It wasn't "no reason", it was a whole lifetime reflected in miniature, in a series that in itself was several lifetimes together depicted. A show inside a show.
I liked that even the 'intelligent' creature they have does not seem to align to motivations or actions we understand. While its actions seem to be at least partially affected (possibly corrupted) by its human, there is nothing that we can see that would exactly align to feelings or human motivations so we can't entirely predict what it will do or why it is doing things.
@@akwysuda5905I think it was more Kamen’s insecurities and warped way of thinking that made it do that. After basically causing the ship to go down, he kinda snaps and starts lashing out at anything around him. Hence him incessantly killing everything to feed this creature and the Kamen-Creature hybrid going after any humans/human technology it sees.
I’m still iffy on whether the motivation is from Kamen or the creature, and if there’s a deeper motive or not Because if we look at it simply, their whole behavior is aligned with basically staying alive. Eat to not get eaten instead Kamen was the best subservient hunter the Creature got, up to a certain point. And once the Creature’s big and strong (and no longer need a servant), it protects him as property possessively. Specifically protecting their established symbiosis So anything that could lead him away from the Creature is equally a threat as something that could kill him
I'd say they were compatible because it seemed resentful that the larger creature came in and stole its food. They both have feelings of resentment within them and that's why they feed off one another into something grotesque and spiteful. Until it's burned away that is.
funny enough, the only creature i was rooting to fail was the human who escaped with the pod. "creature" in the sense that she downright lacked humanity, despite being one of the only humans and constantly witnessing the other humans struggle. i was pissed when she escaped, but actually appreciate how it affected the ending for the rest of the survivors.
I've spent time in the Amazon and while I get where Herzog's coming from, I think he missed a lot. Yes it's life stacked on top of life, and in every square meter you will find interspecies war and a level of competition and violence not seen anywhere else. But you will also discover a similar intensity of symbiotic relationships, cooperation that borders on telepathy. I think humans are very familiar with the first bit, but it's the second part-- symbiosis-- that feels alien to us. This is also what Scavengers Reign captured well imo. It wasn't the violence that made the world feel alien, it was the interconnectedness of the environment.
Yeah What I noticed after stumbling on this series and finishing it, is how it succinctly dramatizes the way nature on a grand scale behaves It’s not just eat or be eaten, but also adapts and accommodates with each other Turning every living thing into a complex machination of almost Rube-Goldberg-esque sensibility The series does this well by making this dynamic process quick and sometimes specific, as opposed to the slowness of real life that’s harder to observe and summarize
This is articulately exactly how I feel about the series. It was the symbiotic nature in cycle that really intrigued me; just as the video says, it operates irrespective of our understanding of its mechanisms.
Almost feels like a choice, doesn't it? To either see the violence or the harmony, and the opportunity therein. I feel sad whenever I hear Herzog's famous quote. Has me thinking I'm crazy because for a long time I've been utterly convinced I see some profound form of beauty... and hope.
Well the most active part is seen with eat or be eaten, but there's tons of scenes of animals living symbiosis with the planet and plants in the passive moments of the episodes.
If I may ask, did you mean the TV show expanse? I've heard a lot about it, but I don't watch TV shows now due to time constraints. Unless they're exceptional.
@@divesh7chadhaI love the expanse so much. Its the perfect mix of politics and scifi for me. Reminds a little of the prequels but with better dialogue hahaha
@@willtheprodigy3819Nobody is allowed to like things and make content about them anymore? This show is insanely underwatched compared to the effort that probably went into it, and the honestly astounding results of that. The show has just over 5000 IMDb ratings and less than 4000 subscribers to the subreddit. It's performance has to be underwhelming in the eyes of HBO. Why would they waste more money by paying a random TH-camr to talk about it, or spambots to comment on videos about it? Assuming you've watched the show, since you're here, but I'm honestly confused how someone who's seen it could make this comment.
@@AllTwoCentsibleGuy yes, it was a very good book series. I liked the idea of what if cancer was a location. But, if we went with books I really enjoyed the Three Body Problem and Ministry for the Future.
I disagree. I can't place my finger on it, but so much of the astro biology felt contrived and present only for plot reasons. The little flying creatures being used as respirators in episode one, the quick-deploy balloon animals to get out of the cave, the extra traction slime when Azi is crossing the river. Time and time again what is supposed to feel alien feels like a Saturday morning cartoon gadget with no basis in biology. I like the show, but that aspect always bothered me.
I strongly disagree, the show is cool but the organisms make no sense evolutionarily. Creatures like the gas mask ones literally have no reason to evolve to be used as gas masks by humans, the only way the planet's life makes any sense is if it was created by some intelligence, like an non-human technologically advanced species.
I feel like what Herzog was trying to get at is the idea that nature is unmediated, whereas we live most of our lives in comfortable nests where reality is chewed up and regurgitated for us to safely consume. Outside the nest is a harsh world that was not designed for us and cares nothing for our survival. We are better there as food and fertilizer. Thats the feeling that Scavenger's Reign evokes.
@@BrentARJ I think it's being faced by something so much bigger than you that is beyond the limits of our understanding and perception. It is incredibly humbling and mind melting especially for people with strong egos and are used to being in control and CERTAIN.
well said. i was on the edge of my seat for every scene. in all 3 storylines, you never knew what would happen next, or even what would happen in that particular scene.
