Another thing I love about the EPIC community is when a new animatic is released, I don't know who is more excited, The Winions (the fans) or Jorgy Gorgy
IKR! Jorge is always so enthusiastic (his reactions to animations never fail to make me smile) and every EPIC fan I’ve chatted with are so great!! It’s a fun and chill community- love it !!
Adapting the fucking Odyssey is a literally herculean task and even in it's current incomplete state that's incredible. It also still retains elements of ancient greek theatre like the Chorus, though in a lesser role.
I adore that Polyphemus animatic, because of the cinematography of it. And the fact it has such a horrifying Polyphemus design. A head like that of a crab, the legs of a horse, and long bristles going down his back. All hinting at his ancestory as a son of Poseidon.
The animatic community works so hard for this one it is amazing,there's even some for songs that aren't properly released yet! And I *adore* the people trying to figure out how it would work on an actual stage! Such passion and love towards this project!
An insight of mine that i want to add about My Goodbye specifically is the fact that Athena repeats multiple times that this is the last time that they'll meet. The fact that Jorge felt the need to repeat that final line like eight times at the end of the song makes me feel like Athena is trying to convince herself of her decision. In my opinion this is either because she has spent a lot of effor in nurturing Odysseus and hates to need to start all over again (boring option), or she does genuinely care about Odysseus but does not realize it, which also lends to the somber feel the end of the song gives off as not only being Odysseus being attached to Athena but vice versa as well. I personally think its the latter situation, because we see gods that care about others as well like Hermes helping Odysseus or Circe protecting her Nymphs, and even with Athena and Telemachus.
@@Undeniably_Idiotic thanks! Epic is genuinely one of my favorite things currently, so it's fun to share some of my observations with fellow fans. Another thing I have only recently noticed is in our first song, the Horse and the Infant. After Odysseus reminisces about his wife and son, he says "ATTACK!!!" after which we hear the battle erupt. But under all of that sound of clashing swords and other instrumentations, we hear some strings that now feel highly familiar to me. To me, the strings that is played between the start of the attack and Odysseus vision sounds eerily similar to how "POSEIDON!" is chanted at the very beginning of Ruthlessness. Now I have two possibilities in mind for why they sound so similar: 1. That little melody is a sign for something horrible happening that will haunt Odysseus throughout his journey back home. Because his encounter with Poseidon along with the murder of baby Astyanax genuinely looms over his head his whole way back to Ithaca 2. That's a way for Jorgy Gorgy to connect Zeus and Poseidon, since Zeus appears right after this just like how Poseidon appears right after the melody plays in Ruthlessness. This is also possible considering they are two thirds of what is essentially the big 3 of the Greek pantheon along with Hades. I will perhaps make this like a thread or something because I don't know what else to post these kinds of things since none of my friends are as interested in this as I am
@@pixlv6384 I believe as with any reference to Poseidon's style of music, that instrumentation heard after ATTACK is heavily influenced by the triplet ruthlessness motif since they are bursting out to attack drunk and sleeping guards without any mercy
I would like to point out with “my goodbye” Athena only starts saying she’ll sever their connection when Odysseus starts cutting into her with very harsh and deeming words. She does care about him, but she does it in the way an army commander does for their soldiers. She’s distant and cold in her words but deeply cares and wants the best for him. But she doesn’t let the heart get in the way of the head especially in life or death situations. Yes, she is wrong for not thinking of how taxing it is on Odysseus, but those are matters of the heart not the mind, and the world is cruel to the heart. And him saying that to her, she goes quiet. She seems genuinely broken up he would say that to her in the next verses of the song. But quickly corrects herself into sounding more harsh and cold again. After making this whole essay I’m reminded why Athena’s songs are my favorites.
