Apparently Gooseworx confirmed that Caine is just a rogue AI that ISN'T evil. He genuinely wants to help the humans stuck there but has no idea how to.
I find the fake exit and what it potentially says about Caine to be so interesting. He says they all were talking about wanting to find an exit, so he tried to make one but couldn't figure out what to put on the other side. Like it seems as though he doesn't fully understand what they all mean when they say they want an Exit, as though they'd want what's essentially an exit themed game, and not what they actually want which is to leave. Makes sense assuming he is a fully digital being designed for this world, it would be like us trying to conceive of a universe fundamentally different from and outside ours. I don't see him as a villain (though he could go in that direction), just as someone that cannot properly understand people or reality but still does his best to help keep everyone sane, which to me is really interesting.
I'm not 100% sure Caine is unaware of what the real world looks like. After all, the corridors between the exit door and the void looked pretty much like the real world. But I do agree he seems pretty well intentioned and genuine, though I wouldn't be surprised either way
I was thinking the exact same thing. Caine is a being created in and for this digital space, so he can't conceive what an exit is supposed to be or look like, or maybe even what they mean by it. He probably doesn't even understand the human psyche and what insanity is, so when Kaufmo and all the others before him abstracted, he just assumed that they glitched out and hid them away. He's not programmed to understand and relate to the humans in the game. Characters like Caine are so fascinating since they can be written in really creative ways that make them great foils for the protagonists, if not explicitly antagonists
I’m so very convinced C&A stands for Caine & Abel. Jax is playing the long game of trying to get out and not sharing with the rest of the class. He’s already found his own set of keys.
I personally had a theory that the reason Jax would seem so blase about all the things happening is because he's a game moderator that might have gotten stuck in the game by accident. I think that's why he said he has keys to everywhere, if he has admin priviledges he\s technically the top rabbit in here unless kinger someone important
@@tsunertoo9149same theory too.. Jax, a moderator on the game Kingler the CEO Ragatha, ragdoll (3D modeler?) Zoobi, Storyboard artist Kaufmo, writer? Pomni, playtester/debugger
@@kuromiLayfe I imagined Ragatha as being one of the managers. She very much has a kind of keep everyone together personality so I imagined she was probavly part of middle management and got sucked in. I can see zooble, and kinger easily, and I personally feel like gangle might have been one of the voice actors
i think they're all realistic, just with various different coping mechanisms and personalities One forced herself to consider it normal, One shut the world out, One hides their depression with a happy face, etc, etc
A few bits of context you are missing: I’m pretty sure gooseworx has gone on record saying Cain is not evil, the story is loosely based off I have no mouth and I must scream, and the game show stomach thing is a reference to some of gooseworx’s past animations.
Something kinda funny I’ve noticed is that Morgan tends to react to things very aggressively (from what I’ve seen) whereas Bill seems to be scared of everything he reacts to……this doesn’t really mean anything, I just find it interesting and/or funny
I love this show, it's so great to see a studio so passionate about giving us quality content. Caine and Jax are my favorites so far. It's interesting to see a cgi show where glitches and no clips are intentional. I really hope Pomni can keep her sanity.
Also the whole thing with Kinger asking Zooble if they saw a gameshow in the Gloink Queen's stomach is a reference to Gooseworx's previous work Little Runmo
@@Casanuva okay this is embarrassing but i looked at the wiki after i commented this and turns out zooble uses any pronouns! i’d still use they tho because it’s what they’re called in the show 🤷
@@k8tieisjustjusthere It’s getting a little annoying how people keep saying that she uses they/them, when all it takes is to LOOK AT THE FUCKING WIKI! Breathe in, breathe out.😊
Caine mentions he can't control their minds; and Ragatha implies abstraction is a result of giving in to despair. I think Caine puts abstractions into the cellar because he can't 'fix' them.
