ARCANE is as perfect as you've heard... but... || REVIEW

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*SOCIALS*
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#Arcane #LeagueofLegends

TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro
3:47 NordVPN
5:00 A quick note...
5:34 Why Arcane is a 10/10 show
14:37 Why Arcane is a 7/10 show
28:41 Outro

Additional music by Stevia Sphere
Used under a Creative Commons License

[thezuccubus]

The point of Skye was that we never got to know her, Viktor didn't care about her, he didn't notice her. So when she dies, it's sad because he realizes how little he knew her, how he hurt those around him in his obsession, simply through apathy.

[whokilledthesunv]

Tbh I read the Sky/Viktor scene in a completely different way!
Viktor's reaction to Sky's death, to me, is not so much a "I'm so sad because I really cared about her so the viewer must too", but a "holy shit I've just committed homicide". It's him finally seeing Sky, only in the moment of her death, and realizing what his work may eventually turn him into

[horuslupercal]

So, disclaimer: Yeah, Sky's death is absolutely full-on fridging, and it's not really the sole "meh" aspect of her character, but I don't really think that the show is actually asking us to backfill that they were close just because he's sad when she dies? He just watched someone die a fairly gruesome death because of something he's done, he doesn't need to have been especially close to her to be horrified.

In fact I'd argue that everything we're shown or told suggest that they were *not* close: in the scene where they briefly interact as kids, they're clearly set apart, and he rejects her advances (or doesn't even notice them); in fact I'm pretty sure her notes mention that she's never really talked to him that much. His reaction upon reading her notes I read more as being horrified that he didn't actually know this person that much, and now he'll never get to.

[kauyen]

i personally really liked the animation of the scene where jinx is having a meltdown in her room. it is a horrifyingly accurate depiction of a child having a panic attack, which sometimes does happen without any previous history of them. it's about the buildup that leads to it.. like after so long, jinx finally snapped and couldn't keep it to herself anymore. i remember having such an attack when i was 16, these things happen very unexpectedly and i truthfully never thought it would happen to me.

[KorporalNoobs]

Ironically the rant about Skye reinforced my observation that it was an incredibly effective and powerful execution of the character and its role.
The show itself has Victor state his sadness about how little he knew about her and, as this video alone my prove, many viewers had a similar experience.
This is hightened through her exeptionally couragious action during her last scene, that shrouds her in a tragic heroism that does seem to hit Victor hard, as he probably, if not fully contious, had embraced this role himself but with a layer of self interest that fuel his shame over the whole incident.

The minimalist characters are also in the sense strong that i have a emotional connection with Claggor, cause his intovert come along attitude while still happily engage in talk if approached makes him somewhat of a spirit animal to me.

[cristianbernal]

Honestly the Sky incident I saw less about "feel bad for these characters" and instead "be worried for Viktor as his advancements is going to harm the very people he wants to help"

[maknirak]

I definitely agree with you on Ekko and Powder. Especially after seeing the Enemy music video, they showed them to be very close friends and then in act 1 they literally have no interaction.

[cloudieskay]

So this is really a minor thing but when me and my friends were rewatching arcane, I mentioned how there wasn't enough Powder and Claggor interactions. We can see that on top of Vi being her older sister, Claggor is her older brother. The very few times they interact, it's him helping her around, its a good contrast to Vi's more brash or extreme approach. Where Vi would encourage Powder go beyond her comfort zone, Claggor seemed ready to wait for her to actually be prepared. Again, very minor thing but as someone who was immediately attached to Claggor, it stuck.

[phykoha]

Shows tend to tell and show us everything that happens to every important character, so Arcane NOT doing that *would* feel odd. Arcane may “rush”, but it also has no filler, which a lot of people would complain about too if it did.

It’s definitely my favorite piece of modern media right now. It’s beautiful, treats you like an adult, and pulls no punches when trying to convey the tragedy and pain that these characters go through.

[crestfallensunbro]

I agree with a number of the comments that point out that a lot of the weight of skys death is that Victor doesn't know her. He never listened to her ideas, he never found out about what she was like as a person, and *that* is the tragedy of sky. She represents a massive amount of potential that in his persuit of progress, gets turned to dust.

[shent]

I've had a pretty diffrent read on Skye, to be hoenst.

While yes, I agree, she was pretty much fridged, I... don't think Victor knew her or caerd about her at all.

"I don't know where you would have preffered, so..."

He saw an acquiantance die trying to save him, probably not fully aware what was hapening. He read her notes, realised what a mind he was just. overlooking, not paying attention to, all this time, perhaps he was hit by a feeling of having missed out.
He carries her notes partly to honor her memory, maybe partly to help himself, maybe partly to try and have that "relationship" with her.

