Mel Medarda: A Fox or a Wolf? (Arcane)

Twitter: / aleczandxr
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Songs Used:
Song 1: Mukashigatari (Monogatari Series)
Song 2: Mechanical Kingdom (Radiant Historia)
Song 3: The Great Warrior (Final Fantasy VII)
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My reaction series on Arcane: • Arcane Reactions

[@Aleczandxr]

There will be videos on Ekko and Viktor coming in the future, as both were funded through donation and sub goals on Twitch! www.twitch.tv/Aleczandxr/

[@Voduke789]

Looking forward to them all!

[@keyboardevangelist8956]

Can you do analysis on bojack horseman characters?

[@michaelyu6250]

@@keyboardevangelist8956 He has not watched Bojack and he doesn't take requests from comments

[@tracerbullet85]

Two of my favorite characters, let's go

[@kollmack869]

Viktor > Ekko but both are great.

[@hawkins347]

What I love about Mel is how much she grows upon rewatch when your mind is no longer trying to put her in an archetypal bracket. There is so much subtle facial animation and body language cues (especially ep. 4) to suggest that she's attracted to/has a crush on Jayce early on, but it's purposefully understated because the writers want you to suspect her the first time around, but it really shines on rewatch, when you have all the context. I also love how after starting the relationship with Jayce, his honesty and unapologetic emotional vulnerability starts to undo her Noxian upbringing and she allows herself to be more and more affectionate and open with her emotions - to the point that she ends up yelling at her mother, something so antithetical to her usual controlled, calm poise. I don't think that would've happened without Jayce's influence. In the end she chooses to stick to her ideals and promotes peace, but I also see her decision as choosing unconditional love that Jayce is offering her, as opposed to the very conditional, transactional type of love that her mother can give her.

[@tiaamdunord7817]

Yess, you make an amazing point! Her and Jayce’s relationship development was really well done and she definitely chose him over her family in the end

[@guilhermegoes711]

That smile Jayce gives her in the last episode breaks my heart I personally find Mel to be a breath of fresh air from the "female fatal" trope, and your analysis make me appreciate her character even more. Great Video

[@Aleczandxr]

Thanks! And that smile is one of the most tragic things I’ve seen, I had to include it..

[@Dylan-pq3ny]

I think that desire to avoid conflict is perfectly exemplified in all of the scenes in which the council casts a vote of some kind. She is always choosing very flattering words when speaking to the other councillors or using some sort of tactic to catch them off guard (the toy) in order to sway them in her favour. She will also always vote first to start a domino effect of pressure. She does these things not for some dark ulterior motive, but to make her dream of peace a reality

[@seemonuzumaki723]

She does tend to hesitate when it comes to acting, and instead tries to nudge and manipulate others without ever pulling the grenade.

[@soufian2733]

You know it’s a good show when you can make an analysis video for every character in it

[@VarjoPira]

The plot is completely driven by character motivations and conflict. It's a rich ground for video essays. It's also fairly rare in today's entertainment media, but Arcane pulls it off excellently. Honestly, the only real minus were the fan service moments.

[@kollmack869]

​@@VarjoPira Wrong. There were no fanservice moments.

[@katzhunter3627]

Alex is also great at his job

[@jimmyichigo7410]

@@VarjoPira What fan service moments..? Nothing in the show was redundant or unnecessary when it came to the fan service

[@ilikeswans3928]

@@VarjoPira Honestly the real fan services WERE the characters, their arcs and conflicts. That along with the gorgeous animation and storytelling. Can you name some fan service moments since I can't really recall them🤷‍♀️

[@ActuallySatan]

Mel is such a great example of Arcane's ability to take what would otherwise be a very one-note manipulator character and give her not only a fascinating arc, but an incredibly human perspective. The seeming contradictions present in Mel's character make her multifaceted and incredible to watch. To a degree, all the characters in Arcane are like this, but Mel often gets overlooked in favor of the other more prominent characters like Silco, Vi, and Viktor. Mel's exploration of love and desire is immensely satisfying to watch, especially as we get to see more of her vulnerabilities. Side note: I know Arcane's animation is amazing, but watching these scenes makes me appreciate the subtleties in the character work. The small facial animations and minor twitches in scenes of dialogue are just amazing to watch.

