It gets wilder: she's a Homunculus with some kind of mercury-based blood and almost no concept of human thought or emotion, and a specific obsession with keys (representing freedom). She finds a key axe thing cursed to be so after a life of bloodlust, steals him and declares him her husband.
"Change your view, Change the meaning" You hit the nail on the head. What I love about the song is that it really hits on the mechanics of the character. She transitions back and forth from a slower methodical phase where she is dragging the large key around to a fast phase where the key transforms and she takes on a more aggressive approach. I couldnt wait to hear this full song as soon as I heard the licks in her announcement trailer.
@@uero-roI’ve been seeing this too but I didn’t hear it until just now but it’s the part where it’s singing “I don’t want to fit in this world, I just want to make a difference”. Right there is the same way of singing the chorus to another brick in the wall pt.2
I really enjoy that it’s a sort of juxtaposition to the wall. Like the whole song is about breaking out to be in the world, while the wall is more about making a wall to keep it out. Very interesting to me.
@@AtlasEndures667 for me, on the first listening, "Pink Floyd reference" clicked somewhat earlier - the transition at 9:55 from rock drums to organs back then sounded "floydish" to me (upon retrospect - like the transition from "Money" to "Us and Them" on "The Dark Side of The Moon"), the following lyrics as a riff on "The Wall" were just the hit on the nail (pun intended).
Ok so bit of lore dump: Aba is a homunculus and was made in an isolated lab. She collected keys in her town because to her they represent freedom (ie the freedom of opening doors to new paths). Hence the key in her hair. The big stick she’s holding is actually a giant sentient axe in the shape of a key that’s her husband. And if you couldn’t tell from the rest of the message, she is not mentally sane Edit: also as you mentioned with “shifty” her entire gimmick is how she can enter “rage mode” where she goes absolutely insane and is insanely aggressive. Comparatively, in her normal mode, she is much weaker and much less confident
Her sentient key axe is also some kind of murder spirit, like those cursed sword trope where they influence their owner to do murder. But Aba is so batshit crazy that the literal spirit of murder is trying to make her mellow out. 😂
She always had shifting modes but the new games definitely do a better job making her animations look crazier, I was gonna type something out like this but then saw yours good job soldier 👍
A.B.A is a homunculus (an artificial human), and the key she carries with her is sentient, and she's in love with him 🤔 Bit of a rundown on A.B.A and how it relates to her theme- A.B.A's creator was taken away by authorities right before she was "born", and thus she was all alone. She feared going outside because she knew she was "incomplete". Thus, she spent the first 10 years of her life in total isolation, passing her time collecting keys, which to her represented the freedom she might be brave enough to pursue one day. Eventually, she did dare to venture outside just a bit, and came across a discarded magical demon axe, Flament Nagel. Now, Flament Nagel was a sentient weapon, and would previously drive all his wielders to death because of his thirst for carnage. But, when A.B.A saw him, she thought he looked just like a key, and decided to take him with her. Since he was pretty much the first "person" she ever met, she grew deeply attached to him, deciding to make him her husband, and even renaming him "Paracelsus" to fit her taste. Through A.B.A's influence, Paracelsus became much more relaxed and less violent, slowly taking the form of an actual key- however, he also wasn't really on board with the whole "marriage" thing, and would frequently try to get away from her somehow. Despite this, it's also been shown that he does care about A.B.A in his own way, too. So with A.B.A and Paracelsus it's kinda this delicate balance of the two simultaneously each other's freedom (courage to explore the outside world, being able to become more than just a weapon) but also imprisonment (unhealthy attachment, inability to leave without extremely negative emotional outbursts) In turn, I think the track to a degree reflects the journey of finding oneself, finding comfort in another, and learning to keep the balance between one another, too And yes, gameplay-wise, this character is all about "flip-flopping", which the track also alludes to with its style- in the older games, A.B.A could feed Paracelsus blood to turn him into a frenzied state where his bloodlust returned, in the latest game (6 years later in-universe) the frenzy state is all A.B.A being overcome with her jealously and fear that Paracelsus will leave her
I really flipped out when the organs came on! To anyone who's never played Guilty Gear before, that's a sample from her original theme from Guilty Gear AC. I love that the team remembers and respects their older songs!
@@neklin7150 AC came out in 2007, Plus R came out in 2012, so neither version of AC is 20 years old yet. ABA made her debut in Guilty Gear Isuka, which released in 2003, so she is just barely over 20 herself. Her first appearance in a mainline game was Guilty Gear XX Slash, which was released in 2005, so its not quite 20 years old either.
I'M SO GLAD I WASN'T CRAZY FOR HEARING THE WALL RIFF! It's so interesting to see the riff of a song about "being another brick in the wall" in a song about not fitting in and just wanting to make a difference. I wonder if this was a coincidence, but it'd be genius if it weren't
I can definitely tell you it very much isn't a coincidence, as many times with other characters, specifically elphelt, they reference other songs. Like, with elphelt, there's a part in there that subtly references Silent Night, and All I Want for Christmas Is You, which make sense as she was born on Christmas and is forcibly trying to marry anyone she can
12:05 nailed how she works and hasn't even played her A.B.A is kind of a Gear. that was made in a lab and she finds that big yellow key shaped battle axe. and names him Paracelsus. She basically forces him to marry her. But in how she plays in the game she has two forms a slow and defensive form and a fast high damage very offensive form bothe play pretty differently. But that's a simple run down of her. There's more to learn about her if you're interested.
Been an A.B.A. fan for like 15+ years now it's amazing to finally see her back in a modern Guilty Gear. And the fact that her theme is so amazing too (that organ callback to her Accent Core theme almost brought tears to my ears) is so cool.
4:30 when you said that its a weird note to have in the the lyric says "we're just one quirky note in the symphony" and then when you actually mention it it extends to say "quirky note".
I saw the community post from yesterday and though “hmm I wonder if he’s done abas theme yet” just to see it happening in literally 5 minutes after clicking his channel lmao
@@DrumRollTonyReacts I'm / not / here / to / fit / in / this / world / We / don't / need / no / e / du / ca /tion / Both lyrics share the same rhythm and they both talk about not wanting to be just a cog in the machine.
