#kataow s3 spoilers

[crowghostie]

Me at the middle of s3: I really like Scarlemagne’s big bro vibe, I sure hope nothing bad happens to him hahaha

Me at the end: FUCK

[shrinkthisviolet]

The Problem with KATAOW S3

(Yep, I’m finally doing it)

Okay so, let me just say that the season overall? Phenomenal. Clearly planned out, not one of those “oh no we need to make another season” seasons, the enemy is defeated in a satisfying way, the characters’ arcs are concluded–

Wait. Hold that thought. Because my problem with this season concerns one person. Or, I guess, one mandrill, since he isn’t a person at all.

That’s right, I’m talking about Hugo/Scarlemagne.

So I didn’t even realize something was off when I first started the season, until I read this fic (it’s an alternate S3, and I absolutely recommend it). The comments gave me pause, because they said that they felt Scarlemagne was acting too passive in S3. I’d just gotten done seeing him and Kipo talking with his “brotherly advice,” so I didn’t understand that.

However, the more I watched, the more I realize that the comments were right. Scarlemagne was a background character, and normally, this wouldn’t be a problem (it’s Kipo’s show, not his), except...this is his redemption season. And they kinda try to one-and-done it in one episode, which I feel does a great disservice to him and the show overall.

His relationship with Kipo is also...gone for some reason?? They bring it up in the 9th and last episodes, but other than telling us “oh hey remember that they’re siblings?” it’s nowhere. As if it doesn’t exist. Which is sad because that could’ve been the key to his redemption.

Kipo only redeems him to form HMUFA (she also wants to do it for their relationship, but that’s not really made clear), but what if she just wanted her brother back? What if HMUFA was important, but not as much as having a family again? Remember, this is the girl who went toe-to-toe with him in last season’s finale and called him out and pushed him until she threatened the safety of her loved ones.

She doesn’t back down, and she initiates change. In a way, regarding her brother, Kipo herself was also made passive, which is a shame–that’s a fundamental misunderstanding of her character.

Scarlemagne’s moral ambiguity is also pretty much gone. Now, in regard to the pheromone thing, that could just be him being tired of arguing about it, which tracks. But the fact that he gives in to Wolf’s reasoning instead of KILLING THE PERSON WHO TORE HIS FAMILY APART AND TORTURED HIM AND IS TRYING TO KILL HIS SISTER? Yeah, no. I don’t care how redeemed Scarlemagne is, he would never give in to an argument like that.

Also Wolf would never make that argument in a situation like this. I get that she’s less hardened and more like Kipo now, but...she calls Kipo her sister. Her pack. Wolf was raised a wolf, at the core of it, and even I, as an older sister, would throw moral compasses out the window to protect my siblings. THAT’S JUST HOW FAMILY IS (in my experience)!

He and Kipo don’t really have any arguments. He doesn’t try to get her to see his perspective, his advice (“make them fear you”) doesn’t come back to haunt her later (especially when she...basically does that twice? Anyone remember that? The writers don’t)...what’s the point of a morally gray villain if they’re not clinging to their reasoning?? Sure, maybe Scarlemagne realizes his dictator impulse was wrong, but he could’ve said something like, “I made a place for myself in a world that was trying to hurt me. All I wanted was to unite the mutes and guide them. I wanted a family again.”

And Kipo could say something like, “That’s not a family. Families don’t mind control each other to keep them in line.”

Scarlemagne: “Ah right, I forgot. They just leave their created children for dead and shame them for ever wanting to use their powers against corrupt people. My mistake.”

Like?? Obviously he went about it the wrong way, but...he thinks his intentions were good (as morally gray villains do), and he was hurt, and let’s face it, Lio’s moral absolutism (critiqued very well in this post) pretty much ruined everything (also that dumb decision to wait around?? Tf??). Scarlemagne doesn’t have to change Kipo’s mind, but...maybe some indication that he’s still in that cage for a reason? That maybe Kipo’s tried to help him before, but he won’t renounce his intentions (only the dictator part)?

Like...COME ON, writers! You can’t even say that moral ambiguity was too much for a kids’ show, because this show has it in SPADES (Lio is forced to reckon with and apologize for his mistakes, as he should, and ATLA/LOK was practically the blueprint for moral ambiguity in kids’ shows).

So I think I’ve covered everything? But I have one last complaint: Hugo’s death.

IT MAKES NO SENSE

I kinda knew it was coming because I spoiled myself 😂 (that’s all I knew though, the rest was a surprise), so I was expecting Mute Emilia to eat him or something as he was flying. That wouldn’t have been great, but it would’ve been better than CRASHING INTO THE SIDE OF A WALL OR SOMETHING

Like...are you KIDDING me?? I know mandrills aren’t super strong, but this is BOGUS in a show where falls like that never hurt anyone (yes, I’m aware that everyone who falls like that is a Mute, but they’ve fallen like that as humans, too. Idk. Plenty of other media has their heroes get up and be fine after falls like that).

