It hits even harder when you find out that OoT/MM Link is the Hero's Shade in Twilight Princess... the first time you encounter him, the first song he sings to you is the Song of Healing. He understands TP Link is hurt, traumatized, and trapped in a body that isn't his own... of course the first thing that comes to mind for the Hero of Time would be the Song of Healing 😢
STOP!!! I totally forgot you actually play the song of healing first!! 😭 it completely makes sense that the hero of time would want to heal and sooth the pain TP link is feeling
Him also being a Stalfos implies (or is it directly stated? Been a long time since I played that one) he was lost in the Lost Woods too long. The Hero of Time is such an incredibly tragic character and it’s told mostly through subtext.
The woman singing eerily at night in TP is allegedly Malon. It's theorized this Link saved Termina, went back to Hyrule and ended up with her. That's why TP link is a rancher. Just a theory idk if it's true
This is quite possibly the freshest analysis of Majora's Mask that I've seen yet. I've seen the "five stages of grief" thing over and over, and it's nice to see a fresh perspective. But... sadly... Link isn't saved from his own trauma. After this journey, he goes right back to looking for Navi, and as we see in Twilight Princess, he's died a forgotten hero; lingering in shame and regret as a shade. It's only after his descendant, the Hero of Twilight, learns the techniques he cultivated in his tragic lifetime, that he's finally able to rest and move on. The one thing to come out of it? His old friend, the Skull Kid, guards the sword he once wielded. Even a hundred years later, Skull Kid's loyalty to his friend remains.
This is a valid point. I would love to speak on that in a later video. I think there’s a ton to explore there - I wanted to offer a MM-specific analysis, but a more canonical take would also be interesting. Thank you for pointing this out.
I will say that I don't think the "Five Stages of Grief" theory isn't necessarily _wrong,_ y'know? I think things line up too well to be an accidental throughline in the story of the game. I think the "Link is DEAD in Majora's Mask" theory is a bit... eh? You can make that argument about ANY piece of media. "Oh this character is in a coma," and "oh this character is dead" happens with everything. I think the stages of grief observations about this game are more useful as a kind of narrative symbolism. They're an aspect of the messaging and the game I think evokes these feelings, but I don't think it is the only symbolism at play. It's neat to see other analyses of it.
I was going to say the same thing while watching the video. Link never truly moves on. Not for at least 100 years later, when he teaches the new hero his techniques. Instead of letting go of his friendship with Navi, he resolved to pass down his combat skills, because if he did have a family, he had no time for one, nor to be a husband and father. He had no time to pass down his legacy. Even though he was the hero of Time, and of Healing, he never had time for himself, and he couldn't ever really heal himself.
@@Splitcyclewastaken The semblance is very weak. It is not hard to find any one "stage" in the game, as they are just common human emotions/behaviour, but in no clear order. You can try to say each region is based on a single "stage", but what we actually see ingame is far more varied. You have to arbitrarily cherry pick characters to represent a stage or something, and ignore anything that doesn't fit the theme. The idea of "5 stages of grief" is just outdated pseudo science anyway, there is no clear evidence that people consistently experience grief like that.
The small girl trapping her father into the closet when he turned into a monster was the biggest, heart-breaking moment for me, especially when he finally returned back to normal and they hugged each other. imagine being this young and surrounded by monsters, alone. that girl is very brave, and stood firm during her nightmarish time. majoras mask is full of such rich characters. it is the best game of all time for me, just for the emotions it evokes.
@@briannagravely9349I'm sorry that happened to you. It didn't happen to me but I have an extremely poor relationship with my father and it's sad because he had the potential to be a great father and I always saw big glimpses of it growing up. Taking us fishing and camping with our cousins' family, teaching us handy skills like carpentry, basic machine repair, plumbing and electrical, bikes, roller blades, dog training, chores like mowing, he did all the cooking and taught us, introduced us to star trek, etc lol. And me and my sibling are girls so it was a lot of skills we might not otherwise have. But he was always an authoritarian asshole who could ruin the vibe at the drop of a hat and it poisoned us even as kids. He would grab our arms in anger and leave bruises, scream and yell easily. And became an alcoholic when we were teens, and got so much worse. Driving drunk with us often, abandoning us at locations and passing out drunk at home, leaving guns out around the house and in the car, not paying the bills or getting groceries.... Anytime I see strained or close relationships which father's in video games, it always affects me a lot. FFX in particular I cry like a baby at the end. In MM with Gibdo girl, it makes me cry in jealousy because I wish I had a normal close relationship with my father. I wish he could have been that Dad. Even tho her father made mistakes and put her in danger and def traumatized her, it wasn't intentional. They couldn't anticipate the Skull Kid raising the dead.
I just realized,as you were talking about the cycle of anger, that you could consider Navi leaving Link as a direct parallel to the way that the giants abandoned the skull kid. That maybe Link felt that same despair of abandonment, and could have gone down that same path of cruelty and evil, but for his circumstances. If that's true, then "forgive your friend" could even be a directive to Link to forgive Navi for leaving him, or even (more of a stretch?) Zelda for handing him this lonely fate. This video rocks, such a great take.
In my opinion, this is what was intended by the devs. Outwardly, it’s talking about skull kid, but it’s actually meant to apply to Link about Navi. Link and skull kid are definitely meant to parallel each other.
It’s wild, I never thought of that before. But a couple of folks have mentioned this in the comments, and I feel like I need to address it in a future vid
I made the same connection as well, though I wouldn’t extend it to Zelda since Link and Zelda seem close in MM and Link thinks fondly of her. She essentially also saved his life by giving him the Ocarina when she did. I honestly think Link does forgive Navi by the end of the game. The Happy Mask Salesman at the end suggests as much as well.
I was also going to mention this. Although vague (intentionally, I think) "Forgive your friend" could also be directed at Link regarding Navi's disappearance.
@@Tera_B_Twilight I think it is less vague than you may think. Tatl, after hearing "Forgive your friend", says "Forgive our friend? What do you mean by forgive? Huh? What friend?" Though this could be applicable to Skull Kid, the fact that Tatl doesn't know what friend the Giant is referring to suggests that Link does, and that it is regarding the friend he lost.
it's worth noting the similarities between Link and Skull Kid here. Both feel alone, surrounded by people they can never relate to and abandoned by their friends. I would argue 'forgive your friend' could easily be telling Link to forgive Navi for leaving him alone. It's a really interesting parallel, imo.
Honestly that makes sense! I would argue that link could even feel a bit angry because Navi left so abruptly…I mean his entire legacy has been erased from everyone’s memory, the only one who lived through the entire process was Navi! So the giants asking him to forgive Navi could be a possibility
If any Link has the right to be completely angry and even against the will of the universe at large, it's most definitely the Hero of Time. But instead of doing so, becoming time's very own 'healer', thus proving once again it isn't his strength or intelligence that makes him the best; it's his unending love and capacity to forgive
I made this connection between the Southern Swamp and Link's Deku form. When we go through trauma, we often take on a version of ourselves we must use to survive. For link, this is personified in his Deku form. When he must save the Swamp, he takes on this form to traverse the toxic water. In a similar way, we revert to certain "forms" to get through tough situations. But when the water goes back to normal, his Deku form cannot traverse the water as readily as his human form. In a similar way, the person we became to survive trauma is not suited for our normal day-to-day life. We must revert to our former self to efficiently navigate through the day. Probably over-analyzing but idk
Your analysis here...hit me right in the solar plexus. There was an Ocarina of Time comic that really resonated with me. Link fights Dead Hand. Tears of sheer terror are running down his cheeks, but he fights courageously despite that and wins. Impa comes down and commends him, saying he's grown into a 'fine man.' He hands her the Lens of Truth. Puzzled, she points it at him. His adult body is a façade. Mentally, he's still just a brave little kid trying his best. He didn't _grow_ into that adult body -- he was thrust into adulthood overnight. He sacrificed his entire childhood. This video feels like the natural evolution of that.
@@Doctor_Pickney If you google 'banannerbread zelda comic,' it should take you to the tumblr post! I'd link it here but iirc RUclips doesn't like that xD
@@darrelgreene7094 Seconded, MM Link is the most interesting Link in the whole series. Those conversations that happen on the moon are especially intriguing, and I fully believe they are Link's thoughts he's been having during the course of the game, being weaponized against him before the final fight.
@@davidcrawford9026dude eff off. Psychiatrists are actually medical doctors. They usually can do talk therapy and other kinds of therapy too but first and foremost they are medical doctors, who receives 8+ years of education about the brain and psyche to the best of our current knowledge. We still know relatively little about the brain as a whole but they're doing their best. I've had nearly 10 different Psychiatrists through my military career and they've all been great. Go kick rocks. You can be mad about not receiving proper care but don't disparage and discourage others from seeking help because of your own business
Another point towards Link and the player needing their own reason to continue is that every heroic deed that we accomplish is attributed to the hero who's mask we are wearing. You are never recognized for who you are.
And he never got recognition for what he did in Ocarina of time either. This Link has sacrificed a lot for no reward, a true selfless hero, who even helps out his descendant so that he can defeat the troubles of Hyrule. OoT Link has been through a lot.
To me, the moment the game truly gripped me emotionally was when, during the final moments of the last day of Romani Ranch, the older sister basically admits to allowing her little sister to drink the alcoholic Shadow Romani in order to get her to pass out and fall into a deep sleep she'd never wake up from so she wouldn't suffer the terror and pain of the end of the world. She literally drugs her sister just so she wouldn't live and die through a horrible fate. And while she would sleep her last night, the older sister would watch the world end. That moment haunts me to this day.
Majora IS as bad as Ganon/Demise. The mask is wicked, it don't feel pleasure on causing pain and mischief, it was Skull kid warped mind, Majora's only want one thing, as said when it got up on the Moon: "I shall consume everything, everything." Demise and Ganon want power, Majora's only want to cause chaos and destruction
16:10 this particular quote really got me. “time starts to move again”. damn. yeah, it really does. in the worst of it, you feel like the misery is so suffocating and enormous that a world can’t exist outside of it. and then you get out, and time starts to move again. i’ve always connected to games like this, and that really puts a finger on why.
Honestly, what sticks with me the most from this game is the conversation between Romani and her sister after saving the cows from the alien abduction. On the Final day, they're milking the cows and Romani get to finally drink some of the Chateau Milk, which possibly has alcohol in it. Cremia always told her she could drink it when Romani would be an adult. The reasoning behind why she'll let her drink it is a bit more dark when you think about it.
This is a heavy hitter for me as well. And then they walk into the house and Cremia is smiling lovingly at Romani as they walk into the door and idk something about that just makes me want to cry. Like her knowing it was their last night and choosing to end it with as much love as possible. Beautiful.
@@jayman5234up. She doesn’t want to be alone, and doesn’t want Romani to be alone either. Cremia is determined to spend her last breath embracing and comforting her sister, putting on a strong face as she endures the painful knowledge of their likely fate on her own, but not truly alone.
she tells romani that she's recognizing her as an adult, she wants her little sister to feel proud in her final moments, to have a special night where she's finally all grown up
The story arc that I've never seen anyone talk about online which always haunted me in MM was Lulu losing her eggs to the Gerudo. It coincides with Mikau dying and even as a child, I got the impression the game implies there was a romance between them and he was the father. The scene when you first meet her staring at the ocean and being too sad to sing seems to be one of the very rare examples where a video game touches on the topic of miscarriage and child loss. MM is so dark on many levels (death, depression, sibling relationships, parental relationships) that miscarriage is a logical theme to include as well. The Zora storyline seems to be dedicated to that. Of course the game's ending is "happy" with the babies being brought back to the lab but the entire narrative also has eerie echoes of IVF treatment and the hope and grief that goes into it. Incidentally, BOTW and TOTK also have strong references to miscarriage through all the jizo statues scattered across the land. Goddess Hylia statues seem strongly inspired by jizo, especially as each town dresses the statue in clothing (the one wearing a red bib in Kakariko village is closest to real life traditions in Japan).
I think it goes beyond "implied," if I recall. Mikau and Lulu were bandmates and close friends at the absolute minimum, but there's a point where them being together is more likely than not. Mikau died trying to get the eggs back, and if I recall there was also a detail somewhere that the ocean had gotten too warm for the eggs to develop properly, thus the lab. In the fortress we see the pirates have the eggs in tanks, but even then we don't know if they were being kept at the right temperature--for all Lulu knew, not only were her eggs stolen but all of them would probably die before they could even hatch. I think that makes it even worse.
Yeah even as a kid playing MM in the 4th grade, it upset me and my sister a lot to think about all the timelines where Link/Mikau never saves Lulu's eggs. Me and my sister were babysat by our neighbors a lot and their mom was def like a second Mom to us and even had the authority to punish and correct our behavior with full authority. One day I remember being on the time out step for something and she was talking to me about my behavior I don't even remember what. But we kept talking and I think we were talking about what to do when you're upset really badly. She actually told me how before her son (who was her oldest child, my age) she had had other babies in her belly, 3 of them, but none of them were able to be born and passed away. She basically explained to me what miscarriages were, at a very young age, probably 7-9 yrs old. I understood immediately and knew how badly it must have felt, fuck I'm tearing up just writing this. I remember telling her how sorry I was for her babies. I could tell she still loved them a lot (of course). But she told me how her hope was renewed with her son and current children. Basically told me, even when things are at their worst, we can't give up and act out and fall prey to our negative feelings. It's ok to feel them, but there's ways to deal with it properly. Something like that. Miscarriages are SO COMMON. But so rarely talked about in the West. Idk about Japan and Asian cultures. So I feel privileged to have been talked to about it at a formative age, which I feel should be normal. It's important to teach kids about loss
Never played it but played ocarina. The saddest scene i saw was the deku butler and finding out what happened to his son. While everyone is celebrating in the credit scene he's mourning his dead son :(
It doesn't really have a single cutscene, but the saddest part for sure is how the happy, playful, music loving skull kid from oot became a puppet for the embodiment of evil trying to destroy the world and his only 2 friends, being stopped by the 4 friends he though he lost, then being thrown away like garbage once majora was finished with him
Even 20 years ago I knew that Majoras Mask was special. I still remember helping Cremia fend off the attackers a second time, and seeing Link simply recieve a hug. Such a simple gesture, but it felt so intimate and genuine. That somebody really acknowledged Link not only for helping them, but as a person that mattered.
To truly forgive someone, you must understand their transgressions and the nature of their suffering. At the end of Ocarina of Time, Navi suddenly floats away without much context leaving Link behind. He too, has been abandoned, is lost and searching. The only person in the world who could save Skull Kid from his own inner demons is a person also suffering the pain of abandonment. This is a lesson of empathy we could all stand to learn from. Thank you for your beautiful video. I am moved.
"when the patient reclaims her own history and feels renewed hope and energy for engagement with life, time starts to move again" Thank you for this beautiful video.
