this is like a video essay analysis for a show that isnt even out yet. love the respect you try in when writing about this subject.

@julio1148

11 ай бұрын

He is pretty much pitching the show so it gets made

Let me know what you're thinking- this is supposed to open up some dialogue. Be respectful and see what other ppl think (and don't call Ahng Oong)

@kaleidico

11 ай бұрын

Your friends a really solid voice actor for one. But I think this video helped me with my own story a bit. Trying to find a way to portray a character good at heart, who is led to believe they are bad inside. Was hard to pinpoint, since my references had been the stereotypical mentally ill deranged psychopaths so commonly used as a one dimensional villain (which is what I'm trying to poke fun at), but the way you displayed it in this video is definitely something I will be referencing from. Thank you.

@Bluejellyy

11 ай бұрын

I think this is a great concept and this video helped a lot of people see what your truly trying to do and is this going to be adult cartoon meaning like not for kids

@kaleidico

11 ай бұрын

@@Bluejellyy from the subject matter alone, I think it's safe to say this won't be made for kids.

@j.vazquez8966

11 ай бұрын

Who tf is oong?

@Warm_n_Crowzy

11 ай бұрын

@EthanBecker70 i would suggest adding trigger warnings in a pinned comment or something, i wasn’t fully aware of the content being discussed in the video so i couldn’t make a fully informed judgment on watching. just a smaller thing 🙏💛

We're pretty far into meme territory with how ridiculous these thumbnails are getting and I'm loving every minute of it

@Zomana9

10 ай бұрын

but have we ever considered what *if* aang was racist

I know it's comedic but pronouncing his name as OOng is really killing me... lol

@RM-xq7gf

11 ай бұрын

Who

@tinkersdinkers

11 ай бұрын

it causes me physical pain lmao

@rko2016

11 ай бұрын

almost all dubs call him oong, also may is often called Mah-E

@zaricreativity1

11 ай бұрын

I almost stopped watching💀😂

@elijah3757

11 ай бұрын

I died at "OOng masters the Avatatt state" xD

I think topics like school shooters, child abuse and drug abuse make people uncomfortable (rightfully so). But as a society we've allowed our discomfort to rule us emotionally and into avoidance when what we really need to do is confront these issues. Acknowledging a problem is the first step to solving it, so I appreciate that this project is encouraging discourse about these unsettling issues. As much as I may like LA and NYC as places, I also love the desire to branch out of the less glamorous parts of the US and paint a more realistic picture of what living in the States is actually like for most people. I lived in Florida for most of my life and that place is such an untapped well of weird potential for story settings. That said, as a Latina, I've been burned repeatedly by media that features Latin people and advertises itself as being 'real' only to discover that all the writers are gringos with no real grasp of Latin culture and instead fall back onto lazy stereotypes without actually achieving any kind of authentic representation. Sometimes even shows with a Latin showrunner STILL fall short - a prime example of this would be the recent scandal with Disney's 'Primos' - a show that was most likely conceived with the best of intentions, but fell short in the execution. I'm not black or mixed, so I can't speak on behalf of either group - but I genuinely hope that this project includes not just black and mixed writers, but black and mixed artists, too. There's just no alternative for lived experience. Maybe Ethan is already talking to black and mixed writers and artists and just hasn't mentioned it yet, but I think it's worth saying on here anyway. I think this is an interesting idea for a show and I'd like to see it done right.

There's something cathartic about this video, idk what it is exactly but you talking about all the inspirations for the series is really powerful, I think you have a really strong concept for the story that really has the potential to mean a lot to people. I hope you're able to get this made to be exactly what you want it to be

one small note i think is important in ensuring you don't glorify the act of school shootings isn't just not showing it happen, but not making the leadup to it look cool. he fumbles with the gun, he looks stupid, he's embarassing to look at trying to be tough while doing one of the weakest things possible. make him looks weak, make him look inexperienced. we focus heavily on cinema and making things looks dramatic, but him cocking the gun shouldn't look cool, it should cause cringe. as i said, he fumbles, he struggles, he's trying to be hard, and thinks taking a life will make him hard, but it doesn't. i think that's important in avoiding any level of glorification of a tentative subject like this

@solemaniharami3963

11 ай бұрын

Anyone that would commit a school shooting based on an animated show would already do it in the first place. Stop trying to censor art

@ratzelkujo7880

11 ай бұрын

@@solemaniharami3963 you don't get it of course cuz you never understand it

@neolordie

11 ай бұрын

@@solemaniharami3963 it's not censoring art, choosing what light to paint an act like is part of the process, and it's not true, making it cool could make people consider it, it could make someone take the last step to make it.

@solemaniharami3963

11 ай бұрын

@@neolordie ok and stigmatizing it could piss off someone to the point where they go commit the act. Stop trying to assume you can control everybody. Tell stories from your heart, not for popularity and control over people’s actions.