I was listening to some of the songs with my daughter (tween). When we were listening to “my goodbye” I felt so bad for Athena (and Odysseus too of course, because there is obvious pain on both sides) I said, (without thinking) “ouch, that hurts like how kids can say the most hurtful things to their family/friends without realizing what they’re doing” my daughter looked confused, and I said, “well, kids don’t always know they are saying something that strikes a nerve or suddenly hits so hard. Especially to the people that love them the most. It’s not always their fault, because they don’t realize how bad it can be, but for at least a moment, it can hurt worse than getting injured. In just one song, Odysseus hurt an immortal god with his words.” Then we had a talk about how words can be used to bully people so if it happens to her at school, it’s just as serious as getting physically bullied… Jorge became involuntarily involved in my parenting, lol.
I also love how Jorge includes bits of songs into other ones. Like in “This is my Goodbye” the line “After all you’re JUST A MAN” (in reference to the song “Just a Man”. it was so bad ass!
Your ruthlessness animatic is insanely good! It might be my favorite EPIC animatic ever! I especially love your Poseidon design and how he transforms into a giant horse. Great job!
I am happy that I can provide this type of content for people who are looking for it! I hope to make a follow up review when the next few sagas are fully released!
SO HAPPY TO SEE SOMEONE TALKING ABOUT THIS MUSICAL!! I love it and am always bothering my friends with the insane themes and motifs and analysis. It's amazing!!
granted, how trsutworthy is a crew in the first place if they place their own greed for a potential random unknown treasure over the words of their own captain? And if you want a ruthless captain...well, if this is the story of odysseus' fall to darkness? then you know what they say: be careful what you wish for.
Also! I never see anyone mention this but the melody for the verses in "Survive" match the melody with the start Of Zeus and Odysseus' convo at the end of "The Horse and Infant"
You are absolutely correct! And it is very funny that Odysseus and crew keep mentioning that it's just one life to take or one more thing to do and then their journey is over yet they aren't even into act 2 yet!
@@Undeniably_Idiotic difficult not to enjoy, these are really good vids and that eye pun made me laugh out lound (and the costume change was a very neat detail!)
When I found out about that song at first, the person had tagged Percy Jackson to the vid and so I thought it was a fan version of one of the OSTs of the new PJ saga by disney (which led me to watch the serie in the hope of hearing more of it …. But then I discovered that it was part of EPIC and not related at all to the serie hhh and now … I am just frustration because I want more of it ❤❤❤
hearing "I'll...see you guys in a couple of years when the next three sagas come out" after the Circe, Underworld and Thunder Sagas just came out is so funny
Have been looking for a video like this here on youtube. Something that actually fills in the spaces that the fandom are aware of, but that require a deep dive into so many places to figure out the facts of the musical. I haven't found an intro video anywhere, and while I have listened to the album on repeat on spotify, there was still a lot that I had no idea about that was said in this video. Super happy with this video and hoping it'll get great success c:
Something we constantly forget is that this video has been the reason why many people have found out about Epic in the first place which is just wild to us but we are real happy about it too!
Having each saga be its own episode would be really cool to see, Jorge has talked about the many ways he envisions the complete work and what medium it could be shown through, we're just excited to see each song release for now but absolutely can't wait to see the final completed piece no matter what form it takes
QUESTION: does anyone know what’s goin on with the apple at the end of ‘open arms’ and before ‘warrior of the mind’ I keep seeing animations where Polites throws an apple and Odysseus catches it and that ends ‘open arms’, I’m not sure if I missed something or not so any insight is much appreciated thx
Throwing and catching an apple is a form of proposal/sign of love in ancient greece I believe, so it's a form of shipping the two characters together I think
Another repeating motif in this musical that I absolutely LOVE is Penelope's motif, which is first introduced in the Horse and the Infant. You hear it both in Keep your friends close and There are other ways (which, of course, hadn't come out by the time you made this video but the Circe saga is ALSO AMAZING). But it's so clever how Jorge can make such a strong association with a character and an instrument or motif in your mind that you recognise something is about them the instant you here it. It's a level of musical storytelling I don't think I've seen done by anyone else!
