This is a very important video. The “golden child” can suffer just as much as the “scapegoat” they just suffer in different ways. Judging the “chosen ones” of the world is shallow. You may be judging because you’re upset that you weren’t the one being praised like them, or something like that, but realize that it’s incredibly difficult for them just as it is for you. Nobody’s traumas and struggles should be compared, that goes for Adora and Catra too, and I’m tired of seeing that.
@@falconeshield it really is haha. The scapegoat and golden child relationship usually leads to a lot of resentment on both sides (“you got all the love” vs “why are you putting your problems on me, and hating me for my success ”) This conflict happened in the show, but it’s so wonderful to see this kind of relationship work out, because it rarely does.
Uncle Iroh to zuko: "It's time for you to look inward and ask yourself the big questions. Who are you, and what do YOU want?" Mara to Adora: "What do you want when this is all over? You are worth more than what you can give to other people." I honestly think that the writers of She-ra were required to watch all of ATLA at least 3 times.
I'm not saying it's a bad thing, just making an observation. There are so many similarities between the two shows, and for me it really reveals just how perfect the two shows are
Bow and glimmer constantly telling Adora she doesn't need to be She Ra constantly, even being annoyed when she leans too hard into that identity, really shows that unconditional care
I think part of the point of Bow and Glimmer is to show how easy it is to give unconditional care. It doesn't just have to come from some abusive and manipulative person, but it can also come in the form of friends highly concerned in the level of tension of their friend without knowing how to help them or make them relax... but the point is to love that person in the present moment and watch them go through their pain, because even if you can't figure out how to help them or what to say, or even if it bothers you, the only unconditional thing to do is to not try to "fix" what you view is wrong and to stand by their side. Catra happened to be there and say she loved her at the right time, otherwise she might have had to tell Adora over and over. The point is that it is important to have patience, acceptance, awareness, and ever present love. This can be particularly difficult if seeing them suffer hurts you (emotionally) or if it hurts them (drugs). Telling someone they need to be fixed is part of the problem. The point is that the damage and sublime messages can come from anywhere. Not everyone knows how to handle the situation or what to say, and sometimes the person in pain is not ready to believe the love and support. Bow and Glimmer showcase this in more selfish ways, as do real youth and exaggerated shows, but the message still gets across to the audience.
@@elenasmcanonico3163 Not to mention as she was like, half awake, she used her shield to protect Catra. The first thing she did as soon as she was awake.
“Favoritism is not privilege” - so good!! I was NOT the favorite in my abusive family, but I’ve seen what being that has done to my sister. It’s not good
i honestly got goosebumps when i heard it. i was the favorite and I enjoyed it. my sisters would often complain about the difference in treatment but my parent never admitted to it, causing them to question their themselves and the parent love/intention and separating themselves from me. it was rough. glad we all grew up and out of it. i hope your sister is ok!
Yes ! You don't WANT to receive the toxic love that abusers give you, but they make you FEEL like you have to earn every scrap they give you, because they've made you believe that you don't deserve anything better, and it's pure bullshit!
I was the favorite in my family, and it was so blatant that my parents straight up told me many, many times that I was. Even my oldest sister said I was, and I didn't really want to believe it because I thought my parents loved us all equally. But they definitely did, and I think it's led to a lot of issues with me thinking that I'm responsible for others' happiness. I have been taken advantage of all my life because I believed I had to be the one to save everyone, since I was the "golden child" who needed to be there. After all, I'm the best and the brightest of my siblings, so why shouldn't I be expected to be the one that you call on? It took being friends with people who really care about me for what I am rather than what I can offer them that made me see this, and it helped me to resist the urge to think for others over myself.
as my mother's favourite, I can say that it has forced me to shoulder a lot of guilt. my brothers deserved better than to be put in the position of kids who just wanted love and attention. the love and attention that I received. I want them to be happy but I can't help but wonder if maybe they would've been happier if I had never been there. Maybe my mother would have actually treated them equally and with the love they deserved? or maybe she wouldn't have. I can't say for sure. I'm just glad they don't hate me for it.
So Catra is for children that have forever been talked down upon and blamed for everyone else's shortcomings while Adora is for the "gifted" children that, while praised, have always been under pressure to do better, to not let anyone down or else they would lose that praise - that expression of affection.
It's because of this that I connect so well with Adora. It's that constant feeling of duty that if you falter for just one moment that you are a disappointment for everyone. And it's scary and anxiety inducing and yet you keep pushing yourself until you're overwhelmed and burnt out... She Ra is simply one of my favorite shows out there. It is just so beautifully crafted.
I love how there's always a gray line in this show. They don't throw at you, "this is good and this is bad". A lot of other media tries to do that, but I've only ever seen it done so well in Avatar and She-Ra.
I love that too even if some characters are clearly in denial about it. But it IRKS me how many fans still insist on judging it with a black and white morality ...
They don’t love adora. They adore she-ra. For example, in “flowers for she-ra”, they tell her stories about how “she” saved them in the legend. They cast her out when she can’t. Then she saves them and they adore her again. The adoration is conditional, partly. In “white out” scorpia says something like “what kind of name is that, like everyone loves you”. But love is different from Adoration. You cannot truly love a part of someone, you have to love all of them. You can however adore a part of someone. You can’t love she-ra. She’s a part of someone else. But you can adore her, fawn over her awesome power and abilities. That’s the crux of the problem. Anyways, you already said all of this. But that’s kinda important, I think.
Nail, head, hit. 100% agree with this, and to add in that "you can adore the effort someone put into cultivating a part of themselves *as* a virtuous act" and still love the person "almost unconditionally." Adjacent to the above, I honestly feel like unconditional love is one of the most insidiously subversive poison pill platitudes in the English language. There *are* some conditions that *should* be placed on love, Erin in Attack on Titan is a good example. Mikasa has conditions, she just didn't realize it until she matured. She "unconditionally" loved Erin, right up until he publicly enacted a *literal* world wide ethnic genocide "for his friend's safety." There are lines that should never be allowed to be crossed by your loved ones, especially if *you* "unconditionally" love them. You would need to step up to stop them, conditionally, so that your loved one does not make an atrocity that they *ideally* should never make given your prior love and respect for them. If Katra for example still wished to exterminate Adora's friends despite finally confessing her love, that is a condition that Adora would never abide.
It’s both tbh. It comes with privilege and the traumatic experience of conditional love. But being invested in, uplifted, and developed at the expense of those around you definitely carries a privilege as well as curse to it. Ask most people if they’d rather be a favorite child with too high expectations or a scapegoat that is needlessly and overtly belittled at every turn of their life and guess which one their gonna pick? I don’t agree that they’re all one and the same. But this video did give me a more nuanced perspective on favoritism. It’s not all good but IMO, saying it’s the not a privilege at all isn’t the reality in A LOT of cases. More often than not. At the very least it’s a double edged sword.
@@leilanidru7506 i understand that at the end of the day favoritism is still favoritism I am just happy that it it's acknowledged that's it's not all fun and games.
It is a privilege, but not one chosen by the privilege, and not an innate trait like skin color or social status of one's birth. Adora has the privilege of her powers, and of being raised the favorite in relation to them, but that does not necessitate that she is "at fault" for being treated differently. Its similar to Positive Racism towards Asian and male students from teachers and the educational system as a whole.
Adora is such an amazing character I’m usually annoyed by main characters but Adora is so interesting complex and imperfect it’s impossible not to love her
@@dragonskunkstudio7582 Rey in TLJ was very well written and struggled a lot internally (similarly to Adora). But... we know what sadly happened in the last movie.
I mean they try to create a multi faceted character but it kind of gets overshadowed by the rest. I would have liked to see some expansion. Like Finn from Adventure Time. They turned that episode about mountains into a full fledged story.
“You’re worth more than what you can give to other people. You deserve love, too.” -Mara to Adora in s5e12 This scene hit me so hard when I watched it and I couldn’t articulate why it mattered so much until I watched this video. I love Adora so much, thank you for making this video!
the best part of that scene to me was that it took place inside the illusory holographic space, which is shown and told beyond doubt to be constructed from her own memories and, by extension, conflicts. It's not really Mara telling her that - though if mara could have it is likely she would have based on her character - but instead, by *herself.* It is literally her coming face to face with her internalised conflict and hearing clearly the one thing she needs to accept in order to begin truly recovering from the trauma she has faced. She doesn't fully accept it, not at all, especially due to Prime's interruption, but it stays with her, and in a way might even prepare her at least a little mentally to hear and respond to the same message, delivered directly, vividly, by Catra.
@Books and Tv Geek exactly! adora's trauma shows up during the whole series, her whole "hero complex", the belief that she has to be perfect all the time or everything will go wrong and if something goes wrong she always blames herself. she puts so much pressure on herself all the time, because that's how SW raised her. she's really in a constant state of anxiety and hypervigilance because of that. :( SW really f*cked adora and catra up, poor babies. and then she just blew herself up, okay
Adora’s first she-ra costume looks like a double size child. Her later form looks like an adult woman. I think this might point to another problem. She’s been kept ignorant and dependent, Infantilisation. Never got to know about the actual nature of their enemy in the horde. Never got to know who Mara really was. Never got to know what she was to do. It was always someone else’s job to take care of the important things. They would tell her when she’s ready.
Tbh, Catra is the only legit one who was tried to stop Adora from taking the failsafe. No one else tried to stop Adora because they were certain she would survive. But Catra was right to attempt to stop Adora. 1) She never trusted Shadow Weaver and for good reason. She never had a problem abusing Catra so whose to say she wouldn't have a problem sending Adora off on a suicide mission? 2) Bow and Glimmer are amazing but unfortunately, they are also enablers. I wish the show addressed about how Bow and Glimmer never once tried to let Adora know that they love her no matter what. Everyone from The Princess Alliance to Shadow Weaver constantly reinforce Adora's belief that their love is conditional. They treat She-ra as Adora herself, which like I say eariler, reinforces Adora's belief that without she-ra, their love for Adora will disappear.
Literally the first time I watched She ra, when there was only one season it bother me so much how all the princesses called her she ra and barely ever Adora. Her new friends absolutely only accepted her because she was She Ra. That is something that Catrs understood I think that is part of the reason why she didn't join her.
@@XxRavenwishxX honestly same. I binged it all in like a wk but looking back they only used Adora when they were yelling at her in the first season. Only people that said her name to her was Shadow Weaver trying to manipulate her and Catra. Like everyone jokes about the "Hey Adora" but that was probably some of the few times she heard her own name for a while there considering the whole show took 2-4 yrs.
I think the issue is a matter of perspectives and it's why beyond Catra's personal connections to Adora she sees right to the core of the problem there. Bow, Glimmer, Adora, they're all wrapped up in the end of the world, that's their focus and not without reason. They have some conception of the interpersonal morality issue that's brought up in this but facing the end of the world they push that aside. Catra doesn't give a damn about that, she's always focused on interpersonal morality, how she interacts with those close to her it's why Adora leaving seems like such a horrific betrayal, why Shadow Weaver's presence with the princesses invalidates any claim they might make to be the 'good guys' and why at the end she's laser focused on what matters to her most. Adora's life. This lets her pick up on Shadow Weaver's manipulations, leave when her only prospect is to tag along and watch Adora's maybe-kamikaze mission and when she's finally presented a chance to improve Adora's chances of success, she returns to help and be with Adora at the end. Adora saves the world, Catra saves them.
I really disagree with you about Bow and Glimmer. The first few episodes try to really hamme in that they like her just because she's their friend. Not because she's She-Ra. But yeah, they didn't stop her from the failsafe. Though they thought she'd survive-I really don't think they'd agree to it if they knew she'd died.
Well yes and no. I did think the smidgen more complexity was good. However, it gets overshadowed pretty quickly. They really needed to give it some breathing room and expand. Make it believable.
I have never feel so emotional connected with a protagonist as with Adora herself. Her arc about identity, want, and love are so well done. The hardest part of being vulnerable with herself to make her realise what she really wants it's so beautiful. One of the best protagonist I've ever seen.
Adora is pressured in a lot of the ways I am, so I can relate to her a lot. This show came into my life at just the right time, and it truly felt like a blessing.
