I think the thing with Mario's song is that he's singing about him because he doesn't actually know Mario. He probably knew Rayman as it theorized that he's one of the Rabbids from the original Raving Rabbids games.
One thing I find very interesting about both songs is the lyrics and meaning. Both songs are made to taunt Mario and Rayman. However, both songs are based in some kind of meta narrative around each character. Phantom mocks and taunts Mario, bringing up his 30 year history. While in that song, it felt semi-direct/semi-indirect, the Rayman rant feels so much more personal. In context of Rayman, Ubisoft decided to ditch Rayman and solely focus on the Rabbids, creating this idea that they overshadow him. And over the course of the 2000s, they've tormented Rayman before they were made separate. In the song, Phantom belittles Rayman not just through the real world history, but also by directly insulting him. His friendship with Globox (his best friend) dwindling, his importance being shelved, his first villain, Mr. Dark, being put higher than him, and just playing with Rayman's body parts. I think its really neat, but I also appreciate that the end of the game also finally mended Rayman's relationship with the Rabbids, for him finally accepting that there are good ones out there. Wonderful video too, Phantom is awesome.
We are officly at the stage where people make character analysis videos on these games . This makes so happy and i am proud to be part of this comunity
As someone who loves the Mario+Rabbids series to death and feels that it is extremely under appreciated, seeing this 30-minute love letter to one of it’s characters, from someone who hadn’t even had to play the game to fall in love with them no less, was literally a dream come true. Thank you! If you haven’t already in the time since you uploaded this, I would heartily urge you to give both Mario+Rabbids games a try. Like most of Mario’s takes on game genres, they are a very simplified version of traditional tactical combat and the gameplay is pretty easy to wrap your head around. That doesn’t mean it’s not challenging-it was designed to be more difficult than your usual Mario game, and some of the battles and challenges will definitely put your strategic thinking to the test-but it’s such a fun and charming time, and I think that anyone can overcome even it’s toughest moments with some trial and error. And both games take plenty of time to ease you into the swing of things before the difficulty starts to spike. Plus, there are so many more album-worthy moments in both titles that will make you break into a chuckle-not just the Phantom. On the whole, the writing is on par with, if not better than the other Mario RPG franchises. One more thing-where did you find the documentary you were showing snippets of with the commentary from the creators and footage of the orchestra? Music is always a huge part of the gaming experience for me, and Mario+Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is no exception, yet I don’t think I’ve ever seen that video myself and I would love to check it out.
I remember seeing this game announced and thought it was nothing but a cash grab from Ubisoft. It was completely in the back of my mind until… well…. Phantom came along. This character pretty much changed my perspective of the Mario + Rabbids series and led me down the rabbit (er… Rabbid) hole to learning more about opera and classical music and pretty much making me join the fandom, even 6 years on. This video solidified my love for this opera singing ghost rabbit and the quality of it is just so great. I am forever grateful of the community I ran into on deviantart and tumblr for keeping my hyperfixation alive. Thanks for rambling about the Phantom! Keep up the great work!
Fun fact: in phantoms death act in the dlc is actualy a copy of the death animation in rayman advertures or legends, looking back and screaming with fully open eyes.
I used to absolutely hate Rabbids and never wanted to touch Mario + Rabbids without knowing about it. That was until I found the original Phantom song. I was blown away by the fact that I didn’t want to shoot a singing Rabbid. I was enlightened to the greatness of strategy games and even opera. His character inspired one of my OCs, the songs are all masterpieces, and I just love this guy to bits. Thank you for making such an in-depth, passionate analysis of this perfect male specimen and giving him the attention and _spotlight_ he deserves! Also this video is so well edited and I love your voice! I can really feel the passion you feel for the Phantom and this video does so much justice for this national treasure!
I'd love to see you do more video essays, this was an enjoyable watch :) It resonated with me as a "hyperfixate on a game I've never actually played" kinda person. I've seen clips of The Phantom's songs before and was amused and intrigued, but very confused- its nice to get some more context. I now have a new appreciation for the character. Guess it's time for me to go further down the Rayman/Rabbids rabbit hole. The rabbid hole, if you will.
