ARCANE Is a Must Watch Series (& So Wonderfully Gay)
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- čas přidán 12. 09. 2024
- League of Legend's adaptation Arcane might be the best video game adaptation to date on Netflix, so let's talk about it.
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One thing I liked about Caitlyn was that it felt like we got to see HER realize her sexuality, because Vi just asks her preference outright, and Cait is visibly unsure about how to answer, so Vi just grabs the first person she sees, who is a guy, who Cait notably is really awkward around when trying to flirt, and then when Vi comes out of her meeting with the Brothel Madam, Cait is just CASUALLY flirting with a woman in the brothel. I thought that was a really cute way of showing that without just out and saying "Caitlyn is a lesbian!"
I mean, if you had Vi call you hot and push you against a wall I think many would question there sexuality tbh xD. But joking aside it was great to see and handled really well I thought.
@@__-fm5qv That scene immediately put me into gay panic mode
I always just assume Caitlyn always knew what she is and her reaction is solely on Vi’s brashness.
Year late, but I think I heard from a Q&A, that Caitlyn regularly brings women over....also through the window...
Wait, is Pim a guy? It was kind of hard to tell with the cute mask and everything.
You are the first person I've seen, who is understanding Jayce's character and his situation instead of hating him for no reason. Respect for that and great review overall!
I always felt confused by the vast amount of Jayce hate. I think it is MOSTLY because of that scene in ep 5 with Jayce and Mel being intimate contrasted with Viktor looking very sick and somehow people think Jayce was not there for him, when in fact he has been alongside him ever since they met and you can see Jayce clearly loves him as a "brother" like he said, leaving Mel's side to attend to him and even betraying his mentor Heimerdinger in order to save Viktor. I swear the Jayce hate bandwagon and I are not watching the same series, because I have been nothing but sympathetic of Jayce and the difficult position he was unwillingly thrown into.
I.M.O Jayce is the definition of a high Charisma, high intelligence, low Wisdom character trying to do the right thing.
I never hated him, the big goof just frustrates me 😬
Jayce gets hate for no reason. I was so confused when I saw that people hated him, I absolutely loved him just like the other characters and cared for him too. I feel like people who hate Jayce just favor Viktor and feel like they have to hate Jayce in response.
yeah people love to take extreme sides on characters. Every character in the show is deeply flawed and gas different motivations, and I love that. Jayce has his own worldview, which is still developing
There's Jayce hate? I thought he was sooooo well written. Like he was complicated, but so were most of the characters. Even Silco who I felt a bit for when he was like "You're perfect" to Powder/Jinx. I adored that Jayce actually did care, he was in some impossible positions.
The reason Imagine Dragons were in the show wasn't pandering to the audience... it was paying tribute to them.
They've been part of the League of Legends community for a LONG time now. Honestly speaking them getting a cameo in it is basically a nod to the fact that they were part of what built the League of Legends community.
It wasn't just another 'Oh popular band lets stick them in!' kind of thing. This was far more honest than that usually goes.
I totally get that, but imo it's just tonally like..."Why?"
@@mowgli6345 I think it definitely could've been handled a bit better, it was kind of out of nowhere, and the song fits with some parts of what was going on but not others. Regardless, glad they included them in some way since they've been doing stuff for league for a long time.
@@mowgli6345 fit the tone for me. Every episode has its mini music videos that one just committed more
@@mowgli6345 Seraphine in a nutshell
@@tlozmeowcatz7991 It's not just that. But ID scored the entire show. At some point it gets gratuitous. Like we get it, you like Imagine Dragons.
The weirdest part with Silco is that he is not just not vilified for his radicalism. It is shown, flat out, that Silco is *right*. He succeeds where Vander failed, and he would have eventually gotten exactly what he wanted- the liberation of the Undercity and it's people- if not for his and Jinxes personal flaws. The violent/non-violent false dichotomy has always irked me a little bit, but I just loved the execution here.
Vast, world altering events hinging around personal failings is a trope I am a sucker for.
I’d have to disagree with you that Silco was right. While he did achieve his goals (almost) drugs and violence run rampant under his rule whereas Vander kept the malicious violence at bay. Seeking your freedom from a tyrannical oppressor was never going to be easy but that doesn’t mean you have turn into monsters.
@@ourabouras "He who fights monsters should beware, lest he becomes a monster." That's why the show is so fucking amazing. Silco was right in his belief in Zaun, but his methods were flawed and evil. He let himself fall into the abyss, and at the end he finally realized what Vander had done was right. He finally understood why he had given up on their dream of Zaun. "Is there anything so undoing as a daughter?"
Except is the "opressor" peace. Where they still give no fuck what the people want they just wash there hand of you and give you to the local oppressor to deal with you. Never do the council actually care to know what the people of the undercity want. They only concede there hold when the price to keep there territory is not financially worth it to them.(Because of the Hex gate) So they give it up to the local kingpin. As anarchist this is the freedom of nationalism in nutshell. You don't become free you just exchange foreign oppressor to a local one. Which is freedom for them and there lackey at your expense. Double this for ethnic nationalism. Where is the same shit but your oppressor is biological related to you. (In the sense you must like share an ancestor down the line like great great great great great grandpa) The boot taste just as bitter but hey at least they share your background/religion/etnicity/race. Lol
when Vi told Jinx to imagine Mylo and we're like "uhh..... why?" , it show how much Vi don't understand her sister anymore, we as viewer knows about her ptsd and what she's been through but Vi'd just met Jinx for such a long time...
Vi really only had a small hint of just how broken her sister actually was for 99% of the series. Then the dinner happens and Vi’s just sitting there in stunned silence at seeing it all laid out at once for her.
Yeah I’m glad I’m not the only one to see this. Like, I’m not going to say that Silco is a good guy or good father, but he did love Jinx in his own way. So when Vi is just sitting there, throwing trigger words at Jinx, dead naming her left and right… I totally get Silco wanting to put an end to it in his own way (shooting Vi). I know I’d be pissed if someone did that to my hypothetical kid! Vi just didn’t know her sister anymore. It’s sad, but something that can happen after so much time apart. She meant well, but Vi was just harming Jinx.
