I guess it's not surprising that my analysis of "Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts" turned out deeper than I expected. Though I didn't do as nearly a thorough job of this as I did with Coco XD
Here's the post with my initial reactions. Now I'm writing this after watching through it again (and watching some episodes multiple times). I'll try not to repeat too many of the same points.
Heheh. They sell these at the zoo gift shop. It's Kipo!
Okay, gonna dive straight on in. I've been in an analyzing mood. And geeking out about cartoons makes me not stress about the present day.
Spoilers~
There's a flashback where we see Kipo getting flushed down the aqueduct and out of the burrow. In that scene, Lio hears the mega monkey roar. And he recognizes it. He knows what's coming.
When Kipo meets the mega monkey for the first time, it's super emotional when you know who the monkey is! Especially since the song Kipo sings is the one Lio sang to both of them.
It didn't occur to me at first that the term "mute" probably stands for "mutant." The reason I was confused is because the first time we hear the word, Wolf is asking if Mandu can talk or not. So I thought for a long time that "mutes" was any weird creature that couldn't talk.
At first, I thought Wolf was being annoying when she said that her name used to be Bone Ripper. But maybe that really was her name?
The first time Kipo says, "Wolfa the Christie the fourth," Wolf thinks she's crazy. But the second time, Wolf is just like, "yeah, that's Kipo."
I keep wondering. Benson's shirt - is the collar ripped? Heh. Benson acts out being a robot when they go to visit the Newton Wolves. Dave must have gotten the robot idea because Benson's predecessors had those robot outfits.
I always feel bad for Benson during fights. Dave can't die. Kipo has super strength and claws. Wolf has mad fighting skills. But Benson is just a regular guy. And yet even so, he throws himself into fights against the mega monkey and Scarlemagne. Like here, where he's just pounding on the mega monkey's foot.
I don't think the timbercats ever get their scratching tree back. You can kind of see it when Emilia tries to recapture Song in the cactus cave.
Near the end of season 1, a dubstep been comes to give
news to Scarlemagne. I think Scarlemagne crushed that bee? O_O
He picks the stinger out of his hand. Don't kill the messenger, dude.
It's cute that Kipo is so excited about being a genetic experiment. She is a science nerd, after all. And the jaguar does end up saving everyone.
In the flashback of baby Kipo and her parents, they sing a little snatch of "what we have is you."
I wonder if Song's anchor is Kipo. That would make sense for how she
came back to her senses. It seems that the monkey was in control until then, because Lio thought that Song was gone.
I think both Lio and Song break free of mind control in their concern for Kipo. Lio when Scarlemagne is forcing him to make more pheremones (though maybe they'd worn off by then). And Song, in season 2 episode 1. She just got blasted by the collar, but she snaps out of it when Kipo sings to her.
Those mind-controlling pheromones are super powerful. Not only Scarlemagne can use them, but so can Doctor Emilia. It can work on dozens (hundreds?) of people all at once. It works even when the person doing the controlling is unconscious (Lio is still mind-controlled when Song knocks out Scarlemagne). And it seems to remain in place even after the person who is being controlled has been knocked unconscious (that guy attacks Kipo and Benson at Ratland ends up back with Scarlemagne, so I imagine he's still under control. Unless the flamingo carries him back). It can even make people talk, and do complicated tasks like chemistry. I wonder - could Emilia use Scarlemagne's own pheromones against him? Also, how does Emilia control Song from a distance?
If I didn't love animal people so much, Lio would be my favorite character. But man, this poor guy has gone through hell. For example, here's a conversation Song and Lio have about Kipo:
Song: I feel like I'm failing her.
Lio: I feel like that all the time. But I promise you she doesn't feel that way.
Because Kipo doesn't hold anything against her dad (she only gets angry at him once, when she finds out he abandoned Hugo) it's easy to overlook what Lio's gone through.
First is the one that is most obvious. Lio left Hugo behind and never tried to find him. Because, of course, he was trying to keep his baby daughter alive and away from someone who wanted to kill her. But because of that, his adopted son ended up endangering practically everyone in Las Vistas. So not only did he have the guilt of abandoning Hugo, but Hugo took it out on him, his burrow, and everyone else.
Second is Song. He left her behind to save Kipo. And Song ended up enslaved by Emilia. When Lio tried to get her back, he thought that Song was lost forever inside the monkey. So he left her and went back to raise his daughter. Then he found out that Song was still there after all.
And finally, Kipo. Lio knew that the mega monkey was coming to destroy their home, and that they were after Kipo. He got her out of the burrow only to discover that he'd sent her to the dangerous surface for absolutely no reason, because everyone else escaped safely.