To keep it really short, a.b.a (pronounced as abba) is a homunculus that lived alone for 10 years, she fell in love with keys because they symbolize freedom, the giant key is paracelcus, he is her "husband". Aba has two forms, a normal calm form and a berserk/jealous form During the song, there is also a reference to one of her previous themes "keep in the gates"
You're absolutely correct about the vibe of the song correlating with the character. The character is a artificial human who was abandon by her creater and isolated for many years. She then finds and falls in love with a living demon axe that looks like a key. The relationship was very one sided with her being madly in love with him and him really seeing her as just a partner and even manipulates her at times. But in the new game strive they have a more mutual feeling towards each other though still a bit one sided on her part. In game she has two modes one were she is generally pretty slow and underwhelming then a mode she goes batshit and is super fast, does a lot of damage and is basically the best character in the game. So the theme kinda emulations the revolving spectrum but it's all based in emotion.
per the arcade mode in strive the two of them are working on being in a much healthier relationship and paracelsus does care for aba though their feelings aren't nearly as oppressive as Aba's
@@Virtual_Raysyea it has and it's great because you think how is daisuke gonna make a character like ABA grow but the bastard always knows how to evolve his craft.
Personal opinion, I genuinely think this song is Daisuke's magnum opus so far. Every bit of this song, each note and each lyric, are tied in with the character so intimately. And from a composition standpoint it shows a ridiculous amount of skill. Amazing. Thanks for covering it, I loved what you had to say about it!
Symphony is so good it didn’t take Tony months to listen to it lol, I love hearing you discuss these songs even if I’ve heard them a thousand times you always bring something fresh that I didn’t think about before 💚
Aba is a homunculus who is obsessed with keys who uses a giant sentient murderous relic originally called Flament Nagel, aba named it Paracelsus(reference to alchemy) and fell in love with it
12:09 Yes! this character is always walking on the edge of sanity and insanity. The shifty music composition expresses that perfectly, in fact that goes for just about every character's themes!
12:10 correctly guessing that the character plays in two different ways, a 'Stance' character as its commonly referred to, just by their theme song is so cool actually. impressive analysis.
This theme has me so excited for Slayer’s theme, it’s may favorite of the more recent DLC soundtracks and I’m already hearing things in the piano and rhythm that I could see fitting really well with Slayers whole vibe. His themes are always so good anyways.
It would be cool if he checked out the character trailer after to get a sense of their personality in a visual sense, although i know he is more focused on the music side. To answer his question about the character, A.B.A is a homunculus (an artificial human) that was created by a scientist, but her creator got forcibly taken away by the military to help them with their secret operations. When she woke up, she found herself alone in his laboratory and mansion home in the mountains, where she stayed in isolation for 10 years. During that time, she was torn between her growing longing for freedom and her fear of the outside world due to knowing nothing about it, so she found a hobby in collecting keys - since keys to her symbolized open doors and freedom, which is visually represented by the one in her head. She finally gathered the courage to leave her home one day, and as she aimlessly wandered, she stumbled upon a dead battlefield, and found "Paracelsus" (real name Flament Nagel) - the giant "key" she holds... see, Flament Nagel only looked like a key - it was actually a cursed, sentient, shape-shifting axe that drove anyone that held it into a beserker rage to satiate its own bloodlust. He had used his shape-shifting power to look more like a key in order to lure A.B.A into picking him up so he could use her as a host to continue his history of violence and carnage, but hadn't counted on A.B.A being someone who was already mentally unstable, as she fell in love at first sight with him and renamed him to "Paracelsus", proclaiming him as her "love". Unable to control her due to her complex personality, he ended up stuck with her despite finding her romantic obsession with him creepy, as A.B.A, due to her homunculus nature, was significantly stronger, faster, and more durable than the average human and would fly into a jealous rage whenever someone tried to take "Paracelsus from her. As of the latest game, he has mellowed significantly, to the point of trying to stop A.B.A from getting into unecessary fights. Oh, and he's technically her husband now.
one of my reading about the songs of guilty gear is they not only encapsulate a bit about the characters story or mechanics but often are a bit of the characters view or lens of the world, pointing from where they've come from and where they are now in the current game, would suggest "extras" from guilty gear as-well for a every adventurous song
And what's cool is that we get a fighting game character with each new song! Seriously I'd love to have someone from the music world interview Daisuke to pick his brain about the process of creating these themes and how the importance of the music in the Guilty Gear series.
@@DrumRollTonyReacts ruclips.net/video/a0YsYjqYm7s/видео.html Smell ruclips.net/video/gbsquVYjHjs/видео.html Symphony ruclips.net/video/qmph4JRQyl4/видео.html Roar of the Spark (idk if you've heard original this one yet ) they are translations of the songs into Ukrainian. Thanks for support
Very excited to hear your take on this song. I've been obsessed with it ever since it was released last week, I'm hoping to see more Guilty Gear music in the future! There are a *ton* of songs worth listening to in terms of artistry and creativity.
Nailed it with the character being one in different states of self. Both story and game mechanics wise. Fantastic to learn that comes across in her theme too.
Also, fun fact, my man Tony: If you listen closely to the chorus before the ending of that song, you'll notice something very interesting - in the first half, it was all double bass, but during the second "Break out, break out..." to "We're just quirky note...", it's actually single bass; Daisuke is a master of music, and he always finds some way to throw people off guard with his song...😁🤩🤟👌
The key in her hair isnt just a hairband, it's through her head. A.B.A is a homunculus created in a lab and was locked away there for the first 10 years of her life, during which time she developed a love for keys as they represented her freedom. Eventually she got out and started wandering, and came across the giant key she's holding. He's a sentient demon axe named Flament Nagel, but she fell in love with him at first sight and renamed him Paracelsus after the alchemist who created her. Since then she's been trying to find a suitable body to move his soul into, fighting almost everyone she comes across as she's incredibly possessive and jealous when it comes to Paracelsus, to the point where she misinterprets most interactions as people trying to take him away from her. Edit: Yes the shifty feeling is representative of how she's played. A.B.A is a mode change character who starts off with poor movement and slow attacks which usually don't reach far, and then shifts to a much more mobile mode with faster and more aggressive attacks.