What a video!! I have gushed out about this musical for TIME and this sums up all the reasons why. Beautiful music with deep meaning based on a heart wrenching story, incredible animatics that have insane artists with such various art styles that all look so pretty and bring out the depths of peoples emotions, and the discussion that comes with all the questions we have regarding the songs. Your discussion and summary of this musical were so great and kept me engaged through the entire watch. Jay really is making a masterpiece and we are able to see it grow beneath our feet! 😁💙
I wish I could give more than one like to this video! I have tried to get my friends and family as into this musical as I am and nobody seems to care. All I have are the comments under videos like this. Glad to find others who are just as into this as I am!
That's really sweet! If you are looking for a great community of people to talk about EPIC: The Musical with, join their discord server! It's a really great place!
33:15 - I would just like to point out that it's not Hypocrisy on Odysseus' part. He says so in the end of "Keep Your Friends Close" that, "We can save whatever wind is left to use another day, come on!" And this was that day.
while that's true, to the crew in the back that may not have heard from an outside perspective they were told to never open it and seeing Odysseus then open it, without fully understanding the bag they may misinterpret as such, thus adding to the sense of unease in the crew... Also might have been a stretch on our part just to add more *dramatic tension* as we are excited to see how this will all culminate and overflow eventually in Mutiny!
I got in a couple months before the Ocean saga dropped, so hearing the full version of Keep Your Friends Close was a treat. But I was mostly caught off guard by the lyric changes in Luck Runs Out, specifically the first pre-chorus ("and end up losing your life" was simplified to "and lose your life", and "cause a lot of strife" was changed to "infuse us with strife"). It's not bad, just caught me off guard a little! But yes, I love the analysis, and yeah, you're right, my brain subconsciously picked up on the electric guitar thing! Also the wind at the end of My Goodbye is really just driving the point home, it's gusts blowing through a ghost down or an empty desert
ive more to say now, i was introduced to epic just as i fell into the musical rabbit hole so its basically the first musical that ive heard that isn't fundamental to my musical experience and it's fantastic. I cant choose a favourite song between it all, but I could choose favourites of each saga thats beeb released so far. For the Troy Saga, my favourite is definitely Open Arms followed closely by Warrior Of The Mind(Full Speed Ahead is surprisingly good but it doesn't hit the same spots for me, although the entire "waiting" segment is amazing, which just goes to show even if a song isnt the best in your or my opinion its still amazingly written and composed.) I'm not talking about Just A Man nor Horse and the Infant since this video discussed it perfectly. The Cyclops Saga is my least favourite musically even including the unreleased Sagas but i still put every song in it in my Spotify playlist so it's still amazing. Remember me is my favourite by a longshot and i recite it every other day, Survive and Polyphemus are filled with artfully done storytelling moments and My Goodbye is character writing at it's finest. Then our current latest saga, the ocean saga which is where things really go downhill. Mutiny is foreshadowed by Luck Runs Out which is genius btw, it also has other things but it was mentioned in the video already. Storm is surprisingly good just like Full Speed Ahead and is also amazing storytelling. I like how Aeolus speaks in Keep Your Friends Close, it truly fits for a lesser god in the grand scheme of things, but still holds enough power to send more than 500 men in 12 ships hundreds of miles from their destination with a bag. ofc Ruthlessness is fantastic and i think so many others have analysed it that i don't need to, but fun fact ig my friend is singing that for a music presentation. Honestly, Ruthlessness and Keep Your Friends Close are very close subjectively imo, especially with the falling asleep to closing the bag little segment. idk why i went on this rant but i like this musical alot if you couldn't tell.
I live, laugh, love Epic the Musical. I've followed for years and I'm soooo soo glad that a lot more people know of it now, and the discord is filling up with more people to fangirl with
Jorge is an amazing writer and all the people involved are so passionate about the musical I love hearing every new song and how much detail is put in it. Also the fandom is amazing, we have artist, talented singers and some of us who are just excited to be here ❤
33:12 so, I don’t think Odysseus opening the bag was hypocritical in that instance. The game/deal was: don’t open the bag and you can “get what you’re yearning”/get home. He got punished when the bag was opened by being taken farther away from his home (I’m assuming the land of the giants was farther away), but the bag stayed with them. The wind god could have taken the bag back, but it stayed with them and Odysseus used it as a tool later in order to survive when it was no longer part of a deal struck with the wind god. It seemed like a smart move to me and while I could see the men be irritated “so when YOU open the bag it’s ok” but Odysseus should say, YEAH. At that point, he’s just using a tool at his disposal.
