#Mario Commentary

[pianokantzart]

YES! GOOD! I’m going to just going to analyze the whole dinner scene, because it’s one of my favorite parts of the movie. 

Mario and Luigi walk in, and immediately the whole room lights up to greet them. Despite everything that follows, one thing is clear: The Mario Brothers are happy to see their family, and the family is happy to see them. 

The whole family confirms that they watched their commercial. Everyone except their mom insists the commercial was a bad idea, but the fact that they all watched it speaks to the fact that there is no indifference regarding Mario and Luigi’s dream. They’re eager to see where this endeavor leads, even if they think it’s going to end in failure. 

The moment Mario and Luigi sit down at the table, their uncles begin laying into them like it’s open season on financially struggling plumbers. Just full blown, no-holds-barred roast mode on their nephews.

Mario is on the defensive, but he doesn’t get angry, he’s just trying to argue his side. Clearly this is typical behavior for Uncle Tony and Uncle Arthur. They’re loud, overly honest, and obnoxiously confident in their opinions. Uncle Arthur, thankfully, has his wife to keep him in check. Uncle Tony, however, who is seated next to poor Luigi, is an absolute menace.

Luigi ignores all the teasing. He is only interested in getting food, but this is not an easy task. Tony’s verbal arguments are all directed at Mario, but Luigi is the one who gets prodded and shoved around, and that makes getting dinner next to impossible.

Luigi attempts to serve himself salad, attempts to ask for a roll, attempts to eat the mushrooms being put on his plate, and at every turn he’s either pushed away or talked over. He is clearly very soft spoken compared to the other men in his family, and never quite had the strength to stand up for himself... after all, everyone means well, they just lack self awareness. It isn’t worth the fight. 

Thankfully, Luigi’s mom comes to the rescue, and puts a bowl of soup in front of her boy. She’s the queen of the caretaker role, making sure all the loose ends are tied up and that everybody eats.

But on the flip side, it’s interesting to note that once the uncles start tearing into Mario, Mario’s Dad serves him up a plate of food. He may have just been serving the person next to him because that was the polite thing to do, but I have a theory...

I think that this wasn’t the first night that Mario and his uncles went at each other. I think Mario’s Dad read the room, and figured that if Mario was going to spend dinner playing defense, he should at least remember to eat while doing so.

It also speaks volumes that Mario’s Dad doesn’t voice his disapproval until Mario asks for his opinion. Before then he avoids the subject and lets everyone else do the talking, but so long as he’s being questioned directly, he can’t help but be honest.

“I think... you’re nuts. You don’t quit a steady job for some crazy dream.” This sounds like a voice of experience. Mario’s Dad has the figure of someone who has worked physical labor for a good portion of his life (look the size of those arms). He may have had dreams of his own when he was younger, but he had a wife and kids to worry about, and family took priority. 

Speaking of family taking priority: “... and the worst part? You’re bringing your brother down with you.” That settles it. The conversation has gone from a casual roast session to dead serious. The entire room falls quiet as Mario puts down his fork and storms off. 

“What’d I say?” Everybody at the table (except the niece, she’s long since checked out) gives Mario’s Dad different versions of the look™. Uncle Tony and Uncle Arthur have the same “Jesus Christ bro, you didn’t have to go there” expression, and Luigi just looks hurt on Mario’s behalf. His Dad, however, is just confused.  

He didn’t get the gravity of what he said. His relationship with his own brothers��� loudmouthed schmucks who call their own shots – is completely alien to what Luigi and Mario have. He probably knows Mario is protective of Luigi, but he doesn’t realize the depth of responsibility Mario feels for him. Anyone can see that Luigi is loyal to his brother, but Mario alone knows how loyal he is, and the implication that he’s betraying that loyalty is intensely painful. 

I doubt Uncle Arthur and Uncle Tony truly relate to Mario and Luigi’s relationship either, but they’ve probably teased Mario enough to understand one thing: bringing Luigi into it is a line you do not cross.

