Thoughts On Arcane

Thoughts on Arcane

Okay the hype for this show is spot on. This show is amazing. I went in only knowing that it’s about two sisters who end up fighting on opposite sides of a conflict and I’m happy I went in with limited knowledge because it didn’t play out at all how I expected. When I first started watching the show I thought that Vi was the one who was gonna be radicalized against the topsiders but once the end of episode two hit and episode three played out it completely flipped that thought on its head and I realized I was dead wrong. 

Vi is such a fantastic character and is my favorite character in the series. That’s not a disservice to any of the other fantastic characters instead it is a testament to how well written Vi is. I think Vi’s character and arc are summed up in what Vander told her in episode three “You’ve got a good heart. Don’t lose it. No matter how the world tries to break you.”. Vi is a good person who has been hardened through hardships just like many residents from the undercity. Vi has every reason in the world to be bitter and she has every reason in the world to just give up but she keeps getting back up. Her struggle made me legitimately emotional. This show really gets oldest child syndrome. I am also the oldest child in my family and I’ve felt what Vi felt when it came to Powder and I’ve felt what she felt when she was forced to watch Powder become Jinx. I think she’s a fantastic deuteragonist of Arcane. (Also Vi is just a complete badass.)

Powder’s descent into Jinx is also masterfully done. I don’t know if I’ve seen an animated show tackle how untreated trauma and mental illness can radically change a person and lead to their descent even half as well as arcane did with Jinx. Powder is by nature a kind and caring person but the world succeeded at breaking who she was and creating a much more cruel person in her place. This is kind of a fine line to tread because you could villainize mental illness but I think arcane makes it clear that it wasn’t only the mental illness that lead to Jinx but the negative influences in her life. Silco legitimately cares for Jinx but he projects his own problems onto her however unintentionally and neglects to actually treat her by regurgitating the belief that suffering has made her a stronger person. I think this is more of a warning for these toxic lines of thought that make it so that people have trouble asking for help and stew until a breaking point is reached. It’s a very fascinating take on the character and I am so excited to see where the show takes her.

I also wasn’t expecting Ekko to be the leader of the firelights but I loved the reveal. Ekko’s fight with Jinx was also fantastic. Having the show switch between the past Ekko and Powder and the present Ekko and Jinx was a fantastic divide to draw for the audience. The excitement and innocence in the past was perfectly contrasted between the brutality and tragedy of the present. And when Ekko hesitated you understood why. Just like Vi he can’t let go of the Powder that he knew despite how much he liked to claim the contrary. (The fights in this show were fantastic. I also loved Vi vs Sevika.)

The one part I thought was iffy was Jayce’s part of the story. Too often I found he was the least interesting character in his own story. Viktor far outshone him, in my opinion, with his arc and struggles. I often found that I much prefered when Jayce was playing off of someone than when he was alone. Viktor, Caitlyn, and Mel all had more presence to them and more interesting stories. I think this is because he isn’t really his own driving force when it comes to motivation. He is manipulated or convinced by just about everyone around him about what he is going to do next. Viktor was the one who fixed his research and pushed him to continue working on the crystals which kicked off hextech, Mel was the one who made him a councilor, Heimerdinger was the one who gave him the progress day speech, Vi was the one who convinced him to go after Silco, etc. I found myself wishing that we could cut down his screen time to show more of Viktor, Mel, and Caitlyn. This is my opinion so if you liked him all the better for you. I always like when people can enjoy things that I couldn’t (media wise).

I have a lot more thoughts but these are the ones I’d like to get out for now. There is so much to this show that I am definitely going to rewatch it as soon as I can and most likely write more about it.

Ekko vs. Jinx was absolutely masterclass, such an immaculate display. The foreshadowing flashback with implication they shaped and mirrored each other in combat/tech ingenuity. Showing the routine reenactment of their formative days, as a means of Ekko reaching out. Brought on one of few comforts in Jinx's shattered memory. Imo, the glimpse they shared in the end signifies Jinx saw that Ekko still cares for her; the Powder within Jinx and possibly even who she became (reason for why her expression was solemn yet wistful as she pulled the pin). As he's all but certainly the only one who can empathize as well as fully comprehend the process that shaped her beyond the deaths of Mylo, Claggor, Benzo, Vander and the loss of Vi (he went through it all the same. Witnessing all the fallout firsthand alongside her). She's just too far gone. Their shared, ill-fated experience made them greater. Yet caused one to break; Jinx. As one harnessed it for the good of those around them; Ekko. Such a poetic tragedy.