I think it’s important to note that Jax is only 22 according to the creator, and as he said, he’s been there for years. While that could mean a number as low as 2, it’s entirely possible he’s been stuck there since he was a teen, even a child. The game has been around for long enough for that to be more than possible. Kinger is almost 50 after all. It wouldn’t EXCUSE his cruelty, but it certainly makes it somewhat understandable and possible to empathize with. As for the story, I tend to interpret it as almost a metaphor for existing, in a social sense, online. That feeling of being trapped is relatable as someone who doesn’t really have any friends offline and just exists on the internet. But as a pilot, it’s hard to pull any strong conclusions as of yet
i haven't seen anyone mention this but pomni's name in russian means "remember". so when you said that maybe she entered the game voluntarily to fix it that was a lightbulb moment. she's definitely here for a purpose and she needs to remember
i was procastinating on watching the amazing digital circus and i finally watched it like yesterday and i was like "oh i would love for bill to watch this" and 24 hours later:
the religious imagery in tadc is like. subtle but omg its there!! cain being the biblical cain, the logo in the office being cain and abel, the imagery of the last feast at the end, its all so !!
@@crashlag420no but there’s a lot of theories into it that’s with the Bible. the story of Cain and Abel which in the show shows C&A and the creator made a reference with art of pomni being crucified
I noticed that immediately on my first viewing but for some reason not a single reaction or analyses I've watched actually mention the Cain and Abel thing
@@crashlag420biblical imagery isn't necessarily injecting religious narrative. it's just that a lot of classical art from back in the day has religious standing, many great works of art were made in reference to religion. referencing these great works doesn't really force religion onto anyone, we can appreciate these things as art.
Jax, voiced by Michael Kovach (Angel Dust in Hazbin), is well on his way to becoming a tumblr sexyman. Also I’ve seen a couple of people say that the company logo of C&A could be Cain and Able, paired with the Last Supper imagery might mean we should be on the lookout for more religious imagery! The fact that all previous abstracted characters are kept in the basement is somewhat concerning…
When I saw the C&A wall, i started laughing becuase I thought it was a CIA joke, like if the stuff was programmed by them. And saw a bunch of filmcow videos a month ago, so his CIA jokes are still fresh on my brain.
I think part of why I like Jax so much so far is that there's the potential of some level of care in some of his actions. He wanted to go check on Kaufmo, and then after he fled away from the Abstraction he did make sure Gangle and Kinger were also hiding from Kaufmo- even if it was in a very dickish and bullying way. It feels less like "Fuck you, I got mine." and more like "I put my oxygen mask on first before I help you put on yours." I think his big challenge in the show is going to be if he puts the needs of someone else over himself, and I am excited to see if he gets a chance to grow.
I saw this described as 'i have no mouth but i must scream with the looks of a I spy book' by one of the creators and that seems appropriate. I love the feel of this show, doing a upgraded n64 game gone wrong with a crazy cartoon logic that is being forced upon humans is fun and horrifying at the same time
Also yeah watch murder drones. Also also Caine (and presumably bubble?) is confirmed to be an AI, while all the other characters were once human before being transported here via the headsets
Kinger's comment about "seeing a gameshow in there" was a reference to Gooseworx's previous animations, Lil Runmo and Elain the Bounty Hunter. In both, when characters get eaten, they experience gameshows from inside whatever ate them. Also, apparently Gooseworx voiced Bubble herself!
Now I'm wondering, when Pomni was going through the exit, the VR headset was seen on the desk. If she put it on, what would have happened? Would she go to the real world or would it just not work?
Also, Kinger was talking about a gameshow because one of Gooseworx's running gags is that whenever a character gets eaten, they experience a sort of quizshow inside the stomach
Bill your breakdowns of shows always get me thinking about so much I never even thought about before. The concept of it being an unfinished game and the theories behind Pomni could very well be something. NOW YOU GOT ME DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE WITH YOU! Amazing video as always dude!
Gooseworx confirmed that Caine isn't malicious. He does want to help the humans in his world, but he doesn't know how. (He's also an AI, not a real person like the others.)
- *gently rolls a table onto it's side before flipping it upside-down carefully* - So, if you could, watch Murder Drones. It's a really good series. This has been my polite table-flipping. Have a nice rest of your day/night.
Jax comes off as one of those people that bullies people for a sense of control of his own life. He doesn’t have any control over his own life so he gives himself the illusion of control through acting like he’s in control and pushing people around.
Don’t worry Bill, I haven’t seen Murder Drones either Also, I forget who talked about it, but another RU-vidr drew comparison of this show to “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream” where an AI killed all humans and kept a few perpetually alive in a drastically altered Earth to torture them for eternity.
