story, but on the macro scale they're just an outsider of Teyvat wwho can only witness it's story unfold without the ability to significantly intervene in the fight between the Celestia and its subjects. The whole of Fontaine's plot has been such a treat to watch. 💙
The Archon quest of Fontaine is one of the greatest stories ever told. And both Focalors and Furina are amazing characters with insanely good writing.
What a masterpiece Genshin is, top quality in every single aspect of the game (except the artifact farming and the Abyss...)
lol, that is the most accurate thing to the genshin experience, history, music, incredible open world, with a horrible artifact farming system
Honestly I was deeply impressed and saddened by Furinas Archon Quest. I never thought a "game" could do this ..... shockingly well done!
when she does the bow at the end she has a tear coming down her face she is scared but committed to finish her part in the play
Furina wasn't a puppet copy of Focalors. The Hydro archon partitioned her godly aspect of herself from her human aspect and kept it hidden. The execution was a sort of beheading which separated the Focalors "head" godly aspect from the Furina mundane body.
ps: There's a Holy Trinity at work here: Father, Son and Holy Ghost = Neuvillette the Father, Furina the "Son", and Focalors the Holy Ghost.
The original dragon sovereign power was divided to create the incomplete Neuvillete, and the Hydro Archon which partitioned herself into Furina and Focalors.
Of course, there are parallels with the French Revolution and Marie Antoinette who was found guilty of treason and beheaded. I wonder what her reality was.
Furina definitely has some parallels with her, as historically she too was a puppet of a higher power that she had no control over
Not exactly, Furina and Focalors have been separate since the beginning.
Focalors was an oceanid, not a human. She made Furina as a copy of herself of a sort, but with none of the memories and none of the powers, as a human girl, to pretend she was Focalors to fool the heavenly principles.
Focalors herself was in the Oratrice all along.
Holy Trinity indeed, though there is another interpretation of who represents what if we go a little deeper into the Pneuma Ousia stuff. Its worth noting that the Holy Trinity even originates from Pneuma, Ousia, and Logos (notice how Logos is missing from the Arkhe's in Genshin). Pneuma is Spirit and Ousia is essence/body, AKA "Mind and body" that is Furina, which is even Focalor's own words when describing how she came to be. Furina has access to both Ousia and Pneuma, so Furina is the Holy Spirit *and* Father in the Holy Trinity. Which leaves Focalor as The Son and missing Logos of the trio. The Son seems particularly apt for Focalors as she... dies for Fontaine's sins.
Power didnt create anyone they just got power that is big difference btw.
@@ancalyme As far I understand Focalors was transformed by the former Hydro Archon Egeria into a human. After Focalors became the new Archon her consciousness left her body and the remaining body was renamed Furina.
Normally, when all of the Archons are released as playable characters in the game, their character theme music has ties or somewhat resembles the main theme of Genshin or their respective region. You can hear the main theme of the game in Venti's theme, and you can hear one of the main themes of Sumeru in Nahida's theme. However, when they released the character demo for Furina, many wondered why her theme, despite being the hydro archon, was completely unique and set apart from any of the Fontaine themes so far. Finally, in this cutscene, everything makes sense. When Focalors (and Furina) start their final dance performance, the theme you hear is a whimsical almost tragic version of the main Fontaine theme, since this is the farewell of the true Hydro Archon since Furina has always been human.
Furina's side of these events was great too. You see her story of taking on the role, and the suffering she went through having to maintain an act without any flaw or break for 500 years. A shame it wasn't included in the video.
in the source video it was divided in two
It looked to me like you don't know, but the "Hydro Dragon, Hydro Dragon, don't cry." is something Fonatinians say when raining, as it's said that that's the reason of it (mostly children do I think).
Tbf to the kids, I think we've seen enough proof that it does indeed work that way.