That pain that feels like it'll eat you from the inside out, can either break you or forge you into something greater. -Silco

— a youtube comment

I can’t believe I only just now caught this. When Vi gets up and stands up straight she covers Vander completely from our sight. She is literally and metaphorically taking Vander’s place as the protector of the lanes in this moment.

The Birth of Jinx

This shot from Arcane is the one most used to promote the show. It’s all over the internet and is probably the most noticeable of all the frames of the show (besides maybe the “you’re hot cupcake” frame with Vi pinning Caitlyn). And it’s also the moment I would argue Jinx was born. Many people would argue that Jinx was born much earlier and I would be inclined to agree but I think the moment Jinx takes her seat in episode 9 is the moment that Jinx the loose cannon was born. This moment and the scenes that directly lead up to and follow it are so masterfully framed with the use of music only solidifying it as a rebirth of sorts and I’d like to get into why. This is my (probably) overly long analysis/breakdown of a scene that is one of my favorites in the whole show. The film nerd/student in me couldn’t resist a thorough breakdown of this scene.

I’m going to focus on Jinx in this post (clearly) and it will almost be a shot for shot breakdown of the moments leading up to the shot above.

I’m going to start here, right after Silco passes away in Jinx’s arms (in yet another masterful contrast to Vi and Vander). Right here when she opens her eyes. The look on her face is one of resignation. The voices whisper incoherently and then stop as the music quietens. And Jinx rises to her feet. Right here is the shift within Jinx and it’s shown most prominently in the framing, which goes from a wide shot of Jinx on her knees crying before a dead Silco to a close up shot of her resigned and tired face, and the sound, which goes from the score “You’re perfect” being the loudest noise in the scene to becoming quieter and overtaken by the whispers in her head.

The next part has Jinx standing up and slowly walking away from Silco’s chair. She stops to look back at Silco one more time while Vi is trying to comfort her. She avoids looking over at Vi Until she sits in the chair (a little bit later). The score turns from sad to more sinister. This shift in the music is very notable because of when it happens, right after Vi calls Jinx “Powder”. Jinx doesn’t show any acknowledgement to Vi. That isn’t who Jinx is anymore. There’s no ounce of Powder left.

There’s a very purposeful divide between Jinx and everything else. She’s boxed in by candles on each side. She’s separated from the back of Silco’s chair and the hex crystal and the edge of the frame. She’s noticeably boxed in with the Jinx chair. It makes her look trapped. Almost like a sealing of her fate but also it shows that all her allegiances are gone. She’s separated from the most notable symbols of Zaun (Silco) and Piltover (the hex crystal) in the room. Her only allegiance now is to herself, Jinx. The candlestick at the edge of the frame can also signify her divide and separation from her sister. Further separating her from everything else.

Then we get another close up of Jinx from the middle of her chest up with her eyes obscured. These frames are noticeably separated by Vi trying and failing to reassure Powder. It cuts from Vi when she says “It’s okay” to this shot back to Vi again when she says “We’ll be okay” back to this same shot. Jinx is trying to keep her breathing even and just like Vi we can’t totally tell what Jinx is thinking. We know that she doesn’t agree with Vi based on her body language and the hitch in her breathing each time Vi tries to say they’re okay, but the hair in her eyes keeps us from getting the full picture.

Jinx uses her gun to tap on the chair and move it out to sit on. The score has one final sinister tone that matches with Jinx’s first tap before cutting out all together and the only noise is diegetic (noise that the characters in the story can hear). The lack of outside noise simultaneously makes the following scenes more eerie and more personal.

It cuts to a shot from above of Jinx in front of the chair. It’s at what could be a bird's eye view above the scene. It’s a high angle which is commonly used to convey the psychological vulnerability of the character in the scene or how something holds power over the character in frame. It’s not necessarily the chair that has power over Jinx but the name written on the chair. This is emphasized by the fact that the name Jinx is legible even from this angle and the bright color it is written in is in complete contrast with all the rest of the much more muted colors of the scene. Even Jinx’s blue hair is lit in a way that makes it blend in more with the surroundings than it. 

This shot is used to be put in contrast with the next one that utilizes the superior angle. The name has power over Jinx but she is accepting the name or reclaiming it in a way. It’s meant to be different than when she first took on the name all those years ago where she seems to have taken it out of guilt and a blind attempt to reclaim it. 