I recently lost my dad to cancer and the RUclips algorithm seems to be sending me to videos that help me think about dealing with the pain and the grief. This videos has helped me keep in mind good ways to work through my trauma, by being there for my family and trying to be a good husband and dad, and what to avoid as well as try to recognise in others and hopefully be able to forgive the people who've hurt me. Thank you for making this.
I oddly am part of this “odd group”. I recently lost my identical twin brother, and aside many other things, Zelda, primarily Ocarina of time and Majoras mask had immense impacts on my brother and I throughout our lives. Similar to the individual who lost their father to cancer recently, I can’t express enough as to how lucky I felt to stumble upon this video. This video analysis was perfectly articulated and it reminds me of how my twin perceived the art and message of this game. Thank you for this. And to those struggling, I wish you nothing but the best, love, and perseverance moving forward in this cruel world.
@@Foxtwins7I'm so sorry for your loss. I am a twin too, and she is my best friend. Thinking about the possibility of losing her makes me tear up on the spot, just writing this lol. I'm so sorry. Thank you for sharing. I know it must be hard to talk about him but I appreciate it so much
In a world as complex and chaotic as this, simultaneously nothing matters (as it can and will be undone) and everything matters (because it can be the butterfly flap causing a hurricane elsewhere in time). This is empowering.
To me, forgiveness is fine for a simpler reason also. Skull Kid was a hurt, angry kid. He took the mask to be a rotten kid…then Majora influenced him. That influence fed on Skull Kid’s existing pain: first a mask, then a horse, then dooming Link to be a Deku, then revenge on the people and place who hurt him. He escalated, as his connection to Majora grew. And we can see through flashbacks and stuff that Skull Kid isn’t evil, mischievous sure but not wicked. But Majora…an evil unlike any other (who also adopts Skull Kid’s emotions and wants friends to play with, likely because Majora went insane living within the mask for who knows how long). But the scene that does it for me is when Majora casts aside Skull Kid as a worthless puppet. His own ambitions outgrew Skull Kid and he cast aside the hurt little fella, once again Skull Kid is shunned and abandoned by someone/something close to him. He had given himself to Majora fully by that point, but it wasn’t enough, HE wasn’t enough. So yeah, I’m the end when you find him cowering and ashamed, that’s real. What? Are you gonna kill him for being abandoned and abused and manipulated and taken advantage of? No, all you can do is forgive him. After, he only wants love (and the mask is safely out of his reach and you just whooped the evil out of it). Skull kid is the embodiment of hurt people hurt people
Honestly, even understanding why he acts like he acts, I would have chosen to slay skull kid, as he did damage that can't be fixed (Deku Butler for example) and him feeling hurt does not grant him immunity from blame. Hurt people can choose how to take out that pain. I think it's perfectly forgivable when they hurt the person who hurt them, if there was no justification for the initial wound, but not for doing the same or worse to innocents. As much as one can understand their situation through empathy, releasing them from consequence opens the gate to an exponential growth of pain, where each hurt people hurts several others, until everyone is broken. Passing judgement is cold, but it is the best path to prevent that worst of outcomes, as it can eliminate a "tree" of abuse before it grows too big. I think this is where God comes in if one wants a happy ending in a situation that otherwise only has "bitter" and "nightmare" as endings, as the one to do the forgiveness and healing after the risk of propagation is dealt with. It's not really a situation where man can get an ending that's good for everyone, so the most that can be hoped for is a situation that's bad only for those with stained hands.
Skull Kid is definitely a victim. Considering doing another video in the future about how the mask plays into this analysis as well. Thank you for watching!
Killing an evil is justifiable when they pose an imminent threat to another. At that point, Skull Kid is disarmed and harmless. There is no reason to kill him. At any previous point, I would posit that you have an obligation to kill him to prevent him from harming others. But that does not matter once the threat is neutralized.
I'm still happy to see how much relevance Majora's Mask has had over the years. Old fans, new fans, the narrative, the secrets, the creepypasta, even the things we missed as a kid. I love this game so much.
I've connected with Skull Kid for so much of my life. I've even previously used him as an online persona. As somebody who has felt like an outcast for so long, it pains me to see his traumatic experience in this game. My favorite game of all time. And to hear you say "The great triumph in Majora's Mask is healing the Skull Kid" made me feel so entirely seen and understood. This is wonderful. Thank you.
My Majoras Mask moment is the little girl in the music box house in Ikana, hugging her dad after I returned him to normal, and her dad's haunted look as he asks what happened. And she says "it was just a bad dream". Who knows how long he was like that.
Mine was when you go see Crimea and Romani before the moon crashes, there a short window when you can go in, and Crimea is giving her little sister the special milk (stand in for alcohol) saying you can be an adult now, but she is getting her sister alcohol because she knows they are going to die.
One of the greatest failings in many time loop stories is when they don't adress the loss of bonds. Every interaction, every laugh, every fight, everything is gone. When you lose a friend like that, when they no longer know you, you mourn. The idea that someone out there made a plan, a run, where you can save EVERYONE in this game in a single three day cycle is amazing. And it gave me hope. I like this game for the same reason I liked Hey Arnold!, and the movie Amélie later on, they were about a protagonist who touched the life of the people around them. Made them a little bit better, helping, or sometimes just listening to them.
Your interpretation is just incredible. A fresh take on a game that doesn't age. There's one thing about the Deku Butler that's not as much discussed that always gets me. He's my favorite character in any Zelda game, and there's something about him that always makes his story even more sad. Whenever you wear a transformation mask, everyone close to the deceased who knew them well mistakes Link for that character: The Goron Elder and his son mistake Link for Darmani, and Lulu mistakes Link for Mikau. But the Deku Butler never mistakes Link for his son. This is a father who 100% knows his child, and while he comments on a resemblance, he's never fooled. It breaks my heart that he's the one character that doesn't get a happy ending.
As a survivor whose favorite game is Majora's Mask, it's really nice to see such a unique take among the dozen or so out there already. The audio seemed fine to me and the scriptwriting was superb. Thank you for making this. I really love the renaissance the game is having lately, with a lot of people finally giving it credit for what it has always been, a story about suffering, gratitude, empathy, kindness, and love. Part of reconnecting with yourself that many survivors go through is the realization of all the kindness you can do for others at no cost to yourself, with no expectation of reward except that person's happiness. The fact that in MM these acts of kindness are rewarded with gratitude in the form of a piece of heart, a mask, a hug, other things that a character has free access to is in my mind just evidence of how you can get back bits of yourself and become stronger by being grateful and kind.
This video really struck something in me. When I was a teenager, an adult did something horrible to me, though I don’t want to say what in a RUclips comments section lol. But for a while, I was potentially heading down the same cycle that Skull Kid was. A desire to control those around me out of fear of losing them. A confusing mix of sadness, anger and misplaced love that I didn’t know what to do with, Thankfully I had the courage to drag myself out of that mindset. It’s been years now, I’m 20 this year and I still can’t find myself to forgive the adult who harmed me. I don’t think I ever really can. But instead, I’m on the path of forgiving myself, and I think that will be enough to heal, as I think I’m the person who I ended up hurting the most. My actions weren’t right, but they were understandable. I was only a teenager after all. What I’ve done has already happened, I cannot change that, but I can change my future. :)
Everyone makes mistakes, and we do the best we can with the resources we have. I don’t know your story but I’m proud of your effort to be better, and I am sorry that someone violated your innocence. Thank you for watching, stay strong my friend ❤
When I came to college, a friend of mine hurt me in a terrible way, and I felt the same as you. I was incredibly angry that the person I cared for and wanted the best for would wound me that badly. But over these past few years, I've learned to forgive them and again hope for their own healing. Humans are not fundamentally monsters, but some choose to become them and torment the people in their surroundings. The best we can do is break the cycle, and maybe with our forgiveness of ourselves and sometimes even them, we can allow the original monster to fade away, and start a new path without their influence.
I remember I saw a video interviewing a man who considered shooting up his school when he was a teenager. He references exactly what was said in this video. Something bad happened to him, he became angry with those who wronged him which then grew into an obsession with punishing everyone. His anger, at first, was justified but then it spiraled into what could only be described as madness. I think this analysis of Skull Kid was a perfect way of describing how easy, and how terrifying, it is to get caught up in that vicious anger cycle.
I have recently been the aggressor in a situation as I was severely traumatized growing up. This video of one of my favorite games, and your analysis over it, I dare say has helped to heal me. I identify with the Skull Kid in so many ways... And I'm finally coming out on the other side. Being forgiven, loved, and supported by friends and family alike. Thank you for posting this video and doing this analysis. If those who love us can forgive us... Maybe forgiving ourselves doesn't have to be so hard. It is never too late to heal from trauma. Sorry for how emotional or cheesy I may sound, but I thank you with all of my heart for this. ❤
When I was 18, I played Majora's Mask for the first time in nearly a decade. I was in a very bad place, dealing with past trauma and in denial that I was about to experience more very soon. I was diving into a game from my childhood in the hopes of finding some comfort. Instead, I found myself understanding the theme of the game for the first time. By the end of that playthrough, I was in tears, realizing how badly I needed the catharsis. So I started a new file and played it again. And again. It became my favorite Zelda game, and to this day, 14 years later, no other game has budged it from that spot. The continuous story from Ocarina to Majora is, to me, one of the most meaningful stories in the Zelda saga. I replay them once a year as a reminder that time moves ever onward. Even the worst days of our lives must pass behind us and be relegated to memory, just as the good days do. To heal is to open ourselves up to the future, to the good and the bad alike, and have faith in your ability to weather both. "The flow of time is always cruel. Its speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it. A thing that doesn't change with time is a memory of younger days." "Whenever there is a meeting, a parting is sure to follow. However, that parting need not last forever. Whether a parting be forever or merely for a short time, that is up to you."
Never played Majora’s Mask but the way that the characters act so human and natural is what I think causes players to feel so many different emotions while playing. The game makes you feel like the characters are legitimate people and that’s what makes the game so impactful whenever things happen to them, whether it’s good things or bad things.
Yes, I also think that them moving around and doing different tasks throughout the cycle helped humanize them, as that wasn't really a thing for most Zelda characters up to that point.
When this came out I still had my whole family. I was 11 when it came out. I got it for Christmas from my sister. I loved it so much. Every year I replayed this and ocarina. I’m 34 now. So that’s a solid 20+ years of double play throughs of both these N64 legends. Anyway, at 18 my mom died from cancer days before I graduated high school and my dad died when I was 21 from cancer, as well. After both of their deaths and watching so much lore on this specific game it just made me think that the developers just wanted us to think of this game as what we wanted. And for me… what I needed was for it to be the 5 stages of grief. And if, for someone else, it wasn’t that, then it was whatever THEY needed this game to be. It got me through such trauma. So, really… that’s how I feel about the meaning behind it.
Definitely a well written, voiced, and edited video essay. You can see the amount of thought going into this. Deserves way more attention and views in my opinion
The Song of Healing has literally helped me through so many hardships within the last twenty years. Also, check out Theophany's rendition of the song. He made several songs of it. Beautiful music.
17:49 I remember the first time I ever played this game, seeing a little masked boy with purple hair running around Clock town was so weird and unusual, and I really wanted to find out why. Later when I played the game again, beating it, and doing all the side quests, it really broke my heart doing Kafei and Anju's entire quest. I absolutely love Majora's Mask.
Yes, I feel like the routines and schedules of the Clock Town residents infuse the world with mystery. "Who is that person? Where is she going? Why is he wearing a mask? Why is there a hand in the toilet?"
I was with a man for 10 years, and during that 10 years I was subjected to abuse. I received the worst of it when I was 4 months postpartum. I left him and spent the next two years in my own cycle of anger. And then i forgave him. People get mad when I say that because they think it means I went to him, but I didn’t. I just got tired of being angry and trying to change him and letting my life revolve around that. Forgiveness may not have changed him (though it very well could in some cases) but it set me free. With all that being said, to forgive doesn’t mean you have to come in contact with the person who hurt you, especially if they were abusive. I would actually highly recommend you not contact your abuser at all but rather work on forgiveness from a distance.
I played this game when I was ten. I was a child with trauma that I still deal with to this day. I painfully related to skull kid so much as I never had friends. I was an very anxious kid who was extremely lonely and something about it also made me feel so understood. From such a dark game it was strangely comforting once I got over that fear of it. I've played this game a dozen of times even played multiple randomizer runs. I have memorized almost very detail there is to it. I'm now 32 and currently playing it once again haha. This game has a very special place in my heart. I love it to bits.
This is probably the best analysis I've ever watched on a video game (or any art really.) Connecting this game with the trauma narrative is genius and aligns with my research on trauma. When I was younger I was always deeply impacted by this game's story but couldn't quite understand why. You put the whole game in a perspective that brings me right back to my childhood and spoke out loud what I could only sense symbolically back then. It made me realize that this game was so powerful for me because of my own traumas and witnessing the cycles of trauma (and aggression) play out in myself and others lives. Literally I was in tears at the end partly out of nostalgia but also because I felt a genuine forgiveness for people in my past when you said "forgive your friend." The last 10-15 mins was very powerful for me. Truly an amazing video! Thank you 🙏❤
This, this is excellent. Quality analysis of the game, excellent delivery of your points, and excellent editing to keep my attention focused on the topic. (Sound quality is not an issue, I can assure you.) Thank you for making this video, as a person still recovering from trauma, this has helped me put the process in context. More people need to watch this.
I might be a couple of years older than you, but it’s nice to hear another woman relate to this game in a similar way that I did. I’ve always felt alone as a female gamer in my late 30s. But I digress, I loved your analysis. I was a respiratory therapist on a critical care air transport team during OIF, and I can relate to a lot of the things you mentioned about trauma and feeing lost, finding meaning, and so forth. And agree that the wedding quest is the best. I tried to do it every time I reset. I went by Anju on forums chatting about the game as a teen. What a nice video, thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Wow, your story gave me chills. Thank you for your service. Can’t even imagine what that must have been like. You know the funny thing is, I didn’t realize how “rare” we millennial female gamers are, or at least on RUclips, until folks started commenting on it. I’ve been playing games for so long, I forget that the other girls I grew up with mostly didn’t play.
The reason MM holds a solid and dear 2nd place in my all-time favorite Zelda games (the 1st place belongs to Link's Awakening) is because Majora's Mask spoke to me. And I am sure it spoke directly to many of you too. It is a very well done game that allows you to retell an always different story with different characters throughout the 3-day cycle each story actually lasts. Romani & Cremia. Anju & Kafei. Lulu's children in need of rescue. Pamela and his dad. It's always a different storyline you can always replay, with different results each time. It's a cleverly designed game product of the technical limitations of the console. Each decision lays out a different results in the world you're currently living. In the end, you realize you cannot please and help everyone every time, and even though it is possible in MM if you time your targets carefully, even doing that will teach you you'll only get tired from running so much. It's a mirror image of the world, a "what if" turned into a game, regarding a what would happen if you could travel back in time and try to help as many people as you can. You just can't. You'll soon learn you cannot heal people while healing others at the same time. You just can't. Live with that. Learn to live in the world and feel good for trying to do your best, but don't overdo it, and don't feel bad for not being able to help everyone. Sometimes, people must learn to heal themselves, and you cannot heal people who don't want to partake in their own healing. Awesome analysis.