Also...he was just starting his redemption!! It could’ve been something awesome!! But they threw it away, and for what?? A moment for Hugo to forgive Lio (Song didn’t really do anything imo, but she was kinda complicit, and I find it weird that she didn’t even apologize?), sacrifice himself in a stupid way, and then just...die??

Nope. I don’t accept it. I refuse. We weren’t shown a gravesite, so I choose to believe Hugo appeared right behind Kipo at the end, all “quit telling people I’m dead!” “Sometimes, I can still hear his voice!” (Screw canon, this is canon now. KATAOW screwed itself over when it didn’t even have the decency to give Hugo a proper death).

Oh also, Scarlemagne passively accepting Wolf as Kipo’s sister is soooo unrealistic I can’t overstate it! I’m just gonna refer you back to the fic series linked above, which handles this so much better. There’s no way Scarlemagne would take a surrogate sister label lying down, that he wouldn’t have an identity crisis (if Kipo can adopt siblings at random, can she disown siblings too?), that he wouldn’t shame Wolf for it, that she wouldn’t have an identity crisis...

Oh also, Kipo herself has problems, as outlined in this post (which includes my reblog of it where I also state my problems with her). I love Kipo as a hero, but...S3 could’ve done more for her.

Maybe I’ll write a fix-it for this season one day. Who knows. But I wanted to get all this off my chest 😂 feel free to debate in the notes and reblogs!

[lich-slap]

I can't believe Kipo recreated the "cake is for talkers" scene

[mimdecisive]

Alright so a spoilery Kipo S3 theory! pretty big spoilers so I’m putting this under a “read more”

Alright so this was originally gonna be just a HCs thing, but it turned into a theory. I personally think that all “cured” mutes do, in fact, retain their memories and possibly even their intelligence. 

And even if they didn’t, animals are much smarter than we give them credit for, some even smarter than humans. I study cats, and animals in general sometimes, and there’s a lot of misconceptions that lead to the idea they’re not smart.

(Such as cats chasing string toys. Your cat doesn’t think the fake mouse is alive and moving on its own, it can see the string and hear the lack of organs and they notice the lack of limbs. It knows you’re the one doing it, but it also knows it’s a game. Same with the laser pointer.) 

Since Emilia reversed the mutagen many of them were born with, she couldn’t actually reverse their intelligence/memories the same way it didn’t change their eye colours. Animals are actually really smart on their own, too.

Yumyan does remember being a timbercat and that’s why he chose to nap on his chair and curled up with Pierre.

. I mean, think about it. Before he transformed the last thing he tried to do was say “Yumyan owns you--” and the minute he did, he did a singular meow, as if to add “all”

Actually, this is more of a theory than a HC because I do genuinely believe Yumyan remembers them. He kneads Kipo, which is a sign of affection cats do when they’re comfortable with people and generally, not after just one day of knowing someone.

Yumyan is clearly not entirely asleep when they’re talking to him, despite Molly’s beliefs. He is merely attempting to take a nap, probably because while he’s still Yumyan, this body wasn’t mutated to be a Timbercat and as such requires much more sleep, like domesticated cats do.

Brad is extremely comfortable just sitting in Amy’s hands, and even looks sad about having been cured. As does Billions.

When Wheels was hit with the dart, they immediately climbed onto the other Scooter Skunk’s scooter with them. Which I don’t think is normal skunk behaviour.

Brad runs to Kipo after he’s hit, who takes him into her hands. He climbs on her shoulder despite the fact she IS a jaguar and if he didn’t know her I think he’d be a little worried.

Bad Billions doesn’t immediately try to devour anyone, even the rat. He does oppose the turtleneck, but I feel like that’s probably because he is now Dog-shaped instead of human-shaped and that would be very uncomfortable

I don’t think we even see Carton get “cured”, but we do see her jump in the trash. Honestly, my theory is she’s probably looking for nutrients because the Fitness Raccoons diet isn’t suitable for real raccoons.

Camille curls around the tip of Cotton’s tail.

Yumyan does absolutely want to eat Brad, though. His hunting instincts are probably kicking in full speed, plus he’s super bored.

Similarly, the one Humming Bombers that gets “cured” lands in Kipo’s hands without a care.

Yumyan not only willingly lies on Molly’s shoulder, but he stays there and lets her feed him fries.

Brad partakes in BradLand. I don’t know much about rats but isn’t it usually hamsters that run on spinny-wheels? I mean they are called hamster wheels.

[violetsuzy]

kipo and the age of wonderbeasts wallpapers

[shrinkthisviolet]

I love Kipo but you’re SO RIGHT OP!

I forgot to mention this in my “problems with S3” post, but...Kipo is very stagnant for the most part. The only growth she has is learning to trust her brother (which she probably would’ve done in S1 anyway) and mastering her jaguar powers (which doesn’t really impact her personality much).

She doesn’t feel bad about the cured mutes for more than an episode, and everyone who holds it against her for longer than that is seen as derailing Prahm.