@@jasonco2 Ironically meaning well but causing harm is also Silcos contribution to Jinx's mind too, in his own way. He does want to help her, trying to coach her to push through trauma like he did, but its a case of the blind leading the blind really which is so tragic. And then to wrap it all up all Jinx ever has right until her final act in the season is the best intentions, but they again only lead to harming others. Poetically tragic really.
It’s so heartbreaking! Vi came in with the image of baby Powder in her mind‚ and with that the reality of Jinx was _really_ hard for her to swallow‚ let alone come to terms with. But of course that makes it harder for Jinx to trust her-how can she believe that her big sister loves her and wants to help when she keeps using the wrong name? :-(
It really is tragic because Vi has only been able to actually spend very little time with grown up Jinx until now. She assumes that the love Jinx had for Mylo, Claggor, her and Vander is something that grounds her, when in reality it is a point of intense unresolved trauma for Jinx. I feel like a lot of people are tough on Vi for not understanding Jinx and holding onto her relationship with Powder, but I feel like it would be unrealistic for Vi to fully comprehend her after so many years spent apart.
I'm so glad you're enjoying the show. (Very) small note, it's not "Vee", it's "Vye". Short for Violet. And yeah, the producers have made it fairly clear on social media the Vi/Caitlyn relationship is canon and will be more overt in season 2. Well, more accurate to say, the indications/coding of a relationship are officially meant to be buildup, and are not just shipper imaginings.
Jayce doesn't "become that upper class guy" as he gets drawn into politics, though. He was always a rich boy pretending to know what "the people" needed. Even before all the politics stuff, his first instinct to "help" the people of Zaun wasn't to clean their air or fix the damage to their infrastructure, it wasn't to send them food or get them representation on the council... it was to build better tools so they could more efficiently labor on behalf of the wealthy. That *technically* would have made things slightly easier on them, maybe fewer accidents or something, but since labor in Zaun is mostly done for the benefit of Piltover, overall his designs would have mostly benefited Piltover while doing almost nothing to solve the actual systemic problems in Zaun.
I don't necessarily blame him for this, I don't think he's a bad guy or anything, he genuinely seems to think that would have been a huge help for them. But it belies a deep disconnect from what the people of Zaun are actually going through, it's like Gwyneth Paltrow going to a homeless shelter to give everyone free vaginal candles.
I didn't notice that at first! Is true tho. It really shows how the upbringing and ambient in Piltover is so disconected from Zaun's suffering.
Yeah he's a great representation of that upper middle class mindset, where he's all "my parents made hammers, a simple trade, I started from so much lower" When, from the audience perspective seeing Zaun, we know he was always a rich boy living in the upper class from the very beginning, but he's middle class by piltover standards enough to not notice it, because he doesn't see the lower class of Zaunites at all when considering his own class, it's so separate from him in his head. It's a very real way people see the world and it's interesting to see it represented.
What I think also happens with Jayce when it comes to character development (before the realization near the end) is that, as he sinks into politics unprepared, it turns into a game of PR. Looking good, having good relations with the rest of council, with the wealthiest, etc.
That moment when Viktor is returning with the vial of shimmer that Singed gave him, sitting at the bridge, and Jayce straight up tells him "do you know how bad this looks?". He's partially joking, but also not.
Not only is he not aware of the living conditions in Zaun, as he gets more responsibilities, people turn into numbers.
It's not until he sees all the dead people at the bridge later that hits him that those are real people dying, and then when they go down with Vi, and the kid thing happens, that zaunites are people too.
There's a parallel here with Viktor too, the line "in the pursuit of greatness, we forgot to do good" puts it very well.
(sidenote: Viktor is a zaunite, Jayce is aware his fucked up health is because of that, and yet he fails to see it. "Token minority friend".)
good point! i didnt even realize that until u said it
Didn't victor also design the tools
There were at least 5 times where the look on Jinx‘s face broke my f*ng heart
Her look of complete mental exhaustion at the end. Like that last trauma was just finally one too many and she just looks drained and numb. Damn.
@@troikas3353 The worst one for me were ofc in the end of episode 3 but also when ekko was about to punch her
Arcane floored me. I'm in that place right now of wanting my friends to watch the series. But knowing if I pester too much they will never watch it. Hell truly is knowing you've found the best show this year and someone won't listen to you and watch it.
Watch this blow up like GoT did if they can keep up the quality. Hopefully doesn't end up being a dumpster fire like GoT by the end.
Right now it's pretty much a sleeper hit with spectacular ratings just like GoT was in the beginning.
You talked about lgbt stuff in the show, but I think the show was diverse in a lot more ways than that. Race, body-types, disabled people, age ect. I have never seen a female brawler fight like the one between Vi and Silco's handler. Pretty great.
I understand your point about a lack of trans stuff, and it is good to talk about that. Is it wrong that it was NOT, at all in any way, an issue for me, because of how diverse the show was otherwise? Can a lack of representation of one group be compensated with representation for a different group?
Yes! I think it's a great example of how diversity can be embedded in a narrative while giving us fully realized characters that don't lean on the diverse aspects as the major component of their on-screen identities.I hope they get feed back that encourages them to push further in the next season.
People have theorized that Sevika is trans.
This diversity baiting is so obnoxious. This show is not about being trans/gay/straight or bi. It's about building believable characters that's it.
I don't think the complaint is about the lack of trans rep as the fact that the ONLY trans character is there to display how strange an area is.
@@Style50360 why did you call it "diversity baiting" tho? It has a negative connotation and I don't like that. The series never bait you to think that they're trying to have diversity just for the sake of it. It's just there as a tool to express that the world has different people. How would we even know if a character is trans or not?
I’m on the autism spectrum too, and you mentioned that you sometimes get lost in music and visuals because of your hyper-sensitive senses. The same thing happens to me all the time! The scene in Episode 6 with Jinx lighting the blue flair gun, while the song “Guns for Hire” by Woodkid played in the background, has been playing in my mind ever since I saw it. I cannot get “Guns for Hire” out of my head. It’s one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard.
Have you gotten it out yet? I haven't.
Yessss! Guns for Hire and Our Love are my two favorite songs from the series. I could not pick just one.