What an incredible video. The way you connected trauma to these models of grief drove home the point, and your own added thoughts and feelings had an empath like me crying. I have always played games at face value but adding a layer of reality for the protagonist and NPCs really plucks the heart strings. As someone that has navigated these roads as an adult human there are no truer words than, "Time starts to move again."
I think my 'majoras mask moment' was seeing cremia deciding to give romani some of the chateau romani, so she could feel like an adult before they died. The second time I had a Moment while playing this was the girl protecting her father in the music box house, and then finally the anju and kafei side quest, after I lost the mask to hakon the first time; watching kafei be stuck there having failed his mission and knowing anju would be there waiting for him, in vain, yeh those three moments really messed with me. And then at the end when you see the butler and his son, and then it clicks that, that was his son, really hurt. I think red dead redemption 2 is the most recent game that had profound affect on me like Majora's mask did to me as a kid.
my majora's mask "why" is the guy you end up getting the bunny hood from in romani ranch. i regularly have to remind myself that this is the piece of the gameplay "puzzle" he fulfills, because whenever i think of him in my mind, he's just the guy who's already depressed and barely hanging onto life, but the one thing that's kept him going all this time, the one thing he's going to regret when the moon falls, is that he didn't get to watch the little chicks he cares about grow up into the adults they're meant to be. for me, personally, he's painfully relatable, in that he's found a small amount of meaning in an otherwise meaningless life, something that others might find mundane but gives him the strength to continue on another day, to hope for something in the future. when the end is all but at his doorstep, all he wants is this simple fulfillment, this one last affirmation of joy and meaning and the things he cares about, to remember and appreciate being alive before everything is over. it's such a small thing with such a minor character, but it's all of these little moments that, inevitably, someone will resonate with, that gives majora's mask such a strong sense of identity and purpose.
Dude I'm sobbing. This was Brilliant. It always made me so sad how lonely, abandoned and angry the Skull Kid was. Him being consumed by Majora's Mask parallels Smeagol/Gollum being consumed by the Ring.
I always interpreted it as this since Tatl seems confused. It felt like the giant was speaking to Link directly, who wasn’t friends with the Skull Kid at this point, leaving Navi as the obvious contender.
As I've gotten older, I feel like the major theme of the game is relief. Relief from the anger, sadness, grief, or even just general boredom. You only need relief, or more appropriately, healing, when things aren't well, and many of the people in Termina aren't well. So many of the characters lives are burdened by something happening that could be relieved, even if it isn't the thing that's bothering them the most. The song of healing plays a major part in the game, but you rarely even use the song outside of mainline story events. You can't just magically play a song and heal everyone from their hurt, and they put a major focus on you taking action, no matter how small, to help someone in need rather than magically waving it away. Getting a goron his last meal, because he's stuck on a cliff and freezing. Helping Cuccoos to mature so their caretaker can see them grow up before they all die to the moon. Literally just hearing someone out, venting their frustration about their jealousy of a dog and the guilt they feel for succumbing to it when they stole its mask. It puts an emphasis on the little things we take for granted every day that make our lives a little bit better that we only realize in retrospect, or when they're gone. There's also some things you really _can't_ fix. It doesn't shy away from telling you that there's some issues where no matter what you do, someone will get hurt, and you can't help everyone.
When you said "What could give Link's life more meaning than saving the world?" that gave me a new perspective on breath of the wild's Link as well. He's been locked away from the world for 100 years, his family and everyone he knew is dead, he lost his house, his sword, he lost his "clothes*, he has quite literally nothing left to lose at the beginning of the game.
This game was frustrating as hell to start but also the most rewarding to finish. The Stone Tower Temple is easily the greatest temple design I have ever seen on any Zelda game. Visually and musically. Ikana Canyon / Valley is unlike nothing else.
Couldn’t agree more. This and maaaaybe the Cistern from SS are my faves… and even then….Stone Temple is probably my number one. Every time I play it, I can’t believe they really made it as good as it is.
I remember picking up the game again ~5 years after giving up on the Zora egg dungeon. I LOVED the Ikana portion. I really like how they incorporated this whole unspoken war between people and the collapse of a kingdom that’s only explained in a few bits of subtext and dialogue, and yet you can *feel* it when you explore the area. The slow eerie music like all other tragically damned areas just sounds a bit too off, then the music box starts playing, and it’s so much worse. Stone Tower Temple was such a great conclusion to this part of the game. The music was my introduction to MM so I was very excited to hear the song in its intended atmosphere. The dungeon was also one of the few I didn’t have to rely heavily on a guide for in MM to finish within the time limit (not that it was easy, but it was more fun and intuitive than the first and third).
Hi y’all! Notes and updates below: -I am sorry that Closed Captions are not available just yet. I am working on getting those up ASAP. -I continue to work to improve my audio. This new mic sounds better than my old one, I think. But still, vocal fry and air supply continue to be barriers. I promise I am continuing to work to improve this. Thank you for your patience and support. -Multiple people have commented on the spoiler warning for an old game. With a new Zelda game recently released, we have new Zelda fans joining the ranks every day, and they haven’t played the early 3D titles. Just trying to be polite to the newcomers.
You should know that music cuts off at 40:00 and then starts 40:53. Doesn't really matter and ig the video was still going while I was going through the comments but all in all I think this was an AMAZING analysis
your being to critical of yourself. your audio quality is good, only thing you could maybe add is a screen Infront of your mic so you sound a little less breathy and the S sounds dont carry as long
When you described the way you returned to the inn after the Keeton quest, you unlocked a forgotten or maybe suppressed memory of doing the exact same thing myself as a teen. Had to suppress tears, especially since that camera angle you use was the very place I stood. Somehow I forgot that part, and typically remember the quest on the Keeton side, the child side as he was turned into a child that looks like a child playing a game of pretend, especially where he was hiding out. Like my mind prefers to remember it as the fun innocent side instead of the sadness. I love that the entire feeling of the game is so beautifully summed up at the beginning, though. The words "You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?" will be with me until the day I meet my ultimate fate. And the words "Dawn of the final day, 24 hours remain" comes to me at every meaningful deadline in my life, even those of joy such as my own wedding roughly 9 years ago. I think the 3 day cycle and its impact act like the stamp that drives this game's imprint onto our souls. Its pressure give weight to the game's events, and even the joyful moments press on you like a warm embrace. Sorry, I got a little deep there for a moment. Let me play the song and reset to a more joyful place and time. ❤❤🩹🥰
Love the video, it's wonderfully crafted! Majora's Mask is a special entry in the Zelda series for me. I've struggled with depression for years, every relapse feels so traumatic, and I feel like I lose so much time to these dark periods in my life. The themes, the mechanics, and connections through the characters really hits home. No matter how many times I revisit Majora's Mask, the game still shakes me up emotionally, and has me turning inward with just a little more strength to face my own demons.
Ive recently recovered from trauma thanks to a close friend and this definitely hits close to home. Half of the stuff said on skull kid was kinda mirrored in their behaviors when their fear of abandonment kicked in months after I got to know them and dissappeared which genuinely terrified me never having forged such a close connection, I eventually found out near 4 weeks in that they were in even deeper trauma than me and decided Id forgive them but they came back a week after that and I wanted to bring up I knew the truth but then they started avoiding me and acting passive aggressive but it was near 2 months after that where I finally wanted to tell them that its ok because I knew it was all rooted in fear and just validating that unconditionally really did change them after that. They still have minor episodes but now theyre more comfortable on bringing up their struggles in a healthier way and Im really happy overall that we made somewhat of a recovery together. Its brought out some really heavy doubts the first 3 weeks and made me relive so much of my emotional abuse I wanted to numb out even 5 years after it happened, Ive genuinely never felt so heavily hurt by 1 action. But once I found out why everything happened I found out that I did have value and even before they dissappeared they were already starting the healing process (and myself partly) its just I accidentally triggered them, in an odd way those 2 months of silence were a good patience test and all the time I needed to reground myself finally so I could properly reconnect in a meaningful way and try to heal them too, and 3 months in Ive never been happier with not only a permanent renewed look on life but knowing I finally made a difference on something that I wanted to tackle. Even after everything I still hold them in the highest regard and in spite of that error I trust them 100% because theyve shown me before and after it went ugly that they do care just trauma can really cause them to do things that self fulfill their deepest fears.
This is my favorite video. I’ve had trauma and guilt and this video has helped me understand my experience and give me a mental device to process it. I had a lot of chronic stressors and setbacks that made me feel disconnected from myself and others. I didn’t feel emotionally like I used to because it felt like a meaningless effort and made for interpersonal struggles. But I reached out to people and have found inner strength from overcoming the obstacles and now feel moved to help others. I graduate with a psych degree in three weeks and feel like I now find part of my identity in providing something to others. Thank you 😊
This was an amazing breakdown that lead me to recognize a lot of my own trauma, and the fact that i've let it destroy me for so long. I still have a lot to do to move past, well the past but you gave me the tools to see what I'm doing wrong in my recovery period. This was also an amazing take on one of my favorite video games of all time
16:34 the “moment” that strikes my chord with Termina is playing the goron lullaby for the elder’s son😭. I went through a similar situation as a child, so easing his pain hit home for me, reconnected me, gave me purpose.
The last night after midnight was such an emotional time. Everything from the music,to seeing everyone final moments. Anju & Kafei had me in tears. This video was good. I'm waterworks.
It takes a certain kind of 'broken' person to love Majora's Mask. To this day it remains my favorite game of all time _because_ it speaks to, what I now understand in my adult life, as nihilism. It is the meaninglessness of all of your actions as Link. In the end, all you do, or rather, what you've through and done, _won't_ matter at all. Nothing that you do sticks, but it is important that you do them regardless because you want to help others move on from the pain and trauma that hunts them; a trauma that _you_ as the player know won't go away because of the time loop. It is truly meaningless and futile yet very important to keep pushing on. You seek to help others accomplish that which you can't do (let go) because even Link, at the end of the game, doesn't move on. He goes right back to searching for Navi, and we know that eventually leads him to.
To summarise the Skull Kid's situation: he misinterpreted the departure of the giants as being rejected by them, when in reality, they had an ordinance to comply with as the guardians of Termina. Unfortunately, the Skull Kid was not able to grasp the reality of the situation, and the pain caused by the perceived rejection began to tarnish his heart. Although he found new friendship and solace in Tatl and Tael, the Skull Kid was still hurting from the idea of having been abandoned, seeking to justify his pain by playing mischievous pranks on people. However, upon obtaining Majora's Mask after knocking out the Happy Mask Salesman in the woods, the Skull Kid's shenanigans take a more radical turn...but it's not until the end of the game that the actual culprit is exposed. When Tatl eventually realises that the Skull Kid was being exploited by the evil spirit possessing the mask, she is also able to resolve her grudge against him... And as the Skull Kid finally realises that the four giants had not rejected him, he too is released from the frustrations that were caused by a mere oblivious misunderstanding... The forgiveness that we are witnessing, as such, is therefore about the unfolding realisation of a misunderstanding. The four giants knew that the Skull Kid was not the true perpetrator, and therefore inclined that Talt and Link should not see him as their enemy: "Forgive your friend", because he is possessed by an evil spirit of destruction and not responsible for his malicious acts...
For me personally, that last part you wrote there makes a lot of sense. My interpretation of that was how people get possessed by their anger, fear, ect, after traumatic events or overall just bad things that effect us continuously. Skull Kid getting possessed by Majora feels like a representation of that. and like you said he was possessed by an evil spirit, therefore not responsible for his acts. Majora, the evil spirit, could be a representation of anger and fear. I could be reading into it a bit too much, but that was my take.
This game has been one of my favorites for well over 20 years at this point, It has had such an inpact on my life, how I think about things, how I interact with the world, the story of the game has shaped my very core being and for that i'm greatful.
Just as someone adding their own thoughts: As someone who is a younger Majora's Mask fan, the game feels very much relatable in weird ways. Honestly it feels like a way of conveying the experience of trauma with how you say, but also conveying the sense of insanity and the many issues trauma can cause. The stone tower temple, as to how I relate to it, is the feeling of emptiness that came with being unable to start the recovery process and forcing a false stoicism to events that should be considered traumatic.
My moment of Majora´s Mask is all the Mikau´s healing. He on his last moment of breath and sing with all his might to comunicate all what´s inside his own hearth for not acomplished the rescue of his son´s and dying in regret leaving his childrens and her wife alone, and when we play the healing song we´ve see what he wanted to do, insanely sad an devastating.
I always thought "Forgive your friend" was directed at Link. It made me think that Link may be angry at Navi for leaving him, that while she did something that hurt him, she did not do it specifically to hurt him. Forgiveness is something that takes courage and the heart of a hero to find, and it is one of the key differences between Link and Majora, who are so much alike; while Link eventually can let go of the grief and the power he has, Majora holds onto it and is filled with wrath until the very end.
3:15 THANK YOU!! I get so flipping tired of every Majora Analysis video talking about the structure of grief when the game clearly goes above and beyond that! Edit: Wow, this may be my favorite deep dive into the meaning and take away from this game, fantastic video!
This video deserves way more likes. Ive had this in my 'watch later' playlist for months and i finally put it on to help me fall asleep and i was riveted the whole time. I love how you framed the story and game mechanics of majora through the lense of trauma recovery. This video actually really gave me a lot to think about, which is so cool because i didnt think there could be anything new to consider for majora since ive played it many times and feel very familiar with it. I always knew that the subtext was that link was working through trauma from OoT but i dont think i had considered that the entire 3 day cycle, the structure of the whole game, could be an allegory for the way unresolved trauma traps you in that moment and you relive it over and over again seeking closure. Thats really impressive! I always thought the time crunch was just referencing the developers race to complete the game by their deadline in the wake of Ocarinas success, but youve expanded my thinking. The part that got me the most was when you said that the reason Link was looking for Navi in the beginning(the one factor that i never quite understood) was because she was the one character who would still recognize him as a hero, as otherwise he had been stripped of that identity when he saved hyrule. But in termina he was able to carve out a new identity as a healer. Now that im an adult and have encountered my own trauma that stripped me of who i considered myself to be, i feel like my own experience and your video has given me an even more intimate connection with the game, which i didnt think was possible. Bravo, ill definitely be keeping an eye on your channel from now on. Edited a typo
Herein lies the fundamental difference between the villain: Something bad happened to me , and now I want others to feel my pain. (Skullkid). Something bad happened to me, and now I want to make sure nobody else feels this pain. (Link).