@@mataharii161 She really was, the type of abuse she struggled with is often unrepresented or not framed as abuse, seeing what she went through from her personality, her trauma, even in looks, I'm similar to her, she's just an amazing character
My favorite thing about She-Ra as a whole is how every single character matters. Each one has a personal struggle, whether internal or external, that can be related to by so many people. Adora and Catra, as you've covered, and how their childhood abuse affected them. Glimmer, whose expectations were always just as high as Adora's as Princess of Brightmoon, forced to live up to them as best she could under unexpected circumstances while never realizing that she wasn't alone in her struggles. Bow, constantly trying to keep his friends together, to fill any hole that appears, any crack that he saw. Glimmer and Adora breaking apart as friends, Bow had to help. The Alliance lost their tech wiz, Bow had to help. His own cycle of constantly trying to connect everything together. Even the other princesses. Scorpia and her cycle of abusive friendship and lack of agency under the Horde and under Catra. Entrapta's loneliness, filled with machines and eventually with a friendship with Hordak. Perfuma and Frosta, both dealing with the anxiety of living up to everyone's expectations in their own way. Mermista's grief and struggle to control it. Even beyond just the heroes, every villain matters. Shadowweaver, while a terrible person, initially only sought to protect her home. She wanted power, and she wanted the power to protect, leading her down a path that she eventually did regret, allegedly. Hordak, strangely enough, mirroring both Adora's and Catra's internal stories. Under Prime, considered lesser for his defects, having to prove he was just as good as the rest of his clones by being better, and never even being that. His personal Identity was never a need, never important, until he was freed from Prime's manipulation, though he still followed his programming to conquer the world, to make Big Brother proud. Even Prime matters, though less in a "what to learn from" sense and more of the metaphorical sense. Prime and his Empire are the external representation of what most of the main cast struggle against most: personal Identity. In one way or another, each main character struggles to know how they fit in, how everything they personally stand for works, and along comes Prime, seeking to simply wipe away all of those personal edges. As much as I feel Prime didn't have the presence or the connection to the main cast that Hordak did, his role in the story was just as important in the end, when the heroes triumphed over Prime's unity and embraced personal Identity. I love this show so much, I could gush over the themes and personal struggles of the characters for hours on end only to go for hours more on why I love the comedy, the artstyle, everything else about it. What a great show :>
I like how none of the main characters start out okay. Adora, Catra, Glimmer, Bow, Scorpia, Entrapta, the other Princesses (etc) all start out broken in some way or another. Either as (very messy) products of emotional abuse with Adora and Catra, or not knowing how to go with one’s head over one’s heart in the case of Glimmer. Scorpia needs to learn to love herself - that she should cater for her own needs too - and see that she deserves more than what she’s getting, as well as the confidence to stand up for her needs. Entrapta needs to learn to communicate with the people around her better. Bow spends all of his time being non-confrontational, so much so that he’d rather deceive his parents than upset them. Glimmer acts irrationally and emotionally, always believing herself to be in the right in every scenario. She sees everyone else as trying to restrict her and tell her what she can’t do, so she rebels even when it’s obviously not for the best. Adora is always trying to gain the approval of others because she has only ever seen conditional love and thinks that people will only love her if she is useful to them. Catra pushes people away because she is hurt by everyone she trusts and doesn’t want to be hurt again, but also because she can’t show affection or it makes her vulnerable. She believes that to be safe, she needs to be in control so that she’s strong enough to protect herself and feel invulnerable, so she constantly grabs power. She’s angry at the world that has never been fair to her and believes that she is worth absolutely nothing to anyone. And it’s perfect that, at the end, they are all fixed.
YES! and i feel like it's made obvious when scorpia is with the princesses and frosta says something along the lines of "none of us fit in" when scorpia says she thought she wouldn't fit. no one can fully fit in, that's the thing with identity, it never completes the expectations. because it's so individual and unique. that video made me cry btw that show is so good
Even Seahawk, the comedic relief, deals with his own struggle of always wanting to be liked. He will make an absolute fool of himself or hyperbole to the extreme just to make people like him or pay him any attention. His struggle is lesser, but similar, to Adora’s in that he feels he has to be useful or everyone will leave him. Truly no one could like HIM for him. Maybe that’s why he also tells these tall tales: to seem useful. The funny thing is that it’s only when Seahawk is fighting for his own reasons that he succeeds, when he’s not trying to impress, but is moreover just trying to save the lives of those he cares about. Mermista is all he ever wanted because she prefers Seahawk as himself, not his goofy, over-the-top persona. I mean, he is goofy and over-the-top, but less so than his “100 enemy fight” stories. She keeps him around despite him annoying her because deep down she really cares for him and who he really is: A charismatic, goofy arsonist who’s great at sailing and halfway decent at fighting. His skills are nothing exceptional in the world of She-ra, and Seahawk knows this. Like Adora, he tries to make up for this constantly any way he can.
What I adored the most about this show was that no one’s healing process was linear. They made improvements, then descended into their trauma, and came back just a little step further that what they were previously. Media puts the pressure on damaged people to just get the help and become better, simple as that. But it’s not realistic. She-Ra, while remaining a colorful fantasy kids show, tackled these subjects better that almost any show I’ve seen.
I absolutely agree with this. For the most part I found she ra to be an average show, but the character development for adora and catra was really unique and well done
I agree My main thought when watching the show was "how on earth do Catra and Adora end up together?" When all I'd seen was the fighting and deep rooted issues But the way the show slowly and messily built up their arcs really amazed me It happened with everybody, Glimmer stands out to me the most, but avoiding being linear was a great part of the writing
The last couple of episodes reminded me a lot of Thor Ragnarok "Are you She-Ra, Princess of Swords? Or are you She-Ra, Princess of Power?" The sword was merely a conduit of her power, not its source
Well actually the sword is only half the story. This reboot really only skimmed the surface of who She Ra is. It didn't get alot right either because they didn't pay enough attention to the lore. The sword is what gives Adora the ability to turn into She-Ra. However, She-Ra's power is her determination and how she uses that power. In fact rarely will she ever have to use force. Adora was well known for using the opponents strength against them. The crystal castle is what makes the sword work and Lighthope is Adora's greatest ally. However, they missed that by a mile with this reboot.
@@marowakcity3727 Yes, a different story but the characters should still be recognizable. For example, with the new Carmen Sandiego reboot. They told a fresh story but they kept the most important aspects of the characters. Carmen is still the master thief with a conscience. However, they gave her a slightly different backstory and added to the lore. Even some brand new characters. Now that reboot was the gold standard. The source wasn't used as an empty frame and instead as a foundation. It even had some cool easter eggs for fans of the original. With She Ra take Seahawk. He's supposed to teach a lesson in regards to the horde. But here he's just some random kook who sets boats on fire. They even made an established villain a hero out of the blue with Catra. Along with adding random unnecessary plotpoints.
I’ve never seen Adora analyzed to this extent because she’s always played off as a typical main character. I never looked this deeply into her myself, and now that I have I can see myself reflected in her and it’s incredible how many different struggles she has with her own humanity and her role. She’s lost in all of it for so long and I only realized it through this. It’s beautiful :)
Catra's crown, Bow's heart, and Glimmer's boots Three tokens of people she knows love her Yet that form was chosen before Catra sent Glimmer back She knew subconsciously, but suppressed it.
Another brilliant analysis as always. Catra is such a fascinating, complex character, that it’s easy to ignore that Adora is also. I guess being the ‘heroine’ of the story does that. I would like to see you do the same analysis on Glimmer. In her own way, she is as fascinating and complex as Catra and Adora, with her being so similar to Catra in attitude and behavior.
Catra wasn't so much complex as it was that they were trying too hard to pull out a story from a character that didn't really match it. Adora had a whole other thing going.
Also to brighten your day , the best thing ever said : " to find your self you must look within yourself to find your other self them only will you find your true self" 😂😂
There isn't a single character in this entire show that I don't relate to on some personal level, but Adora's arc of self actualization after heavy abuse mirrors my own life so much it hurts. I look up to her, because I want to break similar cycles in my life and I understand exactly how hard it is. She's an absolute hero, and she deserves so much more respect then the fandom gives her.
The one thing I never realized was the whole, "this is my fault" or, "I have to do this myself" that Adora is constantly saying actually makes sense and isn't the normal kid show tragic heroism. It legitimately fits the character and stems from her past and makes sense in story. This is such an amazing show.
Seriously! I don't think I've seen a single bad video from this channel to date. In fact, every single She-Ra video from this channel seems to make me find new ways to appreciate a show that I already loved deeply.
Here to say the same thing. The quality of the videos on here is grossly disproportionate to your number of subs. I really hope you receive significantly more notice - you deserve it.
I completely agree when you say Catra sees "She ra" as Adora. One of the best examples to back this up is in the beginning of "Flutterina" when Catra is having a nightmare. In her nightmare she sees Adora in front of the portal at the end of S3 looking at her angrily. But remember, in reality when Adora came out of the portal she was transformed into She Ra. Catra doesn't see SheRa, she sees Adora.
I think Queen Angella sacrificing herself for Adora is an important lesson for Adora. Though it creates guilt, it makes her doubt why she must always be the hero... On a personal note, I was a mixture of “golden child” and “scapegoat”. But at first, I only related to Catra. Your video made me realize my connection to Adora, and like her more. Thanks!!
And sometimes put everyone else against you :c I just pass a lot of my time trying to let people know that i'm not just the favorite one, i can do wrongs and, make fun of them hurt me just as it would hurt any person, im kind and i try my best, i don't need anyone to tell me that i should be ashamed 4 that. And sometimes im just try to f*cking avoid conflict.
thank youuuu everyone is so obsessed with catra but don’t give adora credit, sure catra is great and all, but adora’s been through so much stress with saving people who are constantly hurting her, she tries so hard to be a good person but keeps being come off as weak or a failure. my baby needs a break and a hug😔
@@emmacroker5603 sorry i didn’t mean it like that i respect catra and her fans it’s just that she’s always been “the better” character according to most and i honestly think every character is really cool :)
@@soph_333 oh no it's fine. Your right that people don't give her enough attention. I honestly love adora but I have always liked catra more. I think it's because of catras abuse that many people can relate to her which is a great thing to have in a show. I'm not saying that adora ins't abused but because of her praise it can sometimes be overlooked. I'm sure there's a lot of people that can relate to adora as well. Adoras a great protagonist and very well-written because some protagonists are very annoying. I love that adora has struggles instead of them being always being flawless heros and your right every character is great in there own way.
@@soph_333 I was not trying to compare abuse as well because there both just as bad. I just think because of the praise adora gets people can sometimes overlook it. I'm sorry if it sounded like it was
@@emmacroker5603 yea of course. abuse can be looked in different ways it’s just shown for catra more, that’s why so many relate to her. catra is an amazing complex character and you described both catra and adoras struggles very clear, thank you!
As someone who has stanned Adora since day one, this video really spoke to me and even revealed a few things I hadn't considered about her. Thank you for making this.
"What do YOU want?" really is a hard question for a lot of people, especially if they weren't raised with the expectation that that mattered. And the message that you shouldn't think about that because it is too selfish or because your value lies in being good at something might be more insidious and harder to shake than the idea that it doesn't matter because you are worthless. There can be clear evidence that the latter is wrong - even if it takes time to believe it. "I can't want things because a good person always puts other people first" or "no one would like me if I couldn't do X" are a lot harder to disprove because selfless behavior and achievement do get approval.
Gosh this comment hit home. So insightful and well put, and it can take decades to really start to believe that you can/should want things for yourself. All time well spent, but an exhausting battle sometimes
As someone who was raised with expectations to follow along a path, and ultimately couldn't do it, "what do you want" is a hard hitting question. It's a question my psychologists ask me a lot, but I don't have an answer for them, because I'm still not used to getting to choose my path in life. It's tough.