Ah, yay! Thank you! I was hoping I'd appeal to people in your situation. It's really awesome to see both diehard fans and newbies love what I brought to the table here! 😊💖💕
From the moment i saw this guy in first game, i immediately got OBSESSED WITH HIM. And your video really highlighted those traits i liked about his character! Great video!
As someone who played the first game back in 2020 and was obsessed with him for months, let me tell you i was fucking ECSTATIC when i learned phantom had a comeback I loved how expressive and dramatic he was in his first song, but seeing it cranked up to ELEVEN in his comeback legit had me swooning over him His mannerisms, how hes even more dramatic in his poses and facial expressions, how you can FEEL him pouring his heart into his song IS FUCKING BEAUTIFUL Its so obvious that he loves theatre and acting, and while im aware i sound like a broken record i cannot get over how much more dramatic the animation is. How he expresses anger, sadness, disgust, humour, joy, fear, ITS JUST. *MWAH* PERFECTION Especially how much more colourful everything is. In his first debut, i noticed how the scenes felt flat and a bit lifeless. There wasnt much use of colour theory in expressing specific emotions. While in his comeback [mainly in his second song] you can visually SEE the use of colours. Red for anger and intensity, blue for sadness and tranquility, purple for terror, etc. i am fucking READY to delve back into this fandom now that im playing the second game and planning on purchasing the 3rd dlc SPECIFICALLY to find little hidden details about phantom
I think for Rayman Fans the the second song hits different. Phantom loves to nitpick and point out the worst about his adversaries. Rayman being the second fiddle to the rabbits, and HIM being a rabbit! Pointing out Marios relationship problems, and even making fun of how there games works. For Rayman fan in particular it means alot because to them its the company acknowledging that Rayman has been long forgotten and them favoring the rabbits, they putting Phantom in the Spotlight and Leaving him to the dust.. But as he returned he FINALLY gets some content! As a Rayman fan, seeing him back in some form is great. Oh yeah and Phamtom just goes hard.
Its amazing how much of an impact a single side character from a crossover spinoff game can have! Its always the little things in life that bring the greatest joy.
Ever since the 1st game in 2017, I've been a HUGE fan of the Phantom, and when it was announced he was returning in the sequel, I was THRILLED! Even though he roasts everyone, his songs are the best! I'm also glad they expanded on the Phantom's personality and character in the 2nd game compared to the original, and they even referenced him a couple times in the main game and in the other DLC's, such as him being the ex-boyfriend of Bea, the Warden of Terra Flora, as well as a giant doll version of him in "The Last Spark Hunter" with a Rabbid singing in its mouth.
The algorithm has allowed me to stumble onto here and FUCK this is good, like your script writing and reading is fantastic, the topic is fun and well researched. Rarely a dull moment were my enjoyment dips. And all in a video where someone hyperfixates on an operatic spectral Frenchman rabbit
words cannot even begin to describe how much i love this video. everything about it, i loved! especially pointing out Phantom giggling at Mario's reaction to him being dissed. i couldn't have smiled (and stimmed) harder while watching this. i've loved Phantom since i first saw him in 2017, and when i found out he returned, lemme tell you i lost my marbles. i still freak out every time i see him! even my liked posts on tumblr is just filled with Phantom fan art! explanation: i frickin' love him. he holds a special place in my heart and he WILL be in my heart for years to come. thank you for making this video. lots of hugs, savannah
A personal theory of mine is that the phantom has a gripe with mario because he was made with the influence from bowser Jr. And the megabucks, making him hostile towards the portly plumber
I like to imagine phantom only fights Mario because he’s famous and only gets serious after the first phase,phantom fights ray man since he was the first person to fight the rabbids so now it’s personal
I’ve recently been absolutely like FIXATED on rayman so I watched this video bc The Phantom in his dlc and WOW the passion you have for this dude is like ASTOUNDING!!! I had such a fun time with this video and really loved learning abt this silly rabbid ghost performer!!!!!