Ive seen a lot of videos on majoras mask because i love the concept of the game. But this video goes so much deeper than that anything I had seen in the past that, as someone who recently was able to break away from over a decade of undiagnosed PTSD, it had me crying because of how... Real the comparisons were. It makes me appreciate the time system so much more. Its frustrating seeing situations play out in front of you time and time again. Feeling helpless that nothing you do is changing anything as you continue with your goal of stopping majora. Because even if you're reliving the same events over and over again... Life goes on. But that's what makes it so brilliant. You CAN break the cycle, its NOT fun but when you finally get things done right, and it sticks. Its a feeling better than anything you could imagine. You used the experiences of suffering time and time again to constantly learn. You can give up on the game or give up on everyone around you and just move on with YOUR life without resolving anything, but trying to set things right and have it stick for the rest if your life is a feeling no item or amount of money can compare to. And even further, you can try everything you can but not everything can be fixed. You will have to live the rest of your life knowing that something or someone was left behind... And it sucks. But that's okay! Life isn't perfect and the scars that never fully heal just inform us about who we are and what we've learned.
This is an amazing analysis of both the overall themes of the game, and the nature of the characters within! Especially Skull kid, you're thoughts have really elevated the character for me. Thinking back, I've seen some commentaries try to tackle explaining these things, but only vaguely. I haven't seen any that've been able to do so, so clearly and well thought out. And not all in one, video that's not the length of a feature film. It's always very telling how much effort is put in when something is both well thought out and concise. Very impressive!
This video was recommended to me 2 days after it was uploaded. Coincidentally, 2 days prior, my cat had died of heart failure. I couldn't really get past the intro since I was still mourning at the time, but decided I would come back to this later. It felt like something I needed to sit and watch and reflect on. Now, over a week later, I'm glad I came back to it. (Only cried once!) Majora's Mask was the first game that ever made me "feel things", so it was nice to look at your perspective of it. It matches mine in a lot of ways. The world feels so depressing and hopeful at the same time you know? It's one of the few games where actions feel impactful because time marches on whether you act or not. This video was cathartic and I appreciate it.
Brilliant video! I've played Majora's Mask so many times and I was still able to learn new things about it from your analysis. Your dissection of Skull Kid's trauma hit close to home and let me appreciate Majora's Mask from yet another new angle. Great stuff!
@@thecreepythecozy8891same. I've played Majoras Mask many times (I'm prob gonna play it again after this vid LOL. I've played it since it came out on the N64) and it gave me another new appreciation for the game and it's layers. Great video!
Playing MM as a child in an abusive household helped me process the trauma of surviving my daily life. Termina was someplace with comfort and routine where I knew what would happen. The first time I heard Song of Healing just... made me want to continue.
My moment is on the last day when Cermia says she’s going to give the milk stand in for alcohol to Romani so she doesn’t pass painfully when the moon falls. It’s absolutely gut wrenching and gets me every single time
Thank you so much for making this video. I don't think I've ever had something so incredibly specific surface in my recommendations at a point in my life where I needed it as much as I did last night. Majora's Mask is near and dear to me like so many others, a game I've played over and over again since childhood and never got tired of. The Hero of Time duology and the invisible tragedy in its protagonist as a child combat veteran really began to make sense to me as an adult with Link having nobody who truly understood but Navi by the end of everything, who left once her purpose was fulfilled. The five stages of grief analysis in regards to Majora's Mask is something that was quite common all the way back then but never resonated with me. Applying an interpersonal trauma narrative to the duology makes an INCREDIBLE amount of sense and this video was informative, cathartic, and deeply comforting. I love being able to look at my favorite media in new ways and maybe everything you've described here is why I like this game so much, from playing as a character you've come to love from Ocarina of Time, to the soundtrack, to the themes of personal tragedy, healing, and forgiveness. It was all very informative! I hope to see more content like this in the future, thank you for sharing this.
the music in Majora's Mask hits in very special way. somber but beautiful at the same time. Truly a classic. Video game music really knows how to make you feel emotion threw there sound.
One of my favorite things is when someone takes a look at something i love and brings a new perspective and points out things i didnt realize. This is a great example of exactly that
Majoras Mask was my favorite Zelda game growing up. I can't tell you how many times I played it. When I was down or troubled I would redo the dungeons and just swim around in the ocean over and over. It was my favorite thing to do.
One of the best Majora's Mask retrospectives I've seen in a while. I gotta say, there were several times that I had to pause the vid and walk away just to process what you said. That bit around 16:30 put me down for a good 5 minutes. That's it, those two sentences are why this is my favorite Zelda, and one of my favorite games of all time. Your experience with Kafei/Anju is exactly what I went through. I remember it clearly, sitting in my father's living room with my sister just months after my parents' divorce (and 9/11, you know). I remember we sat for in-game hours just watching her, unable to shout at the screen, and knowing that we had to move on, let them Not Be Together for this Cycle... and for how many leading up to this point, and how many more after? Agonizing.
As a fan of Zelda, Majora's Mask is one of my favourites, and your analysis is so well done. At one point, I was even feeling insulted, but that's a sign that this analysis was well done! Thank you for opening up such an amazing perspective.
Thank you for this. I’ve had trouble understanding over the past near twenty-three years why this game resonated with me so strongly as a teenager (and has kept its graces there in my top three Zelda games ever since) but your analysis has been very illuminating. Kudos
I've seen many of Majora's mask analysis, but yours takes the cake. I like the angle of trauma, healing and forgiveness. Makes me realize how a game that was made in short time constraints is a gift that keeps in giving.
My "Majora's Mask moment" was that flashback cutscene about the Skull Kid. I loved that character and always felt sorry for him; he was just a kid who went through a bad experience and didn't know how to properly handle his emotions, and ended up hurting people as a result. I wanted to free him from Majora and let him know that I (well, Link) could be his friend, and he didn't have to feel so alone. I played the game and did the side quests, but it was Skull Kid I felt I was playing for.
This is seriously one of my favorite youtube videos out there. Such a brilliant video essay and analysis. I am one of those people stuck in their mental health crap for years and years and years...still trapped and trying to figure out what the hell I'm going to do and how the hell I'm going to do it...feeling like I will never get better, struggling with treatment and therapies...taking one step forward and then 10 steps back...I come back to this video every so often to try to help myself. Zelda means so much to me, and this game goes so much deeper than I ever before thought. The way you picked up on these themes is just...I'll say it again, brilliant. 🖤
Amazing video and great work in the analysis! I’m so glad to see someone cover this about Majora. I too have dove into the game over and over growing up even though it is confusing and frustration (now without my 3DS I just read the dialogue though), and I felt that the story is more about the Skull Kid’s healing than anything else. The only part of the story I ever cared about was when he says he will be friends with everyone again. I would like to add my personal interpretation of the Skull Kid as a character. Canon LoZ material confirms that Termina is a world created by the Skull Kid with the help of the mask. Termina is a world where the people strongly resemble their Hyrule counterparts, but with different names and stories. Everyone is the same, but they are in pain. Canon LoZ material including the game includes the story that the giants abandoned the skull kid, but I don’t really think it’s a literal story. Skull kids are born when a child is lost in the lost woods without a fairy. The skull kid from MM is the same skull kid Link tried to befriend in OoT by teaching him Saria’s song. Because of these strings of evidence, along with the world of OoT’s Hyrule, I believe that it is impossible for the giants story to be literally true. They do not exist outside of Termina. Termina was created by the Skull Kid with the power of Majora. Therefore, I think it’s moreso an allegory for his actual trauma. He was a child lost in the woods without anyone to guide him, similar to Link. He may have been abandoned by his parents (if the giants story has any more literal merit) and left to die in the forest. He steals Majora’s mask out of anger for everyone around him, for never saving him, for leaving him alone, for never stopping to say hello or doing anything to help him: that is, aside from Link. Tatl and Tael become his fairies for navigating the woods. He greatly values their company as parental figures. It is unknown when this happens and whether or not they exist outside of Skull Kid’s created world. Regardless, he uses the mask to make a land where everyone he may have remembered from the little time he wasn’t a lost child was also suffering. They never helped him. The only people spared from this wrath are the Mask Salesman (the creator of the original skull mask which he valued greatly), the fairies (who act as older siblings that take the role of absent parents), and of course, the one person that ever stopped to befriend him: Link. Skull Kid never forgot Link. He mentions him in the end of the game as the boy who taught him the song. Although they were friendly, Link too disappears from Skull Kid’s life; so now he must earn the imp’s trust again by playing in his sick twisted game of twice weekly apocalypse. There’s also the whole aspect of what Majora is. I do believe the mask literally exists in the game separate from Termina and the Skull Kid (confirmed in A Link Between Worlds). It was potentially created by the same tribe that made the mask in Twilight Princess (forged shadow I think?). The mask holds immense power and is able to create and destroy its wearer’s own pocket worlds. This is what Termina is. Termina *is* the Skull Kid’s recovery journey. It’s an unhealthy one full of inflicting unnecessary suffering, but the strength of Link to heal the world around him influences the Skull Kid. Eventually, his own actions force him to confront those he was most angry at: whoever left him abandoned in the woods as a child. But he forgives them. And everyone forgives him. I don’t know if the writers of the game thought of any of this when writing it, and it doesn’t really matter to me if they did. I love how this game has spoken to something in so many people: about death, about trauma, about healing, about loneliness, about meaning in limited life, etc.
EDIT: I did care about other parts of the story and was very invested, but I tended to rush the side quests so that I could save skull kid. They were important, I just cared more about healing the villain. Idk why
this game came out before i was born, so i never actually beat it, but for some reason the line skull kid says after the four giants forgive him, "you still thought of me as a friend?" literally made me tear up and idk why
This was the game that my I played with my dog next to me all the time late at night when everyone was asleep. I cried when I first finished it. It was the first Zelda game I ever finished and everything about it related to something I was going through at the time. I was depressed, lost, and wanted more than anything to disappear. I felt hopeless and every day was the same cycle of sadness. I finished this game with him wagging his little tail next to me. I was 17 then. He died when I turned 27.. I turn 30 this year and I still play it to think of him and think of those times I felt scared and hopeless and how this game got us both out of that bad situation. We're free from that place now, but never forgotten. Just like the souls in Majora's Mask. Words cannot describe how much I love this game and owe my life and my best friend's life and the memories we shared because of it. You did an excellent video, sis. Well done.
This is exceptional. On all levels. I can’t wait to see the success that this video brings to you and your channel. And I know I’m not the only one already looking forward to your next upload…
Amazing video, exceptionally well structured and presented! Seems like I have yet another book I need to add to the long list of "Should definitely read this but probably won't"... I always fail to explain to people (who didn't play the game themselves) why the wedding sidequest affected me in the way it did. You could explain the entire plot in detail and establish all the context to somebody and it still wouldn't be enough to actually convey how profound this moment is when you're actually involved. To the player it feels like being there for someone in their final moments but to an "outsider" it will always be a mere bittersweet story. To this day still "We will greet the morning...together." and the surrounding context have such a lasting impact on me. The unflinching acceptance Anju and Kafei are showing to their dire circumstances and how they are completely content with it just because they have been reunited has always been incredibly moving to me. I've always had a fascination with characters who are able to die with a smile and I guess this one sequence ticks all the boxes for me. We all carry some trauma in us, every single person, some more - some less, but being able to just accept your fate in the end and smile is something only the smallest percentage of people will ever be blessed with. Most people will never even be able to accept their pain and actually heal from it to begin with. But that's exactly why I think those kinds of stories carry such emotional weight and potential for self-reflection. There's very few games I've played in my life which I could describe as genuinely therapeutic, but Majora's Mask is definitely at the top of that pantheon, right next to Gris.
Hermana, me encantó tu video, gracias. Como una sobreviviente de algunos traumas feos y también como una ex-agresora, me conmovieron mucho tus palabras. Sería hermoso que, cuando estén listos los subtítulos, también se pudiesen traducir al español para así compartirlo con mi amigues. Aguante la sanación y resignificación del trauma :)
It hits even harder when you find out that OoT/MM Link is the Hero's Shade in Twilight Princess... the first time you encounter him, the first song he sings to you is the Song of Healing. He understands TP Link is hurt, traumatized, and trapped in a body that isn't his own... of course the first thing that comes to mind for the Hero of Time would be the Song of Healing 😢
Oh damn you're right, I never realised this, got me crying 😭
STOP!!! I totally forgot you actually play the song of healing first!! 😭 it completely makes sense that the hero of time would want to heal and sooth the pain TP link is feeling
Him also being a Stalfos implies (or is it directly stated? Been a long time since I played that one) he was lost in the Lost Woods too long. The Hero of Time is such an incredibly tragic character and it’s told mostly through subtext.
@@BradsGonnaPlayno. You become a skullkid
The woman singing eerily at night in TP is allegedly Malon. It's theorized this Link saved Termina, went back to Hyrule and ended up with her. That's why TP link is a rancher.
Just a theory idk if it's true
"Trauma is a disorder of time". Totally blew my mind. I don't know why I've never made that connection, especially with these games. Wonderful!
This line blew my mind too!! Especially in the context of MM. That took me to some deep places regarding trauma that I had never considered before.
Yeah, my mind was blown. That's also the healthiest, most positive outlook on trauma I've ever heard.
Interesting analysis. Really appreciated this video. Thank you for sharing.
Ye
This is quite possibly the freshest analysis of Majora's Mask that I've seen yet. I've seen the "five stages of grief" thing over and over, and it's nice to see a fresh perspective.
But... sadly... Link isn't saved from his own trauma. After this journey, he goes right back to looking for Navi, and as we see in Twilight Princess, he's died a forgotten hero; lingering in shame and regret as a shade. It's only after his descendant, the Hero of Twilight, learns the techniques he cultivated in his tragic lifetime, that he's finally able to rest and move on.
The one thing to come out of it? His old friend, the Skull Kid, guards the sword he once wielded. Even a hundred years later, Skull Kid's loyalty to his friend remains.
This is a valid point. I would love to speak on that in a later video. I think there’s a ton to explore there - I wanted to offer a MM-specific analysis, but a more canonical take would also be interesting. Thank you for pointing this out.
I will say that I don't think the "Five Stages of Grief" theory isn't necessarily _wrong,_ y'know? I think things line up too well to be an accidental throughline in the story of the game.
I think the "Link is DEAD in Majora's Mask" theory is a bit... eh? You can make that argument about ANY piece of media. "Oh this character is in a coma," and "oh this character is dead" happens with everything.
I think the stages of grief observations about this game are more useful as a kind of narrative symbolism. They're an aspect of the messaging and the game I think evokes these feelings, but I don't think it is the only symbolism at play.
It's neat to see other analyses of it.
I was going to say the same thing while watching the video. Link never truly moves on. Not for at least 100 years later, when he teaches the new hero his techniques. Instead of letting go of his friendship with Navi, he resolved to pass down his combat skills, because if he did have a family, he had no time for one, nor to be a husband and father. He had no time to pass down his legacy. Even though he was the hero of Time, and of Healing, he never had time for himself, and he couldn't ever really heal himself.
