Arcane Is Depressingly Perfect (script)

Intro:

Arcane is what I like to call… depressingly perfect. “Snap gurl, I think you dropped something - my jaw.” The characters are complex, nuanced, and endearing, the animation is gorgeous, I’m obsessed with all of the texturing and blending of 2D and 3D, the music slays, and all of it together… depresses me.

You know when you have a piece of media that just fires on all cylinders, and you’re in awe of the majesty playing out before you? I don’t know about y’all, but for me, the effect is two-fold: on the one hand, I’m enamored with the craftsmanship on display; and on the other hand, I go, “... How the fuck do the rest of us measure up to this?”

I enjoyed Arcane when it came out, and have loved the second season, but I’ve been hesitant to discuss it on the channel. On the one hand, cuz it’s a lot more difficult breaking down why something works well versus when something fails, and on the other, because everyone’s kinda saying the same things?

There are approximately five million videos already on why Arcane’s writing, characters, animation, and so on are all perfect, so naturally my brain goes, “What the hell do we have to add exactly?”

But ya know what? I really dug season 2, and rewatching the first season, it’s aged like wine. And moreover, I deeply appreciate not only Arcane’s innovative animation, but also its success as an adaptation. Namely that I don’t have to suffer through League of Legends to understand what’s happening. Cuz from my friends who are familiar, they love it, but they would never recommend it to any living thing.

So today, we’re gonna talk about everything I love about Arcane, and why it works so well for me. Primarily, that’ll be for the character writing, the themes, and the animation, cuz as a 3D-animation hobbyist, I am absolutely enthralled with the look of this show.

The Animation:

Given 3D animation has, especially in the west, been restricted to either photorealism or Pixar knockoffs, it’s so nice seeing properties like Arcane experimenting with their styles. Arcane has this painterly look that incorporates a lot of 2D effects and textures, and even fakes a lot of its environments and lighting to trick you into thinking there’s more going on.

This video by Robyn explains all the techniques Arcane implements, specifically for its first season, and given she’s an animator she can explain the lot of it far better than I. However, I do wanna acknowledge one aspect I utterly adore: the texturing.

A lot of the shadows on characters’ faces, specifically around their noses, are textures that have been painted onto the models, and same for the lights on armor and jewelry. They don’t actually respond to any light sources in the scene. The reason for this being that in 3D, realtime lighting and shadows can actually look quite unflattering.

In a lot of older 3D games, there were no real light sources, because their consoles would explode if they tried. And so these games would fake their detail, and their shading, through their textures. Arcane does still have actual lights, but uses them for dramatic effect and emphasis.

I’m also obsessed with the use of color association. How blue is associated initially with HexTech, and eventually Jinx and the revolution she inspires. Purple is associated with Shimmer, and green with the Firelights as well as Reveck’s horrifying abominations of science. Naturally, you can go pretty wild with what the colors represent, ala this Reddit post. The blue as potential really fucked me up, not gonna lie, especially rewatching the first three episodes.

I also adored when Vander became Warwick, how his primal rage was always associated with red. Arcane excels at using the colors to change or enhance the mood of a scene, but I love the way the animation changes when we’re in Warwick’s perspective. How the frame count drops to make the movement more erratic and jarring, because we’re in the view of a beast, and all the colors turn to this stark contrast of red and black.

Then there’s the images of Vander’s past with Vi, Powder, Claggor, and Mylo, all done in watercolor to provide this bright, warm, wholesome feeling, contrasted against how harsh the rest of the show feels. It really makes you yearn for the better days, and hope that Vander will be restored to his old self. And then they rip that away by having those watercolor memories literally burn away before your eyes. Ugh, it’s so masterful and rude.

And his mindscape?! Generally speaking, I love how webby and abstract everything to do with the out-of-control HexTech in season 2 is, and I adore seeing that expanded into the mind of Vander. These sinewy labyrinths that are then contrasted against images of Warwick, with bright-orange lava flows, or a sinewy bridge leading into the beast’s mouth? God, this show has no right having such good art direction and visual storytelling. It kinda reminds me of the Old Ones’ world in “The Terror Beyond” episode from Justice League, and I mean that as the highest of compliments.

The Black Rose? Admittedly, I do wish it was integrated a bit more concretely into the story, especially because the identity of… weird shadow bitch feels like it relies a lot on knowledge of the games. That said, I do still enjoy what it means for Mel and Ambessa’s stories, and especially for the visuals.

The black rose petals with that warped red space they create? The black roses overtaking Elora’s body? Oh it’s such good body horror. I generally really enjoy when things considered beautiful and light are twisted and warped into sights of utter terror, and that especially goes for flowers.