I loved it. It was a character study, a relationship study but most of being able to absorb new information and change. The alien creatures were so well-defined, creative, and fascinating.
This show invoked a sense of wonder/terror, for which I can count on one hand from movies and tv throughout my life. Thank you for drawing the comparison of Burden of Dreams and so wonderfully breaking down a show that will be with me for a long time.
I hope we get more of this show. It's the best sci-fi series in fucking decades. The ALIEN feeling of this world is tremendous. It's SO foreign and strange and weird and beautiful and horrifying. It feels like there's a real ecology, it's not just dominated by 1 or 2 species that the humans have to deal with; there are HUNDREDS of creatures and plants that all interact with each other. Compelling, fascinating, and truly unique.
When i was watching this show, i couldn’t stop saying how “alien” it felt unlike anything i’d seen in such a long time. I’m glad other people are thinking/feeling the same lol
Brilliant storytelling through visuals. You're introduced to dozens of alien biologies, and with a few queues you begin to understand the logic of the ecosystems.
The ecosystem doesn't really have logic though, like most of this show. Flora and fauna are just made up to look cool, but it is not really believable for life to evolve in that way. And that is even without considering how many animals seem to have super useful utility for humans, which doesn't make sense at all. The oxygen breather mask comes to mind, why would an animal evolve like that? And how did those guys discover that in just a few weeks stranded there? The show looks cool, but that's it. It has no consistency or logical sense to be a believable ecosystem.
@@tofadeldesdot This show best strength is that it's feels alien but thats the catch it's FEELS. It's not alien becouse we see a difference from our world but because we don't know the difference.
@@tofadeldesdotI believe the utility is sometimes unbelievable. But it definitely has some logic with the intertwined purposes, such as the dirt eating fishes. The point is we're not supposed to judge its quality by earth standards. Also they were on the planet for several months by the time we join them
@@cntom8233 The thing is, they're conveniently structured like machines to be used by humans. Yes they 'feel' alien, but they are more of machines and tools than something plausible. Everything are conveniently useful for humans and are designed to be used by humans. Weird, isn't it? For an entire environment to evolve in ways beneficial to humans when there are no humans in that place. It is alien, yes, but there is a word more fitting. It is Artificial.
Moreso than Moebius, this is totally akin to the comic books of Leo, like Aldebaran etc... in my opinion. Moebius didn't create whole ecosystems, and is still very human centered in his approach, while Leo created all these original animals and ecosystems. The drawings as well are more like Leo's than Moebius'. I'd be surprised if the creators of Scavenger's Reign didn't read any Aldebaran or Betelgeuse
Oh wow, I just left a comment talking about Moebius' Les Maîtres du Temps that this show or movie that I didn't watch reminds me of, guess I wasn't wrong then.
Thanks to this video, I found out about this amazing show. 4 episodes in and this is amazing, James Cameron can only dream of achieving this level of depth and emotion.
A profoundly beautiful analysis of a profoundly beautiful show. It's truly great when videos like these actively enrich and deepen my appreciation for something I already love.
I'm so glad that you covered this, hopefully, this will introduce more people to this amazing show. The majority of people who have seen it only have good things to say about it. Still, I think it deserves more attention so that we continue to get more adult animation like this (though this year has been pretty awesome when it comes to that ngl).
Blue Eye Samurai, Invincible, Harley Quinn, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and especially Scavengers Reign have all proven animation in 2023 to be a tight race!
Since the planet has a breathable atmosphere, I can suspend disbelief about the alien life evolving traits compatible with human biology. The part I find extremely confusing, however, is that the humans so quickly figured out how to capitalize on this. They appear to have been on the planet for a few months, but it would take many generations to learn (whether by experimentation or pure chance) such complex adaptive uses of the planet's resources. If I crash-land on an alien world, my first act won't be to crawl inside the orifice of a giant live animal and poke its internal organs to produce bioelectrical technological components. I'm probably not going to shove a creature's tendrils up my nose to see if it will filter impurities from the air. The lack of established human colonies or permanent outposts suggests the planet has not been thoroughly explored and studied. The need for so many makeshift solutions implies that the stranded crew has little access to advanced research equipment. So, how did they figure out all this stuff? Don't get me wrong, the story and characters are interesting, and the visuals are masterful. I love the show, but the humans are the things I find most alien. I keep scratching my head, asking myself, "Who the heck would try that?" A psychic koala seems mundane compared to a guy casually donning a face-hugger just to see what will happen. Unless season two introduces some harmonious planetary hive-mind explanation, I'll continue to feel perplexed by the humans' comfortable mastery of such exotic resources.
I felt the same. There use of resources in such specific ways in such a diversified and complex system must mean they have prior knowledge about it or they just studied things for a long time through trial and error both are not true since they didn't have much time after they landed nor they were trying to visit that planet,they just crash landed on it.
