Lune and Sciel: The Two Sides to Wisdom

0:00 I have a question for you. Why did the writers choose to have Lun and Seiel be the ones who defeat the Axons? It's kind of a weird choice, right? Like Gustav, they are largely sidelined in the second half of the game when the Desandre family take center stage. I mean, technically, Luna and Seiel are not even real. I have seen people argue that they do not matter, that they are just hollow simulations imitating human emotion. This is really Myel's story. And yet without them never would have completed her journey. Now I have a theory. I think Lun and Seiel are meant to represent two distinct forms of intelligence. Lun is rational intelligence, practical, studious, and academic, while Seiel is emotional

0:46 intelligence, social, empathetic, and intuitive. Neither form is portrayed to be superior here. They are both equally necessary to the success of the mission. So, let's take a closer look at these two axon battles. This is the Mask Keeper. Renoir painted him as a representation of his son Verso, the real Verso, the one who died in the fire. And this is by far the strangest of the four axons. The other three are relatively straightforward impressions. For example, this one, which carries a massive weight on its back, clearly represents Clea and the burden of responsibility she bears. That allegory is easy to understand. But the mask keeper is shadowy, creepy, and theatrical. His performance has this dramatic, over-the-top flourish. He is deceptive, lying, and hiding his true

1:33 identity, pretending that Viz is the axon while he plays the role of the harmless servant. And he is covered head to toe in masks. The connection between Verso and the symbol of the mask appears throughout the entire game. All of the original Verso's creations, the gestals, the Grande, Esier, they all wear masks. He was obsessed with this visual motif. Okay. So, what are masks? What do they represent? Well, it could be deception, hiding one's true identity, motivations, or feelings. They can symbolize the gap between who you really are and the version of yourself you present to the rest of the world. Or it can be about performance, the role you choose to play. Masks can even serve as a form of protection, a barrier that keeps your true self out of reach and out of

2:19 danger. People cannot hurt what they cannot see. Anyway, at the end of their battle, in an ominous voice, the mask keeper declares, "We all need masks." And then he latches several onto the faces of our heroes. Masks that they cannot tear off no matter how hard they struggle, except for Seel, who removes hers effortlessly. She easily walks through the storm and says, "This mask can't hurt me. because it is me. And then she defeats the axon in a single blow. The first time I played, I assumed she could do this because Seiel does not seem to wear any masks. She

3:06 never pretends to be anyone else. She is totally honest about who she is at all times. She is the exact opposite of Verso in that way. But on subsequent playthroughs, I have changed my mind. Now I think Seel actually does wear a mask just of a different kind. As her story progresses, we learn that there is a part of her identity that she keeps hidden. In the past, after losing her husband to an accident, she was so consumed by grief that she attempted to drown herself. Esier saved her, but what she did not realize at the time was that she was pregnant, and the trauma of the near-death experience caused her to lose the baby. In her act of self-destruction, she had unintentionally killed their child, the last living piece of her husband left in the world. For a time, she then

3:53 succumbed to an even greater grief and depression. But eventually, she managed to refocus her life. She became a teacher and continued her husband's work, pushing her grief down below the surface. In the present, she possesses perhaps the greatest emotional maturity of anyone in the expedition. Whenever anyone else is in pain, it is Seiel who steps in to comfort them. She is able to make peace with her fate in ways that the others cannot. For example, when she is gagged the first time, she simply closes her eyes and accepts it without fear or panic. And if you choose Verso's ending, she says farewell to him calmly without bitterness or anger. When the rest of the expedition is slaughtered on the beach, instead of being overcome by misery the way Gustav initially is, Cel

4:39 just hangs out with the gestals, happy to spend her final year in pointless but fun arena battles. You could argue that Seiel was wearing a mask this entire time. Beneath her placid surface, she is wounded, griefstricken, guiltridden, and even suicidal. That might be why she is so accepting of her fate or so willing to tackle the more dangerous of the two axons first. Just like Verso, she has a bit of a death wish. But the difference between them is that the mask she wears makes her stronger. Her mask is the version of herself she wishes to become. So the problem is not the mask itself. As the axon says, we all wear masks. Meaning we all have to choose what role we are going to play. The real question