I feel the bag represents the trust that the crew hold for their captain and that at this point in the story it is being tested greatly. After being told not to open the bag and getting no explanation, they want to get closure and open it regardless. Then Odysseus opens it himself and so from the perspective of the crew that don't have the full knowledge of the game/deal and have just witnessed nearly all of their fellow crewmates drown, whether it is hypocritical or not, it would definitely cause some to call into question Odysseus leadership and sets a very tense yet sombre tone heading into the Circe Saga
@@Undeniably_Idiotic AAAAAAAAAAA you replied!!!! So cool! 🤩 My one nitpick is Odysseus did give them an explanation in the song. Before he could tell them the storm was inside, the Winglings said it was treasure but Odysseus says “everybody listen closely” (everybody implies not just two people, but a bigger group of people) and “this bag has the storm inside…”I agree this is a test of the crew’s trust in their captain because now they have a Pandora’s box but not because Odysseus was being secretive. I agree seeing their crewmates drown will cause them to start doubting their captain, but I still feel Odysseus opening it the second time was a strategic and fair use of a tool at his disposal. And the crew would probably feel relieved to escape Poseidon with the wind that’s left. But perhaps the instrumental music before Odysseus sends Eurylochus to scout the island is time for the crew as well as Odysseus to struggle with conflicting feelings of relief to be alive, survivors guilt, and questioning Odysseus.
I was thinking about Luck Runs Out and how Odysseus reacts to Aeolus vs. Eurylochus and the crew. I wonder how much of Odysseus' views are shaped by the fact that he had a goddess for a mentor from a relatively young age. There's a reason people made sacrifices to the gods: because they were vengeful and petty and prideful. But being so friendly and close to one has to effect that view.
that is very true especially with how non-chalant Odysseus is about going to ask a god for help then Eurylochus reminds him that the gods are VERY dangerous! But Odysseus only realises this after his luck runs out...
I love greek mythology and musicals, im so happy that i found epic and how incredible it is! Im glad its getting more attention :) also wolfythewitch is my favourite artist and a great inspiration for me! Thanks for including them in this :D
do not apologize for speaking his true name... also there have been talks about making the musical into a stage performance, movie, series, anime, who knows what the finished product will be like!
This is such a fantastic video! I was so excited to see a lengthy deep-dive into the musical, and you guys did not disappoint! I remember the first time I heard "Just A Man", my introduction to the musical, and I was just. BEYOND blown away. Every single song is just beautiful! The love and care, the techniques, the references, everything Jorge & the cast have poured into this project is nothing short of amazing. EPIC is really living up to its name, and I'm incredibly excited to see what else is to come!
So glad that you enjoyed the video! It is a really great project and was surprised there was no long form content of it to enjoy... so that's where we stepped in!
You should consider doing a review of pulp musicals! (Or at least listening to it, lol) it’s a similar sort of podcast-musical and has many of the actors from the Hatchetfield series as voice actors. It currently has 3 episodes and the music is BEYOND phenomenal.
In defense of Odysseus opening the bag of wind, that wasn't a hypocisy move. At that point Aeolus game was already lost and they had already paid by being sent away to the land of the giants because the men had already opened it. By the time Poseidon showed up and wiped out the rest of the fleet, nothing was stopping him from opening the bag again. The damage was already done and they needed a way out or they were dead too. He's not being a hypocrite, he just took advantage of an already broken situation.
i quite enjoyed this review but one critical note ive noticed is that this seemed more of a summarized narration of what happens in the odyssey, or more accurately EPIC's interpretation of the odyssey. there were more of which that stated what happened in each song rather than things that explained why the musical is so great. tho i believe that narrating the musical is significant in the process of reviewing it, i do think that it shouldnt be the major focus of the review. as we all know, EPIC is a musical based on an already established epic poem, The Odyssey by Homer. having been aware of this, it just felt like i watched a "review" towards the Odyssey rather than EPIC itself. great foundation tho, keep it up!
additionally: granted that this seems more of a video essay than review, i think my criticism might be too harsh. id just like to say that i really did enjoy and love the video but i wish couldve been made in a way that less focused on narration.