Based on the way the planet is treated and spoken about by various human characters, I think people do know of the planet and at least some things about how it works. It’s just considered far too dangerous to colonize.
its poorly done lol. that was my biggest gripe with the show. (along with the awful dialogue and stone delivery.) The characters have this odd complete lack of knowledge and a complete mastery at the same time. The first scene where they used the aliens to breathe in the cave, I thought "So they must be biologists or trained in it to know that." then countless times after that, they are shocked by the organisms and their capabilities like they've never seen them before. so which one is it? if they had any exposition or showed even 30 seconds of training footage or something, then maybe I could believe it that they couldn't cover every species sure, but the story arc itself is that they ended up on a RANDOM alien planet because of stupidity due to the flight path. they should have ZERO knowledge of what's going on. Fortunately for them, the animation and depth of the environment carry the show so hard that it's good if you just accept the story and how the characters interact at face value and dare not think about it deeper lol. So I still watched the whole thing, but I couldn't believe the reception this show gets. the story, exposition, dialogue, and delivery is straight up bad, while the animation and environment is 10/10.
I assume that their base has really advanced scanning technology that has analysed the chemical abilities wildlife near their base, and that they have already experimented a considerable deal with some of the species that lives near them. After leaving the base. After encountering new species, though, without the opportunity nor time to experiment on these creatures and analyse them, the creatures became novel to them. This paired with some slight general knowledge of the environment, and the relative lack of interspecies diseases due to having different biology may have gave them somewhat willing to be quite intimate with the species they encounter. Just my theory.
Interesting. BTW, the aesthetic of this piece reminds me to the one of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. I remember that at least part of the same view on nature is also present in that other film, as well.
The forest did not need to repute the Spaniard's claim of domination; the forest never heard heard him make it. The forest never noticed that he was ever there...
Hands down some of the best world-building of an alien planet I think I've ever seen in animation. This right here is exactly what adult animation should be! Thought provoking, visually beautiful, and incredible attention to detail, I hope it gets the recognition it deserves and we see more stuff like it in the future
This is the first time you've written about something I have never even heard of and it's great. Your video has expanded my horizons in a completely unexpected direction. Thank you.
I love how Herzog's words describe so well what we're feeling. I've been describing nature in the show as an imperfect machine. Which to me serves as an analog for our world, it is the same but at a different scale. The interactions in scavengers rain are much more blatant, but at the same time more confusing and it's imperfections also become more blatant. I feel like the world we live in is far more abstract, technology and nature feel so different so we need this kind of analog to remind us of nature's interconnectivity and technology.
Brilliant observation of the correlation between this show and Hertzogs take on nature and so beautifully articulaed in a manner i could never conceive or convey. I just watched because i love good animation and good sci-fi; fortunately for me this show had both. Not to mention a gripping, suspense driven story that had me craving for the next episode.
I watched the whole season just so I could appreciate this video more! But I'm glad I did. I think the feeling you're talking about at the end 5:41, Evan, is awe. It doesn't occur much anymore, but I feel it strongest when I look up at the night sky.✨
i loved this show, deeply. it gave me the sense that the writer/writers (?) had done their homework in evolutionary biology. the creatures lived by the rules of the world, instead of serving the plot. it also felt a lot like an acid trip to me, where the world they had created was taking dramatic license, but only in the sense that things had been exaggerated as if they were a dream-not to make them "cooler". what an utter gem of a show.
With the show slowly gaining more of a following there have been more video essays about it but I feel this is one of the few that get it. A lot of hay is made about how the "impossible" the ecology is when it is really not. At most a lot of stuff is implausible but in the way a lot of life on earth is implausible. Its earth through a fun house mirror and once you get that you will get a lot about what it has to say about our own world.
This show seems absolutely incredible… I did try to watch it, a few months ago, and unfortunately wasn’t able to get past the first episode. I loved the creature and environment designs and, like you pointed out, the truly alien feel of the world, but the body horror and other more disturbing stuff was a bit too much for me (and my family, lol). I can see that it’s a fantastic show but certainly not for the faint of heart/sensitive to the more horrific aspects.
I love that whenever you release a video of a show or movie. I then go watch and come back, and am never disappointed. Thanks for talking about this show, it was a wild trip.
Such a great analysis. I am coming back to this video after watching Werner Herzog's interview with Piers Morgan. I am in awe of this divine personality. Maybe you should watch and analyze (if you haven't already) his favourite creation: Bad Lieutenant, Port of Call New Orleans.
The pollination scene with the small being in the luminous flower represents one of the central questions about nature in general. Is it aware of us as conscious observing beings, or do we simply ascribe consciousness/intelligence to some natural phenomena because that's how we could make sense of it. Did the small being sigh, and turn to look back at our human protagonist because it was aware that someone was watching? Or is this all just a giant machine, reacting to our choices?
Now, this is groundbreaking. This is iconic, legendary. This will become a cult classic. Finally!!! Someone has expressed what so many of us have been wanting, thinking and feeling. In my ever so humble opinion, Sci-fi has become so predictable and unimaginative. I pray 🙏 there's a second season
One thing that I really adore about this series is that it shows the brutality that goes on in nature. The one scene where the giant beetle looking thing enters inside and starts ripping up the sea creature. Or the other scene where the alien plant takes a sample from a host, makes a copy of them, and then uses that clone to spread itself. So much chaos and different ways each and every creature on this planet does to try and survive.
Dude Good to Hear you, I haven't seen anything this fresh from you in awhile. This was a cool set of observations. I really need to take some time and check out this new show.
