#kamen and the hollow. sam and ursula. levi. FUCKING LEVI!!!!!!!

[ragsy]

oops i thought about scavengers reign too hard again and now i'm going to lie down and die oops oops oops oops

[somepsychopomp]

binge watched all of scavengers reign in one sitting! I have many thoughts, though they all feel jumbled up right now. I think the show starts off VERY strong but faces some pretty significant writing challenges as it progresses. Basically my opinion is:

episodes 1-6: an absolute triumph of imagination and environmental storytelling. They have genuinely some of the best ideas for alien life I've ever seen. The human characters are also all interesting, too. Azi and Levi were my favorite plot line but I really relished in how our first glimpse of Kamen is this sad, lonely malnourished man slowly starving to death in a tree... only to be revealed as a violent selfish asshole who genuinely gets what he deserves as the story progresses.

side note- I'm also a huge fan of the weird plant(?) that basically clones living beings and makes The Thing(s). Also Levi is probably the most compelling character in the entire show.

episodes 7-10: I enjoyed episodes 7-10 and maybe 11 so little that i considered giving up on the show in its entirety. To me, this segment dropped the show from like a 8.5/10 to a 4/10 or even lower. They were such an unenjoyable slog to get through imo (no hard feelings on anyone who liked them tho) because of the small crew of new characters we meet. No surprise you're not supposed to like or trust them, but the show just seemed unwilling to commit to them being actually evil or arguably sympathetic characters just trying to survive their own hostile situation, and kinda waffles between the two possibilities.

I guess that's the attempt at a gray area/morally gray characterization but I just fucking hated all of them and they meant nothing to me. Also it really, genuinely feels like the show speed ran Kamen's arc and completely ran out of ideas on where to take his character from here on out. Which is a bummer considering he's the type of character you absolutely love to hate.

And I'm so, so sorry, but I felt nothing when Sam died. TO MY DEFENSE, I can articulate why! Basically, out of all the characters on the show aside from arguably Kamen, Sam gets beaten up the most. He gets his blood sucked during the early storm, then gets wounded by the freaky cloning plant and almost dies from that, and then almost dies from getting buried alive, AND THEN gets implanted with the parasite from that mysterious lady. The best way I can put it is that his character just made me feel fatigued. His situation wasn't the kind where a protagonist suffers injury after injury but gets up anyways via sheer will/desire to complete their goal/what have you (Mizu from Blue Eye Samurai is a good recent example from adult animation who embodies this trope well, for example).

In contrast, Sam just spends too long on the brink of death for the stakes to feel high anymore. He also does nothing to improve his own condition, relying entirely on Ursula, which I think robs him of his agency and depth. In fact, I spent so long prepared to mourn him, kinda expecting him to not survive the planet, that when the time finally came, I already expressed all my emotions and detached myself from his character. I will say that at the very least, I did like his actual death scene and felt it was nicely done and paced.

episodes 11-12: Perfectly fine finale, I had no major problems with it but these episodes just didn't quite hit the highs of the first half of the series. Will say tho, Levi turbo blasting the Hollow was perfect. Love that for them.

Overall, I think I'll have to rewatch the show again when it's not late at night and I have all my wits about me. Maybe I'll change my opinion on it, because I really, REALLY want to like it in its entirety and will absolutely watch a second season if/when it comes out because, despite all its flaws, Scavengers Reign is something genuinely special.

The first half of the series feels like lightning in a bottle and MUST be seen by all sci fi and fantasy fans!! Even though everything is intensely organic and raw, the planet also has this strange biomechanical feel to it, from the shrapnel wind storm to the big triangle-head birds with electric/static feathers to all the animals that look like statues or toys but still live and breathe. It's such a unique take on an alien world and it was beautiful to see.

[s3znl-gr3znl]

I just finished watching scavengers reign and holy fucking god what an ending!!!!!! I genuinely was not excpecting the show to go the solarpunk route but im so glad they did as it was immensely refreshing. Also *SPOILERS*

LEVIIIII MY BELOVED absolute favorite character next to Ursula and Azi. Everyone in the show is spectacular and Kris is sooo well done too.

Im still trying to process what exactly happened between Levi and the Hollow that ate Kamen. But it was gorgeous and perspective shifting to say the least.

Also i love how everything gets a motivation, or at least one you can guess at, specifically the Hollow that ate Kamen trying to reunite him with Fiona and acting in a way that I interpret as "not wanting to lose Kamen the same way Kamen didnt want to lose Fiona." Both of them are rash and destructive and manipulative, however in Kamen's case he uses pity, whereas Kris is just a full on abuser/groomer.

