"Must he remind us, in every single song, that Penelope is waiting?" - That man ONLY talks about Penelope 😂 Discovered you for Epic but I'm already checking the rest, you are so charismatic. Please!! React to the rest of sagas.
Yeah, if Odysseus killed Polyphemus in a battle and left, he could at least claim that it was self defense. Poseidon would probably still get revenge, but its not at this level of "Stealing from my son, getting him addicted to drugs, crippling him, and letting him know exactly who did it" which is basically a slap in the face to Poseidon's dignity (and then Odysseus tries to get out of the apology/responsibility using his cleverness, which is not really a deciding point, but definitely doesn't help)
also, Polyphemus was a monster and monsters reform in Tartarus after a few decades. Ody left Poly to suffer and becoming a cripple instead of mercy-killing him which reform him completely and then all Poseidon would have to do is pick him up from Tartarus.
It's always refreshing to see someone who knows their mythology react to the musical, can't wait for you to react to the rest and see what changes he made for the story
The reason the songs with the gods sound so different than the others is because Jorge made it so the gods had more electronic elements while the mortals had only traditional instruments, in order to make them feel otherworldly.
Also, the gods can bring a non-diegetic chorus, but for the mortals they must have others around (the crew) for a chorus - that’s why I’m just a man the chorus isn’t there until the end (Odysseus walks out onto the balcony and now is in the presence of his men)
26:50 A second in command can NOT question their Commanding Officer in front of the men. If the men have seeds of doubt planted in them when things aren’t in dire straits, those seeds will flourish and cause panic when things DO get bad. Odysseus was completely in the right for calling out Eurylochus there, any doubts his second has must be shared in private.
Yes but Ody should have told him hey if you have doubts talk to me privately not in front of the crew instead of basically saying always follow my lead and don’t question my risky decisions ever.
It's hard to say because we only have these snippets of their journey but I would say that part of the reason Ody was so short and snippy with Eurylocus in their private aside was because Eury questioned his authority in front of the men. There's a good chance that had Eury pulled him aside in the first place, Ody wouldn't have been so harsh. But that's just my thought, lol.
Join us in this Epic journey! We have: - wet Hades - divine sugar momma - thunder rizzler - Posiren - sunshine pancake - Hefufu - a cow And many, many more.
A little fun fact: the creator Jorge has a specific instrument for each different character as well as a few running motifs! He also said that he used my techno instruments for the gods as a way to distinguish them further!
Athena has an ability called "Quick Thought," which allows her to influence/speak to people in seconds. The first time we see this is in Warrior of the Mind. When Ody starts to lean more towards Polities's "Open Arms" philosophy, she comes in to remind him that it's not the best course. She was warning him, so thats why it was placed where it was. Jorge uses many recurring motifs in most of the songs, so if they ever sound similar, it's because they are. His writing is so good because each character is given an "instrument" (Ody Guitar, Athena Piano, Posideon Trumpets, etc.), so usually, if you hear them, it means a character is present, or if you hear a motif, it's a parallel or connected to other events in other songs.
I’m surprised no one’s pointed out the rules for the Backing Track. When mortals have a Backing Track, it’s because their backup is actually there in the scene (Odysseus’ backup is usually his crew). Divine beings, meanwhile, can summon their Backing Track from the ether.
Honestly the idea of having three sagas in each video would be kinda good, since they are nine in total. (Only eight have been released, the last one is probably coming on Christmas), so there is enough time for you to do a Circe/Underworld/Thunder sagas in the next one and then listen to the last three in a single video.
So, Jorge, the one who's writing the musical, did actually say how he'd try to envision it on stage! What he was thinking was something along the lines of Circue du Soleil(?). So, even the staging and effects would be proportional to the drama/fantasy of the music!
@@Barbara2.0 although he said recently that its improbable that it will get a stage adaptation because of budget, if he'd do it on stage he wants to do it right with holograms and everything but that's so out of the budget, maybe one day but at least not for a while. Its more likely we will get an animated or live action movie instead for the time being!
It´s very interesting to see someone react solely to the music. It´s great how the music alone can portray the story, but if you are interested, there are a TON of animatics made by fans for all the songs.
My first experience up to Wisdom Saga has been purely in song form. My internal version was vastly VASTLY different from the canon ones. I really wanna draw animatics of my own to reflect my interpretations, but alas, i've already been immersed knee deep with the works
Jorge Rivera Herrans (the creator of Epic who voices Odysseus) Does livestreams of the entire musical whenever he releases a new saga (or group of songs) and for the past two releases (Wisdom and Vengence Sagas) he has left the livestreams up and you should watch these because he includes animatics from creators in the community and it makes everything that much more epic (pun fully intended)
The point Posidon is trying to make in ruthlessness is that he literally has hundreds if not thousands of kids out there. If one died, he wouldn't know, and even if he did know, he wouldn't know who did it. But with Odysseus leaving the cyclops alive and then telling him his entire name and address, the cyclops was able to cry to his daddy, forcing Poseidon to have to take revenge out of fear of looking weak. Poseidon literally tells him, "You totally could've avoided all this had you just killed my son, but no." Athena was 100% correct, if he killed the cyclops they would've made it home no problem.
hell, ody made layers upon layers of mistakes. Sure, don't kill Poly. At least don't tell him your name? Oh you did.. At least don't tell him where you're fucking from, how big of a status you are, and exact ways to find you and fucking hunt you down... Oh you did.. well, fuck you, i'm out.. That's how i envisioned Athena sounding like the whole exchange.
"Music is so up my street I think I live here now" is going to live rent free in my head! Also, welcome to the neighborhood! We've all pack bonded through trauma 🎉😅
30:45 no, Poseidon would not have known it was him had he not told the cyclops his name and let him live. He could not have came after him like he says in the song had he just killed him. Hence why he says ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves.
The part after that where Poseidon says "you reveal your name, then you let him live, unlike you I've got no mercy left to give" was talked over by this RUclipsr. It makes sense they misunderstand the motives, because they spoke over it and probably didn't have lyrics on screen.
Ok, I feel like I'm missing something major here... Isn't the whole point of that myth Odysseus tricking Polyphemus in thinking his name is nobody, that way the cyclops won't know who he is?
@Barbara2.0 so I'm new to Epic too so I don't know if it's different there, but I'm pretty sure in the Odyssey he does say his name is Nobody, but then he calls back his real name as he's escaping
I'm so glad to finally see someone react to EPIC with actual criticisms while still enjoying it while ALSO knowing their Greek mythology. I love Epic but it's *far* from perfect which should be expected, considering this is the creator's second musical ever, but so many reactors tend to ignore the flaws in the lyrics especially. There are a few lyrics here and there that feel like are just too simple or are missing just a little extra kick. The composition does make up for a lot of it, especially once you start to recognize motifs, each character's signature instrument, and the other in-world rules that the creator sticks to to tell EPIC's story through the music.
I'm sure you've noticed, but within EPIC there are MANY, MANY mini reprises. It's something Jorge (the creator) likes to use to create motifs and meaning! I also noticed you pointed out the guitar. That is Odysseus' instrument! When he's being cunning, it's an electric guitar, and when there's a more emotional moment, an acoustic guitar is used. Every important character in EPIC has their own instrument. Some other examples are Athena with the piano, Aolus with the flute, Poseidon with the trumpet. Eurylochus is a special exception, where his 'instrument' is the voices of the crew :) Another thing you noticed is that many songs give off a very video-gamey vibe. Jorge takes a lot of inspiration from video games and anime when making his music! It's true that some of the lyrics are not the best, though 😅 Jorge is a musical composer more than a lyricist. But I find it easy to overlook it because the music is so good!
