Recorded by Arizal

Recorded by Arizal is an American 2D animated series[6], a four-part prelude to upcoming story,[4] created by Rooster Teeth director Yssa Badiola. The first episode was released on July 13, 2020.[7][8] The series first premiered on the website of Rooster Teeth[9] for RoosterTeeth FIRST members, moving to other platforms and becoming free-to-watch a week after.[10][11] In an interview with The Austin Chronicle, Badiola said that if the prelude is well-received, she "hopes to go even further out into the world" with the show in episodes to come,[12] with the idea that the prelude episodes will introduce people to the world and characters, taking into account "viewer feedback" and use that to hone and craft a longer-form series.[11] In one of her vlogs accompanying the show, she stated that the show is for young adults coming of age and incorporates her own life experience.[13]

Recorded by Arizal
Genre
  • Slice of Life
  • Sci-fi
  • Coming of Age
Created byYssa Badiola[1]
Developed by
  • Yssa Badiola
  • Joshua Kazemi[2]
Written by
  • Yssa Badiola
  • Joshua Kazemi[3][4]
Directed byYssa Badiola
Creative director(s)Jordan Cwierz
Voices of
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes4 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
  • Matt Hullum
  • Luis Medina
  • Geoff Ramsey
Producer(s)
  • Maggie Tominey (SP) [2]
  • Minni Clark (P) [2]
  • Austin Harper (P)
Running timeLess than 5 minutes[5][4]
Production company(s)Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC
Distributor
Release
Original network
Original releaseJuly 13, 2020 (2020-07-13)
External links
Official website
Production website

Premise

The series follows the story of Arizal, a 16-year-old Pinay girl and straight A student who is about to pursue her desired career, to become a Record Keeper.[7][14] The question remains if she can leave Maktaba, a cloistered city-state, and create records in the wide world. Through a set of vlogs, she ponders whether she can undertake this task,[1][15] as part of this entry of self-discovery, and head into the world, explaining life beyond the city's limits to those living within the city.[9][4] Arizal serves as the protagonist and the "audience's lens into this world" as one writer put it.[12]

Promotion, production, and release

In an interview with Sage Bazan on the official Rooster Teeth blog on July 10, 2020, Badiola said that she first envisioned the show in 2017, and that she enjoyed working with other people when working on the series.[9] She also described the challenge of convincing people she was doing something new, hoped that the prelude helped audiences embrace and story, and she thought a lot about why and how people are named, with Arizal's name deriving from "a prominent Filipino historical figure’s name, Jose Rizal." Additionally, she noted how her own Filipino heritage shaped the show, that shows like Digimon, Powerpuff Girls, and Avatar: The Last Airbender shaped her early in life. Furthermore, she noted that Josh Kazemi was helpful in development of the show, while Jordan Cwierz was a big cheerleader for the show, and praised the performance of Christine Marie Cabanos as Arizal. Badiola had to pitch the show to Rooster Teeth executives and develops a full animatic of the show so she could convince them to support the show.[12] Badiola's idea coincided with Joshua Kazemi pitching a live-action series about "a female vlogger in a remote setting" in January 2018, and Rooster Teeth encouraged him to come together with Badiola, with both beginning to work together on the show after that.[16]

The show was originally promoted in a six second clip by Rooster Teeth on January 15, 2020 under the name "Record Keeper,"in their video noting developments for the coming year.[17] The name was not used because another company owned the name.[4][2] A few months later, on March 10, its name surfaced again in a tweet from Badiola.[18] Many months later, on June 23, Rooster Teeth shared their first promo for the show.[1] The same day, Badiola shared character designs of Arizal created for the show,[19] confirmed that Arizal is a Filipina,[20] and stated that Arizal's name is pronounced as "AW-rih-sawl."[21] Two days later, Badiola and others discussed the show, RWBY, and other topics, on her show, "I Have Notes."[22][23] Rooster Teeth posted the second promo for the show on June 29.[15] The following day, Badiola noted that Arizal uses she/her pronouns[24] and Christine Marie Cabanos, who voices Arizal, confirmed Badiola's assertion that Arizal is Filipina.[25]