She’s not allowed to hate Emilia for more than an episode or two, and she doesn’t even have a cathartic release from that?? She just kinda...drops the rage and fear. Why?? Why not have her at Emilia’s throat, screaming bloody murder (as a human, symbolizing that even her human side isn’t immune to losing control and needing an anchor), then she says “no...I can’t do this. I hate you with every bone in my body, and I always will, but I can’t kill you.”

Call it naive, call it whatever, but Katara in ATLA had this arc, and it was handled beautifully. Granted, Katara isn’t Kipo, but this arc still could’ve been applied to Kipo and worked wonders. Sure would’ve been better than Kipo inviting her to Prahm with a smile. It’s like she forgot everything Emilia did to her and her family (especially Hugo and Song)!

TL;DR: The season isn’t terrible but it’s not great, and Kipo could’ve been a more compelling hero with moments of growth and justified rage.

Why Kipo Oak didn’t work for me as a hero.

I recently finished Kipo and I recommend, the visuals and soundtrack sells this series alone. However, I found myself not really liking Kipo, which I found weird because I love Steven Universe and on the surface the two are basically the same - lovable hybrid humans who try to resolve conflict through words, can transform in giant creatures and are associated with the magenta colour.

Then why when I am not sold on Kipo, I asked myself?

Because Kipo is just too much.

Yes, Steven has always been a good boy who managed to change the heart of everyone around him, but he was far from perfect. Throughout the series, he faced struggles both in his family and in himself. He was in pain, he was in doubt, he went through so much and that changed him, both for better and for worst.

Kipo, not so much.

She basically went through the whole series irradiating positive energy not even being radioactive and changed the world for the better while seemingly facing no consequences or too many adversity, really. Not even seeing fellow mutes being “cured” seems to have had no lasting impact on her. She started as an happy go lucky girl and her personality stayed that for the majority of the series, while the world seemed to become rosier solely because of her presence.

Especially in season three I felt like she was ABOVE all the other characters, ABOVE the world, instead of being a part of it.

She is an ARCHETYPE, the “good girl” who unites the world with the power of friendship. But people can’t get invested in an archetype, simply becuase it’s just not real. Yes, Steven did change the universe, but it didn’t happen just because he was a ray of sunshine. Come to think of it, only Peridot changed side thanks to Steven alone and that took a lot of time. Also, he was given the permission not to forgive someone, to dislike others.

Like, remember those memes of Steven forgiving Hitler?

It was a meme to mock the show, but damn if it didn’t seem taioored for Kipo’s MO. Even when facing Emilia, who, without mincing words, is a ruthless Nazi hellbent to “cure” all the mutes and also killed her brother without too much of a fuss, she tries time and time again to appeal to her, giving her a possibility to redeem herself even if Emilia was completely devoided of any reedemable quality and tried to kill her and the mutes on numerous occasions. I seriously thought she would have tried to rescue her in the last episode, for crying out loud.

It is like the writers were afraid to give her personality traits that could have made her a bit less perfect, and the result is that she is, to me, a character I couldn’t get invested into.

Again, liked the show, really liked Wolf ark and the chemistry between Benson and Dave, but Kipo was the weakest of the main characters and I would have preferred they were a bit more risky with her and not making her this caricature of a hero.

Human are complex, that’s why they are scary, that’s why they are beautiful.

PCB

[cartoon-connoisseur]

I love her

[lesbianmity]

"Can you still... you know.... grrrRrRRRrR?"

[kipo-is-a-big-cat]

Wolf is like so pretty?!! I can't even!!

[memedaddymaya]

“Tell them the stories of Yumyan Hammerpaw... The good and the bad”

me:

[pyroclastic727]

Kipo BNA

🤝

Trying to "cure" furries and finding out that it's immoral because you can't just get rid of marginalized groups and it's a metaphor for genocide

[shrinkthisviolet]

...oh wow. I thought S2 was angsty, then S3 just came and hit me like a TRUCK

I have a few complaints (mainly about Hugo/Scarlemagne), but this season was pretty solid overall! I really liked it, I was entertained, and it felt like a natural extension of the story and a planned stopping place! I’m a sucker for those (and found family, which this show has in SPADES)

(Hugo/Scarlemagne shouldn’t have died, especially the way he did, but...S3 Hugo/Scarlemagne is another post. I did say I had complaints 😂 I love his redemption, but...he felt a little lacking this season, to sum it up)

[lich-slap]

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts just said "cycles of fear and abuse only provide more fear and abuse and we should do wathever we can to break them" as the same time it said "the fact that you suffered in the past doesn't give you the right to hurt other people" and "the only way we as a society can move forward is if we learn from our mistakes and reach out to others" AND "not everyone wants or deserves a second chance and nazis do in fact deserve to die" like wow cartoon of the century

[vuelode-irbis]

Quick Yumyan staring at a small butterfly

[scarlcmagne]

I just want to say I like how you roleplay Hugo/Scarlemagne!

       awww oh my gosh, thank you!! i get really nervous playing antagonist characters  ( even ones that get redeemed! ) and i’m still filling out my portrayal of him - so this means a lot to me! <3

[cariacreo]

sisters...🥺💕