Kissa's Corner

˚.꒰Ɛ১ ໒3꒱.˚ she/her

[p-kissa]

Main Title Solos!

I've always thought it was cool that Skadi gets a solo frame (that looks incredible, might I add) in the opening, despite not exactly being as important as characters like Casper or Falco necessarily. So this got me thinking, and then I went through the opening to see which characters get what I'm calling "solo frames" but probably has an official name I don't know lol

My requirements here were pretty loose! If the character was featured completely on their own in even a singular frame that I could find, then it counted! However, if there were multiple frames, then I chose the one that showcased the character in the most identifiable way, if that makes sense.

I was going to say that we obviously have all of the Knights, but actually not all of them get a solo frame (that I could fine)! Ameline only has duos/groups, and Milo debatably has one, but it is so cropped and so blurry that I'm not sure it counts

The Knights we do get: Key, Ssyelle, and Odward

We also get a Casper solo frame!

Aside from the Knights we see the most solo frames of the Dragons, but also, interestingly enough, of the Shadows!

Ragno, Skadi, Behemot, and Ondine all get solo frames:

And from the Shadows we get Kai and Kamo, and Kai again from the Shadows v. Knights game

And I cannot remember who this is or what episode they're from, but they're here too (I thought it was episode 3 but I didn't see them? I feel like I can remember the scene but not the episode or their name)

Of course, we can't forget about the dragon! And the, uh, the eye that may or may not be of the dragon or the dragon possessing a human?

And lastly, we have:

The Ref

I'm not really examining this too closely or trying to analyze anything with this, I was mostly just curious about who was featured individually in the main theme! I fully expected Falco to be here, but he wasn't ever alone, which is surprising to me mainly considering how often he's featured in the episodes!

The rest of the Roses and Bards were also surprisingly absent. Which actually kind of makes sense, considering the Knights never played the Roses in an official capacity (only for the field, iirc) and showing the Knights v. Bards would kind of be spoilers lol. So that kind of leaves the Shadows since they actually played, and the Dragons since they're Key's main rivals but also the former champions.

Bonus! Milo's debatable solo, Milo and Ameline's duo frame, and an extra Casper:

Thank you for your time!

[p-kissa]

Ameline’s Characterization

So I was rewatching Dragon Striker as one does, and I realized that when Ssyelle accidentally opens the door to the boys' locker room, Ameline not only comes closer

before:

after:

but she also tries to look further inside! I always thought she just came to investigate Ssyelle’s reaction, but then I noticed that while Ssyelle is absolutely mortified at having barged in on them and accidentally invading their privacy, Ameline tries her best to look in around Ssyelle

and I kind of feel dumb for only noticing on my third rewatch lol

So onto my point:

I really like how well they managed to characterize Ameline even though she doesn't speak all that much! They show her natural curiosity and inquisitiveness a lot, not only here but also when she goes to investigate Falco and the tama-snatcher, when she discovered the secret cave-like place at the Knight’s field, how she reads and loves books, and probably more specific instances I’m forgetting! Even the fact that she followed Ssyelle at all but didn’t explain anything tells us so much about her without her actually having to say anything! They did a really good job with her introduction, imo

[p-kissa]

Surya's Injury

A very brief post about Surya, I promise!

So I was going back through the first episode to look for anything I missed, as one does, and when I paused I noticed that Surya sees Edina's flame coming, turns his right side towards the flame and brings up his right hand to cover his face.

Immediately after this, his entire body is swallowed by flames

And on another frame, as Edina is opening her eyes again, we see that the fire is clinging mostly to his right side, leaving his left unconsumed for a brief time before he's completely engulfed again

So, not only did the fire first hit him on the right, but it also stayed there longer and more consistently than on his left. I think this sequence might not only explain why the right side of his face received worse damage than his left, but also why he no longer wears his hair in a braid?

To me, the way he's grasping at his head at the end also looks like he's focusing on the back of his head, or his braid? To be fair, though, he may just be panicking and trying to put himself out in whatever places he can reach, and him now wearing his hair shorter could just be an unrelated decision

[p-kissa]

So, fair warning, I may be speculating too much..

I really like this image, because I feel like it really highlights the differences between Milo and Odward that are expressed by their designs pretty well. This isn’t an analysis or anything, I just kinda want to throw out some of my unprofessional opinions (that may go too far into speculation)

Mainly, I just want to appreciate how much detail and care went into all the designs in this show! Even if nothing I say here was intended, there was still a lot of love poured into these characters.

First of all, their hair! Odward's sideburns are blond while the rest is brown, and Milo's sideburns are brown while the rest is blond! Not to mention the differences in how they wear their hair. Imo it just really lines up with their personalities. like I would believe Odward spent a long time figuring out his hairstyle and how to make it unique. I mean everyone has really cool hair, but I feel like Odward would want to stand out still?

And the opposites trend continues into their outfits, because they wear complementary colors to each other! Milo tends towards blues, whereas Odward very much wears orange. Odward does have a blue undershirt, but I might put that speculation in a different post lol

I have thoughts but I feel like I'm just hallucinating meaning where there might not have been any intention? But then again, I feel like so much intention was put into this show..

Lastly, I would like to point out that Milo has a curved/scalloped pattern on his top, whereas Odward has sharp lines and geometric shapes, and I feel like I would just be repeating myself but it’s so good because it just fits their personalities so well! Odward can be a little abrasive and sharp, but Milo is more calm. Odward wants to stand out, he wants to show off and be noticed and praised, I mean he was a Bard! Milo, in the first few episodes especially, had been trying to fit in and not really be noticed, staying out of the spotlight.

It just seems like the designers really understood the characters and their personalities and how they would present and carry themselves, and I thought the Stonegarden brothers were a pretty good example of that! Alternatively I'm just massively overthinking everything, but it was fun, so..?

[p-kissa]

A Compilation of Milo's Side Quests

I did my best to edit together every instance of Milo living his best life in the town while Key and Ssyelle were causing chaos/fighting for their lives

I present:

The Short Series of Clips

(The quality is a little... my computer was doing her best lol)

Please let me know if there are issues with the sound! My headphones began to cut out while I was editing...

[p-kissa]

About Me!

Hello! I'm a pretty private person, so I tend to not interact much (if at all) with the communities of the things I like. I am still pretty new to Tumblr, so I would appreciate any tips or etiquette lessons! I would love to have a good time, so hopefully this will be pretty unserious(?)! I'm extremely inconsistent with how I spend time online, so I'll probably just come and go lol

Other than that, I do a little writing but only for myself so far, and I dabble in many other various activities ^^

I tend to overthink things a lot so I'm just going to end it here!