Have to agree about the music. I had to immediately have a second listen because I was enjoying the music too much to pay attention to the lyrics sometimes xD
Okay, I'm going to try to not make this an essay, but it we go: 1. Not only do characters have specific motifs and melodies, but each character has a unique instrument that accompanies them throughout the show. Odysseus has an electric and acoustic guitar, Athena has a piano and ticking noises from a clock, Penelope has a viola, Zeus has an electric base, and so on. 2. Jorge Riviera-Herrans (the guy who made the musical and is Odysseus) took heavy inspiration from video games and anime when it came to the presentation of the musical. Polyphemus, for example, is meant to be a boss battle of sorts. This explains why the show can at times feel very cinematic and video game esc. 3. Since this is only a concept album, no official footage of the show exists. But there are two solutions to this. Firstly, Jorge has some live streams on his YT channel of when he released some of the sagas that include stage directions, lyrics, and animations from members of the epic community. The second option is to just Animatics made by Epic fans on YT, they may not represent exactly what Jorge had in mind for what he wanted in the show, but they help give some necessary visuals to make the story easier to understand. 4. PLEASE CONTINUE TO REACT TO EPIC IT'S SO GOOOOOOOODDDD!!!!!
2:56 It is, but it’s also encouraged to watch the live stream Jorge (the creator) does cause he adds little details and commissioned animatics. The livestreams consist of every saga from the creator himself. It’s very good
I know that others have mentioned that Jorge (the creator and the singer for Odysseus) has used different instruments and motifs for characters, but he's also explained that for mortals the background vocals are real voices of those around (ie for Eurylocus his "instrument" is the crew), whereas the gods can summon choirs magically for their background vocals
Agree with you on the abrupt changes in genres, also because every song wants to stand on its own and not necessarily be an interlude between different moods and genres; so it comes off pretty butchered sometimes. However, the different changes actually dialogue between each other in an efficient way as the musical goes on, in my opinion. You should also know that this is a work in progress and at the moment there's one saga left to be released, probably in next year's spring time. At last, on Jorge Rivera-Herrans' youtube channel there are livestreams which contain all the sagas released up until now, with stage instructions on screen, if not actual animation, to show what's happening beyond the lyrics. To say he meant his public to know more stuff about what's going on, which in some cases makes more clear some ambiguous passages in the songs.
I've greatly enjoyed your commentary. I would love if you reacted to the rest of it!!! Please note we're still waiting for the last saga, so it might be best to do another trio of sagas (Circe, Underworld, and Thunder), branching into the start of the second act, and then you could finish out with the last 3 once the last saga is released. With Poseidon's argument, I want to draw your attention to these lyrics "you reveal your name and then let him live"-- Poseidon wouldn't have known who to take revenge on if Odysseus hadn't doxxed himself.
I think the animatics that the community has made (which would be cool to see you react to) really demonstrate that the best adaptation would be an animated musical ❤❤
Fun facts and rules for the musical; The ensemble is always represented by physical people, like the crew joining in with Odysseus in Full Speed Ahead. Gods (and some of higher power, like a witch), on the other hand, can break this rule and create their own back up vocals (unless stated otherwise) Characters are also represented by their own instruments like a guitar for Ody or a piano for Athena
oh my gosh, PLEASE react to the rest!! I'm sure you're going to love it! I recommend watching the livestream for the canon animatics, they provide visual context that in some cases is pretty crucial to understanding what's going on.
15:23 I'm so happy you caught that! It's my favorite Motif from the musical, Jorge called it the "Survival" Motif, since, as you said, it happens when someone has to make a choice on which their survival depends. It appears 3 times I the musical: first when Zeus makes Odysseus choose the infant or him and his family, then in Survive when Odysseus is in a "kill or be killed" situation with Polyphemus and then once more on Act 2!
A part of the point of Warrior of the mind is how there's a subtle hint that Athena ends up growing closer with Odysseus. It's how she sings "mind" in "warrior of the mind", at first she sings it straightforward, then Ody comes in with the riff/alteration, and the third/last time Athena has adopted the way of singing. Good thing you love the piano, because that's the "signature" instrument for Athena. Ody's instrument is the guitar. Jogre, the guy who wrote the entire thing absolutely *loves* using the music and motifs as part of the storytelling and leaving little hints.
Which I see you already picked up on a bit with "Survive", he loves bringing established segements back into later songs. And at the end of "My Goodbye" you can hear Athena staring out by using the riff she picked up from Ody in Warrior of the Mind, and going to just singing it straightforward, because she's distancing herself from him. (Which has been confirmed by someone already pointing it out, and Mr Jorge reacting to that video being absolutely thrilled that someone noticed that)
And in regards to the choirs: if mortals are the once singing, the back-up singers are the other humans around. When gods are involved though they're the ones summoning the vocals for themselves. Like Athena adding extra flare to Ody singing her praises (some truth to the vane comment from Ody), or Poseidon in Ruthlessness...
REACT TO THE REST, PLS AND THANK YOU Edit: I think that the only way for something like this to work on stage would be staging it in an amphitheater (Red Rocks in Colorado or Tuacahn in Utah come to mind). I've seen pro-shots of such productions, and the sheer scale of the venues justify going all out for set design. As for the cyclops, I could see them going minimalist and only using arms and an eye to portray it. That way, the true scale of the creature is left up to the audience's imaginations and it won't completely blow the budget.
When I only listen to it, I don't envision it very differently from Hamilton conceptually: a few props, insane choreographies, expressionistic lightning design, and let the imagination flow. At least to start, it would work
It will never cease to amaze me how consistently Epic can produce absolute earworm top notch bangers. Love what Jorge has done with the story too it’s just so so great
for act one, you can usually just listen to the music and be able to follow along with the plot pretty easily, but once you get to act two I would highly recommend watching some fan-made animatics along with it because unless you're REALLY analyzing the music, it can be difficult to tell exactly what's going on and you might miss out on some mildly important story elements. most fan-made animatics are based on what the creator has confirmed as canon, so they're generally a pretty reliable source of information. just a suggestion!
ONE OF US! ONE OF US!! Please react to the rest! Although, on the off chance no one has said this yet, keep in mind the concept album is not finished yet. We still have one more saga (five more songs) that hasn’t been released yet. But we are expecting that last saga before the end of the year.
It's important to note the way in which this musical is being released, it has been released in sagas with only one more remaining so when you say the placement of Warrior of the Mind may have broken the suspense a bit that's true, however that is the last song in the first saga and the cyclops saga was not released until over a month after
I loved hearing Jorge talk about the themes and motifs he put in the songs, and then how each character has an instrument thats in their songs. Odysseus is a guitar, Athena is a piano, etc. Plus the little repeated lines that tie things together, Odysseus tells the cyclops that he's his darkest moment before he leaves, and then after poseidon kills the crew he says 'i am your darkest moment', the crew being 'wolves' comes back again, and then the repeated 'when does a man become a monster' throughout the story just hammers in that over arching theme, which of these moments is the one that pushes him over the edge, when does he realize what he's turning into and is that a different time than when the crew or the gods or the other cast members realize that he's a monster?
I genuinely recommend watching through Jorge's live streams for the future sagas. He commissions artists from the fandom to make official animatics! The visuals add so much to what's already phenomenal
Absolutely loved the reaction!! You definitely need to react to all of the other sagas because they definitely only get better, and the latest 2 released sagas are my absolute favourites 🥰🥰
Ooh I have been waiting for this one!! Have some fun facts which I’m sure someone has already pointed out The singer voicing Ody (Jorge Rivera-Herrans) is actually the writer for the whole musical! The concept album is actually still being released at the moment- the Vengence saga (which is the penultimate saga) was just released this Halloween! As far as I’m aware there’s no release date for the final saga currently, though I think general speculation is it will be out around Christmas given the timeline so far! You mentioned Athena’s piano, but every character in the show also has a signature instrument! Athena has piano because of the skill and dexterity it takes to play, Ody has guitars, with the type of guitar changing depending on his mood and situation, Poseidon has trumpets because of the convention of trumpets heralding a divine. Eurylochus’s instrument is actually the choir of men- since he’s the voice of the men on the ship! It doesn’t seem to be a strict rule, but modern/electric instrumentals are generally reserved for gods and monsters, which would explain what you said about the sudden vibe change with Athena On that note- if human characters in the story have backing vocals, those have to come from other characters in the scene- chiefly the men, though in later sagas we do get some alternatives. If a god has backing vocals, that’s just them summoning their own chorus to hype them up. So, Poseidon’s dramatic entrance came along with him literally summoning an invisible choir to announce him.