@@Splitcyclewastaken The semblance is very weak. It is not hard to find any one "stage" in the game, as they are just common human emotions/behaviour, but in no clear order. You can try to say each region is based on a single "stage", but what we actually see ingame is far more varied. You have to arbitrarily cherry pick characters to represent a stage or something, and ignore anything that doesn't fit the theme. The idea of "5 stages of grief" is just outdated pseudo science anyway, there is no clear evidence that people consistently experience grief like that.
😢
The small girl trapping her father into the closet when he turned into a monster was the biggest, heart-breaking moment for me, especially when he finally returned back to normal and they hugged each other. imagine being this young and surrounded by monsters, alone. that girl is very brave, and stood firm during her nightmarish time. majoras mask is full of such rich characters. it is the best game of all time for me, just for the emotions it evokes.
I've had to write about that scene for therapy cus as a CSA survivor the hugging disturbed me as a kid more than the ghibdo.
I agree 😢
this is my favorite scene as well. always hits me right in the heart and makes me wish i could scoop her up in a hug too
@@briannagravely9349I'm sorry that happened to you. It didn't happen to me but I have an extremely poor relationship with my father and it's sad because he had the potential to be a great father and I always saw big glimpses of it growing up. Taking us fishing and camping with our cousins' family, teaching us handy skills like carpentry, basic machine repair, plumbing and electrical, bikes, roller blades, dog training, chores like mowing, he did all the cooking and taught us, introduced us to star trek, etc lol. And me and my sibling are girls so it was a lot of skills we might not otherwise have. But he was always an authoritarian asshole who could ruin the vibe at the drop of a hat and it poisoned us even as kids. He would grab our arms in anger and leave bruises, scream and yell easily. And became an alcoholic when we were teens, and got so much worse. Driving drunk with us often, abandoning us at locations and passing out drunk at home, leaving guns out around the house and in the car, not paying the bills or getting groceries....
Anytime I see strained or close relationships which father's in video games, it always affects me a lot. FFX in particular I cry like a baby at the end. In MM with Gibdo girl, it makes me cry in jealousy because I wish I had a normal close relationship with my father. I wish he could have been that Dad. Even tho her father made mistakes and put her in danger and def traumatized her, it wasn't intentional. They couldn't anticipate the Skull Kid raising the dead.
@@briannagravely9349 I'm sorry if this comes off rude and or insensitive but can you tell me what CSA stands for?
I just realized,as you were talking about the cycle of anger, that you could consider Navi leaving Link as a direct parallel to the way that the giants abandoned the skull kid. That maybe Link felt that same despair of abandonment, and could have gone down that same path of cruelty and evil, but for his circumstances.
If that's true, then "forgive your friend" could even be a directive to Link to forgive Navi for leaving him, or even (more of a stretch?) Zelda for handing him this lonely fate.
This video rocks, such a great take.
In my opinion, this is what was intended by the devs. Outwardly, it’s talking about skull kid, but it’s actually meant to apply to Link about Navi. Link and skull kid are definitely meant to parallel each other.
It’s wild, I never thought of that before. But a couple of folks have mentioned this in the comments, and I feel like I need to address it in a future vid
I made the same connection as well, though I wouldn’t extend it to Zelda since Link and Zelda seem close in MM and Link thinks fondly of her. She essentially also saved his life by giving him the Ocarina when she did.
I honestly think Link does forgive Navi by the end of the game. The Happy Mask Salesman at the end suggests as much as well.
I was also going to mention this. Although vague (intentionally, I think) "Forgive your friend" could also be directed at Link regarding Navi's disappearance.
@@Tera_B_Twilight I think it is less vague than you may think. Tatl, after hearing "Forgive your friend", says "Forgive our friend? What do you mean by forgive? Huh? What friend?" Though this could be applicable to Skull Kid, the fact that Tatl doesn't know what friend the Giant is referring to suggests that Link does, and that it is regarding the friend he lost.
it's worth noting the similarities between Link and Skull Kid here. Both feel alone, surrounded by people they can never relate to and abandoned by their friends. I would argue 'forgive your friend' could easily be telling Link to forgive Navi for leaving him alone. It's a really interesting parallel, imo.
Honestly that makes sense! I would argue that link could even feel a bit angry because Navi left so abruptly…I mean his entire legacy has been erased from everyone’s memory, the only one who lived through the entire process was Navi! So the giants asking him to forgive Navi could be a possibility
The fact tatl is confused by the giant's words only confirms it was talking to link but not just about skull kid specifically.
This is such a cool theory I never considered!
Bro this made me tear up honestly I now think he was telling all of us to forgive
If any Link has the right to be completely angry and even against the will of the universe at large, it's most definitely the Hero of Time. But instead of doing so, becoming time's very own 'healer', thus proving once again it isn't his strength or intelligence that makes him the best; it's his unending love and capacity to forgive
I made this connection between the Southern Swamp and Link's Deku form.
When we go through trauma, we often take on a version of ourselves we must use to survive. For link, this is personified in his Deku form.
When he must save the Swamp, he takes on this form to traverse the toxic water. In a similar way, we revert to certain "forms" to get through tough situations.
But when the water goes back to normal, his Deku form cannot traverse the water as readily as his human form. In a similar way, the person we became to survive trauma is not suited for our normal day-to-day life. We must revert to our former self to efficiently navigate through the day.
Probably over-analyzing but idk
Your analysis here...hit me right in the solar plexus.
There was an Ocarina of Time comic that really resonated with me. Link fights Dead Hand. Tears of sheer terror are running down his cheeks, but he fights courageously despite that and wins. Impa comes down and commends him, saying he's grown into a 'fine man.'
He hands her the Lens of Truth. Puzzled, she points it at him.
His adult body is a façade. Mentally, he's still just a brave little kid trying his best. He didn't _grow_ into that adult body -- he was thrust into adulthood overnight. He sacrificed his entire childhood.
This video feels like the natural evolution of that.
Omg I wanna read that. Do you remember what it was called?
@@Doctor_Pickney If you google 'banannerbread zelda comic,' it should take you to the tumblr post! I'd link it here but iirc RUclips doesn't like that xD
@@Doctor_Pickney oof my reply got yeeted
The artist’s name is banannerbread. Apparently that’s all I’m allowed to tell you xD
Hmmm
If you played Twilight Princess, you learn that Link needed healing himself.
100%. This could be its own video
@@thecreepythecozy8891 Please make this a video.
@@darrelgreene7094 Seconded, MM Link is the most interesting Link in the whole series. Those conversations that happen on the moon are especially intriguing, and I fully believe they are Link's thoughts he's been having during the course of the game, being weaponized against him before the final fight.
At least by the end of Twilight Princess, the Hero’s Shade is finally at peace/free of regrets thanks to TP Link.
@@Sanakudou toilet paper link
As a psychiatrist, I think this beautifully put clinical concepts of trauma into an understandable form!
Wow, thank you!
Have you ever really helped someone or were you just lucky enough to be there when someone got better and wasted the time and money of all the others?
@@davidcrawford9026dude eff off. Psychiatrists are actually medical doctors. They usually can do talk therapy and other kinds of therapy too but first and foremost they are medical doctors, who receives 8+ years of education about the brain and psyche to the best of our current knowledge. We still know relatively little about the brain as a whole but they're doing their best. I've had nearly 10 different Psychiatrists through my military career and they've all been great. Go kick rocks. You can be mad about not receiving proper care but don't disparage and discourage others from seeking help because of your own business
@@davidcrawford9026bruh wtf 💀 that was literally uncalled for
@@davidcrawford9026cry about it, I guess
Another point towards Link and the player needing their own reason to continue is that every heroic deed that we accomplish is attributed to the hero who's mask we are wearing. You are never recognized for who you are.
And he never got recognition for what he did in Ocarina of time either. This Link has sacrificed a lot for no reward, a true selfless hero, who even helps out his descendant so that he can defeat the troubles of Hyrule. OoT Link has been through a lot.
To the point he just becomes a stalfos 😭😭
This is an excellent point
And the one dungeon he does as himself the only people who know are the ghosts of the dead
in termina your a friend not a hero
To me, the moment the game truly gripped me emotionally was when, during the final moments of the last day of Romani Ranch, the older sister basically admits to allowing her little sister to drink the alcoholic Shadow Romani in order to get her to pass out and fall into a deep sleep she'd never wake up from so she wouldn't suffer the terror and pain of the end of the world. She literally drugs her sister just so she wouldn't live and die through a horrible fate. And while she would sleep her last night, the older sister would watch the world end.
That moment haunts me to this day.
This is exactly the moment I always think of
*Seeing this comment and remembering that moment* Welp... It's been a great day today... I cAn'T WaIt fOr MoRe 😭😭😭
I always found the Butlers son the darkest part in almost any game. Majoras mask literally kills one boy then traps another boy in his body as a joke.
Majora essentially chewed The Butler's son up and then spit it out unto Link
Why did it kill his son?
@@tristantries9211 Because Majora is in a silly goofy mood
@@KaminoKatie what a silly boi
Majora IS as bad as Ganon/Demise. The mask is wicked, it don't feel pleasure on causing pain and mischief, it was Skull kid warped mind, Majora's only want one thing, as said when it got up on the Moon: "I shall consume everything, everything."
Demise and Ganon want power, Majora's only want to cause chaos and destruction
16:10 this particular quote really got me. “time starts to move again”. damn. yeah, it really does. in the worst of it, you feel like the misery is so suffocating and enormous that a world can’t exist outside of it. and then you get out, and time starts to move again. i’ve always connected to games like this, and that really puts a finger on why.
Honestly, what sticks with me the most from this game is the conversation between Romani and her sister after saving the cows from the alien abduction. On the Final day, they're milking the cows and Romani get to finally drink some of the Chateau Milk, which possibly has alcohol in it. Cremia always told her she could drink it when Romani would be an adult. The reasoning behind why she'll let her drink it is a bit more dark when you think about it.
This is a heavy hitter for me as well. And then they walk into the house and Cremia is smiling lovingly at Romani as they walk into the door and idk something about that just makes me want to cry. Like her knowing it was their last night and choosing to end it with as much love as possible. Beautiful.
I remember Cremia also asks Romani to sleep in her bed that night too
@@jayman5234up. She doesn’t want to be alone, and doesn’t want Romani to be alone either. Cremia is determined to spend her last breath embracing and comforting her sister, putting on a strong face as she endures the painful knowledge of their likely fate on her own, but not truly alone.
Op
she tells romani that she's recognizing her as an adult, she wants her little sister to feel proud in her final moments, to have a special night where she's finally all grown up
The story arc that I've never seen anyone talk about online which always haunted me in MM was Lulu losing her eggs to the Gerudo. It coincides with Mikau dying and even as a child, I got the impression the game implies there was a romance between them and he was the father. The scene when you first meet her staring at the ocean and being too sad to sing seems to be one of the very rare examples where a video game touches on the topic of miscarriage and child loss. MM is so dark on many levels (death, depression, sibling relationships, parental relationships) that miscarriage is a logical theme to include as well. The Zora storyline seems to be dedicated to that. Of course the game's ending is "happy" with the babies being brought back to the lab but the entire narrative also has eerie echoes of IVF treatment and the hope and grief that goes into it. Incidentally, BOTW and TOTK also have strong references to miscarriage through all the jizo statues scattered across the land. Goddess Hylia statues seem strongly inspired by jizo, especially as each town dresses the statue in clothing (the one wearing a red bib in Kakariko village is closest to real life traditions in Japan).
Holy shit I never made that connection??! That is so dark... I'm legit speechless.
I think it goes beyond "implied," if I recall. Mikau and Lulu were bandmates and close friends at the absolute minimum, but there's a point where them being together is more likely than not.
Mikau died trying to get the eggs back, and if I recall there was also a detail somewhere that the ocean had gotten too warm for the eggs to develop properly, thus the lab.
In the fortress we see the pirates have the eggs in tanks, but even then we don't know if they were being kept at the right temperature--for all Lulu knew, not only were her eggs stolen but all of them would probably die before they could even hatch. I think that makes it even worse.
Dooooooood. I’m loving the reproductive health angle here. Like mind blown. Amazing comment, thank you.
Yeah even as a kid playing MM in the 4th grade, it upset me and my sister a lot to think about all the timelines where Link/Mikau never saves Lulu's eggs. Me and my sister were babysat by our neighbors a lot and their mom was def like a second Mom to us and even had the authority to punish and correct our behavior with full authority. One day I remember being on the time out step for something and she was talking to me about my behavior I don't even remember what. But we kept talking and I think we were talking about what to do when you're upset really badly. She actually told me how before her son (who was her oldest child, my age) she had had other babies in her belly, 3 of them, but none of them were able to be born and passed away. She basically explained to me what miscarriages were, at a very young age, probably 7-9 yrs old. I understood immediately and knew how badly it must have felt, fuck I'm tearing up just writing this. I remember telling her how sorry I was for her babies. I could tell she still loved them a lot (of course).
But she told me how her hope was renewed with her son and current children. Basically told me, even when things are at their worst, we can't give up and act out and fall prey to our negative feelings. It's ok to feel them, but there's ways to deal with it properly. Something like that.
Miscarriages are SO COMMON. But so rarely talked about in the West. Idk about Japan and Asian cultures. So I feel privileged to have been talked to about it at a formative age, which I feel should be normal. It's important to teach kids about loss
they're not gerudo in termina tho
Never played it but played ocarina. The saddest scene i saw was the deku butler and finding out what happened to his son. While everyone is celebrating in the credit scene he's mourning his dead son :(
It doesn't really have a single cutscene, but the saddest part for sure is how the happy, playful, music loving skull kid from oot became a puppet for the embodiment of evil trying to destroy the world and his only 2 friends, being stopped by the 4 friends he though he lost, then being thrown away like garbage once majora was finished with him
I know :(
@@peadrianlastnameskull kid is getting more relatable the older i get :(
Correct. Link was able to save everyone except the Butler's son
It made me cry the first time I saw it 😢
Even 20 years ago I knew that Majoras Mask was special. I still remember helping Cremia fend off the attackers a second time, and seeing Link simply recieve a hug. Such a simple gesture, but it felt so intimate and genuine. That somebody really acknowledged Link not only for helping them, but as a person that mattered.
To truly forgive someone, you must understand their transgressions and the nature of their suffering.
At the end of Ocarina of Time, Navi suddenly floats away without much context leaving Link behind. He too, has been abandoned, is lost and searching. The only person in the world who could save Skull Kid from his own inner demons is a person also suffering the pain of abandonment. This is a lesson of empathy we could all stand to learn from.
Thank you for your beautiful video. I am moved.
Yeah.
"when the patient reclaims her own history and feels renewed hope and energy for engagement with life, time starts to move again"
Thank you for this beautiful video.
Thank you so much for watching 🙏🏻
What is this quote from??
I love your take on Link being a healer, it fits the archetype of the Wounded Healer. What a beautiful addition to the depth of the story
Glad you enjoyed it!
