Arcane's Advantage: Cinematic Video Essay

“What makes you different makes you strong. Always remember that.” - VI
Outline:
0:00 State of Western Animation
1:17 Arcane - Intro
2:55 Tale of Two: Narrative Duality
7:59 3D/2D Animated Synergy
13:13 Arcane's Advantage
Thanks for watching. I love Arcane! If you enjoyed, please watch some of my other video essays!
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KZbin's Dislike Dilemma: • Video
Music from the original Soundtracks for Arcane.
Vocal works: • Video
Orchestral: • Arcane: Complete Sound...

[@anfurnee]

fun fact: a writer on twitter said that it took 1 week for one animator to do 4 seconds of animation... they need to hire more animators so we can get season 2 sooner

[@CView]

Animation is ridiculously time consuming to do right. Crazy how meticulous it all is. Also thank you for watching!

[@lucdollinger9662]

You can't have a baby in one month just by having nine women... But we can hope that the storyline for season 2 is already in good shape... ;-) and the character's models are already done... So for late 2023 I think/hope

[@anfurnee]

@@lucdollinger9662 one of the writers said the scripts were already written before the announcement for season 2. So when they meant production, they really did mean the animating part. So more animators to speed up the process makes sense if the story and storyboards are locked.

[@lucdollinger9662]

@@anfurnee Good news! ;-) but I can manage my impatience if they need more time... no rush => good quality

[@anfurnee]

@@lucdollinger9662 im not saying its rushing. If you have more ppl, you have more resources. So like your baby comparison, if it takes 2 ppl to build a railroad (the best they can) in about 2 years. Logically having more ppl doing the same quality of work will speed up the process to about a year. Again i agree with no rushing it, but at the same time the logistics of how animation works can also be solved by simply having more ppl. So like more animators work on different scenes at the same time. instead of like 1 animator working on those scenes for a month

[@Y3llowshm3llow]

In my opinion Jayce and Viktor's lack of awareness when it comes to the potential weaponization of their inventions, clearly communicates the dangers and blindsightedness of visionaries. Although the two are pure in their pursuit for a better future for mankind, it just shows how easy it is to be so blinded by your own convictions and inventions. Which further amplifies the importance of Heimerdinger in the council, regardless of his own shortcomings.

[@CView]

"You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain."

[@ChrisStobing]

"In pursuit of great, we failed to do good."

[@LegendoftheGalacticHero]

Underrated comment

[@darkfruit2412]

yeah I was about to say. them being supposedly oblivious to the potential of their devices is more so indicative of their naivéte and in general hopeful (if not uninformed) perspective on the future. they aren’t aware of the dangers that actually lurk outside their mad dreams.

[@2centschange]

In truth, most of the bigger weapons of war originated not from the desire to wage war, but the desire to create. Explosives didn't start as weapons. They started as fireworks to entertain, and to help carve up rock and mountains for buildings. The wright brothers created planes so that humans could fly. I doubt they ever imagined things like fighters and bombers. Whener Von Braun created the first real rockets, and while he new at the time they were going to be used for weapons immediately, the dream was for space. When his rockets were used, he's noted as saying "The rocket worked perfectly, except for landing on the wrong planet." Inventors are generally optimists, that see the good that what they're creating can do. Not what harm it can do.

[@louera]

I like how there was no one, clear-cut villain. Silco seemed like he was a villain, but in the end he just wanted his undercity to be independent and rise to greatness. Each of the characters had their own selfish motivations and redeeming qualities that one way or another makes them to be such complex personalities which add to the overall greatness of the show.

[@CView]

If I could like this comment twice, I would.

[@mumhustler]

Funny thing, Vander tried to invade Piltover (ie like a marxist revolutionary) Silco wanted to be given independence (more like a libertarian or even US war of independence) You might not like Silco's methods (any conflict requires terrible acts, read any history book...) but he is far, far from a villain.

[@skiddlydiddlydoo4893]

In the end Silco also introduced a debilitating drug epidemic in an already hurting community

[@himlolo]

@@mumhustler what about shimmer?

[@mumhustler]

@@himlolo what about it? Shimmer is kind of treated as a Deus ex machina. There's meme how every problem can be fixed with it (death, disease,hextech transformation, augmentation). I would say it's closes parallel is to a weapon/power source. Very similar to the theme of hextech itself. It's less controllable and more biological differentiating the two slightly. If you are asking about silco; it was a necessary evil or requirement for rebellion. Every rebellion needed weapons. Note weapon =\= firearm. There are many forms of weapon. Silco didn't like the drug aspect to it,you can see how derisive he is of the other chem barons. He also does not care if they lose money. He stops shimmer production immediately when jayce asks for parley. It's a weapon he needed to gain independence, he isn't a person who enjoys hurting his people, but every general has to expect his soldiers to suffer and die in conflict.

[@Tikimohn]

I feel like Haylee Steinfeld did an amazing job voicing Vi. Her voice just carried that emotion amazingly well

[@CView]

Couldn’t agree more. Love her performance

[@mito-pb8qg]

The (then) kid voicing Powder f*cking murdered me. What a performance. I can NOT watch that 3rd episode without sobbing. It's completely crazy.

[@needamuffin]

She's the common component with the previous boat-rocking endeavor (that undoubtedly paved the way, at least in part, for Arcane), Into the Spider-Verse.

[@affren3148]

Also the fact that arcane's cinematography is almost on levels of french movies,gives it the edge over other animation properties

[@CView]

I agree. The virtual camera work is next level. Studio Fortiche is unbelievable. Also thank you for watching

[@abadyr_]

I'm French, and I'd say the cinematography of most french movies, and especially straight to tv movies, is vastly inferior to Arcane's. (Which is understandable given how much more time and money arcane benefited from).