Apart from the others who worked on the show, Tess Richards worked on the color, light, and detail of the background while Lauren Crozier designed the background and Al McClelland, Jr. worked on the storyboards to fit with "2D show pacing."[26][27] A panel featuring Yssa Badiola will be held during San Diego Comic-Con@Home.[28]

According to tweets by Badiola on July 1, the series changed its name to "Recorded by Arizal," from "Record Keeper," which will be part of a four-episode prelude[14] prefacing a longer show.[29][5] On July 13, Richard Whittaker of The Austin Chronicle interviewed Badiola, who said that the prelude is a "great way" to do world-building. She told him that in creating the series she was influenced by shows like The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, and other series by Pemberley Digital, along with animated vlogger, Any Malu, a "Brazilian cartoonist who became one of the first animated vloggers."[12] She also stated the series had a lot of herself integrated into the story and "some observations and things I felt growing up," but is not a fictionalized version of herself, she clarified. Badiola also stated that the comedy series, Fleabag influenced her.

In a video diary about the show on July 16, Badiola talked about how the sounds around Arizal give depth to the world around her, and named a number of other individuals who work on the show, like Maggie Tominey as a supervising producer, Minni Clark as a producer, Alena Lecorchick as a sound designer, and Philip Spann as a re-recording mixer.[2] Additionally, Josh, her co-writer, said it was fun to dream up the world and described it as the first animation project he had worked on, while also noting he had fun writing for the show. Tanya Fetzer, the lead animator, was pleased to do more smooth instead of snappy animation. Badiola further explained that Joe Nicolosi came up with the prelude idea, pushing Josh to join the writing team.

On July 17, in response to a fan, on the subreddit for the show, Badiola, said that the 4-part prelude is mainly a coming of age of story, but the main driving theme, and idea, is "the discussion of record keeping and learning," hoping that she can get the chance in the future to show that.[30] Many days later, on July 25, Badiola clarified that the first four episodes are a prelude, having the same format for what they intended "for a full season," serving as "a way to introduce to audiences" to the format, with the lowercase Roman numerals in the episode titles meant to show that it is an introduction to the show.[31]

The same day, during a Comic-Con@Home panel, Rooster Teeth shared a sneak peek of the "third and penultimate episode" of the show, which shows Arizal feaking out a "bit at the prospect of becoming a Record Keeper," wrestling with the thought of leaving her friends and books behind.[32] Later that month, on July 23, Badiola, in one of her vlogs accompanying the show, noted how she had come to Rooster Teeth in 2015 because of RWBY, adding that sometimes she feels the show is for her, and incorporates the struggles of being an Asian-American, with the idea you have "one foot in your home country and the other the country you only ever knew about" as a peron's body straddles the line of "torn, inadequate, and desiring to engage, all at once."[13] Seven days later, in her July 30 vlog, she explained how COVID-19 restrictions affected her, that she has experienced several panic attacks" during the show's production, and expressed her concerns about the show's future.[33] These concerns manifested themselves in a number of fears: that the work on the prelude "won't pay off," that the three years the show's staff worked on the "show proper" will be wasted, and that people won't give it a chance because it is "not easy to categorize or explain." She also stated she thinks some will think the show isn't funny, that she will be told that the show is "too expensive," and to "do more" by producers, while painfully admitting that she can't "promise a proper season." The rest of the vlog brought in other members of the show's crew expressing their confidence in the show, its protagonist, who both hope the audience becomes "invested" in her character and the show itself, while Badiola talks about other fears about the show going forward.

In an August 10, 2020 post, Kazemi wrote that the show became "more relatable" because more people are living in a world where "streaming from home, talking into webcams, and staying in their rooms," joked that Rooster Teeth has many shows which "R" and "B" in the title, and added that "representation matters and makes me cry sometimes," while hoping that people will get to "spend more time with her in the future."[16]

Characters
  • Arizal (voiced by Christine Marie Cabanos)[34], the story's overachieving protagonist, a 16-year-old high school student putting together a series of vlogs about why she wants to be a record keeper, wanting to go on an adventure.[11]
  • Lia (voiced by Christina Stuckart)[7], one of Arizal's childhood friends who convinced her to become a record keeper, and wants Arizal to experience the world rather than be holed up in her room
  • Rizella, one of Arizal's childhood friends who convinced her to become a recordkeeper. Something happens to her which scares Tita, as indicated in "Log iv."
  • Tita Cherry (voiced by Monica Rial)[35], who is Arizal's grandmother, who she is living with during the summer. Tita runs a tight ship in the house, chastising Arizal for not cleaning her room in the show's first episode.
  • Dante (voiced by César Altagracia),[2] an experienced record keeper, introduced in the second episode.