@neolordie

11 ай бұрын

@@solemaniharami3963 it's not for popularity lol, it's to convey the right message, except if you want your message to be mass shootings are cool ?

I gotta say, I respect the hell out of your message here. I suffer from BPD, & admittedly, I don't always make the best choices. When I'm in a bad place, I turn into a self-destructive whirlwind, & the people who are closest to me often get sucked into that void with me. I stuck to that pattern of pushing people away, & destroying relationships because I "didn't deserve them", all up until a friend of mine sat me down & put me in that "timeout". Somebody setting boundaries & holding me accountable is quite possibly the most cared about I've ever felt. It beat all of the "kind words" I've ever recieved. To this day, I will do absolutely anything for that friend, & him not being afraid to put me in my place has been more healing than any therapy or medication I've ever had. I've improved because I felt like I actually had a chance to; it didn't feel so impossible anymore.

I wasn’t sure about this project from the first trailer, but this fully has me on board. Not only your clear passion for these characters and these themes, but also what you’ve actually shown. The scenes with the wannabe gangster kid (I forgot his name sue me) were incredible. Especially the part where he’s announcing that “he’s a murderer now”. That shit was funny and absolutely electrifying. I am incredibly excited for this.

@clunkyinc.5156

11 ай бұрын

His name is Bo! :)

I gotta say, Ethan's VA work at 33:44 is pretty impressive considering that I didn't recognize him at first

@j.vazquez8966

11 ай бұрын

He kinda sounds like Jesse Pinkman loo

@speedb.bernard5404

11 ай бұрын

​@@j.vazquez8966i thought that to lol

@muffin_crow

11 ай бұрын

@@j.vazquez8966 No because you're so right

@Purplanne

11 ай бұрын

OMG that is him! I didnt even realize until u pointed it out wtffffff

I would like to see a victim of the shooting as a contrast to the shooter like a side story or character. So you get the mother who tells the story of the parents and then a student is the story of a survivor

Listen man...this project NEEDS to be done! I haven't heared such an amazing, well thought out concept in a while. And if I ugly cry at the concept already, I lowkey want to experience how much I'm bailing at the story once it is made! I am rooting for it and greetings from Germany at this point!

i was mid video fucking crying and emotional with all this grinch and school shooter analysis, made me think how many people have saved my life about it, about being comfortable being myself, with people like me, how likes being around me besides all the shit we couldve been trough. i want to see things like you do man, this is the stuff i also want to make too, my respects to you and congratulations for making it this far.

I cannot understate how hyped I am this sounds so passionately put together, like you seriously know what you're doing. This is a dicey subject matter but this video sold me, you're gonna do it justice. This is straight up inspiring.

@michaeldyer6378

11 ай бұрын

Dicey as fuq. I really hope it gets made. But can't help but think that if it gets made it would totally get shut down / banned by the people that don't understand, nuance or satire.

I think it’ll be a very careful like to walk to balance the seriousness of the topic of shootings with the over the top stuff that Pat’s story seems to involve. I also think that the shooter’s story can’t just end with some kind of personality change or outlook change. I’m sure the story wouldn’t end with him walking away scott free with a perfectly shifted moral compass, but he should see some consequence for his actions. Which definitely touches on the topic of how our justice system treats minors who commit horrible crimes and acts

I was INCREDIBLY nervous when i heard of your show but you seemed to prove to me that your not making the edgy dark cool type of stuff but actually getting real and making something many people nowadays need and i appreciate that i hope the rest of the production goes well and ut turns out good

Love the concept. Maybe you should include an outside perspective on guns and school shootings from a character that didn't live in the US their entire live. Pretty much every other country has much stricter laws agains weapons so kids having access to guns it's almost unheard of. I can't imagine how it would be go to school fearing a shooter or not knowing if one of my parents (who is a teacher) would return to home safely. I think it's an alien feeling for most of the people outside the US. I'm from South America

@AtomekKotalke

11 ай бұрын

I agree. If the show would be for audience from all around the world it would be good to make a character that is an opposite of that kind of rough childhood. Maybe a character in similar age to the main hero that has no idea of that kind of life because he or she grew up in environment where there was no danger or fear of guns. And it could be a character that isn’t American, could be from Europe or Asia. There are many places to choose from where children grow up without fear that there will be a school shooting or they will get hurt by a gun.

Great concept, gotta give it to the balls of putting out there in this transparent way giving the sensitive subject. Nevertheles, thats the type of storiy that really grips the human soul. Telling a story of the deep emotional trenches caved deep inside of everyone. Showing the lowest points of existence and the curse that is to be alive but also the beauty and bright side of been a human trough humor and laughter. Besides all the outside noise, everyone its a fucked up ocean of emotions and trauma and anxiety and shit and thats what is real. Great work bro!

I'm really really loving this concept, whenever it gets made I'm there for it.