I recently lost my dad to cancer and the RUclips algorithm seems to be sending me to videos that help me think about dealing with the pain and the grief. This videos has helped me keep in mind good ways to work through my trauma, by being there for my family and trying to be a good husband and dad, and what to avoid as well as try to recognise in others and hopefully be able to forgive the people who've hurt me. Thank you for making this.
I am so sorry for your loss. I lost my father to cancer as well. It sucks. I’m glad I was able to help, if only a little. Take care my friend.
susan killed your father
I oddly am part of this “odd group”. I recently lost my identical twin brother, and aside many other things, Zelda, primarily Ocarina of time and Majoras mask had immense impacts on my brother and I throughout our lives. Similar to the individual who lost their father to cancer recently, I can’t express enough as to how lucky I felt to stumble upon this video. This video analysis was perfectly articulated and it reminds me of how my twin perceived the art and message of this game. Thank you for this. And to those struggling, I wish you nothing but the best, love, and perseverance moving forward in this cruel world.
@@Foxtwins7I'm so sorry for your loss. I am a twin too, and she is my best friend. Thinking about the possibility of losing her makes me tear up on the spot, just writing this lol. I'm so sorry. Thank you for sharing. I know it must be hard to talk about him but I appreciate it so much
In a world as complex and chaotic as this, simultaneously nothing matters (as it can and will be undone) and everything matters (because it can be the butterfly flap causing a hurricane elsewhere in time).
This is empowering.
Beautifully said
To me, forgiveness is fine for a simpler reason also. Skull Kid was a hurt, angry kid. He took the mask to be a rotten kid…then Majora influenced him. That influence fed on Skull Kid’s existing pain: first a mask, then a horse, then dooming Link to be a Deku, then revenge on the people and place who hurt him. He escalated, as his connection to Majora grew. And we can see through flashbacks and stuff that Skull Kid isn’t evil, mischievous sure but not wicked. But Majora…an evil unlike any other (who also adopts Skull Kid’s emotions and wants friends to play with, likely because Majora went insane living within the mask for who knows how long). But the scene that does it for me is when Majora casts aside Skull Kid as a worthless puppet. His own ambitions outgrew Skull Kid and he cast aside the hurt little fella, once again Skull Kid is shunned and abandoned by someone/something close to him. He had given himself to Majora fully by that point, but it wasn’t enough, HE wasn’t enough. So yeah, I’m the end when you find him cowering and ashamed, that’s real. What? Are you gonna kill him for being abandoned and abused and manipulated and taken advantage of? No, all you can do is forgive him. After, he only wants love (and the mask is safely out of his reach and you just whooped the evil out of it). Skull kid is the embodiment of hurt people hurt people
Honestly, even understanding why he acts like he acts, I would have chosen to slay skull kid, as he did damage that can't be fixed (Deku Butler for example) and him feeling hurt does not grant him immunity from blame. Hurt people can choose how to take out that pain. I think it's perfectly forgivable when they hurt the person who hurt them, if there was no justification for the initial wound, but not for doing the same or worse to innocents.
As much as one can understand their situation through empathy, releasing them from consequence opens the gate to an exponential growth of pain, where each hurt people hurts several others, until everyone is broken. Passing judgement is cold, but it is the best path to prevent that worst of outcomes, as it can eliminate a "tree" of abuse before it grows too big.
I think this is where God comes in if one wants a happy ending in a situation that otherwise only has "bitter" and "nightmare" as endings, as the one to do the forgiveness and healing after the risk of propagation is dealt with. It's not really a situation where man can get an ending that's good for everyone, so the most that can be hoped for is a situation that's bad only for those with stained hands.
Skull Kid is definitely a victim. Considering doing another video in the future about how the mask plays into this analysis as well. Thank you for watching!
Killing an evil is justifiable when they pose an imminent threat to another. At that point, Skull Kid is disarmed and harmless. There is no reason to kill him. At any previous point, I would posit that you have an obligation to kill him to prevent him from harming others. But that does not matter once the threat is neutralized.
Right
I'm still happy to see how much relevance Majora's Mask has had over the years. Old fans, new fans, the narrative, the secrets, the creepypasta, even the things we missed as a kid. I love this game so much.
I've connected with Skull Kid for so much of my life. I've even previously used him as an online persona. As somebody who has felt like an outcast for so long, it pains me to see his traumatic experience in this game. My favorite game of all time. And to hear you say "The great triumph in Majora's Mask is healing the Skull Kid" made me feel so entirely seen and understood. This is wonderful. Thank you.
My Majoras Mask moment is the little girl in the music box house in Ikana, hugging her dad after I returned him to normal, and her dad's haunted look as he asks what happened. And she says "it was just a bad dream". Who knows how long he was like that.
Mine was when you go see Crimea and Romani before the moon crashes, there a short window when you can go in, and Crimea is giving her little sister the special milk (stand in for alcohol) saying you can be an adult now, but she is getting her sister alcohol because she knows they are going to die.
@@ObscureGunyeah that scene almost made me cry hearing his sadness over dying and all the gorons he gave hope too
One of the greatest failings in many time loop stories is when they don't adress the loss of bonds. Every interaction, every laugh, every fight, everything is gone. When you lose a friend like that, when they no longer know you, you mourn.
The idea that someone out there made a plan, a run, where you can save EVERYONE in this game in a single three day cycle is amazing. And it gave me hope.
I like this game for the same reason I liked Hey Arnold!, and the movie Amélie later on, they were about a protagonist who touched the life of the people around them. Made them a little bit better, helping, or sometimes just listening to them.
Your interpretation is just incredible. A fresh take on a game that doesn't age.
There's one thing about the Deku Butler that's not as much discussed that always gets me. He's my favorite character in any Zelda game, and there's something about him that always makes his story even more sad. Whenever you wear a transformation mask, everyone close to the deceased who knew them well mistakes Link for that character: The Goron Elder and his son mistake Link for Darmani, and Lulu mistakes Link for Mikau. But the Deku Butler never mistakes Link for his son. This is a father who 100% knows his child, and while he comments on a resemblance, he's never fooled. It breaks my heart that he's the one character that doesn't get a happy ending.
As a survivor whose favorite game is Majora's Mask, it's really nice to see such a unique take among the dozen or so out there already. The audio seemed fine to me and the scriptwriting was superb. Thank you for making this.
I really love the renaissance the game is having lately, with a lot of people finally giving it credit for what it has always been, a story about suffering, gratitude, empathy, kindness, and love. Part of reconnecting with yourself that many survivors go through is the realization of all the kindness you can do for others at no cost to yourself, with no expectation of reward except that person's happiness. The fact that in MM these acts of kindness are rewarded with gratitude in the form of a piece of heart, a mask, a hug, other things that a character has free access to is in my mind just evidence of how you can get back bits of yourself and become stronger by being grateful and kind.
Ugh, this is a beautiful comment
This video really struck something in me. When I was a teenager, an adult did something horrible to me, though I don’t want to say what in a RUclips comments section lol.
But for a while, I was potentially heading down the same cycle that Skull Kid was. A desire to control those around me out of fear of losing them. A confusing mix of sadness, anger and misplaced love that I didn’t know what to do with, Thankfully I had the courage to drag myself out of that mindset.
It’s been years now, I’m 20 this year and I still can’t find myself to forgive the adult who harmed me. I don’t think I ever really can. But instead, I’m on the path of forgiving myself, and I think that will be enough to heal, as I think I’m the person who I ended up hurting the most.
My actions weren’t right, but they were understandable. I was only a teenager after all. What I’ve done has already happened, I cannot change that, but I can change my future. :)
Everyone makes mistakes, and we do the best we can with the resources we have. I don’t know your story but I’m proud of your effort to be better, and I am sorry that someone violated your innocence. Thank you for watching, stay strong my friend ❤
When I came to college, a friend of mine hurt me in a terrible way, and I felt the same as you. I was incredibly angry that the person I cared for and wanted the best for would wound me that badly. But over these past few years, I've learned to forgive them and again hope for their own healing. Humans are not fundamentally monsters, but some choose to become them and torment the people in their surroundings. The best we can do is break the cycle, and maybe with our forgiveness of ourselves and sometimes even them, we can allow the original monster to fade away, and start a new path without their influence.
I remember I saw a video interviewing a man who considered shooting up his school when he was a teenager. He references exactly what was said in this video. Something bad happened to him, he became angry with those who wronged him which then grew into an obsession with punishing everyone. His anger, at first, was justified but then it spiraled into what could only be described as madness. I think this analysis of Skull Kid was a perfect way of describing how easy, and how terrifying, it is to get caught up in that vicious anger cycle.
I’m sorry to hear what you went through, You don’t have to forgive them.
I have recently been the aggressor in a situation as I was severely traumatized growing up. This video of one of my favorite games, and your analysis over it, I dare say has helped to heal me. I identify with the Skull Kid in so many ways... And I'm finally coming out on the other side. Being forgiven, loved, and supported by friends and family alike. Thank you for posting this video and doing this analysis. If those who love us can forgive us... Maybe forgiving ourselves doesn't have to be so hard. It is never too late to heal from trauma. Sorry for how emotional or cheesy I may sound, but I thank you with all of my heart for this. ❤
When I was 18, I played Majora's Mask for the first time in nearly a decade.
I was in a very bad place, dealing with past trauma and in denial that I was about to experience more very soon. I was diving into a game from my childhood in the hopes of finding some comfort. Instead, I found myself understanding the theme of the game for the first time. By the end of that playthrough, I was in tears, realizing how badly I needed the catharsis. So I started a new file and played it again. And again.
It became my favorite Zelda game, and to this day, 14 years later, no other game has budged it from that spot. The continuous story from Ocarina to Majora is, to me, one of the most meaningful stories in the Zelda saga. I replay them once a year as a reminder that time moves ever onward. Even the worst days of our lives must pass behind us and be relegated to memory, just as the good days do. To heal is to open ourselves up to the future, to the good and the bad alike, and have faith in your ability to weather both.
"The flow of time is always cruel. Its speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it. A thing that doesn't change with time is a memory of younger days."
"Whenever there is a meeting, a parting is sure to follow. However, that parting need not last forever. Whether a parting be forever or merely for a short time, that is up to you."
"Even justified anger has a Will of it's own"
Wow 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Never played Majora’s Mask but the way that the characters act so human and natural is what I think causes players to feel so many different emotions while playing. The game makes you feel like the characters are legitimate people and that’s what makes the game so impactful whenever things happen to them, whether it’s good things or bad things.
Majora's Mask is made with massive crunch and the people who are tiredlesly working on it basically write what they know into the game
Yes, I also think that them moving around and doing different tasks throughout the cycle helped humanize them, as that wasn't really a thing for most Zelda characters up to that point.
When this came out I still had my whole family. I was 11 when it came out. I got it for Christmas from my sister. I loved it so much. Every year I replayed this and ocarina. I’m 34 now. So that’s a solid 20+ years of double play throughs of both these N64 legends. Anyway, at 18 my mom died from cancer days before I graduated high school and my dad died when I was 21 from cancer, as well. After both of their deaths and watching so much lore on this specific game it just made me think that the developers just wanted us to think of this game as what we wanted. And for me… what I needed was for it to be the 5 stages of grief. And if, for someone else, it wasn’t that, then it was whatever THEY needed this game to be. It got me through such trauma. So, really… that’s how I feel about the meaning behind it.
This is a far better interpretation than him being dead the entire time
Definitely a well written, voiced, and edited video essay. You can see the amount of thought going into this. Deserves way more attention and views in my opinion
Wow, thank you! Appreciate you watching.
I'm blown by how thoughtful, throrough, and poignant this essay was. Instant sub. Can't wait to see what you'll release next!
Thank you for your kind words ❤
i have had the song of healing as a tattoo for about 10 years now and it's been one of the most fitting things I've done for myself in a weird way
That's amazing! What a great reminder to carry with you.
The Song of Healing has literally helped me through so many hardships within the last twenty years. Also, check out Theophany's rendition of the song. He made several songs of it. Beautiful music.
ooo, how did you do it? is it written like standard sheet music, or is it written as how it appeared in-game?
@@popsicIes its how it is in game with the c arrow icons and stuff!
I wish I'd had this idea long ago! 😢
17:49 I remember the first time I ever played this game, seeing a little masked boy with purple hair running around Clock town was so weird and unusual, and I really wanted to find out why. Later when I played the game again, beating it, and doing all the side quests, it really broke my heart doing Kafei and Anju's entire quest. I absolutely love Majora's Mask.
Yes, I feel like the routines and schedules of the Clock Town residents infuse the world with mystery. "Who is that person? Where is she going? Why is he wearing a mask? Why is there a hand in the toilet?"
I was with a man for 10 years, and during that 10 years I was subjected to abuse. I received the worst of it when I was 4 months postpartum. I left him and spent the next two years in my own cycle of anger. And then i forgave him. People get mad when I say that because they think it means I went to him, but I didn’t. I just got tired of being angry and trying to change him and letting my life revolve around that. Forgiveness may not have changed him (though it very well could in some cases) but it set me free.
With all that being said, to forgive doesn’t mean you have to come in contact with the person who hurt you, especially if they were abusive. I would actually highly recommend you not contact your abuser at all but rather work on forgiveness from a distance.
I played this game when I was ten. I was a child with trauma that I still deal with to this day. I painfully related to skull kid so much as I never had friends. I was an very anxious kid who was extremely lonely and something about it also made me feel so understood. From such a dark game it was strangely comforting once I got over that fear of it. I've played this game a dozen of times even played multiple randomizer runs. I have memorized almost very detail there is to it. I'm now 32 and currently playing it once again haha. This game has a very special place in my heart. I love it to bits.
This is probably the best analysis I've ever watched on a video game (or any art really.) Connecting this game with the trauma narrative is genius and aligns with my research on trauma. When I was younger I was always deeply impacted by this game's story but couldn't quite understand why. You put the whole game in a perspective that brings me right back to my childhood and spoke out loud what I could only sense symbolically back then. It made me realize that this game was so powerful for me because of my own traumas and witnessing the cycles of trauma (and aggression) play out in myself and others lives. Literally I was in tears at the end partly out of nostalgia but also because I felt a genuine forgiveness for people in my past when you said "forgive your friend." The last 10-15 mins was very powerful for me. Truly an amazing video! Thank you 🙏❤
Honestly the best Majora's mask take I've ever seen ❤
So kind, thank you for saying so
The fact that Majoras Mask is a spiked heart is also very symbolic. This game is well thought out and amazing.
This, this is excellent.
Quality analysis of the game, excellent delivery of your points, and excellent editing to keep my attention focused on the topic. (Sound quality is not an issue, I can assure you.)
Thank you for making this video, as a person still recovering from trauma, this has helped me put the process in context.
More people need to watch this.
Wow, thanks so much for this thoughtful feedback. So glad you enjoyed it!
I might be a couple of years older than you, but it’s nice to hear another woman relate to this game in a similar way that I did. I’ve always felt alone as a female gamer in my late 30s.