5:26 is how that mask is used. And Verso uses them to lie, to deceive, to harm not only others but himself, too. His deception makes him miserable. It alienates him from the others. As I mentioned earlier, the gestals, the Grande, and Es all wear masks without issue. Perhaps the original Verso's true artistic ambition with them was to learn how to make his mask something he wears as openly and comfortably as his creations wear theirs. That is exactly what Seiel achieves and why she is able to overcome the axon's onslaught. She does not reject the mask he forces on her the way the others do. Instead, she accepts it as a part of herself. In some ways, I think she is the ideal role model of this story. We could all live much more peaceful lives if we learn to

6:13 behave more like her. However, there is a limit to her acceptance. She does choose to battle fate alongside the rest of expedition 33. She may be willing to accept the things she cannot change, but she will fight like hell to change the things she can. And now let's move on to the second axon we are going to discuss in this video. Seren. This is Renoir's representation of his wife Alen. She who plays with wonder. She is beautiful, fairylike, almost alien, like something out of this world. She sings and dances at the center of this ornate coliseum, radiant with light while weaving new life from vibrant fabric. But this is not just an idealized vision of Alen. There is something dangerous in her song. Seren is the French word for

6:59 siren, creatures from Greek mythology who lure sailors to their deaths with enchanting music. And that is exactly what Seren tries to do to the expeditioners. Rather than harming them physically, she tries to trap them with her song. Later on, she attempts something even more insidious. She shows each of our heroes an illusion of someone they have lost. This illusion is broken by Verso, and we will discuss why in more detail later. The parallels to the real Alen are clear here. She created an illusory version of her dead son here in the canvas, except instead of trapping others, she intentionally trapped herself. Anyway, the battle ends with Seren unleashing a massive psychic attack that disables everyone except Lun. And this is where things get really

7:47 weird. Seren does not do anything to harm her. Instead, it offers Luna its hand, which she climbs on top of and then is lifted up near Seren's face. They stare at each other for a couple moments. Then, the axon remains completely still while Lun charges up a final fatal attack. It is almost as if Seren is accepting its fate or it has chosen Lun to be the one to end its life. This is a very strange sequence and unlike last time, we have no dialogue to use as a key to unravel the mystery. Both Lun and Seren remain silent. The first time I played, I assumed Lun resisted the illusion because she did not form strong emotional attachments like the others. like she's just this nerdy math wizard

8:32 who doesn't require the baggage that comes with friendship. But that is clearly not true. I mean obviously she forms meaningful connections with Gustav Seel and Verso. And more importantly in that earlier scene she absolutely was enchanted by the illusion of her parents. And as we learn later her relationship with them was complicated. They put her to work as their assistant from a very young age. There does not seem to have been much love or affection in their household, or at least not in the traditional sense. It was all work and study and training all the time. In her dialogue, Looney does seem grateful for this extensive preparation and the strength it has given her, but also somewhat bitter. She never had the chance to enjoy a normal childhood. As

9:17 she later tells Verso, she feels uncertain if her parents ever truly loved her or if they simply saw her as a tool to carry on their work. Though Verso argues that their unwavering confidence in her is in itself a form of love. Either way, after her parents' expedition failed, Lun did not give up or abandon their goal. She withdrew from the world, cutting off friends and romantic partners like Seiel, letting her relationship with her two older siblings fade, all so that she could fully devote herself to the one thing her parents had spent their entire lives pursuing, the destruction of the paintress. So, let's get back to that scene with the axon. I think what Seren is trying to do is to give people what they truly want deep down in their heart

10:03 of hearts. And for most of these characters, more than anything, that means getting back someone they have lost. Myel wants Gustav. Seiel wants her husband. Manoko wants Nco. And so, Seren gives them an illusion of their lost loved one, not out of malevolence, but as a kindness. But notice that she does not show Verso an illusion. She and him share a long moment together, gazing into each other's eyes, and then she flies into a sort of rage, dispelling all of the illusions and engaging the party in battle. As I discussed in my video on his character, I think what Verso really wants is to die, or in his words, to not live this life anymore. This provokes Seren, who is modeled on Oolen, the person who gave him his life in the