These guilty gear songs are always such a crazy fun ride to listen to, I'd not listened to the guilty gear music before I watched Tony's vids, but yeah I love this stuff
Tony hasn't reacted to Drakengard 3 themes before, but the first few seconds really feel like how the Intoner themes start I love this. Some songs I only like certain parts of the song, but I like the composition as a whole. The switch back and forth between slower and faster bpm reflects her gameplay and makes this feel like a smooth rollercoaster
I appreciate Tony sharing gems of experience like where certain sounds may have derived from. I hadn't listened to Alice in Chains before he mentioned but I can hear some similarities! Andi wanna give Al Di Meola a listen as well!
I love that Daisuke brought ABA back; if you liked this, you might find their original theme Keep in Gates to be an interesting listen - i also never would have though of Al Di Meola being a comparison to anything Daisuke composed; damn, your musical flavour range is inspirational, Tony!
This song has parts that remind me of Feed my Frankenstine by Alice Cooper which is really on point since A.B.A is a zombie homonculus kinda like frankenstine's monster.
I would love to see your opinions on Euthanasia Rollercoaster from the game Everhood. The part of this song you're on at 10:50 always makes me think of it every time I listen to this song, specifically the piano part!
All the songs in Strive are very Character Specific and say so much about the characters themselves. IMO the songs are amplified once you know the story and the character's backgrounds and theory craft what the music could be referencing.
Ok I've been trying to find what he's talking about at 10:27 but I can't find anything for aldin yolo anyone have an idea of what album or song he's talking about?
A.B.A is a very strange character, both story and development wise being originally from a spinoff. She's a humunculos created through mysterious means who obtained an obsession with keys before falling in love with a living key shaped battleax, who she has a very... unhealthy relationship with. In previous games she could power him up through blood sacrifices, whether they be blood bags, blood from the enemy, or from herself, with her being incredibly slow and weak when not powered up and a MONSTER when she is. In the newest game though her powered up state is instead a Jealous Rage she flies into at the presence of other people, her being afraid they'll somehow take her beloved "husband" away. She's a bit of an anomaly in the story and lore, not really fitting with a bunch of other elements in the series. I notice the GG songs you've reacted to have all been from Strive and all been either the main theme or character themes, which are primarily meant for battle in gameplay. There's definitely more to the series musical library though, and I'd suggest checking them out. Name of Heaven and Talk About You, the two credits songs, are quite a bit different from the battle themes, and if drawing from previous games there's classics like Lily, Wanna Be Crazy, Freesia, and Coming Home. If you think the battle themes are great, these ones might give you a whole new perspective on the series musical identity!
Wisdom, patience, empathy, kindness ,serenity, clarity. BREAK OUT BREAK OUT, Turn the key to a world untold! Life is a maze woven with words! Blah blah, blah blah blah, blah blah blah blah! Sick and tired, normal or not, no big deal, I'm just a quirky note in the symphony! (Quirky note) (Quirky note) change your view, change the meaning. Creepiness! It's it's it's worthwhile! Bothersome! At times its kindness. Depressed, sickness! THOSE ARE VIRTUES OF MINE! Courage, integrity, purpose, humility, respect, loyalty responsibility. Forges the armor! Liberty, curiosity, compassion and affection, WORDS, weave a stealthy chain. BREAKOUT BREAKOUT, turn the key to a world untold! life is a maze woven with words! Blah blah, blah blah blah, blah blah blah blah! Sick and tired, normal or not ,no big deal, I'm just a quirky note in the symphony! (quirky note) (quirky note) Change your view, change the meaning. Creepiness! It's it's it's worthwhile. Bothersome! At times its kindness. Depressed, Sickness! THOSE ARE VIRTUES OF MINE! I'm not here to fit in this world, I just want to make a difference. The armor of words, it's fine I found my fit. Freedom, Freedom! Turn the key to a world untold! Love is a maze woven with words! Let's shout shout, let's shout shout, let's shout shout shout! Let's journey together! Normal or not no big deal, we're just quirky note's in the symphony! (quirky notes) That's why its beautiful. I'm not here to fit in this world, I just want to make a difference. I'm not here to fit in this world, I just want to make a difference. Breakout, breakout, turn the key to a world untold. (la la la la, la la la) Breakout, breakout. life is a maze woven with words. We're just quirky notes in the symphony! I'm not here to fit in this world, I just want to make a difference. I'm not here to fit in this world, I just want to make a difference. (lyrics posted by NAOKI)
I think her name is supposed to be pronounced like Abba, the "dancing queen" music group. Daisuke is a hardcore music nerd. Sol Badguy's real name is Frederick Bulsara. Freddie Mercury was nicknamed "Mr. Badguy." There's a Vampire named Slayer, an assassin named Venom who fights with a pool cue and magic balls, Axl Low i.e. Axl Rose as a Jojo character.
How do design a theme for a homunculus whose literally insane and feeds a demon key that she found, whose her husband, her blood so it can transform into a monster and turn her into a rage puppet until it runs out of blood. Where would you even go with that, heh.