23:40 I also can't recall if there was anything in the source material about this: But the "break up" with Athena (her not being his patron goddess anymore/watching out for him) is so that she won't be available to help Odysseus on all the troubles he's about to get into...
One cool note about Athena's songs that Jorge pointed out in a short - in warrior of the mind, Athena's chorus ends with a single high note until Odysseus starts riffing on it, after which Athena adopts his stair step down chorus line. Later, in my goodbye, it ends with a call back to that same line, followed by ending on the same single high note from earlier, representing her rejecting odysseus's influence on her song. Gives me chills every time. Love this! Subscribed, and looking forward to watching more Edit: spelling
1) Watch the animatics, there's so much in there 2) about the backup singers, so when mortals need backup singers they can only have others around them be the ones, eg, for odysseus, his backup singers would be the crew and all but gods are not restrained by these and they can summon backup singers whenever and where ever they want 3) every character has their own instrument, like Ody has guitar, Athena has piano, Penelope has the viola etc
Not sure if anyone has mentioned it yet, but my favorite Jorge fact is that Athena's melody is originally sung as a straight note, as seen in the beginning of Warrior of the Mind. Odysseus introduces his flair and blends with Athena playfully when he first sings with her, and Athena JOINS in at their last blend. In My Goodbye, you can see her hesitant in letting go Odysseus as it is portrayed that she has only came to Ody to reprimand, and Ody ended it with a seething commentary of her existence. So, her first final Goodbye, she still sings Ody's harmonies. But in her actual, final goodbye, she went back to her straight notes.
PLEASE PLEASE PELASE REACT TO THE REST~~ lol!! ik people would recommend checking out animatics but i think listening to it audio only is also great for a first reaction since you already know the story of the odyssey you can piece together what's happening for the most part. Also i think listening audio only makes you appreciate the sound design/production of the musical more imo! when i first listened to the troy and cyclops saga (the first releases) I had such a immersive experience listening to it on Spotify.
Honestly to me, this is a musical that needs to be in movie form like an animated movie, where we can have the insane battle fully on display! Also you need to react to the rest of the sagas! My favorite saga is the Circe saga, which is the one directly after this!
I don’t know if this was mentioned but everyone who sings for this basically auditioned through TikTok and such. With Jay reviewing them to find his performers, which is pretty neat.
There are many different motifs and elements I would recommend to look out for: 1. There is a 'danger nearby' motif that is being played every time there is danger nearby(you can hear it in the video from 2:43 to 2:55 or 1:32 to 1:46 in the actual song). It is used in different ways, an example of that would be in Ruthlessness where the ensemble is chanting Poseidon's name with the melody of the danger motif. I recommend trying to search for that danger motifs in future reactions because there is a lot of them. 2. Each character has their own instrument, Odysseus being a guitar, the type of it changes with his intentions and mood, Polites has playful instruments like a marimba, Eurylochus is accompanied by the crew's voice, Athena by a piano(sometimes a clock sound every time she's using her abilities), Aeolus a flute and Poseidon is accompanied by trumpets, I'm not sure about Polyphemus. 3. Ensemble voices have a meaning in Epic, when ensemble is related to a mortal, there should be a reason for them to be there(that means that in Just a Man, the soldiers were joining Odysseus), but those rules are not bound to gods. I would also recommend watching some of Jorge's(the creator of EPIC) videos where he explains some of the details because they are really interesting.
If you would like a more immersive experience, I suggest watching the stream vod to Epic the musical. They have visuals as well as subtitle for actions that happens in in the story that might be more obscure with JUST the audio. Also, some of the songs get little to MOSTLY animations for them. Over all, just helps the immersion and confusion to where the audio wouldn't be enough.
Would LOVE to see your reaction to the rest of the sagas! I love watching people who actually know the story of the Odyssey watch/listen to this. Along with your interest in musical theatre, and bringing THAT into your reactions too? So much interesting information!
This was such a fun reaction. Love hearing thoughts from someone who knows the source material so well. I will also second the suggestion of listening to the livestreams so you can get a better idea of what is going on for some of the later sagas! Its a ride!
Absolutely adore this musical and would love to see you react to the rest! The creator Jorge Rivera-Herrans has said he’d love to make a live adaptation of Epic, but more of its own thing like Cirque du Sole than a production on Broadway cuz he doubts he’d be able to do all the practical effects he wants to do. He’d also love to make it an animated film or even make an accompanying video game
I love that you're listening to the audio! I think it's great for a first immersion since you can focus more attentively on the music. I hope you enjoy the rest of the musical as well!
Some things that might help you get a better handle on EPIC's music are these: - Every major character has a signature instrument or two that represents them: Odysseus is represented by a nylon guitar when he's more emotional and softer (see Just a Man) and represented by an electric guitar when he's in his scheming, general, warrior mode (see Survive and Remember Them). Athena is represented by the Piano. Polites (who was the first guy to get smushed by the cyclop) is represented by the Kalimba. Eurylochus doesn't have an instrument but instead he's represented by the backing choir of the men since his role in Epic is "the voice of the crew". - Humans have traditional non-electronic instruments when they sing and gods, monsters, anything supernatural gets to use more electronic instruments. Odysseus is the exception to this with his electronic guitar since he's "neither man nor mythicaaaaal". - When a choir backs a human, they MUST be diegetic and have an actual source. Gods, on the other hand, are able to make their own backing vocals. Hopefully, knowing this stuff makes listening to EPIC a little easier and funner!
Jorge does a Livestream every time he releases a saga and each one is filled with animatics created by many artists that really really add to the songs. The final saga is releasing in likely December or January, but the Vengeance Saga Livestream is still up on his RUclips channel, Jorge Rivera Herrans, and really really recommend watching it.
Just found your channel because of this video but I’m about to have to go back and do a deep dive. Would LOVE to see you react to The Pirate Queen. It’s so little known but it’s SO good imo. Flawed as anything is, but some of the music lives rent free in my head. Epic is SO good, I’m always happy to see more people experiencing it!!
Heck yes!! So excited for you to hear this music - I actually also just binged EPIC too so this is fun If I can ask about another musical for you to cover, I’d really love for you to react to Pulp Musicals - it’s a sci-fi musical series done in the style of a radio serial, and it stars and is created by a lot of Starkid folks! (Matt Dahan, Mariah Rose Faith, James Tolbert, Curt Mega, Jaime Lynn Beatty, etc.) And it would make my day for more people to check it out! Thank you
Yesss do the rest please! This was a joy to watch, your comparison with the source material and understanding of effective adjustments for adaptation purposes adds so much to the experience. (Also finally, someone else who has a “??” moment with some of the lyrics xD Jay’s an incredible composer but his lyrics can be a little inconsistent at times. Usually still very solid! With some gems of lines, and then also some… weaker phrasing.)