I’ve been with this community from the moment the first game was announced. I’ve been everywhere, from the excitement and amazing art on Twitter, the endearing heartfelt and slightly scary fans on tumblr, to even the critical and more opinionated fans of Reddit. This entire series made me the person I am today, And it has stand the test of time as my favorite series of all time. I’m always excited to see such passionate and caring people creating so much from these wacky characters and worlds. And from only TWO games! And The Phantom is no exemption to the imagination. This video was incredible and very well researched and gave me more of an appreciation for a character I already adored so much. So from the bottom of my heart, Thank you for making this video and for being a part of the reason I here today. And this goes for the whole community as a whole. If we don’t get a third game I still be satisfied for what we got from the amazing team at Ubisoft. Thanks for reading and have a great day!😊
@@EJSmith145 DAMN YOU FOR MAKING ME ACTUALLY SHIP THESE TWO!!! THEY'RE PERFECT FOR EACHOTHER, PHANTOM COULD ENCOURAGE HIM TO CONTINUE WRITING WHILE BEING UNAFFECTED BY THE EFFECTS WOODROW'S POEMS!!! MY HEART ACHES AUGHHHH
For someones first video essay this was a really great watch! As someone who played the first mario and rabbids game and IMMEDIATELY fell in love with the phantom this vid was really great!! I feel like you got his character spot on and it was really interesting learning about the VA.
The Rayman DLC was how I got into the character and the game. I love Rayman, and I knew the phantom roasted Mario so I was excited for that I also like how the phantom has the same voice in the Italian dub, I listened to it and immediately knew (I'm writing this as I'm watching the video so I dunno if it was mentioned or not) I listened to the Rayman roast so many times because of how good it it, and I even listened to it in other languages to see how it sounds, French, and German, English gotta be my favorite I love how goofy the Phantom is 😱
16:23 ok so unrelated but while watching this I was scrolling tumblr and a split second of an ad played and scared me because I thought it was part of the video Anyway back to the actual video, gotta say I loved this, I always liked the phantom but this essay helped me gain more things to like about the phantom that I hadn’t thought or known about before. Just seeing the pure passion in the video warmed my heart.
EGAD! A PHANTOM DEDICATED VIDEO!? FUCK YEAH!!! Phantom has been always my favorite ever since he made his first appearance because how charming he is despite tho flaws and my love for him never faded, And it's absolutely fucking insane he is given the spotlight again along with Rayman! Overall I loved his songs that are basically classical diss tracks and the thought of an Rabbid character roasting Mario is funny asf XD Overall he's the reason I got into the fandom and Rabbids in general, Including Rayman of course. My personal bit with Phantom not interacting much with Mario is because Mario has very little personality and basically being pretty bland (No hate on the guy, Just he needs to have more personality along with the OG Mario Cast) so maybe that's why Phantom doesn't notice him much because Mario personality consists of an dry piece of bread with the side of italian spice thus acting like he doesn't exist despite making a literal diss track about him. Eh just my thoughts, Take it with a grain of salt. And eyyyyy Fuposey! We are actually good friends even though we don't talk much, I absolutely loved her cute art since way back from DA (Which I deleted my account for personal reasons) Overall fantastic video about the absolute debonair ghost Rabbid, Phantom 💜💜💜💜 (Fun Fact: He literally made an 10 Hour audio video of Mario burning in Lava)
LMAO YES i do know about the 10-hour album thing, one of my favorite tidbits about him, haha!! And yeah, I was admittedly tip-toeing around the fact that Mario just isn't that big of personality to work off of for Phantom, (compared to Rayman for SURE) but I didn't wanna come across as rude! I love my little wahoo-yippee guy!! But yes, thank you for the kind words on this video - more to come soon enough! 🤗💖💕
I've never clicked on something faster in my life. Seriously man, it was THIS GUY who got me interested in the game in the first place. I did forget about the game from my first interest, so when I got my hands on it, all I could remember was "rabbid singing opera". I have some much damn nostalgia for this game, in which I just rediscovered recently. I've gone on to be known as "Fun Fact about Neo: She's crazy about Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle", and hosting a Mario + Rabbids themed Warrior Cats MAP (Multi Animator Project, they are everywhere in the Warrior Cats fandom) which I am indeed crazy about. I have yet to play Sparks of Hope, as I am still salty about Rabbid Yoshi not anywhere in it, but man I still am crazy about this series and our lord and savior, The Phantom. yes I will fangirl over this man
To this day I can't get his songs out of my head, I'm so happy I'm not the only one who find him the BEST part of these games! The character design the acting and the MUSIC. He's just a very good villain!