10:51 first place. But what about Lun? What is her deepest desire? It is not to have her parents back. At the end of the game, she does not ask Myel to repaint them the way Seiel asks for her husband. Instead, Lun more than anything wants to complete their work. And that is what Seren gives her. That is why the axon allows itself to be destroyed in the end without fighting back. So, in Lun's case, it is not her intelligence that proves key to victory, but her bond with her parents. Once again, the theme of human connection appears. Of course, this is just my theory. There is limited textual evidence here, so I would be curious to hear other opinions. Another element of Lun's character that we have not discussed yet is her curiosity. She is driven by a strong desire to learn.

11:38 Whenever the expedition encounters a new mystery, it is Lun who leaps forward to examine it up close, even when it might be dangerous. For example, she wants to study the colorless nevrons, while Gustav remains much more cautious and suspicious. After the defeat of the paintress, she appears unsatisfied, her brow furrowed, lost in thought. The expedition might be over. But we're not done yet. There are so many questions left to answer. And for her, that quest for knowledge to unravel every mystery will never be complete. She will never be satisfied. That is why she cannot accept her fate as peacefully as Cel does. While being

12:25 gagged, she rushes back and forth as if trying to make sense of what is happening. On a completely different note, she also has a few unexpectedly really cute moments in the story. For example, she gets super duper excited when the group first meets the gestals. She's a bit of a dork. Then there is her role as a musician. She plays guitar, which adds an extra dimension to her character. She is not just a stuffy, emotionless, no fun allowed academic. She also has this connection to art and music. Now, let's talk about Verso's ending. Unlike Seiel, Lun refuses to forgive him. She sits down here in the portal, signaling the end of the expedition and her own surrender. She is giving up. Her gaze is filled with bitterness and resentment towards the person who destroyed not only her life's

13:11 work, but her parents as well. However, just like Gustav, I am not sure a happy ending was ever possible for Luna. I do not want to repeat what I already said in that video, but I believe Lun would have grown dissatisfied with a life in the canvas much sooner than the others. With her parents' work complete and all of the canvas's mysteries resolved, what would remain to drive her forward to make her life feel meaningful? The world of the canvas is just so small. By the end of their journey, expedition 33 has seen everything it has to offer. They have reached the edge of the map. There is nothing left to discover. By contrast, I think Seel might have been able to find contentment here. She is driven by very different things and she does get her husband back. But there is

13:57 a potential problem here, too. One thing I have not discussed in any of these videos is the question of Mile's abilities as a painter. The only reason why the painted characters we meet in the canvas feel so real, so emotionally complex, and creative and inventive is because Alene is the one who created them. She is the only true master painter in the story. Everyone else, even Renoir, is said to fall far short of her abilities. Moreover, Myel is explicitly described as the weakest painter in the family, which raises the question, can she actually repaint these people? The only reason she was able to restore Lun and Seiel is because she pulled their essence from the Chroma just minutes after they were gagged. She cannot do the same for the other dead

14:44 expeditioners. The ones who join her in the final battle are basically zombies. Something I noticed in her ending. If you look at the people waiting outside the music hall, they have very little color in their design. They are nearly monochrome, which is a stark contrast to the vibrance we saw in the opening. Back then, Lumiere was full of color. Could this suggest that they are less complex than their originals? And does this version of Verso here, whatever he is, seem a bit, I don't know, muted, less dynamic compared to the one who joined Expedition 33, like he is missing that spark of life. It makes me wonder whether Seal truly reunited with her husband in the end, or if this is just some lesser faximile, and if so, can she

15:30 truly be happy trapped here in Myiel's fantasy forever? Just like last time, I must end this video by saying that while I do believe Luna and Seiel have a right to exist and that after all of their struggle and sacrifice, they deserve a happy ending. I'm just not sure that is even possible. Myel's ending does not look like happiness to me. Before I say goodbye to Clare Obscure for good, I want to talk about one final character, Manoko. I do not think there's enough material here for a full essay, but he is the only major character left that I have not examined in detail. In my video on Gustaf, I stated that the gestals are content to remain in the simple world of the canvas because they are simple creatures, but

