I finished volume 1 of the web novel so renowned in this community, either through hate or praise for its quality.
MINOR SPOILER,So there's not much risk in reading this review TBH.
Reverend insanity I'm going to do part of the same as for the review on Shadow Slave,a review of the three arcs of volume 1. Academy Arc/Chapter 1-86: So this is the arc that introduces the work, and it's pretty cool,I won't dare talk to you about Fang Yuan's introduction, which everyone in this community knows, either because it's absolutely incredible or because it's overrated. I belong to the first option. We follow Fang Yuan in his third life (yes, I did say third life) in the village of Gu Yue, and more specifically in the Qing Mao mountain,We are introduced to three things that are important for the rest of this volume. The political stakes of the volume are played out between three clans who share the mountain: the Guy Yue clan, the Bai clan, and the Xiong clan,Anyway, the Xiong clan are frauds, so we don't care about them. The political stakes of the work are honestly very well done; I suppose that expands considerably later on, but Reverend Insanity establishes its universe/worldbuilding very well (don't be an idiot like me,Don't expect the worldbuilding in Volume 1 to be on par with Dune, otherwise you'll create too many expectations ☠️),And unfortunately for us mere mortals, we are not very welcome by Gu Masters,Because yes, the Gu masters are separate from ordinary mortals without any Gu-related abilities. These human live in small villages, but the world of RI is far from cheerful,Discrimination against humans without any abilities is normalized; the death of a human from these small villages is worthless in the eyes of Gu masters.and RI make this very clear,RI clearly seeks to create a form of dehumanization towards its humans without any Gu-related abilities.
Speaking of worldbuilding, I have to talk about the Gu, the power system of the work (at least of volume 1), which is honestly very unique; the fact that almost every element that exists can be a Gu is very interesting (as the work states, Gu are the essence of the world) and very funny at times too, the camera Gu for example rather surprised me, Gu can give you incredible abilities like rule and regulation Gu which, as its name suggests, is absolutely overpowered, Or just Huge crap like the Stealth Rock Gu which allows you to be invinsible, but not your clothes or accessories,even though he can do that at the next rank, because yes, the Gu can ranks up to rank 6 in volume 1 (I was a little curious and I know it goes further) But the power system is very comprehensive, and Reverend Insanity does a good job of showcasing the many peculiarities of the Gu throughout the volume; I've only talked about a fraction of everything that this power system possesses.
Now I'm going to talk about the third and final thing, which is the most obvious: the characters. This is perhaps the weakest thing about this arc, by far. Aside from Fang Yuan and one other exception I'll discuss later, all the other characters are either not particularly memorable or only become so in the final arc of the volume (Fang Zheng),All the other characters serve only Fang Yuan. All the characters revolve around Fang Yuan. Fortunately, that changes later. In short, don't expect a good side cast right from the start of the work.
The exception I wanted to talk about is the famous Ren zu,The protagonist of the story in Reverend Insanity "The Legend of Ren zu" which is introduced in chapter 5 during the awakening ceremony, which is the starting point of the work.
Fang Yuan has many parallels with the legend of Ren zu And honestly, Ren zu chapters are by far the most interesting thing in this arc for me.I even want to say that Renzu is a better character than Fang yuan during the first 100 chapters of RI which still represents half of the volume 1. Ren zu deserves better; with only three chapters (5, 38, 58) of appearance, he's already suffered too much. Then Wang Er thought he was special 🥀 And Wang Da is in my top list antagonists in fiction in terms of being stupid,he need to start by being able to distinguish between two people My personal opinion on this arc is rather positive; most of the time it's not incredible, but it's very fun to read, and the chapters about Ren zu and all the things surrounding the Wang family are excellent. I'd probably give it a 7,5/10 (don't take the ratings seriously, it's just for fun)
Post-Graduation Arc/Chapters 87-121 It's a mini-arc, so it's bound to be the weakest, even though there are a few things worth mentioning, like chapter 87 with Ren zu. And huge support to the tavern employee who saw their salary increase thanks to Fang Yuan and then got screwed again ☠️ Bro use the Ragebait Gu. But it's essentially an arc to build up to the rest of the volume; there are still some very good monologues, like the ones in chapters 97 and 117.