[@naylaw1928]

I love the fact that there are videos of Mel character arc. The writing is so amazing so it gets annoying watching so many people overlook such a well written character and point of view. I loved the way they conveyed the longing for acceptance but disgust and fear of turning into her mother.

[@leodouskyron5671]

A LOT of people assumed she was evil and villain and I never saw it. She was sly and smart but she puked have used Jace and used him like a puppet on a string but she didn’t. She taught him. Enjoyed talking to and supporting him. I can’t help but wonder is she looked more like Jace but with blonde hair if people would have come to the same conclusion I did. But I am an old guy that has seen things …

[@Andyatl2002]

She fancied herself a Fox among the wolves. I read her as doomed now looking back on her character and Momma Medara’s warnings. Silco was both a Fox and a wolf who raised a wolf that went after her and what she stood for.

[@MoonsCamelot]

Great video. Mel had my heart from the moment she gave Hoskel a kid’s toy, and her story is one of the most rewarding to me, especially on rewatches.

[@justmyopinion79]

Don't mind me, just waiting for Season 2.. no matter how long it takes..

[@TheMainAntagonist]

I don't think it'll take long, considering how popular it became

[@michaelyu6250]

@@TheMainAntagonist The first season took literally 6 years. Popularity isn't much of a factor

[@katzhunter3627]

No cost too great

[@lolsmileyface1057]

@@michaelyu6250 I think this story was written in it’s entirety over the last 6 years. I think the next two years are going to be used to animate it so I doubt we will be waiting more than 2 years per season

[@alilweeb7684]

so far for me you are the only youtuber to see the difference of mels caracther, others focus on wether she's a villain, or her pyscology,. but this in deph dive into the caracther... just amazing

[@RonquixoteDIII]

Yeah I love most of Schnee’s videos but I feel he looks at Mel in the most cynical way.

[@alilweeb7684]

@@RonquixoteDIII same. She just dont feel like a villain, she feels like... Well like a politician, in her position many of us would do the same if not worse, i think her caracther really learns across the series and yeah it may be too little too late but she's actually trying.

[@tiaamdunord7817]

I know it wasn’t given the most screen time, but I actually liked the development of Mel and Jayce’s relationship. Over time, you see her grow closer to him in a way she hasn’t with anyone else. Her removing her family ring and showing how she’d rather stay in Piltover with Jayce as opposed to returning home to become Noxian Royalty was very sweet.

[@bandigustin1038]

My favorite character of the show. Her arc took me completely by surprise

[@jimmyichigo7410]

I was very glad when you said she was your 6th favourite Arcane character in your reactions and tier list. Deserved

[@spacesomeone]

what's the other 5 characters?

[@michaelyu6250]

@@spacesomeone Check his tier list, it's in his episode 9 reaction

[@TehvtremOST]

I've never really thought of Mel as much more than a side character in Arcane, so all the analysis you put into this video really blew me away. Many thanks for making this video.

[@dpeoples81]

I think I'll be devastated if Mel dies but I do believe here choice completes her arc if she was to die. Plus her death will push Jayce towards his hyper vigilance to defend Piltover in current league lore

[@jadedpotato1574]

OOOOOO seeing the notification for this video made me so excited, mel was definitely a favorite from arcane & i don't think people talk about her intricacies nearly enough! i'm so nervous to see what's happened to her next season; thanks for this treat

[@Aleczandxr]

My pleasure!

[@jimwang17]

I’m glad you are making more arcane videos. Watched your react series and really love how you analyze the episodes

[@Voduke789]

Hey Aleczandxr, I hope you know that you genuinely expand my enjoyment of and appreciation for the series that you cover. Even though I haven't gotten to finish all of these series and therefore can't watch all of your videos, the ones that I can see are always good, even the old ones that may feel outdated to you. Thanks for the work you put in.

