Something else I want to add in regard to 19/The Departure - it isn't just Cassie beginning to see the Yeerks as individuals and not "all evil" - it's right after book 18 where they learn there are Andalites cooperating with the Yeerks, and the Andalites are OK with nuking an entire continent to keep the Yeerks for invading a planet, and that they're not "all good". The book doesn't get into it much, but the greater narrative does a lot there to inform Cassie's arc, I think, as to why she's tired by the war, open to looking for alternative solutions, and willing to see Aftran as Aftran, and not as a monolithic evil yeerk
I haven't finished watching, so maybe you bring this up, but there are a ton of parallels between Cassie and the Ellimist. She's a temporal anchor/anomaly, and senses when timelines are off. She is tuned into and cares about life, even when she makes decisions that hurt it in the short term. Her nuking one termite hive to help save humanity, and Earth's greater bio diversity, is a very Ellimist style action, looking at the long term and bigger picture. Her being the best morpher and sensing Ax's call because of her affinity to life. Her picking up on a lot of the more supernatural mentions, like the whale mythology, or the animal spirits, and the like. Her planting the seeds of the Yeerks peace movement, and later giving them the tech that helps save them after the war. She uses a more thoughtful approach, using words to avoid infighting and heading things off before they become big deals, like you mentioned in the first book with the argument about going thru the construction site. She'll sacrifice a pawn like the cop controller to play a larger/longer term game. She shepherds and protects the skunk kits much like the Ellimist does the Animorphs. Etc, there are a ton of things, esp before the ghost writers take over. I'll leave as an exercise to the reader what it means for Rachel, and Crayak being Cassie and the Ellimist's foils.
I did not draw that connection, but it's definitely valid. And the Rachel-Crayak one is too, especially if your interpretation of the Ellimist-Crayak conflict is that it's order vs chaos. Rachel certainly emo embodies the chaos and conflict in our cast of characters.
I am happy to see Cassie getting more analysis than just the blanket of "she's an annoying hypocrite" that so many people give her. Honestly, KAA and Michael did a fantastic job of nuanced characters, so the fact that everyone just writes Cassie off is a disservice. Were there certain failings? Yes. Is Cassie sometimes the most cruel of them all? Yes. We all have to agree her alternative to killing David was worse than death, right?
yeah I'm glad I decided to revisit her character before like, spending three videos yelling about how much I love Marco. I already feel like I overlooked a ton about Cassie after making this, and I have so much to get into still
Rediscovering Animorphs again since my first read as a kid, and I'm surprised to learn fans dislike Cassie! Rachel was my fav, but I never thought Cassie moralizing (maybe her views didn't conflict with mine enough to leave an impression). I've always remembered her as smart, capable, and empathetic - she was shown to be the best at morphing, plus her knowledge about animals and connection to them was real cool imo. That said, I was never in it for the action, the draw for me was experiencing what it might be like to be other animals. Also, the bizarro high-concept scifi and espionage, and the weird philosophical questions constantly being raised *shrugs*
I always related to Cassie. She understood animals more than people and I’m the same way. I always thought of myself as a mix of Cassie and Rachel in that I’m hot headed and fiery like Rachel but love animals more than most people like Cassie.
Cassie doesn't love animals more than people, though. She seems to loves them both equally. Which makes her different than the others, who value human life more than animal life. Although in #25 Cassie did say she values human life above animals when they had to eat a seal in order to survive.
I'm surprised nearly everyone talks about not being able to relate to Cassie. Is it partially because people who are like her are less likely to read sci-fi? It also seems to me that pacifism and eco-activism is a lot less common than it was in the 90's when Animorphs started. And in fact, both are rather unpopular now. That's kind of sad to me. Two causes where people want to do good, and yet the public mostly associates them with hypocrisy because they're aspirational, not practical. Nobody can save every life or preserve all of nature. It's the individual actions that make the difference, just like saving a pair of Hork Bajir, or befriending one Yeerk. This idea of one good deed snowballing into a huge change was really big back then. I don't know where I'm going with this, except to say that Cassie actually is the Animorph that I identify with the most. I have that sentimental streak of dreaming that I can fight violence with words, but the experience to know that this isn't how fighting works. And Cassie clearly knows that too, which is why she defers to Jake most of the time. I think that if Cassie found herself in a traditional war and had the choice to stay a medic, she would. In addition being a literal child, she's not cut out to be a soldier. It's her sense of responsibility that keeps her fighting on the front lines as much as she does.
