Why Arcane's Character Building is BRILLIANT

[@FiveDollarFilms]

Hey! Unrelated to the video, but I just released a new single! You can stream it here on KZbin ---> kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqGwf2NmrqeasLc Or, on any of your normal streaming platforms! It would mean the world if you'd check it out!

[@ArcaneMelodies82]

The one thing I noticed was that the second Powder entered Silco's life, he was doomed. What I mean to say is Silco's philosophy of "Do anything to achieve power" was going to be dismantled, One other thing is that it was Powder who finally got Silco to Understand Why Vander gave up on his dreams of a Free Zaun for the sake of two orphaned girls. Silco had no one, to understand why Vander did what he did, Love, was Silco's undoing. Love for a Daughter. He ended up caring more for Jinx than doing anything to get a Free Zaun, His own Chem Barons, even knew it and Finn even challenged Silco that he was slipping, just as Sevika Challenged Vander in ACT I. Silco was becoming Vander, Once Jayce had that meeting with Silco and all of Silco's goals were being handed to him, he just had to give up one thing. Jinx. Jinx for Zaun to be free. What's one life for the freedom an entire oppressed People. Yet Silco knew then and there after Jayce demanded Jinx, he could not do it, instead he offers himself instead of Jinx, similar to how Vander offered himself to the Enforcers instead of Vi. But just as it did not work for Vander, Jayce could not agree to Silco giving himself up, to save Jinx. Reminds me of Grayson telling Vander "Without you, it all falls apart" Jayce saying "you can't make a deal with a snake,then cut off its head". Silco ends up at Vander's statue for he was the only one else who understood, For Silco it finally clicked. He understood Why Vander gave it all up, and Silco tipping his flask in Vander's fountain, was had meaning. Silco was not giving Jinx up. "Is there anything more undoing than a daughter" Powder undid all of Silco past goals, not at the expense of her. Silco would let the world burn before betraying the only person he cared for. Without Powder in Silco life he would never had understood why Vander betrayed the Cause for a Free Zaun.Silco would still have a "Do anything to achieve power" Ends justify the means. Silco also had abandonment issues that he never got over, and he never wanted to feel abandoned again after Vander, He feared losing Jinx, to be alone and abandoned was something he dreaded very similar to Powder, Vi was a Threat To Silco, for that very reason. Vi was the only one who could take Jinx,his daughter away from him. Silco knew Jinx's PTSD Triggers, Vi unfortunately had no clue, To Vi the Past were memories of comfort in prison, but To Jinx the Past were Monsters,tormenting her, Each memory causing Jinx to spiral. Jinx even told Vi to stop. That is the only time we see Silco struggle to get free, To Silco Vi was hurting Jinx, He could see Jinx fall to the ground and curl up, His instinct was to stop the person hurting his daughter and so grabbed the gun and aimed at Vi. Even after understanding his reasoning, I knew Jinx was on instinct no matter how much she may have loved Silco as a father figure,she was going to Protect her sister. Even if it meant killing the only one to never put her down, Shoot Silco's last words were a hell of a scene. "Don't Cry,Your Perfect". Silco didn't say "Jinx is Perfect" as he had done in the past, but "Your Perfect" I really do think this was on purpose, to note that he saw Her, not just Jinx as Perfect.

[@chrishaven1489]

I thought this was a good analysis.....except for one critique. I find it a little odd praising the writers for understanding how to write human characters but then reduce Mel Medarda's character to being 'selfish and manipulative'. She's most definitely coded that way throughout the show but the whole point of Mel's flashback and episode 8 as a whole, is to reveal that Mel is a lot more selfless than she appears to be. Mel's whole story arc revolves around trying to govern Piltover like a 'fox' instead of a 'wolf' i.e. being clever and manipulative over being violent and heavy-handed like her mother. "War is a failure of statecraft", "War is not our first and only recourse". Her mother decapitated a child when she was younger, and that memory has haunted Mel ever since, and has informed her decision-making from that point forward. Yes, she's manipulative. But she manipulates people to do what she perceives to be the right thing for Piltover, in-so-far as it protects the city from warmongering 'wolves' like her mother. It's one of the reasons why she chose to promote hextech in the first place. Initially, she believed that she was exiled from her family for being soft. But in the final episode it's revealed that her mother exiled her because Mel's judgement made her mother feel guilty about making those 'wolf' decisions. Mel was exiled because she was the moral compass in her family, which is a very interesting twist considering how her character's been coded throughout the show previously. Remember Mel was the one who advocated for Jayce to err on the side of diplomacy when dealing with Silco and the undercity. Mel is a lot more nuanced than the way you've portrayed her. Calling Mel selfish and manipulative is a gross oversimplification of who she is as a person. Not to mention inaccurate as far as her being 'selfish' goes. I'd personally recommend watching Overly Sarcastic Productions and their essay/diatribe surrounding Mel's character. I thought that was pretty well done

[@FiveDollarFilms]

Dude, you are totally correct. Mel is a well-written character for sure, I just don't like her 🤣 Because of that, I decided not to spend a whole section on her character, but you're totally right that she's very layered and interesting, like all the other characters! Thanks for your thoughtful comment! And of course, thanks for watching:)

[@pewpews6502]

So glad to have found your channel, a true gem. Keep up the good work loved the analysis!