But I digress, I loved your analysis. I was a respiratory therapist on a critical care air transport team during OIF, and I can relate to a lot of the things you mentioned about trauma and feeing lost, finding meaning, and so forth.
And agree that the wedding quest is the best. I tried to do it every time I reset. I went by Anju on forums chatting about the game as a teen.
What a nice video, thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Wow, your story gave me chills. Thank you for your service. Can’t even imagine what that must have been like.
You know the funny thing is, I didn’t realize how “rare” we millennial female gamers are, or at least on RUclips, until folks started commenting on it. I’ve been playing games for so long, I forget that the other girls I grew up with mostly didn’t play.
The reason MM holds a solid and dear 2nd place in my all-time favorite Zelda games (the 1st place belongs to Link's Awakening) is because Majora's Mask spoke to me. And I am sure it spoke directly to many of you too. It is a very well done game that allows you to retell an always different story with different characters throughout the 3-day cycle each story actually lasts. Romani & Cremia. Anju & Kafei. Lulu's children in need of rescue. Pamela and his dad. It's always a different storyline you can always replay, with different results each time. It's a cleverly designed game product of the technical limitations of the console. Each decision lays out a different results in the world you're currently living. In the end, you realize you cannot please and help everyone every time, and even though it is possible in MM if you time your targets carefully, even doing that will teach you you'll only get tired from running so much. It's a mirror image of the world, a "what if" turned into a game, regarding a what would happen if you could travel back in time and try to help as many people as you can. You just can't. You'll soon learn you cannot heal people while healing others at the same time. You just can't. Live with that.
Learn to live in the world and feel good for trying to do your best, but don't overdo it, and don't feel bad for not being able to help everyone. Sometimes, people must learn to heal themselves, and you cannot heal people who don't want to partake in their own healing.
Awesome analysis.
What an incredible video.
The way you connected trauma to these models of grief drove home the point, and your own added thoughts and feelings had an empath like me crying. I have always played games at face value but adding a layer of reality for the protagonist and NPCs really plucks the heart strings.
As someone that has navigated these roads as an adult human there are no truer words than, "Time starts to move again."
I think my 'majoras mask moment' was seeing cremia deciding to give romani some of the chateau romani, so she could feel like an adult before they died. The second time I had a Moment while playing this was the girl protecting her father in the music box house, and then finally the anju and kafei side quest, after I lost the mask to hakon the first time; watching kafei be stuck there having failed his mission and knowing anju would be there waiting for him, in vain, yeh those three moments really messed with me. And then at the end when you see the butler and his son, and then it clicks that, that was his son, really hurt. I think red dead redemption 2 is the most recent game that had profound affect on me like Majora's mask did to me as a kid.
Interesting on RDR 2. Would never have thought to play that game, but I may need to check it out now.
my majora's mask "why" is the guy you end up getting the bunny hood from in romani ranch. i regularly have to remind myself that this is the piece of the gameplay "puzzle" he fulfills, because whenever i think of him in my mind, he's just the guy who's already depressed and barely hanging onto life, but the one thing that's kept him going all this time, the one thing he's going to regret when the moon falls, is that he didn't get to watch the little chicks he cares about grow up into the adults they're meant to be. for me, personally, he's painfully relatable, in that he's found a small amount of meaning in an otherwise meaningless life, something that others might find mundane but gives him the strength to continue on another day, to hope for something in the future. when the end is all but at his doorstep, all he wants is this simple fulfillment, this one last affirmation of joy and meaning and the things he cares about, to remember and appreciate being alive before everything is over.
it's such a small thing with such a minor character, but it's all of these little moments that, inevitably, someone will resonate with, that gives majora's mask such a strong sense of identity and purpose.
Dude I'm sobbing. This was Brilliant.
It always made me so sad how lonely, abandoned and angry the Skull Kid was. Him being consumed by Majora's Mask parallels Smeagol/Gollum being consumed by the Ring.
What if “Forgive your friend” was referring to Link forgiving Navi for leaving :’(
I always interpreted it as this since Tatl seems confused. It felt like the giant was speaking to Link directly, who wasn’t friends with the Skull Kid at this point, leaving Navi as the obvious contender.
@@henhouse oof, right in the feels
As I've gotten older, I feel like the major theme of the game is relief. Relief from the anger, sadness, grief, or even just general boredom. You only need relief, or more appropriately, healing, when things aren't well, and many of the people in Termina aren't well. So many of the characters lives are burdened by something happening that could be relieved, even if it isn't the thing that's bothering them the most.
The song of healing plays a major part in the game, but you rarely even use the song outside of mainline story events. You can't just magically play a song and heal everyone from their hurt, and they put a major focus on you taking action, no matter how small, to help someone in need rather than magically waving it away.
Getting a goron his last meal, because he's stuck on a cliff and freezing. Helping Cuccoos to mature so their caretaker can see them grow up before they all die to the moon. Literally just hearing someone out, venting their frustration about their jealousy of a dog and the guilt they feel for succumbing to it when they stole its mask.
It puts an emphasis on the little things we take for granted every day that make our lives a little bit better that we only realize in retrospect, or when they're gone. There's also some things you really _can't_ fix. It doesn't shy away from telling you that there's some issues where no matter what you do, someone will get hurt, and you can't help everyone.
Great comment
When you said "What could give Link's life more meaning than saving the world?" that gave me a new perspective on breath of the wild's Link as well. He's been locked away from the world for 100 years, his family and everyone he knew is dead, he lost his house, his sword, he lost his "clothes*, he has quite literally nothing left to lose at the beginning of the game.
This game was frustrating as hell to start but also the most rewarding to finish.
The Stone Tower Temple is easily the greatest temple design I have ever seen on any Zelda game. Visually and musically.
Ikana Canyon / Valley is unlike nothing else.
Couldn’t agree more. This and maaaaybe the Cistern from SS are my faves… and even then….Stone Temple is probably my number one. Every time I play it, I can’t believe they really made it as good as it is.
I remember picking up the game again ~5 years after giving up on the Zora egg dungeon. I LOVED the Ikana portion. I really like how they incorporated this whole unspoken war between people and the collapse of a kingdom that’s only explained in a few bits of subtext and dialogue, and yet you can *feel* it when you explore the area. The slow eerie music like all other tragically damned areas just sounds a bit too off, then the music box starts playing, and it’s so much worse.
Stone Tower Temple was such a great conclusion to this part of the game. The music was my introduction to MM so I was very excited to hear the song in its intended atmosphere. The dungeon was also one of the few I didn’t have to rely heavily on a guide for in MM to finish within the time limit (not that it was easy, but it was more fun and intuitive than the first and third).
To this day Stone Tower Temple, ancient castle of Ikana, and elegy of emptiness are my favorite pieces of music in Zelda.
Who thought that some simple analysis of Majora's Mask would reach so deeply... genuinely made me cry. Thank you.
Hi y’all! Notes and updates below:
-I am sorry that Closed Captions are not available just yet. I am working on getting those up ASAP.
-I continue to work to improve my audio. This new mic sounds better than my old one, I think. But still, vocal fry and air supply continue to be barriers. I promise I am continuing to work to improve this. Thank you for your patience and support.
-Multiple people have commented on the spoiler warning for an old game. With a new Zelda game recently released, we have new Zelda fans joining the ranks every day, and they haven’t played the early 3D titles. Just trying to be polite to the newcomers.
doesnt CC get AI generated
You should know that music cuts off at 40:00 and then starts 40:53. Doesn't really matter and ig the video was still going while I was going through the comments but all in all I think this was an AMAZING analysis
your being to critical of yourself. your audio quality is good, only thing you could maybe add is a screen Infront of your mic so you sound a little less breathy and the S sounds dont carry as long
@@UnrebornMortuusit does…with varying degrees of accuracy
@@RoseasukoLOL I did not notice it until you pointed it out. I oughta hire you as a proofer 😉
When you described the way you returned to the inn after the Keeton quest, you unlocked a forgotten or maybe suppressed memory of doing the exact same thing myself as a teen. Had to suppress tears, especially since that camera angle you use was the very place I stood.
Somehow I forgot that part, and typically remember the quest on the Keeton side, the child side as he was turned into a child that looks like a child playing a game of pretend, especially where he was hiding out. Like my mind prefers to remember it as the fun innocent side instead of the sadness.
I love that the entire feeling of the game is so beautifully summed up at the beginning, though. The words "You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?" will be with me until the day I meet my ultimate fate. And the words "Dawn of the final day, 24 hours remain" comes to me at every meaningful deadline in my life, even those of joy such as my own wedding roughly 9 years ago. I think the 3 day cycle and its impact act like the stamp that drives this game's imprint onto our souls. Its pressure give weight to the game's events, and even the joyful moments press on you like a warm embrace.
Sorry, I got a little deep there for a moment. Let me play the song and reset to a more joyful place and time. ❤❤🩹🥰
This channel deserves more recognition for content like this! Video was very interesting :D
Thank you!
Yes it was but I could not give it a like because there's no justifiable reason for this to go on for 40 minutes.
Love the video, it's wonderfully crafted! Majora's Mask is a special entry in the Zelda series for me. I've struggled with depression for years, every relapse feels so traumatic, and I feel like I lose so much time to these dark periods in my life. The themes, the mechanics, and connections through the characters really hits home. No matter how many times I revisit Majora's Mask, the game still shakes me up emotionally, and has me turning inward with just a little more strength to face my own demons.
I hope that you get the healing and support that you need. Thank you for watching
Ive recently recovered from trauma thanks to a close friend and this definitely hits close to home. Half of the stuff said on skull kid was kinda mirrored in their behaviors when their fear of abandonment kicked in months after I got to know them and dissappeared which genuinely terrified me never having forged such a close connection, I eventually found out near 4 weeks in that they were in even deeper trauma than me and decided Id forgive them but they came back a week after that and I wanted to bring up I knew the truth but then they started avoiding me and acting passive aggressive but it was near 2 months after that where I finally wanted to tell them that its ok because I knew it was all rooted in fear and just validating that unconditionally really did change them after that.
They still have minor episodes but now theyre more comfortable on bringing up their struggles in a healthier way and Im really happy overall that we made somewhat of a recovery together. Its brought out some really heavy doubts the first 3 weeks and made me relive so much of my emotional abuse I wanted to numb out even 5 years after it happened, Ive genuinely never felt so heavily hurt by 1 action. But once I found out why everything happened I found out that I did have value and even before they dissappeared they were already starting the healing process (and myself partly) its just I accidentally triggered them, in an odd way those 2 months of silence were a good patience test and all the time I needed to reground myself finally so I could properly reconnect in a meaningful way and try to heal them too, and 3 months in Ive never been happier with not only a permanent renewed look on life but knowing I finally made a difference on something that I wanted to tackle.
Even after everything I still hold them in the highest regard and in spite of that error I trust them 100% because theyve shown me before and after it went ugly that they do care just trauma can really cause them to do things that self fulfill their deepest fears.
This is my favorite video. I’ve had trauma and guilt and this video has helped me understand my experience and give me a mental device to process it. I had a lot of chronic stressors and setbacks that made me feel disconnected from myself and others. I didn’t feel emotionally like I used to because it felt like a meaningless effort and made for interpersonal struggles. But I reached out to people and have found inner strength from overcoming the obstacles and now feel moved to help others. I graduate with a psych degree in three weeks and feel like I now find part of my identity in providing something to others. Thank you 😊
This was an amazing breakdown that lead me to recognize a lot of my own trauma, and the fact that i've let it destroy me for so long. I still have a lot to do to move past, well the past but you gave me the tools to see what I'm doing wrong in my recovery period. This was also an amazing take on one of my favorite video games of all time
16:34
the “moment” that strikes my chord with Termina is playing the goron lullaby for the elder’s son😭. I went through a similar situation as a child, so easing his pain hit home for me, reconnected me, gave me purpose.
The last night after midnight was such an emotional time. Everything from the music,to seeing everyone final moments. Anju & Kafei had me in tears.
This video was good. I'm waterworks.
It takes a certain kind of 'broken' person to love Majora's Mask.
To this day it remains my favorite game of all time _because_ it speaks to, what I now understand in my adult life, as nihilism.
It is the meaninglessness of all of your actions as Link.
In the end, all you do, or rather, what you've through and done, _won't_ matter at all.
Nothing that you do sticks, but it is important that you do them regardless because you want to help others move on from the pain and trauma that hunts them; a trauma that _you_ as the player know won't go away because of the time loop.
It is truly meaningless and futile yet very important to keep pushing on.
You seek to help others accomplish that which you can't do (let go) because even Link, at the end of the game, doesn't move on. He goes right back to searching for Navi, and we know that eventually leads him to.
To summarise the Skull Kid's situation: he misinterpreted the departure of the giants as being rejected by them, when in reality, they had an ordinance to comply with as the guardians of Termina. Unfortunately, the Skull Kid was not able to grasp the reality of the situation, and the pain caused by the perceived rejection began to tarnish his heart. Although he found new friendship and solace in Tatl and Tael, the Skull Kid was still hurting from the idea of having been abandoned, seeking to justify his pain by playing mischievous pranks on people. However, upon obtaining Majora's Mask after knocking out the Happy Mask Salesman in the woods, the Skull Kid's shenanigans take a more radical turn...but it's not until the end of the game that the actual culprit is exposed. When Tatl eventually realises that the Skull Kid was being exploited by the evil spirit possessing the mask, she is also able to resolve her grudge against him... And as the Skull Kid finally realises that the four giants had not rejected him, he too is released from the frustrations that were caused by a mere oblivious misunderstanding... The forgiveness that we are witnessing, as such, is therefore about the unfolding realisation of a misunderstanding. The four giants knew that the Skull Kid was not the true perpetrator, and therefore inclined that Talt and Link should not see him as their enemy: "Forgive your friend", because he is possessed by an evil spirit of destruction and not responsible for his malicious acts...
For me personally, that last part you wrote there makes a lot of sense. My interpretation of that was how people get possessed by their anger, fear, ect, after traumatic events or overall just bad things that effect us continuously. Skull Kid getting possessed by Majora feels like a representation of that. and like you said he was possessed by an evil spirit, therefore not responsible for his acts. Majora, the evil spirit, could be a representation of anger and fear. I could be reading into it a bit too much, but that was my take.
This game has been one of my favorites for well over 20 years at this point, It has had such an inpact on my life, how I think about things, how I interact with the world, the story of the game has shaped my very core being and for that i'm greatful.
Just as someone adding their own thoughts:
As someone who is a younger Majora's Mask fan, the game feels very much relatable in weird ways.
Honestly it feels like a way of conveying the experience of trauma with how you say, but also conveying the sense of insanity and the many issues trauma can cause.
The stone tower temple, as to how I relate to it, is the feeling of emptiness that came with being unable to start the recovery process and forcing a false stoicism to events that should be considered traumatic.