Exactly! I had a complete mental breakdown eventually in high school because all the self-sacrificing was what got me any conformation of my worth. My parents' love was also HIGHLY HIGHLY conditional. I just went into a state of disassociative fuge (highly disreccommend) and rebelled by refusing to do anything that was motivated by my desires to people please to try to figure out what my needs were. It ended in complete and utter disaster I don't recommend doing things that way at all. Have a therapist maybe teach you boundaries and assertiveness instead. Of course I NEVER could verbalize what you just wrote and how trapped I felt. (Plus I always felt guilty that I was probably "depressing" my therapist - my family put extreme responsibility on me for everyone else's emotions and moods if you can't guess 💀- by sharing my troubles)
@@zoeb3573 Right? People ask me that too! And I'm just like... can we please go to something else.... 😅 It doesn't help that I have fibromyalgia and other chronic illnesses so things I would like to do don't nesscarily line up with what I can do..... it's frustrating and heart-breaking and makes life feel really bleak many times. And of xourse all that gets brought up when people ask what I want.... 😔🤯😤
'Favoritism is not Privilege' You freaking nailed it. Nailed it. It's why they are both used. Also, implying that Shadow Weaver suffered isolation and had absent parental figures was interesting.
Except no, because main character plot armor in the literal form of She-Ra exists. When a character is, quite literally, the name of your show, they're not allowed to die (Mara excepting, because she was the She-Ra from over a thousand years ago, so she's already been dead for a long time, whereas Adora's the current She-Ra, so aside from when the portal shattered reality in season 3 that screwed up the space-time continuum or Madame Razz apparently being a Rafiki-like Time Lord able to switch seamlessly between Mara in the long-ago past & Adora in the present, Mara & Adora cannot physically exist within the same time period because Mara was She-Ra a thousand years before the Eternian twins Adam [He-Man] & Adora [current She-Ra] were ever born), because the show itself revolves around them, so if they died, the show itself would decrease in quality, not to mention get cancelled early/reach its end prematurely.
I never thought about how Light Hope chose the specific memories that would drive Adora and Catra apart. Your analyses always show me deeper parts of the stories I love most. You're probably my favorite analysis channel on RUclips, and your work is amazing. That being said, you have NO RIGHT TO MAKE ME CRY THIS MUCH
I too am amazed at how detailed this analysis can be. It brings out aspects that I wouldn't have noticed in any way, but because the series doesn't seem to want to emphasize at all either. In fact, after watching these analysis is when I discovered that the series is much brighter and smarter than it appears, and I've even come to wonder if all those subliminal aspects go so unnoticed because the writers were afraid it was too adult or something. I simply don't understand why it feels like they showed those things in minuscule detail, when they are so important and would have had so much weight in the understanding of the characters and the overall story... Thank goodness for this channel, really.
Damn, this is a masterpiece. You must have a degree or something. Good lord , this is great. I love the way you just laid it all out, everything about Adora, from her upbringing, her struggles, her conclusion, and why it all happens. I always thought that Adora was manipulated by Shadow Weaver, but not overtly abused. Not like Catra anyway. We all saw how Shadow Weavers manipulation extended far past Adoras tenure in the Horde, but it took this video to actually see it. I've got so many words jumbled in my head right now, but I can't put them into words over how masterfully this was done. Bravo.
“The opinions of the people we care about matters deeply” this line made me cry. I’m not out to my parents and they often say things like “she can have a girlfriend but we’d rather her not”. And I’ve managed to convince myself that I don’t care what they think but the truth is that I do care. I care a lot about what they think of me. This one line was all it took to break down that wall and truly let myself feel upset and hurt over what they say.
Sorry to hear that, but even if is right that "what people things about us care" we can chose what people is enough important to even listen their opinions . Is not easy to someone that you really care saids that, but sometimes we should really thing if that people is hurting us (not always bc they want) and why we care about them.
The line from Mara to adora “you are worth more than what you can give other people” hit me so fucking hard. I’m so glad you did this video. I’m crying. Ty.
Me seeing a picture of She-Ra: "Oh no, not again such a generic hero story." Me actually watching She-Ra: "Fantastic." There are way too few stories that show that the antagonist faction is not entirely evil
19:42 One more point of Adora's growth which I consider monumental: her self realisation of being more observant of other people and their feelings. When Adora chooses 2 go back 4 Catra, it's a major moment of taking back her agency (reflecting back on the time she left without Catra in the line of 'Duty') but when she does get Catra back, they once again struggle with their inability 2 communicate with each other. While Catra learns 2 b open with her feelings & wants, Adora (thanks in part 2 Glimmer) learns 2 stop seeing things solely from her perspective & start LISTENING rather than taking over the whole conversation (something she constantly butted heads over with Glimmer in season 4) She becomes patient & accepting of Catra's need 2 heal at her own pace, supportive of her when vulnerable, giving her space when she asks 4 it & being far more aware of her feelings (ESPECIALLY when Shadow Weaver enters the picture once more) The fact that she does all of this, makes it very apparent that she recognises the negative habits (from both ends) that led 2 their falling out in the process & does everything she can 2 improve herself as a better friend 2 Catra & support her in doing the same. 💞 It is SO incredibly refreshing 2 c a protagonist who is so often portrayed as near flawless or who's mistakes r just swept under the rug - recognise the harmful habits within themselves that they need 2 work on in order 2 b better 4 those they love & as an individual. This is what made Adora stand out 4 me above all else 👍
This. This is the reason I love this show. Sure, the flashy fights are cool, sure, the diversity is heart-touching, sure, the escalation is done incredibly well, but the characters are the real centerpieces. Their struggles and their failures and their not-so-perfect lives are what makes this show great. The character arcs, the character flaws, and the characters themselves outshine the few flaws the show does have. It also helps that I can sonewhat relate to Adora.
YES. That's exactly it. Finally someone else acknowledge that Adora's "choice" to become a hero isn't as much of a choice as a result of Shadow Weaver grooming her into one. And that she had lots of issues. I always related to Adora in many levels. The expectations and anxiety. Now I understand better why. She is amazing and so well written. And you made it even more clear how much. She came a long way. Still has a long way to go even at the end of the series. I love how Adora and Catra mirror each other and, after some personnal growth, are able to help each other by the end. However sad it was, I loved that Catra was the one who called out Adora on her self-destructive behaviors. I love how Adora deconstruct the chosen one and hero tropes. I was kinda sad at the end when she asked to go on yet another saving the universe mission because it felt like if she still hasn't learn the lesson yet. As if she still can only define herself as a hero on a mission. What do you think? Again you made a brilliant video. It's clear, very well explained and in-depths. You are easy to follow even for a foreigner and without subtitles. Thank you for yet another amazing vidro. Waiting for your next one. Meanwhile, I'll re-watch the ones you already made. :)
There's nothing wrong with being a hero on a mission. What matters is that its her choice rather than her being the Chosen One. I'm reminded of Buffy S3E01, "Anne": after the S2 finale, where things went pretty badly in Sunnydale, Buffy has run away from home, from being the Slayer, from town, even from her identity - she's going by Anne now and working as a waitress in LA. But then she comes across something demonic happening, investigates, and finds herself in a hell dimension where demons use kidnapped teens as depersonalised slave labour. When everyone else is denying their identity and personhood as a survival tactic, "Anne" reclaims her identity and when asked "who are you?" by one of the demons, responds "I'm Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. And you are?" Or there are the various Spiderman stories where Peter Parker decides to hang up the tights but always ends up choosing to be Spidey again. Not because he has a duty to save people, but because he likes being the sort of person who saves people. It's the choice to do the heroic thing, rather than letting yourself simply be the Chosen One, that matters here.
@@rmsgrey I see your point. And you're right. There's nothing wrong with bring a hero if it's your choice. It's just that it wasn't obvious to me if it was Adora's programming speaking once again or really her choice. Actually, to me, it felt more like it was her programming. As we know and as the show demonstrated many times with her and others, it's hard to reprogram yourself even after understanding it. But maybe I just interpreted wrong and it was really her speaking.
@@elisa4620 Free Will is a tricky concept. At one extreme, it's impossible to be programmed - everything is your own character, whatever external influences might have contributed to it; at the other extreme, there's never anything but programming, and any reprogramming is itself programmed in. Taking the failsafe doesn't feel like Adora making a good choice for good reasons, but accepting the quest to restore magic to the galaxy does feel like a free choice.
@@rmsgrey It's too late/I'm too tired to continue this philosophical debate. But yeah, interesting point! Hmm... I'm not entirely convinced. I guess it's also a matter of interpretation. I want it to be true tough. I hope it is.
I think it's important to remember that Adora wants to restore magic to the universe. We learn in the last season that magic is the one thing that can defeat Prime and other planets used to have it long ago. So in a way Adora is not saying "let's save everyone", she says "let's give everyone the chance to save themselves" which is an important distinction to make. And remember, at her core Adora is a caring person. She cares for Catra because she wants to (even when Shadow Weaver tries to separate them), she cares for the people the Horde attacks even if they're strangers. So it makes sense that Adora would try to help one last time before hanging the sword, not because of programming but because she wants to help.
“While it is always best to believe in oneself, a little help from others can be a great blessing” At Adora’s darkest hour, with no Shera, and seemingly no hope, Catra is there to say I love you. And she doesn’t ask anything from Adora in return besides simply to stay(not die). That moment is the culmination of Adora’s whole journey towards accepting love, as you so brilliantly explained. And I think it is so beautifully ironic and so well done that CATRA is the final piece of ADORA’s struggle for self worth. To accept love you have to first believe you are worthy of it, but unconditional love from others (in this case Catra) can help you believe. Great show. Great analysis. Keep it up!
I honestly relate to Adora and Catra's struggles in the show, especially relating to the hypervigilance, Adora's anxiety to constantly seek approval, and Catra's reluctance to let others in due too the fear of being used or abandoned by others. God I need to rewatch this show
Catra is my favourite characters but Adora is also a really good character. She's also a really relatable character and little bit underated. I just don't understand her character as much became I have honestly seen waaay more catra videos or catradora videos
FINALLY!!! Thank you for representing Adora's trauma and pain too. I love Catra and understand her overt abuse, but Adora's abuse and trauma is always pushed to the wayside in face of Catra's. Her pain was just as real, and to be honest these two would make a great case study for a psychology class.👍🏼👍🏼
I’m going to be honest. This show broke me. I have the same exact social anxiety that adora has. Of course not the weight of the world on my shoulders, but when I watched this show, something just clicked. I have a inert feeling of responsibility for everyone, and I always need to shut off my emotions. I only finished it yesterday and it holds a special place in my heart.
Me and my brother had a "golden child and scapegoat" relationship with our mother. My brother was the golden child. I can't exactly relate to Adora but, like with Adora and Catra, this has created a rift between us. Also, because I always got punished and my brother never did, he feels that it's ok to be mean. He sometimes gets in trouble at school for being violent then claims that he is innocent. The worst part is, I think he truely believes that he isn't at fault. While I turned out to be quiet, respectful, shy, and insecure my brother is loud, mean, inappropriate, and stubborn. I am known to be a very nice person, except by my brother. On top of having to deal with the aftermath of my mothers influence I also have Misophonia (also known as selective sound sensitivity) it makes it so that I have certain sounds that trigger my flight or fight response, my brother has always known this so he purposely triggers it to get what he wants. If he feels like getting be in trouble all he has to do is make a trigger sound and refuse to stop, I try to leave but he'll make it so I can't get away. What happens when the flight or fight response is triggered and flight isn't an option, you fight. My mother manipulated us and in turn my brother has learned that manipulating and hurting me is ok. It hurts.
@@xenotographer7068 thanks. I'm also sorry you had to go through what your parent did. I hope my brother develops some empathy too, but I've learnt that people don't often change so I've stopped expecting it.
I cried watching this! I feel like Adora is so overlooked as a character and her childhood is really upsetting and it hits different hearing how she doesn't deserve love.
ikr its literally princesses in colorful clothes and in pretty castles vs evil man. it seems so simple and basic on the outside, but its honestly the deepest show I've seen in my entire life.
I,,,, am crying,,,, like actually. Tears. that was so beautiful. I love Adora’s character so much and you’ve really done her justice, thank you so much for creating this :,)
As someone who grew up in an abusive (mostly emotionally and mentally), this video hits close to home. The lesson from Adora's and Catra's stories hits close to home.
just holy fuck- your level of analysis and motivation you showed through this (and catra's video) is amazing. everything about this video was beautiful- from the voiceovers, to the clips you use, to your own narration... you deserve so much more recognition
I just re-watched the Why Catra Matters video and have been sobbing for 20 minutes and after watching this one I can barely see my screen and have actually made a fucking puddle
I love that you talked about the way Adora talks about She-Ra (first vs third person). I thought that was a beautifully subtle way in the show to show her personal growth.
