After writing my critique on Anna Ripley’s design, I wanted to try my hand at the LOVM style with a look that was closer to her stream description. Not as a ‘fix’ - just experimenting!
An Overly Granular Critique on the Design Changes to my Favourite Critical Role Villain
(spoiler warning for The Legend of Vox Machina and up to ep. 68 of Critical Role Campaign 1)
So, Doctor Anna Ripley has made her debut on the Legend of Vox Machina animated series!
When I watched the stream, I was fascinated by her. Many people came away from Campaign 1 lauding the Briarwoods’ somewhat tragic story, and their intimidating (and pretty sexy) presence. And, y’know, fair - but despite Ripley’s small amount of on-stream appearances, she made quite an impression on me, and left a hefty mark on the characters, too. She was manipulative, scheming, and opportunistic - and no antagonist on the stream since has engaged me as much as she did…
Ripley was a villain on the backfoot, who had to seize chances at success, rather than a more standard powerful force for the heroes to overcome. She had talents, but could not match any of her adversaries in a typical melee, nor was she presented as being smarter than Percival, her notable rival. What made her dangerous was her cunning.
On the visual side, the DM describes her with the following details:
A woman in her early mid-forties. Jet-black hair with streaks of white pulled into a tight ponytail. Her face is weathered from travel, with dark lines at the sides of her face, whether it be from smiles or frowning. She wears nice travel clothes with a long duster-like coat.
[My 2018 fan art of Ripley. Not everyone’s ideal take I’m sure, but it’s how her description influenced my imagination.]
Now, moving on to her introduction in The Legend of Vox Machina Season 1.
In the animated series, her conniving personality is intact. Percy’s flashbacks show Ripley’s delight in cruelty. I was happy to have her more involved in particular iconic moments, such as the acid pit, as she attempts to squeeze any sort of trust she can out of her new captors. And when ultimately faced with a gun to her head, she manages to turn the tables on her enemies using her wits, and escape.
Her voice actor Kelly Hu delivers an appropriately subdued and raspy performance that embodies the character very well.
On the visual side…
[LOVM Ripley, past and present]
Without the context of adaptation, this is a strong and appealing look. If this had been my introduction to the character, I would be very much on board.
Compared to her stream description, however - there are no lines on her face. In the present day her hair is loose, with the same soft-serve ice cream curls that most of the women on the show seem to have. Despite the ragged clothes and tired eyes of a prisoner, there is a youth and a beauty to her look. All these details feel off to me, for three particular reasons:
1) It makes her too visually similar to Delilah Briarwood. This is not an ‘incorrect’ thing, since they do share broad details, but in a visual medium it’s worth taking opportunities to distinguish characters from one another where possible and appropriate.
2) Her youthful appearance calls into question how old she was during the coup on Whitestone. Percy’s motives are that of a young boy, barely a man, who was betrayed and aggressed by a group of his elders. People who, for all intent, should be worthy of respect to him. In present day, Ripley does look more haggard than in the flashback, though it’s unclear how much of that is her age showing, and how much is having been a starved prisoner.
3) Most importantly, this design makes her seem to me like Percy’s equal, when a facet of what makes her so interesting is that she is not. Anna Ripley is a person who is incredibly versed in science and technology, only using magic when necessary. But she is envious of Percy’s own technological talents. While Ripley is by no means ‘past her prime’, she has certainly been outpaced by the young De Rolo heir. In attempting to recreate his weapon designs, she lost her hand. In the later streams, her ‘more refined’ recreation of his pepperbox can cause psychic damage on a misfire. She was Orthax’s second choice - a vengeance demon’s compromise. If she is to be considered a reflection of Percy, it would need to be from a mirror that is warped, cracked, and corroded.
So, where is the well-worn face of a mature and world-travelled woman? Where is the firmly tied hair of a scientist whose determination supersedes the need for appearances? Where’s that duster coat, y’all?
[LOVM Character concepts, and Marisha Ray’s Ripley cosplay.]
To reiterate, I do not dislike her animated design. And some of the details that I find aren’t evoking the character could be ‘solved’ when she eventually resurfaces without her ragged prisoner’s look. But so far, while the physical and vocal performances are effective, Ripley’s visual design just doesn’t quite mesh.
On a broader perspective, I do think there is a lot of really strong design work on the show. So many of the player characters and NPCs are brilliantly brought to life in ways that exemplify their personalities and traits, and feel in-tune to Matt’s descriptions. It has been really cool to witness many of these creative characters and moments put in motion with equal creative passion.
plot twist: this was all just an excuse to talk about how much I like Ripley :)
You can cross Anna Ripley (and Orthax) off The List.
[ID: A digital illustration of Dr Anna Ripley and Orthax from Critical Role. Ripley stands to the right, one hand extended to keep a long-barrelled gun pointed to the ground, her challenging gaze directed at the viewer. She is a white woman with black hair streaked with white and pale grey eyes, dressed in an elegant red buttoned jacket and a dark blue cloak emblazoned with arcane symbols, as well as several ammunition belts and one that holds two vials filled with a green and blue liquid respectively. Behind her is the shadowy form of the demon Orthax, whose face is a mask that is a mixture of a bird-like beak and long horns. End ID.]