Episodes

Prelude
No.TitleDirected byWritten byLengthOriginal air date
1"Log i"Yssa BadiolaYssa Badiola3:40July 13, 2020 (2020-07-13)
In the middle of summer vacation, Arizal, a 16-year-old senior from Yamayan, begins her extra credit assignment: creating a video diary as to why she wants to be a record keeper. The latter are citizens of Maktaba who explore the world and record their progress while adding to the "global archive." She introduces her two childhood friends, Rizella and Lia, saying they convinced her to pursue this path, and notes how she lives with her aunt, uncle, and cousin. At the end of the episode, she struggles to answer why she wants to be a record keeper, saying she will get back to the question later.
2"Log ii"Yssa BadiolaJoshua Kazemi3:47July 20, 2020 (2020-07-20)
Arizal prepares herself to talk to Dante, an experienced "big boy" record keeper, even having a set of questions to ask him. However, what she hears from him shakes her rosy picture of a record keeper that she has painted in her mind. As he talks to her about issues like the importance of toilet paper, Arizal is confronted with some of the harsh realities of becoming a record keeper. After a sandstorm cuts their conversation short, Arizal unsure of how to proceed in fulfilling her dream to be a record keeper.
3"Log iii"Yssa BadiolaJoshua Kazemi4:03July 27, 2020 (2020-07-27)
After processing what Dante told her, Arizal breaks down, lamenting that she will be a record keeper alone, without her friends or her treasured books. In her despair, she questions if she should fulfill her dream, thinks that Dante called her pathetic to her face, and remembers that her mother traveled the world. Later on, she proves her knowledge when messaging her friend Rizella, who calls her an "adorable bookworm," which lifts her spirits. Toward the end of the episode, Lia stops by, points out that she has been holed up in her room the whole summer, and attempts to get her to come to a club to dance. Arizal compromises and agrees to dance with her friend in front of her house.
4"Log iv"Yssa BadiolaYssa Badiola4:53August 3, 2020 (2020-08-03)
Arizal reflects on what Dante told her and her mission as a record keeper, walking up a pitch-black staircase and onto a mountain overlook, which is outside the city and District 4 – the first time she has been outside the city and the district. She notes that her journey to the lookout is the same test given to record keepers, a test which the record keepers don't reveal. Arizal says that she should still try to be a record keeper, how Rizella is a dear friend to her, and gives reasons to be a record keeper: discover something out in the world, go to the places her mother has been to, or travel as a keeper with her friends. After noting how her friends complete her, she gets an urgent call from her Tita, telling her to return home since something happened to Rizella. The end of the episode shows her application to become a record keeper being accepted.

Main show
No.TitleDirected byWritten byLengthOriginal air date
TBATBAYssa BadiolaTBATBATBA

Reception

On July 17, Tommy Williams praised the series, calling it interesting, but shorter than they expected, noting that the first episode gave a small glimpse into Arizal's Tita, Cherry, and her her best friend, Lia, while also describing the animation as "decent."[11] Williams also said they would likely watch the other episodes to see where the show goes, while worrying that interest for the show "will die down in the interim."