I think you're correct about the reason why a lot of people didn't relate to Cassie. She's also just not as flashy as the rest of the Animorphs, at least to middle-grade eyes. Agreed about pacifism and eco-activism. It is easy to write off aspirational things that people care deeply about, or find a reason to invalidate a viewpoint that makes you uncomfortable. My favorite example is that if you use a smartphone, you are contributing to whatever humanitarian atrocities arise out of cobalt mining. EVERYONE uses a smartphone, so should we all just never speak up about any humanitarian crisis? The logical extreme to that is that there is no point doing anything good, ever, and that's not the world I want to live in. You have to work with the tools you have, and every day has new opportunities for you to do some small positive thing. It doesn't cancel out the negative things you may do or inadvertently contribute to, they all just exist together. But I'd rather leave some happiness and kindness in my wake than just give up because the change I actually want to make is too aspirational. I am having a hard time articulating specifically what I mean here, but I think you and I are on the same page. And Cassie kicks ass.
I vascilate between loving Cassie (I'm a tree hugger at heart), and being too annoyed to live by her timid moral stances (I've also been to war, and dealt with all that, personally). I would rate Cassie a solid "it's complicated" on a scale of 1-10. I really dislike the side plot of her and Jake, too. I like her as Jake's advisor and diplomat, though. She makes a good balance to Rachael and Marco and the influence they would have on Jake if she wasn't there to moderate
Cassie is the best and has always been my favorite (with Marco). All of her books always grappled with the biggest ethical questions. She was the one who engaged in the honest questions about their fight, and how. Also, she's super compassionate and kind, which I love about her.
Very well-articulated, some very good points being made! I'm actually in the process of rereading the series myself-I'll be keeping some of those in mind when I hit the last couple books touched upon in the video. Any chance of part two ever coming out anytime soon? I'd love to see further character dissection as it ramps up in her late series books.
I don't think it's right to say that there is no right or wrong in wars, because this series definitely taught me that there are always right and wrong things. Just because of the situations that make you do the wrong things in the road of trying to do something right, does not make it less wrong. The reasons just explained the actions not justify it , and people should always try to find alternative solutions instead of just accepting things for what it was, which the Animorphs did try many times (although not always success in doing so).
I love her more the more I read animorphs. The first half of her arc, at least. I mean she's also critical to the final solution to the Yeerk invasion, but the whole tom situation towards the end kind of hurts her standing. But yeah she's excellent
(Full disclosure: I love Cassie) I think Cassie is vital to not only the series, as you argue so well here, but also to the reader reception. One of the things we seem to all love about Animorphs was how it was so distinct from every other "wake up, go to school, fight evil" series. You don't actually see the trauma and ethical arguments of Power Rangers, right. But we were all raised *on* those stories and I think that leaves us with a sort of baked in "just fight the bad guys" ideology. Like, we intellectually know there might be moral grey areas, but emotionally we want to see the monster get punched. By the logic of adventure stories (and war stories) you *have* to fight, which makes people who don't want to... well, the wet blanket Cassie is often accused of being. So naturally your average 9 is going to first pick up the series and go "aw yeah, get those yeerks". And I'm honestly not sure that the occasional ethical argument or trauma scene would have completely overwritten the narrative thread we had been told countless times to expect. Just as much as the *Animorphs* need Cassie to pull them back and ask "hey, is this okay actually", *we the readers* need to be pulled back and see the same question played out. And sure, maybe we adults rereading (or reading for the first time) don't need it as much - and, sure, some of the lines she drew were a little odd, deontology is difficult - but I do think the original audience benefited greatly by her.
Deontology is a cool word. Good points, there definitely is a built-in expectation that the fight will occur by necessity, because we are sitting and reading a book. As an adult and a child I am kind of impatient when consuming fiction. I often find myself "just wanting to get on with it" during the ethical discussions rather than appreciating the subject matter. Rereading the series with the intention of making videos about it has forced me to appreciate it now, which is kind of the point I guess. But that is also, of course, subjective. I like Cassie more now than I did as a kid, I know that much.