I remember that I really liked Nausicaa, when I was young, for this alien feeling of a fungus world! Years passed until I felt something similar. Thank you HBOmax!
Thank you for bringing this show to my attention. I'm a couple episodes in and am enjoying it. The environments feel otherly like Princess Monoke or perhaps alien like those of Nausicaä.
Never heard of it (Scavenger's Reign). After watching your (great) video essay I definitely want to check it out. I appreciated the depth and conciseness of this short video.
Sometimes I forget you're actually a writer as I'm watching your videos, until I hear, "as something that exists outside human attempts to conceptualize it". Brilliant!
Scavenger's Reign reminded me a lot of René Laloux, especially his movie Les Maîtres du temps (The Masters of Time). In general, the pace felt very similar to a French animated movie!
This show does feel like a spiritual successor as it really looks and feel likes Moebius was heavily involved and definitely a major inspiration along with Katsuhiro Otomo.
I've being watching your content for like, two years and this might be the first time y comment something: Don't wanna make spoilers, so just gonna say that you "Herzog stuff" in this video was great. Love your videos, keep up the good work, mate. Greetings from Iquique, Chile.
I liked the fact that the humans (and the viewers) could never truly understand the planet. I'm glad the creators did not write expository explanations for the planet and the organisms. I like how they left everything murky and bizarre. That feeling is what is missing from a lot of films, many filmmakers want to baby the audience and explain everything.
Easy relationship can be made with why Lovecraftian horror is so appealing, and vice-versa, what with Lovecraft having actually inspired himself by - amongst many other things - the indifference of nature. GREAT video.
Watching the life cycles of completely alien creatures is so crazy. The blue boy in the brambles was incredibly poignant for no reason
That was actually a reference to the original short film that the series was based on.
best first half of any recent show I've watched, unfortunately the ending felt quite weak
he had a purpose
@@SuryaGupta-te7fq i disagree it was hopeful after all the strife. it brought this grown man to tears
It wasn't "no reason", it was a whole lifetime reflected in miniature, in a series that in itself was several lifetimes together depicted. A show inside a show.
I liked that even the 'intelligent' creature they have does not seem to align to motivations or actions we understand. While its actions seem to be at least partially affected (possibly corrupted) by its human, there is nothing that we can see that would exactly align to feelings or human motivations so we can't entirely predict what it will do or why it is doing things.
@@akwysuda5905I think it was more Kamen’s insecurities and warped way of thinking that made it do that. After basically causing the ship to go down, he kinda snaps and starts lashing out at anything around him. Hence him incessantly killing everything to feed this creature and the Kamen-Creature hybrid going after any humans/human technology it sees.
I’m still iffy on whether the motivation is from Kamen or the creature, and if there’s a deeper motive or not
Because if we look at it simply, their whole behavior is aligned with basically staying alive. Eat to not get eaten instead
Kamen was the best subservient hunter the Creature got, up to a certain point. And once the Creature’s big and strong (and no longer need a servant), it protects him as property possessively. Specifically protecting their established symbiosis
So anything that could lead him away from the Creature is equally a threat as something that could kill him
I'd say they were compatible because it seemed resentful that the larger creature came in and stole its food. They both have feelings of resentment within them and that's why they feed off one another into something grotesque and spiteful. Until it's burned away that is.
@@AD-lh3jkprobably both since the showed a lot of symbiosis. Not just that creature, but the chest parasites too
funny enough, the only creature i was rooting to fail was the human who escaped with the pod. "creature" in the sense that she downright lacked humanity, despite being one of the only humans and constantly witnessing the other humans struggle. i was pissed when she escaped, but actually appreciate how it affected the ending for the rest of the survivors.
I've spent time in the Amazon and while I get where Herzog's coming from, I think he missed a lot. Yes it's life stacked on top of life, and in every square meter you will find interspecies war and a level of competition and violence not seen anywhere else. But you will also discover a similar intensity of symbiotic relationships, cooperation that borders on telepathy. I think humans are very familiar with the first bit, but it's the second part-- symbiosis-- that feels alien to us. This is also what Scavengers Reign captured well imo. It wasn't the violence that made the world feel alien, it was the interconnectedness of the environment.
Yeah
What I noticed after stumbling on this series and finishing it, is how it succinctly dramatizes the way nature on a grand scale behaves
It’s not just eat or be eaten, but also adapts and accommodates with each other
Turning every living thing into a complex machination of almost Rube-Goldberg-esque sensibility
The series does this well by making this dynamic process quick and sometimes specific, as opposed to the slowness of real life that’s harder to observe and summarize
This is articulately exactly how I feel about the series. It was the symbiotic nature in cycle that really intrigued me; just as the video says, it operates irrespective of our understanding of its mechanisms.
this is a very valuable comment, thx!
Almost feels like a choice, doesn't it? To either see the violence or the harmony, and the opportunity therein. I feel sad whenever I hear Herzog's famous quote. Has me thinking I'm crazy because for a long time I've been utterly convinced I see some profound form of beauty... and hope.
Well the most active part is seen with eat or be eaten, but there's tons of scenes of animals living symbiosis with the planet and plants in the passive moments of the episodes.
