The 100th series “The Meaning of Life” in KikoRiki is the most adult, philosophical and serious. It was created based on the deep movie “Dead Man”. By the way, you can read about the meaning of this film in our article. Even having no idea about such a semantic link, the audience spoke about the depressiveness of the episode. It reveals a number of important topics that are worth considering in detail.
So today we’ll talk about the meaning of the Meaning of Life series in KikoRiki, and also consider interesting facts and plot.
Brief story
When morning comes, Barash feels the meaninglessness of existence. He does not know whether life has always been meaningless, and he did not notice this, or whether there was a meaning to life, but was lost. He goes outside, thinking, starts walking along the forest path and falls, hitting a tree.
Kar-Karych comes to the rescue with brushwood. He says that he should not lie on the snow, otherwise he may catch a cold. Barash answers him: “What’s the point of not catching a cold?” Continuing the conversation, Kar-Karych realizes that Barash does not see the point and invites him to go to Kuzinatra.
During the journey to Cusinatra, the dialogue between friends continues. A snowstorm begins and friends slowly weaken. When Barash is completely weakened, he loses consciousness. Coming to his senses in his bed, Kar-Karych tells his friend that they got lost and returned to their original place.
When he invites the thinker to set off again on the path to Kuzinatra, Barash replies that there is a meaning to life, and he does not want to go any more.
The meaning of the series
A monologue-reasoning about the meaning of life at the beginning of the series sets the mood for the entire episode. Here we can trace the existential crisis faced by the protagonist. This is characteristic of his creative and melancholy nature. We see a lot of crumpled papers in the hero’s house. This points us to the creative crisis of the hero.
After the monologue, Barash goes outside, falls down, wakes up and sees Kar-Karych. This character in KikoRiki acts as an authority. He is well educated, erudite and has taste. The hero has a humanitarian mindset and rich life experience. It can be imagined as the owner of a secret knowledge of the structure of the world. Therefore, the authors of the series made it the acting hero of the picture.
It seemed that Kar-Karych knew the global meaning and would share it with a friend. However, he is not going to simplify the task of Barash. The friend wants to return the local meaning to the melancholic poet. Therefore, he answers questions briefly: “The less you know, the better you sleep.”
The sage creates an image of a non-existent being – Kusinatra, which gives meaning, and sends a friend on a false path. It probably exists, and the sage did not deceive the hero. For example, in episode 83, he says that without Cusinatra, you can’t figure it out.Regardless of its existence, Kar-Karych leads Barash in circles so that he gets tired, thinks not about depression, but about survival.
Ultimately, the exhausted hero focuses on what he has. Having suppressed the desire for a world order, Barash begins to think about simple trifles. Fearing that he might lose everything, he begins to appreciate life.
In episode 83, when the self-taught inventor Pin asks about good and evil, then switches to exploring the earth, Kar-Karych says with satisfaction that Kuzinatra was not needed this time.
This can confirm the assumption that Kar-Karych adheres to epicureanism and imposes it on other characters. He believes that it is important that everyone does what he likes and does not think about the global structure of the universe. An individual needs to be content with little, without plunging into philosophy.
The series conveys the main idea: trying to understand the global meaning, you can lose your strength, and it does not exist, this is a fiction. You don’t need to think about the global meaning, you should focus on the small and be content with what you have. Otherwise, you can lose mental and physical health, and even life.
Unity with Tarkovsky
In the cartoon, Kar-Karych pushes Barash to understand epicureanism – the meaning of life, which lies in everyday affairs. For example, about a bed, warm soup and the care of a loved one. You start dreaming about little things only when you lose them.
Since the episode was based on the motives of the film “Dead Man” and “Stalker”, we got quite deep, non-standard thoughts. There was a gloomy, oppressive and depressing atmosphere. The similarity with the legendary American parable film of 1995 “Dead Man” can be seen even in the soundtrack.
You can find a lot in common in the series with Tarkovsky’s art-house film “Stalker”, the analysis of the meaning of which we already have.
At the beginning, when the protagonist wakes up, the camera slowly pans around the room. This is the search leitmotif on which Tarkovsky’s film is tied. Also incomprehensible Kusinatra, who is able to give the beast everything he wants.
This is an analogy of the Room from Stalker, capable of fulfilling any innermost human wish. There is a similarity in minimalism, intimacy of action on two images, the absence of a direct path and the philosophy of the characters. The features of the film can be traced when Barash does not achieve his goal by being at home.
The end of the cartoon is the only positive moment that differs from Dead Man and Stalker.
Interesting Facts
- The word “Kuzinatra” is a mistake of the translators of Roger Zelazny’s novel The Map of Destiny. There, the protagonist asked the sphinx about something green, red and whirling. He replied that it was “a frog in Cusinatra.” However, here the author was talking about a food processor, the brand of which has become a household name for technology. The translator decided to copy this moment and not translate it verbatim.
- When friends in episode 110 go to the ship, Krosh tells Barash that he thought that he went to look for Kuzinatra again.
- When Barash begs Kar-Karych to take him to Kuzinatra, he tells him that if he does not take him to Kuzinatra, then he will have a “price”. Translated, it means the end. The word was invented by the acting character himself in The Secret Society.
- There is also a reference to this series in Lukyanenko’s novel “New Watch”. There, the daughter of the protagonist watches a movie and hears a dialogue that the hero wants to know the meaning of life, and he is told that then he needs Kuzinatra, who gives meaning.
On this, our analysis of the series “The Meaning of Life” in KikoRiki came to an end. If you have questions or suggestions, be sure to write them in the comments.
And that’s all we have. So have a peaceful sky over your head and see you soon!