I agree, there's certainly the odd moment that feels a little clunky in order to get to a rhyme (thinking 'to greet it was our choice' off the top of my head)
@nudgificator it’s most obvious in earlier drafts of songs and cut songs - some of those are paaainful lyrics while still being musically very good - so the rigorous extensive revisions clearly make a huge difference, but it’s not his strength. ….still significantly stronger than his choreography though. (“The baby floats into Odysseus’ arms” really????) (TE/MO aka Teagan Earley aka Athena in EPIC on the other hand-a poet who started writing music eventually. Holy crap the lyrics of her independent music)
Yesss yes I would love to see your reactions to the rest of it especially with you having read the Odyssey and being able to critically analyze the changes versus accuracy!😌☺️
I would love for you to react to more! Ive never seen your content before but I really enjoy your perspective and I've seen multiple creators react to EPIC :D
With the amount you loved Storm for the choir, I cannot wait to see you react to The Underworld Saga, and some of the later ones as well. I would love for you to go back and watch some of the animatics for the songs, they really help tell the story. But knowing the story of the Odyssey helps you follow the story anyway
PLEASE PLEASE PELASE REACT TO THE REST :) Some fun facts that I think will enhance your experience (sorry for my english, I'm still learning) 1 - Each main character has one or two different instruments that reflects them, for example: Athena's is the piano (you got that one), Aeolus' is the flute (a wind instrument for the god of winds), Odysseus' is between the nylon guitar and the eletric guitar depending on the situation, Penelope's is the viola, Eurylochus has the crew as an instrument. You can hear the Poseidon's brass/trumpets in the firs song of the Ocean Saga, telling you that he sent the Storm 2 - The gods' songs sound more electronic, more modern than the others, to represent their power 3 - When a mortal has an ensemble, it needs to be inserted within the musical (be diegetic), for example Odysseus' soldiers singing along with him in Just a Man, when he is about to drop the baby. Gods and imortals can conjure an ensemble whenever they want, for example Athena bringing the Just a Man theme back in My Goodbye. But it can be included in the scene too, like the Laestrygonians singing "Poseidon" at the beginning of Ruthlessness (and helping him destroy the fleet) 4 - Athena can use an ability called "Quick Thought" where she can have an entire conversation with someone in a split second. She uses this in Remember Them, to try to advise Odysseus, who doesn't listen to her. Warrior of the Mind is entirely a Quick Thought in which she tries to get out of his head the idea that Polites just tried to put into him the idea of "Greet the world with open arms". It's starts with the whoosh-whoosh-whoosh and the tick tock of the clock
As someone who has found herself deep within the fandom after years of enjoying both the released and unreleased songs, it's honestly kinda refreshing to hear constructive criticisms of Epic don't get me wrong, like I said, I fucking love this musical, but we as a fandom, tend to elevate both the musical and subsequently it's a creator to a level of perfection that is simply not achievable. It's nice to hear criticisms of the show along with your praises, and it does deserve its praises, the subtle additions in the music the assignment ofinstrumentss to particular characters, and the clear influences of video games and anime are masterful but I do agree that the pacing can feel a bit off at times and the lyrics aren't perfect. all this to say thanks for sharing your first experience of epic and I look forward to the next time you listen to a handful of sagas and I hope you enjoy the rest of the musical also, if it makes it easier to have something to watch visually, there are several excellent animatics up here on RUclips, and I'm 95% sure there's a playlist that's in order somewhere, but I'm not sure how updated it is
Omg I love your reactions and especially several insights that I feel like I’ve seen from other channels before. I feel like a lot of reaction channels just say meaningless compliments for views
I would highly recommend that you use the official livestream for the first listen through for the rest of it! (I might be a bit lag but oh well). There are a lot of moments, especially later that you wouldn’t know exactly what’s going on without the visuals. The art is also gorgeous because Jorge commissioned a lot of fan animators that were already invested in epic before! If I am to late then I recommend you watch it after anyways to fill in those details. (In a video or not. I care more about your experience than content lol.) If I remember correctly you can probably start the livestream at act two to catch up on those details. It’s amazing and I love epic so much! I hope you enjoy it too! Ps: the little guys in open arms are winions! They ate the lotus and are stuck there now. I found your channel through this because I am absolutely obsessed with epic but I will be watching the rest!
For the next sagas, I highly suggest watching the animatics while you listen to the music. They are all so talented and add something extra to the already gorgeous music. Off the top of my head, the animators to choose from are Gigi, Mircsy, Neal illustrator, Wolfy, and so much more.
I fully support going through the rest of the sagas, and someone else's suggestion of 3 for each video is a great idea so you can get the last three all in one when the final saga releases. I also encourage you to check out Jorge's livestreams of the newest saga release once you're caught up, because it provides more of the story told via the script describing character's actions or emotions, as well as animatics of some scenes throughout the sagas. There are some incredible artists who started as fans of his music that he's commissioned to make the animatics for his concept album as if it were scenes for an animated movie!
I would LOVE to see you react to the rest! Its cool to see someone who knows the myth react to it! Because EPIC is such a full audio musical I tend to rec watching animatics along with the songs (esp for later ones that narrate less in lyrics), but doing blind is fun too. If you ever wanna react to animatics I have a playlist on my channel (its the only thing there) of mostly the most popular ones in order! Edit: Also I hadn't seen it mentioned, but a fun fact is that all the lyric background vocals are diegetic. If you hear the voices in the background then it means the crew is singing or other background characters. UNLESS it's a God/divine singing. They have the powers to summon choirs whenever they want
If you really liked this one, I'd highly recommend checking out the musical 'Paris'! It's basically a 90s Australian pop rock musical adaptation of the Trojan war from both sides of the story and puts a very heavy focus on the complicated relationship between Paris and Helen. Very Queen inspired, very unique, and very fun to listen to, hands down the best adaptation of the story I know
As Epic does not follow everything from the Odyssey (Jorge takes many creative liberties and changes some things), I would recommend the animatics. For instance, Polyphemus kills Polites first. That doesn't happen in the original poem, but it has a lot of emotional impact throughout the rest of the musical.
Yessss pls pls pls listen to the rest!! The biggest plot points are the same but Jorge has taken plenty of creative liberties with the order of events and some of the motivations. I also highly recommend watching the animatics if u get a chance, Jorge has commissioned a ton for his live listening parties and they're amazing ❤
You should definitely watch animatics for epic the musical they give more context and they're pretty well done, for example the fact that Polythemus kills Polites first
Please react to the rest! 😁🙏 The Vengeance Saga just released recently on Halloween, and we’re still waiting for the final saga, the Ithica Saga, to drop. If you continue on with 3 sagas per video, that should work out perfectly once the last Saga drops! 😊
I love your analysis and its interesting seeing your reaction to just the audio. Its great and you have some unique insights! Please listen to the rest - would enjoy hearing your thoughts.
“The gods are all children, aren’t they, with all of these games all the time.” Just wait for the wisdom saga…
More games or less games? 😂
@@Barbara2.0 you could say...god games
@@Barbara2.0just a few god games occur
Why not make it a game
@@GabrielGonzales1800 (synth intensifies)
"Must he remind us, in every single song, that Penelope is waiting?" - That man ONLY talks about Penelope 😂
Discovered you for Epic but I'm already checking the rest, you are so charismatic. Please!! React to the rest of sagas.
Thank you, lovely! And welcome to the channel!!! 🥰
30:45 Poseidon's argument is that if Odysseus had killed Polyphemus, then he wouldn't had called his father to avenge him
Poseidon: "What the hell man? You killed a baby, but you have to make my son suffer!? You arrogant little twat!"
Yeah, if Odysseus killed Polyphemus in a battle and left, he could at least claim that it was self defense. Poseidon would probably still get revenge, but its not at this level of "Stealing from my son, getting him addicted to drugs, crippling him, and letting him know exactly who did it" which is basically a slap in the face to Poseidon's dignity (and then Odysseus tries to get out of the apology/responsibility using his cleverness, which is not really a deciding point, but definitely doesn't help)
also, Polyphemus was a monster and monsters reform in Tartarus after a few decades. Ody left Poly to suffer and becoming a cripple instead of mercy-killing him which reform him completely and then all Poseidon would have to do is pick him up from Tartarus.
@@a.i.1328Wrong. Thats Percy Jackson shit.
It's always refreshing to see someone who knows their mythology react to the musical, can't wait for you to react to the rest and see what changes he made for the story
I'm so hyped now!
The reason the songs with the gods sound so different than the others is because Jorge made it so the gods had more electronic elements while the mortals had only traditional instruments, in order to make them feel otherworldly.
Such a great idea!
Also, the gods can bring a non-diegetic chorus, but for the mortals they must have others around (the crew) for a chorus - that’s why I’m just a man the chorus isn’t there until the end (Odysseus walks out onto the balcony and now is in the presence of his men)
@@Barbara2.0I know, right? The more electronic the music it gets, the more divine the story becomes. Pretty clever.
26:50
A second in command can NOT question their Commanding Officer in front of the men. If the men have seeds of doubt planted in them when things aren’t in dire straits, those seeds will flourish and cause panic when things DO get bad.
Odysseus was completely in the right for calling out Eurylochus there, any doubts his second has must be shared in private.
Plus, Odysseus is his KING.
YES
Yes but Ody should have told him hey if you have doubts talk to me privately not in front of the crew instead of basically saying always follow my lead and don’t question my risky decisions ever.