The actual Imagine dragons animated video is why they used them in the series. The had the assets, The Video also shows Powder and Ekko playing like best friends making Episode seven kind of hurt.
I never played the game, so take this with a grain of salt as it comes from watching lore videos on CZcams, but I think it helps to understand two major disasters in the distant past.
One is referenced directly in the show, and that is the mage war that caused massive devastation and wiped out whole civilizations. This is the reason so many people fear magic in this world, even Heimerdinger who is of a species that is inherently magical in nature.
The other is the canal in Piltover/Zaun. They were originally one city spanning an isthmus. Sometime after the great mage war, the city leaders decided to dig a canal right through the city so that they could make money off of shipping that no longer had to go around a whole continent (much like the Panama canal). During the dig, there was a terrible disaster that flooded most of what we now call the undercity, and this was what released all those chemicals into the environment there.
So for all this time, Piltover has been making money off of the disaster that made life miserable for the undercity and never got around to using all those profits to fix the problems created by the thing that was making them rich. As far as I'm concerned, they owe Zaun big and lost all rights to rule Zaun long ago. Heimerdinger lived through all of this. Why didn't he demand that they use their profits to fix the flooding and chemical spills in the lower city?
Anyway, that bridge between the two cities spans the canal that caused all of these problems and profits. The bridge itself is a metaphor for a lot of things.
Anyway, because I watched those lore videos, I have a good idea of where some of these stories are going, and you should prepare for more tears in season 2.
I don't know if you ever played World of Warcraft, but the background stories have something in common. There are a lot of tragic, unnecessary conflicts in the world that are used to drive the events of the game. There are so many conflicts that could have been prevented by simple words or deeds at the right place or the right time. Both Azeroth and Runerra remind me of the lead-up to World War I stretched out over an entire world and over centuries.
The settings felt "lived in", the characters felt organic, world building and character development were there and it felt natural and consistent since the start of the season.
Overall, I would have to say this is a good example of how movies/series should be done.
Also...I did not expect to go from "oh! he's the cliche bad guy" to "best character this season!" with Silco and it didn't even feel forced, he was consistent in what he did, but we learn to like him (and the other characters) as the show goes on.
Anyhoo, love the video. It's exactly what I was thinking but was unable to say because my brain sucks. Anytime someone wants me to explain why I want them to watch arcane, I'll just show them this video. have a good day.
One additional note about the queerness of the show: The world of Runeterra, as the creators intended it, doesn't have the same prejodices towards gender, race, or sexuality we tend to see, to the point where certain words - such as lesbian/gay to state outright Cait and Vi's relationship don't really exist. Vi's line to Caitlyn in Episode 5 is the norm as to how these things are treated in that world.
OMG, can we talk about Mel's mother? Just, WOW. What an amazing character.
@@Rampala Mommy Medarda? Yes pls
I never played League or even knew much about it but I was super interested in Arcane the moment I heard about it and saw the trailer. I absolutely loved it; the animation is gorgeous, the writing is good, the characters are great and nuanced... I think it's my favorite animated series to date. I NEED that season 2 😁
I'm really happy to read that someone who hasn't played the games and what not can jump in and enjoy the show as much as a long time fan.
Ps vi + caitlyn = ship it?
Arcane is my favourite series of 2021. As somone who is familiar with the league lore I really love what they did with it. I was really positivly suprised about the amount of fem gaze shots and the lack of hypersexulization of the female characters that the game defaults to
I thought this show based on how it initially started in the very beginning was gonna be a light kids fantasy adventure, but then the 15 mins pass and it all hits and im like, i was completely wrong.
For me, it was from the very first scene on the bridge where I was like "oh you're really going there."
"Oh, the misery
Everybody wants to be my enemy"
I really liked that they brought the song in universe.
I think if Vi and Kate hang out in less stressy situations, there would be more than the spark we see.
Vi, seemed very sure of herself and I'm pretty certain she's either gay or bi. I loved the interactions between her and Kate.
I think there was a scene where they actually nearly kissed? Kate is definitely open to something, though she was a bit weirded out by being called "cupcake", "because you are so sweet". :D
No clue. What do I know.
I loved the show top to bottom, from the first minute and watched every new act the moment I was awake on the Saturdays.
Would love to see a video essay from you about it.
From what I understand it's all but confirmed that vi & caitlyn have a romantic relationship probably wil be more in season 2 I hope
@@grimm516 yep they are, and honestly I kinda agree with their decision not to have an onscreen kiss as it would feel too rushed. After all the effort riot did to make it feel organic/natural, it would be a waste to ruin it just to slip in a out of place kiss.
I do however expected a kiss during the bed scene but found it fine for it to just be a caress + hand holding scene...
at the end of the day, we all know that Vi is eating cupcake every day.
edit: for the people who played league, we've known they've been a thing since 2012, what's waiting a few more years? We technically got our confirmation with their interaction this season.
@@severedproxy yep I totally agree with your thoughts 👍 & yes I am a league player just haven't played for a while
And if riot thought thus show would reinvent my interest in playing again they were correct 😄
@@severedproxy yeah I wanted tgem to kiss but it makes sense they didn't, since they had only met a couple days ago 🤷I can't wait to see more of them!
As someone vaguely familiar with most of the characters (haven't touched the game in 6 years and will never do so again) as soon as I realized who the protagonists were, I knew something was about to go wrong. I didn't expect it to go so so so horribly wrong so fast ~ holy shit.
The Bridge fight was an absolute masterpiece. How long was that? 2 Minutes? Whoever made the decisions on those needs to get all the awards somehow somewhere.
And its wonderful to have a show end on a perfect scene. In Arcane I would even go so far as it ended on the perfect Frame. That reflection in the glass before shot to black shoe End Credits was got me almost jumping out of my chair.
Really good. I planned not to touch arcane, because who wants more video game shows?, but quality wins. And this was really high quality.
Can we start a petition to make a series with this same animation style Arcane uses for the Mistborn and The other Cosmere stories by Brandon Sanderson? Animating guarantees that the price for the project be exponentially smaller than Live action. VFX, CGI, and the Cast salaries increase over time, while animation reuses models and designs, reducing the designing work and focusing on animation. Making/Creating worlds, effects of nature, magic systems would be better depicted and believable than anything VFX n CGI.