It is a shame we never got Aftran or Toby as animorphs and their own novel in sequence. I find the insight Ax has to be interesting. Even the way he describes and narrates is different than the kids
@marcello if they ever reboot the series... adding her into the cycle of books would be pretty dope IMO. But man, after reading the Attack, an reboot or reprint probably would censor these books to an incredible length. Hopefully that wouldn't happen
When it comes to the subject of killing in Animorphs, I find it interesting how Tobias and Cassie's first killing differs. Tobias seems more deeply affected over killing a mouse than Cassie does over a human being. Tobias is so overwhelmed and upset that he nearly commits suicide. (Most likely with full knowledge of it even though his hawk brain was panicking and telling him to fly to the sky.) Meanwhile, Cassie killed a person with full knowledge of what she was doing in the beginning of the book and didn't seem to have the same kind of hysterical reaction like Tobias. She didn't have any conflict with whether it was her losing control of the animals mind or if it was entirely her decision. Yet I suspect that perhaps she might've felt extreme guilt about it from the very beginning which is what kind of fuels her determination in the rest of the series to 'do the right thing'. Maybe her moralizing and self righteousness stemmed from that single event from the very beginning. For me, one of the most poignant moments (around the end of the series) is when Rachel kills a controller in morph. They are ambushed by controllers and manage to fight them off. When Ax has defeated one, it pleads to let him go. The Controller was planning to desert and stay in the body of a hawk forever and said he just needed a little more time then he would be free. Ax gives him mercy and lets him go. The controller thanks Ax and flies away. Rachel does kill the Controller though afterwards. This is another subtle moment of another Yeerk who you can empathize with when it didn't even get a whole book to itself like Aftran did.It was only a couple paragraphs and made a substantial impact on me in the book. This unnamed Yeerk was not evil or part of the Yeerk peace movement. It just wanted to live a life where it could be away from the war. It wasnted peace. Of course, it was still being selfish by using a host body to do it but like Aftran said, Yeerks don't see anything wrong with taking hosts. (or at least not try to question it's morality.) I feel bad for the Yeerk and it's unfortunate that Rachel became so cold and blood thirsty. This event sticks out because the Yeerk wanted a calm peaceful existence. He hated the war like the Animorphs did and I ponder how many other Yeerks made the same choice as this one when they had a real chance at being free. (Well except for their unfortunate hosts though.)
A lot of what you have said here is excellent. I've never thought about the various kills of the books, or compared them to one another, but there's clearly a ton to learn. You've inspired me to want to catalog each kill and see what I can see.
@@marcellom You're very welcome! it's nice to talk to other people about Animorphs since it is not a relatively well known book for the general population and it's nice to see it still as a small following and ardent fans still around. I hope that your channel grows even bigger with time!
Hey man ! Love the vid ❤ but here's a little observation: the visual is a bit overloading. I am really into your shirt and the background is beautiful, but both at the same time is a lot😅 thanks for creating content about Animorphs tho
Rereading the series for the third or whatever time, she's climbed a lot higher in my ranking. As a kid I was like pshhhh morality BORING but now she's easily got some of the best, most interesting books in the series.
People like Marco because he's an annoying hypocrite with baggage. People hate Cassie because she's an annoying hypocrite with baggage. Sure, it's definitely more complicated than that, but as someone who likes both characters well enough, the fact that the fanbase handwaves most of the stuff Marco did while using the excuse of 'he's just a kid' and puts Cassie on BLAST for not making 100% Sound Decisions In A War? Yeah, even if I find Cassie annoying at some points, the double standard really makes me dislike Marco more. He's always been my least favorite- I've never enjoyed characters who get to be dickheads because 'well they're right'.
Interesting! I've legitimately never encountered a Marco hater, but I respect it. My love for Cassie has definitely bloomed as I read the series more. But I think I've become incapable of ranking the characters, my previous ranking is completely irrelevant now. It's a ever-changing list
@@marcellom that's fair enough, I can hardly pick a consistent favorite. Tobias always tends to edge out toward number one, partially because of his connection to the Hork-Bajir (and by extension giving us the tragedy of Hork-Bajir Chronicles) but just in general, I find his internal struggle very compelling as it evolves!
Cassie is my least favorite Animorph too but I'd be lying if I said I didn't think her character is absolutely crucial and necessary on so many thematic levels. I also think the point you touched on about how Cassie gets a lot of essentially solo books I think is another reason she was always lower on my list. I haven't really read the books since childhood, but I just remember thinking her books were more boring/moralizing than the action and alien hijinks I was coming to Animorphs for. I'm curious if I'd have a very different opinion if I was reading them for the first time today. Looking forward to Part 2!