@@islasullivan3463he learned from Athena follow what i say and never question me or I’ll say goodbye
It's hard to say because we only have these snippets of their journey but I would say that part of the reason Ody was so short and snippy with Eurylocus in their private aside was because Eury questioned his authority in front of the men. There's a good chance that had Eury pulled him aside in the first place, Ody wouldn't have been so harsh. But that's just my thought, lol.
Join us in this Epic journey! We have:
- wet Hades
- divine sugar momma
- thunder rizzler
- Posiren
- sunshine pancake
- Hefufu
- a cow
And many, many more.
Thunder rizzler 😭
@@pcjohnny also Uncle Hort and banana peels
Sunshine Pancake 😂😢
HEPHAEPHUPH
Hefufu???
A little fun fact: the creator Jorge has a specific instrument for each different character as well as a few running motifs! He also said that he used my techno instruments for the gods as a way to distinguish them further!
Athena has an ability called "Quick Thought," which allows her to influence/speak to people in seconds. The first time we see this is in Warrior of the Mind. When Ody starts to lean more towards Polities's "Open Arms" philosophy, she comes in to remind him that it's not the best course. She was warning him, so thats why it was placed where it was.
Jorge uses many recurring motifs in most of the songs, so if they ever sound similar, it's because they are. His writing is so good because each character is given an "instrument" (Ody Guitar, Athena Piano, Posideon Trumpets, etc.), so usually, if you hear them, it means a character is present, or if you hear a motif, it's a parallel or connected to other events in other songs.
I’m surprised no one’s pointed out the rules for the Backing Track.
When mortals have a Backing Track, it’s because their backup is actually there in the scene (Odysseus’ backup is usually his crew).
Divine beings, meanwhile, can summon their Backing Track from the ether.
Backing track like the backup vocals?
@ yes
Honestly the idea of having three sagas in each video would be kinda good, since they are nine in total. (Only eight have been released, the last one is probably coming on Christmas), so there is enough time for you to do a Circe/Underworld/Thunder sagas in the next one and then listen to the last three in a single video.
That three-part structure also works given the time skip between Thunder and Wisdom.
@@lydiavalentino and wisdom being practically being a transition saga from the middle acts to the ending acts
So, Jorge, the one who's writing the musical, did actually say how he'd try to envision it on stage! What he was thinking was something along the lines of Circue du Soleil(?). So, even the staging and effects would be proportional to the drama/fantasy of the music!
Ooooh I see the vision
@@Barbara2.0 although he said recently that its improbable that it will get a stage adaptation because of budget, if he'd do it on stage he wants to do it right with holograms and everything but that's so out of the budget, maybe one day but at least not for a while. Its more likely we will get an animated or live action movie instead for the time being!
It´s very interesting to see someone react solely to the music. It´s great how the music alone can portray the story, but if you are interested, there are a TON of animatics made by fans for all the songs.
My first experience up to Wisdom Saga has been purely in song form.
My internal version was vastly VASTLY different from the canon ones. I really wanna draw animatics of my own to reflect my interpretations, but alas, i've already been immersed knee deep with the works
I say go for it. No harm in trying it out. Everyone shares something different.
Jorge Rivera Herrans (the creator of Epic who voices Odysseus) Does livestreams of the entire musical whenever he releases a new saga (or group of songs) and for the past two releases (Wisdom and Vengence Sagas) he has left the livestreams up and you should watch these because he includes animatics from creators in the community and it makes everything that much more epic (pun fully intended)
The point Posidon is trying to make in ruthlessness is that he literally has hundreds if not thousands of kids out there.
If one died, he wouldn't know, and even if he did know, he wouldn't know who did it. But with Odysseus leaving the cyclops alive and then telling him his entire name and address, the cyclops was able to cry to his daddy, forcing Poseidon to have to take revenge out of fear of looking weak.
Poseidon literally tells him, "You totally could've avoided all this had you just killed my son, but no."
Athena was 100% correct, if he killed the cyclops they would've made it home no problem.
hell, ody made layers upon layers of mistakes.
Sure, don't kill Poly. At least don't tell him your name?
Oh you did.. At least don't tell him where you're fucking from, how big of a status you are, and exact ways to find you and fucking hunt you down...
Oh you did.. well, fuck you, i'm out..
That's how i envisioned Athena sounding like the whole exchange.
I’m so excited for you to hear Circe and Calypso, talk about BANGERS
Oh my God, I love Calypso as a character 😍 Can't wait to check that out!
I'm looking forward to more of you reacting to the rest of this
@@Barbara2.0 I'm going to hold your hand when I tell you this😔
"Music is so up my street I think I live here now" is going to live rent free in my head! Also, welcome to the neighborhood! We've all pack bonded through trauma 🎉😅
Loooool thank you...? 😂
30:45 no, Poseidon would not have known it was him had he not told the cyclops his name and let him live. He could not have came after him like he says in the song had he just killed him. Hence why he says ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves.
The part after that where Poseidon says "you reveal your name, then you let him live, unlike you I've got no mercy left to give" was talked over by this RUclipsr. It makes sense they misunderstand the motives, because they spoke over it and probably didn't have lyrics on screen.
Ok, I feel like I'm missing something major here... Isn't the whole point of that myth Odysseus tricking Polyphemus in thinking his name is nobody, that way the cyclops won't know who he is?
@Barbara2.0 so I'm new to Epic too so I don't know if it's different there, but I'm pretty sure in the Odyssey he does say his name is Nobody, but then he calls back his real name as he's escaping
@@Barbara2.0 Yes, but right by the end he just straight up says "I'm the infamous... Odysseus." And then Polyphemus tells his dad.
@@Barbara2.0 This also why Athena was really pissed in the end of Remember Them/Beginning of My Goodbye. Odysseus basically doxxed himself
I'm so glad to finally see someone react to EPIC with actual criticisms while still enjoying it while ALSO knowing their Greek mythology. I love Epic but it's *far* from perfect which should be expected, considering this is the creator's second musical ever, but so many reactors tend to ignore the flaws in the lyrics especially. There are a few lyrics here and there that feel like are just too simple or are missing just a little extra kick. The composition does make up for a lot of it, especially once you start to recognize motifs, each character's signature instrument, and the other in-world rules that the creator sticks to to tell EPIC's story through the music.
WE'VE GOT ANOTHER ONE, WINIONS! FULL SPEED AHEAD!
FULL PANCAKES AHEAD!
I feel like all I watch on RUclips are epic reactions 😂
I'm sure you've noticed, but within EPIC there are MANY, MANY mini reprises. It's something Jorge (the creator) likes to use to create motifs and meaning!
I also noticed you pointed out the guitar. That is Odysseus' instrument! When he's being cunning, it's an electric guitar, and when there's a more emotional moment, an acoustic guitar is used. Every important character in EPIC has their own instrument. Some other examples are Athena with the piano, Aolus with the flute, Poseidon with the trumpet. Eurylochus is a special exception, where his 'instrument' is the voices of the crew :)
Another thing you noticed is that many songs give off a very video-gamey vibe. Jorge takes a lot of inspiration from video games and anime when making his music!
It's true that some of the lyrics are not the best, though 😅 Jorge is a musical composer more than a lyricist. But I find it easy to overlook it because the music is so good!
Have to agree about the music. I had to immediately have a second listen because I was enjoying the music too much to pay attention to the lyrics sometimes xD
Okay, I'm going to try to not make this an essay, but it we go:
1. Not only do characters have specific motifs and melodies, but each character has a unique instrument that accompanies them throughout the show. Odysseus has an electric and acoustic guitar, Athena has a piano and ticking noises from a clock, Penelope has a viola, Zeus has an electric base, and so on.
2. Jorge Riviera-Herrans (the guy who made the musical and is Odysseus) took heavy inspiration from video games and anime when it came to the presentation of the musical. Polyphemus, for example, is meant to be a boss battle of sorts. This explains why the show can at times feel very cinematic and video game esc.
3. Since this is only a concept album, no official footage of the show exists. But there are two solutions to this. Firstly, Jorge has some live streams on his YT channel of when he released some of the sagas that include stage directions, lyrics, and animations from members of the epic community. The second option is to just Animatics made by Epic fans on YT, they may not represent exactly what Jorge had in mind for what he wanted in the show, but they help give some necessary visuals to make the story easier to understand.