I love Tom Phan! I like to imagine my orginal reaction to the phantom is much like how Choctopus reacted. Because oh my god the absolute diss track Tom Phan throws down on mario and crew!
i have a headcanon that the gramophone is the phantom's voice box, obvious to imagine what would happen if the thing broke, no more singing, and possible death! i even had a headcanon of how things would occure if void (kirby star allies) somehow stolen the megabug
Absolutely wonderful work, EJ! If I may add to this video, I believe there's also another aspect to Phantom that many fans like, myself included. Phantom is, in a way, a bit mysterious. He may not be as mysterious as the OG Phantom of the Opera, but there's a lot of speculation involving his life as a celebrity. In Kingdom Battle, we are introduced to this musical ghost-bunny who, somehow, knows a lot about Mario. In Sparks of Hope, we're given bits and pieces of trivia lore for us to know what Phantom has been up to. But even with those, we don't know exactly what is truly is other than "Egotistical Opera Singer/T.V. Host." Like, what does he think of Princess Peach? Did he truly loved Bea before their relationship went downhill, or is romance just a game for him? Is Phantom purely an angry, spiteful person in general or is he capable of becoming a "better" person and his boastful act on the stage is just that? Ubisoft clearly made Phantom (and other characters) to have a life outside the events of the games, but they don't reveal a lot of lore bits for fans to learn. So to compensate for this, fans come up with headcanons, fanfics, fanart, and other posts to fill in the blanks.
I had wanted to make a similar video gushing about the Phantom, but I ended up not doing it because I had a feeling someone would do it better - glad to see that I was right! This is an excellent video - you described every point very well! I'm a bit puzzled you didn't talk about the actual boss fight itself, but regardless, well done! Congrats on 14K views so far - you definitely deserve it! (Also thanks for being part of the Magolor following 😎)
I loved this! I haven't played the mario and rabbids games but this video was so captivating! I'd love to see more essays from you about other characters
if you at any point want to start playing games like these ones, mario rabbids is absolutely the best place to start, it's a game that can be decently challenging while also extremely adapted for a first time player of the genre, it was one of my first games of this genre and now it's my favorite genre (i hope i didn't ramble or something too much, i love trpgs)
Wow. This video was fantastic!!! It's fun to see fellow smaller creators coming out of the woodworks with video essays. This is such a good video about a game and character I adore. You've earned a new subscriber, and consistent viewer if more of these come. Great work, keep it up!!
I'd like to think that the Phantom is also the antithesis of Pauline, Mario's old flame. Keep in mind that Kingdom Battle came out in the exact same year as Super Mario Odyssey, which is not only an excellent Super Mario title with a lot going for, but also marks the true resurgence of Pauline (who was stuck in the Mario vs Donkey Kong games prior to this). One of the most iconic things from Odyssey is her song, "Jump Up, Super Star", a jazzy number that essentially praises Mario for his actions and encourages him to go on... this is obviously the _exact opposite_ of the Phantom's number in Kingdom Battle, which are supposed to belittle and discourage Mario. And with that in mind, I can't help but think of a scenario in which Mario and Rayman have to battle the Phantom again. As per usual, Phantom would roast _both_ Mario and Rayman in the first act, before the battle begins... but as the second phase of the battle is over, _Pauline_ would show up for the third act, not only praising and encouraging Mario and Rayman, but also roasting _the Phantom himself_ in the process; have his spotlight be stolen, and have him be the target for a change, as he pathetically attempts to deny Pauline's roasts and still claim he's better, only to be denied and ignored himself, being beaten at his own game. Not only would it be a nice, perfect conclusion of what he has done over the year, but it also challenges him, shows what he would do if HE was in Mario and Rayman's place, and has the potential to ooze even more personality out of him.
