Excellent video, and very in depth too! Even if I knew everything here you still managed to keep the video interesting Well, I guess I gotta subscribed now, huh
This gave me a new appreciation for SELF-iSH, ive always struggled with identity, sometimes i feel like i do not have a personality, and that i am a mere reflection of others, there are very few things that i liked because i was pationute about them, many were just things other liked that i also kinda enjoyed, but had no real meaning to me, so i can relate to just not knowing who js actually you
this album means a lot to me for a couple reasons. i spent a lot of my youth quite unhappy with who i was (social anxiety, self-worth stuff), and i always kinda had this goal to become this perfect version of myself, to "become human," as i tended to call it, essentially just meaning to be a more social person. over the course of several years of working on myself and stuff i finally feel like im that person id always wanted to be - i dont rly have any self-worth issues or anything anymore and im far more social - however i went through a ton of changes in who i was fundamentally as a person over that time to the point where i barely recognize myself now as the person i used to be. sometimes i just think about my personality and actions and stuff and it just doesnt feel like me, like im not "myself," because the old me would never do stuff like this. this album and its themes rly resonate with me cuz i spent so much time pretty much erasing my old self, essentially "replacing myself" as Mr. Capgras echoes. on top of everything tho is a general identity crisis ive found myself with for a lot of my life, and self-ish does a phenomenal job at conveying how it can feel to not rly feel like yourself or know who you are. another reason it means a lot to me is cuz it fucking slaps hoooly shit this album goes hard my fav track is the song with five names lmao also banger video btw
@@lysuudu8604 Yeah, I feel ya. I’ve looked at myself and who I used to be a lot of times with disdain, wanting to become this idealized version. But even though I’m happy with who I am now, I know that it was important to be who I was in order to learn and grow. There’s no fast tracking it. Also, sometimes it’s important to get outside of our own heads and just be who we are, and by the time we check back in with ourselves, we’ll have changed. Glad you liked the video, and thank you!
I love the bit of fanon that says sans was actually invited to smash, but was too lazy to go. So, he just got a guy to wear a sans costume and go in his place. It still boggles the mind Homestuck and Smash Bros have one degree of separation lol
@@TehSkullKid If you think that degree of separation is crazy, on the Nintendo of Japan website, there’s an interview with Toby Fox where the first page of Homestuck is displayed!
It brings me such joy to see more people actually discuss Archie Sonic and what made it special instead of saying the same regurgitated "Ken Penders bad" rhetoric. I will be there for Part 2!
Archie Sonic is unironically my favorite story ever written. I don't like most of the reboot, and there are multiple pre-reboot stories I don't like, but overall; it's a great comic that I love, and I would hardly change a thing about it. I'm glad that since the beginning of last year, the comic has gotten more attention. Considering how long it lasted, and the number of countries it was published in, it does have a lot of fans, regardless of what some people want you to believe.
@@bowserbreaker2515 No surprise it’s your favorite story “ArchieSonicFan” lol, but I totally agree! Even through its rough spots the only things I’d change would be the expulsion of the Penders characters. Still, I loved the post reboot designs, and I’m a fan of Archie Mega Man too, so Worlds Collide was cool.
@@ravsucks If the Penders characters were removed, the comic would be completely different. I like Julie-Su a lot, Geoffrey had a great story under Flynn and a decent one under Bollers, and the echidna lore is interesting, it was just presented poorly. The comic is so interesting and unique, and that is something I'll always treasure.
@@bowserbreaker2515 Mobius: 25 Years Later, the Dark Legion, the Robo-Robotnik reveal… it wouldn’t be the same without them. I can’t deny I love Ian Flynn’s renditions of a lot of Penders characters, but I also can’t say Penders didn’t have some good ideas.
I’m going to be completely honest, I’ve never put together the messages behind SELF-iSH, but now that I know about them, it makes total sense why this album got me into WW. I have a very weird brain (I think) and I’ve always had a, want? need? to identify and quantify my SELF. The categories I fit neatly or not so neatly into. Why I feel the way I do about life and after. My sexuality and confusion about the concept of ‘true love’. My paracosmic dreams and nightmares. The Crows that I feel circle about me when darkness, like a veil, covers my soul. My primal fears and phobias. Every piece of my SELF I have tried and failed and tried again to find and see and catalog. For most of my life, I didn’t feel like there even WAS a ‘me’, I felt like I was just a shadow parading around in the masks that other people gave me. But I researched, I found, and I made my own mask out of the shattered pieces of my person, and I finally was. I can hardly think about this album without breaking into tears, for I remember all those other ‘me’s, but they have long sense corroded and crumbled into ruin, and their memory haunts me internally. As I listen to Self- and -Ish, I morn them, for no one else could. They are only dead to me. They only live through me. I really don’t know where all of that just came from but uh yeah, I cried watching this.