Best sci-fi for years. What The Expanse did for gravity, Scavenger's Reign does for biology
If I may ask, did you mean the TV show expanse? I've heard a lot about it, but I don't watch TV shows now due to time constraints. Unless they're exceptional.
@@divesh7chadha Yes, the TV show. It starts out good/okay, but it gets better with each season.
@divesh7chadha it's amazing!
@@divesh7chadhaI love the expanse so much. Its the perfect mix of politics and scifi for me. Reminds a little of the prequels but with better dialogue hahaha
great comparison
I totally adored this show. The pollination scene alone is one of the more moving and engrossing scenes I've seen in a long while.
This feels like one big ad. He was probably paid by the show producers to make this.
@@willtheprodigy3819an ad comparing a product with the philosophy of Werner Herzog? That's a hell of an ad
@@willtheprodigy3819 Ad or not. I loved this video and the show really deserves the atention.
I think the original pollination scene in the 2016 short film is equally good if not better.
@@willtheprodigy3819Nobody is allowed to like things and make content about them anymore? This show is insanely underwatched compared to the effort that probably went into it, and the honestly astounding results of that. The show has just over 5000 IMDb ratings and less than 4000 subscribers to the subreddit. It's performance has to be underwhelming in the eyes of HBO. Why would they waste more money by paying a random TH-camr to talk about it, or spambots to comment on videos about it? Assuming you've watched the show, since you're here, but I'm honestly confused how someone who's seen it could make this comment.
Speculative astrobiology at its finest. This has been the most interesting sci-fi story I’ve experienced since Arrival.
Have you seen Annihilation?
@@AllTwoCentsibleGuy yes, it was a very good book series. I liked the idea of what if cancer was a location. But, if we went with books I really enjoyed the Three Body Problem and Ministry for the Future.
@@ricopena2053 The tree body problem series is a real blast :)
I disagree. I can't place my finger on it, but so much of the astro biology felt contrived and present only for plot reasons. The little flying creatures being used as respirators in episode one, the quick-deploy balloon animals to get out of the cave, the extra traction slime when Azi is crossing the river. Time and time again what is supposed to feel alien feels like a Saturday morning cartoon gadget with no basis in biology. I like the show, but that aspect always bothered me.
I strongly disagree, the show is cool but the organisms make no sense evolutionarily. Creatures like the gas mask ones literally have no reason to evolve to be used as gas masks by humans, the only way the planet's life makes any sense is if it was created by some intelligence, like an non-human technologically advanced species.
I feel like what Herzog was trying to get at is the idea that nature is unmediated, whereas we live most of our lives in comfortable nests where reality is chewed up and regurgitated for us to safely consume. Outside the nest is a harsh world that was not designed for us and cares nothing for our survival. We are better there as food and fertilizer. Thats the feeling that Scavenger's Reign evokes.
Not designed for us? The best nest is only a form of this same striving for survival grown from the world it dates to shield us from
@@BrentARJ I think it's being faced by something so much bigger than you that is beyond the limits of our understanding and perception. It is incredibly humbling and mind melting especially for people with strong egos and are used to being in control and CERTAIN.
LOVED this show, love this reflection. The whole show balances horror and wonder on a knife's edge, which just feels so real.
that knifes edge left me with existential wonder and existential dread at the end of every show.
I recommend watching Made in Abyss it has similar elements to it.
well said. i was on the edge of my seat for every scene. in all 3 storylines, you never knew what would happen next, or even what would happen in that particular scene.
I loved it. It was a character study, a relationship study but most of being able to absorb new information and change. The alien creatures were so well-defined, creative, and fascinating.
This show invoked a sense of wonder/terror, for which I can count on one hand from movies and tv throughout my life. Thank you for drawing the comparison of Burden of Dreams and so wonderfully breaking down a show that will be with me for a long time.
I hope we get more of this show. It's the best sci-fi series in fucking decades. The ALIEN feeling of this world is tremendous. It's SO foreign and strange and weird and beautiful and horrifying. It feels like there's a real ecology, it's not just dominated by 1 or 2 species that the humans have to deal with; there are HUNDREDS of creatures and plants that all interact with each other. Compelling, fascinating, and truly unique.
When i was watching this show, i couldn’t stop saying how “alien” it felt unlike anything i’d seen in such a long time. I’m glad other people are thinking/feeling the same lol
Oh how I loved this show.
From start to finish, it was so moving, imaginative and just incredible.
Brilliant storytelling through visuals. You're introduced to dozens of alien biologies, and with a few queues you begin to understand the logic of the ecosystems.
Cue, not queue, but you’re absolutely right.
The ecosystem doesn't really have logic though, like most of this show. Flora and fauna are just made up to look cool, but it is not really believable for life to evolve in that way. And that is even without considering how many animals seem to have super useful utility for humans, which doesn't make sense at all. The oxygen breather mask comes to mind, why would an animal evolve like that? And how did those guys discover that in just a few weeks stranded there?
The show looks cool, but that's it. It has no consistency or logical sense to be a believable ecosystem.
@@tofadeldesdot This show best strength is that it's feels alien but thats the catch it's FEELS. It's not alien becouse we see a difference from our world but because we don't know the difference.
@@tofadeldesdotI believe the utility is sometimes unbelievable. But it definitely has some logic with the intertwined purposes, such as the dirt eating fishes. The point is we're not supposed to judge its quality by earth standards.