Conclusion:

There is a lot of love in the Mario family.

Uncle Tony and Uncle Arthur are definitely the most insufferable of the bunch, but there is no malice in their teasing. While they are brash and overbearing, it’s all in good fun, and they get visibly uncomfortable when things go too far and someone actually ends up hurt. 

Luigi seems to take after his mother; kind, nonconfrontational, and happily invested in a supporting role. While his Mom cares for and assists the family, Luigi cares for and assists his brother, both emotionally and in his business ventures.

Mario, in the meantime, takes after his Dad, who appears to be the oldest of the three brothers. He doesn’t always think before speaking, but he isn’t constantly running his mouth like Arthur or Tony, and acts with the gravity of someone who bears a lot of responsibility. He doesn’t quite “get” his sons, but he knows enough to see that Luigi follows his brother everywhere, and Mario does not always think before jumping into things. Despite what Mario may believe, his Dad doesn’t see him as a “joke” so much as he sees him as an impulsive young man who doesn’t grasp the consequences of his actions. But Mario does understand the consequences of his actions, he just dreams big, and... thanks to Luigi... actually has the support he needs to pursue those dreams. 

[pianokantzart]

OKAY HERE WE GO! Luigi showing his love for his brother through little domestic responsibilities such as bringing Mario food and coffee is my jam. Luigi being more cautious and organized and focused on the little slice-of-life details in such a way that Mario is better able to function as a whole is so good. And it seems like Luigi doesn't just help out with making sure his brother eats, but also takes charge of little jobs that Mario might deem mind numbing/boring, like keeping track of the tools, managing their phone calls, and keeping things clean.

And then there's the game canons! He is shown doing the laundry in Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga:

He does a lot of home DIY and cooks meals in Paper Mario:

And then there's Luigi's Mansion, where multiple bits of dialogue implies Luigi is the one who keeps his and Mario's home neat and tidy, (credit to @radondoran for the collection of quotes: X)

So much dust! This will never pass the white-glove test!

I wish I had time to straighten this mess up a bit…

Now honestly, when it comes to hats, they really must be hand washed. There’s simply no substitute. I know my brother likes to put his through the washing machine, but that just seems careless to me…

It also hints that Luigi knows how to take care of plants, so I'm willing to bet he does some gardening too to keep the outside of their home as well tended as the inside.

Hey, it’s flower season, isn’t it? I almost forgot!

(looking at a potted plant) No one's watered this in a long time... How very sad.

On that note, compare the two brothers' hotel rooms in Luigi's Mansion Three:

Luigi's room is clean, everything in it's place. The covers are smoothed and his suitcase is placed at the foot of his bed, closed up and emptied of only the evening's essentials.

Then there's Mario's room:

An implied struggle excuses the knocked over furniture and the pillows flung about, but otherwise it seems Mario had ordered a bunch of fast food, left out his garbage, and messily emptied his entire suitcase in such a way that its contents ended up scattered all across the floor. Mario is a big-picture sort of guy, highly driven and impulsive. He's kind and brave, but he doesn't always think things through 100% or keep close track of what he's doing. That's where Luigi comes in. He thinks things through a little too much– hence his anxiety– but as a result he tends to important little details that would otherwise slip under his older brother's radar. Mario takes the lead and makes sure Luigi's safe and happy when they're out on adventures, but Luigi is the one who keeps everything comfortable and functional outside of the fight.

Luigi taking care of Mario

One of the many things I love about how Luigi and his relationship with Mario besides how physically affectionate and loving they are towards each other (I think we all know my thoughts on that 😆) is in the little ways he takes care of Mario.

Mario takes care of Luigi by protecting him as big brothers often do, but Luigi’s are in the moments where he brings Mario food after the dinner scene (something he did to make Mario feel better, cuz comfort food), and at the end of the movie where he brings him coffee in the morning.