Something we all definitely adore is the visuals used to represent Jinx’s mental state. How when her trauma and grief take center stage, we’re put into her headspace to feel how she feels. The erratic camera cuts, the colors growing starker, the 2D overlays looking like mental graffiti in the image of the friends whose lives her mistake took? Chef’s kiss.

I can’t really speak as to the representation of mental health since I’m no expert, but personally, I appreciate the deep empathy shown for Jinx’s character. That goes for everyone, truthfully, but I’m always feeling for Jinx and made to understand where she’s coming from, even at her lowest points. You may at times fear her, but you never stop feeling for her, nor rooting for her, and these effects play a huge role in that.

And let’s be real: she and Ekko steal the show in both scenes, iconically both in episode 7? Wow. There isn’t really much action in their bridge fight, but there’s so much to what’s going on. The ticking as Ekko waves the pocket watch, the slow motion as the two prepare to duke it out, and the throwbacks to their past selves and how much they’ve changed. My friend pointed out the contrast between the animals they’re associated with too, namely Ekko’s firefly versus Jinx’s raven. We’ll delve into that in the themes section, but suffice to say I am so obsessed with this imagery.

But their DANCE in season 2? The frame rate drops, but this time to make you savor how cute they are, and enjoy them just getting the chance to cut loose and not have a care in the world? My soul really needed that with what season 2 was doing up until that point.

Last thing I’ll touch on too: the dolls under Victor’s control. Firstly, Hex Victor is… so freaky? Like, his human face has been parted by a scary robot face, but it’s a subtle detail you don’t initially focus on, and I love it so much with how it reinforces him losing his humanity.

But those DOLLS. The people he helped becoming these faceless, soulless creatures that move so erratically. Like the world’s freakiest dance of doom. They really give Dusk energy from Kingdom Hearts 2, and I adore them. They thrive in that uncanny valley where they almost appear human, but not quite.

So much of Arcane’s story lies in its visuals, and it doesn’t waste a moment nor a frame to get you to feel for these characters.

The Characters:

Like I mentioned with Jinx, Arcane forces you to deeply empathize with the whole cast. To see them all as fully fleshed-out, developed people with their own motivations and goals, rather than caricatures or chess pieces for the plot to move forward. Even when pitted against each other, you still feel for the characters, and while an ensemble, Arcane is careful with its pacing not to overwhelm you.

I really feel for Violet. As a protagonist, she rules, as the story focuses on her trying to protect her family, then after the timeskip, trying to find and get through to her sister, who’s now become Jinx. Vi’s life has been shaped and defined by loss. The loss of her parents, the loss of Vander, Mylo, and Claggor, and the loss of Powder. And, for part of season 2, the loss of Cait.

Through it all, Vi’s fear of loss comes from the deep love she has for the people in her life, and their memory. Seeing her routinely try to get through to Jinx, it really breaks my heart seeing those efforts fail initially, and seeing Vi driven to try and kill her.

But then, in the timeskip where Vi decides to enter her Black Hair Era (which she slays, btw), having her and Jinx’s roles reversed as Jinx reaches out to her to try and save Vander? It’s really interesting to see how Vi, hitting her rock bottom and losing what little she had left, now comes to forgive and care for Jinx again as Jinx finds her own meaning in life through Isha.

Vi, to me, feels like an embodiment of true strength. Of doing all you can for people you love, even when that means calling them out when they lose sight of themselves. Seeing how hurt Vi is watching Cait go down a dark path? Oh it destroys me. Like, all Vi wants is a happy life with her loved ones, and the universe is like, “Ha! But suffering makes for good storytelling!”

Now onto our real star: Jinx. Having rewatched the first three episodes, I really feel for this girl. She just wanted to be useful and prove herself to her big sis, and that ambition resulted in calamitous destruction. And that really seems to be how Jinx comes to see herself - a harbinger of destruction that ruins everything she touches.

She’s haunted by guilt, by shame, by insecurity, and especially by fears of abandonment. She doesn’t really care much for big social issues or movements, like Silco’s war for sovereignty, or the revolution she inspires. No, Jinx just wants to matter to the people she loves, and to never feel alone or betrayed ever again.

And so, while Silco tormented her family and her father, in the moment she’s left alone by Violet, Silco becomes the only source of affection and connection Jinx can rely on, and so comes to depend on him. And it’s not all manipulation. That seems to be genuine on Silco’s part too, as he comes to view her as his daughter. Hell, she kinda is her uncle turned adoptive father.

Seeing Jinx struggle in her loyalties between Silco and Vi in the first season, especially with Vi threatening the life Jinx has grown accustomed to and seemingly replacing her with Cait, it’s kinda no wonder her mental state is so fragmented. She’s torn not only between loyalties, but identities.