And you just showed why She-Ra and the princesses of power is so special and one of the best cartoons of all time. Really glad to see a positive approach to Adora with Catra, I never understood why they call their relationship as "toxic". They were friends since childhood, so of course she cares for her no matter how bad Catra's actions were, she was always hurt and need love like Adora needed.
CATRA GASLIGHTED HER REPEATEDLY, KIDNAPPED HER, ISOLATED HER, PHYSICALLY ABUSED HER A TON,AND EVEN TRIED TO KILL HER MULTIPLE TIMES!!! It is a disservice to society to act as though those behaviors can be excused and that it is a happy thing for someone to be in a relationship with someone who has done something like that to them.
@@kyleefeist1324 Catra used to be toxic, because of the patterns of abuse. She did terrible things and the fact that she was abused does not make it okay. HOWEVER, she broke the cycle of abuse. She broke the patterns. Catra wasn't toxic deep down, it was these patterns that made her what you could call a shitty person. But in season five, she let go of her abusive programming. She stopped caring about things like power and not showing any weakness. When she told Adora she loved her, that wasn't the toxic part of her speaking, because the toxic part was gone. Their relationship was definitely toxic in previous seasons, but at the end of S5, they both healed and learned a lot and let go of all the toxicity they used to have. Their relationship at the end of S5 definitely isn't toxic
Huh, this clears things up. I was never able to really understand Adora, possibly bc I relate to Catra more. That’s why I was waiting for this video. Thank you 👍
I'm freaking bawling like a baby because I have been in Adora's shoes so many times, and I've felt like a failure as an adult for not meeting my family's or even other people's expectations. I've been struggling to find my own self-worth and this video perfectly explains how hard it is to undo the programing you've grown up with. Thank you, thank you so very freaking much for making this. I'm still crying as I am making this comment but I needed to hear this. I always felt close to Adora when I watched this series, and you've explained perfectly why that is.
The part about unconditional love had me in tears. I can relate to many of Adora's struggles, but that speech she has with Mara during that episode always resonated me on a very deep and personal level. "You deserve love too" may be the best quote I have to carry with me from this show for the rest of my life. So true, so simple, yet so powerful. Great video as always :)
these videos literally make my heart happy. as a survivor of an abusive relationship with my biological mother, shera really spoke to me. it’s what i needed at this point in my life. i see so much of myself in catra and shera. you hit the nail on the head every single time.
TIL exactly how much trauma I have from being raised by a narcissistic parent. I had known, through watching the show, that I loved it because I felt that I really resonated with Adora. What I didn't know was what I was resonating with, until you provided this objective look. Thank you for this video.
I love that in season 5 Adora is adora most of the time, even when she can be shera, and she only uses shera when she needs her, like shes learning her worth just as adora.
I've always kinda stayed away from character studies because the impression I always got was that it was just a boring analytical essay, but I kept seeing this video (and the Catra one) in my recommended so I decided to give it a shot. What I have learned is that character analysis is actually super interesting and cool and school lied to me. Thank you for making me realise this, I'm now on my way to go watch the Catra one and then see if you have any more because this was really enjoyable to listen to :)
Hollywood fears failure which is so ironic. The more they fear female characters failing the more those IPs fail to do what they were supposed to do. Since there's no character arc if there's no threat to main character.
Noelle said that if Adora was in the Harry Potter Universe, she would be a “Slytherin trying to be a Gryffindor”. Which means she’s a great ambitious leader.
Where's the Slytherin part? I don't see it at all. Especially since one of their defining traits is loyalty to their family (or however JKR worded it on the house matching page) and Adora left the Horde and what is comparatively her family after just a small glimpse that what the Horde taught her was wrong
@@kyleefeist1324 but she’s loyal to her friends, even to the point of being too overprotective, she is a great leader, she is emotional despite her tough persona.
@@kyleefeist1324 Adora is cunning, determined and willing to do whatever she herself thinks is right, those are the core values of a Slytherin. But she tries to be brave and do what is right by Justice standards, which is a Gryffindor trait, therefore a Slytherin trying to be a Gryffindor. I hope this clears any confusion.
This is such a powerful video. I love how you described her actions in "Save the Cat" as the first time she allows herself to put her own wishes and wants ahead of others'. Recklessly flinging herself into the middle of Prime's army was never her making a strategic decision, she did it out of love and desperation.
this is beautifully written and the message is extremely well delivered, more people need to see this art! it’s life-changing, adora is such a complex and beautiful character ❤️
You never fail on making me cry. Adora is the best protagonist that i ever seen. She is so human, she makes mistakes and she has a problem with other people telling her what to do, which is a very realistic problem, we try to follow what society and people says that is right, but like Adora we have to distinguish what other people want from us and what we really want.
Actually, she's my favorite character. I understand her, because I have had similar situation in childhood. I was always "the best", "talented", "helpful" (even if I really wasn't). I also have a heroine syndrome. If I see someone better than me I feel useless and I'm like, ~ I need do something good, because if I don't, everyone I care about will not see anything interesting in me and they probably give up on our relationship ~ Adora is also a character who loves others but she can't let herself be loved by Catra. She feels like she should more giving instead of receiving.
Perfectly said! This reminds me of the song in the she-ra fandom called "after the war". A lot of the song really encapsulates both adora and catra and we can see one major point of adora's arc when catra tells her in the song "you're worth more than what you give" which is sort of a summary for some of the things you stated about adora! You should give the song a try if you haven't yet!
Wow that was so beautiful I don't know why but I found myself nearly crying a couple of times. I got a new perspective on the ending, I never thought of how much it meant for Adora that Catra loved her too.
My sister (golden child) and I (problem child) are really good reflections of Catra and Adora. I already knew that Catra resonated with me, but I think this video actually gave me a better understanding of my younger sister’s life perspective, what she went through and why she has the struggles she has. Thank you so much for this informative analysis, it’s been life changing. 🙏🏻
I'm learning more every day. I'm still trying to figure out who I am, and maybe it's silly that youtube videos are helping me do so, but thank you all the same. This was impeccable.
I wouldn't call it silly at all. I think it's awesome you found others help you articulate thoughts about yourself and become more comfortable with yourself.😃
@@remcob9619 now I’m gonna look it up, thanks :) Edit: just finished a while ago and I nodded so many times during the video I got a neck pain. It kinda wrecked me though, I never hated Azula and now I feel more sad thinking about her character than I ever did before
i’m crying thank you so much for posting this. i’m reading all these comments of people truly relating to adora and now i’m realizing i relate to adora very strongly. she has gone through so much emotional trauma as have i and has a hard time determining her true identity 💔
20:15 Interesting how just like when Adora recruited each princess (as She-Ra) & even with everyone used to seeing her in her normal form as much as her Guardian form at this point - she still chooses to give her motivational speech to them as She-Ra. Like her regular self isn't enough to inspire her allies 4 the upcoming battle 😔
I don’t know how to say this but you are literally a role model. Recently for a while i’ve wanted to start a commentary or analyst youtube channel where I just talk about shows and characters I like. Your videos are so well written and thought and i wish my mind worked the way your did. I hope i can make videos like these someday. Thank you.
I don't know if you're going to read this but I just wanted to let you know that I love your videos. I've just subscribed a couple of days ago when I stumbled upon your "Why Catra Matters" video. Your videos are of such high quality and your words touch me so much. The way you empathise specific words, your voice, the pauses, the music is just *chef's kiss* it's honestly brilliant. I can't wait to go watch your other videos.
This is a very important video.
The “golden child” can suffer just as much as the “scapegoat” they just suffer in different ways. Judging the “chosen ones” of the world is shallow. You may be judging because you’re upset that you weren’t the one being praised like them, or something like that, but realize that it’s incredibly difficult for them just as it is for you. Nobody’s traumas and struggles should be compared, that goes for Adora and Catra too, and I’m tired of seeing that.
And they still fell for each other in this series, how is that not romantic af?
@@falconeshield it really is haha. The scapegoat and golden child relationship usually leads to a lot of resentment on both sides (“you got all the love” vs “why are you putting your problems on me, and hating me for my success ”) This conflict happened in the show, but it’s so wonderful to see this kind of relationship work out, because it rarely does.
Yes!!
As someone who grew up in a household as the golden child, this means a lot to me.
👏🏾👏🏾
Uncle Iroh to zuko: "It's time for you to look inward and ask yourself the big questions. Who are you, and what do YOU want?"
Mara to Adora: "What do you want when this is all over? You are worth more than what you can give to other people."
I honestly think that the writers of She-ra were required to watch all of ATLA at least 3 times.
Gotta familiarize yourself with the gold standard ig
I'm not saying it's a bad thing, just making an observation. There are so many similarities between the two shows, and for me it really reveals just how perfect the two shows are
I thought that scene felt familiar XD.
That and Revolutionary Girl Utena.
@Winnie The Pooh I don't think it was
Bow and glimmer constantly telling Adora she doesn't need to be She Ra constantly, even being annoyed when she leans too hard into that identity, really shows that unconditional care
god i love them
I think part of the point of Bow and Glimmer is to show how easy it is to give unconditional care. It doesn't just have to come from some abusive and manipulative person, but it can also come in the form of friends highly concerned in the level of tension of their friend without knowing how to help them or make them relax... but the point is to love that person in the present moment and watch them go through their pain, because even if you can't figure out how to help them or what to say, or even if it bothers you, the only unconditional thing to do is to not try to "fix" what you view is wrong and to stand by their side. Catra happened to be there and say she loved her at the right time, otherwise she might have had to tell Adora over and over. The point is that it is important to have patience, acceptance, awareness, and ever present love. This can be particularly difficult if seeing them suffer hurts you (emotionally) or if it hurts them (drugs). Telling someone they need to be fixed is part of the problem. The point is that the damage and sublime messages can come from anywhere. Not everyone knows how to handle the situation or what to say, and sometimes the person in pain is not ready to believe the love and support. Bow and Glimmer showcase this in more selfish ways, as do real youth and exaggerated shows, but the message still gets across to the audience.
it's heartwarming that they see her as a friend instead of a tall blonde superLady
@@lyn3325 I agree
I agree. And I think that's part of what made adora so hurt in that one episode when glimmer told adora "maybe your best isn't good enough".
“It’s too late. I failed.”
*my poor baby thought she didn’t have a purpose without she ra*
I was sobbing the moment she said that. I dont know if its because Im too emotional, or i just love her so much
She was about to die in an attempt to save the universe and was apologizing. That's Adora for you.
@@elenasmcanonico3163 Not to mention as she was like, half awake, she used her shield to protect Catra. The first thing she did as soon as she was awake.
@@izzypaige07 what episode was this in?
@@violetsmith8693 The last one. Right after Catra told Adora that she loved her! Or, Season 5 Episode 13: Heart Part 2.
“Favoritism is not privilege” - so good!! I was NOT the favorite in my abusive family, but I’ve seen what being that has done to my sister. It’s not good
i honestly got goosebumps when i heard it. i was the favorite and I enjoyed it. my sisters would often complain about the difference in treatment but my parent never admitted to it, causing them to question their themselves and the parent love/intention and separating themselves from me. it was rough. glad we all grew up and out of it.
i hope your sister is ok!
Yes ! You don't WANT to receive the toxic love that abusers give you, but they make you FEEL like you have to earn every scrap they give you, because they've made you believe that you don't deserve anything better, and it's pure bullshit!
I was the favorite in my family, and it was so blatant that my parents straight up told me many, many times that I was. Even my oldest sister said I was, and I didn't really want to believe it because I thought my parents loved us all equally. But they definitely did, and I think it's led to a lot of issues with me thinking that I'm responsible for others' happiness. I have been taken advantage of all my life because I believed I had to be the one to save everyone, since I was the "golden child" who needed to be there. After all, I'm the best and the brightest of my siblings, so why shouldn't I be expected to be the one that you call on? It took being friends with people who really care about me for what I am rather than what I can offer them that made me see this, and it helped me to resist the urge to think for others over myself.
as my mother's favourite, I can say that it has forced me to shoulder a lot of guilt. my brothers deserved better than to be put in the position of kids who just wanted love and attention. the love and attention that I received. I want them to be happy but I can't help but wonder if maybe they would've been happier if I had never been there. Maybe my mother would have actually treated them equally and with the love they deserved? or maybe she wouldn't have. I can't say for sure. I'm just glad they don't hate me for it.