Compared to the other two amazing songs with great variety you listened, this theme song does not hit the spot quite the same. I recommend the Theme Songs of Baiken & The Theme Song of Zato of even the Theme of Faust for "variety songs" and the Theme Songs of Ky & Goldlewis for a more toned version of guilty gear strive music
This theme, and this character, can ABSOLUTELY be described as strange. This is the first time this character has appeared in over a decade and it has people really excited cuz there were times where you could argue about whether or not she was considered canon, and there's also debate about who designed her. Daisuke Ishiwatari designs all the characters in this series but there's a rumor Toshimichi Mori, the creator of BlazBlue, another fighting game series developed by ArcSys, designed her. Either way it's exciting to see her back. Her name (pronounced Ahbah) is likely a reference to blood types since blood used to be part of her gimmick, but ALSO she's named after ABBA the band! She's a humonculus made by an alchemist named Paracelsus, but when she awoke in the lab she was made in there was nobody else to be found. She spent the first 10 years of her life living there collecting keys, before she discovered a sentient, humongous demonic key shaped battle axe called Flament Nagel that Paracelsus had come across and brought back to his lab at some point. For whatever reason she became obsessed with it, made it her HUSBAND, and renamed him Paracelsus after her creator, and then went on a journey with him to find a way to make him a human body, ALL without actually consulting the poor thing about any of it. Elaborating more about the nature of the weapon, back during the war between humans and Gears, Flament Nagel would constantly hop from wielder to wielder, and wielding him caused him to essentially take over them, turning them into a raging berserker and usually that would lead to their death from the physical strain. However A.B.A's biology made her more resilient to its effects which made them a surprisingly good pair. A.B.A isn't very socially adept, and she gets extremely jealous of any other warriors she meets who take an interest in Paracelsus since that's her man. Paracelsus isn't totally innocent either, as his whole goal as a battle axe is to spill blood and consume it, and he used A.B.A for that purpose, but eventually he mellowed out. Between the last time we saw them and now they did a lot of traveling, A.B.A did not get any more socially adept but she did take an interest in fashion so she's more stylish in this game and she even dyed her hair blue (originally red). The whole thing about finding Paracelsus a body has also been seemingly dropped, which is good for him cuz he's perfectly content being an axe lol. The ending of her arcade mode in Strive has them both addressing their toxic relationship, and instead of breaking up they vow to both do better by eachother because A.B.A seriously loves him, and Paracelsus grew fond of her too throughout the years. The final scene in her arcade mode is a suprisingly human conversation between them it's just really hilarious how good this series's writing is considering how wacky it all is in concept. Gameplay wise, Paracelsus is HEAVY. A.B.A has to tug him around meaning her mobility is normally really sluggish. In this state she's probably the weakest characters in the game. But through certain conditions she can enter a mode where she gains the strength to wield him effortly, while gaining some of the fastest mobility and strongest attacks in the whole game to boot! It's all a game about managing her bad mode carefully, and maximizing amount of time you spend in the good mode, which is on a timer, and is dependant on a meter that you have to fill up by landing certain attacks in the bad mode, and you also have manually activate the good mode using a couple of different methods meaning you need either buy a quick second to change, or land one of two attacks of hers which toggle her modes. It's really fun I've been having a good time playing as her, and I'm probably gonna end up using her as one of my mains.
@@jmanwild87 that's not what his melty mode was about. It was happening to him as a reaction to A.B.A's intense jealousy. The ending is about them resolving to be better to eachother. There's no mention of making Paracelsus human anywhere in the arcade, I would know since I beat the entire thing.
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
This song was suggested in my discord a few times 🎶 Wow!!
Please react to memories of you from persona 3 reload
can you do divide my heart from guilty gear xrd revelator pls
Guilty gear fans don’t know anything besides the newest music or strive. Listen to the older guilty gear vocals, not this bland crap
@@babytricep437 I didn't find this bland. That's just me tho
@@babytricep437I hate contrarians.
Can't wait until he eventually gets to "Let me carve your way"
My god youre right he hasnt done that one yet. Thats gotta happen then.
yeah I’d like to see his reaction to the ending. One of the best GG songs in my opinion
i would like to see he do divide my heart
@@tenebrisaeternam6745 theres so many good rock ballad type songs in GG that tony hasnt reacted to.
I only like the last part of that song. I get why it's the way it is, but still.
“This song must take forever to transcribe” my brother in Christ, covering the guitar part alone took me 12 hours by itself 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Omgggg
Hey there. What does it mean to "transcribe"?
@@Dr.Stein_ transcribing is writing down the music so someone can read and play it from sheet music
@crystallinetrees4747 thank you for the explanation. And that does indeed sound like a ver hard and long process
I can only imagine the pain of transcribing the drum part
The giant key is actually a shape-shifting magic weapon and she's in love with him
Average character description in Guilty Gear goes like:
He's literally me
What is this, gear city?
We love guilty gear character summaries cause they are always wild like this
It gets wilder: she's a Homunculus with some kind of mercury-based blood and almost no concept of human thought or emotion, and a specific obsession with keys (representing freedom). She finds a key axe thing cursed to be so after a life of bloodlust, steals him and declares him her husband.
"Change your view, Change the meaning" You hit the nail on the head. What I love about the song is that it really hits on the mechanics of the character. She transitions back and forth from a slower methodical phase where she is dragging the large key around to a fast phase where the key transforms and she takes on a more aggressive approach. I couldnt wait to hear this full song as soon as I heard the licks in her announcement trailer.
I was blown away by this song randomly having the leitmotif of The Wall by Pink Floyd at the halfway mark xdd
Oh what? I missed it! Could you point out the part for me?
@@uero-roI’ve been seeing this too but I didn’t hear it until just now but it’s the part where it’s singing “I don’t want to fit in this world, I just want to make a difference”. Right there is the same way of singing the chorus to another brick in the wall pt.2
Honestly it sounds a bit more like the version of that riff in Hey You to me but I understand the comparison
I really enjoy that it’s a sort of juxtaposition to the wall.
Like the whole song is about breaking out to be in the world, while the wall is more about making a wall to keep it out.
Very interesting to me.
@@AtlasEndures667 for me, on the first listening, "Pink Floyd reference" clicked somewhat earlier - the transition at 9:55 from rock drums to organs back then sounded "floydish" to me (upon retrospect - like the transition from "Money" to "Us and Them" on "The Dark Side of The Moon"), the following lyrics as a riff on "The Wall" were just the hit on the nail (pun intended).
Ok so bit of lore dump:
Aba is a homunculus and was made in an isolated lab. She collected keys in her town because to her they represent freedom (ie the freedom of opening doors to new paths). Hence the key in her hair. The big stick she’s holding is actually a giant sentient axe in the shape of a key that’s her husband. And if you couldn’t tell from the rest of the message, she is not mentally sane
Edit: also as you mentioned with “shifty” her entire gimmick is how she can enter “rage mode” where she goes absolutely insane and is insanely aggressive. Comparatively, in her normal mode, she is much weaker and much less confident
Her sentient key axe is also some kind of murder spirit, like those cursed sword trope where they influence their owner to do murder.
But Aba is so batshit crazy that the literal spirit of murder is trying to make her mellow out. 😂
@@blushingralseiuwu2222 imagine being so crazy you caused what is essentially a demon to self reflect
And in this game they get couple counselling! Striving for the better!