After Silco’s death, it hurts to see Jinx so self-destructive and empty in that first act of season 2. So it helps to see her with Isha, becoming a big sister herself and coming to find a new purpose in life. It’s that drive to protect and care for Isha that feeds into her as a figure of hope for the people of the undercity, even if she doesn’t really care much about that kinda stuff.

But of course, it’s back to despair town when Isha sacrifices herself. Seeing Jinx with all her hair down, her face just so warped in sorrow and pain, hearing her say there’s no good part of her, and how she’s gonna break the cycle. OW. But that also makes it all the stronger when she comes back to fight against Ambessa’s forces and Warwick.

Her fate is kinda left ambiguous, and truth be told, I’m okay not knowing what befell her. I just hope that Jinx is happy, wherever she is, and that she’s living up to all her chaotic potential.

Silco? IMMACULATE VILLAINY. I adore him lurking in the shadows, plotting and scheming, but I also love that he’s not a cartoonish villain. He’s not causing misery just for the sake of it. No, he wants better for the people of Zaun; he’s just willing to do whatever it takes to get that, even if it means hurting and killing people he loves.

His whole rebirth through water, and how his character can kinda be seen as metaphorically drowning for the whole time he’s onscreen? Excellent. He’s calm, poised, and collected, yet desperate to achieve his goals. And lowkey? He deserves a Dad of the Year Award. Man was willing to throw away his peaceful deal and go to war just to keep his daughter safe.

Arcane really shows how you can have villainous characters who do heinous, vile shit while keeping them as understandable, fleshed-out characters. Silco is terrifying, yet like Jinx, the show has empathy for him just like it has for the other characters. And you bet your ass I got emotional whenever we got to see his past self, and his alternate, happy self.

Also, Dad of the Year Award for Vander please. A gentle giant who believes in the power of community, who is haunted by his past? Yes please. And while I’m Team Violet when it comes to calling out Vander’s complacency with topside, you can still understand why Vander would work out a deal with them in the hopes of not losing anyone else. But hey, like Silco, he’s willing to throw it away to protect his kids. What an icon.

It really hurts seeing him become Warwick. You get glimpses of his love for his daughters, only to have it ripped away when he fully becomes the beast. The irony of him being the Hound of the Underground also hurts deep, and yes, I will be seeing the writers in court for emotional damages.

Ekko is my baby boi and I would die for him. I absolutely love him becoming the leader of the Firelights, keeping hope alive for the underground in the face of Silco’s more violent, cruel faction. And also, his whole time motif, with the pocket watch, the hourglass, and finally being able to go back four seconds? Obsessed. Gives him a unique, useful ability without it being overpowered. We have him to thank for saving Jinx.

Now, Caitlyn… oh, Miss Cait. I do love her, especially her naivete in how the world outside her cushy manor actually works. Her relationship with Vi is so fucking cute, and I love how she’s both sassy and easily flustered. And really, she seems far more genuine than her parents. Like, I was so gagged with how fast her mom turned heel on Jayce in those first few episodes, and meanwhile baby Cait is like, “Yeah, she’s two faced, lol.”

Cait seems quite ignorant to the darkness and ugly truths of the world, mostly cuz of her privileges. She’s never had to worry about starving or losing people the way Vi always has, which explains her naive optimism in working with Vi to change Piltover, and also how thoroughly she’s rocked when she loses her mother at the end of season 1, and how that grief radically changes her in season 2.

In season 2, we see how Cait’s pain is exploited by Ambessa. How her grief and hatred of Jinx in turn makes her skeptical of the people of Zaun as they push back further, attacking topside during a memorial, and how all that pain makes her slide into… ya know, bad things I can’t quite describe if I wanna stay monetized.

Grief and sorrow are easily exploitable by those looking to accrue power, and we’ll talk about that more when we get to Ambessa, but it really hurts seeing Cait essentially become a puppet on strings who turns on Vi. I’m glad she eventually comes to her senses, but I’m also glad the story let Cait go to that dark, awful place.

Mel? Absolute icon, diva, give her all the awards. She’s so good at the game of politics and working around other people’s motivations, mostly cuz she’s had to in order to survive the treachery that is a relationship with her mother.

She carries herself with so much confidence and self-assurance, I can’t help but stan her. So you bet your ass when she discovered her magic, and finally stood her ground against her mother, I cheered. Her whole life, she was just a tool, a weapon, for Ambessa to exploit to accrue power for herself. Yes, she was loved, but not in the way she needed, and so seeing Mel break free to chart her own course? GOOD FOR HER.

Sidenote, Mel’s design slays. I’m so obsessed with her fashion, her hair, and all her gold jewelry. And when she becomes a mage and gets all the gold lines along her hands, arms, and face? Her hair glowing golden white when she uses her magic? Oh, she’s stunning. It’s a crime we didn’t get to see more of her as a mage.