[@chuck-norris]

Never watched french films. What should I start with?

[@abadyr_]

@@chuck-norris that's a though question to answer. I don't know what you like, and I don't know whether any movie I recommend will be easy to find subbed. Some of my favorites are comedies, such as: "OSS 117 le Caire nid d'espion" (a satire of Jame bond) "Asterix et obelix: mission Cléopatre" "les visiteurs" "le dinner de con" "la chèvre" but many of the jokes are plays on (french) words and idioms, or pastiches of French cultural items like french ads, or french celebrities... If you like horror, "martyrs" is terrifying... Typically, I would say actions movies are not great, mainly because of a lack of budget. But "le pacte des loups" is pretty fine as an expensive mystery/action-adventure You've got old classics like "le samourai" (black and white "noir" film)

[@Lianzi_Spl]

Isn’t Fortice a french company tho

[@mlattialy]

“It feels revolutionary not just evolutionary” 👌🏻👌🏻

[@CView]

🙌🏼

[@Farlyn_]

Yoooo

[@mathies3598]

Glorious evolutionary

[@mito-pb8qg]

Well that's quite fitting for the plot then, isn't it. ;)

[@Ame865]

@@Farlyn_ sorry for your loss

[@josephsison9643]

Arcane should receive an award for best story and animation.

[@CView]

Somehow it was snubbed at the Oscar’s… that award show becomes less and less relevant every year

[@jazzab152]

@@CView To be fair isn't the Oscars just a award show for movies? Because if so then Arcane wasn't snubbed but yes award shows are a joke.

[@CView]

​@@jazzab152You're correct, I misspoke. It was snubbed at the Critics Choice Awards. Good catch :)

[@NormalJinx]

and musical score.

[@raspberrycrowns9494]

They better be at least nominated for the Emmy's next year

[@NormalJinx]

This is what happens when you give talented people a budget and room to breathe in. You craft a masterpiece, that raised the bar not only for adaptations, nor just for animation but for blending style, substance and cinematography into a whole that appeals to BOTH fans of the games, which are numerous, and people such as myself, who know little to nothing about the lore, characters and world of LoL. Every once in awhile you just catch lightning in a bottle. For me personally the action scenes are right up there with Attack on Titan, which is the biggest achievement you can aspire too.

[@CView]

🙌🏼

[@francisconavarrete2390]

Have u watched vampire hunter d bloodlust dbs broly ,the top tier naruto fights

[@beyond_software]

If you research, they didn't even give them that much money and neither the trust. Kudos to this insane studios, and WTF Riot, u was going to cancel this project multiple times? And now u get the credit? Unbelievable

[@Kusanagikaiser999]

Can't say it better than you said here man...this show is a MASTERPIECE....it did what Spiderverse did for animated films...but Arcane did it for TV animation, and still looks better than any movie (even live actions).

[@CView]

Arcane is definitely a top tier show

[@danielwhyatt3278]

You're definitely right there. Spider-Verse for animated movies, and Arcane for TV.

[@Karanthaneos]

As someone who knows about League's lore, the moment they dropped the announcement on Arcane I was impressed and excited, but not by much, because the characters they were focusing on weren't the one's I was the most interested in. As time came by and they released the trailers I remember little by little growing a little more excited, but I was very worried about it, because just before Arcane dropped we had a big event in League, one heavily reliant on lore, and it flopped, and that sense of dread was all over me as the episodes released. I was expecting a good series, something that I would be able to say "Hey, that was neat, and not as painful as I expected". I was absolutely blown by the style, the writing, directing and overall storytelling of the whole series. It recontextualized characters that at one time were very token and simplified. Jinx was pretty much token Harley Quinn, and there was nothing more to her character other than that. This series, broke through everything I thought they could make and elevated it above any expectation I had.

[@CView]

Glad it could live up to a fans highest expectations! Thank you for watching and sharing your perspective!

[@bellac6311]

jinx for me is like, if harley quinn and azula from atla had a kid

[@CView]

I got so many HQ vibes from Jinx. Even her voice was so similar

[@Karanthaneos]

@@CView Her more modern incarnation is closer to HQ, do it does make sense. A lot of people's exposure to the character comes from Arcane only, so they have a partial idea on how she is. If you watch her Get Jinxed video you'll get a glimpse of her modern self. Yet, take into consideration that when she was originally released the lore hasn't been consolidated yet, so there might be some stuff that might not be completely accurate.

[@baka_ja_nai]

Fun fact I heard on internet - event flopped because it was handled by skin team. Because lore team was 100% focused on Arcane.

[@josiahpeterson1694]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Arcane is the best show I've ever seen. Never knew anything about Leage of Legends, yet this show left me completely awestruck. It's just remarkable. The animation was the first thing to catch my attention. The emotion and facial expressions were astounding, and the cinematography and pastel-like style was gorgeous.

[@CView]

It's one for the ages, for sure!

[@rowan9150]

Arcane and The Haunting of Hill house are two of the best I’ve seen

[@DezeraeJordan]

and this is why I’m here after two years of it releasing, binging ALL things Arcane related (learning new and deeper things every time) because this Masterpiece will live on FOREVER. I’ve never done a top 5, but this is the first show I’m putting at the top of my list as #1. Brilliant is an understatement.