She always had shifting modes but the new games definitely do a better job making her animations look crazier, I was gonna type something out like this but then saw yours good job soldier 👍
I love how nonsense that lore dump is without context
At 9:52 is ABAs old theme song "keep in gates" Old guilty gear characters tend to have a nod to their old theme songs slap in the middle of the songs
Also the organ section from that old theme is notably shifted to a Major Key in this theme -- a more optimistic character development.
the intro at the beginning of the song is also a nod to her first ever theme in GG Isuka "Quicksilver"
I feel like the drummer goes absolutely nuts in this song.
A.B.A is a homunculus (an artificial human), and the key she carries with her is sentient, and she's in love with him 🤔
Bit of a rundown on A.B.A and how it relates to her theme- A.B.A's creator was taken away by authorities right before she was "born", and thus she was all alone. She feared going outside because she knew she was "incomplete".
Thus, she spent the first 10 years of her life in total isolation, passing her time collecting keys, which to her represented the freedom she might be brave enough to pursue one day.
Eventually, she did dare to venture outside just a bit, and came across a discarded magical demon axe, Flament Nagel. Now, Flament Nagel was a sentient weapon, and would previously drive all his wielders to death because of his thirst for carnage.
But, when A.B.A saw him, she thought he looked just like a key, and decided to take him with her. Since he was pretty much the first "person" she ever met, she grew deeply attached to him, deciding to make him her husband, and even renaming him "Paracelsus" to fit her taste.
Through A.B.A's influence, Paracelsus became much more relaxed and less violent, slowly taking the form of an actual key- however, he also wasn't really on board with the whole "marriage" thing, and would frequently try to get away from her somehow. Despite this, it's also been shown that he does care about A.B.A in his own way, too.
So with A.B.A and Paracelsus it's kinda this delicate balance of the two simultaneously each other's freedom (courage to explore the outside world, being able to become more than just a weapon) but also imprisonment (unhealthy attachment, inability to leave without extremely negative emotional outbursts)
In turn, I think the track to a degree reflects the journey of finding oneself, finding comfort in another, and learning to keep the balance between one another, too
And yes, gameplay-wise, this character is all about "flip-flopping", which the track also alludes to with its style- in the older games, A.B.A could feed Paracelsus blood to turn him into a frenzied state where his bloodlust returned, in the latest game (6 years later in-universe) the frenzy state is all A.B.A being overcome with her jealously and fear that Paracelsus will leave her
4:32 This was so funny to me "Strange is not the word... unusual" you mean he's using **QUIRKY NOTES?!** in this song?
12:10 yes, A.B.A's gameplay mostly involves around getting into a temporary enraged/jealous state, making her pretty strong in that transformed state.
I really flipped out when the organs came on! To anyone who's never played Guilty Gear before, that's a sample from her original theme from Guilty Gear AC. I love that the team remembers and respects their older songs!
for more context GG AC was over 20 YEARS AGO. That is probably nostalgia fuel to planty of people.
@@neklin7150 AC came out in 2007, Plus R came out in 2012, so neither version of AC is 20 years old yet. ABA made her debut in Guilty Gear Isuka, which released in 2003, so she is just barely over 20 herself. Her first appearance in a mainline game was Guilty Gear XX Slash, which was released in 2005, so its not quite 20 years old either.
@@thatonepyronoob My bad man, I thought that she was already in XX 2002 when it came out.
I'M SO GLAD I WASN'T CRAZY FOR HEARING THE WALL RIFF! It's so interesting to see the riff of a song about "being another brick in the wall" in a song about not fitting in and just wanting to make a difference. I wonder if this was a coincidence, but it'd be genius if it weren't
I can definitely tell you it very much isn't a coincidence, as many times with other characters, specifically elphelt, they reference other songs. Like, with elphelt, there's a part in there that subtly references Silent Night, and All I Want for Christmas Is You, which make sense as she was born on Christmas and is forcibly trying to marry anyone she can
@@liljon042 Hello, Hatsune Miku.
Daisuke just doesn’t miss fr
y'know it's killer when even tony starts playing air guitar @7:17 😂
12:05 nailed how she works and hasn't even played her
A.B.A is kind of a Gear. that was made in a lab and she finds that big yellow key shaped battle axe. and names him Paracelsus. She basically forces him to marry her. But in how she plays in the game she has two forms a slow and defensive form and a fast high damage very offensive form bothe play pretty differently. But that's a simple run down of her. There's more to learn about her if you're interested.
Been an A.B.A. fan for like 15+ years now it's amazing to finally see her back in a modern Guilty Gear. And the fact that her theme is so amazing too (that organ callback to her Accent Core theme almost brought tears to my ears) is so cool.
4:30 when you said that its a weird note to have in the the lyric says "we're just one quirky note in the symphony" and then when you actually mention it it extends to say "quirky note".
I saw the community post from yesterday and though “hmm I wonder if he’s done abas theme yet” just to see it happening in literally 5 minutes after clicking his channel lmao
surprise you didnt mentiont the fact that the final part of teh song ( and some earlier parts) are full on rocking Pink Floyd's "the wall" leitmotif
I missed it DANG!
@@DrumRollTonyReacts I'm / not / here / to / fit / in / this / world /
We / don't / need / no / e / du / ca /tion /
Both lyrics share the same rhythm and they both talk about not wanting to be just a cog in the machine.
To keep it really short, a.b.a (pronounced as abba) is a homunculus that lived alone for 10 years, she fell in love with keys because they symbolize freedom, the giant key is paracelcus, he is her "husband". Aba has two forms, a normal calm form and a berserk/jealous form
During the song, there is also a reference to one of her previous themes "keep in the gates"
You're absolutely correct about the vibe of the song correlating with the character. The character is a artificial human who was abandon by her creater and isolated for many years. She then finds and falls in love with a living demon axe that looks like a key. The relationship was very one sided with her being madly in love with him and him really seeing her as just a partner and even manipulates her at times. But in the new game strive they have a more mutual feeling towards each other though still a bit one sided on her part. In game she has two modes one were she is generally pretty slow and underwhelming then a mode she goes batshit and is super fast, does a lot of damage and is basically the best character in the game. So the theme kinda emulations the revolving spectrum but it's all based in emotion.
per the arcade mode in strive the two of them are working on being in a much healthier relationship and paracelsus does care for aba though their feelings aren't nearly as oppressive as Aba's
Their relationship has changed greatly in Strive FYI
@@jmanwild87yup most def corrected my synopsis a bit
@@Virtual_Raysyea it has and it's great because you think how is daisuke gonna make a character like ABA grow but the bastard always knows how to evolve his craft.