You forgot to add that it means that the reason for rains is sadness of hydro dragon, fun fact there is a place where if you go with neuvilette it starts to rain and when you leave the area it stops and he apologize to you for that
No I tried to say, that it's belied that the rain is the Hydro dragon crying, and that's imply sadness. @@Lavrec
Also important to note that he does not seem to be able to physically cry either. The rain itself seems to be a stand in for that. It makes a lot of sense now since he basically is The Hydro Archon now. There is a possibility that Liyue never had an Archon and I'm starting to suspect that Rex Lapis is a Dragon Sovereign. They do not even hide the fact he is a Dragon. xD
Genshin has made me cry 7 times so far, Perilous Trail(towards the end), The Exquisite Night Chimes(2023 Lantern Rite quest), Sumeru Archon quest, Neuvillettes character quest, and then Fontaine got me freaking twice in the last half of the Archon quest, Meluse and silver and then Focalors death scene . . .there are very few game that the story make me actually cry. im sure Genshin will kick me in the feels and a fair few more times before this amazing journey is over.
Something I love is how it starts with a mixture of Focalors' and Furina's themes and then dies down, literally, before being built back up into a hint of Neuvillette's theme. It does a wonderful job at thematically showing how Focalors time in charge of the narrative is done and now it's Neuvillette's time and he is the one that dictates how the song ends, it's a metaphorical passing of the torch in not just the scene but in the music.
Weird it skipped the entire sequence of Furina’s inner stage play and the impact it affected her mentally and emotionally for acting as the Hydron Archon for 500 years while being doomed to a prophecy. I get that it would make the video rather long, but it helps understand Furina’s perspective, the pressure she was placed under all of this, and how she clings to Focalors’ words from 500 years ago in the hopes that her divine half’s plan (that Furina doesn’t know how or when it would be executed) would save everyone.
Yes, I think that Furina's part is very important to really understand the truth of the character, and it is also one of the best parts of the entire mission, it should not have been skipped.
It was intended to be played in sequence in game for a reason. I'd argue that the prophecy happening immediately after this is just as important as that as well. I would also like 10 more Furina story quests pwease. =3
my guess is just that the video he was watching didn’t include that part for some odd reason
even though i have seen it once before, i still couldn't stop myself from crying when watching it in this video. the scene and worldbuilding leading up to it has so much emotion, which ends in a massive catharsis, making you feel bittersweet about what you just watched. mihoyo really did an amazing job with this archon quest
Ive watched this cutscene like 10 times and each time I choke up and shed tears
The fact that Amber lee connors voices Furina and Focalors in such distinct yet related ways is awe inspiring
I just like how they managed to sneak a Guillotine into the story
Viva la revolución!
It's the Sword of Damocles, but it is an execution nonetheless. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the origin story of that sword if you care to look it up.
This story is actually inspired from Marie Antoinnette who was also executed usimg a guillotine.
One of the best written character in years
She and Scara are written so well, I love them so much. Such pure characters who were forced to face such tragedy.
@@shinysunshine8651I also Like Nahida alot
@@shinysunshine8651Venti too
@@shinysunshine8651and many more
In GI? Yes the best so far, the all cast is so simple, Furina is a SO GOOD charac
Neuvillete does inform you of what happens to furina after. It’s incredibly human. Spoiler:
He explained what happened and she showed little emotion. She said she was tired, then she simply packed her things and left the opera house. ‘Much like an ordinary human would’. Although Neuvillete said he would make sure she wanted for nothing in the future.
The moment after Focalors execution you’d see Furinas hat dropping to the ground, I feel like that moment represents a “off with the head” type of feel because the giant execution sword is representative of a guillotine
Fyi the rain when neuvillette says that the people of fontaine is innocent, it resemble his sadness. Because as they say, sky will pour rain when the hydro dragon is sad. And you can see neuvillete’s drop of tear on his face too
This quest made me cry so much! Furina is so precious and I wanna hug her. She deserves happiness and her freedom.
just when i thought i couldn't appreciate that last cutscene more, your analysis of it hit me in the feels all over again. the amount of experience you must have to notice all those little details!!!