Lio has been stuck choosing the lesser of two evils over and over. And he probably made the only decision he could have made with the information he had. But it still had horrible consequences every time! No wonder he says he feels like a failure, having to deal with all this.
The crown Scarlemagne has during his coronation looks like a gilded version of the corn dog crown he and Kipo were using during the board game.
I think they made some mistakes during the coronation scene. For example, how did Roberto end up as Scarlemagne's prisoner again? I suppose it's possible he was re-captured after he brought Kipo to the palace. And another mistake - Hoag is wearing his burrow outfit in some shots, but he noble outfit in other shots.
I'm amazed that during a fight, Scarlemagne never uses his teeth. Those look like his fiercest weapons, aside from sweat. Maybe he's too fastidious to bite a person if he doesn't know how clean they are XD
When Scarlemagne floods the Coliseum with gold, do his primate followers get out? They never show up again. Maybe they decide to ditch Scarlemagne for good. What about the poor flamingo that got a gilded wing? Did it escape?
Song's hand gets covered in molten gold. But she can still use it okay for as long as she's the monkey. That hand is the same one that Kipo put the rubber band on.
Kipo started out as a smaller jaguar. And then she became a bigger jaguar. That actually didn't surprise me. After all, the other megas were much bigger than Kipo, and they also had extra arms or ears or something. (Also, the bats call Kipo a lion. Which is interesting, because baby lions have spots. So maybe when they saw the little Kipo jaguar, they thought it was a baby mega lion? )
The big tree that Kipo and Song knocked over - was that Scarlemagne's palace? It's hard to tell. But Scarlemagne and Wolf go back to the palace later, and it looks like it's still standing. So I guess not.
It's cool how Emilia's speech to the burrow people lines up with how Kipo's friends are talking to the mega jaguar.
In season 3, Kipo no longer needs her anchor to become human again. I guess she was able to master the jaguar by then.
At first I thought it was sad that Wolf never gets another Stalkie. But after this, she doesn't need Stalkie. Everything's peaceful, and she doesn't have to fight. She also must have told her friends about her past at some point. Because when Margo shows up, everyone knows what she did to Wolf.
It's adorable that Kipo and Wolf cheer for Song while she's doing science. Though I think it's just putting extra pressure on poor Song.
Asher has changed since befriending the timbercats. Although I guess they all have.
When humans attack Timbercat village, a ton of people are caught in nets or pits. And yet all of them escape in very little time? And I'm guessing the mutes took down the death ivy wall after that. I hope so, anyway. That doesn't seem like something that's safe to keep around.
Okay, I just can't get over the episode with Benson and Dave's back story. I know it's supposed to be making fun of why people fight. But really? No one mentions the fact that Dave destroyed a whole city for a fan. And that Benson's people all got wiped out for a fan?
There is some really sloppy animation near the end of the series. Especially the "Hidden Treasures" episode. Scarlemagne, Wolf, and the Jaguar are drawn really badly a few times. I wonder what happened.
Also, Scarlemagne's proportions fluctuate greatly. He's more or less human proportsions sometimes, and then he'll be extremely bulky.
Was Scarlemagne cloned? Emilia mentions that she managed to clone some mandrill cells from a fossil.
And now a discussion of my favorite little a$$#*!e. Scarlemagne. Specifically, his turn to good.
He was a prisoner at timbercat village for months, trapped in the little glass box (just like what Emilia had him trapped in). According to him, Kipo was the only one to visit. I can't really blame Lio and Song for staying away. But it's still sad.
He says that he doesn't care whether or not he's cured. I think he knows he messed up really really badly. But he doesn't show any remorse, because he still doesn't think that anyone cares about him. When Kipo's convincing him to apologize, he says that she should get rid of him. He thinks he means nothing to her or anyone else.
He doesn't really show any change in those months as a prisoner. He still thinks fear is the way to rule. But he no longer wants to kill Kipo (After all, he tries to escape by throwing a pancake at her face). He even says please when he asks for his food. Though he complains about his meals most of the time.
He pretty much says that Wolf and Margo should keep trying to kill each other.
Even he is surprised when Kipo lets him out of the box. And he spends the rest of the day being a jerk to everyone. At least until he gets to the kitten. I guess he cant' handle crying kids.
The real turning point is when Kipo says that he should have a second chance. That's when he realizes that she still cares about him. Even after everything he did. In the end, all he ever wanted was for someone to care about him. He even looks a bit pleased when the rest of the mutes decide to join HMUFA (And he kind of did get a reward for his apology - he got apples. He was asking for fruits and vegetables XD ).