Id freaking adore that
That would be far too good...
I would argue that animation on this level might be at least as expensive as live action, if not more so. They spent 6 years working on this series, which is why the animation is on the same level as a feature film. A LOT of time and effort went into getting animation this detailed and nuanced, even in quieter moments.
That being said, animation is the perfect medium to tell more fantastical stories, and I definitely want to see a bigger push toward investing in the medium for stories like this!
They spent at least a few million PER EPSODE. And that's before paying actors. Animation of this quality is not cheap. I think they spent like 5-6 years on season 1. As much as I want a season 2, the art work that is this show deserves the time and I hope they don't rush it. This was truly a moving peice of artwork.
@@TheDawnofVanlife On the other hand, Alot of that time was spent on setting up the Animation pipeline and lining up the talent to be Able to produce the show.
Much of that will continue to be intact and thus will allow the show to be produced on a much faster timeline.
Also it seems from what people can put together, that they started production of the Second Season immediately after finishing the first (which would have been done since some time last year/very early this year).
This show became a surprise marathon event for me. Put it on once for a spin bike session, next thing you know I’m marathoning the season in one go. Truly spectacular storytelling
So glad this show has made such a big impact. I agreed with your initial sentiment, this is the best thing I've seen all year. Maybe for the last few years. It's just exceptional.
One thing I noticed about the show as well is how Grayson and Caitlyn were able to help Zaun in their own ways while in their positions, or more importantly, how they weren't able to.
The show doesn't explicitly say ACAB, but it definitely as a theme that fits right into it; Grayson and Caitlyn, whenever they try to do good within their station, are shoved down from being able to do any good by the System they enforce. Grayson wants to keep Zaun from being mistreated by the Enforcers, but in her first scene she straight up tells Vander that she's nearly powerless to prevent what was coming, despite being the Sheriff. And even in that situation, she is technically operating outside of her influence in the Enforcers, because dealing with Vander is probably 100% illegal (which is why she dismissed Marcus, whose just straight up prejudice, before speaking to Vander on-level) in the eyes of the Enforcers. And we she that she's trying; she tries to tell the Council that they're pushing them too hard, she scolds Marcus for intimidating the Zaunites at the Last Drop, and she gives Vander a forewarning about what is coming. But in the end, she's working for the system that oppresses them; as much as she tries to soften the blows, its ultimately futile.
Caitlyn as well; she's a heart-of-gold trying her best to see the world past the privilege she grew up with, even though that lens is clearly on her throughout the show. But every time she tries to go deeper, tries to help someone, tries to operate outside her chain, she's punished for it, because she's powerless to do any good inside the system that oppresses Zaun. When is Caitlyn finally able to do good? When she's kicked out of the Enforcers. When she's forging signatures, committing crimes, not committing to Enforcer protocol. But she doesn't even realize this; she still makes excuses for the Enforcers until Marcus shoots a Zaunite in front of her.
Marcus too, is a representation of the prejudice of the Enforcers. Despite the blatant degradation of Zaunites in the early parts, I find it interesting that he hesitates to shoot Caitlyn despite shooting Ekko without question. To me, that screams that he still holds onto his prejudice. After all, its those dirty trenchers that are threatening his daughter. But, Caitlyn, despite being kicked out of the Force and someone he doesn't like very much, is "one of them". So he finds himself having difficulty finishing her off.
So yeah. This show has a good way to display ACAB ideas without just saying it outright.
I completely understand the knock on Imagine dragons but I did want to provide some prospective.
They have been with us since the beginning. They made the very first worlds song and every member of the band was vocal about playing league back when it was not very popular.
They're part of the history of League so I viewed the cameo as both a Easter egg for the fans but also a thank you letter to ID for all of their support
Finally getting some downtime to binge some Jessie 💜
I love this show, and it broke my heart. To be honest I wasn't expecting the queer representation, I watched it because I love broken family dynamics and because the animation looked amazing, so I was pleasantry surprised about the blatant Vi and Cait romantic tension.
I absolutely adored the voice acting and the animation on Powder's crying/freakouts.
It felt so visceral and real, more real than I think I've ever seen from anything animated or live action.
They got to me as hard artistically as they did emotionally.
I want to add that I watched another video that described the one as a panic attack, which I hadn't considered as my own experience with them was very different.
In case my use of "freakout" was insensitive, sorry.
I was so engrossed in episode 6 I didn't even realize it was Woodkid singing and he's one of my favorite artists. I literally can't stop listening to Guns for Hire now. They wrote a song just about the bad day Silco was having, like a medieval bard memorializing some King's lament. Silco finally losing his cool and lashing out strengthened the song even as it was strengthening his moment. It was like a positive feedback loop. I've never seen anything like it. It was brilliant.
Such an attention to details in this series, hope you can do more content around it
I've been hearing about this constantly, I just need to finally sit down and watch it!
I think Jace and Silco are flip sides of the same coin, Jace working from the top down, and Silco working from the bottom up. Both are means justify the ends types. Jace is exploiting a natural resource to make the work of the lower class less physically destructive but ultimately giving up on any real help. Silco wanting to fight the upper class so badly that he use extreme violence, child labour, and a mentally and physically destructive drug to do so.
I'm re-watching it now. I didn't expect it to be so good, so I watched it the first time in my second language. It is fantastic, and it does reward rewatching, since details from the first episodes pop up later episodes.
Oh wow, you’re so right. And it’s further highlighted by the “magic” that they both use. Jace has Hextech, which is more refined and scientific, while Silco has shimmer, which is more crude. Their science is a product of the world they grew up in. Their medium they use each furthers their characterization. The method that they both try to use to fight injustice is two sides of the same coin, like you said. Purple against blue.
So I found you through Lower Decks, and I have kept watching. As a huge League of Legends fan, I am so happy you loved Arcane.
My favorite character arc has to be Mel, the whole reason she helps Jayce in the first place is to exploit him but by the end she has genuinely fallen for him and becomes very protective of him.
having played Runeterra (another game set in this universe) one of my favorite things about Arcane is that the game and the show both make each other better. The show offers foreshadowing to who these characters will eventually become that playing the games makes it easier to catch, and certain things in the game become more meaningful, including the characters themselves. Even Jayce, the one character I dislike more having seen the show, is at least more interesting.