[@coltonwilliams4153]

In Jayce’s defense, scientists and artists do have a tendency to get tunnel vision when they get wrapped up in their work. Jayce and Viktor were likely so taken with their visions and brilliance that they just never noticed the possibility that their work could be used for anything other than its intended purpose. Like you said, Jayce is a visionary, and like Viktor said, he’s more than a little egotistical, even if Arcane Jayce handles his pride better than what his lore says he does in game. And Viktor is much the same. They envisioned something that they knew would be great, and never thought about the consequences.

[@CView]

100%. Not saying Jayce is a villain or anything... he's just creating something he can't completely control.

[@JP_240]

I love how he used the show's score as the background music, I can literally see the scenes the music is tied to

[@CView]

Means a lot :) soundtrack is so good… had to include it!

[@emeraldtitan4065]

Jinx destroying the council at the end, had me warped with emotions and her accidentally killing mylo, clagger and Vander made me cry

[@the_senate8050]

She can't stop blowing things up at the worst possible moments and it's heartbreaking.

[@redziee1474]

Once the “new generations” are close to being boomers, animations are just another type of entertainment for every ages

[@CView]

That’s the hope… feels like that leap is being made rn!

[@danielwhyatt3278]

I look forward to seeing that day. So long as Anime is in the same category, I'll be happy.

[@EMMETproxy]

I think the trick is that although the series characters are cgi 3d models they are treated like physical objects, modified by hand frame after frame, meaning as a stop motion, expressions, body movements, camera angles, all of it has been painstakingly manipulated to the small detail, so as a result you have this high information work of art.

[@CView]

Arcane is definitely some next level animation! Thank you for watching!

[@ThePopeOfAllDope]

Agree very strongly with this. As a physicist, I thought the movement in the show was next level, above anything I’ve seen animated.

[@xDJKerox]

As I commented, this was done for the 2D Anime look and feel (Limited Animation) on Guilty Gear Xrd and Strive, also on Dragon Ball FighterZ. The hand painted aesthetic and seamless interpolation between keyframes on top of that is really amazing.

[@mashfaqm]

@@ThePopeOfAllDope As a truck driver, I thought the same thing too

[@igustibagusananda7706]

@@mashfaqm As a gigolo, I approve this message

[@tofu_golem]

There are amazing details. For example, Jayce was genuinely trying to help the people of undercity, so what does he do? He built fancy mining gauntlets so that they could be more productive workers. What he should have been doing was looking for ways to use hextech to clean up the toxic chemicals and flooding created in undercity by digging that canal Piltover profited from. That would have given them the chance to lift themselves up as equals, but like most people in Jayce's position, he could not bring himself to even consider working towards a world where the people of Zaun were NOT being exploited for the profit of Piltover. So he built mining gauntlets thinking it would make things better between the people of Piltover and Zaun. His idea of "better" did not involve liberating Zaun or doing anything that might make them equals. Just better and more productive workers. And what of Viktor? If anyone should have known better, it was him, and while his medical research had enormous potential to help Zaun, that device he built alongside Jayce's gauntlets had the same problem. It's such a perfect metaphor for the power dynamics between unequal populations in the real world, whether it's past British attitudes towards the American colonies prior to the revolution, Spanish imperial rule over much of the Western hemisphere, or Soviet rule of satellite nations during the Cold War, or the relationship between white Americans and American minorities now.

[@coltonwilliams4153]

While they both wanted to help the Undercity, Jayce and Viktor didn’t have unlimited resources. They needed to work their way up to keep their investors interested in order to get to the point where they could do whatever they wanted. Their conversation about what to reveal in episode 4 is proof enough of that. They were wanting to test the waters, make sure that they were in a position to start working on what they really wanted to do, before revealing their plans. I’m guessing that within 5 years, they would’ve been able to do as you say without having to worry about shortsighted businessmen and politicians pulling their funding at inopportune moments because of cold feet and the lack of obvious profits. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and research and development isn’t a quick process. The fact of the matter is that shit blew up before they could actually get started. Jinx has a talent for stirring the pot like that.

[@victornguyen1175]

The thing is that as an inventor, you cannot be funded unless your invention draws attention and wows the people. When your clientele is full of rich people wanting to get their hands on technology, cleaning some water or fixing houses isn't going to impress anyone shallow like the rich folk of Piltover. Same as real life. People spend thousands of dollars on luxury, people they've never and never will, funding things that are completely impractical but sound impressive. Meanwhile projects that serve to clean out planet or improve lives of the less fortunate fall to the wayside because people think they're boring and have no trade value. Not because they aren't useful, but that they have no use to people who already live well who are spending the money to make it happen.

[@daisy3869]

Well said.

[@sebastiansirvas1530]

@@victornguyen1175 Shallow? They also have their own lives. Besides, maybe cleaning hextech was not as viable as the gauntlets? Why aren´t zaunite criminals funding that initiative? You realize that zaunites could work and save way more with those gauntlets, right? Maybe complex problems are not solved overnight.

[@sebastiansirvas1530]

Better and more productive workers can save (easier for them when there is no inflation) more safely and build intergenerational wealth that allows economic mobility. It also makes the funding more likely and probably generous. Then zaunites, if not done before by piltovian philantropists, can finance the solution for their problems and govern themselves in some other way that involves less organized crime/morally questionable behavior.