Also they were on the planet for several months by the time we join them
@@cntom8233
The thing is, they're conveniently structured like machines to be used by humans.
Yes they 'feel' alien, but they are more of machines and tools than something plausible. Everything are conveniently useful for humans and are designed to be used by humans. Weird, isn't it? For an entire environment to evolve in ways beneficial to humans when there are no humans in that place.
It is alien, yes, but there is a word more fitting. It is Artificial.
I love this show. It seems very much an homage to Moebius and René Laloux. I do hope that there’s a season 2.
100% agreed. Thanks for dropping those names. We could mention another related gem, Miyazaki's Nausicäa.
I came here to write something like that ! Serious Moebius vibes indeed, love it !
It kinda reminded me of the world of Aldebaran of Leo in it's alien world
Moreso than Moebius, this is totally akin to the comic books of Leo, like Aldebaran etc... in my opinion. Moebius didn't create whole ecosystems, and is still very human centered in his approach, while Leo created all these original animals and ecosystems. The drawings as well are more like Leo's than Moebius'. I'd be surprised if the creators of Scavenger's Reign didn't read any Aldebaran or Betelgeuse
Oh wow, I just left a comment talking about Moebius' Les Maîtres du Temps that this show or movie that I didn't watch reminds me of, guess I wasn't wrong then.
Thanks to this video, I found out about this amazing show. 4 episodes in and this is amazing, James Cameron can only dream of achieving this level of depth and emotion.
THAT scene in episode 4 "The Wall" was jaw dropping, one of if not the best alien encounter scene I've ever seen
I cannot recommend this show enough to everyone. Breath taking animation and great sci fi!!
Where can I find it?
@@santiagocastro5422 HBO Max
@@santiagocastro5422 hbo max
I saw just one frame of the teaser and I spent the next 5 minutes desperately trying to find that show
What an absolute visual marvel
Same happened to me!
This show was so amazing. I hope it will also be shown internationally in more countries, because we need a season 2 of this masterpiece!
I had to claw tooth and nail to watch this show in Canada. So worth it
Me too. Its a shame its US exclusive via legitimate media. The viewership would no doubt skyrocket if they expanded to Europe.
FINALLY!!!Ive been waiting for any of the TH-camrs I’ve been subscribed to, to talk about this show!! Thank you for this!
I really appreciate that he did this video. It's my favorite Sci-fi series. It really deserves more recognition and a 2nd season.
A profoundly beautiful analysis of a profoundly beautiful show. It's truly great when videos like these actively enrich and deepen my appreciation for something I already love.
Well said
Indeed!
Well said!
Thanks for the discovery, this show would have flew under my radar and it's now becoming one of my favorite.
Amazing show, definitely needs more lov and I'm so glad you gave it a shot and talked about it on your channel!
If anyone has ever seen "made in the abyss" this felt very similar to the point where if turned into the prequel for either one I'd believe it
Thanks for making a video on it, the show is amazing and needs as much publicity as possible
I'm so glad that you covered this, hopefully, this will introduce more people to this amazing show. The majority of people who have seen it only have good things to say about it.
Still, I think it deserves more attention so that we continue to get more adult animation like this (though this year has been pretty awesome when it comes to that ngl).
I just entered this genre, any recommendations?
@@georgBOETT Do you just mean Adult Animation, Sci-Fi or anything more specific?
Blue Eye Samurai, Invincible, Harley Quinn, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and especially Scavengers Reign have all proven animation in 2023 to be a tight race!
@@georgBOETT Fired On Mars is great, also on Max
Fired on Mars, Pantheon (highly recommended) @@georgBOETT
Since the planet has a breathable atmosphere, I can suspend disbelief about the alien life evolving traits compatible with human biology. The part I find extremely confusing, however, is that the humans so quickly figured out how to capitalize on this. They appear to have been on the planet for a few months, but it would take many generations to learn (whether by experimentation or pure chance) such complex adaptive uses of the planet's resources. If I crash-land on an alien world, my first act won't be to crawl inside the orifice of a giant live animal and poke its internal organs to produce bioelectrical technological components. I'm probably not going to shove a creature's tendrils up my nose to see if it will filter impurities from the air. The lack of established human colonies or permanent outposts suggests the planet has not been thoroughly explored and studied. The need for so many makeshift solutions implies that the stranded crew has little access to advanced research equipment. So, how did they figure out all this stuff? Don't get me wrong, the story and characters are interesting, and the visuals are masterful. I love the show, but the humans are the things I find most alien. I keep scratching my head, asking myself, "Who the heck would try that?" A psychic koala seems mundane compared to a guy casually donning a face-hugger just to see what will happen. Unless season two introduces some harmonious planetary hive-mind explanation, I'll continue to feel perplexed by the humans' comfortable mastery of such exotic resources.
I felt the same.
There use of resources in such specific ways in such a diversified and complex system must mean they have prior knowledge about it or they just studied things for a long time through trial and error both are not true since they didn't have much time after they landed nor they were trying to visit that planet,they just crash landed on it.
Based on the way the planet is treated and spoken about by various human characters, I think people do know of the planet and at least some things about how it works. It’s just considered far too dangerous to colonize.