Jinx benefited from this more than any other character. I found her obnoxious and annoying in the game, but she's easily one of the most sympathetic and compelling characters in the show. Now when I encounter in-game Jinx, I feel sad for her and it's easier to overlook her flaws because I have a better understanding of where she came from.
This show was phenomenal! I absolutely adored it from start to finish and literally had moments where I just went "nononononono!" (Viktor's flashback with the boat)
It gets you invested.
I love the fact that there is not a single character off-hand that I can think of that was straight up just evil and nothing else, that didn't lend themselves to deeper understanding.
It was brilliant
Hey, so, small thing: the way Arcane handles social issues? I am 100% sure it was all the French animation studio battling through Riot's lore. League of Legends has done 2 different "Oppressed Minorities vs Divine right of kings Oppressors" storylines in their history, and they BOTH villify the liberators.
In Shurima, Xerath, a slave who murders the god emperor that promised him and his people freedom and then insulted him and belittle him once he asked for freedom, he is a power hungry demon now, he is the villain who betrays his emperor and corrupts everyone who listen to him, meanwhile Azir, the God Emperor, is just a misguided ruler, one who fundamentally wants what's best for his people, and who only doesn't end slavery in fear of his political opponents removing him before he can become God Emperor.
In Demacia, the king Javan IV is continuing his family tradition of arresting mages and sending them to concentration camps to be "converted" by starving them and feeding them poison, the mage children of the aristocracy easily sheltered from this reality due to their families wealth and power as the lower classes struggle and die, in an incredibly heavy handed metaphor for anti LGBT discrimination, and the king response for this as well as his lineage are ultimately just misguided, that would easily change their ways if only the mages stopped rebelling and try to resist violently and attempted to talk to them.
The leader of the mages, in a very poignant scene, captures Jarvan IV and force feeds him rats, because many mages in his dungeons were starving so much they had to feed on the rats, and he should feel the same as them, and we're supposed NOT to root for him, for a man forced into service of the state, enslaved to capture other mages, and then kept in solitary confinement all his life for refusing to arrest a kid on the basis of her magic power, because he's actually a power hungry maniac and his Rebellion is just his personal shot at power, OBVIOUSLY.
Like, when Arcane was announced, people who had to witness Silas' and Xerath's stories were legitimately worried Arcane was going to be a repeat to that, especially taking into account SPOILER FOR VI LORE how Vi will end her story becoming a cop, one with a habit for violent police brutality on Zaunite Arrests.
So, I believe someone else is to praise for how nuanced Arcane turned out to be honestly. And for not trying to do a "both sides have good points but the one with the divine right of kings is the most reasonable one and is forced to oppress the slaves/mages due to their own violence" Again.
(Side note, other lore thing, the crystals Jayce and Victor are using? They are the crystallized souls of an ancient race of sentient scorpions Pilltovan plunder from mines in the desert continent of Shurima via imperialism, they are aware of everything that happens around them and burn into nothing when used as fuel for a device, screaming in agony and horror. It's a clear allegory for the upper classes using literal souls to fuel their privilege, even more than PnZ literal vertical construction of Pilltover being built on top of Zaun's slums and using its populace and lands as cheap labour, junkyard and place where to outsource its most polluting and dangerous industries.
The only 2 persons who can hear the souls of the Brackerns, the Hextech Crystals, and are in fact aware of this is the last surviving member of the race trying to stop Pilltover from torturing his deads, and a K-Pop singer).
Holy shit, so like Scorpia's people from She-ra????? That's so fucked up!
I would die of happiness if you made an Arcane video essay!
Haven't watched it yet, but you convinced to give it a go!
Can't wait for your future video essay on arcane :)!
you have to see the music video of enemy. it expandes the series emotionaly.
I honestly don't think the show fails at all when it comes to showing that lesbian relationship. I couldn't qualify it as queerbaiting, even if we didn't have explicit confirmation from the creators that it would continue to grow in season 2. I've seen some people who were disappointed with the lack of a kiss or other super explicit acknowledgement of Vi and Caitlyn's relationship, but honestly I don't think it was necessary.
Between Caitlyn's utter dismissal of romantic signals from men, and her doe eyes at the lady in the brothel, it's made absolutely unambiguous that she's a lesbian.
And in the bed scene, the gentle face caressing and handholding is, I would argue, more explicitly intimate than a kiss would be, between two incredibly closed off characters. Like this was the first time Vi allowed Caitlyn to touch her, but it's just so intimate and cozy here. Others have said this, but I also don't think a kiss would have been appropriate there, emotionally or thematically.
The lesbians were one of my main selling points for the show, and it did not disappoint me in the slightest.
glad i'm not the only one who noticed the romantic tension between Jayvik...
Yesss I love this show so much- the class writing on it is astounding and that's before we even get to character analysis.
Silco is one of the best villains I've seen in a while. Smart, rational, understandable, committed, and emotionally responsive.
Just discovered you had a second channel, and I'm so thrilled you watched Arcane.
I was late to the party as well for this one, saying. "Ugh...a show based on League of Legends? Pass." and I was incredibly wrong. I saw video essays popping up around it and decided I should check it out. It's easily my favorite show of the last few years, and having studied the classics in my youth, also feels like a modern Greek Tragedy. The music for the show was original music written specifically for the season, and it seems like a modern version of the Greek Chorus.
Also I adore Vi and Caitlyn. They are a well written couple, and I normally do not like romantic relationships in shows (usually roll my eyes, ignore them) but these two are very endearing. I'd love to see a full deep dive from you on the show.
Arcane is an amazing and utterly stunning show! The fight scenes are so visceral and I felt the tension building for numerous scenes in my gut. I can't think of anything negative outside of Imagine Dragon's music and (especially) cameo 😉. But as you said: the rest of the music is gorgeous, thankfully.
Actually, it’s Playground that got stuck in my head. And I actually like/love it to death, that it’s been on repeat like crazy for me.
