Mario Party, fifth dice roll, 3 stuff about stuff

[minkey]

There's a really interesting detail in the volleyball image (not sure if you've covered this in another video)--the posts, to which the net is tied to, are actually palm tree trunks. This implies that the green fronds have been cut off, possibly somehow for the sake of red (as the tree trunks are reddish-brown). This is also perfectly mirrored in the character juxtapositions, as Luigi is falling down (seemingly as a result of Wario pulling at the net), and Yoshi as you said earlier is sacrificing himself for the sake of the red object being delivered over the net. This image almost seems to contain some sort of commentary on the improper use or destruction of nature--because Wario, a purple man, is doing something he's not supposed to be doing in a place he's not supposed to be, and to parallel this, we see the other kind of "purple" character Peach, perhaps after having assisted Donkey Kong, cheering the scene on from the back. On the other side, Mario looks like he was taken off his guard by the event taking place, though in an odd sense appears to be bearing witness to an event he feared would happen becoming manifest. So essentially the intervention of purple somehow "unnaturally" allows for red to demonstrate dominance over green. In the background to the left, we see a group of three palm trees, which seems to be symbolizing a sort of union and natural order to things that's being abandoned by the characters in the image.

Furthermore, I think this could be tied in to your scheme of Mario<-->Wario, Yoshi<-->DK, Peach<-->Luigi scheme. The Mario image is a representation of an ego in a positive light--Mario, in the center, is lifting up his friends, though he doesn't like them all equally, and he seems to be saying, "This is me, this is fun, there is something I am showing you that is better than what's on the ground because it's in the sky." Next in the Wario image we have a portrayal of war in which Wario appears to be giving orders like a general (and perhaps failing)--this is ego gone wrong; this is what happens when your good qualities are not being recognized and you become angry and try by immoral means to subjugate others. So with Mario there is the positive aspect of having an ego and things you like about yourself, the element of connection being emphasized, and with Wario is the dark side of having an ego, when things go wrong and you lose your temper. With Peach, we have a cake, something that is a byproduct of civilization yet is something that we like, and with Luigi we have work, another byproduct of civilization that is more often viewed as something we don't like, and only do because we have to. So where do DK and Yoshi fit in? Well to start they are the animals, and thus have a connection to the idea of nature. Yoshi is a sort of domesticated animal, and in Yoshi's place we see nature being altered or even destroyed for our enjoyment, with Yoshi sacrificing himself, a fitting role for the loyal steed to Mario (though Mario himself seems to be having some doubts on his conscience about whether is is right that Yoshi is being subjugated in this way). DK is a representation of a wild animal, one that will not be tamed and being a primate is also a counterpart to the human characters, specifically Mario. In his place, we see an adventure through nature with DK taking the lead--Yoshi seems relatively at ease and seems to be looking at Mario, who is struggling, with an expression that suggests he is aware of the fact that Mario is out of place is this scene and is not at ease. Purple, on the other hand, has completely failed as in Wario's case, or is in the background like Peach and losing if one were to suppose this is a race of some sort. Luigi is doing his own thing, not appearing to be actively competing, and is hanging on a branch, a place appropriate for green things to be. This all appears to be saying something such as, "We generate an ego, and there are good things as well as bad things. We take part in a society, assuming contributing roles, and there are good things as well as bad things. We interact with nature, and there are good things as well as bad things."

The Yoshi<-->DK pairing is the most troublesome one however, as it's less clear which is the "good" image and which is the "bad". The Yoshi image could be seen as "good" in the light that this is a "fun" thing, yet "bad" in that it is being done at the expense of nature. The DK image could be seen as "good" because it is expressing the beauty of natural things thriving in their native environment, yet "bad" in the sense that this environment also appears to be dangerous or unfamiliar to humans.

p.s.--DK is an ape, probably something like a gorilla, not a monkey! (monkeys have tails haha)