[@anttikettunen8601]

I think you're missing out on one big point on why Arcane is so good: foreshadowing. There are tons of stuff hinting at things to come, some you can pick up on 1st watch, on the later ones you pick up more and more of those. And I'm quite confident that that's a huge part of why it is so rewarding as a series. I'll point out one that isn't usually picked out. (dammit forgot the name of Silco's henchwoman, I'll call her a She for now). When Powder's 1st bomb goes off She pushes Silco away and her left arm is clearly damaged, bad. Next time we see She, her left cheek has purple veins in it. The new arm is hidden, but you can already tell there's something going on in there. It's things like this that, at least to me, make this show so good. ...amongst everything else you mentioned.

[@CView]

Agree. There’s a ton to praise in this show. Really outstandingly we’ll done.

[@igustibagusananda7706]

Her name is Sevika. And thay scene also foreshadows her loyalty to Silco when the chembarons want to assassinate him.

[@Jiiyun]

'This is the type of show that I've been waiting for western animators to make.' You summed up my feelings right there, and I've said similar things to my friends when I try to get them to watch Arcane. Wonderful analysis bro.

[@CView]

Means so much ❤️ Thanks for watching

[@TheJordanK]

I wish the recent fantasy book adaption to live action tv show craze going on right now would lean more into animation. So many series would make great animation because of the CGI required. Arcane just proves it is not only possible to have great storytelling but proves it should be heavily considered.

[@CView]

Couldn't agree more

[@jans.g6033]

Imagine Mistborn with this kind of animation 😭

[@coltonwilliams4153]

GOOD GODS! MISTBORN WOULD BE GORGEOUS! 🤩 Seriously, I wish people would get over this mindset that animated works are only for kids. Animation can do things that live action can only dream of, if only the studios would be willing to do the work. And they also need to pay the animators more. Gods know, they do just as much work as actors. Just because it’s in a different field, doesn’t mean it’s not as taxing.

[@TheJordanK]

@@coltonwilliams4153 I have hope it will happen one day. This craze for every studio to get the next GoT will change to the next fantasy adaption animated series. Mistborn would be great and Stormlight would be fantastic. And really would work so much better as animation.

[@TheWefikus]

This. And it’s ok to call them out by name: The Witcher, The Wheel of Time.

[@Somehting]

This was actually fantastic, I'm just commenting because this deserves more views.

[@CView]

Appreciate it! Thank you so much for watching!

[@Nata-ch2bk]

Agreed, this might be the most well-constructed short Arcane review I've seen so far. The use of the music and sounds is great too. And all the points are completely acurate.

[@CView]

You’re too kind Dom. Thank you for watching!

[@alicer3271]

"Every cure came at the cost of sacrifice. Every sacrifice came at the cost of good intentions. Every good intention comes at the cost of everything." This is how I see the show and this is what broke my heart.

[@ariffuuu]

I also like the fact that Arcane doesn’t try to make it’s story to make the audience happy. Like the usual cliche tropes that wpuld actually make you happy. But instead, arcane is simply just a story of its own….one where we only watch from afar. No power to intervene yet so immersed into the story.

[@danielbilodeau9045]

This, I think, is best exemplified with the subversion of setup and payoff in Arc I. Just about everything in Arc I seems to be setting things up for Powder to save the day and be the hero, to prove that she's _not_ a jinx, that she can be useful and competent and make her big sister proud. In any other production, that's exactly what would have happened. But instead, her attempt to "help" only made things worse. The family she was trying to save? They're all dead. Her big sister she wanted to make proud of her? Affirms that she really _is_ a jinx and "abandons" her. The bad guy she was trying to take out? Survives virtually unscathed and becomes her new dad.

[@graffititurtle11]

the animation behind Jinx perfectly depicted her own mental turmoil in the best way visually possible

[@CView]

🙌🏼

[@KailinaerO1]

A very well thought out and very well edited review. This is a massive hit apparently. You say more than once the importance of how this story is told with many different POV and no clear right and wrong is SO important to its success IMO. It didn't fall into a trap of "a series for our time" or other nauseum. You can draw social and other cues on your own and it treats the audience intelligently. More people have likely been brought together internationally to agree on something over this "cartoon series", to see many sides of the same coin can be a positive, than anything in decades LOL

[@CView]

Couldn’t agree more. Imperfect perspectives are the perfect way to unite and understand others… Not forcing messages as Gospel to the audience. Thank you sm for this take and for watching!

[@ItalianBrussel]

I mean, Arcane is cool, but the script you wrote for this video is awesome. Timing everything in tandem with the soundtrack and visuals is a hard thing to do. Great video!!

[@CView]

Means so much

[@mendibeer]

I did not expect Jayce to be compared to the Zuck

[@CView]

Haha regarding personality tho, they are both in different universes.

[@thanhsonle5739]

Love the fact that you slowly hype up the show as the music builds in the background until 2:04 when the music POPS, announcing that yes, this show is a BANGER. Nice touch.

[@CView]

Appreciate it! Helps that this show's soundtrack is so good

[@jamessparkes9542]

I'm shocked to see your videos only have a few hundred views each, I swear I was watching one of the bigger channels with thousands of subscribers.. hopefully your video blows up somewhere because you def deserve some more viewers with this quality of content.

[@CView]

Thank you so much for watching. Really do appreciate the kind words. Glad you enjoyed!

[@Nata-ch2bk]

Actually this is much better than the bigger channel videos. Those are usually filled with advertisement and sponsored content. CView's video is just pure quality.

[@emowaemoboo]

He will show them. He will show them all.

[@milocongdon7853]

Arcanes animation style feels like what dragon prince was going for, but struggled to do.

[@CView]

Yah they feel dimensions apart... even narratively.