We've gotten these types of comments before where it rides the line between review and summary, but we like to think that giving a refresher of the content we are talking about makes the points easier to explain while also bringing up points that we want to talk about as they happen chronologically. In addition to this, once we've given an overview we take all the established pieces of each saga and go back over them now that all the information has been presented. Really glad you enjoyed though and who knows, perhaps our style of video will begin to drift more towards reviewing than overviewing as time goes on!
I was excited for some new analysis of EPIC, or at least for some deep personal feelings about it... sadly, this video is just recounting beat-by-beat what happens in each song, repeating the info about the composition that Jorge already shared in his shorts, and saying how "great" it is in different ways.
While it isn't hypocrisy, the crew may view it as such and thus it adds to the tension and conflict that may lead to an eventual mutiny in Odysseus's crew
And polities wants to show him that after all the years of war the rest of the world isn't out to kill him Be sitting here after 6 sagas: the rest of the world isnt? Ow...hm... i think he realised quite fast he was wrong q.q
you are mistaken, for "Jorge" is actually pronounced "Mr. Jalapeno", I shall rectify this in any follow up reviews we may do of this musical in the future
@@Undeniably_Idiotic like silent J and only "Orge"? I dunno man, I'm Brazilian, which isn't the same nationality as his, but both our languages are pretty similar in many ways, including phonetic and structure, so I always read and said Jorge as George without "E"
love this video, but the making fun of jorge’s name doesnt sit well with me… reminds new of the laufey line “try to say your foreign name and laugh”. everything else great though, but that was disappointing
Honestly if that was the only song that Jorge Rivera-Herrans had released, I would still be satisfied. But OH BOY am I glad that it is part of a greater musical!
I Normally leave these comment to be replied to by Seán since this was his video, But I'm jumping in to agree with you, I read that script, I spoke the words, And even my little brother was like 'left with 40 something crew is not half', So I (Brandon, the one who's voice you hear at this part) completely agree with you
@agustinleiva525 Hello Again, its Brandon. I would like to apologise, after checking it turns out I was wrong, Seán wrote this 'In an attempt to be this paragon of good morales, he loses nearly his entire crew to Poseidon’s attack.' That is taken Straight from the script, it just turns out my dyslexic ass cannot read, so the fault is mine I have been told off, I sit on the naughty step
Found this video maybe ~20 minutes after Jorge announced The Circe Saga's release date. I am obsessed with this musical and the story of The Odyssey, so seeing this concept finally coming to life and being released officially is so incredible and we are so lucky to see this grow in real time!
you are absolutely correct, the creative process and development stage of this musical has garnered such a great community, I can't wait to see what the full release will bring!
As a Classics student and lover of all things Greek Mythology, this musical has fully enraptured my attention and continues to amaze me with each new Saga released. Jorgo-Porgo is a truly phenomenal composer/lyricist, and I am honoured to be a part of this awesome community. My friends and I are all excitedly awaiting the release of the Circe Saga, which might I remind you, is just under a month away!
in the oddessy (when they first meet circe) the crew literally CRY when they find out they have to go see this new monster of the week. I'm exited to see what happens next in epic
With “just a man” there’s also the amazing dichotomy of who he’s talking about Someone will become a monster after that interaction, Odysseys just chooses whether it will be the child or himself
He is also questioning at what point would this innocent child become a monster, at what point would he no longer be the infant in his arms, Odysseus has to dehumanise the child in order to go through with it
@@Undeniably_Idiotic I get that, I’m just pointing out that he is also talking about himself Either claim that because of fate the child is already a monster, or that Odysseus himself is for killing an infant.
