It hasn’t even been a whole day since Rielle & Mina have been introduced and i have something I need to say so LETS GO 💥💥💥
I LOVEEE Mina’s entire getup, he’s so pleasing to look at, but everyone is saying his name is goofy. (first name doesn’t even exist, surname translates to “teal king”???)
RIELLEEEEEE My SHAYLA
WHAT are you wearing???? Biggest issue with Marinfinne whatever dorm uniform is the freaking color. I know it’s Arielle’s main color but it don’t look good with the fit. Also I think it would look better if the jacket was more mmm…form fitting around the waist. That’s what I thought we’d get based on the silhouette. I think Rielle’s face looks off, like it would be better if his bangs weren’t so freaking long, maybe have them closer to the face, and the ear-meet-jaw area should have a few strands of hair covering it, or the bangs should.
More on Minajael's name here.
I know that everyone has very strong opinions on Rielle and Minajael's designs, so here's mine! (I repeat some of the sentiments expressed by askers, so that's why I'm not responding to every individual one.) Please remember that these are just my own thoughts and they're not meant to imply that yours are any less valid.
Below the cut due to length!
Rielle pros:
He has a little tan to him, which adds some middle color to the cast. I feel like a lot of the fair-skinned characters are way too pale, so it's nice to have a slightly richer color around.
Rielle has pinker cheeks!! Very cute touch.
His overskirt is cute!! I like to think that it's a reference to the silver gown Ariel wears at the end of the film, or maybe a more generalized "waves lapping against the shore" thing.
The trinkets tied with twine are cute and show off his personality as a human/land-obsessed oddball. I caught those Sebastian and Flounder cameos...
DINGLEHOPPER IN THE HAIR
Rielle cons:
I think they could not decide on a color palette for Rielle so they decided "FUCK IT, let's make him ALL of Ariel's iconic colors". There's the green and purple of her merform, the red of her hair, the intense blue of her eyes, the pink of her dress from dinner with Eric, the blue-silver of her ending dress, and then also the RSA navy and gold. It unfortunately resulted in a very non-cohesive look.
Think the hair could be looser?? It looks like it is pulled back pretty tight, and that + the bangs make it seem like his hairline is receding at 17.
I know I mentioned the trinkets are cute, but they also make his center look very cluttered. If they were more spread out across his body, it would be looked a little less busy in one area. Some of the trinkets are also very impractical. The sharp bits would jab him when he walks around.
Not necessarily a con, but as an Anon mentioned, maybe his silhouette would look better if his blazer was more tightly fitted. Maybe incorporating the rope and wrecked sails from Ariel’s shipwrecked look when she first comes to land?
His lower half looks comparatively plain. Maybe if his overskirt was more fin-shaped it would look less plain? Or if his boots were more elaborate?
His overall outfit silhouette is not that interesting. Think it would look better if they maybe added like… idk, a bow or the white + black top from Ariel’s date outfit, maybe puff sleeves from her wedding dress, etc. The current outfit just looks like a generic suit.
I appreciate what they went for a really "out-there" hairstyle, but his hair looks like it's missing a lot of volume, which is wild because Ariel has tons of volume in hers, especially under the sea. I would have loved to see Rielle's hair larger and fluffier.
The bangs especially look way too thin. They should be wispier and, like I said before, thicker. One Anon commented that the bangs are supposed to look like the flower in Ariel's hair when she's playing "loves me, loves me not", but I don't think the petals are supposed to be that thin. I don't think people would dislike the bangs as much if they weren't so wiry.
This might just be me, but his face looks very "young" compared to the rest of his body. It looks like you took Epel's big eyes and pasted them onto someone who's 180+ cm tall. That, paired with the open shirt (which reminds me of Leona), reads as very odd to me.
Overall? I guess he's cute enough, but I've for sure seen redesigns from the fandom I like more than the official one. His face does capture that "enamored with the human world" energy though, so that's a success. I just wish his clothes were better executed to match that.
In a weird way, I think this suits his character??? Like, Rielle's SO excited that he doesn't dress properly or pick things that go well together, he's way too busy fixated on his own interests. (If I recall correctly, colors also appear differently in the water, so maybe he's having a hard time bridging that gap now that he's on land.)
Minajael pros:
His outfit is no way accurate to what someone would actually wear in the desert environment or traditional SWANA clothes, but I enjoy it for being reminiscent of streetwear. The baggy pants, sneakers, and oversized jacket are very characteristic of that, and I think this style of fashion suits Minajael’s character (at least the aspect of him that wishes to be treated more like a commoner and less like a royal, but even if his outfit is still overembellished in other aspects).
Minajael's hair is really interesting to me. It resembles Jasmine's hair braid, but it's actually a mullet with two headscarves woven together to create the illusion of a braid.
Big fan of the excessive jewelry, especially the layered necklaces.
His face is very strong!! Handsome, in an aloof sort of way. I like the smaller, sharper eyes and thick brows too.
Sheer sleeves on the jacket are a fun touch to it.
His eyeslashes are very cunty
Jasmine flowers incorporated in the clothes...
Love the colors here. Teal/turquoise with gold accents is very nice to look at.
His look seems to combine elements of many SWANA cultures, which I think fits with how Twst tries to present its worldbuilding. Its locations and cultures are never strict 1:1, but eclectic to create something unique. This is a really good post pointing out the various cultural elements of Minajael’s design.
Minajael cons:
The design is still very orientalist. But hey, it's based on Princess Jasmine, whose design is already orientalist to begin with, so my expectations going in were low.
NOT a fan of the midriff. Yes, I know it's a reference to Jasmine's outfit but it’s impractical and unrealistic for a school uniform.
Some aspects (the jacket sleeves, the sash tied around his waist) do seem overdesigned.
Why does than one necklace’s medallion thing look way too huge…
Wish there was more color variety. It's basically the same teal/turquoise the entire way with some gold accents.
I prefer Minajael's design to Rielle's, mainly because of his face and my appreciation for streetwear. I would probably like him a lot more if not a few elements. Would love to see him in other outfits; this would easily fix my few issues with him. (I like this redesign a lot!)
He seems to be the more popular of the two so far 😭 Rielle is seen as baby but Minajael is seen as “the cooler Jamil” or just a baddie.