My moment of Majora´s Mask is all the Mikau´s healing. He on his last moment of breath and sing with all his might to comunicate all what´s inside his own hearth for not acomplished the rescue of his son´s and dying in regret leaving his childrens and her wife alone, and when we play the healing song we´ve see what he wanted to do, insanely sad an devastating.
I always thought "Forgive your friend" was directed at Link. It made me think that Link may be angry at Navi for leaving him, that while she did something that hurt him, she did not do it specifically to hurt him. Forgiveness is something that takes courage and the heart of a hero to find, and it is one of the key differences between Link and Majora, who are so much alike; while Link eventually can let go of the grief and the power he has, Majora holds onto it and is filled with wrath until the very end.
3:15 THANK YOU!! I get so flipping tired of every Majora Analysis video talking about the structure of grief when the game clearly goes above and beyond that!
Edit: Wow, this may be my favorite deep dive into the meaning and take away from this game, fantastic video!
Thank you, Skull Kid!
This video deserves way more likes. Ive had this in my 'watch later' playlist for months and i finally put it on to help me fall asleep and i was riveted the whole time. I love how you framed the story and game mechanics of majora through the lense of trauma recovery. This video actually really gave me a lot to think about, which is so cool because i didnt think there could be anything new to consider for majora since ive played it many times and feel very familiar with it. I always knew that the subtext was that link was working through trauma from OoT but i dont think i had considered that the entire 3 day cycle, the structure of the whole game, could be an allegory for the way unresolved trauma traps you in that moment and you relive it over and over again seeking closure. Thats really impressive! I always thought the time crunch was just referencing the developers race to complete the game by their deadline in the wake of Ocarinas success, but youve expanded my thinking. The part that got me the most was when you said that the reason Link was looking for Navi in the beginning(the one factor that i never quite understood) was because she was the one character who would still recognize him as a hero, as otherwise he had been stripped of that identity when he saved hyrule. But in termina he was able to carve out a new identity as a healer. Now that im an adult and have encountered my own trauma that stripped me of who i considered myself to be, i feel like my own experience and your video has given me an even more intimate connection with the game, which i didnt think was possible. Bravo, ill definitely be keeping an eye on your channel from now on.
Edited a typo
Herein lies the fundamental difference between the villain:
Something bad happened to me , and now I want others to feel my pain. (Skullkid).
Something bad happened to me, and now I want to make sure nobody else feels this pain. (Link).
Ive seen a lot of videos on majoras mask because i love the concept of the game. But this video goes so much deeper than that anything I had seen in the past that, as someone who recently was able to break away from over a decade of undiagnosed PTSD, it had me crying because of how... Real the comparisons were.
It makes me appreciate the time system so much more. Its frustrating seeing situations play out in front of you time and time again. Feeling helpless that nothing you do is changing anything as you continue with your goal of stopping majora. Because even if you're reliving the same events over and over again... Life goes on.
But that's what makes it so brilliant. You CAN break the cycle, its NOT fun but when you finally get things done right, and it sticks. Its a feeling better than anything you could imagine. You used the experiences of suffering time and time again to constantly learn. You can give up on the game or give up on everyone around you and just move on with YOUR life without resolving anything, but trying to set things right and have it stick for the rest if your life is a feeling no item or amount of money can compare to.
And even further, you can try everything you can but not everything can be fixed. You will have to live the rest of your life knowing that something or someone was left behind... And it sucks. But that's okay! Life isn't perfect and the scars that never fully heal just inform us about who we are and what we've learned.
This is an amazing analysis of both the overall themes of the game, and the nature of the characters within! Especially Skull kid, you're thoughts have really elevated the character for me.
Thinking back, I've seen some commentaries try to tackle explaining these things, but only vaguely. I haven't seen any that've been able to do so, so clearly and well thought out. And not all in one, video that's not the length of a feature film.
It's always very telling how much effort is put in when something is both well thought out and concise. Very impressive!
This video was recommended to me 2 days after it was uploaded. Coincidentally, 2 days prior, my cat had died of heart failure. I couldn't really get past the intro since I was still mourning at the time, but decided I would come back to this later. It felt like something I needed to sit and watch and reflect on. Now, over a week later, I'm glad I came back to it. (Only cried once!)
Majora's Mask was the first game that ever made me "feel things", so it was nice to look at your perspective of it. It matches mine in a lot of ways.
The world feels so depressing and hopeful at the same time you know? It's one of the few games where actions feel impactful because time marches on whether you act or not.
This video was cathartic and I appreciate it.
Oh, I am so so sorry to hear this sad news. I am so glad this video helped you in some way. I hope you are taking care of yourself
Brilliant video! I've played Majora's Mask so many times and I was still able to learn new things about it from your analysis. Your dissection of Skull Kid's trauma hit close to home and let me appreciate Majora's Mask from yet another new angle. Great stuff!
Wow, I’m so glad it was personally meaningful in some way. Thank you!
@@thecreepythecozy8891same. I've played Majoras Mask many times (I'm prob gonna play it again after this vid LOL. I've played it since it came out on the N64) and it gave me another new appreciation for the game and it's layers. Great video!
Playing MM as a child in an abusive household helped me process the trauma of surviving my daily life. Termina was someplace with comfort and routine where I knew what would happen. The first time I heard Song of Healing just... made me want to continue.
My moment is on the last day when Cermia says she’s going to give the milk stand in for alcohol to Romani so she doesn’t pass painfully when the moon falls. It’s absolutely gut wrenching and gets me every single time
Even though I know it’s coming, it makes me tear up every time
Thank you so much for making this video. I don't think I've ever had something so incredibly specific surface in my recommendations at a point in my life where I needed it as much as I did last night.
Majora's Mask is near and dear to me like so many others, a game I've played over and over again since childhood and never got tired of. The Hero of Time duology and the invisible tragedy in its protagonist as a child combat veteran really began to make sense to me as an adult with Link having nobody who truly understood but Navi by the end of everything, who left once her purpose was fulfilled.
The five stages of grief analysis in regards to Majora's Mask is something that was quite common all the way back then but never resonated with me. Applying an interpersonal trauma narrative to the duology makes an INCREDIBLE amount of sense and this video was informative, cathartic, and deeply comforting. I love being able to look at my favorite media in new ways and maybe everything you've described here is why I like this game so much, from playing as a character you've come to love from Ocarina of Time, to the soundtrack, to the themes of personal tragedy, healing, and forgiveness.
It was all very informative! I hope to see more content like this in the future, thank you for sharing this.
the music in Majora's Mask hits in very special way. somber but beautiful at the same time. Truly a classic. Video game music really knows how to make you feel emotion threw there sound.
One of my favorite things is when someone takes a look at something i love and brings a new perspective and points out things i didnt realize. This is a great example of exactly that
Majoras Mask was my favorite Zelda game growing up. I can't tell you how many times I played it. When I was down or troubled I would redo the dungeons and just swim around in the ocean over and over. It was my favorite thing to do.
One of the best Majora's Mask retrospectives I've seen in a while. I gotta say, there were several times that I had to pause the vid and walk away just to process what you said. That bit around 16:30 put me down for a good 5 minutes. That's it, those two sentences are why this is my favorite Zelda, and one of my favorite games of all time.
Your experience with Kafei/Anju is exactly what I went through. I remember it clearly, sitting in my father's living room with my sister just months after my parents' divorce (and 9/11, you know). I remember we sat for in-game hours just watching her, unable to shout at the screen, and knowing that we had to move on, let them Not Be Together for this Cycle... and for how many leading up to this point, and how many more after? Agonizing.
UGH, the feels.
I came here expecting it to be a little bit close to home, but that ending nearly made me tear up. I love this. I love this video so much.
❤️
As a fan of Zelda, Majora's Mask is one of my favourites, and your analysis is so well done. At one point, I was even feeling insulted, but that's a sign that this analysis was well done! Thank you for opening up such an amazing perspective.
Thank you for this. I’ve had trouble understanding over the past near twenty-three years why this game resonated with me so strongly as a teenager (and has kept its graces there in my top three Zelda games ever since) but your analysis has been very illuminating. Kudos
So glad you enjoyed it!
I've seen many of Majora's mask analysis, but yours takes the cake. I like the angle of trauma, healing and forgiveness. Makes me realize how a game that was made in short time constraints is a gift that keeps in giving.
My "Majora's Mask moment" was that flashback cutscene about the Skull Kid. I loved that character and always felt sorry for him; he was just a kid who went through a bad experience and didn't know how to properly handle his emotions, and ended up hurting people as a result. I wanted to free him from Majora and let him know that I (well, Link) could be his friend, and he didn't have to feel so alone. I played the game and did the side quests, but it was Skull Kid I felt I was playing for.
This is seriously one of my favorite youtube videos out there. Such a brilliant video essay and analysis. I am one of those people stuck in their mental health crap for years and years and years...still trapped and trying to figure out what the hell I'm going to do and how the hell I'm going to do it...feeling like I will never get better, struggling with treatment and therapies...taking one step forward and then 10 steps back...I come back to this video every so often to try to help myself. Zelda means so much to me, and this game goes so much deeper than I ever before thought. The way you picked up on these themes is just...I'll say it again, brilliant. 🖤
Amazing video and great work in the analysis! I’m so glad to see someone cover this about Majora. I too have dove into the game over and over growing up even though it is confusing and frustration (now without my 3DS I just read the dialogue though), and I felt that the story is more about the Skull Kid’s healing than anything else. The only part of the story I ever cared about was when he says he will be friends with everyone again.
I would like to add my personal interpretation of the Skull Kid as a character. Canon LoZ material confirms that Termina is a world created by the Skull Kid with the help of the mask. Termina is a world where the people strongly resemble their Hyrule counterparts, but with different names and stories. Everyone is the same, but they are in pain. Canon LoZ material including the game includes the story that the giants abandoned the skull kid, but I don’t really think it’s a literal story. Skull kids are born when a child is lost in the lost woods without a fairy. The skull kid from MM is the same skull kid Link tried to befriend in OoT by teaching him Saria’s song.
Because of these strings of evidence, along with the world of OoT’s Hyrule, I believe that it is impossible for the giants story to be literally true. They do not exist outside of Termina. Termina was created by the Skull Kid with the power of Majora. Therefore, I think it’s moreso an allegory for his actual trauma. He was a child lost in the woods without anyone to guide him, similar to Link. He may have been abandoned by his parents (if the giants story has any more literal merit) and left to die in the forest. He steals Majora’s mask out of anger for everyone around him, for never saving him, for leaving him alone, for never stopping to say hello or doing anything to help him: that is, aside from Link.
Tatl and Tael become his fairies for navigating the woods. He greatly values their company as parental figures. It is unknown when this happens and whether or not they exist outside of Skull Kid’s created world.
Regardless, he uses the mask to make a land where everyone he may have remembered from the little time he wasn’t a lost child was also suffering. They never helped him. The only people spared from this wrath are the Mask Salesman (the creator of the original skull mask which he valued greatly), the fairies (who act as older siblings that take the role of absent parents), and of course, the one person that ever stopped to befriend him: Link.
Skull Kid never forgot Link. He mentions him in the end of the game as the boy who taught him the song. Although they were friendly, Link too disappears from Skull Kid’s life; so now he must earn the imp’s trust again by playing in his sick twisted game of twice weekly apocalypse.
There’s also the whole aspect of what Majora is. I do believe the mask literally exists in the game separate from Termina and the Skull Kid (confirmed in A Link Between Worlds). It was potentially created by the same tribe that made the mask in Twilight Princess (forged shadow I think?). The mask holds immense power and is able to create and destroy its wearer’s own pocket worlds. This is what Termina is.
Termina *is* the Skull Kid’s recovery journey. It’s an unhealthy one full of inflicting unnecessary suffering, but the strength of Link to heal the world around him influences the Skull Kid. Eventually, his own actions force him to confront those he was most angry at: whoever left him abandoned in the woods as a child. But he forgives them. And everyone forgives him.
I don’t know if the writers of the game thought of any of this when writing it, and it doesn’t really matter to me if they did. I love how this game has spoken to something in so many people: about death, about trauma, about healing, about loneliness, about meaning in limited life, etc.
EDIT: I did care about other parts of the story and was very invested, but I tended to rush the side quests so that I could save skull kid. They were important, I just cared more about healing the villain. Idk why
this game came out before i was born, so i never actually beat it, but for some reason the line skull kid says after the four giants forgive him, "you still thought of me as a friend?" literally made me tear up and idk why
This deserves SO many more views. This video made me view this game and some of my own experiences differently. Thank you.
I am genuinely grateful that this was personally meaningful to you. Thanks for commenting!
This was the game that my I played with my dog next to me all the time late at night when everyone was asleep. I cried when I first finished it. It was the first Zelda game I ever finished and everything about it related to something I was going through at the time. I was depressed, lost, and wanted more than anything to disappear. I felt hopeless and every day was the same cycle of sadness. I finished this game with him wagging his little tail next to me. I was 17 then. He died when I turned 27.. I turn 30 this year and I still play it to think of him and think of those times I felt scared and hopeless and how this game got us both out of that bad situation. We're free from that place now, but never forgotten. Just like the souls in Majora's Mask. Words cannot describe how much I love this game and owe my life and my best friend's life and the memories we shared because of it. You did an excellent video, sis. Well done.
This is exceptional.
On all levels.
I can’t wait to see the success that this video brings to you and your channel.
And I know I’m not the only one already looking forward to your next upload…
Thank you so very much!
Amazing video, exceptionally well structured and presented! Seems like I have yet another book I need to add to the long list of "Should definitely read this but probably won't"...
I always fail to explain to people (who didn't play the game themselves) why the wedding sidequest affected me in the way it did. You could explain the entire plot in detail and establish all the context to somebody and it still wouldn't be enough to actually convey how profound this moment is when you're actually involved. To the player it feels like being there for someone in their final moments but to an "outsider" it will always be a mere bittersweet story.
To this day still "We will greet the morning...together." and the surrounding context have such a lasting impact on me. The unflinching acceptance Anju and Kafei are showing to their dire circumstances and how they are completely content with it just because they have been reunited has always been incredibly moving to me. I've always had a fascination with characters who are able to die with a smile and I guess this one sequence ticks all the boxes for me.
We all carry some trauma in us, every single person, some more - some less, but being able to just accept your fate in the end and smile is something only the smallest percentage of people will ever be blessed with. Most people will never even be able to accept their pain and actually heal from it to begin with. But that's exactly why I think those kinds of stories carry such emotional weight and potential for self-reflection.
There's very few games I've played in my life which I could describe as genuinely therapeutic, but Majora's Mask is definitely at the top of that pantheon, right next to Gris.
Absolutely. Thank you for sharing
Hermana, me encantó tu video, gracias. Como una sobreviviente de algunos traumas feos y también como una ex-agresora, me conmovieron mucho tus palabras. Sería hermoso que, cuando estén listos los subtítulos, también se pudiesen traducir al español para así compartirlo con mi amigues.
Aguante la sanación y resignificación del trauma
:)
Gracias 🙏🏻