Thoughts on Cantus

[Saironi]

Personally, I think Cantus comes off as the most mature of his kind. He knows how to enjoy himself, but also knows that there's a time and place to be silly and frivilous. He may also be aware of how confusing others find him and uses it to his advantage when saying there are only 5 Minstrels as far as he knows and he "knows pretty far".

He also strikes me as a serious and strict person when it comes to showing the 5 Fraggles the errors of their ways. The most prominent in my mind is when he makes Red take him up to the surface after she loses his pipe. Cantus doesn't seem to suffer from the same phobia of the shaggy giants as most of his kind does and when Red whimpers "That Gorg will KILL ME!!" he just carelessly looks at Jr. before returning his gaze on Red and tactlessly retorts "Says who?", and wags his finger sternly at her as she whimpers at how seemingly heartless he's being. To me, this was obviously his way of punishing her.

Since he doesn't seem to fear Gorgs, he even speaks with Jr., though possibly using his shadow to appear larger, so he isn't entirely careless.

I'll also say that it's likely it's only Red who can come close to cause Cantus to lose his temper, as he is on the edge of fuming when she still doesn't understand what he said by "Her song", then snaps that all Fraggles have songs, but does so in a somewhat gentle way. Obviously he seems more tolerant of the other main Fraggles than of Red.

If anyone has anything to add, go ahead.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Cantus doesn't seem to suffer from the same phobia of the shaggy giants as most of his kind does and when Red whimpers "That Gorg will KILL ME!!" he just carelessly looks at Jr. before returning his gaze on Red and tactlessly retorts "Says who?", and wags his finger sternly at her as she whimpers at how seemingly heartless he's being. To me, this was obviously his way of punishing her.

Since he doesn't seem to fear Gorgs, he even speaks with Jr., though possibly using his shadow to appear larger, so he isn't entirely careless.

Yeah I like that part, when Red tells Cantus where she dropped the pipe. She's kind of expecting him to get it for her, or at least help her. But he's the parental figure who's telling her to take personal responsibility for her mistake.

He's pretty blunt about that, which is great. Fraggles are general, very light hearted and need a kick sometimes to do anything. Earlier, Mokey innocently tried to make excuses for Red saying, "What if it was all a misunderstanding and it could happen to anyone?" Cantus counters with, "It could not happen to anyone. There was no misunderstanding."

Cantus' impression of Junior seems very similar to the Trash Heap's. Instead of being afraid of Junior, he sees his potential.

 

[Frogster]

Since he doesn't seem to fear Gorgs, he even speaks with Jr., though possibly using his shadow to appear larger, so he isn't entirely careless.

I noticed that after the blanket fell, he just moved over with the rest of the Fraggles to blend in. He was calm about it, though... like, oh well, my cover's blown, lol.

 

[Saironi]

Cantus' impression of Junior seems very similar to the Trash Heap's. Instead of being afraid of Junior, he sees his potential.

He also doesn't share the same predjudice that Gorgs are violent, dumb giants that just care about themselves. I don't think he would have even CONSIDERED approaching Jr. if he thought that. Cantus recognizes that Jr. is also a living thing with responisbilities and dreams, and despite his superior size to either Pa or Ma, Jr. is just a child. Also, like Mokey, he understands that there is some good in Jr.

 

[Super Scooter]

Cantus does seem to be one of the most mature Fraggles, but he also gives alot of crap-wisdom... which is simply hillarious!

I don't think he's really as bright as he makes himself seem, but his nonsense stories and fortune cookie wisdom... it so often makes alot of sense for some reason. He's one of Jim's best characters in this regard.

 

[Sylinde Bren]

Cantus does seem to be one of the most mature Fraggles, but he also gives alot of crap-wisdom... which is simply hillarious!

I don't think he's really as bright as he makes himself seem, but his nonsense stories and fortune cookie wisdom... it so often makes alot of sense for some reason. He's one of Jim's best characters in this regard.

I'd have to politely disagree on that... I, personally, feel that Cantus is very much as wise as he makes himself out to be. Spiritual and keenly aware of a lot of the hidden forces behind the scenes. I mean, he even knew that Gobo had to touch Doc (not just physically touch, but on an emotional, higher level) for him to see.

When I was a child, I used to think that Cantus was possibly immortal or maybe even more ancient than The World's Oldest Fraggle. Not that The World's Oldest could be a proper representative of all of the elderly Fraggles in the Rock, but Cantus seems to be much wiser, more knowing and experienced than that of The Oldest. Could it be so far-fetched that the "mysterious and invisible" being that gave Cantus his magic pipe could have also had the power to make him immortal or, more realistically, longer-lived than any ordinary Fraggle has the right to be?

Just a thought.

 

[Super Scooter]

I'd have to politely disagree on that... I, personally, feel that Cantus is very much as wise as he makes himself out to be. Spiritual and keenly aware of a lot of the hidden forces behind the scenes. I mean, he even knew that Gobo had to touch Doc (not just physically touch, but on an emotional, higher level) for him to see.

Well, I do agree that he's probably the wisest Fraggle, but alot of what he says is just nonsense... like I said, nonsense that makes sense... I feel as confused as the minstrels.

In the episode "Mokey and the Minstrels" he does seem to be very wise, and then the minstrels all act like he's full of it... like he's so wise that he's beyond them. Maybe I'm just not smart enough for Cantus.

"Listen."

 

[Saironi]

I get the feeling Cantus has been with the other four for long enough for them to tolerate his occasional episodes of being overbearing or spouting what they feel is nonsense. I'm not sure if Brio or Murray was the first Minstrel to join Cantus, most likely Murray, since he seemed closer to Cantus than the other three, even if he didn't seem to understand him all the time.

Brio possibly admired him for seeming so wise and mature. Possibly saw him as a role model and thought he had a lot to teach.

Balsam I'm not too sure about, and he looked pretty ancient himself, and who knows why Brool joined.

Now that I think of it, all four of the other minstrels look pretty old themselves, so maybe if the pipe has power to give longevity, Cantus bistowed it upon them, or if not, the races Murray, Balsam and Brool belong to are just older than Fraggles.


I also always noticed Cantus seemed covered in orange fur except just up to his neck, shoulders and hips, leading me to think he was a different breed of Fraggle. Either he is and is the last of whatever breed succeeded the bald-headed Fraggles, or he's an "evolved" Fraggle.

 

[MokeynSprocket]

BORING.. zzzzzzz

I like Cantus' personality, but every episode I have seen him in has been entirely boring. I have only watched Season 1 and Season 2. I do not recall episodes beyond Season 2. Anyway, from what I have saw, Cantus and the Minstrels are boring to watch. The episodes are all centered around them, and they act as if being a minstrel is better than being a normal fraggle. When I see Cantus and the Minstrels, I think of them as a group of homeless people wandering from city to city trying to ask for money or simply annoy someone. Yes, they look dirty, and they are annoying to watch. They are boring, and I get tired of hearing Cantus' weird comments and responses. Please don't attack me with brutal comments, because the name of this thread is "Thoughts on Cantus," so I am only supplying my thoughts. Thanks!

By the way, the number one character on Fraggle Rock is SPROCKET!

 

[Super Scooter]

I think I'm partly wrong on my analysis of Cantus. I suppose my usage of the word "nonsense" was out of place. I just re-watched some Cantus episodes, and I guess I wouldn't describe it as nonsense, but rather confusing. It makes sense, but it's weird.

At the same time, I must apologize. I also re-watched a Convincing John episode, and realized I was mixing the two characters together during my analogy. oops!