Unless you can argue both sides of a topic, you don't have an opinion, you have a guess Great video Personally I dislike Jake the most. I haven't read in ages probably will start up now that I've seen this but I always avoided Jake's books. I'm not sure why. I'd purposely jump ahead and only get his books should my library be out of one's I've read. Anyways, I do enjoy his David book I think that's the only one of his I liked. Tobias was my fav then Marco and then Rachel. Rachels were always fun as she likes to fight. Then ax and Cassie were equals to me. Jake dead last.
That's really funny, I'm not sure I've talked to anyone who felt that way about Jake. I've reread them a couple times as an adult now, but doing so to make these videos has been different, I've been noticing a lot of other stuff
I think Cassie is everyone's least favorite because, while she plays a very important role in the story and its themes, she's the hardest to relate to. She embodies humanity at its ideal, not at its reality.
Yeah I don't disagree, but honestly as I am rereading her books I am finding myself appreciating her and her arc a lot more. I guess it's all just a testament to the quality of KA's writing though.
Were kids thinking about that when they read Animorphs? Cassie always flew under my radar, but I found her love for and fascination with animals hugely relatable. If pressed to remember, I'd say Rachel was opaque from my perspective, cause of her brash and stubborn qualities. ... Then again, I'm hardly the picture of relatability, so, XD *waves knowingly in plural*
"I think Cassie is everyoe's least favorite..." And that's where I stop you. Cassie is THE best character. I related to her IMMEDIATELY. Black icon with empathic and thoughtfulness. Careful and strategic peacemaker. No one else could've done the things she has done in the series, if not for her their war crimes would've been worse. As a kid, we didn't have a lot of black girls who were nice and caring, we had to be stuck with the mean girl stereotype (like Rachel, and she is a mean girl she gets away with a lot of disgusting things she says about Cassie and Marco and she gets away with invalidating the thoughts, feelings, wants, and needs of Cassie and Tobias multiple times.)
@@IaMSpeaks 👏 Cassie best animorph. It's weird, I've been following an Animorphs book club and, no surprise, they all dunk on her there. They want drama, and they think anyone like her is a goody-two-shoes or something. Well, I think a lot of people are addicted to cynicism and pessimism, and believe that if it isn't dark and gritty and edgy, it's just not realistic. I think people who've actually experienced the world's dark horrors, realize that Cassie's way is actually the most refreshing thing. Cassie's on another level, another tier, another league of consciousness.
My issue with Cassie is, she isn't anything like me. I would probably be closest to Marco with some Rachel thrown in. If Cassie were a real person, she and I likely would not be friends. We don't share common interests or hobbies. I think she has some of the better books because she is kind of an author plant. She is the Animorph representation of Katherine.
As much as i loved cassies character looking back on the series now... Jake really messed up when he didnt execute her for letting a yeerk in her head. The david trilogy wouldve gone so different if as soon as he joined he was told jake had ordered them to kill his own girlfriend a month earlier. i bet he wouldve been a loyal soldier and they couldve built an entire battalion of animorphs. I guess that wouldve crossed a line for a YA series though
David was a psychopath, which under every circumstance makes him a liability and a dangerous wildcard to the team. And would've destroyed Jake and Rachel especially. If Jake had done that, there would only be 1 more book on the series.