I've been calling that giant sword the "Sword of Damocles" since I've seen it. I like how it doubles for a guillotine in Fontaine. Truly a spectacle worthy of the Opera. I've rewatched this scene way too many times already. Stunning.
I like how everyone who reacts pays attention to the dance of Focalor and Furina. And not how the Oratrice is following Focalor on that stage.
All this part, and especially the final dialogue between Focalors and Neuvillette, and the following Hydro Archon last dance, is a masterpiece.
Probably one of the most beautiful moments in videogame history.
The Masquerade of the Guilty archon quest was the best among archon quest so far for me. The lore, the music and the voice acting skills all played so well here.
It might not be on this cutscene, but I admired Furina, not confessing to the traveller to the very end. Had she made very little mistake, then Focalor's plan would have been derailed.
I think theres also some french culture and history conveyed through this too, with the leader of the region ending with the french ballet, only to end "judged by he people" and faced with a falling blade, perhaps mirroring the french revolution, and the guillotine, which would also give a second meaning to the hat that falls and rolls accross the ground after the blade falls, and the plot of her death ending the concept of divinity in fontaine, much like the royal line was ended in france with it being replaced by democracy.
12:43 The crown behind Nuevilette's head as he realizes his purpose, that's so cool.
of all the games i have played, genshin is my number one favorite because its not only a free game but its also fun to play, it is very colorful and kinda childish when you first see it but when you get invested in the stories and lore you can see how how dark it can actually be which i really like. The music is amazing and it has waifu's so plus points for that.
I am never getting over Amber Lee Conor's perfomance as Furina/Focalor. absolutely brilliant.
Btw She voiced Android 18 on DBZ Abridged
i was trapped in this "special storyline" for over an hour late at night when i had college the next day. i must say i did shed a tear. the cutscenes for this were so gorgeous. the stormy rain outside being caused by nuiv crying had me emotional. i cant tell if this is genshin genuinly improving or if they favour fontaine.
The official name for this cutscene was revealed just recently. It's called "Sinner's Finale"
Ok, an easter egg in the original chinese version is that this act (see what I did there) is call the "罪人舞步旋" which basically mean "Sinner dancing and spinning" (rough translation) Now what is really clever about this name, is when you flip the characters around it turns to "旋步舞人罪" and when you say it out loud it turns to "宣布无人罪" which means "Announcing that Everyone is Un-guilty" Which is basically the plot!
The rain there falls because Neuvilette is crying inside. His emotions manifest in the weather
This is my favorite scene in the whole game so far. Really impressive what they did with these characters.
Moral of the story - Furina is not the hydro archon but the human form of the actual focalors (hoyo fooled us into pulling her again, same as Raiden whose is a puppet not actual Ei that we pulled).
Also, C6 Neuvillette is equivalent to him gaining back his ancient hydro dragon powers that's why he is so OP at C6 with his 'unlimited' CA hydro pump that eliminates all that stands in his path. His voice line at full ascension also reveals that he gained back his powers as well and has the ability to judge the heavenly principles.
In short, pull for C6 Neuvillette 😂😂😂
Thanks YT algorithm for sending me here. I could listen to you all day! Furina storyline is my favorite so far.
This was the best and truly very anime'sque archon quest ive played in Genshin... it is bittersweet, sadness and joy delivered in stages and in this order to leave the sad part in a positive tone
But im also curious what would you say about the latest jujutsu kaisen fights, there are some camera angles and scenes / sound designs , out of this world
The only archon story where i feel so deceived and end up crying like some idiot 😭
Look at me watching this for the nth time.... ahh the emotional damage Genshin is doing to us today
If you would like to get the "feel" of it, I suggest watching the gameplay of somoene from the first cutscene as there were some parts that really, really hit hard that weren't in cutscenes
"What's happening with the oratrice?"