Thanks for the recommend. I binged this on the basis of it, and am so thankful I did. ❤🧡💛💚💙💜
i loved you take on it. i was waiting untill you would do a revieuw but i apperently missed it. i can't wait for your essay cuz i love hearing your opinion
Here for the gushing! Totally agree with your points, love literally everything about this show and it surprised me with its beauty episode after episode, ESPECIALLY the character interactions and ~that scene~ with Jinx's flare and the swell in the music. I think every other episode made me cry. So incredible
First video of yours I’ve seen, and just want to say that you’re so well spoken and have such a great commentary that’s so well put together and thought out without it feeling scripted at all!
Loved hearing your thoughts on this!!
What I love most is the fact that the showrunners did confirm that Vi adn Cait are both queer and ina relationship with each other.
Very late to the party. I only just watched Arcane and I was blown away by it. Have not watched something this special in a good while. The storytelling and the art and the music and everything were so well crafted to work together. The emotional weight of the characters was so real.
I'm so glad you are covering this show cause I value your opinion so much. Been waiting on your take for awhile
I actually see Powder's transition into Jinx as an experience very similar to my own transition from male to female - not just in how she changes her name and identity; but how the crux of her pain comes from Vi (her family) being unable or unwilling to accept that she's changed, and love her as she is (obviously, minus all the psycho-killer stuff).
In episode 7, Jinx even attempts to commit suicide (very similarly to how trans people, especially those who feel alone and rejected, tend to spiral into depression and self-harm) - and undergoes radical - transformative - surgery, which is a harrowing experience that changes her forever, making her even more "Jinx" and less "Powder" than before.
Add to that how Vi continuously dead-names Jinx, showing just how stubbornly she clings to this idea of who her sister used to be, rather than seeing Jinx as she is now. I'm probably reading more into it than intended because of my personal bias - but from this perspective, if Jinx is considered the protagonist of the story (which I'd argue she is, since her character is literally the first name we're given in the show), Vi becomes the primary antagonist - the one person who, more than anyone else conflicts with and hinders Jinx's growth and happiness (despite having the best intentions).
The most powerful line of the show, in my opinion, is at the very end, when Jinx says, in her most defeated voice: "I thought maybe you could love me like you used to... even though I'm different." All Jinx wanted was for her sister to love her again, but Vi could not love Jinx the Person - she only loved the memory of Powder.
This show was such wonderful a surprise for me. I’ve never played the game, had a couple of friends who were into it, but my only real contact was finding random art on Pinterest. And still knowing next to nothing about League of Legends I was swept away within the first episode. The animation style was the first thing that grabbed me, it very much has the Spiderverse quality to it, not just the over-drawing and chromatic aberrations but in the character design and action sequences. I totally get the Game of Thrones and The Expanse comparisons, I would also throw in The Fifth Element with the Art Nouveau inspired cityscape, neon colored hair and badass female fighters. Secondly I really appreciate the diversity in the show, where people of color aren’t just relegated to side characters but where fully fledged people with their own history and motivations. It was quite shocking to have plots dealing with addiction, mental illness, and abandonment but I feel it’s needed. Honestly the only thing I’m torn about concerning this show is if I want them to do a second season following these same characters or go someplace new.
Watched it thanks to this video and OH MY GODS IT'S AMAZING!
you know the music is on another level when they named multiple episode with the song lyrics....
Yay! you're finally reviewing this :)
I really loved this show. There were so many compelling characters and the animation was beautiful. Only just watched this video now having finished the series, but it was after this video popped up in my recommended videos that I decided to watch the show. I figured if you liked it, it must be good!
Funnily enough, the world that arcane is set in (Runeterra) is actually pretty LGBT+ positive. There are several gay/bi people in LoL lore but I don't think there's ever been a hint of discrimination against them.
It's lacking representation in some areas; there are a couple of minor non-binary characters, one trans person (She's pretty cool though) and while there are 4 confirmed gay men (that I can think of) none of them are major characters, 2 of them are dead and the other 2 don't have names so that kind of sucks. It's one of the reasons why people were quite disappointed that Viktor and Jayce weren't a thing.
I’m really waiting for your essay! I loved this series so muuuuch and yes! In trans representation there is a good example in Targon which is another place in the world of runaterra (That’s the planet Arcane is based on) So maybe we can see some if they make another series based on that location.
In-universe, Vi and Caitlyn have only known each other for a few days, so I think it would have been a bit rushed for them to dive into a romantic relationship right away. That being said, I'd love to see where their relationship goes in season 2. Also, as someone who is bisexual, I would love it if Jayce, Viktor, or Mel also turned out to play for both teams, tbh.
The show is unique as it relates to the rest of the League Lore, as it is its own thing and it does retcon a couple of things to fit into it. Mel's story, I think, hits better if you know what Noxus is all about, and the simbolism of her painting also becomes clearer if know it, but it surely doesn't require that knowledge to be understood and enjoyed.
The one piece of content that I think actively improves the experience is the Enemy music video, that expands the Ekko/Powder friendship that makes that scene in Episode 7 hit even harder.
I watched Arcane just because I heard they had some gays and boy howdy I was not disappointed!!!! Vi and Cait are SO GAY!!!! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!! I went in with zero knowledge, I didn't even know it was based on league of legends until like 4 episodes in!
The EYES. They are so amazing. The amount of character created by this eyes. These animated orbs are amazing.
am i the only one on this blue earth that dont see anything between jayce and vicktor?
seriously - never once did I feel like they were attracted to each other in their interactions. vi and cat? yea - i saw that. there's something over there. but jayce and vic. ... ??? cant find it - are you sure theres something there?
their relationship reminds me of myself and a friend i had growing up - we were inseparable, we were comrades, coconspirators, practically brothers - (till he found certain narcotics to be more fun than hanging out with me - and now we aint spoke in 20 years. - i heard he cleaned up but lots of resentment here) but anyway jay and vic looked like me and him to me. and i happen to know, I'm not gay, bi, or trans. im as stereotypically hetero-cis as it gets. so it was no surprise or annoyance to me when jay and mel hooked up. and all the ire I see over it confuses the hell outa me.
I watched it and really enjoyed. I’m not a gamer but any anime fan will like it. It don’t need to play the game to enjoy it. Netflix did good on this one. When are you going to do a video on Cowboy Bebop?