I give it a 6.5/10 because it's still good and the river-swallowing toad Gu was too bizarre, so I like it.
Wolf Tide Arc/Chapters 121-199 Clearly and by far the best arc of volume 1, I'd easily say twice as good as the rest of the volume. There are a lot of good chapters and the story finally gets going. The beginning of the arc is good and mainly serves to build up what will happen next. Bai Ning bing introduction is very good, and yes, he's finally a good side character who doesn't exist solely for Fang Yuan character. Fang Zheng little glow-up at the end of the arc. Ren zu story, and therefore also the lore of RI, is explored more, even if Ren zu is no longer at Fang Yuan level (you can't be the best forever 😔). Chapter 151 really surprised me despite my high expectations for this chapter. There's literally a warning message before Fang Yuan monologue in this chapter🙏😭 The end of the arc is just as surprising; I absolutely didn't expect the work to pick up such speed. The last 10 chapters have a much more intense pace than the rest of the volume.And the plot twist in chapter 197 is incredible,I had heard a little about the conclusion of volume 1, it's good but don't expect anything absolutely extraordinary. I give this Arc a score of 9.3/10.
Here are my top 10 chapters of Reverend Insanity vol 1: 10: Chapter 1/173 9: Chapter 38/58 8: Chapter 135/144 7: Chapter 131 6: Chapter 193 5: Chapter 169 4: Chapter 195 3: Chapter 198 2/1: Chapter 151 1/2: Chapter 197 I didn't really put a lot of thought into making my top list, so feel free to give yours. The main theme of Fang Yuan is, of course, individualism,Solitude, immortality ✌️
I'm kidding, it's Zhenren. I suggest to learn more about Zhuangzi; it might improve your understanding of the work,Even if you're just looking to enjoy the work and don't care about writing, then it's absolutely not necessary to enjoy reading Reverend Insanity.
So I have a very positive opinion of this first volume; honestly, I absolutely loved it, and it deserves its Glaze so far.Even though the Glaze apparently also comes from many people who haven't read the work,I'm not hunting Fakereaders, I have other things to do ✌️ If you want to see a more negative and perhaps less biased review, I suggest waiting for a possible review on the channel of @Ahmed-l7m1z
And how can we not talk about the writing community when discussing RI/Fang yuan The only work in existence where someone can seriously piss you off because you like the work and give your opinion... what am I supposed to do? Be a sheep and lie to myself for the sake of random elitists who probably have no real literary knowledge...
Except, as my YouTube description says, "I wear no mask" so go read "The King in Yellow" by William Chambers because it's incredible, and then you can leave my channel 🫡 I finished the game Soma, which is incredible; I will make a post very soon mentioning this game and some others,obviously not a writing comparison.
After almost two months, he posts the analysis requested by Reinharfer. Yes, I am indeed referring to the analysis of Baku Madarame complexity (although in the end I am not only discussing his complexity but also his motivation). Link to the doc: docs.google.com/document/d/1YlF2NVaH8gZ66jJ5MePsUu…
I could have included two other things in this analysis, but I didn't for some reason. 1. The Adam/Lucifer symbolism, because I wanted my analysis to remain focused on complexity/motivation, and I've already incorporated many symbols to explain the ambiguity behind the Character,even though that symbol is excellent.
2. In the motivation section, I could have talked about the "Intrinsic" form and not just the "Extrinsic" form,except that I was afraid of repetitions and I was already late on the writing of the analysis.
Requested by: @Reinharfer
Next analysis on Jin Sakai requested by: @MADARA_8999
The name of the character Verso reflects a double identity, because the word "Verso" in French that means the back of a page, which is the opposite of the word Recto. Verso therefore already has the idea of the of a hidden face,a double identity.