It’s why I say that he channels that a lot of that from his mother. She’s such a positive influence on his life that he naturally wants to do the same thing towards the other most important person in his life. He wants to be there for his brother, show him how much he loves him and the way he best feels that he can is by channeling his mother influence by cooking, bring Mario things and just being emotionally supportive.

@pianokantzart @multicolour-ink @the-brucest-fan @jell-o101 @roscolate Thoughts my lovely muts?

[free-luigi]

[dailyish-mario-hugo]

Mario Hugo but he's just a dog

* day 49

[darkwingsnark]

“Well, Luigi IS riding Bowser. Just not how he expected.” - @swampy-tiefling

[pianokantzart]

Honestly, if this movie was anything other than a colorful adventure film aimed at families with young children, Luigi would have been SO doomed by the narrative.

Look at all of this forshadowing

:)))

[novirp13]

CHOCTOPUS putting Spongebob meme on Shadow's 'serious journey' is SO dang funny, I have to draw a quick fanart out of it

Gosh the imagery :'D

Minute 30:04

[soughtserenity]

" you keep your hands off my cheeks! I bruise like a peach ! "

" it's true. More like a banana. "

" what did you just say? "

" NOTHING ! "

[pianokantzart]

How do you feel about DK? (either in general or his relationship w/ Mario)

I just generally think DK's hilarious.

He's the best fighter in his kingdom to the point that he's hailed as a celebrity, and yet he is so fantastically bitter about the fact that he got his ass kicked by a tiny inexperienced man in overalls. Which, frankly, is his own darn fault for being too self confident to use powerups during the fight.

Meanwhile Mario's just... existing. He doesn't even care much that he beat DK, to him it was merely a stepping stone to reach his brother. Mario is just like "good game" and goes out of his way to be nothing but nice, while the entire time the gorilla is FUMING. He desperately wants round two.

I also like the fact that they didn't really bond over any deep conversation or their shared daddy issues, but instead reached a mutual understanding by fighting a common enemy. It gives me hope that Mario and DK will maintain a frenemy vibe in the future, because the way they rub each other the wrong way is so legitimately funny.

On a side note... I also like how friendly DK was to Luigi after first meeting him? Like that accidentally-aggressive elbow nudge when Bowser got put into the jar.

It was a short interaction, but it gave me major "frat boy who makes sure the anxious kid feels included" vibes.

[megidoreyn]

「僕は君と一緒に 今日の安寧が明日も続く世界を創るのだ…」 「A world where peace lasts forever…」

Drawn for the megaten ワンドロ/60min on 11/28. 💙twitter 💙misskey

[oensible]

[Transcript:]

TARA SLONE: (over music playing in the Scotiabank Arena before a faceoff) ...we've been talking about it all night; it is not an exaggeration to say this place is a hockey hotbed, but you actually have some stats to back that up. According to the NHL, 80 players from the Greater Toronto Area have played in the NHL this season, which means players from the GTA actually make up almost 8% of the entire NHL. When it comes to the Sharks, 6 players on the ice tonight are from the area, meaning the Sharks active roster's over 25% Torontonian. And they include, of course, Jack Thompson—who scored tonight—Tyler Toffoli, Jake Walman, Mario Ferraro, Barclay Goodrow, and Ty Dellandrea. Collectively, they have over 100 friends and family in the crowd tonight. And, Randy, the biggest posse? The Dellandrea crew, over 40 people. (The puck is dropped; the music dies down and the sound skating and stickhandling can be heard in the background)

RANDY HAHN: That's a good showing. That collage of pictures—terrific. Jack.... (long pause during which a ref can be heard blowing their whistle on the ice. The game stops and the music returns) ...Thompson didn't look a whole different—lot different than he does now, but Tyler Toffoli did.

DREW REMENDA: Tyler Toffoli—how cute is he! (cooing over him in a fawning, smiling voice, like he's a grandparent looking at his infant grandson. Randy laughs) Got a little baby face; he's so cute! You just wanna grab those chubby cheeks...!