[@eosofspades_357]

I totally see your point and I sort of agree, but I also feel this is an unfair comparison to make. The Dragon Prince is a kid's show, and it's simplified, cartoon-ish art style reflects its lighter and more kid-friendly story. Arcane is a show for teens/adults, and its unique art style and insane attention to detail in scenery/props/character design is reflective of its more mature nature. Arcane's art style also looks to be based heavily on a painted look, whereas The Dragon Prince's art style is much more of a 3d anime (its use of shading is especially indicative of anime art styles).

[@milocongdon7853]

@@eosofspades_357 I had no issues with the shading/actual Art style for dragon prince, was more disappointed with the movement/animation for action scenes

[@tsukkirina]

As a league player and their lore fan i knew they would make a good animated series, but i never expected that it would be this good! This is beyond my expectation. And this is just the beginning i tell you, even Vi and Jinx are not their most interesting character and Piltover/Zaun are just tiny regions in this big world of Runeterra. I can't wait to see more seasons of league animated series. Great vid btw!

[@CView]

:) great to know this is just the beginning! Thanks for watching!

[@Einekha]

Amazing analysis, also thank you so much for praising Fortiche, I'm tired of people assuming this was an in-house animation by Riot, I was specially furious when they didn't mention it at all during the premier but the last 15 seconds before the first episode. They deserve all the praise they can get and more

[@CView]

Animators never get enough credit. Fortiche clearly worked tirelessly to create this show and they deserve so much credit for Arcane's success. Also, thanks for watching!

[@RemiTL]

At least Fortiche has their name on the project and Riot didn't take all the credit. There are animation movies where none of the credit was given to the studio who did all the work and everyone thinks the production company is the one to praise.

[@d93atomic]

To be fair I think that Fortiche is the game changer on Arcane. Riot would not have been able to pull this off by themselves, not in a million years.

[@jerrytang5888]

@@d93atomic i think riot can. They work with countless animation studios that are all brimming with talent as can be seen from their league of legends cinematics. The biggest difference fortiche got besides their talent is the time and money they were allowed.

[@gigastruggler7828]

Even little details like psycology,body language etc are very common and very accurate in Arcane...Masterpiece

[@CView]

The detailed animation is unbelievable. Fortiche deserves so much praise.

[@gigastruggler7828]

@@CView nothing but facts

[@kiyomii1]

The crying animations and such were so powerful that it had me sobbing along with em

[@liuu.qix_]

The fact this only has 300 views- you need to be noticed more.

[@CView]

You so kind :) thanks for watching! Hopefully only improving from here on out.

[@wjrneo2]

Washing powder cry and breakdown in the bedroom is probably one of the shows most heartbreaking scenes

[@GameBreaker1055]

You can pause Arcane at ANY second and you will have a piece of art worthy for your desctop. You can look at any character and understand their action.

[@kravenite]

What's the animation at 0:25? Looks dope. Arcane was the best show I've seen in the recent years period. The art style, storytelling, music, the world, everything was so well thought out and gorgeous.

[@CView]

That was the first episode of Star Wars Visions (easily the best episode in the show). Arcane Act 4 can’t come soon enough! Thank you for watching!

[@Demigodish4o3]

I'm in love with your editing of those little montages with the ost on top, it got me feeling.

[@CView]

:) Thank you sm! Those are the most fun parts to edit for sure

[@davidwebb2568]

Since I was smaller than Powder I've been a huge fan of animation. For decades very little changed bar Pixar. I, like you, wanted a more mature style and story in animation. Saw the trailer for this and mind blown. EASILY the best animation I've seen. Every ticked box gets 10/10. I just finished my 5th watch through and it still blows me away. Excellent video. Bravo!

[@CView]

Definitely feels innovative and stylized. Obviously Pixar and live action CG has done so much for 3D animation, but Arcane feels like a great blend of the classic 2D style with 3D motion. Truly a next level show.

[@Ferreneh]

@@CView Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron was also a genious blend of 2D & 3D, and it's still super appreciated. It was beautifully done with hand painted backgrounds and 3D characters, which was revolutionary at the time. One of my favorite movies ever. And it came out in 2001! There's a newer Netflix series of Spirit that kind of looks like arcane-type of animation, but it just looks dumb compared to the original Spirit. Arcane took that same technology to another level, and I think that's the key to a successful animation; not just sticking to one type of animation, but mixing it to make great visuals. Just bland 3D animation can look dull, but painting over it by hand?! That's just beautiful attention to details that makes Arcane so great

[@CView]

Will definitely check this out! Thanks for the rec ❤️

[@Ferreneh]

@@CView I also recommend checking out an anime called Sword Art Online. The quality of art and animation in it has skyrocketed over the years since it became popular

[@nova9849]

@@Ferreneh Na its mehhh b4 the neat and clean animation of Violet Evergarden.What u said is true,but there are many animes out here far superior in animation than SAO.

[@viserian]

I also love how they made it very obvious of jinxs mental state. Like how milo pops up throughout the series. Her regret, I wonder if this'll be something that gets talked about next season

[@DarkLordAli95]

every time I watch a video about arcane, I get chills and my eyes get a little watery. I just love this show. It spoke to my soul in so many ways.

[@CView]

The soundtrack and visuals are both so hype. Such an amazing show.

[@moonlightmika]

In a way, Silco was a visionary too. He wanted his nation to be powerful, but he found his power in a corrupted place. It'll much more interesting to theorize on this once we hear his and Vander's backstory and why they fell out

[@movinperera5587]

I love this Analysis, It's so well thought out, Arcane was honestly such a breath of fresh air, This video deserves more views.

[@CView]

Thank you for watching and for the kind words :) so glad you liked the video!