Clair obscur is essentially built on contrasts like light/dark, art/destruction, illusion/reality and Verso embodies this. Verso is both son and copy, he is a being recreated from memories.Verso lives between life and death/between creation and erasure. Verso plays the role of a guide/protector while being lost himself. And it is this form of duality/tension that makes the mask a main symbol of his existence.
The Recto mask represents what Verso shows the world. More precisely, it represents the facade, the social character, the image that Verso wishes to show as the front of a mask.
This front face represents Verso Guide/Protector characteristic, he presents himself as someone calm, confident and in control of the situation. As another characteristic there is the artist, he embodies the image of the creator of the one who models the painting world. He reflects the image of a man who controls himself, he hides his emotions, his doubts and his sorrow. This front mask serves as a "stage" where he hides and minimizes his true feelings, a way to show a strong image to protect others but also to protect himself.
Verso embodies an imposed role, that of a perfect son, a savior. It represents the light which in turn represents the visible part of itself,but also the lie because he hides his suffering under this same mask. The Recto mask represents a false self that shows the world,a social face, a hero performance.
The Verso mask,This rear mask symbolizes the other side, an intimate truth and a hidden pain.
Verso hides grief and guilt under this mask, because the real Verso died ,and the one we see is only an echo, a fragment. This side of the mask also symbolizes the instability of his identity,he is a copy and a memory, Verso lives in the in-between. The mask also represents his despair, Verso cannot change his destiny nor that of his world, a form of fatalism. Verso lives for others but not for himself, as said before, he becomes a role but he no longer a person, it's the erasure of self.
All these representations are all that Verso hides in his “Verso” mask,This mask is not a setback but it is the truth that Verso refuses to face.Symbolically it shows a silent grief, a fear of disappearing and the awareness of being only an illusion. Verso is the shadow behind the light, Verso is the real face behind the facade (Recto). The "Verso" mask symbolizes the weight of the unspoken, it represents a repressed identity.
The three faces of the Axon associated with Verso. Joy is the smile he display to reassure the world. Sadness: the melancholy of living in a false world. Anger: A contained rage in the face of fate. These three masks are reflections of Verso repressed emotions.
The mask of joy represents this social facade.
The mask of sadness represents his true heart, the melancholy of the false world.
The mask of anger represents his bridled instinct All these masks represent "layers" of his being, a metaphor for the strata of a canvas.
Very often in initiatory stories, removing a mask means facing the truth, for Verso it is accepting it.He must accept the fact that he is not the original but a copy, that his world is only a painted illusion and that the truth certainly causes pain but liberates.
At the end of Clair obscur When he chooses between continuing the illusion or accepting the end, he decides to remove the mask, to live in the truth, even if painful, rather than in a falsely perfect lie.
To say the symbolism of the mask mention the main themes of the game. Light/darkness, the mask hides the darkness under the light. The truth/lie (illusion), the mask separates reality from lies. Grief/denial, the mask protects him from grief. Identity/role, the mask symbolizes the distance between being and appearing.
So the Recto mask is what Verso shows, an artist and a guide.And the Verso mask is what it hides, the pain, the loss, the doubt and the anger. The multiple faces representing different emotions hidden And the removal of the mask represents the acceptance of the truth and the end of the illusion.The mask of the character of Verso embodies the human condition in Clair obscur,They all live between what they show and what they keep silent, between light and dark.
I will now discuss the monologue of the guardian of the masks (Visages, visage=face in French) which acts as a kind of symbolic key. In the cinematic the guardian of the masks says: “"Everyone wants to know what's behind the mask. But few wonder what's in front. Front, back... Recto, verso.Two sides of the same truth.
This passage mainly concerns Verso, whose name literally takes up these words "Recto/Verso" - "Front/back" the visible side/the hidden side.