The organ part is a reference to A.B.A's old theme's intro back in the previous games. The theme is Keep in gates. check it out if you are interested.
Personal opinion, I genuinely think this song is Daisuke's magnum opus so far. Every bit of this song, each note and each lyric, are tied in with the character so intimately. And from a composition standpoint it shows a ridiculous amount of skill. Amazing. Thanks for covering it, I loved what you had to say about it!
Symphony is so good it didn’t take Tony months to listen to it lol, I love hearing you discuss these songs even if I’ve heard them a thousand times you always bring something fresh that I didn’t think about before 💚
The fact that you were questioning but still completely understood the character is a hundred percent accurate
YES. I am currently obsessed with this song. Thank you for covering this😊
Aba is a homunculus who is obsessed with keys who uses a giant sentient murderous relic originally called Flament Nagel, aba named it Paracelsus(reference to alchemy) and fell in love with it
12:09 Yes! this character is always walking on the edge of sanity and insanity. The shifty music composition expresses that perfectly, in fact that goes for just about every character's themes!
You need to react to Elphelt's theme
Christmas moment
he needs to do marionette over extras tbh lol
@@kevinhuey8763 i can definitely agreenwith both of those, but he also needs to do original bet
Yes please
I really wanna see his reaction to Lily
fun fact, that organ part is a throwback to her old theme from an older guilty gear game called Keepin' Gates
The Guilty Gear Strive soundtrack is just incredible, iconic, and unpredictable.
These breakdowns with you are so fun, man. It's so informative, but also watching you have a great time listening to the music makes me smile.
12:10
correctly guessing that the character plays in two different ways, a 'Stance' character as its commonly referred to, just by their theme song is so cool actually. impressive analysis.
This theme has me so excited for Slayer’s theme, it’s may favorite of the more recent DLC soundtracks and I’m already hearing things in the piano and rhythm that I could see fitting really well with Slayers whole vibe. His themes are always so good anyways.
9:53 the organ is taken from her old theme Keep in Gates, just like Ky's theme
It would be cool if he checked out the character trailer after to get a sense of their personality in a visual sense, although i know he is more focused on the music side.
To answer his question about the character, A.B.A is a homunculus (an artificial human) that was created by a scientist, but her creator got forcibly taken away by the military to help them with their secret operations. When she woke up, she found herself alone in his laboratory and mansion home in the mountains, where she stayed in isolation for 10 years. During that time, she was torn between her growing longing for freedom and her fear of the outside world due to knowing nothing about it, so she found a hobby in collecting keys - since keys to her symbolized open doors and freedom, which is visually represented by the one in her head.
She finally gathered the courage to leave her home one day, and as she aimlessly wandered, she stumbled upon a dead battlefield, and found "Paracelsus" (real name Flament Nagel) - the giant "key" she holds... see, Flament Nagel only looked like a key - it was actually a cursed, sentient, shape-shifting axe that drove anyone that held it into a beserker rage to satiate its own bloodlust. He had used his shape-shifting power to look more like a key in order to lure A.B.A into picking him up so he could use her as a host to continue his history of violence and carnage, but hadn't counted on A.B.A being someone who was already mentally unstable, as she fell in love at first sight with him and renamed him to "Paracelsus", proclaiming him as her "love".
Unable to control her due to her complex personality, he ended up stuck with her despite finding her romantic obsession with him creepy, as A.B.A, due to her homunculus nature, was significantly stronger, faster, and more durable than the average human and would fly into a jealous rage whenever someone tried to take "Paracelsus from her.
As of the latest game, he has mellowed significantly, to the point of trying to stop A.B.A from getting into unecessary fights. Oh, and he's technically her husband now.
I did not expect this to drop so soon
"Its all over the place" yes sir this is guilty gear, thats why we are here! Love your stuff tony
more gear is always appreciated! hoping you get around to rock parade or extras at some point, or just more gear in general
one of my reading about the songs of guilty gear is they not only encapsulate a bit about the characters story or mechanics but often are a bit of the characters view or lens of the world, pointing from where they've come from and where they are now in the current game, would suggest "extras" from guilty gear as-well for a every adventurous song
And what's cool is that we get a fighting game character with each new song!
Seriously I'd love to have someone from the music world interview Daisuke to pick his brain about the process of creating these themes and how the importance of the music in the Guilty Gear series.
Aba does have two diff forms you play as, so you were pretty spot on lol
0:58 Yeah, lets hear Symphony at x0.125
"Are there multiple ways to play them" is an incredible deduction. Yes! There is.
found your channel on a whim after making some GGST covers, your analysis is great!
Drop a link to your covers 🎶🤘
@@DrumRollTonyReacts ruclips.net/video/a0YsYjqYm7s/видео.html
Smell
ruclips.net/video/gbsquVYjHjs/видео.html
Symphony
ruclips.net/video/qmph4JRQyl4/видео.html
Roar of the Spark (idk if you've heard original this one yet )
they are translations of the songs into Ukrainian. Thanks for support
I love that just yesterday I found the channel thanks to guilty gear and the next day there is a new video, wow
The piano flourishes are fantastic!
the constantly shifting tone reminds me of something like bohemian rhapsody in composition
And the vocal in some parts, like the "SERENITY, CLARITY"
Very excited to hear your take on this song. I've been obsessed with it ever since it was released last week, I'm hoping to see more Guilty Gear music in the future! There are a *ton* of songs worth listening to in terms of artistry and creativity.
You should totally listen to "extras" which is another of the newer ggst themes for a character called elphelt
Nailed it with the character being one in different states of self. Both story and game mechanics wise. Fantastic to learn that comes across in her theme too.