Tomorrow haha
Netflix didnt actually do anything to make this show they just distributed it. French Studio Fortiche animated this and the budget and writing came from Riot themselves
@@pepperspray7177 I didn’t say Netflix had anything to with production. Everyone knows Netflix buys shows. Stop trying to make a point everyone knows already. Jfc.
@@wren23_bass-synths k man no need to be so aggro i only want people to not just give netflix credit simple lol
@@wren23_bass-synths well then don´t say "Netflix did good on this one." It implies that the creator is Netflix too much.
Either credit the Investor and Issuer Riot or the Studio who animated it Fortiche.
I know as well as you do, that Netflix buys shows. but they´ve made their own shows so it gets confusing for people not in the know.
(yes im implying some people dont look this stuff up and those people exist)
What makes this show great is also the fact that all characters has flaws
Yaaaaay
Edit2:
Vi and cait def are not just coded. The scene of them lying on the bed and cait reaches out to stroke vi's cheek lovingly, and vi shortly after gently holding her hand for comfort and support
Edit3:
Would def look forward to an essay on Arcane!
Edit:
Haha league is 10 years on and not just "ongoing" but has been the no1 game for like 90% of twitch's lifespan
They are phenomenal. Not to say all of the community nor that the company is perfect or that the devs always get things right
But they are always fostering the air of creativity and progress (and yes inb4 comments on censoring/watering down stories cos of papa China. I already said not perfect company. I'm not mindlessly praising them. Don't panic okay?)
And it shows in their staying power bcos ppl show they appreciate that
One year later and still waiting for the full video essay 🤞🏾🙏🏾🖖🏾
Dynasties and Dystopia has been playing on loop in my brain constantly
I largely agree with all your points.
But i did want to point out one quick thing about the trans character. They are clearly a sex worker at that brothel. And trans people are often fetishized, so it makes a fair amount of sense for them to be doing that work in that place.
Also, while being a person of color doesnt seem to be noteworthy in the show, the upper city does seem to be much more hetero- and cisnormative, whereas the undercity clearly has more representation.
I think one good shot of this is cait at that brothel. It looks to me that this is the first time she has ever really felt comfortable with herself. That gets reinforced when she and vi return to her home and her mother clearly refers to vi as her "friend" rather than any other way she couldve acknowledged vi's relationship with caitlyn.
Additionally, pre-progress day, outside of heimerdinger, i am fairly certain that everyone we see is a human in the upper city. Heimerdinger also FOUNDED the city and has been there for generations, so it makes sense that the people there barely notice him as different anymore.
In the undercity is where we actually see diversity. The upper city does seem to get more diverse during the progress day episode, but it is clear that cait is uncomfortable with just how obviously diverse the undercity is (namely vi's smiling chef/informant)
I think all of this is to say that the people from the upper city are sheltered to any sort of diversity. Its self inflicted, but i think it leads to xenophobia and other forms of tribalism that mirror what we have in the more affluent parts of our real world society. And i think it is all an intentional way for the show to just point this all out without saying a word.
So i think some people might see the trans character as a way to get a laugh, but for me that character seems pretty well thought out. I could be wrong.
I was not expecting a show based off of a video game to tug on my heart so hard. Plus the animation was gorgeous, so beautiful. Blown away.
I like the fact that there is no word for gay or lesbian.
Like, it's so normalized that you just say "like men" or "like women"
Been waiting for you to cover this!!!!! My new favourite show everrrrr
Hi really enjoy your video just had to say that first.
So the epic lvl of connections this show has in it is amazing even for long time fan for example in act 1 powder mentioned wanting to ride an air ship that's a connection to the get jinxed music video or the vi fight in act 3 in the last drop with the table flipping another music video referee from the here comes vi music video, anyway as a long time of runeterra and lore fan the best way I can explain it for me and probably other long-term fan's is we know where the final stop is but its the journey to that stop and having all the theory's made cannon or not?
Anyway thanks if you read this far, at the end if the day I'm just a fan have a good day 😊
Amazing show, loved every second of it. The characters, the animation and the world all had me enthralled!
I also think this is one of the best shows of this year, but I was severely let down by episodes 7 and 8. I really wish those episodes would have been used to explain more things (like:what's the deal with Ekko's fogwatch, who controls the flying bombs camouflaged as bugs, why did Mel do a 180 from "you should build weapons" to "don't build weapons" after her mom showed up) rather than just shoving in more characters and setting up things for Season 2. I strongly feel that this world is so large it would have been easy to make more seasons without ending Season 1 in a cliffhanger. There's so many stories to tell, and I'd much prefer them to be told in seperate seasons that feel satisfying on their own without having setup for the next season crammed into the final act of each one. My annoyance is probably increased by the fact that I felt one of the series' biggest strengths was packing a lot of plot into each episode and had really thought they'd finish the story arc properly.
Welcome to streaming pacing
Without getting ahead into what Ekko becomes later on in the games, (because part of the purpose of the stop watch is to foreshadow something league players would know) I think he uses the stop watch as a kind of timer to set his rhythm when he fights. Despite him training up an developing muscle since we saw him as a kid he is still smaller than many of the people he fights. We also know from his engineering skills that he is smart and probably has a tactical mind, using disabling crystal grenades to incapacitate his enemies instead of trying to over power them through sheer strength like Vi would. Practically the stop watch lets keep time and be aware of how long his opponents are disabled but also overall it show's that he is a tactical fighter that focuses on speed, exploiting moments where his opponents fall out of their rhythm and outsmarting his enemies rather than brute force like say Vi.
Jinx made the firelight bombs we see her make the clockwork firelights in ep 4 after she steals the gem stone. We can assume she was gonna use them in her plan to get back the gem stone. All the other stuff that happened was not stuff she planned for but she was planning to use the firelight bombs to get the gemstone.
Mel was never strictly pro weapons or anti weapons. She came from Noxus an expansionist empire that values strength above all else. As a child Mel believes that statecraft, diplomacy and persuasion/manipulation can overcome any issue and prevent war. Her mother tries to teach her that like statecraft war is a tool and that one has to be master of both statecraft and war in order to survive in the world. By the time Mel has become a Councilor in Piltover she still doesn't like war as the first option but she does recognize it as a tool albeit one she still believes should only be used as a last resort. So while she endorses the creation of weapons she doesn't want to use them, she only wants to have them as a deterrence. Which is a stance, it is argued that having a weapon is very different than using it, which I think is the idea that Mel is coming from.