As previously stated, the Recto side is what it shows,a heroic facade and the Verso side is what he hides, the pain. The front mask is Verso's social role and the back mask is the truth he represses and the wounded interiority. All this repetition to say that “Visages” The Axon is the outward manifestation of this duality of Verso's character,the monologue of Visages comments on the very principle of the character of Verso.
This sequence is like an initiatory revelation for Verso, before Verso is prisoner of his "recto" he maintains this mask of control and certainty. Then the guardian of the masks sends him the image of his "verso", his psychic reverse side. After Verso begins to crack his mask (metaphor I remind, Verso does not have real masks),he becomes more hesitant, more real and more vulnerable.
The Axon Monologue” Visages” opens Verso's rift (another metaphor), it forces Verso to recognize the fact that his identity is based on a permanent tension between what he shows and what he hides.
This monologue links the themes of Clair obscur,The speech of Visages does not only speak about the masks of the characters but also about the structure of the world itself (of the game) a world built on painting, the Recto which is the image and the Verso which is the buried truth. The mask is a boundary between what is illuminated (Recto) and what remains in the dark (Verso). “Everyone wants to know what's behind" except that no one understands that "in front" is already an illusion.
The monologue of Visages puts into words what Verso “silently” embodies. The front mask (recto) is no more true than the back mask (verso) ,the "removal of the mask" at the end signifies the abandonment of the illusion .For the character of Verso understanding the duality within him is accepting his fragmented identity. Verso is neither the original nor the pure lie, but exists between the two.
Parladax
Parladax
Of these four characters, Which of these concepts do you find most interesting?
(So not a writing comparison 🥀)
23 hours ago | [YT] | 3
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Parladax
I finished volume 1 of the web novel so renowned in this community, either through hate or praise for its quality.
MINOR SPOILER,So there's not much risk in reading this review TBH.
Reverend insanity
I'm going to do part of the same as for the review on Shadow Slave,a review of the three arcs of volume 1.
Academy Arc/Chapter 1-86:
So this is the arc that introduces the work, and it's pretty cool,I won't dare talk to you about Fang Yuan's introduction, which everyone in this community knows, either because it's absolutely incredible or because it's overrated.
I belong to the first option.
We follow Fang Yuan in his third life (yes, I did say third life) in the village of Gu Yue, and more specifically in the Qing Mao mountain,We are introduced to three things that are important for the rest of this volume.
The political stakes of the volume are played out between three clans who share the mountain: the Guy Yue clan, the Bai clan, and the Xiong clan,Anyway, the Xiong clan are frauds, so we don't care about them.
The political stakes of the work are honestly very well done; I suppose that expands considerably later on, but Reverend Insanity establishes its universe/worldbuilding very well (don't be an idiot like me,Don't expect the worldbuilding in Volume 1 to be on par with Dune, otherwise you'll create too many expectations ☠️),And unfortunately for us mere mortals, we are not very welcome by Gu Masters,Because yes, the Gu masters are separate from ordinary mortals without any Gu-related abilities. These human live in small villages, but the world of RI is far from cheerful,Discrimination against humans without any abilities is normalized; the death of a human from these small villages is worthless in the eyes of Gu masters.and RI make this very clear,RI clearly seeks to create a form of dehumanization towards its humans without any Gu-related abilities.
Speaking of worldbuilding, I have to talk about the Gu, the power system of the work (at least of volume 1), which is honestly very unique; the fact that almost every element that exists can be a Gu is very interesting (as the work states, Gu are the essence of the world) and very funny at times too, the camera Gu for example rather surprised me, Gu can give you incredible abilities like rule and regulation Gu which, as its name suggests, is absolutely overpowered, Or just Huge crap like the Stealth Rock Gu which allows you to be invinsible, but not your clothes or accessories,even though he can do that at the next rank, because yes, the Gu can ranks up to rank 6 in volume 1 (I was a little curious and I know it goes further) But the power system is very comprehensive, and Reverend Insanity does a good job of showcasing the many peculiarities of the Gu throughout the volume; I've only talked about a fraction of everything that this power system possesses.