16:17 Manoko's character suggests otherwise. Gestals do experience a form of death. When they are killed, their essence returns to the sacred river from which they can later be reborn. However, as we see with the revived Noco, the new version is never quite the same, which should remind you of the painted copies of her family members that Alene creates. No matter how identical on the surface, they are fundamentally different people. Anyway, no gestural lives the exact same life twice, which perhaps makes their mortality much more palatable. They are not trapped in the same shell forever. Each cycle offers something new. But it is not a perfect system. As we see with Minooko, there is a caveat. Noo is his closest friend in

17:02 the world aside from Verso. And when Noo is killed by Renoir, that specific version is gone forever. Manoko experiences real sorrow and grief over that loss. It is not just all fun and games being a gestal. Moreover, Manoko is capable of deception. He lies to Expedition 33 by omission. He knows the truth about the paintress and what will happen to them when she is destroyed. and he demonstrates a capacity for independence, leaving Verso's side for a time to forge a new life with the Grande. Through his character, we find that gestals are not so simple after all. But more than anything, Manoko is defined by his loyalty. Being Verso's friend is the core of his identity, written into his very soul, a role that

17:47 shapes everything he does. He supports Verso utterly, fighting for him, lying for him, and even dying for him. It is perhaps telling that Manoko so easily transfers his loyalty to Verso's copy. I think that tells us something about this version of Verso, that Alen really did manage to create something very close to the original. Or maybe it actually reveals something deeper about Manoko's character. What if he chooses to stand by the copy, not because he was made to, not out of duty, but out of empathy, because he sees someone who needs a friend? And remember when the original Verso died, Manoko lost his best friend, too. He must have been lonely as well. Maybe their relationship is best

18:32 described as two lost and artificial souls, both longing for connection, finding each other in the tragic world of the canvas, and choosing to stay together through thick and thin. But that is where we must finally stop. This is the end of my series of videos analyzing the story of Claire Obscure Expedition 33. I have spent a lot more time with this game than I was expecting to, but I do not regret it. I know I am preaching to the choir here, but I really think this is one of the best original stories I have encountered in a video game in years, and it is all about the characters. Mel, Verso, both Renoirs, Alen, they are all so flawed, even kind of frustrating at times. They make such

19:18 selfish choices. And Gustav, Lun, and Seiel get caught in the middle through no fault of their own. And yet, they are also all deeply sympathetic. Even if you hate Renoir or Verso for what they are doing to these people, you will totally understand why they are doing it. Even if you think Myel is making a terrible, unhealthy choice by remaining in the canvas, you can recognize how difficult it is for her to do anything else. These videos have had some of the most uh, let's say, divisive comment sections I have ever seen on this channel. Some people feel really, really strongly about which characters are right and which ones are wrong. Of course, the purpose of narrative analysis is not to take sides, but to understand how the writers are creating moral ambiguity and

20:06 nuance, both the justifications and the flaws they give to each character. And there have been a lot of really thoughtful comments, too, which I am grateful for. I am always extremely grateful that anyone takes the time to watch these videos at all, but I'm just wasting your time. Now, moving forward, next up, I am going to finally do a couple videos about Elden Ring Night Reign. I'm only like 3 months late on that one. So, you know, I'm doing a great job of keeping up with these hot YouTube trends. And then I think I'm going to take advantage of the release of the Metal Gear Solid 3 remake later this month to do a deep dive into some of those characters. I really want to do a video on the boss. I think she is a really fascinating antagonist. Silent Hill F and Ghost of Yoai are also right around the corner and we'll see if

20:52 those have stories worth analyzing. I am especially excited for Silent Hill, and I've really got to get back into my God of War retrospective series sometime. And supposedly Metroid Prime 4 is still coming out this year, maybe. And I will, of course, be paying close attention to whatever Sandfall Interactive decides to do next. It will be really interesting to see what they follow up Clare Obscure with, and I have a feeling that's going to get covered on this channel, too. So, if any of that sounds interesting to you, please stick around and thank you for watching. [Music] Davi. [Music]