4. PLEASE CONTINUE TO REACT TO EPIC IT'S SO GOOOOOOOODDDD!!!!!
2:56 It is, but it’s also encouraged to watch the live stream Jorge (the creator) does cause he adds little details and commissioned animatics. The livestreams consist of every saga from the creator himself. It’s very good
I know that others have mentioned that Jorge (the creator and the singer for Odysseus) has used different instruments and motifs for characters, but he's also explained that for mortals the background vocals are real voices of those around (ie for Eurylocus his "instrument" is the crew), whereas the gods can summon choirs magically for their background vocals
Agree with you on the abrupt changes in genres, also because every song wants to stand on its own and not necessarily be an interlude between different moods and genres; so it comes off pretty butchered sometimes. However, the different changes actually dialogue between each other in an efficient way as the musical goes on, in my opinion.
You should also know that this is a work in progress and at the moment there's one saga left to be released, probably in next year's spring time.
At last, on Jorge Rivera-Herrans' youtube channel there are livestreams which contain all the sagas released up until now, with stage instructions on screen, if not actual animation, to show what's happening beyond the lyrics. To say he meant his public to know more stuff about what's going on, which in some cases makes more clear some ambiguous passages in the songs.
NOPE IT'S COMING CHRISTMAS.
@Zufallige.Eidechse.auf.Felsen LESS GOOOOOOOOOO
I've greatly enjoyed your commentary. I would love if you reacted to the rest of it!!! Please note we're still waiting for the last saga, so it might be best to do another trio of sagas (Circe, Underworld, and Thunder), branching into the start of the second act, and then you could finish out with the last 3 once the last saga is released.
With Poseidon's argument, I want to draw your attention to these lyrics "you reveal your name and then let him live"-- Poseidon wouldn't have known who to take revenge on if Odysseus hadn't doxxed himself.
Given the topic, when you said "How faithful or unfaithful" my brain immediately went "On a sliding scale from Hades to Zeus"
I think the animatics that the community has made (which would be cool to see you react to) really demonstrate that the best adaptation would be an animated musical ❤❤
Fun facts and rules for the musical;
The ensemble is always represented by physical people, like the crew joining in with Odysseus in Full Speed Ahead. Gods (and some of higher power, like a witch), on the other hand, can break this rule and create their own back up vocals (unless stated otherwise)
Characters are also represented by their own instruments like a guitar for Ody or a piano for Athena
oh my gosh, PLEASE react to the rest!! I'm sure you're going to love it! I recommend watching the livestream for the canon animatics, they provide visual context that in some cases is pretty crucial to understanding what's going on.
15:23 I'm so happy you caught that! It's my favorite Motif from the musical, Jorge called it the "Survival" Motif, since, as you said, it happens when someone has to make a choice on which their survival depends. It appears 3 times I the musical: first when Zeus makes Odysseus choose the infant or him and his family, then in Survive when Odysseus is in a "kill or be killed" situation with Polyphemus and then once more on Act 2!
Prepare yourself for numerous (hopefully spoiler free) lore infodumps from fans!
Bring it on!!
A part of the point of Warrior of the mind is how there's a subtle hint that Athena ends up growing closer with Odysseus. It's how she sings "mind" in "warrior of the mind", at first she sings it straightforward, then Ody comes in with the riff/alteration, and the third/last time Athena has adopted the way of singing. Good thing you love the piano, because that's the "signature" instrument for Athena. Ody's instrument is the guitar. Jogre, the guy who wrote the entire thing absolutely *loves* using the music and motifs as part of the storytelling and leaving little hints.
Which I see you already picked up on a bit with "Survive", he loves bringing established segements back into later songs. And at the end of "My Goodbye" you can hear Athena staring out by using the riff she picked up from Ody in Warrior of the Mind, and going to just singing it straightforward, because she's distancing herself from him. (Which has been confirmed by someone already pointing it out, and Mr Jorge reacting to that video being absolutely thrilled that someone noticed that)
And in regards to the choirs: if mortals are the once singing, the back-up singers are the other humans around. When gods are involved though they're the ones summoning the vocals for themselves. Like Athena adding extra flare to Ody singing her praises (some truth to the vane comment from Ody), or Poseidon in Ruthlessness...
Been waiting for this one!! We got another winion!
Structure note: The Underworld Saga is the end of Act 1
REACT TO THE REST, PLS AND THANK YOU
Edit: I think that the only way for something like this to work on stage would be staging it in an amphitheater (Red Rocks in Colorado or Tuacahn in Utah come to mind). I've seen pro-shots of such productions, and the sheer scale of the venues justify going all out for set design.
As for the cyclops, I could see them going minimalist and only using arms and an eye to portray it. That way, the true scale of the creature is left up to the audience's imaginations and it won't completely blow the budget.
Maybe could be a Cirque show, the use of water stage from O, The Ship Mechanic from KÁ, and acrobatics and props from Mystère could work
When I only listen to it, I don't envision it very differently from Hamilton conceptually: a few props, insane choreographies, expressionistic lightning design, and let the imagination flow. At least to start, it would work
Or an eye and a club with the fight being shadow work.
It will never cease to amaze me how consistently Epic can produce absolute earworm top notch bangers. Love what Jorge has done with the story too it’s just so so great
Agreed!
for act one, you can usually just listen to the music and be able to follow along with the plot pretty easily, but once you get to act two I would highly recommend watching some fan-made animatics along with it because unless you're REALLY analyzing the music, it can be difficult to tell exactly what's going on and you might miss out on some mildly important story elements. most fan-made animatics are based on what the creator has confirmed as canon, so they're generally a pretty reliable source of information. just a suggestion!
ONE OF US! ONE OF US!!
Please react to the rest! Although, on the off chance no one has said this yet, keep in mind the concept album is not finished yet. We still have one more saga (five more songs) that hasn’t been released yet. But we are expecting that last saga before the end of the year.
It's important to note the way in which this musical is being released, it has been released in sagas with only one more remaining so when you say the placement of Warrior of the Mind may have broken the suspense a bit that's true, however that is the last song in the first saga and the cyclops saga was not released until over a month after
Good point tbf
poseidons voice does something to all of us. so does zuses, when u get to his songs i stead of justthe short bit in just a man
I loved hearing Jorge talk about the themes and motifs he put in the songs, and then how each character has an instrument thats in their songs. Odysseus is a guitar, Athena is a piano, etc. Plus the little repeated lines that tie things together, Odysseus tells the cyclops that he's his darkest moment before he leaves, and then after poseidon kills the crew he says 'i am your darkest moment', the crew being 'wolves' comes back again, and then the repeated 'when does a man become a monster' throughout the story just hammers in that over arching theme, which of these moments is the one that pushes him over the edge, when does he realize what he's turning into and is that a different time than when the crew or the gods or the other cast members realize that he's a monster?
I genuinely recommend watching through Jorge's live streams for the future sagas. He commissions artists from the fandom to make official animatics! The visuals add so much to what's already phenomenal
You should also react to the animatics that people have made! It gives it a more real idea
Absolutely loved the reaction!!
You definitely need to react to all of the other sagas because they definitely only get better, and the latest 2 released sagas are my absolute favourites 🥰🥰
Ooh I have been waiting for this one!!
Have some fun facts which I’m sure someone has already pointed out
The singer voicing Ody (Jorge Rivera-Herrans) is actually the writer for the whole musical!
The concept album is actually still being released at the moment- the Vengence saga (which is the penultimate saga) was just released this Halloween! As far as I’m aware there’s no release date for the final saga currently, though I think general speculation is it will be out around Christmas given the timeline so far!
You mentioned Athena’s piano, but every character in the show also has a signature instrument! Athena has piano because of the skill and dexterity it takes to play, Ody has guitars, with the type of guitar changing depending on his mood and situation, Poseidon has trumpets because of the convention of trumpets heralding a divine. Eurylochus’s instrument is actually the choir of men- since he’s the voice of the men on the ship!