I'm interested in how you are going to tackle this without kids watching it (cus you know they will watch it) glorifying the shooting. I wish you all the best and I'm looking forward to watching it but I hope lots of professionals were consulted. Psychologists victims ect. I hope it inspires angry kids to change and adults to open their eyes and hearts as well to help them get better before these things happen

@alpha8here

11 ай бұрын

Yeah, this is one of the things that concerns me. Some children could be influenced to be the "main character" by doing this.

@xxKudosxx101

11 ай бұрын

I don’t think he’s going to glorify it, rather the opposite. He’s going to make fun of the main character’s ridiculous thought process and open a dialogue on the background of these people that are fundamentally broken. And pose the question whether these people can change and unfortunately reveal that you not always can.

@alpha8here

11 ай бұрын

@@xxKudosxx101 True, and I don't disagree with you, but will young impressionable kids be able to tell the difference? Remember how he mentioned how he related to Zuko in the video, because of his angst or something like that. What if a kid sees that and relates to it so much that he/she want to emulate it?

@EthanBecker70

11 ай бұрын

I didn’t emulate zuko, I learned through his mistakes

@alpha8here

11 ай бұрын

@@EthanBecker70 That's great to know, but my personal concern is what if a kid doesn't learn from your character's mistakes and chooses to indulge in them. Thankfully for something like the Avatar, there's a clear distinction between fiction (firebending, airbending, etc) and reality, but that hasn't stopped people from wanting to bring such a concept to reality in creative ways. who isn't to say that a kid could pick up on such behaviours, no matter how "real life" it is. I'm not saying don't make it, but kids will find a way to watch this, and depending how well the story is executed, could be the element that stops one from looking forward to emulating such a life or alternatively, attracting one to perform such acts they see.

I don't mean any disrespect when I say this, nor do I want to doubt you or the team working on this. I am keeping my expectations low after what "The Idol" ended up being. Make sure those in the main seat don't mess with the original story/intention. I do hope this can actually be one of the right steps towards handling sensitive topics with care, respect and utmost knowledge.

getting to know all the gritty shows and everyone with these real asf troubles helped me a lot either to get inspiration or to just understand better, I’m really looking forward to this show, I’ve been following your stuff for the past 4 years so its really cool to see you actually getting to do your stuff. its really inspiring ethan, keep BLASTIN IT

just wanna say that the voice acting you've shown has absolutely blown me away, can't wait to see more!

I'm soo excited about this and I really hope it has some characteristics of "Hey arnold" in terms of letting space and silent scenes to really show the characters' reflexion. I feel like this show is going to combine a lot of things and is going to be AMAZING

This is looking awesome, it’s amazing that you’re willing to bring these types of subject matter into animation. Looking forward to it man.

WOOW!!! THIS IS SO COOL!!! seriously the research, the story, the issues discussed, it’s BEAUTIFUL!! I FEEL INSPIRED!!!!!! Can’t wait to see more 🦅🦅🦅😭😭👏👏❤️❤️❤️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

This is a little more than halfan hour of Ethan Becker 'gushing' about his OCs'projects and i'm lovin every second of it, normally you don't talk that much/at all about what your characters, and seeing you do, talking about your characters and their stories, this is inspiring me so much, becuase i realised i am 'afraid' to go ahead with some of my character's stories because how 'far out' they seem (not the fact that a gangter is a demon princess from hell, but the fact that she makes a semi-corrupt police chief falls in love with them.) and seeing how wild you can really get with your stories while still retaining the core human emotion and struggle is really, really beautiful. Thank you ethan becker

I really hope this show gets made. Ethan, you are the one artist I look up to and learn a lot from. See you in the big leagues soon!

your sincere approach to new videos is really appreciated

I'm really looking forward to what you're gonna do with this, especially since my biggest story also tackles some dark topics and I struggled about how I could approach those themes. I'm hoping your work will inspire others to push animation to new boundaries, especially storywise!

This is amazing ✨ looking forward to seeing how it unfolds. Love watching your vids on here. Always super informative.

This reminds me of my old friend Kellen, best friends for 2 years. He’d seen shit. Got bullied a lot as a kid so eventually he started hitting back, though by the time I met him he had kind of mellowed out. But yeah he smoked heroin in middle school and all of his friends including his gf died. He quit heroin after but he still drank a lot and continued to drink right up until one day he told me he hated me and cut things off. But yeah, he told me a lot of his stories, a lot of them pretty fucked up, I mean he literally is directly linked to the murder of like 4 different people. Anyway, I hadn’t thought of him in a while up until watching this video. I saw your story board on instagram, looks awesome. I am interested to see how you depict your characters. A lot of people here are talking about not glorifying shooters, which yeah that is a problem, it looks like it will be difficult just because shootings in general are one of the most extreme things you can do. I’ve met a lot of hurt people, and yes they will hurt other people just because they are scared or sad or it’s all they know. I think it’s important to know that. I think it’ll be cool to see if our characters learn to be accountable for the shit they’ve done too.