Let's face it: Cassie is a deserter and a traitor. It's only the plot convenience that Aftran didn't take her (and the rest of the Animorphs) to Visser Three. If it was a real war, Cassie would be executed. I used to like this character, but since the book 19 I hate her. 😡
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Something else I want to add in regard to 19/The Departure - it isn't just Cassie beginning to see the Yeerks as individuals and not "all evil" - it's right after book 18 where they learn there are Andalites cooperating with the Yeerks, and the Andalites are OK with nuking an entire continent to keep the Yeerks for invading a planet, and that they're not "all good". The book doesn't get into it much, but the greater narrative does a lot there to inform Cassie's arc, I think, as to why she's tired by the war, open to looking for alternative solutions, and willing to see Aftran as Aftran, and not as a monolithic evil yeerk
I haven't finished watching, so maybe you bring this up, but there are a ton of parallels between Cassie and the Ellimist. She's a temporal anchor/anomaly, and senses when timelines are off. She is tuned into and cares about life, even when she makes decisions that hurt it in the short term. Her nuking one termite hive to help save humanity, and Earth's greater bio diversity, is a very Ellimist style action, looking at the long term and bigger picture. Her being the best morpher and sensing Ax's call because of her affinity to life. Her picking up on a lot of the more supernatural mentions, like the whale mythology, or the animal spirits, and the like. Her planting the seeds of the Yeerks peace movement, and later giving them the tech that helps save them after the war. She uses a more thoughtful approach, using words to avoid infighting and heading things off before they become big deals, like you mentioned in the first book with the argument about going thru the construction site. She'll sacrifice a pawn like the cop controller to play a larger/longer term game. She shepherds and protects the skunk kits much like the Ellimist does the Animorphs. Etc, there are a ton of things, esp before the ghost writers take over.
I'll leave as an exercise to the reader what it means for Rachel, and Crayak being Cassie and the Ellimist's foils.
I did not draw that connection, but it's definitely valid. And the Rachel-Crayak one is too, especially if your interpretation of the Ellimist-Crayak conflict is that it's order vs chaos. Rachel certainly emo embodies the chaos and conflict in our cast of characters.
I am happy to see Cassie getting more analysis than just the blanket of "she's an annoying hypocrite" that so many people give her. Honestly, KAA and Michael did a fantastic job of nuanced characters, so the fact that everyone just writes Cassie off is a disservice. Were there certain failings? Yes. Is Cassie sometimes the most cruel of them all? Yes. We all have to agree her alternative to killing David was worse than death, right?
yeah I'm glad I decided to revisit her character before like, spending three videos yelling about how much I love Marco. I already feel like I overlooked a ton about Cassie after making this, and I have so much to get into still
Rediscovering Animorphs again since my first read as a kid, and I'm surprised to learn fans dislike Cassie! Rachel was my fav, but I never thought Cassie moralizing (maybe her views didn't conflict with mine enough to leave an impression). I've always remembered her as smart, capable, and empathetic - she was shown to be the best at morphing, plus her knowledge about animals and connection to them was real cool imo. That said, I was never in it for the action, the draw for me was experiencing what it might be like to be other animals. Also, the bizarro high-concept scifi and espionage, and the weird philosophical questions constantly being raised *shrugs*
I think she just went over a lot of people's heads, mine included
I always related to Cassie. She understood animals more than people and I’m the same way. I always thought of myself as a mix of Cassie and Rachel in that I’m hot headed and fiery like Rachel but love animals more than most people like Cassie.
Cassie doesn't love animals more than people, though. She seems to loves them both equally. Which makes her different than the others, who value human life more than animal life. Although in #25 Cassie did say she values human life above animals when they had to eat a seal in order to survive.
Stumbled upon your Tobias videos and loved them, please do more videos about Animorphs
I'm surprised nearly everyone talks about not being able to relate to Cassie. Is it partially because people who are like her are less likely to read sci-fi?
It also seems to me that pacifism and eco-activism is a lot less common than it was in the 90's when Animorphs started. And in fact, both are rather unpopular now. That's kind of sad to me. Two causes where people want to do good, and yet the public mostly associates them with hypocrisy because they're aspirational, not practical. Nobody can save every life or preserve all of nature. It's the individual actions that make the difference, just like saving a pair of Hork Bajir, or befriending one Yeerk. This idea of one good deed snowballing into a huge change was really big back then.
I don't know where I'm going with this, except to say that Cassie actually is the Animorph that I identify with the most. I have that sentimental streak of dreaming that I can fight violence with words, but the experience to know that this isn't how fighting works. And Cassie clearly knows that too, which is why she defers to Jake most of the time. I think that if Cassie found herself in a traditional war and had the choice to stay a medic, she would. In addition being a literal child, she's not cut out to be a soldier. It's her sense of responsibility that keeps her fighting on the front lines as much as she does.
I think you're correct about the reason why a lot of people didn't relate to Cassie. She's also just not as flashy as the rest of the Animorphs, at least to middle-grade eyes.