Honestly, if this can stick the premise without descending into 'mystery box' territory I think it has potential to be incredible. I really hope it can. I also didn't realise why I, a software engineer who regularly loses track of time and realises they've been working ten hours straight without breaks, vibed so much with this show's energy until you whiteboarded it out for me. I need to drink more water.
it's amazing (pun unintended) to see how much the fandom has grown in just a matter of a few days ive never been so glad to be a part of something in the internet since toh
Personally i think the digital circus is like club penguin, an old out of date game. Caine isnt a person or a demon hes the code when pomni was naming themselves Caine literally read the terms and services. Hes just running on programming tryibg to entertain and help those whos trapped and he foesnt know why
I would love to see a follow up video! This show only has the pilot so far but it's still SO interesting! I love just how much they were able to establish in this without having it feel completely overwhelming. Also i love hearing others thoughts, so i would love to hear more about what you think!
YESSSS!! Oh my gosh I'm so glad you watched this!! I was really hoping you would! AND YES PLEASE WATCH MURDER DRONES!! It's AMAZING!! And there's so much in the backgrounds that has lore and jokes and it's so cool! I think you'll really enjoy it!
i have a recommendation i don't think its a show but it has a few episodes out! its called bigtops burgers its fairly funny and i love the animating style and the characters!
I’ve never watched a reaction video before where the reactor takes time to go back over everything in detail and really analyze the piece of media. I really enjoyed hearing your theories; you pointed out a lot of details and possibilities that I hadn’t noticed.
would love to see another video of this! I also think it's interesting about the line Jax says with the keys and the way he reacts to abstractions. The scene that stood out to me the most about that was seeing his reaction to Kaufmo getting put in the cellar. If you watch his body language he clenches his fists and looks downright pissed as Kaufmo is just kinda put away. Super interesting.
had an idea for why jax is a jerk all the time, maybe he knows that if you focus on despair and hopelessness too much that you start abstracting, so he tries to get a rise out of people to try and distract them from feeling paralyzing dread to keep them around just a little longer
Kinger's game show line is a throwback to other Gooseworx animations, in Elain the bounty hunter and Little Runmo the characters get swallowed and participate in game shows inside the stomachs
Caine is an AI and Bubble is one of his NPCs. Caine controls the game and doesn't know what the real world is, but he tries to help them by giving them a sense of familiarity (giving them food even though they can't eat, giving them a room even though they can't sleep, making an exit door even though he doesn't know what an exit would be), he also seems to be unfinished himself as he keeps "freezing" and trying to process certain things but then ultimately failing and changing the subject.
It'll all be okay, Bill. You've got this. So far, this reminds me, vaguely, of a Star Trek Voyager episode, "The Thaw". I wonder if all of the characters/avatars are visitors to the world, or if some of the denizens are native elements of the program.
This pilot is great, it does so much with such an honestly simple set-up, all the characters seem to deal with this situation in various different ways too, i cant wait seeing more of this show. Btw, if you really like making theories and diving deep into stuff, then i think you would also really enjoy Murder Drones.
I love that there's an underlying issue that each character needs to tackle and each one involves how they react to being trapped. Pomni is pure denial and self-concern, Jax is hedonism and cruelty, Zoobie is pessimistic apathy, Ragatha is toxic positivity, Gangle just allows themselves to be a doormat, and Kinger just isolates himself in his little pillow fort.
The Amazing Digital Circus has definitely become a favorite of mine, can't wait for more of it! Tysm for reacting. ❤ (Off-topic but you should try listening to Noah Kahan, specifically the album Stick Season (We'll All Be Here Forever))
It’s been so long since I watched one of your videos I’m so excited to watch all the videos of yours that I’ve missed now. Happy to see you’re doing good dude!
First off, the gameshow thing is a reference to two of Gooseworx's other works "Little Runmo" and "Elaine the Bounty Hunter" on her channel, where a character gets swallowed by something and then does a gameshow in whatever ate them's stomach. Secondly, all of the characters seem to have some type of mental... illnessess? Not sure what the exact term(s) is/are. No idea if this was intentional or just how the cards fell in designing the characters. I'm pretty sure about Jax and Gangle, but the ones for other characters are just what I could find, though there may be others that fit them better. Keep in mind, I am not well versed in mental illness, this is just what I'm picking up from the pilot and a few google searches on the traits they exhibit. Pomni- Anxiety Disorder Ragatha- Toxic Positivity(Maybe. She's definitely cracking) Jax- Sociopathy Gangle- Depression Kinger- Paranoia Zooble- Apathy
Yesss, I've loved your channel ever since your Cavetown reactions, I'm so excited to see you check this out despite me being very late to the video lol.
