Scene Analysis #9: Anne vs Sasha “Reunion” Amphibia season 1 episode 20 · 4:43am Mar 5th, 2023
Scene Rating Scale:
9/9: Flawless! Outstanding scene!
8/9: Great scene! Totally Rewatchable!
7/9: Pretty good. Not as perfect as I expected though.
6/9: Decent. Doesn’t ruin the movie/episode.
5/9: Mid.
4/9: Pretty bad. One of the weakest scenes of the movie/episode.
3/9: You hear that? It’s the wind of lameness.
2/9: One of the worst scenes of the film/episode.
1/9: Horrible, unwatchable, and unacceptable.
Hello, hello, hello, my wonderful friends! Mr. J is in the house with another scene analysis for you all this evening. Tonight, I will be reviewing the fight scene between Anne and Sasha from the season 1 finale of “Amphibia”. This is the first Amphibia-related analysis I am doing for this month as I am dedicating it to this series along with SpongeBob; I figured that it wouldn’t hurt to express my opinions on what I thought to be the exceptional standouts of the entire show. This one in particular was the starting point for our main characters and paved the way for a long series of character development and growth, especially for those two.
For context, Sasha Waybright has been working/training with Grime, the leader of the toads to defeat the frogs. But because Anne Boonchuy is standing up against Sasha, Grime sets up a challenge between them to settle it once and for all. Anne must fight her and protect her amphibian friends from harm.
Now, let’s talk about Sasha for a moment: ever since this series started, she has been very toxic and manipulative towards Anne. Always desperate to be in control in every situation, she drives herself to always remain on top while trying to convince Anne to adhere to her point of view. She is forceful, cunning, and skilled in leadership—making sure she doesn’t show any sign of weakness.
Anne, on the other hand, is the polar opposite of her. She is reckless and immature, yes, but she has learned some new things in regards to her new friends—responsibility, sacrifice, kindness, and bravery.
What Sprig just did moments ago basically encouraged Anne to finally stand up to Sasha for the first time in years. It solidified their friendship and manifested what Anne’s relationship with Sasha should have been from the start. Sprig, through his actions, told her to not let her push her around anymore, and that she needed to face her with courage and dignity.
The voice acting really made this scene so real and believable. We can see how this scene made no hesitation in pausing the episodic, comedic formula and focused on completing an actual storyline this season set up. It did so much justice to its own characters, and it made them go to certain places that most cartoons wouldn’t dare go. What do I mean by that?
Simple: the ending thereof. Right when the tower began to crumble from the explosion below, Sasha was about to fall until Anne grabbed her hand while hooking her feet unto the stones for dear life.
Realizing what kind of person she was and what Anne was doing, she deliberately let go of her hand and prepared to fall to her death. This show took a lot of risks, and we can see it right here. Very rarely do we see cartoon characters attempt suicide in a situation like this, and this series made it work with good writing. Quite amazing, isn’t it?
Man, this scene was quite emotional to watch. The only thing I found blatantly out-of-place was its choice of music; this is supposed to be a heart-wrenching moment, yet it played some feel-good music in the background…seriously? Couldn’t they have selected a more appropriate choice of music? Something more…sad?
Other than that, this was the best scene of this whole finale. I’ll give this a solid 8/9. It shows us how toxic friendships can harm relationships between people and make us afraid to stand up for ourselves. As long as we have true friends who help us realize who we are, love us, and appreciate us for being ourselves, we can be encouraged to do the right thing.
Peace!
And hey, at least Sasha learned how to become a better person!