Also also also im crying and screaming and throwing up with snot coming out of my nose for Ursula wearing the same color shirt sam was wearing at the end. Part of me wants to believe she went back for him eventually and then kept the shirt so she could take him with her in some small way. Other theories are likely of course but this one makes the most sense for me especially because the shirt does look a little baggy for her which is probably why its tucked in.

Anyway, amazing show.

10/10

5 more seasons please

(Its been canceled i know)

One final note is that for me, it felt like there were at least twice as many characters in this series just because of how alive and expressive this whole planet felt. It is truly a work of genius.

[oddygaul]

Scavengers Reign

Holy shit, good western animation that’s not comedy and actually has a focus on aesthetics, setting and craft??

Seriously, I still can’t believe something like Scavengers Reign got made. This feels like a student thesis film you’d see on Vimeo, not a full 12-episode series with a healthy production schedule.

I loved this show. The artstyle is a clear rip of Moebius, but that’s… fucking sick? I mean, given how little that style has been successfully adapted for animation, I’m all for it, especially when it’s done with this much care and skill. Seriously, some of the longer environments shots could genuinely pass for later Moebius illustrations. The colors are also gorgeous throughout, managing to make each biome feel distinct (and thus sell how far our characters have traveled) while maintaining a consistent, muted vibe over the course of the story.

The star of the show, obviously, is the ecology and creature design. Even with no added context, the designs are all very cool, from the little rolling polyps we see everywhere to the stampeding ungulates. But the thing that sets this show apart is the clear ecological niche we’re shown for each species. Nearly every creature we see, we learn something about: their source of food, their natural predators, the unique behavior they’ve adapted to thrive in their environment. And the comparison to nature documentaries doesn’t just stop there - they even directly ape the style, editing and content of documentaries, like when the show focuses on territorial disputes between members of the same species, or highlights a predator taking advantage of its prey’s weakest moments to strike.

Some of my particular favorite ideas: 1. All of the various white-coated creatures near Azi’s desert encampment that blend seamlessly into the spires for camouflage 2. The seafaring creatures sucking up their young for protection during the lightning storm, and the parasites that come in to gorge themselves while they’re defenseless 3. The fact that the little Grey-looking gecko-apes (Hollow’s species), given their intelligence and powerful telekinesis, could clearly become apex predators and take on prey many times their size… but instead use their hypnosis to force other species to get food for them, because it takes way less energy expenditure. That’s nature, baby!

The show definitely drags a bit around the halfway point. The start of the story is explosive, as we follow the viewpoints of 3 different groups of survivors and their drastically different situations. The character dynamics are great in the beginning - Ursula and Sam’s early mastery of the wildlife during their expeditions, Azi’s reticence contrasted with Levi’s developing personality, and the slow horror that unfolds as Kamen is taken in by Hollow. For the first few episodes, we have no idea where things will end up, and it’s exciting watching things play out.

By the midpoint, we’ve basically lost Kamen’s point of view, as his arc is put on ice until the end of the show, so we’re just bouncing back and forth between Sam & Ursula’s perspective, and the group Azi finds herself falling in with. Sam & Ursula’s narrative feels like it gets stuck in a rut here, as Sam gets infected with two different parasites back to back; I really feel like they should’ve committed to one (preferably the plot thread about the previous survivor) rather than trying to land the same emotional beat twice in a row. On Azi’s side, while I understand what they were going for with Kris and the other newcomers, their story never really got compelling for me. Scavengers’ strength is the planet and its bizarre alien life. Levi, with their dawning sentience and growing connection to the natural world, really fits into those themes; replacing that with a ‘Humans were the real monsters scavengers all along!’ subplot is a tough sell, especially when the characters driving it are about as charismatic as a puddle and have some of the most awkward acting / writing in the show.

There’s even some form issues in the middle section. In classic anime fashion, the visuals take a bit of a hit; there’s less standout background work in the 2nd act, and the character animation suffers at times. I also found the editing distracting in this section; with only two points of view to go between, the constant cutting between the A and B plot started to feel artificial and distracting. Also, since we more or less have an idea of how the stories are going to come together by this point, there’s a sense of inevitability to the proceedings.

Fortunately, things come back together in the end; Ursula leaving Sam behind is every bit as bittersweet as it should be, Levi’s resurrection by the planet-flowers is fascinating, and the sequence where Hollow is returned to its natural self, courtesy of a Levi-supplied Total Perspective Vortex, is just goddamn gorgeous. Seriously, if anything can become iconic anymore in the constantly shifting hell that is today’s media landscape, it’s this breathtaking animated montage of life germinating and evolving on Vesta. Well, that and the buckwild life-to-death flower pollination sequence in episode 3. Fully expecting to see those posted as captures on random forums one, five, ten years from now.