And speaking of Ambessa, WHAT A GOOD ANTAGONIST. The way she exploits people’s grief and fears in order to gain power? The way she talks about sacrifice, and throws everyone under the bus until she has no one left she can count on herself? Chef’s fucking kiss.

Jayce is precious science boi, and while most of the time I wanna slap him, it’s for his own good. He truly believes in wanting to make the world a better place through HexTech, and while that does lead to… bad things, and he definitely has some classism he needs to thoroughly unpack, it’s hard not to love him. His enthusiasm and earnesty is just so fucking endearing. And also he’s hot, so that helps. Pretty privilege is real, y’all.

I especially love how in season 2, when he returns from the Arcane, you at first are terrified of him. He looks disheveled, he’s murdering people and squashing them like bugs, and you’re like, “You leave Victor alone you dick!” But then you see the horrifying future he endured, and you go, “Oh… Oh no I get it, you go gurl, crush that Jesus-figure nerd stat.” OH, this show is so good at messing with your perception.

And Victor. Oh poor gay, gay Victor. Like Jayce, he’s kinda obsessed with the pursuit of knowledge and science at all costs, even that of his humanity. And it eventually reaches the point Victor basically loses touch with humanity itself, wanting to scrub what makes people people in the hopes it means a better world. Basically, he becomes Artorius Collbrande from Tales of Berseria, but more… demure.

I definitely wasn’t expecting him to become one of our final big bads, but I definitely wasn’t expecting him to also be the one to stop… himself? We love it when people change for the better and then mess with the fabric of time to stop their past selves from making a horrible mistake.

Oh, and I don’t have much to say about Heimerdinger, BUT I LOVE HIM. HE IS SO FUCKING CUTE. Truthfully, he was right to be fucking terrified of magic and HexTech, and his singing voice is immaculate, and I want to hug and squeeze the shit out of him. I feel like if you hugged him, he’d squeak like a rubber duck, and I would die for him. So yes, I am very sad they had him die twice, AND ONCE FOR A JOKE. It was a hilarious joke that had me wheezing, BUT I AM STILL VERY UPSET.

The cast is just so lovable and well written in this show, and it’s easy to see how people can have different favorites depending on who they relate to the most. Me personally? My favorites change all the time for anything, but right now, I’d say my most beloved characters are probably Jinx, Ekko, and Mel. They are my trinity.

Theming:

Loss and grief permeate Arcane’s story. Every character has lost people they love, and the conflicts often stem from how characters respond to that loss. Some decide to try and avenge those losses, while others run from them. Some pick up a weapon and try to change the world, and others have a different idea for change, leading to an inevitable clash. Grief can make you a stronger, better person, but it can also completely undo you if you don’t know how to handle it.

There was a moment my friend pointed out in the Ekko and Jinx fight - how Ekko is associated with a firefly, and Jinx with a raven. He mentioned the significance of fireflies, and a quick Google search - and suppressor memories of Sailor Moon S - confirmed fireflies are often associated with love, as well as lost souls. Specifically, the souls of soldiers lost in war. Interesting, given how many characters in Arcane have died in violent wars and conflicts.

So, Ekko can be argued to be a more positive representation of dealing with grief, whereas Jinx - via the raven - is grief’s destruction capabilities. How Jinx comes undone through the guilt of the deaths resulting from her actions, and her lashing out at the idea of losing Vi again, and later Silco and Isha.

Another thing this friend mentioned: how the characters are all driven, for better or worse, by love. Ambessa, who does love Mel on some level, destroys her family and tries to destroy Piltover for the sake of her small circle. How Silco’s violence is driven by the love he once had for his brother, and his love for Jinx and the people of Zaun. Even creepy Doctor Reveck, driven to create inhuman experiments and ruin lives to escape death, and bring back his daughter.

It’s that love, and also that fear of loss and death, that results in the further destruction and loss we see in the show. Jayce and Victor wanting to better people’s lives through scientific pursuit leading to a quiet, eerie future devoid of life, where humanity itself has been tossed away because of its capacity for destruction. But that also means throwing away its capacity for love.

Oh yeah, and also all the themes in the show to do with class and power. How the show doesn’t shy away from the abusive power Piltover holds over Zaun, and the violence its enforcers dole out onto the people of the underground, innocent or otherwise. How it tackles the question of whether violence is justified in fighting back against oppression, without dehumanizing anyone involved. I just appreciate how nuanced and thoughtful Arcane is in basically every regard.

Conclusion & Outro:

So… yeah. Arcane slaps. In every category, it’s an 11 outta 10, and the hype’s very much justified. While I’m sad it’s come to an end, I’m also happy it’s not dragging the story out unnecessarily, and knows when it needs to come to an end. If we see more stories from these creators, also set in this world, I’m definitely gonna be interested, and I hope they can live up to Arcane’s quality.