See also

References
  1. Rooster Teeth [@RoosterTeeth] (June 23, 2020). "Straight-A student Arizal learns, through a series of personal vlogs, whether the life she signs up for is the life she wants. Recorded by Arizal, a prelude to a new story from creator @dearbassy, premieres July 13th!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 23, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020 – via Twitter.
  2. Badiola, Yssa (July 16, 2020). "Recorded by Yssa - The Team". Rooster Teeth. Archived from the original on July 18, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  3. @JoshuaKazemi (June 29, 2020). "RTP just aired this clip from #RecordedByArizal! When I first started, I would sneak away to watch them tape it. I'd hide in the back like a weirdo & hope I wasn't bothering anyone. To actually be there in person was such a cool feeling & now they've aired a clip from our show" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020 – via Twitter. He noted on his profile that he is a writer for the show.
  4. "Let's Talk Arizal - RT Podcast Highlight". Rooster Teeth Trailers. YouTube. July 13, 2020. Archived from the original on July 14, 2020. Retrieved July 14, 2020. This is a clip from Rooster Teeth Podcast 603.
  5. Yssa Badiola [@dearbassy] (July 1, 2020). "When creating this #RecordedByArizal prelude, we made this a 4-part intro to our protagonist. They're pretty short episodes, all less than 5 minutes each, but they're meant to be small, digestible bits. This is just the beginning. Follow along and let us know if you want more!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020 – via Twitter.
  6. @applexcat (June 29, 2020). "I'm so excited for Recorded By Arizal to come out! Huge props to the 2D team - it looks so good!!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 23, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020 – via Twitter. Adele "Addy" is a 3D animator for Rooster Teeth.
  7. Milligan, Mercedes (June 23, 2020). "'Recorded by Arizal' Premieres July 13 on Rooster Teeth". Animation Magazine. Animation Magazine, Inc. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  8. Peterson, Erik (May 25, 2020). "Summer Premiere Dates 2020: Here's What's On As Lockdown Starts To Lift". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  9. Bazan, Sage (July 10, 2020). "A Look at Recorded By Arizal with creator Yssa Badiola". RoosterTeeth Blog. Rooster Teeth. Archived from the original on July 10, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  10. Williams, Tommy (June 24, 2020). "Rooster Teeth Announces New Miniseries RECORDED BY ARIZAL". GeekTyrant. GeekTyrant Industries, LLC. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  11. Williams, Tommy (July 17, 2020). "First Impressions: RECORDED BY ARIZAL is a Prototype Miniseries". GeekTyrant. GeekTyrant Industries, LLC. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  12. Whitaker, Richard (July 13, 2020). "Now Streaming in Austin: Recorded by Arizal". The Austin Chronicle. Austin Chronicle Corp. Archived from the original on July 14, 2020. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  13. Badiola, Yssa (July 23, 2020). "Recorded by Yssa - The Purpose". Rooster Teeth. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  14. Williams, Tommy (July 1, 2020). "Here's a Clip From Rooster Teeth's New Series RECORDED BY ARIZAL". GeekTyrant. GeekTyrant Industries, LLC. Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020. This article noted that Arizal is 16, not 17, based on the promo video where she says that she is 16.
  15. Rooster Teeth [@RoosterTeeth] (June 29, 2020). "Meet Arizal, an aspiring Record Keeper, in this sneak peek of Recorded By Arizal!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020 – via Twitter.
  16. Kazemi, Joshua (August 10, 2020). "Recorded By Arizal Notes!". Rooster Teeth. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  17. Rooster Teeth (June 23, 2020). "Rooster Teeth 2020: We're Just Getting Started". Rooster Teeth Trailers. YouTube. Archived from the original on June 16, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020. The show is previewed from 1:38 to 1:42 in this video.
  18. @dearbassy (March 10, 2020). ".@JoshuaKazemi said, "Arizal is an awesome character. People need to meet her." and i've officially cried for the fourth time today good-bye everyone thank you for your time" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020 – via Twitter.
  19. @dearbassy (June 23, 2020). "Thank you, everyone, for your support! Are you ready for me to continue talking about this?? ye s? OK!!11!!!!!1 Here she is!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020 – via Twitter.
  20. @dearbassy (June 23, 2020). "an actual DM btwn @YukaOmatic and me" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020 – via Twitter.
  21. @dearbassy (June 23, 2020). "AW-rih-sawl" (Tweet). Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020 – via Twitter.