@millenniumf1138 Honestly, same. I turned into such a pushover. Still working on it.
So Catra is for children that have forever been talked down upon and blamed for everyone else's shortcomings while Adora is for the "gifted" children that, while praised, have always been under pressure to do better, to not let anyone down or else they would lose that praise - that expression of affection.
i feel sad knowing that this is... what i relate to... and i didnt realize
and i thought the only reason i related to adora so much was because we're both lesbians...
And sometimes they both can be for one person.
perfectly worded
It's because of this that I connect so well with Adora. It's that constant feeling of duty that if you falter for just one moment that you are a disappointment for everyone. And it's scary and anxiety inducing and yet you keep pushing yourself until you're overwhelmed and burnt out... She Ra is simply one of my favorite shows out there. It is just so beautifully crafted.
I love how there's always a gray line in this show. They don't throw at you, "this is good and this is bad". A lot of other media tries to do that, but I've only ever seen it done so well in Avatar and She-Ra.
I love that too even if some characters are clearly in denial about it.
But it IRKS me how many fans still insist on judging it with a black and white morality ...
We're on the edge of grayness...
The grey zone of morality is also shown in The Dragon Prince - some of the creators from Atla made it!
They do that in Kipo and the age of wonderbeasts within the characters’ individual moral compasses and how they play off of each other.
@@player03 we're on the edge of gayness
They don’t love adora. They adore she-ra.
For example, in “flowers for she-ra”, they tell her stories about how “she” saved them in the legend. They cast her out when she can’t. Then she saves them and they adore her again. The adoration is conditional, partly.
In “white out” scorpia says something like “what kind of name is that, like everyone loves you”. But love is different from Adoration. You cannot truly love a part of someone, you have to love all of them. You can however adore a part of someone. You can’t love she-ra. She’s a part of someone else. But you can adore her, fawn over her awesome power and abilities. That’s the crux of the problem.
Anyways, you already said all of this. But that’s kinda important, I think.
This is so good, thank you!!
That's a great analysis, especially when you remember that Shadow Weaver was the one who named Adora.
You think that might be why her name is adora?
I WAS TRYING TO SAY THAT IN WORDS TY
Nail, head, hit. 100% agree with this, and to add in that "you can adore the effort someone put into cultivating a part of themselves *as* a virtuous act" and still love the person "almost unconditionally."
Adjacent to the above, I honestly feel like unconditional love is one of the most insidiously subversive poison pill platitudes in the English language. There *are* some conditions that *should* be placed on love, Erin in Attack on Titan is a good example.
Mikasa has conditions, she just didn't realize it until she matured. She "unconditionally" loved Erin, right up until he publicly enacted a *literal* world wide ethnic genocide "for his friend's safety." There are lines that should never be allowed to be crossed by your loved ones, especially if *you* "unconditionally" love them. You would need to step up to stop them, conditionally, so that your loved one does not make an atrocity that they *ideally* should never make given your prior love and respect for them.
If Katra for example still wished to exterminate Adora's friends despite finally confessing her love, that is a condition that Adora would never abide.
" Favoritism is not privlege" GOD DAMN! PREACH! As the favored child this resonetes with me on very deep level.
It’s both tbh. It comes with privilege and the traumatic experience of conditional love. But being invested in, uplifted, and developed at the expense of those around you definitely carries a privilege as well as curse to it. Ask most people if they’d rather be a favorite child with too high expectations or a scapegoat that is needlessly and overtly belittled at every turn of their life and guess which one their gonna pick? I don’t agree that they’re all one and the same. But this video did give me a more nuanced perspective on favoritism. It’s not all good but IMO, saying it’s the not a privilege at all isn’t the reality in A LOT of cases. More often than not. At the very least it’s a double edged sword.
@@leilanidru7506 i understand that at the end of the day favoritism is still favoritism I am just happy that it it's acknowledged that's it's not all fun and games.
@@baszko6152 facts
Same
It is a privilege, but not one chosen by the privilege, and not an innate trait like skin color or social status of one's birth.
Adora has the privilege of her powers, and of being raised the favorite in relation to them, but that does not necessitate that she is "at fault" for being treated differently. Its similar to Positive Racism towards Asian and male students from teachers and the educational system as a whole.
Adora is such an amazing character I’m usually annoyed by main characters but Adora is so interesting complex and imperfect it’s impossible not to love her
Same :)
@@dragonskunkstudio7582 Rey in TLJ was very well written and struggled a lot internally (similarly to Adora). But... we know what sadly happened in the last movie.
I mean they try to create a multi faceted character but it kind of gets overshadowed by the rest. I would have liked to see some expansion. Like Finn from Adventure Time. They turned that episode about mountains into a full fledged story.
@@elisa4620 and she’s a goof 😂💜
“and then *long sigh* failsafe”
yea ikr
*deep sigh*
“You’re worth more than what you can give to other people. You deserve love, too.” -Mara to Adora in s5e12
This scene hit me so hard when I watched it and I couldn’t articulate why it mattered so much until I watched this video. I love Adora so much, thank you for making this video!
the best part of that scene to me was that it took place inside the illusory holographic space, which is shown and told beyond doubt to be constructed from her own memories and, by extension, conflicts.
It's not really Mara telling her that - though if mara could have it is likely she would have based on her character - but instead, by *herself.*
It is literally her coming face to face with her internalised conflict and hearing clearly the one thing she needs to accept in order to begin truly recovering from the trauma she has faced. She doesn't fully accept it, not at all, especially due to Prime's interruption, but it stays with her, and in a way might even prepare her at least a little mentally to hear and respond to the same message, delivered directly, vividly, by Catra.
I used this as my yearbook quote
my BABY, i was waiting for this one. people also don't acknowledge her trauma as much. adora is a brilliant character
She is such a awesome and complex character! She's always had the weight of the world on her shoulders. I really think this video did her justice.
@@izzypaige07 totally agree
@Books and Tv Geek exactly! adora's trauma shows up during the whole series, her whole "hero complex", the belief that she has to be perfect all the time or everything will go wrong and if something goes wrong she always blames herself. she puts so much pressure on herself all the time, because that's how SW raised her. she's really in a constant state of anxiety and hypervigilance because of that. :( SW really f*cked adora and catra up, poor babies. and then she just blew herself up, okay
@Books and Tv Geek i'm like, three words. SHADOW WEAVER, BITCH.
Totally agreed
Of course my lesbian baby matters
Yes we know that moms
It's all about wokeness.
Why lesbian ? Not all non-hetero girls are lesbian
@@MlleSallyBrown well its obvs that Adora is lesbian
Adora’s first she-ra costume looks like a double size child. Her later form looks like an adult woman. I think this might point to another problem. She’s been kept ignorant and dependent, Infantilisation. Never got to know about the actual nature of their enemy in the horde. Never got to know who Mara really was. Never got to know what she was to do. It was always someone else’s job to take care of the important things. They would tell her when she’s ready.
Tbh, Catra is the only legit one who was tried to stop Adora from taking the failsafe. No one else tried to stop Adora because they were certain she would survive. But Catra was right to attempt to stop Adora.
1) She never trusted Shadow Weaver and for good reason. She never had a problem abusing Catra so whose to say she wouldn't have a problem sending Adora off on a suicide mission?
2) Bow and Glimmer are amazing but unfortunately, they are also enablers. I wish the show addressed about how Bow and Glimmer never once tried to let Adora know that they love her no matter what. Everyone from The Princess Alliance to Shadow Weaver constantly reinforce Adora's belief that their love is conditional. They treat She-ra as Adora herself, which like I say eariler, reinforces Adora's belief that without she-ra, their love for Adora will disappear.
So true
Literally the first time I watched She ra, when there was only one season it bother me so much how all the princesses called her she ra and barely ever Adora. Her new friends absolutely only accepted her because she was She Ra. That is something that Catrs understood I think that is part of the reason why she didn't join her.
@@XxRavenwishxX honestly same. I binged it all in like a wk but looking back they only used Adora when they were yelling at her in the first season. Only people that said her name to her was Shadow Weaver trying to manipulate her and Catra. Like everyone jokes about the "Hey Adora" but that was probably some of the few times she heard her own name for a while there considering the whole show took 2-4 yrs.
I think the issue is a matter of perspectives and it's why beyond Catra's personal connections to Adora she sees right to the core of the problem there.
Bow, Glimmer, Adora, they're all wrapped up in the end of the world, that's their focus and not without reason. They have some conception of the interpersonal morality issue that's brought up in this but facing the end of the world they push that aside.
Catra doesn't give a damn about that, she's always focused on interpersonal morality, how she interacts with those close to her it's why Adora leaving seems like such a horrific betrayal, why Shadow Weaver's presence with the princesses invalidates any claim they might make to be the 'good guys' and why at the end she's laser focused on what matters to her most. Adora's life.
This lets her pick up on Shadow Weaver's manipulations, leave when her only prospect is to tag along and watch Adora's maybe-kamikaze mission and when she's finally presented a chance to improve Adora's chances of success, she returns to help and be with Adora at the end.
Adora saves the world, Catra saves them.
I really disagree with you about Bow and Glimmer. The first few episodes try to really hamme in that they like her just because she's their friend. Not because she's She-Ra.
But yeah, they didn't stop her from the failsafe. Though they thought she'd survive-I really don't think they'd agree to it if they knew she'd died.
"finally, just Adora"
Thank you I am a sobbing mess, Adora really is the best protagonist in all media. This video is amazing
so true ❤️
In all Media? Jesus calm down Personally I like her but not the greatest female protagonist sorry.
@@toadlord8594 it’s their opinion u don’t have to agree
Well yes and no. I did think the smidgen more complexity was good. However, it gets overshadowed pretty quickly. They really needed to give it some breathing room and expand. Make it believable.
Woah, calm down there, she’s good but she’s not the best.
I have never feel so emotional connected with a protagonist as with Adora herself. Her arc about identity, want, and love are so well done. The hardest part of being vulnerable with herself to make her realise what she really wants it's so beautiful. One of the best protagonist I've ever seen.
Honestly same here, she was the first character I've ever truly related to
Adora is pressured in a lot of the ways I am, so I can relate to her a lot. This show came into my life at just the right time, and it truly felt like a blessing.
@@mataharii161 She really was, the type of abuse she struggled with is often unrepresented or not framed as abuse, seeing what she went through from her personality, her trauma, even in looks, I'm similar to her, she's just an amazing character
@@ThornUponARose the crazy part is we're *really* similar. Down to our large foreheads
i made the likes 666 but same I love adora so much
My favorite thing about She-Ra as a whole is how every single character matters. Each one has a personal struggle, whether internal or external, that can be related to by so many people.
Adora and Catra, as you've covered, and how their childhood abuse affected them.
Glimmer, whose expectations were always just as high as Adora's as Princess of Brightmoon, forced to live up to them as best she could under unexpected circumstances while never realizing that she wasn't alone in her struggles.
Bow, constantly trying to keep his friends together, to fill any hole that appears, any crack that he saw. Glimmer and Adora breaking apart as friends, Bow had to help. The Alliance lost their tech wiz, Bow had to help. His own cycle of constantly trying to connect everything together.
Even the other princesses. Scorpia and her cycle of abusive friendship and lack of agency under the Horde and under Catra.
Entrapta's loneliness, filled with machines and eventually with a friendship with Hordak.
Perfuma and Frosta, both dealing with the anxiety of living up to everyone's expectations in their own way.
Mermista's grief and struggle to control it.
Even beyond just the heroes, every villain matters.
Shadowweaver, while a terrible person, initially only sought to protect her home. She wanted power, and she wanted the power to protect, leading her down a path that she eventually did regret, allegedly.
Hordak, strangely enough, mirroring both Adora's and Catra's internal stories. Under Prime, considered lesser for his defects, having to prove he was just as good as the rest of his clones by being better, and never even being that. His personal Identity was never a need, never important, until he was freed from Prime's manipulation, though he still followed his programming to conquer the world, to make Big Brother proud.