"It's mechanise and d'Analyse are cardinelling"
In between Focalors saying goodbye and her dance, you can hear her taking in a deep breath that sounded like she was nervous.
There is another scene that happens in the middle of the one of this video, this other scene is Furina's point of view of what happened. You should react to it also, it's an amazing scene too.
This scene as a genshin player made me cry 😭 im so glad Furina is happy now.
The whole fontain story is literally the best in the whole game.. its so well written and emotional
or context about the archon quest: it start wit a trial where we discover that a specific water disolve only people from Fontaine. their mind stay alive but they basicly become water with no way of reversing the process. part 3 is just us in jail where we learn where the primordial sea is(the water that disolve fontainians) and that Neuvilette is the hydro Dragon. the end is just us setting a trial where we trap Furina to prove she isn't the hydro archon (god) and force her to take the crysis more seriously. it is during the trial that we learn that 100% of the people from fontaine are Oceanid (a creature made of water that look like a mix between a mermaid and a bird) transformed into human by the previous hydro archon which agered the heavenly principle and made them create the prophecy. this is (in a quick resume) all the context needed (also it only rain when the hydro dragon cry)
Furina was always human pretty much an average Fontanian, but as Focalors cursed her, she couldn’t age if Focalors was still alive. Now that Focalors is dead, Furina will age like a normal human, just like she always should have. There’s additional lore of Furina, where she lives away from Palau’s memoria and while it’s a bit hard due to every Fontanian not knowing her story, thinking she just decided not to be an archon anymore or something (also technically not getting her death sentence and not helping them from the flood), she’s doing her best to live a normal human life.
it was very interesting to see what a filmmaker thinks about this ^^ I really really love this area and its archon quests and I must admit, that part of the archon quest really broke my heart and everytime I watch it, I cry BUT that shows how much emotion they really put into these scenes. imo hoyoverse did an amazing job with writing the script and I love the voiceacting so so much. it's just...breathtaking and while playing through these parts I felt like I was watching a movie and not only that, but being inside of it. so crazy but so insanely good.
I cant help but loving the archon quest of fontaine its so good💕
This was Genshin peak, i'm very curious if they will be able to reach this level again before the end.
“While some people hate Paimon in 4.2”
That grabbed my attention the most.
@12:42
Can we just appreciate the subtle detail here
The background "crowning" Neuvilette's head after Focalors just mentioned about returning his original powers to him. Sneaky hoyo 😭😭
I think the scene just after the sword came down of Furina's hat rolling on the ground is especially significant, Furina's top hat is designed to look like a crown and as focalors dies, Furina loses her façade as the Hydro Archon and her right to the throne of Fontaine and subsequently, the 'crown' falls off.
Appreciate him not to cry hard by seeing this scene ......
18:51 THIS MADE ME CRY ALL OVER AGAIN DAMN IT😭 kingdom hearts 3 had my heart shatter
I love how you are so interested in it! Looking foward to more of your reactions.
While Focalors' is dancing there's this one yop down shot where you see that even the sword above focalors' is moving with her idk about anyone else but for me it felt almost like the sword was dancing with her and then when it finally fall down on focalors' the furina version that the traveler was seeing also disappears except for the hat which in a very dark to e symbolises thehead rolling after the Gillotine Hits Focalors'
It’s a shame you didn’t experience this first in game.. but it’s alright at least you did actually experience it!
I see this scene the fourth time, and I cry just like the first time.
If you look closely, you can see me crying to this scene for the 100th time there
i teared up when neuvilette flew to the sky and took a shaky breath, he was so sad (it rains when the hydro dragon a.k.a. him is sad and this was a total downpour)... and how he declared the people of fontaine are forgiven, we can hear how much strength it took him to push out those words through the grief :(( i felt so bad
Every single time, the last scene makes me cry 😭
id lovee to see you react to the scene with furina between 7:21 and 7:27…even though it doesnt have a cinematic cutscene, to me, it gives so much insight to her character and has so many brilliant and creative shots
Watching it again brought tears to my eyes for a second time.