  22. @dearbassy (June 25, 2020). "The gang is back in town 8) We talk about some #RecordedByArizal, some #RWBY, but also a really good question - how do you deal with online criticism? Available for FIRST members *now*, but for free tmrw (friday)!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020 – via Twitter. See the video of the discussion here.
  23. @kerryshawcross (June 25, 2020). "Really fun discussion, also talked about the stuff we're working on *cough* #RecordedByArizal *cough* #RWBY *cough* :D" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020 – via Twitter.
  24. @dearbassy (June 30, 2020). "She/her ❤️ thank u for asking. I've been seeing people ask, and it makes me realize I should be adding pronouns when revealing characters in the future!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020 – via Twitter.
  25. @christinemcabz (June 30, 2020). "Yes! I cried with joy at the opportunity to play a Filipina lead 😭 ♥️" (Tweet). Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020 – via Twitter.
  26. @LaurinofEarth (June 29, 2020). "PLEASE watch Recorded By Arizal not just to support @dearbassy but to witness @tankmonkey [Al McClelland, Jr.]'s storyboard beat trickery to mimic a unique 2D show pacing; excellent character animation by the 2D tea; and esp @ARTesst_R [Tess Richards]'s skill at color/light/detail of a single shot. Cake 4 your eyes" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020 – via Twitter. Crozier is a leader 2D Production Artist for Rooster Teeth.
  27. @LaurinofEarth (June 29, 2020). "What you added to these is phenomenal! You really did the bulk of the work. For anyone curious, I blocked out the pieces in flat colors and then Tess filled in EVERYTHING after that; details on the walls, posters, and the lighting, shading, and color adjustments. She's excellent" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020 – via Twitter.
  28. Rooster Teeth [@RoosterTeeth] (June 26, 2020). "We're hosting a #ComicConatHome panel and answering your questions about RWBY, Red vs. Blue, Recorded by Arizal, and Transformers: WFC! Get more details and a link to submit a question here: bit.ly/RT_SDCCathome" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 23, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020 – via Twitter. Also see the post on the Rooster Teeth website about this panel.
  29. Yssa Badiola [@dearbassy] (July 1, 2020). "Went thru a name change! It is all now considered "Recorded By Arizal" :)" (Tweet). Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020 – via Twitter. This was responding to the question "So, will the main series, that follows this[,] be called "Record Keeper"? I ask because that's the name noted in the RT preview for all the upcoming content in 2020."
  30. Badiola, Yssa (July 17, 2020). "Ohhh wow!!! that's honestly really cool, I admire people whose professions are centered around archival/librarian in nature. Although it's clear the two shouldn't be mixed up? hahaha Perhaps if I were more educated on how librarian/historian was an actual profession, I would've gotten into those careers instead of being an artist. I'd definitely describe these 4-parts as more concentrated on the coming-of-age aspect, but I wanted to say that the main driving idea/theme of it IS the discussion of record keeping and learning. I'm hoping I can get that chance in the future to really show that~". Reddit. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  31. @dearbassy (July 25, 2020). "Thank you for your interest 🧡! no spoilers: the Prelude's format would've been the same as what we intended for a full season. it was a way to introduce to audiences said format. The prelude has the subtitle OF Prelude and logs are appropriately named with lowercase roman--numerals to reflect its introduction. Recorded By Arizal is the name of the series, periodt!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020 – via Twitter. The text of the tweet linked and the one before it have been combined so that what Badiola is saying makes sense.
  32. Dominguez, Noah (July 25, 2020). "Recorded by Arizal: Rooster Teeth Reveals Sneak Peek at Monday's Episode 3". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  33. Badiola, Yssa (July 30, 2020). "Recorded by Yssa - The Creator". Rooster Teeth. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  34. @christinemcabz (June 24, 2020). "I voice Arizal in 'Recorded by Arizal'! I can't express how grateful and honored I am to be a part of this project! Thank you so so much @roosterteeth @dearbassy for having me! I am well and truly PSYCHED for you guys to see it!!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020 – via Twitter.
  35. @Rialisms (June 24, 2020). "I'm so incredibly honored to voice Tita Cherry in 'Recorded by Arizal' for @RoosterTeeth. Thank you for having me @dearbassy! 😘 I can't wait for you all to see this amazing show. 💗" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020 – via Twitter.
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