Now, within this group, there are individual relationships that are more prominent than others, such as Kipo-Wolf and Dave-Benson. And I may very well come back around at some point to highlight them more specifically. But today, I want to look at the whole squad, Kipo and her friends. This odd little band is the prototype for Kipo’s Human-Mute Ultimate Friendship Alliance, and they’re pretty great.
When Kipo first gets deposited on the surface, she has a lot to learn. She’d have died on her first day if it weren’t for Wolf’s exasperated warnings, and Benson and Dave quickly teach her a few tricks of their trade. Her burrow upbringing has been a lot softer than the lives her new friends have lived, and they’re harder and shrewder than she is. But while she picks up important survival skills from her friends, she in turn teaches them the value in giving people (both humans and mutes) the chance to surprise you. She believes the best of everyone, and even though that optimism certainly gets her in trouble sometimes, it brings a big change to the dog-eat-dog world her friends are more accustomed to.
As the squad assembles, there are some major growing pains along the way. Wolf is immediately surly toward Kipo’s happy-shiny-sparkly advances of friendship, and when Benson and Dave join the group, they’re initially keeping an eye out for a potential off-ramp, planning to look out for themselves first and foremost. Oh, and there’s the small matter of the fact that, when Kipo first meets Wolf, Wolf is trying to figure out whether or not she can eat Mandu, which sends Kipo into rescue mode.
A lot of this is about trust – Kipo is all in on everyone from the jump, but the others need help getting there. Wolf has been alone a long time and doesn’t trust anyone, especially mutes; it’s a big deal when she slowly starts to let Kipo in, admitting some of the past trauma she’s been through. Dave and Benson need time to realize that Kipo’s quest is something that’s really worth risking their own necks for, and they in turn need to prove to Kipo and Wolf that the girls can rely on them after some early, shiftier actions.
But the more they gel, the more unstoppable they become. Kipo’s brains and personability, Wolf’s mad fighting skills, Benson and Dave’s savvy street-smarts, Mandu’s observations: everyone’s skills are needed, and depending on the situation, they lean on certain members of the group more than others. Even as Kipo takes on more and more of a leader role, she always needs her friends, appreciating their talents and recognizing how they ground her.
I really love watching them work through things together. Whether it’s Wolf dealing with her personal fears to support Kipo in the midst of some major upheaval, Benson honestly apologizing to Dave after getting annoyed with aspects of Dave’s metamorphosis that he can’t control, or all the others realizing that, even though Mandu can’t talk, she’s a friend and not a pet, they admit their mistakes and work to make amends. They come out stronger on the other side of these issues, and no matter what’s going on between them, they always, ultimately, have one another’s backs.
No comments:
Post a Comment