15:16 I love when he says "it's like a death", because it seems that way, but then immediately we learn, its actually a birth. Furina has been released, and she is human now; free to grow and live as one now that focalors is gone.
I LOVE that you basically had no context to the archon quest and yet also labeled the Traveler's "i still need answers" line as selfish. I'm so glad that I wasn't the only one who saw it that way T_T ESPECIALLY when Furina was about to "die"
Also gonna clarify, Focalors did not place a "puppet copy" of herself. The Focalors we meet and the Furina we know are the same person, or more accurately, are two parts of the same person: the divinity and the physical body. Along with the divinity is the memory and knowledge of being the Hydro Archon, all of which was placed within the Oratrice. All so the physical body can act without knowing a thing.
Furina's Stage is Dark = Ousia
Focalor's Stage is Light = Pneuma
Just something I thought
+
Traveler is Ousia Aligned and Traveler is with Furina
Neuvillette is Pneuma Aligned and he is with Focalors
Afaik, traveller is pneuma. Its like a light sword that stabs after their skill
I can’t even express how much I cried during this scene it’s ridiculous
This cutscene was pain
Fontaine was pain
Almost 70k views in 1 day. Damn Philip! Going strong lately 😀
But talking about this scene, was very profound and deep. It all served a higher purpose but the cost was quite great - Furina's mental breakdown over 500 years, faking herself for all this time by always carrying a fake mask and not showing trust to anyone just to keep her true identity hidden. I think enduring alone for this long is more painful than being stabbed. It's a long-lasting CURSE that inflicts consistent suffering throughout the years. This was a really sad AQ I would say. At first, I was reserved towards Furina but after this quest, I feel very, very sad for her. I think I haven't been this attached to a character emotionally for a very long time. My perspective changed after this.
Moments like these make me want question my existence - you know, the emptiness in your heart. _"It's finally over. It's done. I'm free but I feel empty."_
I can share a real story quite similar to this. Won't name their actual names since most of you will not know them A musician had been forbidden from getting a penny for HIS music which he produced (he was the author) but due to a 'scuffed' agreement between the music agency and the music author. Every time he wanted to sing his own songs he had to ask permission from the agency (actually two guys who basically owned the man's work). He was fighting in the court for more than 20 years for his right to his own work. He won the case in the end. Quite recently actually. And then tragedy accured he died of heart failure. Before he died after the court he said: _"I'm free. It's done. No more. I'm tired. I feel empty. I wanna die."_
Really sad story.
And even then when you prove your 'Justice' people will not want to see it and admit that it was justice because in the mind of a bystander, Justice is always right if they're guilty. Which is very sad.
11:57 this was such a beautiful moment but without context it’s kinda odd
If you didn’t know the the travler is watching furina while neuvillete is watching focalor but both in the same dance
Wow. Another parallel just occurred to me.
We talk about the theoretical Sword of Damocles that hung over Furina’s head for the past 500 years, over the course of her starlit solo. She could not give even a single hint as to her true nature, because if she failed to perform the role of the Hydro Archon for even a moment, the nation and the people she loved so dearly would be destroyed, and her efforts too would be washed away with everything in the flood.
Across the same 500 years, meanwhile, Focalors slowly builds her own physical Sword of Damocles, hoping (and indeed succeeding) in accumulating enough power to destroy the Authority of the Hydro Archon and remove Fontaine from the Archon System entirely.
I continue to wonder: if this didn’t wake the Heavenly Principles… what will?
Another tiiiiny detail toward the beginning of this scene is how the Traveler is transported into Furina’s memories through a black abyss, representing the curse and Furina’s “humanity,” while Neuvillette is pulled into the Oratrice to meet Focalors with a white light, symbolizing the “divinity.”