I've heard about Epic the musical, I was really surprised that it wasn't a Broadway musical (hopefully just yet), but I never really cared about it until now. Keep up the good work !!
hey! just to clarify in ‘Open Arms’, the Lotus Eaters aren’t Winions. In the Odyssey, Lotus Eaters are basically just people but hiGH. I think that’s the case in the musical as well. The Winions are strictly the minions of Aeolus, the Wind God & appear as her ensemble.
Sorry yeah, they just sound and are depicted similarly that we thought they were the same thing, especially since the fans coined the name as their own
My bf introduced me to this musical cause I love musicals and a little bit of Greek mythology to a degree. And Jorge is literally making amazing music mix with his awesome storytelling. I never been so excited for a musical that has sagas to look forward to. Definitely became my fave musical QUICK
I feel like this video is proof of how kind the Epic community is. Like you guys kindly asked all of these artists "Hey may we use your animatics for our video" and everybody was like "Ya sure!" and I just feel that is so cool! I just think that nowadays its more common for somebody to just steal somebody else's art and not even give them credit but for you guys to actually say "Hey go check these awesome artists out! They really helped us a lot in the visuals for this video." It just makes me happy lol idk
I love this musical & I follow him. I listen to it on repeat with Starkids' Nerdy Prudes Must Die musical. Did you know a university has a live class recording of an original musical about the later life of Aaron Burr? It's Burr on RU-vid.
@@Undeniably_Idiotic Recording quality is meh, but give it a few tries. The more I listen, the more I like & the info matches my limited research on his later life. (Don't get me started on my Hamilton obsession lol)
I randomly discovered this music on RU-vid, and quickly fell down a rabbit hole. I decided my life will not be complete without watching this musical. I was so disappointed when I found out it didn’t exist yet.
One tiny thing i noticed: The winion are not actually the lotus eaters ^^ they're the minions of the wind god Aeolus in a later part of the musical, hence the name. The lotus eaters are called just that. And I love them (and I don't get why most people seem to hype up the winions more than the lotus eaters) Edit: I would love to see that full analysis of the music you talked about at the end. Even if it's just you rambling for an hour. absolutely do it of you want to I'd definitely watch it.
@@Undeniably_Idiotic Yeah I get that especially cause a lot of animators draw them the same. I just think they sound completely different. And I think in jays clips they are also always differentiated.
EPIC the musical does not have a SINGLE bad song in my opinion infact, theyre all unbelievably good ive relistened countless of times, now think about how impressive that is
Jorge being so very excited about Epic as well makes it so much better because it makes us more excited too. Two songs that I personally can't wait for are Thunder Bringer (which has Zeus) and Not Sorry For Loving You (which has Calypso). TB is such an awesome song and NSFLY is so heartbreaking. Even more so when you know Calypso's story/lore. Short version of it is that Calypso was cursed to basically an eternity of heartbreak when her only "crime" is that her father is a Titan (Atlas).
Thank you for your analysis! I absolutely love this musical and I'm always spamming my friends with the different themes and parallels I found that just blow me away. I read the Odyssey about a year ago and I'm really excited to see it all play out in the following Sagas (although that makes Luck Runs Out a really 'aged like milk' (or rather a 'will age like milk'?) Type of song :D ) This musical deserves just as many video essays like Hamilton or any other musical, and I'd honestly would watch a video essay for every single song 😂
I could dive deep into every single song for half an hour each but Brandon had to pull me back a bit so that the video would actually be made within a month rather than taking a year to be made
@@Undeniably_Idiotic and every single song has soo many parallels you could talk about, haha. My favourite one is the 600 lives parallel you mentioned as well (I think), where it goes from "600 lives at sea" over "600 lives at stake" until Poseidon completely crushes it with "43 left under your command". I also love how prominent Poseidon is in the Ocean Saga. I mean of course, it's the saga centered about his domain and his actions, but the very first song is already about him, because the storm is something he causes (or at least we should assume that due to the "is it nature or divine" line). It reminds me of the way Thanos is portrayed as the protagonist in Infinity war. And I also think it's fitting for the wrath of an ocean god to feel him as this constant danger before he even appears. Just like an ocean can slowly and threateningly get darker while the waves get higher until it escalates in a... Well, storm.