I'm glad your back on KZread giving us guys a little snippets about you show with I love and thanks for being a huge inspiration for me love bro

I just found this channel a month ago and I’ve been inspired by project city and I’m going to post my own project. This the art community I’ve been looking for. Thank you.

The insight into the process of making this is priceless, thank you for sharing

Love how you explained your project. When I saw this video, I felt like "yeah, that's how I like to create a story". You inspire me to make my own. Thanks for reminding me!

I think one pretty valid criticism of Dave Chapelle's recent comedy that could be worth thinking about integrating into the story in some way, (cause it could be really cool and interesting) is a... deliberate unwillingness/or maybe just a blindspot of his, where he isn't able to think super intersectionally. He talks about trans people as mostly a white person thing, doesn't pay any mind to or acknowledge _black_ queer people who exist at these intersections of compounding cruelty (racism + homophobia or transphobia trans-misogyny, how black trans and queer folks experience violence to a really staggering rate.) And, he's not really alone, I don't really know of too many shows/movies talking about that, aside from maybe Moonlight. It seems like the show is pretty packed full of ideas, but if there is any room, I think that would be really interesting to see, and it isn't really something I've seen before. Even in a show like Atlanta, which I fucking adore, that sort of thinking felt kind of absent in some ways. It would probably go to some ugly places if it was tackled but, it is worth thinking about for a kid who's got this infatuation with hypermasculine internet figures, he's probably--despite not being super well educated, got some pretty politicised rhetoric under his belt about, like... the country's identity, and these queer people conspiring to destroy all that, among other things. I understand he might not change at all for the better, but that could be REALLY interesting to see, to see him go out into the world and be around enough queerness or just enough REAL people that increment by increment he feels a little shakier in some of those beliefs, in what he even thought the identity of america is, that those beliefs don't line up with the real world to some degree or another. Even though he's had a really really hard life up until this point, what you've said about not completely letting him off the hook, of him being getting poked fun at by the show for being a dickhead and not thinking about how hard other people have it, but not a monster, that's super interesting-but, and I'm presuming here, but if he's straight/cis that is it's own privilege as well that might be worth interrogating, poking fun at as well for thinking he's seen it all, that life couldn't have been any worse for him. if he's not... that's like, character conflict right there, baby! If he's gay or something, that'd be really hard to reconcile with his worldview, his ideas about what it means to be strong. Or even if he's not gay, maybe he encounters someone who is who he thinks _IS_ really strong in a traditional way, who he looks up to and doesn't realise he's gay, and then this man starts talking about his husband or something and that throws him off-balance. He realises people are more complicated. Again, I know this is a lot to stuff into a show already packed with complex ideas that require a deft hand, but... queer people exist out in the world, out in America, and I understand you can't have everything in one show, but if you wanna show america as it really is it could be really worthwhile to talk to some queer folks, see what's up. See how queerness might fit into a show like this.

@TheFIame

11 ай бұрын

In Dave's stand ups he's stated that he believes queer issues only became a major hot button topic because of the increase in the number of white people living that life style. He believes if it was mostly black people leading that movement the government wouldn't care and wouldn't address as much and as a result society wouldn't discuss it as much.

@sinzones3909

11 ай бұрын

@flameemperor8317 black trans women lead protests and are the major reason we have rights. bro can only see what's in popular media, not history

@ZedAmadeus

11 ай бұрын

​@@TheFIame Mm... respectfully, friend, I'm not really in love with that take, or at least some of the phrasing... and I'll try and explain why below if you're interested. Sorry for the length. Being queer isn't a lifestyle you can just opt into, and it's not a movement in and of itself either. Most queer people just want to exist and be left alone. Or-well, when I say that I mean, _not harassed,_ I don't mean that we're misanthropes. I know it probably just sounds like semantics but semantics are important... Talking about us like that kind of makes us sound like insurgents, when we're really just people. You can certainly try and ignore/suppress being queer, but there isn't really a choice. People of all races, from all over, have been "queer" since forever, in a lot of different ways. I'm a little confused about the "hot button issue" part, because, how long ago are we talking? Homophobia has been around for hundreds and hundreds of years. What's happening now is actually incredibly similar to the sort of mainstream homophobia seen in the 80's with a lot of the exact same rhetoric retooled for use against trans people. Ya know, like saying gay men were pedophiles, now it's "trans people are groomers." It's a pattern is what I mean. Talking about Dave was more... a springboard to giving the rest of the comment, because... I'll be transparent with you, I'm not super familiar with most of his work. I've watched a little of his show from 2003 I think it was? It was funny, a little dated, but funny. I found one of his recent shows after George Floyd's death where he talked about his death, that was my introduction to him and I found it incredibly moving. As you can probably guess by this, I like Dave, or I guess I really wanna like Dave, and I was pretty disappointed by the way he's talked about trans people in his recent shows. He employs a lot of stereotypes and misconceptions for his comedy in a way that I don't think is... very constructive, since there's a lot of ignorance and misunderstanding out there which I think he reinforces, at least a little bit, whether he means to or not. He'll talk about empathy and these people deserving _dignity_ despite not understanding their choices but only after making them the butt of several jokes where they do something deranged and he goes on and on about what's in their pants, which is... it feels really weird in a not great way. I'm not great at comments like these, so I really hope this wasn't condescending/patronising, I promise that wasn't my intent. Sorry if it ended up like that.