The next shot is of Jinx alone in the frame from the waist up. Everyone else is angled out of the frame and the angle of the camera is a superior angle from the top of the chair looking up at Jinx. This shot is used to make the character in frame seem strong and powerful, imposing. This scene is eerily quiet as Jinx stands above the seat. The only source of light is hitting her from behind causing her front to be bathed in shadow making the glowing purple of her eyes stand out. Because everyone else is angled out of the frame she is surrounded by inky blackness. She isn’t framed like a lone figure rising or coming into her power. It instead feels like a tragic moment of someone who held so much promise and potential to change the world for the better falling to her darker nature due to failings outside her control (the shimmer which is glowing in her eyes, Silco who she is facing, and the dinner table of her dead family and Vi which she has her back to). She has also literally and metaphorically turned her back to the light (which can be the candles or Vi or any semblance of peace that she will shatter with fishbones). 

It’s important though that this final choice is all her’s. There’s no one behind her pushing her towards the chair. The whispering is quiet for once so all the thoughts running through her head are her own. It’s a tragedy because of all the things outside of her control but also because this choice is purely her own.

Jinx then sits and it starts on a close up of her face with her eyes closed, the music is still nonexistent, we are left to stew in the moment with Vi and Jinx before she looks up and we get the iconic shot.

This is the first time she has looked at Vi since she shot Silco. And it’s at this moment that the song “What could have been” starts playing softly in the background. Jinx has made that final leap, she has made the decision to become the loose cannon that she is in canon and her next actions will solidify that. The song starting up is indicative of the sad reality that in this moment all those what ifs that the audience and Vi have been hoping for are only “what could have been”. Jinx the loose cannon is a reality and Powder and the idea of Vi and her becoming a family again are gone. The shot is straight on. We are looking at Jinx as who she really is for the first time. We are witnessing a rebirth.

Arcane - The Sins of the Father

Arcane does a really good job of assessing nature vs nurture when it comes to what shapes a person and what they become. Vi and Jinx are the primary examples of this. They are both caring people by nature but the world around them and their adoptive father figures are key parts in solidifying that characteristic or deteriorating it. 

For Vi the world has beaten her down time and time again like many characters in the series but Vander was a key part in making sure she didn’t succumb to her hatred and anger. At the start of the series Vi wants to fight. She wants to teach the enforcers a lesson and hurt them like they hurt the people of the undercity. But Vander reminds her that her decisions effect those around her. “You have a good heart. Don’t lose it. No matter how the world tries to break you”. When push comes to shove Vi is willing to give herself up to protect her sister and friends and prevent conflict with those in Piltover. She chooses peace over violence despite violence being all she knows. I think it is here that Vi becomes a protector rather than an avenger. She was toeing the line between the two before this moment.

Vander learned from his mistakes and passed those lessons onto Vi. His final appearance convincing Vi to get up really solidifies this and Vi’s role as a protector. His lessons have continued on long after he is gone. “ I wish I could say it gets easier, kiddo. But I'd be lying. What I can say is... She still needs you. They all do. So what do you say?” 

For Jinx the line that defined her was said by her sister rather than any father figure “Because you’re a jinx... Mylo was right”. Powder’s evolution into Jinx is brought on by her hearing her sister finally agreeing with the others and looking at her as a weakness (from her perspective. We know that Vi’s outburst came from a place of pain from learning that her sister caused the explosion that killed Mylo and Clagger and led to the death of Vander rather than a place of genuine hatred or contempt). This is further solidified by Silco using his misplaced guidance to make her believe that this moment made her stronger rather than actually addressing the issue and dealing with the trauma. He believed that killing the person who was hurt by the one closest to them was the solution rather than healing. Jinx became a vessel for destruction because that’s the only way she was taught to deal.

Silco and Vander genuinely loved their daughters and did the best they could with what they had. The sad reality is that Vander learned from his mistakes and Silco didn’t. Silco didn’t have the same kind of support that Vander made for himself which gave him the ability to clearly see that violence hadn’t gotten them anything but loss. Silco was forced to drag himself through his pain which lead to his misplaced beliefs and unintentional projection onto Jinx. This story is a tragedy of circumstance and trauma. The sins of the father and their lessons learned really can pass onto the child and effect who they become moving forward.

Top 5 Animated Shows of 2021

Okay so ground rules first: The show must have started airing for the first time in 2021. I don’t want people being confused as to why amphibia or owl house or any other amazing show that aired episodes this year isn’t on the list. That’s a different ranking for a different time. Also this is my list. If you have a different opinion then that’s great. Everyone having their own views and experiences is part of what’s great about media. Everyone connects to different media and different characters and that’s what I love about it :)

I’m gonna start with my favorites and work my way down because the top 2 shouldn’t surprise anyone who kept up with animation this year. The order may shock some people though. I know it shocked me because I thought my #2 had #1 in the bag until this show premiered.