It doesn’t seem to be a strict rule, but modern/electric instrumentals are generally reserved for gods and monsters, which would explain what you said about the sudden vibe change with Athena
On that note- if human characters in the story have backing vocals, those have to come from other characters in the scene- chiefly the men, though in later sagas we do get some alternatives. If a god has backing vocals, that’s just them summoning their own chorus to hype them up. So, Poseidon’s dramatic entrance came along with him literally summoning an invisible choir to announce him.
23:40 I also can't recall if there was anything in the source material about this: But the "break up" with Athena (her not being his patron goddess anymore/watching out for him) is so that she won't be available to help Odysseus on all the troubles he's about to get into...
One cool note about Athena's songs that Jorge pointed out in a short - in warrior of the mind, Athena's chorus ends with a single high note until Odysseus starts riffing on it, after which Athena adopts his stair step down chorus line. Later, in my goodbye, it ends with a call back to that same line, followed by ending on the same single high note from earlier, representing her rejecting odysseus's influence on her song. Gives me chills every time.
Love this! Subscribed, and looking forward to watching more
Edit: spelling
That is brilliant! Thanks for sharing, I love those little nuggets of information. And welcome to the channel!!! 🥳
1) Watch the animatics, there's so much in there
2) about the backup singers, so when mortals need backup singers they can only have others around them be the ones, eg, for odysseus, his backup singers would be the crew and all but gods are not restrained by these and they can summon backup singers whenever and where ever they want
3) every character has their own instrument, like Ody has guitar, Athena has piano, Penelope has the viola etc
Not sure if anyone has mentioned it yet, but my favorite Jorge fact is that Athena's melody is originally sung as a straight note, as seen in the beginning of Warrior of the Mind. Odysseus introduces his flair and blends with Athena playfully when he first sings with her, and Athena JOINS in at their last blend.
In My Goodbye, you can see her hesitant in letting go Odysseus as it is portrayed that she has only came to Ody to reprimand, and Ody ended it with a seething commentary of her existence. So, her first final Goodbye, she still sings Ody's harmonies. But in her actual, final goodbye, she went back to her straight notes.
12:38 i recommend seeing the animatics both the community and the original creator made for the series. It'll help you alot XD
20:14 no way friend, wait until the vengence saga. Just wait.
PLEASE PLEASE PELASE REACT TO THE REST~~ lol!!
ik people would recommend checking out animatics but i think listening to it audio only is also great for a first reaction since you already know the story of the odyssey you can piece together what's happening for the most part. Also i think listening audio only makes you appreciate the sound design/production of the musical more imo! when i first listened to the troy and cyclops saga (the first releases) I had such a immersive experience listening to it on Spotify.
Agreeeeed. With the exception of Wisdom and Vengeance sagas, as those are a bit confusing without some visual notes.
The way I clicked so fast when I got this notification!!! Can't wait to see what you think about my absolute favorite musical omg
No pressure hahahaha
@Barbara2.0 I loved all of your thoughts and insights and I'm so glad you're enjoying it 🥰🥰🥰
30:51 “he’s voice is making me feel things” ohhh just you wait!
Honestly to me, this is a musical that needs to be in movie form like an animated movie, where we can have the insane battle fully on display! Also you need to react to the rest of the sagas! My favorite saga is the Circe saga, which is the one directly after this!
I don’t know if this was mentioned but everyone who sings for this basically auditioned through TikTok and such. With Jay reviewing them to find his performers, which is pretty neat.
That's awesome! The freaking TALENT he managed to find
There are many different motifs and elements I would recommend to look out for:
1. There is a 'danger nearby' motif that is being played every time there is danger nearby(you can hear it in the video from 2:43 to 2:55 or 1:32 to 1:46 in the actual song). It is used in different ways, an example of that would be in Ruthlessness where the ensemble is chanting Poseidon's name with the melody of the danger motif. I recommend trying to search for that danger motifs in future reactions because there is a lot of them.
2. Each character has their own instrument, Odysseus being a guitar, the type of it changes with his intentions and mood, Polites has playful instruments like a marimba, Eurylochus is accompanied by the crew's voice, Athena by a piano(sometimes a clock sound every time she's using her abilities), Aeolus a flute and Poseidon is accompanied by trumpets, I'm not sure about Polyphemus.
3. Ensemble voices have a meaning in Epic, when ensemble is related to a mortal, there should be a reason for them to be there(that means that in Just a Man, the soldiers were joining Odysseus), but those rules are not bound to gods.
I would also recommend watching some of Jorge's(the creator of EPIC) videos where he explains some of the details because they are really interesting.
If you would like a more immersive experience, I suggest watching the stream vod to Epic the musical. They have visuals as well as subtitle for actions that happens in in the story that might be more obscure with JUST the audio. Also, some of the songs get little to MOSTLY animations for them. Over all, just helps the immersion and confusion to where the audio wouldn't be enough.
Would LOVE to see your reaction to the rest of the sagas! I love watching people who actually know the story of the Odyssey watch/listen to this. Along with your interest in musical theatre, and bringing THAT into your reactions too? So much interesting information!
This was such a fun reaction. Love hearing thoughts from someone who knows the source material so well. I will also second the suggestion of listening to the livestreams so you can get a better idea of what is going on for some of the later sagas! Its a ride!
Absolutely adore this musical and would love to see you react to the rest! The creator Jorge Rivera-Herrans has said he’d love to make a live adaptation of Epic, but more of its own thing like Cirque du Sole than a production on Broadway cuz he doubts he’d be able to do all the practical effects he wants to do. He’d also love to make it an animated film or even make an accompanying video game
I love that you're listening to the audio! I think it's great for a first immersion since you can focus more attentively on the music. I hope you enjoy the rest of the musical as well!
Some things that might help you get a better handle on EPIC's music are these:
- Every major character has a signature instrument or two that represents them: Odysseus is represented by a nylon guitar when he's more emotional and softer (see Just a Man) and represented by an electric guitar when he's in his scheming, general, warrior mode (see Survive and Remember Them). Athena is represented by the Piano. Polites (who was the first guy to get smushed by the cyclop) is represented by the Kalimba. Eurylochus doesn't have an instrument but instead he's represented by the backing choir of the men since his role in Epic is "the voice of the crew".
- Humans have traditional non-electronic instruments when they sing and gods, monsters, anything supernatural gets to use more electronic instruments. Odysseus is the exception to this with his electronic guitar since he's "neither man nor mythicaaaaal".
- When a choir backs a human, they MUST be diegetic and have an actual source. Gods, on the other hand, are able to make their own backing vocals.
Hopefully, knowing this stuff makes listening to EPIC a little easier and funner!
Jorge does a Livestream every time he releases a saga and each one is filled with animatics created by many artists that really really add to the songs. The final saga is releasing in likely December or January, but the Vengeance Saga Livestream is still up on his RUclips channel, Jorge Rivera Herrans, and really really recommend watching it.
YES FINALLYYYY!! I hope you consider reacting to the extremely well-loved fandom animatics (some of which were even commissioned by the creator)!!!
Just found your channel because of this video but I’m about to have to go back and do a deep dive. Would LOVE to see you react to The Pirate Queen. It’s so little known but it’s SO good imo. Flawed as anything is, but some of the music lives rent free in my head. Epic is SO good, I’m always happy to see more people experiencing it!!
Heck yes!! So excited for you to hear this music - I actually also just binged EPIC too so this is fun
If I can ask about another musical for you to cover, I’d really love for you to react to Pulp Musicals - it’s a sci-fi musical series done in the style of a radio serial, and it stars and is created by a lot of Starkid folks! (Matt Dahan, Mariah Rose Faith, James Tolbert, Curt Mega, Jaime Lynn Beatty, etc.) And it would make my day for more people to check it out! Thank you
Yesss do the rest please! This was a joy to watch, your comparison with the source material and understanding of effective adjustments for adaptation purposes adds so much to the experience.
(Also finally, someone else who has a “??” moment with some of the lyrics xD Jay’s an incredible composer but his lyrics can be a little inconsistent at times. Usually still very solid! With some gems of lines, and then also some… weaker phrasing.)
I agree, there's certainly the odd moment that feels a little clunky in order to get to a rhyme (thinking 'to greet it was our choice' off the top of my head)
@nudgificator it’s most obvious in earlier drafts of songs and cut songs - some of those are paaainful lyrics while still being musically very good - so the rigorous extensive revisions clearly make a huge difference, but it’s not his strength.
