Impossible
The Black and White City Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Looks like faces blooming into nature
Everything bleeds into everything else
I just wanna live
I just wanna be whatever I am
The impossible dream of having a skin
Everything crawls on, everything soaks in
I'll be eaten by ants but I won't
My Self while I still Am
And I don't wanna be polluted by
All the violence that already twisted me up
The impossible dream of having a skin
Everything crawls on, everything goes in
The lyrics to The Black and White City's song "Impossible" speak to the complexity of human existence and the desire for individuality in an interconnected world. The song explores the idea of a collective consciousness where many bodies come together to form a strange creature, resembling faces blooming into nature. This imagery suggests a merging of individual identities into a larger, organic whole.
The lyrics express a longing to simply live and be oneself, in the midst of a world where everything bleeds into everything else. The artist yearns for the impossible dream of having a distinct identity, separate from the constant flow of influences and interactions. They desire to maintain a sense of self while acknowledging the permeability of boundaries between individuals and the external world.
There is a sense of vulnerability and acceptance in the song. The artist acknowledges that they may be consumed by the various influences around them, represented metaphorically by being eaten by ants. However, they state that they won't feel that bad about it, suggesting a resignation to the inevitable merging of identities. The lyrics convey a desire to avoid being polluted by the violence and negativity that has already twisted them up, highlighting the need for self-preservation and protection in a world that can be overwhelming.
Overall, "Impossible" reflects on the struggle to maintain individuality and authenticity in a world where everything is interconnected and constantly shifting.
Line by Line Meaning
Many bodies form a strange creature
Numerous individuals come together to create a unique being
Looks like faces blooming into nature
The appearance resembles human faces merging seamlessly with the natural world
Everything bleeds into everything else
All aspects blend and merge indiscriminately
I just wanna live
The desire to simply exist and experience life
I just wanna be whatever I am
The aspiration to embrace one's true self without restrictions
The impossible dream of having a skin
The unattainable longing to possess a defined identity
Everything crawls on, everything soaks in
Every element moves slowly and permeates its surroundings
I'll be eaten by ants but I won't feel that bad
Despite facing challenges, there is resilience and a lack of overwhelming negativity
I just wanna have my body to My Self while I still Am
A desire to maintain autonomy over one's own body and identity
And I don't wanna be polluted by All the violence that already twisted me up
Refusing to be influenced or corrupted by the violence that has already caused internal turmoil
Everything crawls on, everything goes in
All things move slowly and assimilate into their surroundings
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Maniafig
Gen 5 is easily my favourite generation to this day, and this is my favourite analysis of B/W I've seen so far. A lot of the points here vocalise thoughts I've long had about B/W's ambitions and where it fails to meet them.
PLASMA GRUNTS
I think people actually fall too much for the idea that the Plasma Grunts are a completely unified front with no diversity of thought, it's pretty clear from the little of snippets of dialogue allowed per Grunt that some of them are clearly in on Ghetsis's scheme from the start while others are firmly on N's side and genuinely believe his cause. This is more obvious in BW2 where they get colour-coded as such, but even in BW there's Grunts who don't really do anything hypocritical and make some valid points (trainers categorize Pokémon as weak or strong, that's literally what happens with tier lists!), though they of course go unaddressed.
IDEALS/TRUTH
100% agreed on how nebulously the game treats these concepts, the fact that it's just a search-and-replace says a lot about how shallow this aspect of the game is. Personally Black Version makes much more sense to me, N's thoroughly rooted himself in ideals and a vision of how the world should be, completely detached from the truth of what the world currently is (which is that it's already what it should be...). The idea of Reshiram siding with N just makes no sense at all, and honestly Zekrom has as much reason to stand with the player as N. Like you said, the player is perfect, N is wrong. The idea of the is/should dichotomy and their synthesis of a world that COULD be is seriously undermined by the fact that the world as it IS, SHOULD BE and COULD BE are already one and the same, by nature of being a utopia.
CHEREN/BIANCA
I think the games do a little bit of gameplay and story integration with Cheren and Bianca, you can tell this after beating Burgh and during the postgame, Cheren's team is 2 levels higher than Bianca's during these encounters. It's not a huge deal, but the games have always used the levels of trainers' Pokémon relative to other trainers' Pokémon accessible in the same route/area/segment as a metric of their strength. Preschoolers in Route X will have lower leveled Pokémon than an Ace Trainer on Route X, much like Bianca's levels are lower than Cheren's. Bianca also always relies on Potions during her battles, while Cheren uses Held Items instead. Bianca uses 'crutches' while Cheren uses the more strategic and demanding held items.