Even Prime matters, though less in a "what to learn from" sense and more of the metaphorical sense. Prime and his Empire are the external representation of what most of the main cast struggle against most: personal Identity. In one way or another, each main character struggles to know how they fit in, how everything they personally stand for works, and along comes Prime, seeking to simply wipe away all of those personal edges. As much as I feel Prime didn't have the presence or the connection to the main cast that Hordak did, his role in the story was just as important in the end, when the heroes triumphed over Prime's unity and embraced personal Identity.
I love this show so much, I could gush over the themes and personal struggles of the characters for hours on end only to go for hours more on why I love the comedy, the artstyle, everything else about it. What a great show :>
This is amazing insight, tysm!!
I like how none of the main characters start out okay. Adora, Catra, Glimmer, Bow, Scorpia, Entrapta, the other Princesses (etc) all start out broken in some way or another. Either as (very messy) products of emotional abuse with Adora and Catra, or not knowing how to go with one’s head over one’s heart in the case of Glimmer. Scorpia needs to learn to love herself - that she should cater for her own needs too - and see that she deserves more than what she’s getting, as well as the confidence to stand up for her needs. Entrapta needs to learn to communicate with the people around her better. Bow spends all of his time being non-confrontational, so much so that he’d rather deceive his parents than upset them. Glimmer acts irrationally and emotionally, always believing herself to be in the right in every scenario. She sees everyone else as trying to restrict her and tell her what she can’t do, so she rebels even when it’s obviously not for the best. Adora is always trying to gain the approval of others because she has only ever seen conditional love and thinks that people will only love her if she is useful to them. Catra pushes people away because she is hurt by everyone she trusts and doesn’t want to be hurt again, but also because she can’t show affection or it makes her vulnerable. She believes that to be safe, she needs to be in control so that she’s strong enough to protect herself and feel invulnerable, so she constantly grabs power. She’s angry at the world that has never been fair to her and believes that she is worth absolutely nothing to anyone.
And it’s perfect that, at the end, they are all fixed.
Wow Mike, that’s very introspective Of you.
YES! and i feel like it's made obvious when scorpia is with the princesses and frosta says something along the lines of "none of us fit in" when scorpia says she thought she wouldn't fit. no one can fully fit in, that's the thing with identity, it never completes the expectations. because it's so individual and unique.
that video made me cry btw that show is so good
Even Seahawk, the comedic relief, deals with his own struggle of always wanting to be liked. He will make an absolute fool of himself or hyperbole to the extreme just to make people like him or pay him any attention. His struggle is lesser, but similar, to Adora’s in that he feels he has to be useful or everyone will leave him. Truly no one could like HIM for him. Maybe that’s why he also tells these tall tales: to seem useful. The funny thing is that it’s only when Seahawk is fighting for his own reasons that he succeeds, when he’s not trying to impress, but is moreover just trying to save the lives of those he cares about. Mermista is all he ever wanted because she prefers Seahawk as himself, not his goofy, over-the-top persona. I mean, he is goofy and over-the-top, but less so than his “100 enemy fight” stories. She keeps him around despite him annoying her because deep down she really cares for him and who he really is: A charismatic, goofy arsonist who’s great at sailing and halfway decent at fighting. His skills are nothing exceptional in the world of She-ra, and Seahawk knows this. Like Adora, he tries to make up for this constantly any way he can.
This show is therapy. Your analyses of the show and its characters are therapy. This is all fucking therapeutic
Preach!
I know
What I adored the most about this show was that no one’s healing process was linear. They made improvements, then descended into their trauma, and came back just a little step further that what they were previously. Media puts the pressure on damaged people to just get the help and become better, simple as that. But it’s not realistic. She-Ra, while remaining a colorful fantasy kids show, tackled these subjects better that almost any show I’ve seen.
I absolutely agree with this. For the most part I found she ra to be an average show, but the character development for adora and catra was really unique and well done
I agree
My main thought when watching the show was "how on earth do Catra and Adora end up together?" When all I'd seen was the fighting and deep rooted issues
But the way the show slowly and messily built up their arcs really amazed me
It happened with everybody, Glimmer stands out to me the most, but avoiding being linear was a great part of the writing
The last couple of episodes reminded me a lot of Thor Ragnarok
"Are you She-Ra, Princess of Swords? Or are you She-Ra, Princess of Power?"
The sword was merely a conduit of her power, not its source
Well actually the sword is only half the story. This reboot really only skimmed the surface of who She Ra is. It didn't get alot right either because they didn't pay enough attention to the lore. The sword is what gives Adora the ability to turn into She-Ra. However, She-Ra's power is her determination and how she uses that power. In fact rarely will she ever have to use force. Adora was well known for using the opponents strength against them. The crystal castle is what makes the sword work and Lighthope is Adora's greatest ally. However, they missed that by a mile with this reboot.
To quote best grandma Madame Razz, "She Ra is not a sword, She Ra is you!"
@@mikewazowski8075 "You cannot control magic! Magic simply is!"
@@darkshadowstorm7056 oh my god, it's almost like the reboot tells a different story from the original, what a concept
@@marowakcity3727 Yes, a different story but the characters should still be recognizable. For example, with the new Carmen Sandiego reboot. They told a fresh story but they kept the most important aspects of the characters. Carmen is still the master thief with a conscience. However, they gave her a slightly different backstory and added to the lore. Even some brand new characters. Now that reboot was the gold standard. The source wasn't used as an empty frame and instead as a foundation. It even had some cool easter eggs for fans of the original. With She Ra take Seahawk. He's supposed to teach a lesson in regards to the horde. But here he's just some random kook who sets boats on fire. They even made an established villain a hero out of the blue with Catra. Along with adding random unnecessary plotpoints.
I’ve never seen Adora analyzed to this extent because she’s always played off as a typical main character. I never looked this deeply into her myself, and now that I have I can see myself reflected in her and it’s incredible how many different struggles she has with her own humanity and her role. She’s lost in all of it for so long and I only realized it through this. It’s beautiful :)
Catra's crown, Bow's heart, and Glimmer's boots
Three tokens of people she knows love her
Yet that form was chosen before Catra sent Glimmer back
She knew subconsciously, but suppressed it.
Another brilliant analysis as always. Catra is such a fascinating, complex character, that it’s easy to ignore that Adora is also. I guess being the ‘heroine’ of the story does that. I would like to see you do the same analysis on Glimmer. In her own way, she is as fascinating and complex as Catra and Adora, with her being so similar to Catra in attitude and behavior.
Glimmer is one of my favorite characters of the show!
THICD THIGHS SAVES LIVES - Bow 2:57
Yes please do one on glimmer it would be sooo interresting.
PLEASE! A GLIMMER ONE!!!!
Catra wasn't so much complex as it was that they were trying too hard to pull out a story from a character that didn't really match it. Adora had a whole other thing going.
To the two dislikes: We were never angry with you, We are just sad that you lost your way.
Speak for yourself, I'm angry.
@@thejohnhopkinscompany9599 I'm dead😭😂
Also to brighten your day , the best thing ever said : " to find your self you must look within yourself to find your other self them only will you find your true self" 😂😂
@that_bi_icon UR PFP OMG I LOVVEE YOUUUU
There isn't a single character in this entire show that I don't relate to on some personal level, but Adora's arc of self actualization after heavy abuse mirrors my own life so much it hurts. I look up to her, because I want to break similar cycles in my life and I understand exactly how hard it is. She's an absolute hero, and she deserves so much more respect then the fandom gives her.
The one thing I never realized was the whole, "this is my fault" or, "I have to do this myself" that Adora is constantly saying actually makes sense and isn't the normal kid show tragic heroism. It legitimately fits the character and stems from her past and makes sense in story. This is such an amazing show.
WHy? Why is your channel SO UNDERRATED? These are legit some of the best analyses I've seen in a long time.
THIS
Seriously! I don't think I've seen a single bad video from this channel to date. In fact, every single She-Ra video from this channel seems to make me find new ways to appreciate a show that I already loved deeply.
IKRRR
i mean, it's a pretty new channel, and over 13k subs isn't too shabby :) but thank you
Here to say the same thing. The quality of the videos on here is grossly disproportionate to your number of subs. I really hope you receive significantly more notice - you deserve it.
Another well-written, interesting and entertaining essay that makes me want to watch the show again.
Same! But I think I should wait a little while longer before a third viewing ;)
Whats the music in this video?
I completely agree when you say Catra sees "She ra" as Adora. One of the best examples to back this up is in the beginning of "Flutterina" when Catra is having a nightmare. In her nightmare she sees Adora in front of the portal at the end of S3 looking at her angrily. But remember, in reality when Adora came out of the portal she was transformed into She Ra. Catra doesn't see SheRa, she sees Adora.
I think Queen Angella sacrificing herself for Adora is an important lesson for Adora. Though it creates guilt, it makes her doubt why she must always be the hero... On a personal note, I was a mixture of “golden child” and “scapegoat”. But at first, I only related to Catra. Your video made me realize my connection to Adora, and like her more. Thanks!!
When I say I relate to Adora I mean I RELATE to her on a psychological level.
Yeah, it sucks being the favourite, you actually feel alone.
And sometimes put everyone else against you :c
I just pass a lot of my time trying to let people know that i'm not just the favorite one, i can do wrongs and, make fun of them hurt me just as it would hurt any person, im kind and i try my best, i don't need anyone to tell me that i should be ashamed 4 that.
And sometimes im just try to f*cking avoid conflict.
Adora is every one of us that was conditioned to take all responsibility and never ask for anything.
Same
@@digimonalvatrax2738 no. adoras situation is very different. you will NEVER have it as bad as the least favourite
“Everyone fails at who they're supposed to be, Thor. The measure of a person, of a hero, is how well they succeed at being who they are.”
"Are you She-Ra, princess of swords?"
@@MegaChickenfish I understood that reference
god i love adora and wow i love this essay. dumb jock lesbian rights 🥰
SO TRUE
thank youuuu everyone is so obsessed with catra but don’t give adora credit, sure catra is great and all, but adora’s been through so much stress with saving people who are constantly hurting her, she tries so hard to be a good person but keeps being come off as weak or a failure. my baby needs a break and a hug😔
I'm sorry I've got a catra obsession. Adora needs more credit thougu
@@emmacroker5603 sorry i didn’t mean it like that i respect catra and her fans it’s just that she’s always been “the better” character according to most and i honestly think every character is really cool :)
@@soph_333 oh no it's fine. Your right that people don't give her enough attention. I honestly love adora but I have always liked catra more. I think it's because of catras abuse that many people can relate to her which is a great thing to have in a show. I'm not saying that adora ins't abused but because of her praise it can sometimes be overlooked. I'm sure there's a lot of people that can relate to adora as well. Adoras a great protagonist and very well-written because some protagonists are very annoying. I love that adora has struggles instead of them being always being flawless heros and your right every character is great in there own way.
@@soph_333 I was not trying to compare abuse as well because there both just as bad. I just think because of the praise adora gets people can sometimes overlook it. I'm sorry if it sounded like it was
@@emmacroker5603 yea of course. abuse can be looked in different ways it’s just shown for catra more, that’s why so many relate to her. catra is an amazing complex character and you described both catra and adoras struggles very clear, thank you!
As someone who has stanned Adora since day one, this video really spoke to me and even revealed a few things I hadn't considered about her. Thank you for making this.
@Books and Tv Geek Yeah, she was always talking about her need to "Fix" the planet, but never the need to fix her perception on herself.
"What do YOU want?" really is a hard question for a lot of people, especially if they weren't raised with the expectation that that mattered. And the message that you shouldn't think about that because it is too selfish or because your value lies in being good at something might be more insidious and harder to shake than the idea that it doesn't matter because you are worthless.
There can be clear evidence that the latter is wrong - even if it takes time to believe it. "I can't want things because a good person always puts other people first" or "no one would like me if I couldn't do X" are a lot harder to disprove because selfless behavior and achievement do get approval.