Number 1: Arcane

This show came out of nowhere for me. I really regret not taking it seriously after it was announced because I connected so much with this show and its characters that I get emotional thinking about it. I really thought Invincible had the number 1 spot for this year until this show came out. Both shows are phenomenal but the things that pushed this show over (other than the fact that I relate way too much to Vi) is the fact that Invincible’s weakest episode (episode 6) was weaker than Arcane’s weakest episode (which I don’t even know if I can name which episode is even the weakest of arcane because they are all really airtight) and the fact that I’ve rewatched the entire season of arcane many times while I mostly only rewatch 3 episodes of invincible, not the whole season. I also don’t know if another piece of media has hit me this hard in years. Seeing struggles that I have had to face portrayed so raw and honest has given me a connection that I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to shake to this show. This is why I love animation and storytelling. It has always made me feel seen and less alone and Arcane was the piece of media that did that for me during a huge transition in my life. For me everything about this show is a masterpiece. The animation, the writing, the characters, the voice acting, the relationships, the tragedy of it all. Everything was perfect. 

I’ve posted quite a lot of long meta about arcane so this may not surprise anyone. Arcane legitimately blew me out of the water and it is far and away my most rewatched series of this year. I’m torn between wanting season 2 immediately and being grateful that the studio is taking its time to make sure the next season is just as polished as this first one was. This made me fall even more in love with the animation medium. (for my more complete thoughts on the series use this link)

The animation in this show is absolutely gorgeous. It looks like a painting come to life and I couldn’t look away. The textures, the lighting, the effects they used to emphasize impacts during fights be it their flashes of white blinding effects or dust being misplaced or the spit and blood that would leave the characters mouth all made each fight scene better and more mesmerizing. The animation alone makes this show worth watching from start to finish. I can’t believe how far so many studios that I never would have expected have pushed animation in the past 5 years alone. They really push what 3D animation can do. It’s astounding and proves what a groundbreaking series this is.

Episode 3 alone is one of the best episodes of television I’ve watched ever. Arcane is a masterclass in writing in general but it especially knows how to build the ending into the beginning. Everything in episode 3 comes around and sets up the finale of episode 9. Silco’s fate, Jinx’s final decision, Vi’s helplessness while watching the loss of her loved one(s), the hopefulness in piltover juxtaposed with the hopelessness in Zaun, etc are all set up and/or in a way mirrored in the finale. It’s incredible and reminds me why I love animation and storytelling. If you haven’t watched this already, what are you waiting for? Start right now! I guarantee you won’t regret it.

Number 2: Invincible

I know I already gave away that this was number two but like I said the top two shouldn’t surprise anyone. Invincible was my most anticipated animated show of 2021. I had already read all the comics and was a massive fan and I was so excited for other people to be introduced to this incredible series by Robert Kirkman. And this adaptation does not disappoint. It even managed to improve on the father and son fight from the comics significantly. I wasn’t a fan of the Amber and Mark romance though. I kinda wish they had skipped the Amber romance and gone straight for the Mark and Eve romance with how they played it out. (I think they were both wrong in certain ways. And I just wasn’t a fan of their scenes together. I don’t hate Amber like a lot of people do. I just don’t think she had as much chemistry with Mark as the writers intended and they made their relationship dysfunctional to a ridiculous degree to where I think they were both better off staying broken up.) Everything about the family struggles of Mark’s family was amazing though. Every interaction between the members of Mark’s family was amazing no matter who was paired with who. The family drama was the highlight of the series. 

Invincible also does an excellent job of subverting classic hero tropes just like the original comic. As a comic fan knowing what is to come for this series I’ll just say it gets even better from here and I can’t wait for the 2nd and 3rd seasons. I’m so happy that so many people got to be introduced to the series and enjoy it just like I did even if it is in a different medium.

