#so I'm piling all my bets onto some really reeeaaally good action scenes with both the brothers involved

[pianokantzart]

The brotherly moments are what I’m looking forward to the most for the sequel. I’m hoping we can potentially get a scene that will top the reunion scene. Are there certain kinds of brotherly love moments you’d like to see in the sequel?

Big same. What I'm most looking forward to is all the little subtle shows of affection: headlocks, side hugs, cap tugs, belly pokes, shoulder nudges, jabs, jostles... all the bits of body language that made their relationship feel so close and real in the first movie. And of course, the return of that silly little secret handshake.

Another thing I want to see is more of Mario's protectiveness. I know some are hoping that he gets a little overprotective after being separated from his bro in the first movie, but if we don't get that I want to at least see Mario's pre-adventure protectiveness.

Or the kind of protectiveness he exhibited in the Super Mario Adventures comics, where even though he's focused on the fight he always keeps an eye on his brother, and the moment Luigi calls out for help he immediately becomes first priority.

On the flip side, I want to see more of Luigi being the emotional support/voice of reason. He may be a ball of nerves in moments of peril, but he's proven to be very levelheaded overall. Since I picture the arc of the sequel being Mario slowly coming to embrace the role of a true hero– with all the responsibilities that come with it– it'd be nice if he had a low moment of feeling like a failure that Luigi talks him out of.

Now, if they're going to try and top the reunion scene in the first movie, there is one surefire way to do that: slow down. As good as that hug was, there was so much going on that it was hard to feel the full impact on the first watch. Quiet things down for a moment... pump the breaks... focus in on the facial expressions... let us really feel the hug. Throw in another forehead touch while you're at it.

But you know what I'm really really excited to see? Sword and shield fight dynamic. I desperately want to see them fighting side-by-side without the superstar! Give me Mario spearheading the charge while Luigi watches his blindside! Mario throwing himself mindlessly into a dangerous stunt so long as Luigi is there to catch him, Mario fighting in close combat while Luigi draws the target's attention with long-range attacks, both of them falling into perfect synch when they need to deliver an extra-powerful blow.

I am so aggressively obsessed with the idea of their character traits being fully exhibited and explored through the way they approach a fight, you have no idea.