[@ngmajora6986]

*Definitely a Fox if you understand what I am implying*

[@jimmyichigo7410]

In multiple ways....

[@knyx9913]

I’m so happy your doing a video on her and arcane as a whole

[@Aleczandxr]

You might also be interested in my series reactions, or my Jayce video! I have more Arcane character analyses upcoming as well on Viktor and Ekko.

[@Vazk0r]

oh man i was hoping youd do a video on her! Thanks a lot my guy

[@pedroeol]

This videos are making me miss Arcane even more 😭 Another great one & looking forward for the other two, specially Ekko's! Cheers 😎

[@pedroeol]

Also I'm repeating myself but how you finish your videos are simply chef's kiss 👌

[@seemonuzumaki723]

Bro you weren't alone lmao I had no idea what this broad was up to for most of the show

[@dr.goober9177]

I've just recently started watching your content and I already love what you do, especially your videos on HunterxHunter. A series I definitely recommend is Cirque Du Freak. There is no anime as far as I know, but I suggest you read the manga and not the novels. It definitely deserves much more attention than what it has, great story and great characters.

[@ThomasSmith-lb9bu]

Never clicked so fast. Never knew I needed this analysis.

[@blablaelgore]

Love this series. I never thought that much about this character but I still enjoyed the analysis.

[@tristandelasuertemexcla]

I love that you used red 13 or the cosmo canyon theme for Mel

[@darriusbethea2373]

Loving the Arcane content!

[@HimariHimatsu]

Of course you had to sneak in the Jayce smile right at the end. Excellent video as usual! Sidequestion do you read into league lore outside of Arcane? For example looking into Noxus and it's culture in the league universe to get a better grasp on how things work, even if it hasn't been shown in Arcane yet?

[@Aleczandxr]

Thank you! And I know absolutely nothing about League of Legends outside of Arcane. I did my reaction series on it completely blind so I have no clue about anything outside of what the show tells us. And personally I’m trying my best to keep it that way until season 2.

[@justmyopinion79]

Awesome, thank you.

[@wolfpytlak2786]

Really nice to hear you talk about this character, i have high expectations for her in season 2, most of them coming from the tease at the final moments of the show and other youtubers analysis (shoutout to "mel's golden secret" by nscheen) I think his analysis is more complete, because you skiped the fact that there was another fox in her family, her brother, and when her mother arrives at piltover the news is *the fox is dead* So i would really like to see this aproach developed, not a wolf nor a fox, but a peace seeking force of will at the core of piltover to balance what will be a probably revenge seeking council in season 2

[@Aleczandxr]

Eh, I don’t see why framing Kino in that way makes an analysis more complete. To me that just reductively simplifies things and frames the context as far more one-dimensional than it actually is. Sure, Kino was originally stated to oppose conflict but that very clearly changed, as he died because he “crossed the wrong man.” That is much more of a wolf characteristic than a fox. If you want to hear me talk more about her brother then I’d direct you to my episode reactions and discussions but it really didn’t have a place here, and framing his role in that way is very inaccurate IMO. I also disagree with the notion that a fox cannot be peace-seeking in the way you describe. They very much can, and the only real notable trait it takes to be a Fox is to be sly, intelligent and clever in the way Mel is. The “wolf” part refers to that cutthroat attitude that she never had. We really don’t need a third descriptor when foxes aren’t shown to be inherently dark or non-peace-seeking. That’s why I said foxes “of her ilk.”

[@carbuneskinny5797]

Good stuff .. as always !!