Also, fun fact, my man Tony: If you listen closely to the chorus before the ending of that song, you'll notice something very interesting - in the first half, it was all double bass, but during the second "Break out, break out..." to "We're just quirky note...", it's actually single bass; Daisuke is a master of music, and he always finds some way to throw people off guard with his song...😁🤩🤟👌
The key in her hair isnt just a hairband, it's through her head. A.B.A is a homunculus created in a lab and was locked away there for the first 10 years of her life, during which time she developed a love for keys as they represented her freedom. Eventually she got out and started wandering, and came across the giant key she's holding. He's a sentient demon axe named Flament Nagel, but she fell in love with him at first sight and renamed him Paracelsus after the alchemist who created her. Since then she's been trying to find a suitable body to move his soul into, fighting almost everyone she comes across as she's incredibly possessive and jealous when it comes to Paracelsus, to the point where she misinterprets most interactions as people trying to take him away from her.
Edit: Yes the shifty feeling is representative of how she's played. A.B.A is a mode change character who starts off with poor movement and slow attacks which usually don't reach far, and then shifts to a much more mobile mode with faster and more aggressive attacks.
Now he REALLY needs to react to Elphelt's theme. I really want to see his reaction to Extras
Especially the contrast between molly’s vocals. I was taken aback when I read that she sung the whole thing.
Aaaand another one of them going to the playlist lol. Great analysis Tony!
These guilty gear songs are always such a crazy fun ride to listen to, I'd not listened to the guilty gear music before I watched Tony's vids, but yeah I love this stuff
Would absolutely love to see you talk about Elphelt's theme
The erratic beats at the beginning barely scrape together to make a coherent rythm. Definitely a perfect way to convey A.B.A's......issues.
Tony hasn't reacted to Drakengard 3 themes before, but the first few seconds really feel like how the Intoner themes start
I love this. Some songs I only like certain parts of the song, but I like the composition as a whole. The switch back and forth between slower and faster bpm reflects her gameplay and makes this feel like a smooth rollercoaster
Curious if you caught the “another brick in the wall” homage in the slower part of the song.
I missed it unf
I appreciate Tony sharing gems of experience like where certain sounds may have derived from. I hadn't listened to Alice in Chains before he mentioned but I can hear some similarities! Andi wanna give Al Di Meola a listen as well!
Missed Guilty Gear on the channel, lets goo.
Can't wait your reaction to Elphelt's theme too. You will like it very much.
YESSSSSSS IM SO HAPPY U MADE A VID ON THIS SONG IT SLAPSSSSSSS
Naoki and Daisuke played a lot of GG songs live recently for the Arc World Tour it was really cool!
Was hoping for this one, a wild track for sure
Her name is both A-B-A music notation, an acronym for somwthing we dont know, and a reference to the band Abba!
Cant believe one of my fave GG songs is about a Homunculus wanting to screw a key.
I love that Daisuke brought ABA back; if you liked this, you might find their original theme Keep in Gates to be an interesting listen - i also never would have though of Al Di Meola being a comparison to anything Daisuke composed; damn, your musical flavour range is inspirational, Tony!
Never noticed that the start of the song is a homage to Tubular Bells. Only realized because he slowed it down lol
This song has parts that remind me of Feed my Frankenstine by Alice Cooper which is really on point since A.B.A is a zombie homonculus kinda like frankenstine's monster.
Have you ever listened to “My Soul, your beats” it’s from an anime called angel beats and it’s definitely one of my favorite songs of all time!
I would love to see your opinions on Euthanasia Rollercoaster from the game Everhood. The part of this song you're on at 10:50 always makes me think of it every time I listen to this song, specifically the piano part!
The choir part towards the end reminds me of the choir section of "another brick in the wall" by pink floyd
You should do a small look at character trailers after the song is done so you can do a mini talk comparing the character to their song
I saw a game mod that turned A.B.A. into Marcille from Delicious in Dungeon.
And it looks so good too
Chickenburgermod did a great job!
All the songs in Strive are very Character Specific and say so much about the characters themselves. IMO the songs are amplified once you know the story and the character's backgrounds and theory craft what the music could be referencing.
You should react to “ Shangri-La Frontier” openings 1 and 2 the show is great and both openings have caught me off guard as being really good
Agreed
A.b.a is unhinged, therefore this song
Ok I've been trying to find what he's talking about at 10:27 but I can't find anything for aldin yolo anyone have an idea of what album or song he's talking about?
I found it, I think, music.ruclips.net/video/bhK_GFNq0N0/видео.html&si=rJzMBim-4_x4y7mK
Al Di Meola
Ok hear me out: this song is manic, it creates that feeling. Same as Aba.
A.B.A is a very strange character, both story and development wise being originally from a spinoff. She's a humunculos created through mysterious means who obtained an obsession with keys before falling in love with a living key shaped battleax, who she has a very... unhealthy relationship with. In previous games she could power him up through blood sacrifices, whether they be blood bags, blood from the enemy, or from herself, with her being incredibly slow and weak when not powered up and a MONSTER when she is. In the newest game though her powered up state is instead a Jealous Rage she flies into at the presence of other people, her being afraid they'll somehow take her beloved "husband" away. She's a bit of an anomaly in the story and lore, not really fitting with a bunch of other elements in the series.
I notice the GG songs you've reacted to have all been from Strive and all been either the main theme or character themes, which are primarily meant for battle in gameplay. There's definitely more to the series musical library though, and I'd suggest checking them out. Name of Heaven and Talk About You, the two credits songs, are quite a bit different from the battle themes, and if drawing from previous games there's classics like Lily, Wanna Be Crazy, Freesia, and Coming Home. If you think the battle themes are great, these ones might give you a whole new perspective on the series musical identity!
including this theme, you've done a total of 11 guilty gear songs, all of which being vocal tracks, maybe more if i missed some.
this being said, theres one specific song id love to see you react to, and thats Original Bet, which is Johnny's theme from guilty gear Xrd Revelator
@@supersonic4863 don't you feel Enough Is Enough would be a great listen for Tony?
That number includes non-strive titles though, right?
@@melon3109 yes, excluding strive is still 9 though. the only non-strive ones hes done are storyteller and six black heavens guns
Wisdom, patience, empathy, kindness ,serenity, clarity.
BREAK OUT BREAK OUT, Turn the key to a world untold!
Life is a maze woven with words! Blah blah, blah blah blah, blah blah blah blah!
Sick and tired, normal or not, no big deal, I'm just a quirky note in the symphony!
(Quirky note) (Quirky note) change your view, change the meaning.
Creepiness! It's it's it's worthwhile! Bothersome! At times its kindness.
