They are true brothers and they are never truly separated. Kinda how Sasuke and Naruto were destined to collide with each other but more on the lines of being as one fellowship and being able to overcome adversity. Sora may very well be the one needing saving by the time kh4 comes out but we’ll have to wait and see. I’m looking forward to what is brought in terms of story and lore over this.
Oh my goodness this was an absolute joy to watch. I adore the series' music and leitmotifs and you did such a fantastic job with this video! I don't know what to say other than I loved loved loved it <3
I followed the link after watching the Dearly Beloved video essay... which I LOVED by the way, but man this totally destroyed my composure 😭 Not only is the editing with the scenes great, but also you used Xenoblade music!!! I am legitimately crying, this was lovely, thank you 💕
I always felt that it was kinda obvious DB was tied to those 2, I see them as brothers. Even before Kairi showed up it felt like siblings who wanted to keep an eye out for one another. In KH1 it feels like they didn’t belong, like they were too different from the other kids and maybe even their parents. Kairi coming along only solidified this as a fact, they knew there was more thanks to her. Events after the Island's fall even up until DDD showed their dedication to this brotherhood. Sora knowing Kairi was safe and her encouraging him to go find Riku and so he does - was she kidnapped yes, but he had faith she could handle it until he got to her. She did, as for Riku he had no definitive answer abouth whether his brother was alive or not, that faith was almost wavering up until he saw him again. It's understandable why he fell to his knees in relief. 1 of the 2 people that mean more than any world or happiness in his life was finally found. And Riku after realizing his wrongs and that before he can truly emulate Sora's way of living - he has to start by saving his brother, it is finally time to follow his promise and keep true to the words he said not only to himself but to Terra as well. Going so far as to become the literal embodiment of his fear and pain - Ansem. Feeling shame when Kairi and Sora realize it was actually him felt so real. Even more so was Sora reassuring his brother with a silly dumb face that sometimes you just gotta take a step forward. These 2 are the definition of brotherly love to me. A dynamic duo that share the spotlight as equals and despite how Riku may have felt, Sora never shied away from letting him and others know that they were equals. That their bond as brothers will never shatter and Sora makes good on that even in 3, he proved the bonds he holds with Riku and everyone else will never be broken by anyone or anything. Dearly beloved to me represents the duality of these 2, by extension the journey Riku embarked on to find his own way and the love Sora has for Kairi and the unbreakable bonds Sora has with those he truly cares for, the same bonds that Riku is a part of.
When you explained the difference between Diegetic and Non-Diegetic Music which I didn’t know but had inherently recognized. It clicked for me and mentally I became the meme of the guy on the floor who yells on his knees dragging his hands down his face and passing out on the floor
Yeah I’m getting weepy watching this. The music and the soriku of it all. The power of friendship so strong you can defeat a literal multidimensional ending threat 13 times and counting. Bonds strong enough that even when the memories of your friend are wiped from existence, you cling to the barebones of what’s left of them in your memory.
Ok, the analysis and the music accompanying it already was giving me chills; then you “pulled a Nomura” and needless to say the only reason I didn’t collapse to the floor in shock is because I’m at work rn on my lunch break and I can’t make a scene. I’ve seen the comparisons of Dearly Beloved and the moment in Dream Drop has always stuck with me but it hasn’t been until recently when another video - and now this one - has really let the text become clear to me. The games’ main theme is their heart song/their hearts singing in tune with one another … oh my godddd, my own heart feels like it’s going to burst with emotions. I wish I could put into words more clearly but please know this is definitely a video I will be rewatching multiple times. Thank you for sharing ❤️❤️❤️👏👏👏
Here is another fun time. Sora and Riku's Resonance is reason why when Sora "sees the Heart' in Something, it becomes Real. True Love's Resonating Love into "Fictional Things". The Light is the Words of Song, and that Song is God (Kingdom Hearts) and that God is Love. And Darkness is the Stage the Light shapes.