LIBERATE SOME POKÉMON
While N largely doesn't have a foot to stand on, there are still as you say individual cases of trainers being abusive to Pokémon, most obviously with the Evil Teams. The weird thing to me is that the games never really address the status of the Pokémon used by these Grunts, Admins and Leaders. Does Ghetsis still abuse his Hydreigon after BW2? What about Team Rocket, who all use Pokémon as tools? Why does Cyrus have a Crobat, and is it still just stuck in the Distortion World? Why did Lysandre's Pokémon fight to help him in his quest to genocide all Pokémon, including themselves? Why did Lusamine's Pokémon fight for her when she turned into a jellyfish? The games are all about Pokémon, but the Pokémon used by evil teams or other abusive trainers are never really considered at all. Shouldn't the player or some authorities confiscate their Pokémon? Would that be the right thing to do? What if the Pokémon resist, even if it'd be better for them? Actual moral ambiguity that goes completely unaddressed! We often see and hear that Pokémon are very trusting and loyal to their trainers, but we never really deal with the fact that humans will abuse that trust and do something about it, it's always about some big honking legendary Pokémon they want to control instead. We liberate the legendaries, but never the common Pokémon.
N VS COLRESS/MAXIE
Given the fact that the player has to be perfect and the status quo has to be unassailable, I think what N needed was to not be contrasted with the unassailable player but with another NPC who was on the other side of the scale. Someone like Colress or ORAS Maxie who believes it's humanity's role to take the lead to perfect and bring out the most in Pokémon, someone who thinks that humans are superior to Pokémon rather than partners as equals. Someone not lacking in love for Pokémon, but who earnestly believes that humans are right and it's good that Pokémon are unquestionably obedient, that it's better for Pokémon to prioritize the welfare of humans since it's to the benefit of Pokémon, someone who would have used machinery to dig the Rusturf tunnel. But we only got that when it was too late, and Colress never got to meet or talk with N. And that's a shame. Also, this is starting to sound like a repeat of Teams Aqua and Magma. Maybe ORAS was on to something.
@tinywomanhours
This is such a well put together video.
I agree with almost absolutely everything in this video, and honestly this is so fresh just coming off my first ever play through of Black version which I just beat a day or two ago. B/W have become some of my favorite games of all time and while not every theme landed as there was a lot of water left untread the general emphasis on certain ideas and more complex beliefs brought into question was a great way to hook the player.
I'd say the mid portions of the game are where it was most evident that not every single ideal would be properly challenged but I was thoroughly surprised when reaching the endgame to discover details such as the divide between Plasma members as some would outright side with Ghetsis and his standing of Pokémon being mere tools while on the other hand...some Plasma members genuinely love their Pokémon and are only a part of Plasma to serve and elevate N to communicate his message to the world. This sort of contrast made me see N in a whole different light as not just a misguided antagonist, but a necessary antagonist to balance out the good and evil of the world by bringing a somewhat unconventional viewpoint.
N is perhaps my favorite character in Pokémon not strictly because of the challenges he poses and the questions he asks, but the moral ambiguity he carries by the climax and end, seeing how his world view shattered with just one. single. battle.
It isn't merely about the player being a purely perfect representation of truth but instead N discovering the truth and how he responds to it which is what you described as being disappointing; however, I'd argue that it was the perfect setup for how N is treated and implemented in the sequels(no spoilers in case you replay them and do a video on them). N instead of lashing out or digressing in his development and knowledge(which is a common trap so many other "sympathetic" characters fall into) actively steps back to think upon his actions, his potential, and the future at hand. Instead of some unfulfilling resent or hatred towards the player, he is grateful for being saved by you, being saved by the truth. Ghetsis I think was a necessary evil to allow N to keep his purity while still aiding in Team Plamas goal. It made N redeemable without being already aware of his mistakes before the climax.
This is all just my interpretation of course but it's interesting to see other perspectives, perhaps the main thing B/W failed to properly acknowledge. Once again, great video and I'm looking forward to seeing more thought provoking takes like this one.