[@dieengie337]

When I watched Arcane for the first time, I thought that it was made by some genius, its just... Perfect Not only animations, characters, writing, effects, but also feeling and emotions.

[@JenniElle]

I screamed when I saw the Mucha reference on the show 12:56 ! Just when I thought arcane couldn’t get any better

[@CView]

I didn't even notice that! Thank you for pointing it out :)

[@RonnieRoseSt]

i swear to god i am so proud of Fortiche and everyone who has been invited to work on Arcane. Like I am bawling my eyes out each time I realize how good the details, worldbuilding and even the pacing and pov switches are. It felt right and fullfilling the first watch; it felt even better around the fourth time I watched it since there were more and more neat and tiny puzzles falling into place - new metaphors hidden in the entirety of the show, callbacks, visual mirrors either through composition or colour, you get me... i'm still in wonder

[@CView]

🤟🏼🙌🏼

[@reynao.3671]

I loved the way you broke down 2d and 3d animation before explaining the way that arcane used both!!! And the editing on this video was amazing, the title cards for each part were so well done and !!! Just amazing video

[@CView]

You’re too kind! Thanks sm for watching! ❤️

[@dustinhiatt3835]

Yeah, I was trying to figure out why the animation looked so great; stylized and fluid at the same time. I'm gonna use this explanation now to help convince my friends to watch it

[@AtomBacon]

1:55 God that timing was so clean.

[@cemgulpunk]

I've never played LOL in my life. I don't think I will play it after watching Arcane. I'm just saying this is the best animation I've seen in years, LOL related or not. Thanks for the video.

[@CView]

Same haha! Thanks for watching!

[@Blackkray777]

i remember seeing the first arcane teaser back in 2019, i thought this was gonna be decent at best. but holy sht was i wrong

[@CView]

Lol don’t think anyone could’ve seen this coming

[@regularpigeon2702]

Another thing that I rarely see get talked about is the absolutely perfect composition of this show. Pretty much every scene, at least every Key-scene follows a composition rule. Mainly the rule of thirds or golden ratio aswell as other compository elements like depth of field , Contrasts, guiding lines etc.. This is something you don't really see all that often in animated shows, they usually use quite flat and single focused compositions except for specific moments.

[@relishin]

this is a phenomenal video essay that i come back to regularly, but still, every time, the start of both maim sections give me chills and i cannot thank you enough for this and the effort you took. it does the show justice and im proud to use this to convince anyone and everyone to watch this masterpiece.

[@CView]

Means so much - really gave me some motivation and so glad you enjoyed. Working on a long video to be released shortly about another incredible show.

[@PolnocneGranie]

What I missed in this essay was a lil mention how the effects are mostly 2d animation. Smokes, explosions, particles and stuff like that. Blood. It is pretty obvious when you see it but you could have mentioned it. Thats the biggest selling point for me and something they made apparent in their Get Jinxed music video that first gave us a sneak peak of things to come so many years ago.

[@VentiLator7]

One of the best video essays on Arcane out there, really hit the core spots on what made it explode on release. Also as someone who has been playing the game since 2012 and among others in the game's community has been (semi-jokingly) hoping for an animated series for 8+ years, seeing Arcane be this polished and do this well is really incredible to see.

[@CView]

You’re too kind ❤️ thank you so much for watching and glad your hopes for Arcane were fulfilled!

[@Kryptik0III]

The running animation with viktor was incredible. The best animation I've seen since Into the Spiderverse

[@Juli-zg7sj]

I never played League but I have been a huge fan of Riot games' animation for YEARS! They have been making short masterpieces for awhile and I had been waiting for a full show from them. So when I heard about Arcane I could not contain myself! Finally a new style of animation thats breaking boundaries and really pushing for new ideas within the medium. This is exactly what we've been needing. I could not have said it better myself!

[@collincutler4992]

I've watched this show 4x over now and still get chills watching just clips and hearing the intro song. Absolute masterpiece

[@CView]

Couldn't agree more

[@audreylewise]

this essay was super well written !! i just got into arcane (never even played LoL) and you’re totally right - i haven’t felt like i couldn’t follow the plot because i didn’t understand. anyone can watch this series and appreciate it, regardless of whether they’ve played LoL (which is pretty awesome). this is truly a first for shows that stem from video game lore, as you mentioned.

[@CView]

🙌🏼

[@BeyerEfendi]

Like how you end on the word "essential." It really is the best way to describe the show - it's so good that it just blows everything else out of the water and raises the bar for audiences who have been waiting for a bar-raise, perhaps without even knowing it, for years.

[@CView]

Here's to hoping more shows use 2D and 3D animation to elevate their written material!

[@dylans3833]

Did you see Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse? Another groundbreaking blend of 2D and 3D aesthetics in animation.

[@CView]

I completely agree. I actually had a section in this video about spider verse but decided to cut it while editing. I adore spider verse and Spider-Man. Made an entire video about both :)

[@dylans3833]

@@CView Haha I should have checked, that’s my bad

[@CView]

@@dylans3833 not at all! You were 100% spot on. Should’ve mentioned it in the vid in hindsight. Thank you for taking the time to watch :)

[@matthewcowens]

Great visual essay - lovely quality voiceover (both recording quality and tone of voice), excellent editing. I really enjoyed this!

[@matthewcowens]

Aha - I watched your Dune video a couple of weeks ago and liked it. Both videos were good recommendations from KZbin.