I think my criticisms may give people the idea that the show is worse than it is, which isn’t my intention. This show is amazing and I absolutely love it. I was just wanting to explain why arcane beat it out for the top spot for me. This was a really close call and I think it could be argued that Invincible’s best episode is better than Arcane’s best which should tell you the quality of the show. When this show wants to give you an emotional gut punch it doesn’t hold back and goes for the KO. It’s also an adult animated show that goes all out with the gore but never feels gratuitous. Too often I think adult animation takes its rating as the go ahead to put cursing, sex, and gore everywhere just because it can but arcane and invincible know how to use these adult aspects and themes correctly. The train scene, which had everyone gasping and going crazy on social media, was gory and extreme but it served an important purpose in the episode. You take it out and I think the episode loses something. For another example episode one doesn’t really have any gore at all until the mid credits scene. This decision was perfect to shock viewers with the reality of who Omni-man is and the seriousness that the show will embrace which directly juxtaposes what people usually think of a superhero origin story. Honestly I’d say that adult animation should take notes from these two about when and where the mature rating should be used to enhance the experience. 

2021 was amazing for adult animation and I think did a lot for changing the perception of what an adult animated show could be. Invincible and Arcane were both integral to this shift and I am very grateful for it and I love them both.

Number 3: Maya and the Three

I was a little late to the party for this show but I’m glad I got around to it. I had a complete blast. Jorge Gutierrez is a creator I have nothing but respect for and I really like his other works so I was looking forward to watching this show. He brings his unique storytelling style, art direction, and heart which is all I can ever ask for from a creator. You can feel his passion and love for the story and characters and it gives me an even greater appreciation for this show.

It’s another show that’s “for kids” (aka has a TV-Y7 rating) that deals with heavy subject matter such as infidelity, racism ellegories, death, mourning, etc and I feel like it handles a lot of it with the tact necessary for its target audience. I especially liked how it handled Maya’s non-biological mother and how they assert that she is her real mother and, while Maya was a product of infidelity, she couldn’t hold it against the baby that she saw and came to raise. It’s not how it always plays out in real life but it was touching how it was explained and handled. It does an excellent job of tackling grief and all the different ways in which it can manifest. The characters and their individual journeys were all great.

The top two entries are in a league of their own if I’m being honest but that doesn’t detract from this entry or the next two. This is a very good series that I think would be great for the whole family to watch together. It may hit you emotionally in the way Arcane and Invincible did for me. All the characters are strong and could easily carry their own show and I think that’s the most you can wish for from an ensemble cast. I respect the ambition and care that went into this show and hope that it reaches an even wider audience than it already has.

Number 4: Centaurworld

I already wrote about my overarching thoughts on Centaurworld here if you want to read it. This has got to be one of the most unique shows I’ve seen in years. This is a show I think shouldn’t work as well as it does. From the wildly clashing tones to the unique and over the top characters to the surprisingly dark, twisted, and yet sympathetic villain. This is a show that if given the broad strokes sounds like it shouldn’t work but somehow it all comes together to create an unforgettable and wholly enjoyable experience.

Centaurworld wasn’t a show I was expecting. I had seen the trailers but didn’t know what to think of it. It wasn’t until I saw Sarcastic Chorus’ review that I decided to give it a shot. And I wasn’t disappointed. It managed to cover unexpectedly heavy themes about depression, suicide, grief, and loss. It was a bit of a shock to the system because of the bright, colorful, toony, place that most of these themes were explored in. Wammawink and Horse are some of the most fun and complex characters I’ve seen in a while that aren’t angst fests (don’t get me wrong I love an angst fest. I just haven’t seen a character I loved that wasn’t an angst fest this year until them). The music is all good but I agree with sarcastic chorus. It's “all bops but no bangers”.

This show is very much an acquired taste. It’s so subjective on whether or not you’ll like it that it’s hard to know who to recommend it to but I’ll just say I think you should give it a shot if you’re reading this for some reason and haven’t seen it.

Number 5: Inside Job

This is another show this year that I think helped change the perception of adult animation. Inside Job is really fun and I wasn’t expecting to have such a blast with this show. It’s animation isn’t as inventive as Arcane’s or Maya and the Three’s but that doesn’t mean it’s anything to scoff at. It’s nice and fluid and the simplistic designs work well for the overly expressive faces and body language of the characters. In a weird way its animation reminds me of star trek lower decks and it’s also similar to lower decks in its ability to play with established tropes for its genre to create a unique, fairly episodic experience.

This show was my relaxation show for this year. I’d turn it on and turn my brain off and just let myself just have fun. Considering everything that happened for me this year I needed this but that’s not to say that it’s a dumb show. That is far from the case and it actually had me invested in the ideas and characters in a way I wasn’t expecting. I really want season 2 especially after that cliffhanger. I think this was the show I had the most pure fun with out of all the shows on this list and in a year like 2021 that is a complete win.