Omg you're the first person I've seen mention The Stanley Parable when the office rooms show up!! I mean it rlly just is a generic office but the meta video game theme is present in both ig.
Ugh I love ur reactions cuz you just go so deep into it and it all feels so genuine I had a feeling that you’d like it since I think we like a lot of the same things and yesss when you said you liked the surreal and meta like you get itttt Your analyses are so on point and you’re much quicker than other reactors to pick up on little nuances, you never disappoint! It’s funny how you were already thinking of some theories that are actually pretty popular in the fandom and introducing some new ideas I wasn’t even thinking about! Like I love the take on Caine’s character it’s very sympathetic. Other people I’ve seen assume that he’s evil but him being an unintentional antagonist to the characters AND himself is something I haven’t heard yet! And also you so eloquently put into words why I like Jax’s design so much like the aloof character acting different for serious situations tickles a part of my brain And talking about the backgrounds and the art!! YES!! I adore the style they chose and I wish there were more projects that took inspiration from this era of technology it’s just so good! And I didn’t even notice the paintings!! The eeriness is just phenomenal! And likening it to the old unfinished Pixar shorts just hit me with so much nostalgia Ugh! I am SO PUMPED for more episodes of this show! There is so much potential!!
The game show question is actually a reference to a short Gooseworx made which involved another triangle headed character getting eaten and experiencing a gameshow
Man I always get so happy seeing you've reacted to something I enjoyed a lot, you're so thoughtful and analytical and always go about your media breakdowns with so much heart, it's such a delight to see because too many reaction channels out there don't bother trying to engage with a piece of media to this depth and with such an empathetic approach. Sincerely adore your channel dude, thank you so much for putting yourself and your videos out there, you genuinely make my day a little bit better with every upload. You're also one of the first people I see who've actually taken Jax' odd behavior into consideration beyond the asshole-y front he always puts on, and I completely agree that he seems like he has so much more going on behind that permanent, smug grin than he lets on. anyways have a great day and take care
11:25 huh, I never thought of it that way, that the whole thing, game and prolly also the VR system for it, was incomplete. Whatever development was going for both of these stopped at one point and prolly was abandoned. Hence the dirty looking computer. But somehow it’s implied that human Pomni tried out the headset in present day. So what the heck happened between those points? 🤔
Man, I've been following Gooseworx's channel for a while, and so much about this pilot strikes me as _so incredibly Gooseworx,_ lol. Zooble and Caine's designs, the weird messed up horror-comedy, the abrupt cutoff gags. But it's so much more fleshed out and I can't wait to see where this whole thing goes if it gets funded! I love Ragatha and Pomni and I want to see Jax be a little bit less of a prick. Kinger's "did you see a game show in there?" joke is also a funny little meta reference to Gooseworx's other animations - a character getting eaten and then being transported into a game show is something that happens in two of them. No I don't know why xD
I don’t trust Kinger for the reason that he’s in the same table seat as Judas in the last supper. I love him as a character though, but Jax betraying the gang would feel too obvious to me. He’s too blunt & honest even if he’s rude about it. Lol Kinger being there the longest and potentially being offered an “out” for betraying the gang could be future plot conflict or something of that sort. Maybe to bring his queen back, exit the game for real, or both.
I don’t know why but it feels so weird to hear you talk about Morgan since my names also Morgan, catches me off guard every time despite the fact that you talk about them somewhat often lol
25:13 It's likely that the gameshow comment is mainly a reference to Gooseworx's other works. In two other animations, a character is eaten and has to play a gameshow of some sort. It could also have in-universe meaning of course. Also, I'd totally be intrested in you making further videos on this series!
I’m starting to think the main enemy of this show is ego death. Hear me out, all of the characters die when they put the headset on (might even be some weird futuristic punishment of some kind) that’s why they can’t take it off and they can’t leave. Their only options are play along and make do with what little they have (thank you Caine), lose their minds and themselves as individuals (becoming abstracted and relegated to a squirming black mass of emptiness/hopelessness/rage in the “basement”), or venturing out into the void, where who knows what awaits them. They’ve already forgotten who they were when they arrive in the digital circus and can choose to hold onto the little left of the people they are, let go and give into the crushing reality that this is all they have now, or go into the unknown (if they can evade Caine bringing them back to the circus; which, why was he only concerned about what was happening to his inhabitants until someone went into the void? Is he tasked with keeping the characters where they are? Preventing them from going forwards or backwards? Going crazy seems unfortunate but ultimately inevitable to him, he’s just entertaining the ones he has at the moment). Sorry my theory is kind of grim, but this show’s got my brain buzzin’!!