Depressed, sickness! THOSE ARE VIRTUES OF MINE!
Courage, integrity, purpose, humility, respect, loyalty responsibility.
Forges the armor! Liberty, curiosity, compassion and affection,
WORDS, weave a stealthy chain. BREAKOUT BREAKOUT, turn the key to a world untold!
life is a maze woven with words! Blah blah, blah blah blah, blah blah blah blah! Sick and tired, normal or not ,no big deal,
I'm just a quirky note in the symphony! (quirky note) (quirky note)
Change your view, change the meaning. Creepiness! It's it's it's worthwhile.
Bothersome! At times its kindness. Depressed, Sickness! THOSE ARE VIRTUES OF MINE!
I'm not here to fit in this world, I just want to make a difference.
The armor of words, it's fine I found my fit. Freedom, Freedom!
Turn the key to a world untold! Love is a maze woven with words!
Let's shout shout, let's shout shout, let's shout shout shout! Let's journey together!
Normal or not no big deal, we're just quirky note's in the symphony!
(quirky notes) That's why its beautiful.
I'm not here to fit in this world, I just want to make a difference.
I'm not here to fit in this world, I just want to make a difference.
Breakout, breakout, turn the key to a world untold. (la la la la, la la la)
Breakout, breakout. life is a maze woven with words.
We're just quirky notes in the symphony!
I'm not here to fit in this world, I just want to make a difference.
I'm not here to fit in this world, I just want to make a difference. (lyrics posted by NAOKI)
Awesome video brother ❤
Have you reacted to Elphelt's theme? I would love to see that.
LET'S GOOO!
LETS GOOO
I think he likes it
“Why’s she got a key in her head and what’s with all the gears?”
Well for starters this _is_ Guilty _Gear_ after all…
I think her name is supposed to be pronounced like Abba, the "dancing queen" music group.
Daisuke is a hardcore music nerd. Sol Badguy's real name is Frederick Bulsara. Freddie Mercury was nicknamed "Mr. Badguy."
There's a Vampire named Slayer, an assassin named Venom who fights with a pool cue and magic balls, Axl Low i.e. Axl Rose as a Jojo character.
How do design a theme for a homunculus whose literally insane and feeds a demon key that she found, whose her husband, her blood so it can transform into a monster and turn her into a rage puppet until it runs out of blood. Where would you even go with that, heh.
Compared to the other two amazing songs with great variety you listened, this theme song does not hit the spot quite the same. I recommend the Theme Songs of Baiken & The Theme Song of Zato of even the Theme of Faust for "variety songs" and the Theme Songs of Ky & Goldlewis for a more toned version of guilty gear strive music
you should react to the video that goes over all of the various musical references within guilty gear
We love Prog Rock!!!
This theme, and this character, can ABSOLUTELY be described as strange. This is the first time this character has appeared in over a decade and it has people really excited cuz there were times where you could argue about whether or not she was considered canon, and there's also debate about who designed her. Daisuke Ishiwatari designs all the characters in this series but there's a rumor Toshimichi Mori, the creator of BlazBlue, another fighting game series developed by ArcSys, designed her. Either way it's exciting to see her back.
Her name (pronounced Ahbah) is likely a reference to blood types since blood used to be part of her gimmick, but ALSO she's named after ABBA the band! She's a humonculus made by an alchemist named Paracelsus, but when she awoke in the lab she was made in there was nobody else to be found. She spent the first 10 years of her life living there collecting keys, before she discovered a sentient, humongous demonic key shaped battle axe called Flament Nagel that Paracelsus had come across and brought back to his lab at some point. For whatever reason she became obsessed with it, made it her HUSBAND, and renamed him Paracelsus after her creator, and then went on a journey with him to find a way to make him a human body, ALL without actually consulting the poor thing about any of it. Elaborating more about the nature of the weapon, back during the war between humans and Gears, Flament Nagel would constantly hop from wielder to wielder, and wielding him caused him to essentially take over them, turning them into a raging berserker and usually that would lead to their death from the physical strain. However A.B.A's biology made her more resilient to its effects which made them a surprisingly good pair. A.B.A isn't very socially adept, and she gets extremely jealous of any other warriors she meets who take an interest in Paracelsus since that's her man. Paracelsus isn't totally innocent either, as his whole goal as a battle axe is to spill blood and consume it, and he used A.B.A for that purpose, but eventually he mellowed out. Between the last time we saw them and now they did a lot of traveling, A.B.A did not get any more socially adept but she did take an interest in fashion so she's more stylish in this game and she even dyed her hair blue (originally red). The whole thing about finding Paracelsus a body has also been seemingly dropped, which is good for him cuz he's perfectly content being an axe lol. The ending of her arcade mode in Strive has them both addressing their toxic relationship, and instead of breaking up they vow to both do better by eachother because A.B.A seriously loves him, and Paracelsus grew fond of her too throughout the years. The final scene in her arcade mode is a suprisingly human conversation between them it's just really hilarious how good this series's writing is considering how wacky it all is in concept.
Gameplay wise, Paracelsus is HEAVY. A.B.A has to tug him around meaning her mobility is normally really sluggish. In this state she's probably the weakest characters in the game. But through certain conditions she can enter a mode where she gains the strength to wield him effortly, while gaining some of the fastest mobility and strongest attacks in the whole game to boot! It's all a game about managing her bad mode carefully, and maximizing amount of time you spend in the good mode, which is on a timer, and is dependant on a meter that you have to fill up by landing certain attacks in the bad mode, and you also have manually activate the good mode using a couple of different methods meaning you need either buy a quick second to change, or land one of two attacks of hers which toggle her modes. It's really fun I've been having a good time playing as her, and I'm probably gonna end up using her as one of my mains.
per the strive arcade mode Aba's still looking for a body for Paracelsus because melty Paracelsus is decidedly not a good thing.
@@jmanwild87 that's not what his melty mode was about. It was happening to him as a reaction to A.B.A's intense jealousy. The ending is about them resolving to be better to eachother. There's no mention of making Paracelsus human anywhere in the arcade, I would know since I beat the entire thing.
We need more guilty gear reactions
Please take a look at Link Click's Vortex! I dunno if its as amazing as i think but definitely worth a listen!