@StaticR
I think the fact that it's not clear which one of the legendaries is supposed to represent ideals and which truth is the point.
The truth is seen as the good and right thing, but in reality is often uncomfortable and scary.
Ideals are experienced as how things should be made to be or already are, and it being good that way, but often they are misinformed and incomplete.
Many people reject the truth because it does not align with their ideals.
Many people reject ideals because they don't align with what the truth appears to be.
And often the truth is confused for ideals and ideals for the truth.
How things are isn't always how they should be, and how things should be isn't always how they are.
Personally I think Reshiram represents ideals. Your own ideals are always thought of as right and good, how things should be, because of course if they weren't you wouldn't hold them. Reshiram gives me the impression of a pure and noble being, or it being supposed to be, which is what your ideals seem to you.
Zekrom represents the truth. The truth is often messy, dark and confusing, uncomfortable and often in direct conflict in how things should be, or how you think they should be at least.
In the end, which one of those is represented by Reshiram and which one by Zekrom is ultimately up to how you view them yourself.
If what you experience is knowing the truth or chasing an ideal isn't something that you can differenciate from your own point of view.
@Duskfall
As someone who hasn’t played the games in years, this was a very nice refresher on the BW series but with a much more sophisticated perspective/analysis of the story compared to a younger version of myself. Great work with this video, I definitely agree with a lot of your points and you delivered them in a fun and engaging matter!
Now here’s where I believe the BW arc is redeemed. The *manga* (easily my favorite version of the pokemon storyline as someone who primarily grew up only playing the games and watching the anime)
*Spoiler warning for the manga*
There is so much more depth to all the characters and especially team plasma that really sell their ambitions and ideals to be more believable. From the very first speech Ghetsis makes to the crowd in a small town, his words captivate dozens of people, even inspiring some of them to release their pokemon believing it to be for the best. But their reactions to his words really help to sell it (something the game or anime couldn’t do as effectively). Some of the trainers were very disturbed, even distraught having loved their pokemon for so long but being manipulated into letting them go by the guilt created by Ghetsis in his rhetoric. Ghetsis brings up so many genuine points that I never asked myself when I was younger. Are trainers really bonding and forming meaningful relationships with their pokemon by forcing them to battle against their will and keeping them trapped inside pokeballs? (I was guilty of catching pokemon and keeping them in my pc box for the rest of eternity lol) The protagonist of the story, Black, is infuriated by this because all his life, he had dreamed of becoming the greatest trainer in Unova. He had formed meaningful relationships with his two pokemon that he nurtured and played with throughout his childhood. And now someone would dare tell him that he was guilty of not listening to the voices of his pokemon and forcing them to follow *his* dreams without consideration for theirs? Well, Ghetsis was right to an extent.”
In the manga, N is the hero of ideals and as a result awakens Zekrom in the later half of the story. Much like the games, N wasn’t a “completed” character. He wasn’t echoing the words and ideals of his father, but rather still trying to discover the truth for himself. It's thanks to his encounters with Black and White (the main characters in the manga) that he finally establishes his own ideals in response to their flawed viewpoints which justifies Ghetsis and team plasma’s ideals.
For instance, White (one of the two main protagonists) was the president of her own movie agency and had a pretty exaggerated schedule of a daily routine like getting her Tepig’s nails done at 1 pm, rehearsing from 2-4 pm, dinner at 5pm, etc (im just making the times up). Details like this really gave us a better idea of White’s character and personality. She was a girl with big dreams just like Black who got too caught up in her fantasy that she failed to realize what her partner really wanted. She forced her own dreams and aspirations onto Tepig without giving them the choice to choose between pursuing showbiz or battling. N realized this and in their 2nd meeting, N confronted White and tried to show her the truth. White instead denied it and tried to escape the ferris wheel N had lured her to, refusing to accept the truth. However, her Tepig decides to stay with N who is giving them the opportunity to learn how to battle and become stronger. This is the first major turning point of the story and it ends with a completely broken main character whose best friend just chose a stranger over her.