HAHN: There it is; of the 1,016 NHL players active this year, 143 of them from within 125 miles of Toronto—that's 14% of the players in league—come from these parts. (hockey game resumes) It is indeed a hockey hotbed, and the game (another stoppage) the NHL game—and even the other levels of the game, whether its the AHL, the Toronto Marlies, or youth hockey, or.... junior hockey....

REMENDA: Minor hockey here is crazily great—the GTA league is just absolutely nuts, just a lotta good hockey players... so when... you know, uh... John Tavares becomes a free agent from the Islanders, coming here.... (game resumes) wasn't that hard of a decision for him. This was the team he grew up idolizing.

HAHN: I'm surprised... the picture of him in his Toronto Maple Leafs pajamas hasn't made our telecast tonight.

REMENDA: Yeah.

HAHN: It usually makes it, and I'm equally shocked that Marc-Édouard Vlasic in his Montreal Canadiens... (pause. Drew laughs) ...uh, what was that, a, uh... in Canada we call it a house coat—a bath robe.

REMENDA: Yeah. A bathrobe.

HAHN: That also didn't make our telecast in Montreal.

REMENDA: Well, you know what. You let the guys lounge the way they want.

[End of transcript.]

[maraschinotopped]

brothership stamp collection... 2!!!! featuring mainly character stamps! ignore the top right one.

part 1

[plushy-plays]

Part 24 of my Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga let’s play is up on YouTube!

[pianokantzart]

This scene makes me so happy. After all the garbage Mario and Luigi have been through they deserve power trip like this. What's even more cathartic is that they get to do this beatdown together after being separated– and desperately missing each other –for most of the movie. The team is back together!

You can get the little flavors of their fighting styles whenever they drift in different directions. Mario is more in-your-face, staying in close proximity to Bowser and initiating most of the blows. Luigi, despite being powered up, prefers to use long distance/opportunistic attacks. Caution is his nature, even when he's literally invincible.

Mario climbs up Bowser’s shell and body slams him using his horn. Luigi sees Bowser tumbling toward him, and uses the opportunity to lay a blow that sends Bowser flying into the side of a building. 

While Bowers is still reeling, Luigi regains his distance by leaping off a mushroom and taking to the air. Mario, however, stands firm, receiving a fruitless blow head-on before delivering a few uppercuts to Bowser's face. 

While Mario has Bowser's attention, Luigi comes up from behind and throws a giant inactive question block at Bowser's head. I don’t know why this is so funny to me. It’s the way he does it... it’s just...  DONK! right on the noggin.

The force of the impact knocks Bowser to the ground. He would’ve rolled further away if Mario hadn’t stopped him with his foot like a soccer ball. Absolute power move. He's like “Not so fast, we’re not done with you yet”

Luigi lands a short distance away, but in a split second he and his brother have the same idea, and they're back in sync.

SO LONG GAY BOWSER

I know it's been said, but look at their faces when they prepare their final attack! Luigi looks focused and determined, but Mario looks straight up ready to kill. He is pissed. Also! it was pointed out by @megandog21 that both of Mario's fists are clenched, while Luigi holds out one open hand as if ready to defend against a blow. Sword and shield, baby!

It's nuts to me how Bowser was still standing and in relatively good spirits after receiving a hit with enough force behind it to put a sizable crack in his ship! And after receiving the double rider kick that was powerful enough to set off a shockwave that shattered the front half of his flying fortress, he's still conscious!? JESUS CHRIST. No wonder he's King of The Koopas.

Mario & Luigi Teamwork

The synchronization between these two is immaculate???? Like look at them goooo, look at how in sync they are throughout this fight and the fight with Bowser’s army too. They are a two person army, they are a force to be reckoned with.

They are one unite working in perfect harmony and it’s all because they are working together as a team and as family.

@multicolour-ink @henryplush @pianokantzart @chloecherrysip

[hxroic-wxlls-fxrever]

“ Care for some-a brownies, paisano? “

At the end of the day, while he can’t say his life and choices have never, and likely won’t ever, be as stressful or such, he can at least act as a form of back up or support for those who have to go through much, too early on into their lives.