@TheFIame

11 ай бұрын

@@sinzones3909 his take does not claim black people in that community aren't affected or that they don't protest, but wrather that black people expressing there frustrations in and of itself has never been able to change the mind of authorities, change only occurs when enough white people are emotionally involved. Or when there's a potential economic exploit involved.

@TheFIame

11 ай бұрын

@@ZedAmadeus I used the word lifestyle because honestly I didn't know what other word to use, I apologize if that came off as offensive. I understand not liking the humor he used, after all comedy is subjective and different subjects are going to be triggers for different people. Me personally? I wasn't taken aback by his jokes because I know he's joking about how he sees the world and how he knows other people see it. I'd understand if he was the president making these types of jokes but if you're familiar with Dave's catalogue I think it's easy to see what his intentions are. Going beyond that, I think it's only fair to critique a work of art based on what it is attempting to achieve. We wouldn't critique a Dora the explorer episode for not having as deep themes as avatar the last Airbender. To critique work fairly we really need to understand the intentions first, and the execution second. Granted, people may still not like the intention or execution, but liking/disliking something and having valid critiques aren't exactly the same. Ethan's concepts to me are concerning in both intention and execution. I'm not sure how one is going to balance conveying such a serious topic in a way that's fitting but not glorifying horrible acts.(I apologize for the multiple edits lol)

i think i’ll add the fact that while the other characters are mixed, they appear to have a dark skin tone, and it’s really important to recognize that colorism plays a factor. You say it’s more about class, but recognize and try to figure out how your characters are going to be seen by your audience. Even if they’re mixed, will that be mentioned at all in the show? Will we find out every character’s race/ethnicity? If not, people will automatically scan them as Black or Brown, and with how media has portrayed these minorities, it’s a very dangerous playing field. If this were to be made, please continue researching and hire more POC artists and writers. It’s important to receive their perspectives to make sure you execute this as best as possible. Also, POC voice actors! Let’s not forget that there have been movies and shows with POC characters played by all-White casts. Diversify your team, 100%. Overall, I’m very interested in your project and how it will turn out. I saw the first “episode” on your Instagram, and I was captivated by the shots and writing. I have so many questions for Pat and the kids, and I’m excited to see how this will formulate. I think the topic you’re touching on is, well, touchy. But, the way you intend to handle it and what your message is, I truly hope will be perfectly communicated. If I said something incorrectly, please let me know! I’d like to hear what anyone thinks.

Hope it turns out well, interesting concept. Feels a bit weird to people so opposed to the concept itself since it's really only the world of animation in particular that seems hesitant to explore extremely dark material

Love the idea of this, a lot of tricky subjects and it'll probably be hard to like the mc 😭. It seems like a big challenge but ive also seen Vinland Saga (i hope youve heard of it) and its amazing and does a similar thing. Support you on this project. A larger look on society patriarchy and mental illness in a younger generation is interesting 👍 One thing i will say is shooters IRL are very online 4chan type losers so i hope you make him enough of a loser

I look really forward into this project. It may not relate to me, but I resonate with the passion and feeling and it's very eye opening.

That Ted talk made me cry when his friend just sat there and hung out with him. Oh my god. It's so sad. Sometimes it's just someone unexpected, a single act of kindness that can change your whole direction in life

I was already excited from that trailer you made on "Deliquent". As long as you keep up with that same vibe, this story will probably hit the Sundance theater or Netflix

you inspire me so much, i love your ideas and what you do, do this!

That is a wild concept. I know that your channel is art focused, so naturally you have plenty of artists around. But if in the future you ever need additional help making that project go further. I would love to be a part of it in any way honestly. Cheers and good luck.

goodluck with your project dude!

I was not expecting this video but I am glad you made it.