Earlier in the story, N was still trying to figure out whether there was more meaning to being a trainer and whether Ghetsis' ideals were right in the first place, but his experiences with Black and White helped convince him that this was the right path. However, one of the beauties of the manga over its counterparts is its character development. White is completely shattered and distraught after Tepig leaves her. Rather than giving up, she decides to listen to N and try to learn the art of battling despite her dreams of pursuing showbiz. She catches her own pokemon for the first time (with the help of Black) and even embarks on her own journey to become stronger. The next time she meets N, she thanks him for helping her realize the truth and is even reunited with her Tepig who White can finally understand. This really drives home the main point the story is making, that having different viewpoints isn’t always a battle between good or evil. Life wasn't just a matter of **BLACK AND WHITE**. Instead, it’s through having different viewpoints from others and being able to accept them instead of single narrowly rejecting them that we can learn and grow as individuals.
You mentioned that the game undermines itself because the only “bad” acts being committed are by team plasma themselves, but in the manga N exposes everyone and I mean EVERYONE. Both the protagonists, the gym leaders, Alder, EVEN PROFESSOR JUNIPER. By having his Zorua spy on her the day the starters were sent to Black, Bianca, and Cheren, N was able to learn that Professor Juniper chose to neglect the three pokemon on their nerve racking first day. She was instead “talking on the phone all day” and N stated “I also know that you didn’t hand the starters to their trainers personally, you had them *delivered* instead. You *prepared* those pokemon. You *sent* those pokemon. This proves that you think pokemon are **things**.” (My mind was blown here)
This moment in the manga completely flipped N from seemingly being the neutral antagonist into a true protagonist and liberator while the main characters were now seen as the “bad” guys. The games kept trying to push the main character as a pure and perfect trainer but it was quite the opposite in the manga. Both Black and White suffered through hardships and realized devastating truths about their ideals that made them change and grow into better characters. Sorry for the long analysis but I hope this could shed some light on the manga and its remarkable effort to turn the BW arc into something much greater than the games or anime ever could. (also im an animator and will be making a super cool project on the BW arc in a few years :D)
@aes2621
Overall I really agree but one point when it comes to N’s argument being weaker due to the version differences,, I’d argue the version differences changing which side of the truth/ideal argument strengthens N’s argument.
If we take the games from Pokémon White’s perspective, with N being the hero of truth and player being hero of ideals;
The Truth is that in the Pokémon world there are corrupt trainers who abuse Pokémon. There are people who don’t deserve Pokémon. In a Ideal world, no trainer should ever abuse a Pokémon, and the world should push towards self improvement for the good of people and Pokémon.
If we take black’s perspective, with N as ideals and the player as truth; Truthfully , people and Pokémon can coexist together in harmony. But there are many bad actors, and Ideally we should educate people better and help save Pokémon in bad situations to help the greater good.
Each argument holds Truth in what they are saying, as well as push towards a better Ideal future. It all comes down to someone’s Perspective. Both arguments want what’s best for Pokémon. And the game hinges on N learning the other’s perspective to have a better world view/understanding. The game changing wether N is speaking the truth or revolutionizing for a ideal world, the game shows regardless of which way he is showing his viewpoint, they both are valid. Gen 5 in my mind boils down to learning to accept others differences, and working together despite differences. Diversity towards prosperity.
Though I do wish the games and the sequels did better at showing this. I wish the sequels showed more that the world heard and recognized N’s message. And that we could see that. Hell even if it’s a small one off optional scene showing a trainer being mean to their Pokémon, and you are able to go and get help to rescue that Pokémon. Just something that showed abusive trainers that ARENT just in a evil team. Just another average NPC, ones that share the same models with other townsfolk’s that you’ve crossed paths with hundreds of times. Or to be able to find abandoned pokemon, maybe w similar animations like the N Pokémon or in overworld Pokémon balls, and that you can take them to a Pokémon ranch of sorts so they can recover from the trauma of their trainer deleting them from the pc/leaving them behind. Just something that showed Unova did hear and respond to the truth in N’s arguments, and are working towards a better, ideal world.
@Skyehoppers
Do you agree or disagree with my analysis of these games? Did I miss anything that would affect my interpretation? Let me know! If you enjoyed this video and want to help me make a whole bunch more, please consider contributing to my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/skyehoppers . My goal there is to build towards creating a community centered around critically analyzing but in a casual way, free from the stuffiness and elitism that tends to come with literary analysis in school settings. Here are some fun discussion questions that didn't make it into the script!
1. How do the sequel games contribute to or complicate the message of the originals? I haven't played Black and White 2 since they came out so I honestly have no idea whether or not they follow the same path or take a totally different direction.