I don't think he ever knew or cared about her, but maybe he realised she was a person and that he could have, should have given her the time of day - and now felt a sense of loss for what he wasted or what could have been.

Similar to what we, the audience, felt when she was fridged!

(Not that any of this excuses using a character in this tropy way which, at the end of the day, remains pretty shit)

[paulagimenez]

I think this is probably the first time I really disagree with you. I can't remember when was the last time I enjoyed a show so much. Your analysis of Powder being an unstable child was the thing that surprised me the most, since I remember throwing tantrums just like that for the silliest things when I was her age. Also I agree with the comments I've been reading about Skye, it's clearly a cheap argumental strategy (You're absolutely right about that) but developing her character would've been pointless in this story, in wich we already have a lot of primary and secondary characters to follow. I don't believe Viktor and her were close, I think he's so upset because he just want to make the world a better place, but instead of that, he just killed a very kind and smart girl who he overlooked while being fixated on his dream. In that moment he realizes he's not trying to help anymore, but pursuing his selfish desires.

[darkanice]

Interesting. I completely disagree with that "rushing" / "cutting" is a bad thing here. It was a breath of fresh air that the show did not painfully explain everything (multiple times). It felt like it does not waste the time of the viewers.

[ArgoBargo]

Powder’s outburst was one of the scenes I absolutely loved. I was that same kind of kid, who was moody at times but not aggressive or violent. But then when something like that would happen to me and I was alone, I’d flip out in almost the same way. It felt very realistic to me.

[GoddessCynthia]

Personally? I didn't really mind "Filling in the details" The show is great, and the pacing is great. This show is genuinely perfect, For once there's no damn filler, I actually give a shit about all the side characters.

Also with Sky, I don't think victor was sad about the girl dying SPECIFICALLY, I think Sky was done perfectly, bc even victor didn't care about her before hand. Victor only saw that his colleague get fucking obliterated, and he saw that someone die for him, and he realized shit went too far. There never needed to be a relationship with Sky and victor beyond just colleagues.

[EylsRichEntity]

Skyen really said “once it reaches a 10 it can’t go to 11 so it starts going back down.”

[Gourengoo]

I feel like I'm probably the odd one out for this but to me the first season could easily stand on its own as a a self contained story. The only loose end would be Ekko and Heimerdinger but everything else works in an open-ended way. I was left completely satisfied with the ending in a way that I usually never am.

[Tomoka]

My single biggest disagreement with you on this so far is, amusingly, about Skye and her role in the story, the thing you saw as the biggest flaw in this show, and it's because I genuinely don't think we saw the same series of events when it came to her. Skye being a literal nobody to us, who we only learn about the work and effort and aspirations of after she is dead, ELEVATES her role in this story, as opposed to cheapening it. Skye could have been literally anyone, it doesn't *matter* that Viktor knew her before or not, it doesn't *matter* that she was somewhat romantically interested in him. What matters is that she was a person with dreams and hopes of her own, that should have been inspired by Viktor's work, and instead is now dead because of it.

She can't be "fridged" because Viktor was never meant to have a relationship with her anyway, and it didn't have to be *specifically* her for the impact on Viktor's story to exist. All that matters about her is that she was another person that Viktor is now responsible for the death of. Everything else could be changed about her, from her race to her gender to her profession, and it still would be the same effect on Viktor. He killed another person, extinguished their dreams in reckless pursuit of his own, and now he has to deal with it.

Everything else you have said I have largely agreed on, albeit sometimes a little nitpicky imo but I recognize I'm typically more forgiving of things and analysis is literally your job. Still super love your work, and love all the care you've put into it, and can't wait to see what else lies in store for us all in the future.

[AF-qnhc]

Also Skyen, leaving this to you, Powder mental instability is a very common aspect in young kids cuz I was one of them. The quietest ones are the most mysterious ones. I’ve been bullied during all my childhood to the point that I would lock my door at home and have a silent tantrum (tears and alone) whenever bad days happened to me.
At school, I take the bully, stay silent, go back home, lock door and the process unfolds again.

[JanderGilbers]

I have never understood the "this media did not have this so it is worse for it" critique. I can not think of a story that would not benefit of giving a character just that bit more time or a relationship just those few more moments to shine. Would the death of Sky have hit harder if we spent as much time with her as with Vander? Of course! Would the fall of Huck to a shimmer addict be more impactful if we spent more time on it? Of course! Would the story of Ekko building his haven for people in Zaun be awesome to see and add to the story of him and Heimerdinger? Of course!
It is very easy to find something that is missing and also to argue as to why it should be there, but since this is not only a piece of art but also a product, it has to have a finite runtime.

The points you make are very valid, but in the face of having to make choices as to what to put in and what not, I think they did a great job.