I'm growing my skills to be an animator and you've really helped me along the way Ethan. This story/stories sound amazing. I would love to help make your vision, of course it's up to you Ethan (but you probably won't see this😅)

This sounds like a really awesome project, I just worry about the pushback and hate you may get from all various points of view. Hope you guys can push through it all and make something amazing

ahhh omg, i cant wait till this project is finished, im so excited to see it

I think this is a cool idea! I respect the tackle of these difficult topics, and I do agree that execution needs to be perfect in order to handle this right. The Grinch and Zuko analogies help give the idea on how the protagonist’s journey is going to be laid out. If done right, I believe that this show will not only help shed light on kids who’re struggling, but also help people (who are often afraid of bad people) to humanize their struggles by reaching out and offering to be a friend.

this sounds awesome! super excited

This all makes me nervous but you know. I had a cousin that would joke about violence and say "what? You think I'm going to shoot up the school?" And "I hope someone does, i hate it here, hell if someone does- I'll help them so i can stand back and laugh" and it just completely... baffled me... it would come out of no-where and he never really seemed the type to be that violent so I just thought it was really poor shock humor jokes. But it did scare me. I could see... things about him. He knew he was gay from a young age, and he was from another marriage and his step dad was very... southern, very country and redneck- hunting, you gotta be tough to be a man blah blah and he had two older stepbrothers who were very large and followed the same vibe as their dad. And it was sad because he was smaller and they would pick on him. Really badly. Beat him up, call him faggot, he would say he's not- even though he told me he was once. Thinking back on it, he was always a little chaotic and destructive- he'd blurt out like. Angry things every once in awhile. And those behaviors did scare me even though I was a (young) adult. But once at a funeral, one of those times you see everyone every handful of years. I was playing a game and he sat by me- he liked video games. We talked and I got a message from my SO and he was like- "wait? You're gay?" And I was just like "yeah I am." He was quiet for a while. "Don't tell any one... but I am too." And i was a little shocked because he was so young- like 12-13. I myself had only really figured that out a handful of years pior at 18. But I was just like. Oh. Ok cool. And then he just opened up. Not like about being gay- but just about his life. He wasn't making any like... dark remarks, or saying hateful thing- for the first time i had honestly just saw him light up. I really didn't know how to take it all, but I was honored he felt like he could share his art and his life with me. I just never had seen him like that and thinking back, I'm just now realizing.... that was actually the first time I actually saw him. How messed up is that? All that I said was "I'm gay" and "Oh! Ok, cool!" And I just realized. He felt safe and he felt seen with me. Like he knew I saw him as a person because i did. And we could relate on the thing that made him feel less than human. Wow.... ok. Sorry i am just writing this out- i was just going to comment on how this concept made me uncomfortable in the same way that my cousin made me uncomfortable with his jokes, and it made me even more uncomfortable because I knew he was in dark place because of his family- and I didn't know if he was really joking or not or if that's just what kids joke about or not- but it just made me understand this concept. I didn't realize it before. But after our heart to heart about gayness, and art. Our relationship changed. He treated me differently. He would be rough and aggressive and offensive with my other cousins but not with me. He would still show me his art and text me even when he had to go back many many states over. He felt like a person around me. Safe. Understood. I wasn't going to beat him up, call him names, spit on him etc. Like his brothers or classmates or others.... and I get it now, I think that's what you're trying to do with this series. I know this is alot of mess that no one is going to read but i really did just have a huge like realization about my life that i never knew. I'm going to post so i can reveiw later- reminder to my self, text him, see how he's doing

@EthanBecker70

11 ай бұрын

Beautiful. It’s what it’s all about. You connected now

@deitrabess588

11 ай бұрын

@EthanBecker70 I get it, Ethan. :) Thank you for teaching me this and good luck. You're going to do amazing.

@lucyandecember2843

11 ай бұрын

o.o

I have a feelin' Bo's gonna be my favorite. You and Dylan did a great job with the voice acting!

this is the best project idea i've seen in a while

This video has helped me to see a side of the world I haven't frequented and bring me closer to my human family. Sometimes you get so caught up in your own hurt that you forget others hurt too. And that sometimes sharing hurt and being there for others when they're hurt will can bring us both happiness. Love conquers all.

this is FANTASTIC!!!

It’s been a special privilege seeing this project slowly become reality, and I think it’s an amazing fore-bearer to the next wave of animated cinema I know will be rising soon. What especially resonates is your take on unbiased realism, and genuine portrayal of setting and circumstance. I’ve been working on a personal project for a while now of a similar vein, set in a run down town in England with the real drug issues, rapists, abusers and bigots. Stuff only ever vilified or ignored in typical media, and especially British media. I want real people and genuine insights. These stories are the characters and vice versa, separating that dialogue from your stories for “smoother entertainment” is doing a disservice to both one’s own storytelling capacity, and the medium. It also does a disservice to experiences like my own, growing in and among this culture, as an isolated observer with a warped perception of myself and others. I’ve grown into an optimist, I believe that kindness and gentleness are the foundation on which we build the human condition, but I think it’s necessary to reflect on and ax-lore the things that brought me where I am, and the things that I tucked away while trying to push healthier ideologies onto myself. I crave that catharsis, and refuse that denial. These are still real people, they can be immoral and still experience emotions without malicious intent. They can laugh and cry for “moral” reasons, and still do terrible, inexcusable things. They’re deserving of help regardless. You’re an inspiration

Absolutely love this concept, 1000% here for it

I really hope that you get the chance to produce and publish this show, because it's a story that needs to be told ❤

Dude honestly I think this is pretty historical. The fact that you have the balls to take on a project like this speaks for itself. I really hope it goes well and people understand how important this is.