[@LeahB31]

Brilliant as always. Now I’m sad to think that things won’t be good for Mel in S2. 😩

[@loveqeeb8643]

great video

[@chuckwisss7766]

Love ur videos

[@kexcz8276]

I really like this inner conflict between the fox way or the wolf way- it is comparing our human behaviour in certain situations to nature in a very clever way. So much so that I had indeed thought of it even before Arcane. I came to conclusion that I am here on the simillar note as Mel- fox-like, trying to outsmart the system, to be clever as much as possible, but unlike her, I do not have to worry about issue with family connection and ideology. In fact, despite both of these "natures" are still very relevant in our society, I feel like that even more now then ever , it is far more beneficial to be that fox type person rather than wolf (ofcourse there are situations where the wolf type is in advantage, but on a daily basis, it is the fox). Great video! 🦊🐺

[@jonathanj8270]

Great content as always, Aleczandxr. I'm not sure if you're one for taking requests but I'd really love if you made an analysis video on Shinobu Sensui from Yu Yu Hakusho! I enjoyed your video on Toguro and there's surprisingly very few people on KZbin who have actually dissected Sensui's character.

[@Aleczandxr]

Yeah unfortunately I don’t take any requests from comments, sorry about that! I appreciate the interest though, and I’m really glad you enjoy the videos!

[@stefanoviik]

As per usual, a very good analysis of a complex character. For me, Mel started out antipathetic, but as the series progressed and her layers have been continuously exposed I found her to be extremely likeable. I think that what made that first impression was that, compared to Jayce, she was in a way antithetic. Jayce started out with the very best of intentions at heart, wanting to make Piltover a peaceful and enlightened city, yet Mel's (and the Council's) political manoeuvring and cunning provided him with a harsh wake-up call. The world wasn't like he imagined it to be, explicitly an ideal rather than reality. But as the story progresses and Jayce deals with harsher and more morally questionable decisions, Mel never once flinches, she stays basically true to her nature and develops due to her understanding and love for Jayce. In a way I think she, alongside Viktor albeit to a lower degree, provided the stability and the "anchor" that Jayce so desperately needed as his whole world was being upside down, in a way I think acting as his moral compass when he most needed one. While she used her cunning to get whatever she wanted, throughout the whole plot she stood firm against war (given her upbringing) and never intentionally did anything that could precipitate it. I also think, and this is my final idea, that her internal conflict was already concluded before it even began. Her nature was gentle enough that she could never, no matter the circumstances, bring herself to do what her family were asking her to. This can be drawn methinks from her overall behaviour and the reluctance in doing things that would advance her family's plans. Again, thank you for your analysis, it's been as per usual, a perfect one.

[@DLxxx]

100% Agree Even if her mother showed up at the start of the series and forced her to make a choice then, I still don't believe she would ever be able to submit to a way of life that repulsed her so much (that TRAUMITIZED her for most of her life). It's true that her relationship with Jayce helped her become more comfortable with expressing her emotions more openly, but her ideology was always the same. It's why she was exiled, after all.

[@lazarlemajic4926]

Fingers crossed you like Jynx that much to make video on her too

[@Aleczandxr]

There will be upcoming videos on Viktor and Ekko!

[@lazarlemajic4926]

@@Aleczandxr Both are in my top 3, so I am more then happy with that!

[@mar_ko5930]

Such a surprise !

[@suto5704]

Love the videos. If you wanna make more arcane videos, I'll definitely watch

[@minatodroger7890]

I love mel

[@nicinat0r]

10:08 :(((( I am looking forward hardcore to season 2, but I dont want her to die maaaan

[@TheLithp]

I feel like "what's next" has to be "she dies," right? Like she's literally in the direct path of the missile, & it would be very silly if it didn't kill anyone in that room.

[@Aleczandxr]

Very distinct possibility

[@vanica8679]

what do you think of jjk? i think they have really well written and deeply thought of characters there

[@Mad_Mithra]

The foxiest of foxes XD

[@kollmack869]

Very nice.

[@StepBaum]

Good video :)

[@themuffinman8709]

This video was absolutely amazing!!! I would love to know your opinion on the manga Blue Lock. I'm pretty sure it's getting an adaptation this year.