[@j.f.fisher5318]

Some added details about Jinx and Vi. As someone with avoidant attachment who has tended to get in relationships with anxious attachment types, the conflict between those two types is perfectly portrayed. Both in the "you're not ready" scene and the slap there's a dysfunctional pattern that I'd never been able to fully identify in fights I'd been in until I saw it on screen and could study it. Avoidant needs to keep other at arms length because they're overwhelmed. Anxious needs connection and pushes. It escalates, then avoidant snaps and hurts anxious. Freaking sucks. Also there's a lot of little hurts building up for both. Vi knows she has to be supportive but is frustrated even as she says "it's okay powder..." and little things Milo and Vi say are hurting Powder like the partial conversation. In the latter case, most writers would have turned that into immediate conflict but Powder is too afraid to so she just internalizes that her relationship with Vi is at risk and she needs to try harder. And BPD is probably in the mix where anything that puts relationships at risk is viewed as catastrophic. A classic situation is an individual with BPD resisting therapy believing that everyone is so fed up with them that the only reason they aren't rejected is that they're too dysfunctional to make it on their own so getting better would risk them being kicked to the curb.

[@munchkin_mania]

I've never seen the show, but I LOVE the style of it. The textures must've taken for ever to make and the animation is so realistic. Also, I liked the Series of Unfortunate Events reference, thats such a good show

[@FiveDollarFilms]

Yes! It's so good. Would totally recommend. Did you ever see the Series of Unfortunate Events movie with Jim Carrey? Thats what I watched growing up and it was scary 🤣

[@munchkin_mania]

@@FiveDollarFilms I didnt know there was a movie lol. I'll have to check it out

[@caiqueaugusto8657]

Dude, amazing content and how is your channel not bigger? All your videos are great

[@elrilmoonweaver4723]

Seeing Powder go through her mental breakdowns in episode 3, both of when Vi told her to stay behind and when she lost her family was unbelievably hard for me to do. Having gotten out of severe depression just a few years before watching the show with my older sister, I had to take a moment to compose myself after seeing Powder scream and sob and beat herself over the head. The moment Vi called her a "jinx" was the moment I realized that Vi basically broke her mind irrevocably without even intending to and it made me sob uncontrollably for what would ultimately be her fate when Powder said "She is NOT my sister anymore!"

[@namu_desu]

Great content, awesome edits, very underrated!

[@j.f.fisher5318]

"Mel is..." yup all the reasons I love her character lol. ;) because just like Jayce is a very real kind of person we don't see often in fiction (and even more rarely depicted in a way that lets them grow and follow their own path to its natural conclusion) Mel is too. She'll probably die, but not just because of how her death impacts Jayce but moreso her mother. ... Spoiler ... ... ... Ambessa just got announced as a LoL champion. Mel.... didn't.

[@XiaolinHollis-pg5uf]

Why did this get a sponsee really good vid I’m glad I saw it but what sponser this 2 months later

[@shamwow1893]

Nice analysis!

[@chidivids2005]

6:09 Dude. They called him 'Little Man💀'

[@isuckthemall]

bruv imagin losing FIVE parents. first her bio mother / father, then the second father vander, then the third father silco, then a little big vander again💀

[@Bearisgone]

FIRST

[@Bearisgone]

By sheer chance

[@ryanmatthews3609]

arcane character building is pretentious/horrible/awful and complete bullshit.

[@Eat_shit--die_mad]

Pathetic bait

[@ryanmatthews3609]

@@Eat_shit--die_mad excuse me?

[@VenomRoseEdits]

How so? You can make a claim, now support it with valid evidence.

[@ryanmatthews3609]

@@VenomRoseEdits it is league propaganda and is a cash grab despite the animation by Fortiche and Ella Purnell's acting skills in a way.

[@Eat_shit--die_mad]

@@ryanmatthews3609 wow your brain is so smooth the entire concept of media literacy is incapable of permiating your skull. You must have been raised in a literal basement to be this inept, or it's pathetic rage bait regardless