Now I'm going to talk about the third and final thing, which is the most obvious: the characters.
This is perhaps the weakest thing about this arc, by far. Aside from Fang Yuan and one other exception I'll discuss later, all the other characters are either not particularly memorable or only become so in the final arc of the volume (Fang Zheng),All the other characters serve only Fang Yuan. All the characters revolve around Fang Yuan.
Fortunately, that changes later.
In short, don't expect a good side cast right from the start of the work.
The exception I wanted to talk about is the famous Ren zu,The protagonist of the story in Reverend Insanity "The Legend of Ren zu" which is introduced in chapter 5 during the awakening ceremony, which is the starting point of the work.
Fang Yuan has many parallels with the legend of Ren zu And honestly, Ren zu chapters are by far the most interesting thing in this arc for me.I even want to say that Renzu is a better character than Fang yuan during the first 100 chapters of RI which still represents half of the volume 1. Ren zu deserves better; with only three chapters (5, 38, 58) of appearance, he's already suffered too much.
Then Wang Er thought he was special 🥀
And Wang Da is in my top list antagonists in fiction in terms of being stupid,he need to start by being able to distinguish between two people
My personal opinion on this arc is rather positive; most of the time it's not incredible, but it's very fun to read, and the chapters about Ren zu and all the things surrounding the Wang family are excellent.
I'd probably give it a 7,5/10 (don't take the ratings seriously, it's just for fun)
Post-Graduation Arc/Chapters 87-121
It's a mini-arc, so it's bound to be the weakest, even though there are a few things worth mentioning, like chapter 87 with Ren zu.
And huge support to the tavern employee who saw their salary increase thanks to Fang Yuan and then got screwed again ☠️
Bro use the Ragebait Gu.
But it's essentially an arc to build up to the rest of the volume; there are still some very good monologues, like the ones in chapters 97 and 117.
I give it a 6.5/10 because it's still good and the river-swallowing toad Gu was too bizarre, so I like it.
Wolf Tide Arc/Chapters 121-199
Clearly and by far the best arc of volume 1, I'd easily say twice as good as the rest of the volume.
There are a lot of good chapters and the story finally gets going.
The beginning of the arc is good and mainly serves to build up what will happen next.
Bai Ning bing introduction is very good, and yes, he's finally a good side character who doesn't exist solely for Fang Yuan character.
Fang Zheng little glow-up at the end of the arc. Ren zu story, and therefore also the lore of RI, is explored more, even if Ren zu is no longer at Fang Yuan level (you can't be the best forever 😔). Chapter 151 really surprised me despite my high expectations for this chapter.
There's literally a warning message before Fang Yuan monologue in this chapter🙏😭
The end of the arc is just as surprising; I absolutely didn't expect the work to pick up such speed. The last 10 chapters have a much more intense pace than the rest of the volume.And the plot twist in chapter 197 is incredible,I had heard a little about the conclusion of volume 1, it's good but don't expect anything absolutely extraordinary.
I give this Arc a score of 9.3/10.
Here are my top 10 chapters of Reverend Insanity vol 1:
10: Chapter 1/173
9: Chapter 38/58
8: Chapter 135/144
7: Chapter 131
6: Chapter 193
5: Chapter 169
4: Chapter 195
3: Chapter 198
2/1: Chapter 151
1/2: Chapter 197
I didn't really put a lot of thought into making my top list, so feel free to give yours.
The main theme of Fang Yuan is, of course, individualism,Solitude, immortality ✌️
I'm kidding, it's Zhenren. I suggest to learn more about Zhuangzi; it might improve your understanding of the work,Even if you're just looking to enjoy the work and don't care about writing, then it's absolutely not necessary to enjoy reading Reverend Insanity.