[@themuffinman8709]

If you haven't read it I think you might like it. Its peak sports fiction.

[@Aleczandxr]

I haven’t read it but I’ll check out the adaptation!

[@themuffinman8709]

@@Aleczandxr It deals with themes of ego and such. Its so beautiful!

[@TheKeyser94]

And then BOOMM!!

[@contemptman3646]

Nice.

[@clydu91]

Arcane content 😍

[@michaelyu6250]

Just so people are aware, after some thought and him being confused at a comment I'm basically modding comments now and purposely telling Alec which ones to read and reply to if he wants and which ones to avoid so he isn't spoiled for S2. He knows nothing about LoL lore.

[@ajiththomas2465]

Fantastic video. My initial impression of Mel Medarda was that of a typical manipulator but as the show went on, I saw the more softer and more vulnerable and nuanced side of Mel. I quite like her as a character. Her ambiguous death/survival is definitely going to be one of if not the driving force of Arcane Season 2, because if Mel ended up dying at the Season 1 Finale, then the nation of Noxus and the rage of a grieving mother would be at Piltover and Zaun's steps. I do want to address a few lore mistakes. Mel and the Medarda are not Noxus royalty but more like a major house in the Noxus oligopoly/nobility. Mel's mother Ambessa Medarda is a Noxian warlord and noble and the Medarda Famy is more like a business conglomerate. Noxus as a country can generally be described as an imperialist war machine of a country, ruled by a triumvirate called The Trifarix or the Council of Three, a triad of equal leaders who each represent one of the 3 core Noxian Principles of Strength: Might, Vision, and Guile. Two of the members of the Trifarix are the LolL champions Darius and Swain. Other than that, I'd be down to see a video from you about the masterful subtle and nonverbal storytelling in Arcane. Hell, I think the Ekko vs Jinx fight was a masterclass in nonverbal and visual storytelling. Time for the visual breakdown of the Ekko vs Jinx fight that nobody asked for. In the games' lore, Ekko is known for his ability to rewind time thanks to his Hextech invention, the Z-Drive. With that, he can rewind time to twist any situation to his advantage. But this fight scene in Arcane happens quite a bit before the invention of the Z-Drive. It's something that he'll probably be able to invent with the help of Heimerdinger in the next few Seasons but it's not possible in the present. That was the Easter Egg reference section of the whole fight scene. Then we focus on the whole psychological warfare, the mind games, aspect of the fight scene. Ekko bringing out that pocket watch and playing with it in that specific way in front of Jinx was to purposely make her remember the times that they played a game back when they were kids. With that mental frame inserted into Jinx's mind, Ekko uses his incredible memory and visualization skills (along with a very good internal clock) to chart out Powder's shooting pattern from years ago, figure out where he had messed up years ago, and then counter that. When Ekko clicks on his pocket watch, that's when we see him execute this method of attack. Basically, if you've watched the Guy Ritchie directed Sherlock Holmes films starring Roberty Downey Jr, it's basically the Mental Discombobulate Fight scene. Same principle with a few differences added into it. (There's also the symbolism of the Firelight behind Young Ekko and the Crow/Raven behind Young Powder). It's an incredible way of referencing Ekko's Z-Drive ability to rewind time in a way that makes sense by having Ekko play a mind game on Jinx to make her revert to the mental frame that he wants her to be in and which communicates quite a lot of the history between Ekko and Powder using just visual imagery and an understanding of the lore. I guess you could say that just like Viktor, Ekko was on that Sigma Male Hextech Grindset and he held frame. Feel free to use whatever I've said in your videos, I don't mind at all. Keep up the good work,

[@michaelyu6250]

Just to let you know, I'm just looking out for spoilers for him so I told him not to read this comment because of how it spoils things about LoL lore that are not in the show. Also, he doesn't take video requests from comments just so you know, and dislikes using other peoples' ideas for the basis of videos as well.

[@JoshuaHenelyThornhill]

« This world has ample need for foxes of her ilk » Enough said you’re a master at words my friend 🙏🏾 All hail to Mel she tried her best till the end.