….still significantly stronger than his choreography though. (“The baby floats into Odysseus’ arms” really????)
(TE/MO aka Teagan Earley aka Athena in EPIC on the other hand-a poet who started writing music eventually. Holy crap the lyrics of her independent music)
Yesss yes I would love to see your reactions to the rest of it especially with you having read the Odyssey and being able to critically analyze the changes versus accuracy!😌☺️
I would love for you to react to more! Ive never seen your content before but I really enjoy your perspective and I've seen multiple creators react to EPIC :D
Absolutely no doubt! You HAVE to catch up and listen to the rest that's out 🤘😎🤘
With the amount you loved Storm for the choir, I cannot wait to see you react to The Underworld Saga, and some of the later ones as well. I would love for you to go back and watch some of the animatics for the songs, they really help tell the story. But knowing the story of the Odyssey helps you follow the story anyway
I find it endlessly amusing that the purpose of Open Arms is to make you go “Aww sweet boy, best boy!” just to kill him two songs later.
PLEASE PLEASE PELASE REACT TO THE REST :)
Some fun facts that I think will enhance your experience (sorry for my english, I'm still learning)
1 - Each main character has one or two different instruments that reflects them, for example: Athena's is the piano (you got that one), Aeolus' is the flute (a wind instrument for the god of winds), Odysseus' is between the nylon guitar and the eletric guitar depending on the situation, Penelope's is the viola, Eurylochus has the crew as an instrument. You can hear the Poseidon's brass/trumpets in the firs song of the Ocean Saga, telling you that he sent the Storm
2 - The gods' songs sound more electronic, more modern than the others, to represent their power
3 - When a mortal has an ensemble, it needs to be inserted within the musical (be diegetic), for example Odysseus' soldiers singing along with him in Just a Man, when he is about to drop the baby. Gods and imortals can conjure an ensemble whenever they want, for example Athena bringing the Just a Man theme back in My Goodbye. But it can be included in the scene too, like the Laestrygonians singing "Poseidon" at the beginning of Ruthlessness (and helping him destroy the fleet)
4 - Athena can use an ability called "Quick Thought" where she can have an entire conversation with someone in a split second. She uses this in Remember Them, to try to advise Odysseus, who doesn't listen to her. Warrior of the Mind is entirely a Quick Thought in which she tries to get out of his head the idea that Polites just tried to put into him the idea of "Greet the world with open arms". It's starts with the whoosh-whoosh-whoosh and the tick tock of the clock
As someone who has found herself deep within the fandom after years of enjoying both the released and unreleased songs, it's honestly kinda refreshing to hear constructive criticisms of Epic don't get me wrong, like I said, I fucking love this musical, but we as a fandom, tend to elevate both the musical and subsequently it's a creator to a level of perfection that is simply not achievable. It's nice to hear criticisms of the show along with your praises, and it does deserve its praises, the subtle additions in the music the assignment ofinstrumentss to particular characters, and the clear influences of video games and anime are masterful but I do agree that the pacing can feel a bit off at times and the lyrics aren't perfect.
all this to say thanks for sharing your first experience of epic and I look forward to the next time you listen to a handful of sagas and I hope you enjoy the rest of the musical
also, if it makes it easier to have something to watch visually, there are several excellent animatics up here on RUclips, and I'm 95% sure there's a playlist that's in order somewhere, but I'm not sure how updated it is
Thank you reacting to epic! Loved all your reactions!
Omg I love your reactions and especially several insights that I feel like I’ve seen from other channels before. I feel like a lot of reaction channels just say meaningless compliments for views
Athena speaks to oddyseus in his head with mind magic, thats why her songs feel so seperated from the situation
I would highly recommend that you use the official livestream for the first listen through for the rest of it! (I might be a bit lag but oh well). There are a lot of moments, especially later that you wouldn’t know exactly what’s going on without the visuals. The art is also gorgeous because Jorge commissioned a lot of fan animators that were already invested in epic before! If I am to late then I recommend you watch it after anyways to fill in those details. (In a video or not. I care more about your experience than content lol.) If I remember correctly you can probably start the livestream at act two to catch up on those details. It’s amazing and I love epic so much! I hope you enjoy it too!
Ps: the little guys in open arms are winions! They ate the lotus and are stuck there now.
I found your channel through this because I am absolutely obsessed with epic but I will be watching the rest!
For the next sagas, I highly suggest watching the animatics while you listen to the music. They are all so talented and add something extra to the already gorgeous music.
Off the top of my head, the animators to choose from are Gigi, Mircsy, Neal illustrator, Wolfy, and so much more.
I'll go through music only first because it's fun to try and figure out things, then I'll probably react to the animatics separately
@Barbara2.0 Ooh that does make sense! And it doubles the Epic content hahahaha
Looking forward to the next sagas review!
Fun fact! Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves is the basis for the cleric im currently playing in my dnd campaign
I fully support going through the rest of the sagas, and someone else's suggestion of 3 for each video is a great idea so you can get the last three all in one when the final saga releases.
I also encourage you to check out Jorge's livestreams of the newest saga release once you're caught up, because it provides more of the story told via the script describing character's actions or emotions, as well as animatics of some scenes throughout the sagas. There are some incredible artists who started as fans of his music that he's commissioned to make the animatics for his concept album as if it were scenes for an animated movie!
Athena's (wisdom) departure also marks the point when idiocy starts plaguing Odysseus and crew
A bunch of people have made animatics of the songs that really help visualize it all
Epic uses modern terms in the same style as Hamilton does. It's just the style the composer wanted
You've gotta watch the animatics for this musical. It makes all of the songs hit so much harder
another fun fact for you, the characters all have signature instruments! You already called out Odysseus' guitar
I would LOVE to see you react to the rest! Its cool to see someone who knows the myth react to it! Because EPIC is such a full audio musical I tend to rec watching animatics along with the songs (esp for later ones that narrate less in lyrics), but doing blind is fun too.
If you ever wanna react to animatics I have a playlist on my channel (its the only thing there) of mostly the most popular ones in order!
Edit: Also I hadn't seen it mentioned, but a fun fact is that all the lyric background vocals are diegetic. If you hear the voices in the background then it means the crew is singing or other background characters. UNLESS it's a God/divine singing. They have the powers to summon choirs whenever they want
If you really liked this one, I'd highly recommend checking out the musical 'Paris'! It's basically a 90s Australian pop rock musical adaptation of the Trojan war from both sides of the story and puts a very heavy focus on the complicated relationship between Paris and Helen. Very Queen inspired, very unique, and very fun to listen to, hands down the best adaptation of the story I know
As Epic does not follow everything from the Odyssey (Jorge takes many creative liberties and changes some things), I would recommend the animatics. For instance, Polyphemus kills Polites first. That doesn't happen in the original poem, but it has a lot of emotional impact throughout the rest of the musical.
Ohhh can't wait for part 2❤
You got a new subscriber! love your vibe
Thank you, lovely! And welcome to the channel!!! ❤️
Your reaction was great can't wait for the rest!
So exited to see your reaction!!
Yessss pls pls pls listen to the rest!! The biggest plot points are the same but Jorge has taken plenty of creative liberties with the order of events and some of the motivations. I also highly recommend watching the animatics if u get a chance, Jorge has commissioned a ton for his live listening parties and they're amazing ❤
You should definitely watch animatics for epic the musical they give more context and they're pretty well done, for example the fact that Polythemus kills Polites first
Please react to the rest! 😁🙏
The Vengeance Saga just released recently on Halloween, and we’re still waiting for the final saga, the Ithica Saga, to drop.
If you continue on with 3 sagas per video, that should work out perfectly once the last Saga drops! 😊
YEAHHHH, FINALLY!
I've been waiting to see you cover this one!
I love your analysis and its interesting seeing your reaction to just the audio. Its great and you have some unique insights! Please listen to the rest - would enjoy hearing your thoughts.
plz do keep watching, tho the artist isn't done, there is one saga not released yet
You should watch the animatics that fans have made! Theyre amazing and Jorge has done his watch parties with some of the animatics!