Gosh this comment hit home. So insightful and well put, and it can take decades to really start to believe that you can/should want things for yourself. All time well spent, but an exhausting battle sometimes
As someone who was raised with expectations to follow along a path, and ultimately couldn't do it, "what do you want" is a hard hitting question. It's a question my psychologists ask me a lot, but I don't have an answer for them, because I'm still not used to getting to choose my path in life. It's tough.
💚💚💚💚
Exactly! I had a complete mental breakdown eventually in high school because all the self-sacrificing was what got me any conformation of my worth. My parents' love was also HIGHLY HIGHLY conditional. I just went into a state of disassociative fuge (highly disreccommend) and rebelled by refusing to do anything that was motivated by my desires to people please to try to figure out what my needs were. It ended in complete and utter disaster I don't recommend doing things that way at all.
Have a therapist maybe teach you boundaries and assertiveness instead.
Of course I NEVER could verbalize what you just wrote and how trapped I felt.
(Plus I always felt guilty that I was probably "depressing" my therapist - my family put extreme responsibility on me for everyone else's emotions and moods if you can't guess 💀- by sharing my troubles)
@@zoeb3573 Right? People ask me that too! And I'm just like... can we please go to something else.... 😅
It doesn't help that I have fibromyalgia and other chronic illnesses so things I would like to do don't nesscarily line up with what I can do..... it's frustrating and heart-breaking and makes life feel really bleak many times. And of xourse all that gets brought up when people ask what I want.... 😔🤯😤
'Favoritism is not Privilege'
You freaking nailed it. Nailed it.
It's why they are both used. Also, implying that Shadow Weaver suffered isolation and had absent parental figures was interesting.
I like how she's not overpowered. sometimes she sucks and without her friends' help would have died.
Okay
Except no, because main character plot armor in the literal form of She-Ra exists. When a character is, quite literally, the name of your show, they're not allowed to die (Mara excepting, because she was the She-Ra from over a thousand years ago, so she's already been dead for a long time, whereas Adora's the current She-Ra, so aside from when the portal shattered reality in season 3 that screwed up the space-time continuum or Madame Razz apparently being a Rafiki-like Time Lord able to switch seamlessly between Mara in the long-ago past & Adora in the present, Mara & Adora cannot physically exist within the same time period because Mara was She-Ra a thousand years before the Eternian twins Adam [He-Man] & Adora [current She-Ra] were ever born), because the show itself revolves around them, so if they died, the show itself would decrease in quality, not to mention get cancelled early/reach its end prematurely.
I never thought about how Light Hope chose the specific memories that would drive Adora and Catra apart.
Your analyses always show me deeper parts of the stories I love most. You're probably my favorite analysis channel on RUclips, and your work is amazing.
That being said, you have NO RIGHT TO MAKE ME CRY THIS MUCH
She pulled a Babidi on all of us
I too am amazed at how detailed this analysis can be. It brings out aspects that I wouldn't have noticed in any way, but because the series doesn't seem to want to emphasize at all either.
In fact, after watching these analysis is when I discovered that the series is much brighter and smarter than it appears, and I've even come to wonder if all those subliminal aspects go so unnoticed because the writers were afraid it was too adult or something.
I simply don't understand why it feels like they showed those things in minuscule detail, when they are so important and would have had so much weight in the understanding of the characters and the overall story...
Thank goodness for this channel, really.
Damn, this is a masterpiece. You must have a degree or something. Good lord , this is great. I love the way you just laid it all out, everything about Adora, from her upbringing, her struggles, her conclusion, and why it all happens. I always thought that Adora was manipulated by Shadow Weaver, but not overtly abused. Not like Catra anyway. We all saw how Shadow Weavers manipulation extended far past Adoras tenure in the Horde, but it took this video to actually see it. I've got so many words jumbled in my head right now, but I can't put them into words over how masterfully this was done. Bravo.
“Why is it this kid who has to go and be the willing martyr? Because she’s broken enough to accept it?” That broke me
Also, when Angella dies, she says take care of each other and later, Adora says to Glimmer I'm supposed to take care of you
“The opinions of the people we care about matters deeply” this line made me cry. I’m not out to my parents and they often say things like “she can have a girlfriend but we’d rather her not”. And I’ve managed to convince myself that I don’t care what they think but the truth is that I do care. I care a lot about what they think of me. This one line was all it took to break down that wall and truly let myself feel upset and hurt over what they say.
Sorry to hear that, but even if is right that "what people things about us care" we can chose what people is enough important to even listen their opinions .
Is not easy to someone that you really care saids that, but sometimes we should really thing if that people is hurting us (not always bc they want) and why we care about them.
💚💚
The line from Mara to adora “you are worth more than what you can give other people” hit me so fucking hard. I’m so glad you did this video. I’m crying. Ty.
Same. It took me years of expensive therapy to learn this - if this show had been around when I was young it would’ve been a game changer
Yes, that line it so important and holds so much weight, especially since I struggle with this a lot.
Me seeing a picture of She-Ra: "Oh no, not again such a generic hero story."
Me actually watching She-Ra: "Fantastic."
There are way too few stories that show that the antagonist faction is not entirely evil
19:42 One more point of Adora's growth which I consider monumental: her self realisation of being more observant of other people and their feelings.
When Adora chooses 2 go back 4 Catra, it's a major moment of taking back her agency (reflecting back on the time she left without Catra in the line of 'Duty') but when she does get Catra back, they once again struggle with their inability 2 communicate with each other. While Catra learns 2 b open with her feelings & wants, Adora (thanks in part 2 Glimmer) learns 2 stop seeing things solely from her perspective & start LISTENING rather than taking over the whole conversation (something she constantly butted heads over with Glimmer in season 4)
She becomes patient & accepting of Catra's need 2 heal at her own pace, supportive of her when vulnerable, giving her space when she asks 4 it & being far more aware of her feelings (ESPECIALLY when Shadow Weaver enters the picture once more)
The fact that she does all of this, makes it very apparent that she recognises the negative habits (from both ends) that led 2 their falling out in the process & does everything she can 2 improve herself as a better friend 2 Catra & support her in doing the same. 💞
It is SO incredibly refreshing 2 c a protagonist who is so often portrayed as near flawless or who's mistakes r just swept under the rug - recognise the harmful habits within themselves that they need 2 work on in order 2 b better 4 those they love & as an individual.
This is what made Adora stand out 4 me above all else 👍
This. This is the reason I love this show. Sure, the flashy fights are cool, sure, the diversity is heart-touching, sure, the escalation is done incredibly well, but the characters are the real centerpieces. Their struggles and their failures and their not-so-perfect lives are what makes this show great. The character arcs, the character flaws, and the characters themselves outshine the few flaws the show does have. It also helps that I can sonewhat relate to Adora.
YES. That's exactly it.
Finally someone else acknowledge that Adora's "choice" to become a hero isn't as much of a choice as a result of Shadow Weaver grooming her into one. And that she had lots of issues.
I always related to Adora in many levels. The expectations and anxiety. Now I understand better why.
She is amazing and so well written. And you made it even more clear how much.
She came a long way. Still has a long way to go even at the end of the series.
I love how Adora and Catra mirror each other and, after some personnal growth, are able to help each other by the end.
However sad it was, I loved that Catra was the one who called out Adora on her self-destructive behaviors.
I love how Adora deconstruct the chosen one and hero tropes.
I was kinda sad at the end when she asked to go on yet another saving the universe mission because it felt like if she still hasn't learn the lesson yet. As if she still can only define herself as a hero on a mission. What do you think?
Again you made a brilliant video. It's clear, very well explained and in-depths. You are easy to follow even for a foreigner and without subtitles.
Thank you for yet another amazing vidro.
Waiting for your next one. Meanwhile, I'll re-watch the ones you already made. :)
There's nothing wrong with being a hero on a mission. What matters is that its her choice rather than her being the Chosen One. I'm reminded of Buffy S3E01, "Anne": after the S2 finale, where things went pretty badly in Sunnydale, Buffy has run away from home, from being the Slayer, from town, even from her identity - she's going by Anne now and working as a waitress in LA. But then she comes across something demonic happening, investigates, and finds herself in a hell dimension where demons use kidnapped teens as depersonalised slave labour. When everyone else is denying their identity and personhood as a survival tactic, "Anne" reclaims her identity and when asked "who are you?" by one of the demons, responds "I'm Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. And you are?"
Or there are the various Spiderman stories where Peter Parker decides to hang up the tights but always ends up choosing to be Spidey again. Not because he has a duty to save people, but because he likes being the sort of person who saves people.
It's the choice to do the heroic thing, rather than letting yourself simply be the Chosen One, that matters here.
@@rmsgrey I see your point. And you're right. There's nothing wrong with bring a hero if it's your choice.
It's just that it wasn't obvious to me if it was Adora's programming speaking once again or really her choice. Actually, to me, it felt more like it was her programming.
As we know and as the show demonstrated many times with her and others, it's hard to reprogram yourself even after understanding it.
But maybe I just interpreted wrong and it was really her speaking.
@@elisa4620 Free Will is a tricky concept. At one extreme, it's impossible to be programmed - everything is your own character, whatever external influences might have contributed to it; at the other extreme, there's never anything but programming, and any reprogramming is itself programmed in.
Taking the failsafe doesn't feel like Adora making a good choice for good reasons, but accepting the quest to restore magic to the galaxy does feel like a free choice.
@@rmsgrey It's too late/I'm too tired to continue this philosophical debate. But yeah, interesting point!
Hmm... I'm not entirely convinced. I guess it's also a matter of interpretation.
I want it to be true tough. I hope it is.
I think it's important to remember that Adora wants to restore magic to the universe.
We learn in the last season that magic is the one thing that can defeat Prime and other planets used to have it long ago.
So in a way Adora is not saying "let's save everyone", she says "let's give everyone the chance to save themselves" which is an important distinction to make.
And remember, at her core Adora is a caring person. She cares for Catra because she wants to (even when Shadow Weaver tries to separate them), she cares for the people the Horde attacks even if they're strangers.
So it makes sense that Adora would try to help one last time before hanging the sword, not because of programming but because she wants to help.
“While it is always best to believe in oneself, a little help from others can be a great blessing”
At Adora’s darkest hour, with no Shera, and seemingly no hope, Catra is there to say I love you. And she doesn’t ask anything from Adora in return besides simply to stay(not die). That moment is the culmination of Adora’s whole journey towards accepting love, as you so brilliantly explained. And I think it is so beautifully ironic and so well done that CATRA is the final piece of ADORA’s struggle for self worth. To accept love you have to first believe you are worthy of it, but unconditional love from others (in this case Catra) can help you believe.
Great show. Great analysis. Keep it up!
I honestly relate to Adora and Catra's struggles in the show, especially relating to the hypervigilance, Adora's anxiety to constantly seek approval, and Catra's reluctance to let others in due too the fear of being used or abandoned by others. God I need to rewatch this show
Catra is my favourite characters but Adora is also a really good character. She's also a really relatable character and little bit underated. I just don't understand her character as much became I have honestly seen waaay more catra videos or catradora videos
Same
I didn’t realise how deep her story went. This was beautifully done, I am sitting here in my living room sobbing 😭
FINALLY!!! Thank you for representing Adora's trauma and pain too. I love Catra and understand her overt abuse, but Adora's abuse and trauma is always pushed to the wayside in face of Catra's. Her pain was just as real, and to be honest these two would make a great case study for a psychology class.👍🏼👍🏼
I’m going to be honest. This show broke me. I have the same exact social anxiety that adora has. Of course not the weight of the world on my shoulders, but when I watched this show, something just clicked. I have a inert feeling of responsibility for everyone, and I always need to shut off my emotions. I only finished it yesterday and it holds a special place in my heart.
Catch me sitting here sobbing because I have never identified with a character/analysis more, and I needed this so badly
Me and my brother had a "golden child and scapegoat" relationship with our mother. My brother was the golden child. I can't exactly relate to Adora but, like with Adora and Catra, this has created a rift between us. Also, because I always got punished and my brother never did, he feels that it's ok to be mean. He sometimes gets in trouble at school for being violent then claims that he is innocent. The worst part is, I think he truely believes that he isn't at fault. While I turned out to be quiet, respectful, shy, and insecure my brother is loud, mean, inappropriate, and stubborn. I am known to be a very nice person, except by my brother. On top of having to deal with the aftermath of my mothers influence I also have Misophonia (also known as selective sound sensitivity) it makes it so that I have certain sounds that trigger my flight or fight response, my brother has always known this so he purposely triggers it to get what he wants. If he feels like getting be in trouble all he has to do is make a trigger sound and refuse to stop, I try to leave but he'll make it so I can't get away. What happens when the flight or fight response is triggered and flight isn't an option, you fight. My mother manipulated us and in turn my brother has learned that manipulating and hurting me is ok. It hurts.
i truly hope things are getting better for you!!!