Agreed about pacifism and eco-activism. It is easy to write off aspirational things that people care deeply about, or find a reason to invalidate a viewpoint that makes you uncomfortable. My favorite example is that if you use a smartphone, you are contributing to whatever humanitarian atrocities arise out of cobalt mining. EVERYONE uses a smartphone, so should we all just never speak up about any humanitarian crisis? The logical extreme to that is that there is no point doing anything good, ever, and that's not the world I want to live in. You have to work with the tools you have, and every day has new opportunities for you to do some small positive thing. It doesn't cancel out the negative things you may do or inadvertently contribute to, they all just exist together. But I'd rather leave some happiness and kindness in my wake than just give up because the change I actually want to make is too aspirational.
I am having a hard time articulating specifically what I mean here, but I think you and I are on the same page. And Cassie kicks ass.
I vascilate between loving Cassie (I'm a tree hugger at heart), and being too annoyed to live by her timid moral stances (I've also been to war, and dealt with all that, personally). I would rate Cassie a solid "it's complicated" on a scale of 1-10. I really dislike the side plot of her and Jake, too. I like her as Jake's advisor and diplomat, though. She makes a good balance to Rachael and Marco and the influence they would have on Jake if she wasn't there to moderate
Cassie is the best and has always been my favorite (with Marco). All of her books always grappled with the biggest ethical questions. She was the one who engaged in the honest questions about their fight, and how. Also, she's super compassionate and kind, which I love about her.
Very well-articulated, some very good points being made! I'm actually in the process of rereading the series myself-I'll be keeping some of those in mind when I hit the last couple books touched upon in the video. Any chance of part two ever coming out anytime soon? I'd love to see further character dissection as it ramps up in her late series books.
I don't think it's right to say that there is no right or wrong in wars, because this series definitely taught me that there are always right and wrong things. Just because of the situations that make you do the wrong things in the road of trying to do something right, does not make it less wrong. The reasons just explained the actions not justify it , and people should always try to find alternative solutions instead of just accepting things for what it was, which the Animorphs did try many times (although not always success in doing so).
I always loved Cassie. I think I’ve always been a Cassie.
I love her more the more I read animorphs. The first half of her arc, at least. I mean she's also critical to the final solution to the Yeerk invasion, but the whole tom situation towards the end kind of hurts her standing. But yeah she's excellent
Kudos to such an in-depth analisys. i'd listen to you talk animorphs for hours
Thank you very much 😎
(Full disclosure: I love Cassie) I think Cassie is vital to not only the series, as you argue so well here, but also to the reader reception. One of the things we seem to all love about Animorphs was how it was so distinct from every other "wake up, go to school, fight evil" series. You don't actually see the trauma and ethical arguments of Power Rangers, right. But we were all raised *on* those stories and I think that leaves us with a sort of baked in "just fight the bad guys" ideology. Like, we intellectually know there might be moral grey areas, but emotionally we want to see the monster get punched. By the logic of adventure stories (and war stories) you *have* to fight, which makes people who don't want to... well, the wet blanket Cassie is often accused of being.
So naturally your average 9 is going to first pick up the series and go "aw yeah, get those yeerks". And I'm honestly not sure that the occasional ethical argument or trauma scene would have completely overwritten the narrative thread we had been told countless times to expect. Just as much as the *Animorphs* need Cassie to pull them back and ask "hey, is this okay actually", *we the readers* need to be pulled back and see the same question played out.
And sure, maybe we adults rereading (or reading for the first time) don't need it as much - and, sure, some of the lines she drew were a little odd, deontology is difficult - but I do think the original audience benefited greatly by her.
Deontology is a cool word.
Good points, there definitely is a built-in expectation that the fight will occur by necessity, because we are sitting and reading a book. As an adult and a child I am kind of impatient when consuming fiction. I often find myself "just wanting to get on with it" during the ethical discussions rather than appreciating the subject matter. Rereading the series with the intention of making videos about it has forced me to appreciate it now, which is kind of the point I guess. But that is also, of course, subjective. I like Cassie more now than I did as a kid, I know that much.
It is a shame we never got Aftran or Toby as animorphs and their own novel in sequence. I find the insight Ax has to be interesting. Even the way he describes and narrates is different than the kids
I would love an Aftran book.
@marcello if they ever reboot the series... adding her into the cycle of books would be pretty dope IMO.
But man, after reading the Attack, an reboot or reprint probably would censor these books to an incredible length. Hopefully that wouldn't happen
Just finished the audio book of the Ultimate. She's responsible for the deaths to come for her decision to let Tom escape.