[@CView]

Thanks for the nice words! Glad you enjoyed the vids! Hoping to only keep improving from here :)

[@polaropposites9498]

Watching this makes my skin crawl. Arcane is a masterpiece

[@CView]

🙌🏼

[@Kariegoz]

I wish Arcane episodes were 1 hour instead of 40 minutes. I think we were all left wanting more at the end.

[@CView]

I thought 40 minute eps was perfect for this story, but I agree… I would’ve watched 2 hour episodes with this level of quality lol

[@gabecicala]

Arcane is a really good show. I haven’t seen it. But this made it look good!

[@CView]

😂😂😂 Gabe gets it

[@hurensohn7605]

then what are you waiting for?

[@CarterNicholas245]

I watched this video a few weeks after watching the show, and I have to say I love the way you made this video. Gave me chills multiple times, something I've been craving since watching Arcane.

[@CView]

Means so much ❤️ Thank you for watching

[@doeybap7719]

the Jinx and Ekko fight was one of the best things ive ever seen

[@dr.alphys]

Agreed

[@Gnagster]

I watched 1:52-2:10 an unreasonable amount, incredibly done

[@CView]

Appreciate it :) glad you enjoyed

[@grkpektis]

I like that even though Jinx is not as physically strong as Vi she still has an athletic build when she grows up but it's not as obvious. It fits her character because she is a lot more capable an dangerous than at first glance

[@mediatech1588]

One thing you missed here is that Into The Verse is actually the one that revolutionized this kind of animation If you haven't seen I highly recommend it To me it's the best super hero movie ever made

[@CView]

I actually had a paragraph about ITSV that I cut out. I 100% agree with you. It was a clear inspiration to this animation style in Arcane.

[@CView]

Also it is A+ filmmaking regardless of its animated style

[@mediatech1588]

@@CView Oh!

[@purplemoose7]

I'm so glad you made this video (and how well you cut it) because it allowed me to relive so many of the amazing moments and visuals while reinforcing verbally what I loved about the show. Thank you so much for adding to my already impressive love for the show

[@CView]

That's exactly what I was aspiring to do. Arcane is astounding. Thank you for watching. ❤️

[@R4Y2k]

I went into Arcane with no expectations at all and I was blown away by what these folks have accompolished. It's the new gold standard of videogame adaptions.

[@kazmeyers]

Very nicely edited shots and sound/music. Watched twice just to take note of it. Great video essay, too! Thank you.

[@CView]

Too kind ❤️ thank you for watching!

[@lukaszepesi]

I've watched nearly every video on youtube about Arcane and they're all amazing :) The quality of the content it inspired is also a testament to how good the show is.

[@HeloisGevit]

Absolutely, so many talented video essayists because the source material is so strong and has a lot to say.

[@-droid-j7-225]

From all the thumbnails of all essays about arcane that is my favorite…

[@CView]

Really appreciate that :) thanks sm for watching

[@herfish6584]

I still can't stop geeking over Arcane

[@CView]

Same

[@matthieuzglurg6015]

there is something that is a bit glanced over and not really talked about : How the animation in Arcane gives us that impression of fluidity compared to classical 2D animation most of the time in 2D animation, as you said, you have the background going at 24 frames per second, and the characters animated at 12 frames per second. Why 12 and 24? Well that comes from cinema and the first film cinema cameras that were shooting approximately 24 frames per second. 24 frames per second means you have a shutter time of about 41 milliseconds, which is pretty long. This is what gives the "cinematic look" to most of the movies. There is no other reason why the industry sticks to 24fps for big production other that people's habits. Movies like Spiderverse made a good use of it, animating character in either 12 or 24 fps depending of their point in the story, but in the end, it stayed 24fps to stick with the industry standard. Arcane though, did not follow through the "tradition". It was intended as a Netflix series. Where do people watch Netflix series? On their PC or their TV, not on the big screen. So instead of animating Arcane at 24fps like everybody would have, they animated at a full 60 frames per second (which is a frame time of about 16 milliseconds, much faster than the 41 of 24fps footage). People in the cinema industry often rants about how faster frames rates like 48 or 60 fps looks bad (as I said, that's only a matter of habit other than anything else, we like it because it looks like something we already know), I have to say that if I didn't particularly enjoy watching live action movies shot at 48 fps (like the Hobbit trilogy), watching Arcane at full 60fps with a matching 60Hz frequency on my screen was a delight. This is what allows animators to do fast paced combat scenes that doesn't look blurry, facial animations on 3D models that look surprisingly lifelike. People underestimate the impact of fluidity of movement in how our perception works. (though, you have to respect the law of Shannon if you want to get the best fluidity. That mean that watching arcane on a screen that runs at a frequency that isn't a multiple of 60Hz, will look pretty bad. Typically, 75, 90, 144 and 165Hz monitors are not suited. 60, 120 and 240Hz are. Be sure to go back to 60 or 120 before watching 60fps content, that can generally be accessed in the graphical settings or in display settings in Windows for example) There is also a little point that I would like to talk about, which I have not seen any creator talk about : the camera work. and not only where they place the camer, but how they do the camera itself. In animation, you have no "real" camera, it is virtual, takes no space, is perfectly stabilized and optically correct, sharp image from edge to edge. In Arcane, they emulated a real lens, and real rig. How does that translate in the series? Well, when the camera is out of focus and there is a focus pull to focus on someting, there is a focus breathing effect (magnification of the lens sligtly changing). When there is a zoom in and zoom out, they modeled a lens that isn"t parafocal, so there is a few frames of blurred out image before acquiring focus again. When a light is pointed right at the "camera" lend dust and flares are emulated as well. When the camera is moving, it does not move in a perfect straight line, but rather moves like if it was someone walking / running with it on a gimbal / stabilizer. These are DETAILS that pretty much nobody will take notice of. But they're here. Even for a few frames, that's all they need. They are subtile, but they are also what give Arcane that "lifelike" look while still being stylized 3D/2D animation blend. Arcane is truly a masterpiece, and not only from a character / narrative standpoint. Everything technical about this is MASTERED

[@CView]

So much of this is incredible analysis. I learned a lot from reading this, but Arcane is 24FPS. It's animated on ones (24/24 frames) which is already extremely difficult. The simulated shutter speed allows for smooth motion blur and the appearance of a higher frame rate. 3D motion smoothing also at play.