[@saafirwilliams5909]

Can you do a analysis on porco galliard from attack on titan. I feel like he’s a misunderstood character

[@Aleczandxr]

Unfortunately I don’t take any video requests from comments, sorry about that!

[@kenetik13]

More like a SNACK

[@calcelmoanayru5870]

Veyr nice.

[@AleczandxrVODs]

officer test

[@JabamiLain]

Besides Nunu and Willump, are there more innocent champions ? And if there are, is it wrong to wish they saw the same things Mel did ?

[@tayloredwards4968]

I'm curious do you have to play the video game in order to enjoy the show

[@ngmajora6986]

No, in fact in some cases knowing nothing about the characters beforehand might actually make certain reveals better

[@Aleczandxr]

Nope

[@Camdizzle8D]

One thing I like about league lore is the duality between Noxus and Demacia. Noxus are seen as the bad guys even though in reality they are accepting of everyone if you are strong and willing to prove yourself despite their brutality in warfare, whereas Demacia the “good guys” are anti mage to the point it has parallels to racism.

[@meleronnef8411]

Queen shit

[@sogekingsniper4637]

Arcane is good

[@sirafrohollow8910]

my dude it should be a lamb or a wolf for the death of runeterra aka kindred

[@Aleczandxr]

I’m sorry but I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about lol, the title is just directly referring to what Mel’s mother said to her in episode 8.

[@sirafrohollow8910]

@@Aleczandxr i understand lols lore is a bit hard to understand but simply kindred is one of the deaths of lols world seen as a wolf or lumb she(being lumb) is the soft death by arrow or he (wolf) the death by fighting noxus love wolf like most fighters in lol and lumb is seen as a soft death for them

[@Aleczandxr]

I’ve been informed to not read this because of spoilers (I prefer not to know about the lore outside of Arcane) so I won’t be doing so, but thank you anyway! Sorry about that

[@sirafrohollow8910]

@@Aleczandxr all good do as you like mate. Habe fun with Arcane

[@Diego-Designs]

I really liked Arcane. I just wish I would have enjoyed it more, but I approached it very weary, given the bait-and-switch tendencies that Hollywood has done lately. In the end though, it was like a deep sigh, knowing at last that the series was not screwed.

[@silvesta5027]

Idk could go either way tbh, but she strikes me more as a Wolf main than a fox main personally

[@soccerstuff8071]

Ekko?

[@easschung9442]

Trauma is slow and unrelenting.

[@ThumpingThromnambular]

Free Hong Kong. Free Tibet.

[@adityagulla8138]

2nd comment and 19th view

[@loveisreal7766]

This is what AP English ask you to do. Find complexity of characters

[@FireVixen164]

I completely disagree! Mel is continuously acting to manipulate and harm others throughout the story, up until the very end decision, where I think her main reason for fighting for peace is to reject the ways of a family she hates, but has so far felt beholden to. From there, she finally has the chance to redeem herself and start acting for the better of others - until Jynx happens

[@Aleczandxr]

What’s your reasoning?

[@lifeline.6144]

you aren’t very bright. you’re stuck on the surface level

[@theravenst8541]

oh hell yeah, incoming arcane analysis videos? Lets go

[@TOUGHEYES]

Cosmo Canyon? Good choice. The thing about Mel, is that for a lot of Arcane I didn't like her. I saw that she rode on the success of Jayce and his charisma and his innovations, and I thought her attraction to him being something almost sociopathically conditional. For they bedded only after she got him to politick her way. How she turned it around, however, was by the way it became clear that all her capriciousness was for the sake of an actual sense of societal progress rather than for power's sake, and it folded in the presence of Jayce's virtue of Honesty. She couldn't hold back in impartiality because when push came to shove, she wanted a better world in which a virtue like his could have its place. Which makes it all the more tragic with the way season one ended.

[@tom9614]

She looks more like a person to me