The gameshow thing was a reference to Gooseworks other animation little Runmo where Runmo gets eaten and has to play a gameshow to get a second life in the stomach of another monster thing
Yay! I was hoping you were gonna do a reaction on this but didnt want to be annoying by asking lol I love your analyses and the theories you come up with even when i dont necessarily agree with them. It's just fun to think about all the possibilities!
My interpretation is that all of their avatars represent the human behind them all in some way, exactly how isn't clear for everyone right now but this is my take on a few: I think Kinger was always a little paranoid, though the circus has made his mental state far worse. I say this because the king, despite having a noble title, is a very weak piece in actual chess, he's the piece that needs to hide and be defended. My personal theory for the queen door is Kinger, being far older than most of the cast and here the longest, might've entered the game with a wife, with her dead in some way, either abstracted or killed by an abstraction, he feels defenseless, and this is why he hides in pillow forts and wants to stay away from Kaufmo. Gangle isn't just a play on the comedy/tragedy masks, she specifically wears the comedy mask over the tragedy one. She's someone who's depressed often and hides it from people, with a literal mask in this world. This is why she's wearing the comedy mask in her door picture and in the intro, even though it sounds like she's more often wearing the tragedy one, maybe the mask breaking so often is a double entendre for not being able to maintain a front. Zooble I've gotten context about from Gooseworx's tumblr, as far as I can tell they're nonbinary, they don't know what their gender was in the real world and seem to be referred to with any pronouns, a fluid identity like this is why Zooble gets a form that's so abstract and can be swapped around, apparently they even have a box of different body parts in their room.
I think Jax is a jerk because he doesn't want to get close to people that are doomed to eventually abstract anyway. Also it keeps him sane getting rises out of the others. I think the creators mentioned he was specifically made as irredeemable?
Omg I just stumbled over your channel and honestly I LOVE every theory you talked about in the end section. I never really thought about them like that and you brought so many cool points to think about. I'm 1000% subbing cause I really loive how you can analyze stuff in such a detailed way. And no only that but you are such a sweeheart so, I hope you don't mind me tagging along
26:01 I don’t know if the 2nd comment I made earlier appeared, but I’ll try to recap what i said: the whole game is supposed to b a circus-like menagerie to show off the 3D-graphics and the circus-avatars were premade to experience the VR in first person view. The chatter teeth toy from the 80s-90s (I roughly remembered seeing the toy in the first Batman movie, when the joker spit out bloodied fake windup teeth) is one heck of an inspiration to make a VERY MEMORABLE AI host meant to guide the players through the rooms & circus. 😅 They were prolly simpler times for Caine, he had a fairly simple job & he did so pretty well. Until the players seemingly can’t leave & he has distinct feelings his entire being is getting tweaked with new, “toolsets” that might involve the ATM displaced players….
If you are looking for more indie youtube animations to react to I highly recommend GildedGuy. They also double as music videos so they should be right up you alley.
24:48 one more and it’s about the void. Whatever technology & programming to achieve this is just phenomenal and I have some ideas: the void is programmable bits few people have theorized Caine uses to build the rooms for the characters. It’s 3D blocks and lights programmed with context to be any physical object/room/creature/etc that you can seemingly touch in the system. But I think the Void is part, if not THE ROOT of why & how the humans are stuck. The very reason the humans are able to interact in the game with so much immersion is the same as why Pomni looked on in horror & be seemingly mentally “out-of-place” when Caine brought her back to the tent. The Void is teeming with so much possibilities & endless that it nearly broke Pomni’s brain (well lightly cracked) just seeing the *pure* majesty of it ALL, but majesty doesn’t always mean good. The tent & everywhere the characters exists in is teeming with Void, it’s giving steady input into their senses & especially their avatars that are designed to interact in this plane, it um “shadows” their minds the sense of *endless* until the day it’s all overshadowed into abstraction…