Cinnamon buns. Bun-zuh. Zuh
Idk why i typed that i just did
When it comes to the subject of killing in Animorphs, I find it interesting how Tobias and Cassie's first killing differs. Tobias seems more deeply affected over killing a mouse than Cassie does over a human being. Tobias is so overwhelmed and upset that he nearly commits suicide. (Most likely with full knowledge of it even though his hawk brain was panicking and telling him to fly to the sky.) Meanwhile, Cassie killed a person with full knowledge of what she was doing in the beginning of the book and didn't seem to have the same kind of hysterical reaction like Tobias. She didn't have any conflict with whether it was her losing control of the animals mind or if it was entirely her decision. Yet I suspect that perhaps she might've felt extreme guilt about it from the very beginning which is what kind of fuels her determination in the rest of the series to 'do the right thing'. Maybe her moralizing and self righteousness stemmed from that single event from the very beginning.
For me, one of the most poignant moments (around the end of the series) is when Rachel kills a controller in morph. They are ambushed by controllers and manage to fight them off. When Ax has defeated one, it pleads to let him go. The Controller was planning to desert and stay in the body of a hawk forever and said he just needed a little more time then he would be free. Ax gives him mercy and lets him go. The controller thanks Ax and flies away. Rachel does kill the Controller though afterwards. This is another subtle moment of another Yeerk who you can empathize with when it didn't even get a whole book to itself like Aftran did.It was only a couple paragraphs and made a substantial impact on me in the book. This unnamed Yeerk was not evil or part of the Yeerk peace movement. It just wanted to live a life where it could be away from the war. It wasnted peace. Of course, it was still being selfish by using a host body to do it but like Aftran said, Yeerks don't see anything wrong with taking hosts. (or at least not try to question it's morality.) I feel bad for the Yeerk and it's unfortunate that Rachel became so cold and blood thirsty. This event sticks out because the Yeerk wanted a calm peaceful existence. He hated the war like the Animorphs did and I ponder how many other Yeerks made the same choice as this one when they had a real chance at being free. (Well except for their unfortunate hosts though.)
A lot of what you have said here is excellent. I've never thought about the various kills of the books, or compared them to one another, but there's clearly a ton to learn. You've inspired me to want to catalog each kill and see what I can see.
@@marcellom
You're very welcome! it's nice to talk to other people about Animorphs since it is not a relatively well known book for the general population and it's nice to see it still as a small following and ardent fans still around. I hope that your channel grows even bigger with time!
There is some reference in one of the books about Cassie being an Earth spirit, but that was never fleshed out or explained.
I will keep an eye out for it as I proceed with the series.
Eyy, good choice! Glad you still kicking all the ass out there
Hey man ! Love the vid ❤ but here's a little observation: the visual is a bit overloading. I am really into your shirt and the background is beautiful, but both at the same time is a lot😅 thanks for creating content about Animorphs tho
Thanks! I realized like, immediately upon editing 😂
Cassie is & has always been my favorite
Rereading the series for the third or whatever time, she's climbed a lot higher in my ranking. As a kid I was like pshhhh morality BORING but now she's easily got some of the best, most interesting books in the series.
my liege
People like Marco because he's an annoying hypocrite with baggage. People hate Cassie because she's an annoying hypocrite with baggage.
Sure, it's definitely more complicated than that, but as someone who likes both characters well enough, the fact that the fanbase handwaves most of the stuff Marco did while using the excuse of 'he's just a kid' and puts Cassie on BLAST for not making 100% Sound Decisions In A War? Yeah, even if I find Cassie annoying at some points, the double standard really makes me dislike Marco more.
He's always been my least favorite- I've never enjoyed characters who get to be dickheads because 'well they're right'.
Interesting! I've legitimately never encountered a Marco hater, but I respect it. My love for Cassie has definitely bloomed as I read the series more. But I think I've become incapable of ranking the characters, my previous ranking is completely irrelevant now. It's a ever-changing list
@@marcellom that's fair enough, I can hardly pick a consistent favorite. Tobias always tends to edge out toward number one, partially because of his connection to the Hork-Bajir (and by extension giving us the tragedy of Hork-Bajir Chronicles) but just in general, I find his internal struggle very compelling as it evolves!