Bro that thumbnail lol

@animalfinatic9366

11 ай бұрын

fr

I don't ever comment on anything but i think what you doing is truly incredible cant wait to see were this ends up

Just watched the first few snippets of the animation on Instagram and holy SHIT I love it, can't wait for more

I've had a story that I've been planning for the past year and I've never gotten into sitting down and writing it for the same reasons you've mentioned I was concerned that the subject that I wanted to tackle and the way I wanted to tackle it was gonna get a lot of people angry and that my work would be rediculed Thank you for putting my doubts to rest Ethon decker 😂

Great project Ethan!

i rlly hope that these shows get made ngl, seems rlly interesting

I'm sorry, I really am. But man, the pitch gets so overshadowed by the choice to use Dave Chappelle of all people in order to illustrate outrage over certain topics. Dave Chapelle is PROUD of his stances (openly calling himself a TERF and transphobic on several occasions, including ones from after the clip you showed). It's dissapointing, really, sorry :/ I also don't know if its nice to partially shifting the burdden of the violent actions performed by shooters onto the people they target by posing the question "What if people talked to him, then he wouldnt be doing this". Often times, people doing such violent things exclude themselves. I can say myself that I've tried countless times to talk to the kids that seemly no one wanted to talk to and VERY quickly found out why exactly people didn't wanna talk to them.

@kobedesue6791

11 ай бұрын

Nailed it on the head also he should not use cartoon shows and yes Dave Chapelle for a topic like this, This should be informative not entertaining.

@finns5864

11 ай бұрын

Yeah. Got to that and left the video. Fuck Dave Chapelle. Also he's a grown ass man

@theSkin_of_a_Killer_Bella

11 ай бұрын

@@kobedesue6791 informative about what exactly?

@kobedesue6791

11 ай бұрын

@@theSkin_of_a_Killer_Bella about school shooting as a whole and cause of it

@theSkin_of_a_Killer_Bella

11 ай бұрын

I think I can understand what you’re saying, but I also think it’s a little too literal? Or maybe you just interpreted the contents of the video differently from I. For example- I’m genuinely confused as to what is meant by “illustrate outrage over topics”? What specific outrage is Ethan commenting on/illustrating, especially since “outrage” is a strong word that can still apply to a few different things? As for Dave Chapelle- wasn’t he used to just show the example of “we’re not alone in all this, but we may feel like it”? Even if Dave has probably said some crazy shit (I don’t keep up with the guy), it doesn’t completely change the fact that some of the things that go on with individual people/groups can be found in other places. Thus “we’re a lot closer (in experiences/life) than we initially think”. Imo the clips used did get across the mindset of Jake (?), and many others. It’s true that we may get lost in our own struggles and our own paths at times. So I’m not sure how Dave’s stances (at least through the clips shown) exactly play into this?

I'm really anticipating this

I'm really hyped for this, but that thumbnail is hilarious

I like that you're doing this. I think it's important for your demographic to see, if done right. I was born in the US but didn't grow up here, and when I came back in the late 90's it was pretty rough. The culture differences and living in the ghetto.. like for example experiencing blatant racism for the first time.. there's a certain air of hate and unkindness in America that needs to be addressed and it definitely has an effect on kids and teens. It needs to be explored. Good luck.

I know this sounds so arrogant but I'm genuinely not sure if people here understand how writing works. I seriously don't think "glorifying the shooting" would be that easy to do by accident. Of course in a story where there are lots of main themes all fighting for dominance, complications are likely. But if a whole show is about one or two core themes/characters, and the framing still somehow gets completely messed up, then the writer is either exceptionally clumsy, or just outright lying about their intentions with the story. If Jake spends a majority of the show dealing with the repercussions of his stupid decisions, and if it's highlighted that he literally got nothing from what he did, and if he understands in some way that going through with it realistically wasn't worth it, then how on earth could the shooting come across as cool? What could Ethan "accidentally" do that outweighs the effects of all the decisions he's clearly putting thought into when constructing the characters and plot? A writer has a responsibility to be careful with sensitive subjects, yes. But not to babysit literal idiots with no media literacy who think everything the protagonist does is automatically good. Some people are probably gonna come up with insane takes on the story, yeah. But should the story be morphed and contorted specifically to baby those people who don't actually care about the message? Of course not, right? That's completely counterintuitive. If a kid sees a show built from the ground up to be about a school shooter not getting what they want, and that viewing experience convinces them to shoot up a school, then I unironically think we're all just doomed. Having paid attention to the video, I think this story is in good hands for now. I don't see any need for a lot of paranoia. The only thing I'm worried about is morons joining the project in the future and not knowing crap about the soul of what they're working on. I hope what we get lives up to Ethan's vision, because I'm loving his energy about it so far

Woo! It's very interesting when you get into detail on the project. (On another note, isn't Aang also pronounced the way you did in the video? 😭 bcuz chinese name, stuff like that)

I want to watch it. Even if it’s bad. It’s gonna open a door to discussion on that topic. That’s what matters.