@@goblinface306 You could probably write a kickass script for WW analysis based on this comment alone! I’m glad you enjoyed the video, and I never would’ve guessed it could’ve brought someone to tears!
ww video essays that are both good and respectful of his privacy are hard to come by, this is a fantastic video, I really like your interpretation of the album, and how you explained it.
This analysis is insane. I love how much thought and genuine effort was put into understanding it. One of my favorite things about Will Wood's music is his exploration of complex topics (especially relating to psychiatry) through allusions to religion, literature, medical conditions, ect. A lot of his music resonates with me and I'm so glad I found a video essay that explains a possible (and in my opinion, highly likely) interpretation of such a masterpiece of an album.
@@ri_s9671 when i was finishing this video, i was tired and thinking “well, i hope that was coherent”. i’m glad that you and others not only understood what i meant but enjoyed it! thank you’
@@ri_s9671 when i was finishing this video, i was tired and thinking “well, i hope that was coherent”. i’m glad that you and others not only understood what i meant but enjoyed it! thank you!
@Endrgamr262 I disagree, Penders is decent writer who, sure, has enough of his idiot balls. Honestly, Tracy Yardley is worse than Penders, at least Ken was more creative to make up original stories and try to make them engaging instead of just repeating games plots everybody knows about.
…we’re talking about Penders, right? The guy who tried to turn Sonic into a bad Star Trek-esk sci-fi? Most evident in his Lara-Su Chronicles book or whatever it’s called… Turning the franchise into something else instead of well…Sonic the Hedgehog.
@antyep Yeah, because game Sonic was SO consistent in comparison and never twisted its genre into something for hype right? I might say something controversial, but despite 2010's being mediocre in terms of Sega handling the franchise the game were more consistent in tone of Sonic than Shadow May Cry, Zelda and the Black Knight, Final Fantasy: Mephiles edition and Werehog's Mansion Besides, weren't Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow game trying to do the same Star Trek thing too?
@@ashesGeek I don’t know what you mean about SA2 but just because Shadow has aliens doesn’t mean it’s Star Trek. By that logic, EVERY franchise that uses aliens is Star Trek. It’s the tone I’m talking about. But inconsistency isn’t what makes things bad, it’s how it’s done. And even though stuff like 06 is bad, it’s nothing compared to the crap Penders made especially his later work. Hell, he does not care about Sonic. He only uses it as a stepping stone for his own agenda, especially since his Lost Ones book flopped after ONE issue.
@@ravsucks as someone who’s heard a lot of what will wood says about his own music (from the podcast he does), i don’t really think i/me/myself is a “sore subject”? it’s moreso that strange people use it to INSIST that he’s transgender when he’s… just not. the song has a note from will himself on the genius page that he put out after some OTHER strange folks accused him of transphobia due to the song and it’d probably be a good resource to check out. glad to hear you’re gonna discuss the normal album too, it’s my favourite one ::)
@@lesbianetherea oh yeah i love that he contributed annotations to genius, certainly gives me a head start. i had heard i/me/myself had been the subject of a lot of debate about will, even if he’s been clear about it, so i’ll try to stay true to his stated meaning while not being like “oh this is about will wood’s own experience! this is what he went through!”
Curious question after you finish your archie sonic retrospective are you going to after IDW or Fleetway? Also is it weird that were 2 sonic comics that was made at the same time which is something you don't see often these days
@@sugarsmile7852 hmm, i wasn’t thinking of doing them at first, but after some other comments i’m thinking of doing fleetway! I love IDW but as it’s still ongoing, it’s hard to look back on it as a full story like I will Archie. Especially because my main talking point would be about SEGA’s restrictions on it and how it compares to Archie and Fleetway’s creative freedom. But maybe!
One thing to note about the comics is each issue's release dates, which were technically three months earlier than what it says on the cover, which is what we call a "cover date". In reality, issue #1 of the regular series didn't come out in July 1993 but rather April, while issue #0 of the original miniseries didn't come out in February 1993, but in November 1992, which coincidentally was also when Sonic 2 came out. Fun fact: SatAM was originally planned to air on ABC in fall of 1992 to coincide with "Sonic 2sday", but because DiC wanted to produce an extra package of 65 episodes meant for syndication (much like the Real Ghostbusters cartoon), the ABC network pulled out of the deal until they were promised that the syndicated package would become its own separate show which people would not mistake for the one airing on ABC, and thus "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog" was born, while SatAM was put back into production and also compared to its pilot "Heads or Tails" (which at one point was going to be a Springtime special, before being held over until Thanksgiving when the show went back into production), redesigned to be darker and more dramatic, so people would not mistake it for the silly bright syndicated show.