I think that a lot of his "rehabilitation" was meant to happen off-screen. After all, Kipo says that he could walk around and get to know people. But they seem to have made a mistake. Because there's no time for it to happen off screen. Each episode pretty much runs right into the next episode. I'll just pretend like there's a big span of time that happened before the humans attacked Timbercat village (how else would they have enough time to make a death ivy wall? Plus Emilia has to go from 2 cure darts to an endless supply of them). So yeah. Let's just say that there was plenty of time there that they accidentally skipped.
Next time Scarlemagne helps someone, he again asks for a favor in return. He translates a message for Song, and she brings him a piano. But he also looks glad to see how happy the message made Kipo. Like he's realizing that it feels nice to help people. (He even remembers the kittens' names!)
Before Kipo lets Scarlemagne out again, Wolf says, "Are you sure we can trust him? Look at his hands." He's doing that "Evil fingers thing. Which Kipo promptly imitates. Along with a crazy laugh. He must be rubbing off on her XD I love it. It's also rubbed off on me a bit.
No one minds when Kipo lets Scarlemagne out this time. Even though he never goes back into his cage. I'm assuming that he did get to walk around the village, so everyone got accustomed to him.
Then when Kipo invites the humans to a party, the mutes all walk out. Except Scarlemagne, Jamack, and Dave. Kipo says, "you guys are staying?" But really, where else would Scarlemagne go? No one else wants him around!
Maybe that's why they give him the job of decorating the float. So he's not around anyone else. It's cute to see that he got the job with all the flowers XD. And he even believes that PRAHM is going to work (as long as Emilia isn't involved).
Scarlemagne says that Emilia would never give up her life's work to make peace. And in the last season, he said pretty much the same thing about himself. He had to have his power taken away from him before he started to want peace.
But really, why do they think that Emilia would steal flowers and a ladder? She wouldn't do anything that small.
The squirrels are annoying. But Scarlemagne tolerates them remarkably well, even when they're hanging all over him. It seems like he's just happy to be hanging out with people who care about him. When the squirrels get too obnoxious, it's Kipo that snaps first (The squirrels never seem to come to PRAHM, despite their invitation).
And this scene makes me laugh so hard.
Of course because it's funny. but also I love it because of how much these two characters have changed. Scarlemgne, of course, who had been controlling humans for years. And now he's voluntarily not doing that, even when it might be more convenient to do so (against Greta). But also Wolf! Can you imagine her letting anyone do this to her earlier in the show? She threatened to cut off Benson's arm when he put it over her shoulders. And now she tolerates this from a mute. From Scarlemagne!
When Scarlemagne does try to mind-control, he stops when Wolf tells him to. And instead he moves onto a bribe - with pancakes. And it works!
Scarlemagne says that he's going to regret not going after Emilia. And he's right. But Wolf was also right. They couldn't have made peace if the two of them got rid of Emilia. But Scarlemagne pays the ultimate price for that.
When they return to his old palace, he's faced with what he used to be. He wishes for a do-over. Though I suppose if he had grown up with Kipo, they may not have gotten peace on the surface. Kipo was able to get all of the mutes on her side when she saved them all from Scarlemagne.
Also, it's interesting that when Scarlemagne and Wolf arrive at PRAHM, no one panics. Every single person there has reason to fear that black flamingo. I'm assuming that everyone spread the word that Scarlemagne turned to their side. It would probably boost everyone's view on Kipo if they know that she made him not be dangerous anymore. Though I imagine no one else would be that thrilled to have him around.
And of course when Emilia attacks, Lio and Song protect Hugo.
And in the end, he strikes the final blow against Emilia.
It looks like the old observatory was renamed the Hugo Oak Academy.
Okay, on to the final battle.
Emilia dresses up all nice to attack prahm. I wonder why. Maybe as a potential disguise, in case someone saw her?
It's ironic that Emilia's brother inspired Ratland. And Ratland inspired Kipo to try and make peace on the surface. So it's in large part thanks to Emilia's brother that they were able to make peace. Wow, Amy and Brad are old for rats.
Emilia says that Kipo brought all the mutes in Las Vistas together. But it doesn't seem like she did. For example, the squirrels never seem to show up, and we never see any of Scarlemagne's primate followers.
I assume Emilia had some combat training. Because she kick's Kipo's butt, even in her new mega form.
They're never able to bring back Yumyan and the other "cured" mutes. Poor Song. Everyone put so much pressure on her to come up with a cure, and she wasn't able to. Although I wonder - maybe the antidote would have had to be administered before the mute turned fully back into an animal? So it was too late to fix anyone. Although Hugo started off as a normal animal. But he was also young at the time, and had to learn everything like a normal child would. Although Emilia was able to turn herself into a mute pretty easily. But the megas seem to work differently than smaller mutes. Anyway, this is just speculation. They never say why they can't fix the mutes.
I wonder if they ever expand peace beyond Las Vistas. They have a good start!