[@Radriar___9946]

I love your approach to editing. By structuring the script around the musical choices it really shows the thought out into this

[@CView]

Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@geethakacaldera]

Arcane is my most favorite and the best show that I've watched in my life

[@kexcz8276]

Exactly. In all ways of animation, artstyle, storytelling, ambience, characters and emotions, Arcane does everything perfectly. Its far, far better, then I could imagine , I think 2 years ago, when they announced it for the first time. I was just feeling every second of it.,Every opinion, every clash, every emotion, every problem and I was just feeling it as if I was someone watching it next to them. I was thinking with each problem about the solution, about how true are connections of those situations to reality. Arcane is simply, a masterpiece. Now, because of its sucess, I hope that both Riot and Fortriche will favor quality instead of time and quantity. I think that Netflix helps with that a lot, because if Im right, the contract between Riot and netflix means that whatever the final product will be, Netflix pays for it generously, and anytime, no matter when, why or for what. That might give the devs comfort of making it such way. Because at the end, what we all want, even at the cost of waiting, is a great series, not to be disappointed and sad....

[@CView]

They should take all the time they need! We will wait! Loved reading your take! Thanks for watching

[@alexpatrick2522]

Man, you nailed it. I felt how much I liked this show, but you did a great job of articulating it. Thanks for this!

[@CView]

🙌🏼 thank you for watching!!

[@ckying29]

This masterpiece came from a French animations studio, and an American video game studio owned by a Chinese conglomerate. It's not quite Anime and it's definitely not Disney. Kudos to Fortiche for fostering in the next generation of animation.

[@CView]

Bring on season 2!

[@rocketrigby5845]

Very well said my friend, Arcane is genuinely the best thing I’ve watched all year. So excited for season 2!

[@felipeson]

One of the best things from Netflix like EVER if this was a live action show people would’ve already been calling it the next GoT or something but the fact that is an animation it’s what makes so mind blowing. The story and the visuals are just…… MASTERPIECE!!!

[@CView]

🤟🏼

[@Lunaryse]

Superb editing and writing here, CView. I thought this would have far more views. You have received a sub from me.

[@CView]

Glad I have earned that honor :) thanks for the kind words

[@nickmilo932]

i just watch every video about arcane I see. But this one... this one really gave me the goosebumps with the edit, the music, and the takes in general! Great job!

[@yourzombiemop8259]

Thank you for this video. It's so beautiful, I'm nearly moved to tears

[@CView]

Your so kind

[@nittygritty5251]

Watching the whole arcane series is just me with goosebumps all over.

[@mito-pb8qg]

I am OBSESSED with that show. Arcane is the single greatest piece of art I have ever gotten to witness. Great video, I can tell you care a lot. :)

[@evnnns]

Your use and layering of the music with your narration felt really well done and brought a lot of the intimacy of the show to your review. I appreciate that.

[@CView]

Appreciate it! Thanks for watching 😊

[@itty2270]

The editing on this is astounding. Amazing video essay!

[@CView]

❤️ Thank you sm!

[@Thunderworks]

I love the fact that the rich part of the city is Art Deco, and the Undercity is Art Nouveau.

[@serjuanpaolo]

the animation is 10 years ahead. hope they maintain the concept.

[@seekeroftruth476]

Fantastic analysis of a gorgeous show. Keep up these essays!

[@CView]

Appreciate it Clark. Not sure if you’re the reporter or billionaire, but I’ll take it :) thanks for watching.

[@Newborn_God]

Oh wow, love your video, your editing is very cool, I totally agree we can only hope Arcane and other projects opens the mind so more people look to animation as a medium to tell well written and mature stories.

[@CView]

Exactly! :)

[@JustJerry342]

Cannot agree more with your observation and assessment of the show. Seriously incredible video essay my friend. Subscribed and can’t wait for the next one!

[@CView]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed

[@dragonicprime1736]

Damn you've become one of my favorite channels to watch since I discovered you through the anime video. Awesome video

[@CView]

Appreciate it ❤️ thank you so much for watching! Hopefully getting better from here.

[@pgl79]

Love and Robots is another good example of animation being used as the medium for more adult themes

[@CView]

definitely will check it out. Thanks for the rec!

[@pgl79]

@@CView awesome, I hope you enjoy it 👍 I got the name slightly wrong - it's actually "Love, Death & Robots"

[@joeygawron]

some of the best editing on a random video essay I've seen, good stuff!

[@CView]

Thank you sm for watching! Glad you randomly stumbled on this video :)

[@joeygawron]

@@CView def gonna check out your other stuff now your presentation is so good

[@CView]

Appreciate it! :) again, thank u!

[@AssassinsFear]

I just ordered a new TV, I can't wait to rewatch this entire show again even though it's only been out for a month

[@CView]

🙌🏼 It was the first movie/show I watched on my new mini led laptop screen and it was incredible. Hope you enjoy your new tv!