@@jonathansalvador5037Probably Yes
its poorly done lol. that was my biggest gripe with the show. (along with the awful dialogue and stone delivery.)
The characters have this odd complete lack of knowledge and a complete mastery at the same time. The first scene where they used the aliens to breathe in the cave, I thought "So they must be biologists or trained in it to know that."
then countless times after that, they are shocked by the organisms and their capabilities like they've never seen them before.
so which one is it? if they had any exposition or showed even 30 seconds of training footage or something, then maybe I could believe it that they couldn't cover every species sure, but the story arc itself is that they ended up on a RANDOM alien planet because of stupidity due to the flight path. they should have ZERO knowledge of what's going on.
Fortunately for them, the animation and depth of the environment carry the show so hard that it's good if you just accept the story and how the characters interact at face value and dare not think about it deeper lol. So I still watched the whole thing, but I couldn't believe the reception this show gets. the story, exposition, dialogue, and delivery is straight up bad, while the animation and environment is 10/10.
I assume that their base has really advanced scanning technology that has analysed the chemical abilities wildlife near their base, and that they have already experimented a considerable deal with some of the species that lives near them. After leaving the base. After encountering new species, though, without the opportunity nor time to experiment on these creatures and analyse them, the creatures became novel to them. This paired with some slight general knowledge of the environment, and the relative lack of interspecies diseases due to having different biology may have gave them somewhat willing to be quite intimate with the species they encounter. Just my theory.
I hope this show gets a season 2 there is still so much more to explore
Interesting. BTW, the aesthetic of this piece reminds me to the one of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. I remember that at least part of the same view on nature is also present in that other film, as well.
Werner Herzog's monologue from Burden of Dreams with Scavenger's Reign might just be the best thing I've ever seen!!!! 🤯🤯🤯
The forest did not need to repute the Spaniard's claim of domination; the forest never heard heard him make it. The forest never noticed that he was ever there...
Thank god a big channel like you has covered this. I hope this will help push the show into more people's spheres.
This show deserves more recognition and marketing!!
Hands down some of the best world-building of an alien planet I think I've ever seen in animation. This right here is exactly what adult animation should be! Thought provoking, visually beautiful, and incredible attention to detail, I hope it gets the recognition it deserves and we see more stuff like it in the future
this might be one of my favourites shows of this year. the animation and world building is insane
So glad to have found this show! I put it on randomly the other night and couldn’t stop watching
I have a friend who worked on the series. Thanks for bringing it more attention
This is the first time you've written about something I have never even heard of and it's great. Your video has expanded my horizons in a completely unexpected direction. Thank you.
Yesss, this show is my favorite thing to come out this year - hope more people get to experience it!!
I love how Herzog's words describe so well what we're feeling. I've been describing nature in the show as an imperfect machine. Which to me serves as an analog for our world, it is the same but at a different scale. The interactions in scavengers rain are much more blatant, but at the same time more confusing and it's imperfections also become more blatant. I feel like the world we live in is far more abstract, technology and nature feel so different so we need this kind of analog to remind us of nature's interconnectivity and technology.
Brilliant observation of the correlation between this show and Hertzogs take on nature and so beautifully articulaed in a manner i could never conceive or convey. I just watched because i love good animation and good sci-fi; fortunately for me this show had both. Not to mention a gripping, suspense driven story that had me craving for the next episode.
I watched the whole season just so I could appreciate this video more! But I'm glad I did.
I think the feeling you're talking about at the end 5:41, Evan, is awe. It doesn't occur much anymore, but I feel it strongest when I look up at the night sky.✨
i loved this show, deeply. it gave me the sense that the writer/writers (?) had done their homework in evolutionary biology. the creatures lived by the rules of the world, instead of serving the plot. it also felt a lot like an acid trip to me, where the world they had created was taking dramatic license, but only in the sense that things had been exaggerated as if they were a dream-not to make them "cooler". what an utter gem of a show.
With the show slowly gaining more of a following there have been more video essays about it but I feel this is one of the few that get it. A lot of hay is made about how the "impossible" the ecology is when it is really not. At most a lot of stuff is implausible but in the way a lot of life on earth is implausible. Its earth through a fun house mirror and once you get that you will get a lot about what it has to say about our own world.
Hertzog's "Rescue Dawn" also uses the Jungle as a character. Underrated film.
This show seems absolutely incredible… I did try to watch it, a few months ago, and unfortunately wasn’t able to get past the first episode. I loved the creature and environment designs and, like you pointed out, the truly alien feel of the world, but the body horror and other more disturbing stuff was a bit too much for me (and my family, lol). I can see that it’s a fantastic show but certainly not for the faint of heart/sensitive to the more horrific aspects.
I love that whenever you release a video of a show or movie. I then go watch and come back, and am never disappointed. Thanks for talking about this show, it was a wild trip.
Truly another level of animation
Such a great analysis. I am coming back to this video after watching Werner Herzog's interview with Piers Morgan. I am in awe of this divine personality. Maybe you should watch and analyze (if you haven't already) his favourite creation: Bad Lieutenant, Port of Call New Orleans.
The pollination scene with the small being in the luminous flower represents one of the central questions about nature in general. Is it aware of us as conscious observing beings, or do we simply ascribe consciousness/intelligence to some natural phenomena because that's how we could make sense of it. Did the small being sigh, and turn to look back at our human protagonist because it was aware that someone was watching? Or is this all just a giant machine, reacting to our choices?