I swear, at this point, i have lost count how many timea I cried eversince Fontaine. The archon quests, melus and silver's death, Thelxie..i love rewatching reactin videos like this just to cry again. Lol
I've watched this at least 15 times when it first came out after finishing the Fontaine story, and even after 5 months I still have tears running watching this.
The writers for the game really have the lore down pat. They can make a full movie out of any of the archon quests.
one thing i noticed, when furina is the one dancing the music has a higher pitch and sounds more childish, while still having hits of a sad tone, but when focalors is in shot, the music changes slightly, it has a more 'mature' sound, showing how well thought her plan was, and has hits of furina's childish sounds, showing their connection as well as the fact that furina and focalor share one core thing, fear of death, highlighted when the giant sword is about to fall on focalors and the music stops, as if their hearts had stopped before focalors death, soon to be re introduced on the close up of focalors face, the tear on her cheek shows sorrow, fear and apologies to furina for the torture she had endured
13:59 - 14:34 this says a lot to me about focalors and furina, because when you think about how the traveler is seeing furina it really symbolizes that even though they serve Different counter parts and roles they still are the same person with furina being the humanity and focalors being the non human more divine counter part of furina. So even if the traveler
Was seeing furina with furina sitting on her "throne" (At least I’ve thought of it that way) it is possible it was focalors playing that part as well. I always thought of it as focalors playing cut furina’s Journey through
These last 500 years while she weeps on her so be e it "throne" in the opera epiclese in the human counter part of that as well as she speaks to neuvillette. Which is exactly
Why furina speaks to me more than any other character in this game. We all have suffered in silence for long as furina did for her people as we have for ourselves. It’s the selflessness, determination, and self moral code in all of us that prevents us to feel no guilt and for being selfish. Like furina. But such selflessness can only last for so long before one begins to crack under self-inflicted pressure for a good cause. All people with self moral codes believe that it’s better to choice multiple people before a singular person such as ourselves. Which is exactly why furina couldn’t continue her act forever no matter how long the prophecy was postponed. It was only a matter of time of how long she could do it, and how long it would take focalors to finish accumulating indemnitium in the Oratrice. Keeping to herself, through her suffering and silence for the sake of the people and fulfilling her role as “Archon” to save “Her people” in any necessary pain it would take her. This is exactly why furina speaks to me more as a person with self-righteousness and a moral code. If there was a replay button for any archon quest I’d constantly be replaying fontaines cause this was gorgeous in the sense of the word, from the music, to the tearjerking feeling seeing a character you’ve always seen as a confident, cocky character you’ve seen beforehand lose that part or stop playing the act and come to the realization that she’s not like that at all. I love Fontaine’s archon quest.
This made me cry. Every time I think about her pretty little foot and her little toe ring I cry and the way she danced the way she told the dragon not to cry all of it this is the most sad thing I've ever seen in the game
Who's gonna tell him that this cutscene is actually more like three hours long. It's just cut down to only show the parts with Focalors.
Its so sad to finish an archon quest in this game like i just want to record it all and watch it again later on
This scene still makes me cry no matter how often I watch it...
I cried when this quest started and I cried again watching it again. It’s so heavy for me personally.
Another thing to note is that furina was stuck playing the role for 500 years, and couldn’t even be herself cuz the ppl suspected her to be a fake. So she started acting the way that the people expected an archon to be like. For 500 years she was masking not daring to be her true self or else all of Fontaine would’ve died. That’s such a heavy burden. Poor child
one thing i loved about the music was that during Neuvillette's verdict, the cello was playing his motif in the higher octaves, as if grieving the loss of focalors' violin from before. it's a bit overwhelmed by the choir in the cutscene tho
I can't see this scene and not cry about it like a baby. 😢
I just watched this quest on another channel and its just mindblowing on a Honkai level, so damn good!
I totally recommend u watch/play the entire quest yourself.
It did take a significant amount of time until Honkai got to the quality people praise it for. Almost as much time as Genshin has been out for now. They did also funnel a lot more into Star Rail than either of those. xD