2. Do you have any concrete ideas for how a Pokemon game could incorporate more synthesis between the gameplay and the story? Do you think they should?
3. How does the unusual way of meeting the legendary Pokemon, being fought basically in the middle of an elite four run, affect the story and what those legendaries may represent?
@veryexciteddog963
I love that idea about having consequences for low friendship values. That's really what the entire series is missing. It's nice that newer games add little in-battle benefits for having happier Pokemon, but there's no obligation to not treat them like trash. The only real thing UNfriendliness changes is the power of a few moves, one of which actually gets stronger (Frustration). It'd be cool if friendship could go into the negatives and make Pokemon slack off or fall asleep on you in the middle of battle, like what not having enough gym badges does.
@Missingno_Miner
1.I would say the sequels expand on the intended message, by having a better compromise between an one dimensional evil team and characters that challenge the worldview, as a result of Team Plasma's schism. Instead of having supposed well-intentioned extremists, you have your hardened criminals who were, like Ghetsis, only part of the organization to advance their own agenda, and the genuinely well-intentioned people who Ghetsis duped and who are actively trying to make amends for their actions.
2.They actually did do this in small ways, such as Ghetsis' BW team appearing to be specifically constructed to counter N's team. The implication is made clear in BW2 and again in USUM through the alternate universe Ghetsis who became part of team Rainbow Rocket: the moment N ceases to be useful to his adoptive father, he dies. What makes Ghetsis an outstanding villain is that he shows no aversion to murdering someone directly, which is of course big in a children's game.
He's the opposite of everything he claims to be in BW1, and in BW2 and USUM, he is free to show it off, even taking full advantage of his Hydreigon's minimum friendship using Frustration in BW2. His Hydreigon hates him.
He embodies pure evil in a way that not even Giovanni does. He probably wasn't the best villain for BW1, as his presence led to most of the problems you cite with Team Plasma being hypocritical and detracts from the attempt to have a morally grey pokemon game, but nevertheless, he's a great villain and a genuinely good character.
@Skyehoppers
Okay this a super insightful comment, thank you! It honestly makes me excited to finally revisit B/W2 as it seems from your comment and a couple others that there will be a good amount to talk about there. The hydreigon having minimum friendship in b/w2 is a super cool little detail that I probably wouldn't have noticed myself, so thank you for bringing it up!
@Missingno_Miner
@@Skyehoppers I mean yeah, the friendship value of another character's pokemon isn't exactly something the game tells you. It's one of those details that you can only find in the code of the game, but which is great attention to detail on the part of the devs.
@PTSD_Guts
@@Skyehoppers I'd definitely watch this part two as well, the whole of this video was really well said, and I love listening to people with interesting stuff to say about my favorite games.
@esteban8471
I think what BW needed to give N's arguments some nuance was giving the player a Paul's Chimchar situation. Give the player a Pokémon that has been abused, and it's up to you to raise it after it's been abandoned. Throw in small additions like having the Pokémon express discomfort, refuse an order, or even run away out of fear, would make for an interesting experience because the game would be purposely giving you a liability to your party. It's a test to see if you have the patience to prove N wrong. If you box it and leave it at that, you'd be proving N's point in that humans treat Pokémon like tools they can just throw away whenever they want. But if you can raise it's friendship level, treat it with love and affection, and make it trust you, then it would make N seeing that Pokémon and humans can coexist that much more meaningful.
@LoinkLoink
That sounds like a really cool idea. Maybe have it be 75% obedient unlike the 50% obedience of overleveld traded mons, and have N give you the option to have an abused pokemon on your team, giving you the choice to turn him down so you aren't forced to raise it on numerous playthroughs(and therefore influence your interactions). Having the option to turn him down makes training the pokemon to evolve past its traumas and become a truly powerful pokemon even more inspiring imo. And they could even make it a pre-gen 5 pokemon, so you don't have the option to box it and get a more agreeable pokemon of the same species anywhere else in the game. I really hope they try something like this in the BW remakes(assuming they aren't remasters like BDSP are)
@islandboy9381
It would give an actual purpose to the happiness level besides get some evolutions once
@andrewaguayo115
Good in theory, bad In execution. I mean if there’s exp share maybe but I don’t see how one Pokémon and giving N a few more dialogue options would do anything lol like once he sees people and Pokémon as one and not as tools for the other, then what? End game battle? I mean what can that really do ?