Definitely the most thought provoking show in years
Yoooo thank you so much for talking about this, I had not heard of this show AT ALL and had to immediately check it out
Scarvengers Reign was such an underrated show of this year, and i totally agree that it was the best scifi storytelling of the year or even a decade
Absoltely breathtaking show! Has better world building than the Avatar films
Amazing show... hopefully we get more seasons
Most underrated scifi series in years
I watched the entirety of this show yesterday morning. Amazing timing.
Nerdwriter. The absolute best on You Tube and it's not even close
Thank you for all you do, sir.
Now, this is groundbreaking. This is iconic, legendary. This will become a cult classic. Finally!!! Someone has expressed what so many of us have been wanting, thinking and feeling. In my ever so humble opinion, Sci-fi has become so predictable and unimaginative. I pray 🙏 there's a second season
Scavengers Reign is utterly and criminally underrated!!!
One thing that I really adore about this series is that it shows the brutality that goes on in nature. The one scene where the giant beetle looking thing enters inside and starts ripping up the sea creature. Or the other scene where the alien plant takes a sample from a host, makes a copy of them, and then uses that clone to spread itself.
So much chaos and different ways each and every creature on this planet does to try and survive.
Dude Good to Hear you,
I haven't seen anything this fresh from you in awhile.
This was a cool set of observations.
I really need to take some time and check out this new show.
For some reason I haven’t been seeing your videos on my feed in too long, good to see you still make some of my favorite stuff!
You're an incredible curator. Got lots of great stuff to watch after nearly every essay.
Very cool! Loved the series and love your videos was stoked to see this
As usual, SPOT on when describing Herzog's documentaries. As you mentioned his positioning of nature, I immediately thought of Grizzly Man.
I remember that I really liked Nausicaa, when I was young, for this alien feeling of a fungus world!
Years passed until I felt something similar. Thank you HBOmax!
I loved this show! Hopefully more people will talk about it!!
This reminds of 80s and 90s anime like the movie akira. Where detail of the place is more impirtant that faces, which modern anime shows more of
The animation makes me think of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.
It's gonna be one of those "Imma stop this video and go watch the show first" moments. Appreciate the recommendation!
Thanks for introducing this show. I didn't heard of it from anywhere, and from this video sounds it's right up my alley.
Glad you made this i really hope this show gets the love and attention it deserves!
Can't decide if I should watch Herzog's or this show now. Thanks for the video!
Thank you for bringing this show to my attention. I'm a couple episodes in and am enjoying it. The environments feel otherly like Princess Monoke or perhaps alien like those of Nausicaä.
"that feeling [of feeling our limits] is also the closest we can ever get to the real"
What a load of bullshit
Truly beautiful analogical essay. Makes me want to watch Scavenger's Reign AND the Werner Herzog films. 😁👍
“Because in the end nature is horrific and teaches us nothing.” - Futurama.
this is exactly what I felt while watching the show, ALIEN, everything felt ALIEN
I was stone cold sober watching that show and I'd never felt more high.
"Humanity loves its illusions of control and understanding" Great quote !
1:12 I actually found that really hard to laugh at.
Never heard of it (Scavenger's Reign). After watching your (great) video essay I definitely want to check it out. I appreciated the depth and conciseness of this short video.
I've never heard of this and now I'm really interested in it
Sometimes I forget you're actually a writer as I'm watching your videos, until I hear, "as something that exists outside human attempts to conceptualize it". Brilliant!
“Humanity loves its illusions of control and understanding “
Scavenger's Reign reminded me a lot of René Laloux, especially his movie Les Maîtres du temps (The Masters of Time). In general, the pace felt very similar to a French animated movie!
This show does feel like a spiritual successor as it really looks and feel likes Moebius was heavily involved and definitely a major inspiration along with Katsuhiro Otomo.
This show filled the missing hole Raised By Wolves left. I am very much happy that it has come to fill it.
I've being watching your content for like, two years and this might be the first time y comment something: Don't wanna make spoilers, so just gonna say that you "Herzog stuff" in this video was great. Love your videos, keep up the good work, mate. Greetings from Iquique, Chile.
I had completely missed this show! Have to see it.
Scavengers the short was great, and this series is a pretty cool extension
I liked the fact that the humans (and the viewers) could never truly understand the planet. I'm glad the creators did not write expository explanations for the planet and the organisms.
I like how they left everything murky and bizarre. That feeling is what is missing from a lot of films, many filmmakers want to baby the audience and explain everything.
Sublime show. Can't wait to watch.
So happy to see someone who’s opinion I value so much taking note of this show that I can’t seem to get ANYONE to watch.
I really liked your connections and comments to how the Vesta Minor eco-system is deeply reflective of our own relationship nature in many cases.
Easy relationship can be made with why Lovecraftian horror is so appealing, and vice-versa, what with Lovecraft having actually inspired himself by - amongst many other things - the indifference of nature. GREAT video.
do a video about pantheon, criminally underrated that one
The original short also seemed a lot more... mechanical to me. It was a completely unfamiliar familiarity, with a unknown, but certain outcome