absolutely on point, every single moment cheering your essay on. amazing job!!!! also, why, yes, shera is exactly like kh, especially kh1, if we condensed it in a single short series, yeah!!! (almost to a ridiculous point, same goes to various degrees with madoka magica and Luca)
HOLY SHIT THIS WAS FUCKING INCREDIBLE!!! SUCH A BEAUTIFUL SHOWCASE OF KH'S THEME OF CONNECTION! AND TO USE THE MUSIC FROM XENOBLADE 2'S ENDING ( one of my favorite games ever ) ON TOP OF THAT!!!??? THESE ARE MY TWO BIGGEST SPECIAL INTERESTS, AND SEEING THEM MASHUP TOGETHER LIKE THIS NEARLY GOT ME CRYING!!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏
Damn, this Whole thing is amazingly done, but the ending "connecting" (haha) back to the beginning via the Combined Keyblade was my most favorite part. Genious. 🤌
What a beautiful video. Since I knew that Sora and Riku are the main focus of the entire series, I always wondered how the usage of Dearly Beloved and it's variants factor into that. I'd call myself a music enjoyer, though I'm no expert on the topic and your video made me realize just how much Sora and Riku's love is entrenched into the whole series. Aside from that, it was also very interesting to see how the different aspects of connections are tied to specific variants of Dearly Beloved and how light and darkness connects to all of that. And my mind was blown you explained the difference between diegetic and non-diegetic music. Like, the probably first music Sora and Riku officially hear in this franchise is associated with their connection. With their hearts being always in tune. And it's Dearly fucking Beloved. As a waltz. And it's even one of the most beautiful and serene versions of it. Wow. Thank you for this amazing analysis. <3 Sora and Riku's bond is truly a special one. Also, regarding people's favourite argument to dismiss the significance of Sora's reaction to seeing Riku again in KH2: Even if Sora thought Riku might have been dead and wasn't as concerned with Kairi because she has only been in trouble for a little bit, all of that doesn't really matter because the reunion scene of Sora and Kairi in ReMind exists. Kairi was destroyed right in front of Sora's eyes, he even cired then. She was definitely dead and would have been lost forever if Sora hadn't done anything. So he does all of this crazy stuff to save her, even fearing for a bit that he's running out of time, and how does he react when he sees her again? He's definitely happy and relieved to see her save and sound, that's for sure (and why wouldn't he, she is one of his best and oldest friends, he cares for her). But he also just gives her his most general :) smile and a "hm". That's it. No tears, no big grin, no verbal declaration of relief and joy besides shouting Kairi's name. Nothing. Compared to Sora's reunion with Riku, where he MAYBE thought Riku MIGHT be dead, his reunion with Kairi just falls flat on it's face. It's sweet and cathartic, but it also points out just how much more emotion Sora felt when he was seeing Riku again.
This is beautiful. I wish I could help you make a version with the voice lines isolated from their source cutscemes' background music. I don't know if the Wayfinder Project has that feature. But overall, this was still amazing.
This essay deserves more love! It's a brilliant analysis on the main motif of the series. Very well done. As a music lover, this video made my day. Thank you sm for sharing. ❤️
Yessss! Very happy to see another well-made KH video essay. I've been thinking about Dearly Beloved's story significance for years, and this video was just what I needed. Good work, and I hope to see more from you! ✨
Dearly Beloved is also in "The Key"(Fight against Venitas), Vector to the Heavens, and a Fight to the Death. Sora and Riku Resonance in all these/ Light and Darkness to control Kingdom Hearts, climbing from Earth to Sky, and escaping Nothing in the Kingdom Hearts of Peoples' Hearts. hmmm..
Awesome vid… if you do another one you should include the end of Ep 6 of Squid Game when spoiler “dies” and Adam sobbed uncontrollably followed by the part in the last episode when we find out spoiler is alive. Adam screams “I cried! On the internet!”