@@ScatterbrainPete While researching dates, I had seen it listed separately as Cover Date and Release Date - I believe I went with Cover Date for the video. I was wondering about that though! Also, I had never heard of the SatAM split that resulted in AoSTH - that’s really interesting! In fact, I’m even tempted to include that in Part 2… could I include your comment if I do?
@@ravsucks Sure! Go ahead. btw, while you're at it. Check out the SatAM Historian on Twitter (aka Good Ol' Groovy Jake on RU-vid). That guy has access to some pretty interesting and definitely eye-opening stuff about 90s Sonic media. Most of the info from my previous comment actually comes from him.
The Archie Sonic comics will always have a special place in my heart. They were the first comics I ever started to read and collected. Plus I think it's the coolest iteration of the Sonic character
@@dinkledonk9272 i haven’t watched the other one but my friend who’s into will wood tipped me off about it, so my goal was to try to tell the story without prying
Hey uh, quick comment, there are a lot of small things that aren't exactly true and you used a image of rotor from ASO instead of a actual photo. You also seem nice to geoffry but mock the echidnas. The logic here doesn't make full sense. I am glad you are staying positive but you leave out a lot, especially how the sally miniseries was kinda really awful to sally. I won't be watching anymore but if you need any help fact checking for the next video, i most definitely would be willing to help
Ah, I knew something looked fishy about that Rotor image. My bad. Also, I’ll get into Geoffrey more in Part 2. The Echidna jokes are just light teasing, I promise… the KTE series is just the source of a lot of memes and stranger elements. I’m still a huge fan of Julie Su, Jani-Ca, Lien-Da, Enerjak, etc.
I love archie sonic and have seen so many videos like this so I probably won't finish it, but I'm glad more people are trying to talk about it... just please be respectful. The archie sonic fans are constantly mocked
I’m critical of some parts, but Archie Sonic is still my favorite rendition of the hedgehog. Absolutely love it and hope others can get into it from this vid.
Tell me about it, I grew up with Underground and grew to love Fleetway comics few years ago, the fans of the first thing are mocked just because how can they possibly be fans of this garbage and the entire Sonic fanbase acts like Fleetway comics never existed or just complain that "British Sonic is a dick"
@@ashesGeek I haven’t got around to it, but I do want to do a read through of Fleetway! I like the idea of giving all the little animal creatures designs and roles, as well as Kintobor and Super Sonic.
@ravsucks I really recommend you checking out the entire run, its main writer Nigel Kitching is one of the most underrated Sonic writers ever. I'd dare to say Fleetway has most development and world-building level of Classic Sonic you'd never expected from this era compared to the games, unlike Archie they were trying to keep the world in tone with the games up until adapting Sonic Adventure story. Too bad they didn't have an opportunity to work with characters like Honey the Cat, Heavy and Bomb, or the rest of Team Hooligan except Fang.
Excellent analysis!! Self-Ish is such a great, meaningful, and complicated album in its themes and symbolism. You did a fantastic job of encapsulating it and delivering it in a concise, entertaining, and well-edited way! :] One thing I will say too is how I love you made the distinction between Will Wood, the singer, and Plato, the "protagonist" of this album. I find a lot of people see Self-Ish as Will's own experiences and being taken very literally as him discovering himself. While it is true that bits and pieces of the album is based on Will's experiences (most famously he really did take a lot of drugs in 2012 and forget most of the year), I find it kinda odd how people insist that Self-Ish is Will's personal journey and trip. I'm really happy to see that you treat Plato as a separate entity than Will Wood is all, considering that some people like to insist that Will's music is a complete reflection of his life This is a really well-made and lovingly crafted video and I'm so glad I was able to see it!!
@@SomePerson5 That was my exact intent - I’ve heard Will Wood has had too many obsessive fans try to pick apart his life despite his insistence on privacy. The album tells a beautiful story that I’m sure is drawn from a personal place, but I wanted to make sure it was told respectfully. Thanks!
This album along with others of his mean alot to mean especially his more older ones because of the themes of mental health that I really relate to also I always saw song with five names to be about religious trauma do I remember why no sadly
This is very well put together, I love it! The visuals and video clips you chose were perfect. And it's really cool to hear a storyline flowing through the whole album, regardless of whether the interpretations were similar to mine or even similar to WW's.
wow.... this video essay is so well done hope will sees this because again, wow! the journey and narrative of Self-Ish is what makes it so strong imo, being my second favorite album behind ICIMI (for v different reasons) its use of different themes and progression is amazing. my only thing is i wish the tracks faded Into eachother s little better so it was like one big song but that's judt me... AGAIN TY FOR MAKING IT
ooh, the tracks fading into each other is a good idea, maybe one i might use for my next one… i like to have distinct cuts between songs for intros like in capgras and song with five names but it could work well in other places
his solo albums are just a branding thing p sure! TNA is as much of a tapeworms thing as SELF-ISH, just being "solo" allowed for him to tour by himself and market easier as a pop thing