So I have a very positive opinion of this first volume; honestly, I absolutely loved it, and it deserves its Glaze so far.Even though the Glaze apparently also comes from many people who haven't read the work,I'm not hunting Fakereaders, I have other things to do ✌️
If you want to see a more negative and perhaps less biased review, I suggest waiting for a possible review on the channel of @Ahmed-l7m1z
And how can we not talk about the writing community when discussing RI/Fang yuan
The only work in existence where someone can seriously piss you off because you like the work and give your opinion... what am I supposed to do? Be a sheep and lie to myself for the sake of random elitists who probably have no real literary knowledge...
Except, as my YouTube description says, "I wear no mask" so go read "The King in Yellow" by William Chambers because it's incredible, and then you can leave my channel 🫡
I finished the game Soma, which is incredible; I will make a post very soon mentioning this game and some others,obviously not a writing comparison.
1 day ago (edited) | [YT] | 6
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Parladax
Which novel should I read first?
A review of volume 1 of Reverend Insanity is planned for soon; the Jin Sakai analysis will arrive next week.
5 days ago | [YT] | 1
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Parladax
Okay, the analysis is in French, but it's excellent, so I'm sharing it for the few people in the community who understand French 🗣️
3 weeks ago | [YT] | 3
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Parladax
Among these four Character,Which one had you read/watched?
(Just to be clear, I'm not asking for a comparison 🥀)
3 weeks ago | [YT] | 4
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Parladax
After almost two months, he posts the analysis requested by Reinharfer.
Yes, I am indeed referring to the analysis of Baku Madarame complexity (although in the end I am not only discussing his complexity but also his motivation).
Link to the doc:
docs.google.com/document/d/1YlF2NVaH8gZ66jJ5MePsUu…
I could have included two other things in this analysis, but I didn't for some reason.
1. The Adam/Lucifer symbolism, because I wanted my analysis to remain focused on complexity/motivation, and I've already incorporated many symbols to explain the ambiguity behind the Character,even though that symbol is excellent.
2. In the motivation section, I could have talked about the "Intrinsic" form and not just the "Extrinsic" form,except that I was afraid of repetitions and I was already late on the writing of the analysis.
Requested by: @Reinharfer
Next analysis on Jin Sakai requested by: @MADARA_8999
4 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 9
View 55 replies
Parladax
After rereading Dune, which book series should I continue?
1 month ago | [YT] | 3
View 38 replies
Parladax
Analysis of the symbolism of Verso's "mask"
The name of the character Verso reflects a double identity, because the word "Verso" in French that means the back of a page, which is the opposite of the word Recto.
Verso therefore already has the idea of the of a hidden face,a double identity.
Clair obscur is essentially built on contrasts like light/dark, art/destruction, illusion/reality and Verso embodies this.
Verso is both son and copy, he is a being recreated from memories.Verso lives between life and death/between creation and erasure.
Verso plays the role of a guide/protector while being lost himself.
And it is this form of duality/tension that makes the mask a main symbol of his existence.
The Recto mask represents what Verso shows the world.
More precisely, it represents the facade, the social character, the image that Verso wishes to show as the front of a mask.
This front face represents Verso Guide/Protector characteristic, he presents himself as someone calm, confident and in control of the situation.
As another characteristic there is the artist, he embodies the image of the creator of the one who models the painting world.
He reflects the image of a man who controls himself, he hides his emotions, his doubts and his sorrow.
This front mask serves as a "stage" where he hides and minimizes his true feelings, a way to show a strong image to protect others but also to protect himself.
Verso embodies an imposed role, that of a perfect son, a savior.
It represents the light which in turn represents the visible part of itself,but also the lie because he hides his suffering under this same mask.
The Recto mask represents a false self that shows the world,a social face, a hero performance.
The Verso mask,This rear mask symbolizes the other side, an intimate truth and a hidden pain.
Verso hides grief and guilt under this mask, because the real Verso died ,and the one we see is only an echo, a fragment.
This side of the mask also symbolizes the instability of his identity,he is a copy and a memory, Verso lives in the in-between.
The mask also represents his despair, Verso cannot change his destiny nor that of his world, a form of fatalism.