Hi EJ! I follow you on insta and was very surprised to see you were making this video. After just finishing it, I must say that you did an amazing job editing and writing it and poured some real passion into this. Great work!
I know a little bit about mario and nothing about rabbids but I GET it, when you showed how the expressions changed between games i was like uh huh yeah
Beautiful. Subscribed. Please please continue to make more. Especially video essays like this one. You're filling a huge "Noralities" shaped hole, if you know it or not. Wonderful!
Mainly because unlike Rayman, Mario doesn't speak at all. He's the Silent Protagonist, and I think it hurts otherwise what could've been a decent rap battle.
with Dance Macabre I and probably many in the Netherlands know it from the Efteling attraction "spookslot" (Dutch) or "ghostlock" or "phantomlock" in English
I believe another difference is that, in the original, neither we nor the characters knew Phantom before this. He was just another obstacle standing (or floating) in our way. He was just another boss for us to beat. It's a really memorable one, but still just what was supposed to be a one-off boss. His return, however, hits differently. We know him, and the characters know him. But most importantly, Rayman was there. Out of everyone in this crossover series, Rayman knew the most about Rabbids and what the species as a whole has done all those years ago. This battle was way more personal than the first time round. The Phantom capitalised on that and made it even more personal by rubbing it in Raymans face. Because at the end of the day, he's right, the Rabbids did overshadow Rayman, in his own series no less.
Mario and Rabbids is a crossover no one asked for, but everyone loves it, including me. And fact of life for everyone: The Phantom is the BEST character in ALL of Rabbids. Period.
Well, I never heard the French Opera is amazing, but it's true, because I'm French 😂. But yeah basically, all song and in the first game and in the DLC are amazing 😁🎉
1:50 as someone who played Kingdom Battle and the base game of Sparks Of Hope i can tell you that the series isn't complecated at all the most difficulty you may have are bonus challanges and (sometimes) overworld puzzles definitively recomend to get into the genre
another thing that ups the rayman song vs the mario song (which is a obvious as in the lyrics so thats probably why you didn't cover it) is that the song at rayman literally has real world history behind it. i mean when has mario and rabbids really even interacted officially (! besides this series !)?what connection or relationship do they have? none. *rayman* tho, rayman used to be the companies mascot, and for years now he's been pushed in the dark, forgotten mostly by the company itself. rabbids took his spot, they became the mascots, the phantom is literally singing about their spots as the mascot! and how the rabbids beat him.
Let's just say dis: Phantom doesn't hate Mario, he simply tired of seeing how his story repeats itself. In other words, he consists of combination from THREE things(not two as usually in the game) : -de ghost (knowledge of more than hundreds of years) -rabbit (also some knowledge + stupidness+ rabbit's form) - music box( +respect +perfect voice+noice clothes and some Actually more than +80 IQ up)
Here is one of my theories so when he sings in the song, the Phantom is basically saying the rabbids have replaced your life in the second song he basically just says everything bad about the team in the first song he brings up globox and Mr. dark the first one he’s basically saying your friendship with globox is fake and when you talk about Mr. Dark he’s basically saying he is Mr. dark kind of and that’s my theory any questions?
11:59 honestly i see nothing wrong with it, The phantom referring to mario as he and him instead of just addressing him directly is exactly what happens in plays and drama which is loosely based on the fourth wall and monologue, keeping a fourth wall between the actors and “spectres” makes a drama more of a drama also sorry for the unfunny joke
1:45 I mean I'm no expert, but I don't think this is "Real Time Strategy" genre. Real time strategy are games where you can't really pause, and don't have time to think. Think Warcraft 3. In fact, in a game like Warcraft 3, you CAN just attack. But what you're talking about seems much more like normal Strategy games, or Turn-Based Strategy