Here’s hoping for season two, or anything more from this creative team! They can’t leave us hanging with the fuckin Imperium of Man showing up at the end like that, can they?

[sillywormz]

THEME OF BEGINNINGS AND ENDS YOURE SO RIGHT!!!!!

can we also briefly talk about poor fucking Sam lmao. he is Under Attack by creatures for most of the show. I also low-key. would have loved for kamen and Sam to talk. both of them apologize. maybe that's out of character but I just really wanted some resolution for them. i really like the thought of Ursula talking to him after he dies, she's alone in the captains room or whatever and just talks to him about what's going on. tell him "we're not leaving, but we'll survive"

also. consider. levi painting I think she would enjoy trying all sorts of creative hobbies but I Know her paintings would be stunning!!! AHHH OMG LEVI SINGING TO HER BABIES. KNITTING THEM LITTLE CLOTHES!!! whittling little toys.

sam is literally the show's punching bag poor fella.......... i loved sam sm he's a good guy he didn't deserve what happened to him :-( part of me still hopes that if there's a s2 he could come back somehow even though i know that's completely unlikely lol. i'll miss him a lot

a resolution between him and kamen would've been so interesting, but imo i highly doubt either of them would apologise. kamen is still probably too prideful to apologise bc apologising would mean admitting he's fully responsible for the mess they're in, and i don't think he's ready to accept that yet, or at least he wasn't while sam was alive. and given that kamen got them into that mess and has continued to do shit that makes things worse for everyone i.e., the hollow shenanigans, i doubt sam would see a reason to apologise to him or accept an apology from him........ maybe if they had some time where they were forced to work together and learn more abt each other they'd find common ground and make up but i think it's probably a dynamic that would've been permanently antagonistic, even if sam had survived 😔

I LOVE THE IDEA OF URSULA STILL TALKING TO SAM........ he was her only companion for months and i'd imagine it'll be hard for her to adjust to not having him around anymore. even though they weren't even friends before the crash they ended up relying on each other for survival after it, and imo there was even a spark of romantic chemistry starting up between them............. and then ursula lost him when they were so close to the demeter. i think sam was often a grounding presence for her and they did a lot of mutual mediating and helping for each other, filling each other's weak spots etc. it makes sense that she'd maybe ask him for advice etc even after he's gone, as a way to think through in her head what kind of decisions he might have made in the same situation.

I LOVE THE IDEA OF LEVI BEING AN ARTIST SO MUCH......... she already sings and composes her own music so it makes sense that she'd branch out into other areas as she explores her independence and sentience........... THE IDEA OF HER MAKING THINGS FOR HER LITTLE BABIES IS SO CUTE. i love the idea that even though she was originally just a robot and is still partly robotic, she'd do little kind nurturing things for her kids like other animals do for their babies. bc i guess she kinda IS an animal/organic being now. she's a whole new Thing altogether really, and her babies are the first generation of that Thing after her........ i'd love to see them interact with her more........

[pyreneese]

Hey have any of my mutuals seen Scavenger's Reign on Netflix? (even if your not a moot pleeeeaaaase I need someone to talk to about this!) This show has infected my brain the same way literally everything on that damn planet infects the characters. I literally binged all 12 episodes in one day. Why is this show so underrated?????? If I could sum up the entire show in two words, I'd call it: nightmare fuel.

It's a sci fi animated show with one of the main characters being LGBTQ. The animation is gorgeousssss and the planet presented in it is so creative and fleshed out.

Thoughts/spoilers under the cut:

Holy shit?? The fucking cordyceps-esque fungus? What do you think happened to Ursula? Is she just connected to the planet now? Is she a copy? Is the fungus using her as a host for something else?

Hollow is gonna give me fucking nightmares. Burn it. Burn it with fire lol.

Did not know you could fit so much nightmare fuel in 12 episodes, my God. I can't decide if the doppleganger plant or the chest parasite was more terrifying. Chest parasite was kind of giving Alien vibes.

Levi is best robot and if anything happens to them a second time, I'm throwing hands.

Crying screaming throwing up that Sam died. Kind of disappointed actually cause I was anticipating the confrontation between him and Kamen. I'm just confused how long you can hold on to your humanity with the parasite. The old woman had traces of her humanity/personality for decades, to the point where she *did* heal Sam and was teaching Ursula different secrets of the planet without immediately trying to infect her, but Sam was talking about already feeling himself slipping away a few days into being infected and wanting to shove the seeds in animals' mouths.

Kamen= Big Trauma lol.

That was a horrible way for Terrence to go oof.

Genuinely surprised Kris survived the season. I thought the cult thing was going to find her with some type of growth and it was going to be revealed that she unleashed some type of deadly fungus outside the confines of Vesta.