I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I hope you get out of there and that things get better for you.
@@Someone-or8tp just 3 more years and I'm off to college, hopefully he gets nicer and by time I leave he'll be a good memory.
@@TheBeesies I’m rooting for you, stay strong!! Everyone finds their own sense of peace at different times, so keep living for you not anyone else :)
@@xenotographer7068 thanks. I'm also sorry you had to go through what your parent did. I hope my brother develops some empathy too, but I've learnt that people don't often change so I've stopped expecting it.
I cried watching this! I feel like Adora is so overlooked as a character and her childhood is really upsetting and it hits different hearing how she doesn't deserve love.
I always thought Adora was just as much a victim of Shadow Weaver’s abuse as Catra. The difference was how they internalized it.
this show looked so basic looking at it for the first time but I quickly realized how deep and fantastic it is.
ikr its literally princesses in colorful clothes and in pretty castles vs evil man. it seems so simple and basic on the outside, but its honestly the deepest show I've seen in my entire life.
I,,,, am crying,,,, like actually. Tears. that was so beautiful. I love Adora’s character so much and you’ve really done her justice, thank you so much for creating this :,)
You’re not the only one brother. Season 5 made me cry more than a few times, it was beautiful.
As someone who grew up in an abusive (mostly emotionally and mentally), this video hits close to home. The lesson from Adora's and Catra's stories hits close to home.
Thank you for explaining the trauma behind all these amazing characters. Not many people would want to go that deep.
just holy fuck- your level of analysis and motivation you showed through this (and catra's video) is amazing. everything about this video was beautiful- from the voiceovers, to the clips you use, to your own narration... you deserve so much more recognition
I just re-watched the Why Catra Matters video and have been sobbing for 20 minutes and after watching this one I can barely see my screen and have actually made a fucking puddle
I love that you talked about the way Adora talks about She-Ra (first vs third person). I thought that was a beautifully subtle way in the show to show her personal growth.
And you just showed why She-Ra and the princesses of power is so special and one of the best cartoons of all time.
Really glad to see a positive approach to Adora with Catra, I never understood why they call their relationship as "toxic". They were friends since childhood, so of course she cares for her no matter how bad Catra's actions were, she was always hurt and need love like Adora needed.
CATRA GASLIGHTED HER REPEATEDLY, KIDNAPPED HER, ISOLATED HER, PHYSICALLY ABUSED HER A TON,AND EVEN TRIED TO KILL HER MULTIPLE TIMES!!!
It is a disservice to society to act as though those behaviors can be excused and that it is a happy thing for someone to be in a relationship with someone who has done something like that to them.
@@kyleefeist1324 Catra used to be toxic, because of the patterns of abuse. She did terrible things and the fact that she was abused does not make it okay. HOWEVER, she broke the cycle of abuse. She broke the patterns. Catra wasn't toxic deep down, it was these patterns that made her what you could call a shitty person. But in season five, she let go of her abusive programming. She stopped caring about things like power and not showing any weakness. When she told Adora she loved her, that wasn't the toxic part of her speaking, because the toxic part was gone. Their relationship was definitely toxic in previous seasons, but at the end of S5, they both healed and learned a lot and let go of all the toxicity they used to have. Their relationship at the end of S5 definitely isn't toxic
Huh, this clears things up. I was never able to really understand Adora, possibly bc I relate to Catra more. That’s why I was waiting for this video. Thank you 👍
I also relate to carta more to becouse of what happened in my life
@@wonderfrog25 I hope you’re doing better now💖💖
@@eileenbraswell3791 yes I'm doing much better now
@@wonderfrog25 🤗🤗🤗🤗 i send hugs if you want them
I’d like to say that I relate to adora more then I do Catra. I love both catra and adora but adora always hit me on such a personal level
Yes. Yes, yes, all the yes. You hit the nail on the head, and this was well worth the wait.
thank you lauren!
I'm freaking bawling like a baby because I have been in Adora's shoes so many times, and I've felt like a failure as an adult for not meeting my family's or even other people's expectations. I've been struggling to find my own self-worth and this video perfectly explains how hard it is to undo the programing you've grown up with. Thank you, thank you so very freaking much for making this. I'm still crying as I am making this comment but I needed to hear this. I always felt close to Adora when I watched this series, and you've explained perfectly why that is.
The part about unconditional love had me in tears. I can relate to many of Adora's struggles, but that speech she has with Mara during that episode always resonated me on a very deep and personal level. "You deserve love too" may be the best quote I have to carry with me from this show for the rest of my life. So true, so simple, yet so powerful.
Great video as always :)
Adora is definitely my favourite character in the show, glad to see she's getting some attention. Really loved this analysis of her.
these videos literally make my heart happy. as a survivor of an abusive relationship with my biological mother, shera really spoke to me. it’s what i needed at this point in my life. i see so much of myself in catra and shera. you hit the nail on the head every single time.
TIL exactly how much trauma I have from being raised by a narcissistic parent. I had known, through watching the show, that I loved it because I felt that I really resonated with Adora. What I didn't know was what I was resonating with, until you provided this objective look. Thank you for this video.
I love that in season 5 Adora is adora most of the time, even when she can be shera, and she only uses shera when she needs her, like shes learning her worth just as adora.
That one dislike comes from Shadow Weaver for exposing her
SW: I WAS RAISING YOU FOR GREATNESS!!!!
SW: **uses magic spell to make everyone forget**
@Books and Tv Geek SW: nooooo! All I wanted was power how DARE you deny it from me avada Kedar-oops wrong magical universe nvm
@Books and Tv Geek I’m sure there’s a killing spell in the she ra universe 🤪 wait is there?
@Books and Tv Geek I suppose you could control someone to kill themselves...but does that could as murder? And if it does, who’s guilty?
Not only is this beautiful and insightful, you also have a lovely voice to listen to. I’d love to listen to you read an audiobook or pod fic.
Ikr I love her voice. It has a very calming effect and I love it
I've always kinda stayed away from character studies because the impression I always got was that it was just a boring analytical essay, but I kept seeing this video (and the Catra one) in my recommended so I decided to give it a shot. What I have learned is that character analysis is actually super interesting and cool and school lied to me. Thank you for making me realise this, I'm now on my way to go watch the Catra one and then see if you have any more because this was really enjoyable to listen to :)
This show does "strong female character" right in so many ways where Hollywood usually does it wrong.
Hollywood fears failure which is so ironic. The more they fear female characters failing the more those IPs fail to do what they were supposed to do. Since there's no character arc if there's no threat to main character.
Just when you think you think you finally understand all the characters and themes in She-Ra, Five by Five Takes drops another video.
*Finally, someone is paying attention to my child.*
Noelle said that if Adora was in the Harry Potter Universe, she would be a “Slytherin trying to be a Gryffindor”. Which means she’s a great ambitious leader.
Where's the Slytherin part? I don't see it at all. Especially since one of their defining traits is loyalty to their family (or however JKR worded it on the house matching page) and Adora left the Horde and what is comparatively her family after just a small glimpse that what the Horde taught her was wrong
@@kyleefeist1324 but she’s loyal to her friends, even to the point of being too overprotective, she is a great leader, she is emotional despite her tough persona.
@@veronicapiccinini7956 That sounds like Gryffindor
@@kyleefeist1324 Adora is cunning, determined and willing to do whatever she herself thinks is right, those are the core values of a Slytherin. But she tries to be brave and do what is right by Justice standards, which is a Gryffindor trait, therefore a Slytherin trying to be a Gryffindor. I hope this clears any confusion.
This is such a powerful video. I love how you described her actions in "Save the Cat" as the first time she allows herself to put her own wishes and wants ahead of others'. Recklessly flinging herself into the middle of Prime's army was never her making a strategic decision, she did it out of love and desperation.
this is beautifully written and the message is extremely well delivered, more people need to see this art! it’s life-changing, adora is such a complex and beautiful character ❤️
Hey its you again😅
@@LangkeeLongkee BAHAHAJSHJSJS HI ❤️
You never fail on making me cry.
Adora is the best protagonist that i ever seen. She is so human, she makes mistakes and she has a problem with other people telling her what to do, which is a very realistic problem, we try to follow what society and people says that is right, but like Adora we have to distinguish what other people want from us and what we really want.
Actually, she's my favorite character. I understand her, because I have had similar situation in childhood. I was always "the best", "talented", "helpful" (even if I really wasn't). I also have a heroine syndrome. If I see someone better than me I feel useless and I'm like, ~ I need do something good, because if I don't, everyone I care about will not see anything interesting in me and they probably give up on our relationship ~
Adora is also a character who loves others but she can't let herself be loved by Catra. She feels like she should more giving instead of receiving.
Perfectly said! This reminds me of the song in the she-ra fandom called "after the war". A lot of the song really encapsulates both adora and catra and we can see one major point of adora's arc when catra tells her in the song "you're worth more than what you give" which is sort of a summary for some of the things you stated about adora!
You should give the song a try if you haven't yet!
Adora is the best character!
Sure just pretend Entrapta and Scorpia don't exist
what about Catra-
Wow that was so beautiful I don't know why but I found myself nearly crying a couple of times. I got a new perspective on the ending, I never thought of how much it meant for Adora that Catra loved her too.
This hit me hard, being the golden child isn't all it's cracked up to be....
My sister (golden child) and I (problem child) are really good reflections of Catra and Adora. I already knew that Catra resonated with me, but I think this video actually gave me a better understanding of my younger sister’s life perspective, what she went through and why she has the struggles she has. Thank you so much for this informative analysis, it’s been life changing. 🙏🏻
I'm learning more every day. I'm still trying to figure out who I am, and maybe it's silly that youtube videos are helping me do so, but thank you all the same. This was impeccable.
I wouldn't call it silly at all. I think it's awesome you found others help you articulate thoughts about yourself and become more comfortable with yourself.😃
Dude, nothing to be ashamed I think this is one of the best ways we can understand people, without hurt anyone
you should do a character analysis vid like this on azula!!
YES I would love to see one on Azula. She is such an interesting character
@@PhoenixL0vee You might enjoy "The Psychology of Azula" by Hello Future Me
@@remcob9619 now I’m gonna look it up, thanks :)
Edit: just finished a while ago and I nodded so many times during the video I got a neck pain. It kinda wrecked me though, I never hated Azula and now I feel more sad thinking about her character than I ever did before
i'd love to. as someone else pointed out, tim (hellofutureme) did an excellent one. i might sometime!
@@5x5Takes i would really love that as well !!
i’m crying thank you so much for posting this. i’m reading all these comments of people truly relating to adora and now i’m realizing i relate to adora very strongly. she has gone through so much emotional trauma as have i and has a hard time determining her true identity 💔
20:15 Interesting how just like when Adora recruited each princess (as She-Ra) & even with everyone used to seeing her in her normal form as much as her Guardian form at this point - she still chooses to give her motivational speech to them as She-Ra. Like her regular self isn't enough to inspire her allies 4 the upcoming battle 😔
I don’t know how to say this but you are literally a role model. Recently for a while i’ve wanted to start a commentary or analyst youtube channel where I just talk about shows and characters I like. Your videos are so well written and thought and i wish my mind worked the way your did. I hope i can make videos like these someday. Thank you.
Boy oh boy, time to see how you'll make me cry this time.
This is exactly why that I don’t think of this a a kids show. I think of it as a masterpiece on a physiological level.
I don't know if you're going to read this but I just wanted to let you know that I love your videos. I've just subscribed a couple of days ago when I stumbled upon your "Why Catra Matters" video. Your videos are of such high quality and your words touch me so much. The way you empathise specific words, your voice, the pauses, the music is just *chef's kiss* it's honestly brilliant. I can't wait to go watch your other videos.