I saw you on the podcast. You did great lol could tell you were pretty tired though
Cassie is my least favorite Animorph too but I'd be lying if I said I didn't think her character is absolutely crucial and necessary on so many thematic levels.
I also think the point you touched on about how Cassie gets a lot of essentially solo books I think is another reason she was always lower on my list. I haven't really read the books since childhood, but I just remember thinking her books were more boring/moralizing than the action and alien hijinks I was coming to Animorphs for. I'm curious if I'd have a very different opinion if I was reading them for the first time today.
Looking forward to Part 2!
Unless you can argue both sides of a topic, you don't have an opinion, you have a guess
Great video
Personally I dislike Jake the most. I haven't read in ages probably will start up now that I've seen this but I always avoided Jake's books. I'm not sure why. I'd purposely jump ahead and only get his books should my library be out of one's I've read. Anyways, I do enjoy his David book I think that's the only one of his I liked. Tobias was my fav then Marco and then Rachel. Rachels were always fun as she likes to fight. Then ax and Cassie were equals to me. Jake dead last.
That's really funny, I'm not sure I've talked to anyone who felt that way about Jake. I've reread them a couple times as an adult now, but doing so to make these videos has been different, I've been noticing a lot of other stuff
@@marcellom ya I'm excited to go through them. I'm not sure why I didn't enjoy Jake. But I remember him being my least favorite as a kid.
Can u do animorphs the predator
Yep! It’s up next, working on the script right now
I think Cassie is everyone's least favorite because, while she plays a very important role in the story and its themes, she's the hardest to relate to. She embodies humanity at its ideal, not at its reality.
Yeah I don't disagree, but honestly as I am rereading her books I am finding myself appreciating her and her arc a lot more. I guess it's all just a testament to the quality of KA's writing though.
Were kids thinking about that when they read Animorphs? Cassie always flew under my radar, but I found her love for and fascination with animals hugely relatable. If pressed to remember, I'd say Rachel was opaque from my perspective, cause of her brash and stubborn qualities. ... Then again, I'm hardly the picture of relatability, so, XD *waves knowingly in plural*
"I think Cassie is everyoe's least favorite..." And that's where I stop you. Cassie is THE best character. I related to her IMMEDIATELY. Black icon with empathic and thoughtfulness. Careful and strategic peacemaker. No one else could've done the things she has done in the series, if not for her their war crimes would've been worse.
As a kid, we didn't have a lot of black girls who were nice and caring, we had to be stuck with the mean girl stereotype (like Rachel, and she is a mean girl she gets away with a lot of disgusting things she says about Cassie and Marco and she gets away with invalidating the thoughts, feelings, wants, and needs of Cassie and Tobias multiple times.)
@@IaMSpeaks 👏 Cassie best animorph.
It's weird, I've been following an Animorphs book club and, no surprise, they all dunk on her there. They want drama, and they think anyone like her is a goody-two-shoes or something.
Well, I think a lot of people are addicted to cynicism and pessimism, and believe that if it isn't dark and gritty and edgy, it's just not realistic.
I think people who've actually experienced the world's dark horrors, realize that Cassie's way is actually the most refreshing thing. Cassie's on another level, another tier, another league of consciousness.
My issue with Cassie is, she isn't anything like me. I would probably be closest to Marco with some Rachel thrown in.
If Cassie were a real person, she and I likely would not be friends. We don't share common interests or hobbies. I think she has some of the better books because she is kind of an author plant. She is the Animorph representation of Katherine.
Jake is my least favorite Animorph
He is kind of boring isn't he?
As much as i loved cassies character looking back on the series now... Jake really messed up when he didnt execute her for letting a yeerk in her head. The david trilogy wouldve gone so different if as soon as he joined he was told jake had ordered them to kill his own girlfriend a month earlier. i bet he wouldve been a loyal soldier and they couldve built an entire battalion of animorphs. I guess that wouldve crossed a line for a YA series though
David was a psychopath, which under every circumstance makes him a liability and a dangerous wildcard to the team. And would've destroyed Jake and Rachel especially. If Jake had done that, there would only be 1 more book on the series.
Let's face it: Cassie is a deserter and a traitor. It's only the plot convenience that Aftran didn't take her (and the rest of the Animorphs) to Visser Three. If it was a real war, Cassie would be executed. I used to like this character, but since the book 19 I hate her. 😡