Mentioned: @ancientforgcd

[pianokantzart]

Something I love about the Mario movie is how is basically squashed any kind of ideas of Luigi being jealous of Mario from the get go that fans have come up/theorized throughout the years.

The whole “Luigi is jealous and tired of living in Mario’s shadow” has no leg to stand on when it comes to this movie.

In fact, Luigi is actively the one singing praises towards Mario, he knows that his brother dreams big and has a big heart, he knows his brother is amazing and he loves him for that.

Does he have low self esteem? Absolutely. But there is absolutely not a single bit of jealousy/envy towards Mario, Luigi loves and adores him far too much to ever be jealous and angry at Mario, someone who means the absolute world to him.

Oh don't you get me started.

Too late, I’ve gotten started. YOU ARE SO RIGHT. The movie did to theories that Luigi's “bitter and jealous” what it did to theories that Mario’s an antisocial asshat.

There are two things I can point to that are to blame for the theories that Luigi is bitter and jealous:

The description of his Negative Zone final smash from Super Smash Bros. Brawl:

"Luigi's final smash. As exotic music plays, he performs a dance befitting a sorcerous incantation. A barrier envelopes him, negatively impacting all in his area. Random effects include getting launched, sleeping, moving in slow motion, tripping, fainting, and losing attack power. This technique is a reflection of the dark side he embraced in his brother's shadow."

2. His characterization in Paper Mario

But there’s like… almost 40 years of games to glean from. You can literally pick and choose whatever you want to form any sort of theory (like a certain internet man did when arguing that Mario is an animal abusing sociopath). But 99% of the games show about as much evidence that Luigi is bitter as they do that Mario is a bad person– none at all. Quite the opposite, in fact.

As for Paper Mario, it's the only time Luigi is directly characterized as envious... NOT jealous. He still loves his brother and sees him as worthy of the praise he gets, but he feels bad being stuck at home, and desperately wants to be brought along for the adventure– to have his opportunity in the limelight. But Paper Mario is kind of its own thing, established to be a separate universe from the mainline Mario games. In the Super Mario Brothers RPGs– which delve deeper into the bros character while remaining more aligned with the classic "canon"– the dynamic is quite the opposite! Mario dives headfirst into danger while Luigi desperately avoids it unless there is no other choice. In Super Mario Brothers Superstar Saga he tries his darndest to not be taken along for the adventure, confident that his brother can handle the task.

But one consistent across the Mario games is Luigi being the underdog of all underdogs; unlucky and clumsy, the butt of the joke, and constantly undermined. Naturally this causes people to get defensive of him– get angry for him, and project their feelings onto the character himself.

But tHEN WE HAVE THE MOVIE!!!!

Nintendo is given a chance to craft Mario and Luigi into fully fleshed-out characters with motivations and backstories, not just plucky videogame personalities for people to project themselves into, and boy oh BOY did they knock it out of the park.

While Mario is still a headstrong hero with a never-say-die attitude and a heart of gold, everything he does is for his brother. Mario has insecurities about feeling small and wants to prove himself to his father, but in the end his love for Luigi is his main motivator. Mario can handle being threatened, made fun of, and told he’s crazy, but if you want to truly hurt him, tell him his actions are hurting his brother. Try hurting Luigi directly, and Mario will tear you a new one.

In return, everything Luigi does is for Mario! Lu’s not the willful ball of determination and gusto that his brother is– he has always been nervous, softhearted, and sensitive, which is why he lets his brother lead the way. Luigi’s not living in Mario’s shadow, he’s thriving off of his confidence! He recognizes Mario as his best friend and greatest source of strength, and will follow him absolutely anywhere.

There is no sense of Mario being treated like the beloved star of the show while Luigi gets the short end of the stick. They are both downtrodden, both learning, and both dependent on each other. It's not just Super Mario, it's the Super Mario Brothers, who equally inspire each other to be the best version of themselves.