Verso lives for others but not for himself, as said before, he becomes a role but he no longer a person, it's the erasure of self.
All these representations are all that Verso hides in his “Verso” mask,This mask is not a setback but it is the truth that Verso refuses to face.Symbolically it shows a silent grief, a fear of disappearing and the awareness of being only an illusion. Verso is the shadow behind the light, Verso is the real face behind the facade
(Recto).
The "Verso" mask symbolizes the weight of the unspoken, it represents a repressed identity.
The three faces of the Axon associated with Verso.
Joy is the smile he display to reassure the world.
Sadness: the melancholy of living in a false world.
Anger: A contained rage in the face of fate.
These three masks are reflections of Verso repressed emotions.
The mask of joy represents this social facade.
The mask of sadness represents his true heart, the melancholy of the false world.
The mask of anger represents his bridled instinct
All these masks represent "layers" of his being, a metaphor for the strata of a canvas.
Very often in initiatory stories, removing a mask means facing the truth, for Verso it is accepting it.He must accept the fact that he is not the original but a copy, that his world is only a painted illusion and that the truth certainly causes pain but liberates.
At the end of Clair obscur When he chooses between continuing the illusion or accepting the end, he decides to remove the mask, to live in the truth, even if painful, rather than in a falsely perfect lie.
To say the symbolism of the mask mention the main themes of the game.
Light/darkness, the mask hides the darkness under the light.
The truth/lie (illusion), the mask separates reality from lies.
Grief/denial, the mask protects him from grief.
Identity/role, the mask symbolizes the distance between being and appearing.
So the Recto mask is what Verso shows, an artist and a guide.And the Verso mask is what it hides, the pain, the loss, the doubt and the anger.
The multiple faces representing different emotions hidden
And the removal of the mask represents the acceptance of the truth and the end of the illusion.The mask of the character of Verso embodies the human condition in Clair obscur,They all live between what they show and what they keep silent, between light and dark.
I will now discuss the monologue of the guardian of the masks (Visages, visage=face in French) which acts as a kind of symbolic key.
In the cinematic the guardian of the masks says:
“"Everyone wants to know what's behind the mask. But few wonder what's in front. Front, back... Recto, verso.Two sides of the same truth.
This passage mainly concerns Verso, whose name literally takes up these words "Recto/Verso" - "Front/back" the visible side/the hidden side.
As previously stated, the Recto side is what it shows,a heroic facade and the Verso side is what he hides, the pain.
The front mask is Verso's social role and the back mask is the truth he represses and the wounded interiority.
All this repetition to say that “Visages” The Axon is the outward manifestation of this duality of Verso's character,the monologue of Visages comments on the very principle of the character of Verso.
This sequence is like an initiatory revelation for Verso, before Verso is prisoner of his "recto" he maintains this mask of control and certainty.
Then the guardian of the masks sends him the image of his "verso", his psychic reverse side.
After Verso begins to crack his mask (metaphor I remind, Verso does not have real masks),he becomes more hesitant, more real and more vulnerable.
The Axon Monologue” Visages” opens Verso's rift (another metaphor), it forces Verso to recognize the fact that his identity is based on a permanent tension between what he shows and what he hides.
This monologue links the themes of Clair obscur,The speech of Visages does not only speak about the masks of the characters but also about the structure of the world itself (of the game) a world built on painting, the Recto which is the image and the Verso which is the buried truth.
The mask is a boundary between what is illuminated (Recto) and what remains in the dark (Verso).
“Everyone wants to know what's behind" except that no one understands that "in front" is already an illusion.
The monologue of Visages puts into words what Verso “silently” embodies.
The front mask (recto) is no more true than the back mask (verso) ,the "removal of the mask" at the end signifies the abandonment of the illusion .For the character of Verso understanding the duality within him is accepting his fragmented identity. Verso is neither the original nor the pure lie, but exists between the two.
Verso is a living Clair obscur.
share 🥺:
@huzefa600 @MADARA_8999
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