Season 1 of Arcane was really about how Jinx became Jinx. In that sense it completed the story. We have seen how Powder a sweet, caring and innocent girl became the deranged loose cannon that is Jinx. All the other stories whilst interesting and will become the center of future seasons weren't the story of season 1. If you look at the ending of episode 9 as the ending of the story of how Jinx became Jinx then the story is over. If you look at it as the story of Piltover and Zaun going to war then yeah it's a cliffhanger and only the beginning.
I don't personally think theres any romantic interest between Jayce and Viktor, not to say there couldn't be though. I believe its just much more of a very close brotherly bond, they're two people who have held eachother up through thick and thin and I think that shows. I think there's a little bit of "queerness" per say on Viktors part, but that may just be him being a rather more playful but awkward person.
Vi and Cait though? 100% gay, and as a straight person myself I love that they just treated it like a "normal" straight relationship. There wasn't any shouty "HEY GUYS THEY'RE GAY!" moments, it just felt natural because it was treated as normal, which it absolutely should be. I also like that it was never rushed, sure you can see theres some strong attraction, some flirtatious banter at points and they clearly do grow fond of each other. I like that they had the guts to keep it to that, for now anyway, they shouldnt be madly in love after a few days or a week or so. But the chemistry is clearly there and clearly grows which is wonderful.
So if you liked Arcane, here are some games you can try instead of League of Legends:
- The Ruined King (developed by the creators of Darksiders Genesis and Battle Chasers)
- Legends of Runeterra (card game with a chill community and lots of fun)
- Hextech Mayeh (Geometry Dash but with Ziggs as the main character)
- Or wait until the release of Proyect L developed by the Cannon Brothers (co-creators of Rollback Netcode and some of the founders of EVO Championship series).
I watched it on a whim and was blown away. It's amazing for all the reasons you said.
I don’t think they would ever get to do it (Riot’s leadership has already proven that with Taliyah) but I do really feel Viktor should be trans. Like I don’t even have the words to explain how well trans!Viktor works so just. Go check out Gentle Progress and fics like it.
Me: *watching*
Jessie: Characters like
Me: ...wait what.
Me: *rewind*
Jessie: Characters like Hymen Digger.
Me: WHAT. *rewind*
Jessie: Characters like Hymen Digger--
Me: WHAT. *googles "arcane show cast"*
Google: Mick Wingert as Heimerdinger.
Me: oooooh okay thank god
I feel like I have exactly the same sorta mental issues Jinx has. Only instead of dealing with it by blowing people up, I just want to blow people.
I love your review of the show. its cohesive and well thought of and not so redundant. Instant sub for me 😀😀😀
Damn Jessie, THANK YOU! I finally watched (or rather binged) Arcane thanks to this video. And- like damn. The queerness, the visuals, the characters - I'm a 100% with you, favourite show of 2021!
Thanks to the title of your video I finally watched the show. It was great. Thank you for the video (which I do have now watched)
Well, and Vi and Cait were so together that they had a heartbreaking breakup talk (Cait: "What does that mean for us?" Vi: "Water and Oil) including reminicing scene in the shower. Though for me it started with "You know I have a name, it's Cait" "Yeah, but you are sweet like a cupcake" after Vi tried beating up one-arm-lady.
Next to Powder catching up onto their relationship at like first sight ^^;
Note: I haven't played League of Legends (maybe three matches about 10 years ago) yet figured that every character who was a main character and especially those with shiny objects are game characters ^^;
Something being gay is not a definition of quality. The show is great because the characters aren't defined by ethnicity/sexuality etc. but rather their personalities and actions. They're written with nuance and nothing feels forced or out of place. They feel like real people and not tokens for the sake of representation and they are absolutely believable within the world they inhabit.
Yes, which is exactly what I said. But also, seeing more gay is nice
Not a LoL fan but i was genuinely surprised by it. The relationships are well done. The Voice actors are generally good.
I don't in terms of my favourite things from this year.
(Minor spoilers)
I really don’t think there’s anything between jace in Victor it’s rare to see affection between two guys in any form of media so I see where you’re coming from but knowing me affection isn’t always sexual. But Caitlin and Vi plutonic friends don’t passionately caress each other on the cheek like that even Jinx calls it out.
Can’t wait for season two
Oil and water will be mixing
Funny how no one I have watched so far mentions Jayce being the little spoon!!! As a 6’3 dude who likes being the little spoon I was so giddy 🤣🤣
There's a song/music video done by Miracle of Sound (a youtube music maker) called Perfect that's about Jinx - I quite enjoyed it.
one thing i like about the queer rep mainly with Vi and Cait is how naturally its portrayed, its not overly forced, instead of making a character straight up come out they show it with their actions, in ep 5 when Vi pins Cait against the wall after checking her out, it shows her attraction through body language and when she asks "man or woman" Cait pauses just staring at Vi until she snaps out of it when Vi pulled over a guy, and Cait is very awkward with him, and then the next time we see Cait, Vi is watching her flirting effortlessly with a girl at the brothel, its like an indirect answer to Vi's question , its a good example of show don't tell and its continued with all the intimate gestures they shared across this first season, despite the two not being official they made it clear they are both interested in woman regardless of their relationship to each other.
Great video Jessie.
What's your Thanksgiving plans Jessie. 😇😉
Arcane....never heard of it. Sounds interesting. I'll have to check out this one. You really have some interesting stuff on your channel. Love the lower decks shirt. That color looks great on you. Great review as always very detailed. Have a great day my friend.
Love ya.🖖peace and long life.
I hope the fact that riot is fully owned by tencent (a Chinese company) doesn’t mean they’ll block any confirmation on vi/Caitlyn cause their seemingly budding romance is like the only light in the depressing darkness of this show.
Also we need more queer voices talking about this show. There isn't enough currently.
Also there is a great thread on reddit with one of the writers talking very openly about the queer aspects of the show. Which seeing how riot hasn't been great over the years with this, it really cool
Ooohhh do you have a link to that?