This is a super cool concept that I can’t wait to see fully realized- I just can’t help but be a bit confused as to why the shooter’s skin is so dark if he’s supposed to be a white boy

yeah i'm gonna be real. i don't think he should have brought in the Dave Chapelle shit. Like the idea for the show, and the idea of humanizing and poking fun at school shooters by showing that they're just experiencing the same stress every other demographic is under and reacting way worse is a super interesting idea. It's a super brave take on a modern issue, and when it comes out I'm definitely gonna watch it. But like the reason people got mad at Dave Chappelle (at least recently) was because a lot of his jokes about trans people were punching down. Making fun of a School Shooters isn't. You legitimately can make jokes and tell stories about ANY topic and not have it be offensive, the key is not to diminish the humanity of the folks on the short end of that stick, which again, I don't think this show will have that problem. People who get mad about this show probably aren't listening to the actual premise, and are just mad about it because they think they should be, while people got mad at Dave Chapelle for making jokes at the expense of trans people, and then basically saying "Well my trans friend (who btw died in 2019 from suicide) probably would have laughed at that joke, so it's fine" and then when people got mad about those jokes after the special, he half-apologized basically saying "I don't think my show could have any real-world harm", then took back his half-apology, which then basically communicates "Yes my show could cause real-world harm and has hurt people, but trans people will just have to deal with it." So maybe Ethan just like didn't understand the whole situation around that or something, but like it's not really comparable to the back lash his show might get, which has one looking at an ugly reality that people might not want to see through a humanizing lens, while the other was making light of the ugly reality that a group of people face through a dehumanizing lens. TLDR; The Dave Chapelle comparison isn't all that applicable and it would have been best if it was left out imo, but also the show looks like its gonna slap

@RaymondoPerson

2 ай бұрын

I think in an ideal world being trans would be a normal thing and Matt Walsh-type conservatives, TERFs etc are dipshits. I also think Chappelle's standup was fine.

Love this video 🖤

Was super invested in the premise then Dave Chapelle came out of nowhere and hit me like a truck

This concept is beautiful

Done right, this will be huge

Something i like that you pointed out in the discussion is that saying ok your so angry and want death of others. Ok lets get some burgers. Legit i have been at that point multiple times and what saved my life and others when i was younger was people just offering to hang out.

Man, your beard is pretty good

This sounds like such an interesting project! so excited to see where you go with this :D

When you showed that segment of Bo being kiddnapped by Jake i thought "oh fuck, Ethan somehow caught Jesse Pinkman" I love your friend's voice acting, it is phenomonal XD

it took me way to long to realize he was saying the name wrong on purpose

THE FIRST THING WHEN I HEARD ABOUT THIS I THOUGHT ABOUT SHAMELESS

DOPE!!! This is the most anime idea outside of Japanese anime. It’s so well thought out and I’m here for it. Looking forward too seeing the full story.

This project looks dark and touches several difficult topics. Definitely something I would like to watch. A deep analysis is done to make it good, real, high quality. Want to know more about it.

Ur thumbnail out of context is so funny

Love this concept

YOOOOO the musician thing at the end of the video felt like cosmic timing. I'm on the other end of that where my music got stolen and I dodged the warped fake side of things. didn't realize how real this struggle is until I was confronted with it myself. its really hard making that decision, thinking about what kind of 'success' you want. in music its all too often a 'deal with the devil' type situation. anyways, even though it's pretty esoteric i really appreciate someone taking an authentic, no bullshit lens to this. im sure other aspiring musicians or just anyone working their way into an industry like that will too.

Sorry dude but no. There isn't anything I could say that others haven't said already but like- Dave Chapelle? Really??

ignoring topics considered taboo in society is never a good choice, it eliminates the chance of people understanding the real problem of everything, for example: if you ignore and don't talk about school shootings they will not stop happening they will only increase because no one comments about.

i wish i was good enough at art to help out with this tbh. need to keep practicing so i can one day.

really interesting concept

2 videos, same week!! 🤯

Im really interested in this concept, hope to see this get big fr

i can't help but notice the plot synopsis and characters are different then the one on project city. I'm assuming it isn't updated, but i'd be very happy to see concept art for Jake and more art for everything else!

I want to give a standing ovation before I've seen it. I admire what you're doing here

I don't know your plans with the story, but if you are writin bout a character that at first we are very likely to deslike, it would be nice to have someonelse's point of view in parallel with his story, like a love interest or a lost sibling or a group of friends he is going to have further into the story. My point here is, if ATLA was about Zuko and Zuko alone, at first we wouldn't be that motivated to watch the show, but we have charaters telling us their story. Love your work, you are such a gift for the art comunity. Wishing you the best from Brazil ^^