@@blacktigerpaw1 I heard this interpretation of Mel before Season 2 already. I don't argue with Jayvik shippers because I admit they have very good bases for their ship. But I think that downplaying Mel is not necessary to support that ship. Also I heard the theory that the misjudgment of Mel might be rooted in misogynoir, at least for some people, and in my opinion it is a possible explanation.
@@elisaelisaross I've seen it on Twitter, so it isn't a theory, and I have seen it in fanfics. Not to mention Andres Derakhshani, a former animator, also said openly that Mel was a beard for Jayce because he was 'thinking about Viktor' whem sleeping with her. That interview went viral on Twitter and TikTok despite the blatant misogyny in it, and was used as proof that the animators made the ship canon. I do not mind the ship myself, but throwing aside a black woman for a white man is not good optics.
literally. "She's a manipular!" She's literally so much more than that??? heaven forbid a politician acts like a politician and is a byproduct of her upbringing
I heard people say they did this and it was disrespectful, but I only recently looked into it myself. Yeah bad optics, especially since the disposable black girlfriend trope is being acknowledged more and more. I was told that after they did that the hate for Mel got worst. So sad.
It cannot be stated enough how amazing this video is. I hate how so many conversations about mel start and end at “she’s a manipulator” without any other context/analysis, just go straight to demonization and thus dismissal. You do a really great job of explaining (w/o excusing) her actions and decisions, while focusing on the other aspects of her character that make her so compelling. She’s also my favorite character, so it’s really great to finally find a video that isnt entirely focused on mel in relation to jayce or woobifying jayce. Thank you !!!
Jayce and Mel's relationship is honestly my favourite in season one and I think its nuance is so underrated!! You encapsulated it perfectly in this video! They help each other grow beyond their own narrow worldviews by opening up to each other and being vulnerable. Thank you for the time and care you put into giving Mel such a great analysis video!
Absolute fire analysis, I always felt that Mel was always such an under-appreciated character. Her relationship and opposition to Ambessa in S1 made her one of my favorite characters. Her confrontation of ambessa in S2 solidified that for me.
*Her confrontation of ambessa in S2 solidified that for me* but nothing happens in that scene. The black rose thing is just some throwaway subplot conflict that doesn't actually change Mel or her relationship with her Mother in a meaningful way. You could argue that Ambessa would've been nullified regardless of Mel or the black rose interfering sans Viktor. That's how inconsequential that conclusion is. It doesn't even really make sense that she suddenly doesn't want the black rose to torture and presumably kill her Mother. None of that really has much bearing on the relationship between these two characters. It's such a major leap to think things are totally resolved between Mel and her mom.. so Mel wants to suddenly destroy the black rose to save her mom? Why didn't she just do that as soon as she got her magic powers? It's convoluted. They ruin her character by reducing her to "magic will solve the problem," instead of her brains or her resourcefulness or her loyalty with her friends or her boyfriend (the last one being particularly important seeing as it does happen).
Thank you for commenting ❤️ you’re one of the first comments in this video and I remember seeing it before sleeping and feeling so grateful and encouraged. Yes we got to see Mel’s ideologies so strongly with her scenes with her mother!! Im glad they showed more of their relationship in s2
Thank you for this analysis. It's always wonderful to see people approach Mel as a brilliant character in her own right and not part of noxious shipping discourse or to just flatten her into an evil villainess. In my opinion, she's one of the best characters in the entire show. Complex, nuanced, with so much cool potential. I love how she defied expectations - most people expected her to be some sort of evil femme fatale and heartless political operator but she's not. She's so much more. Her heart and her desire to paint the walls in gold (to do good) sets her apart from whatever archetypes people would want to place her in.
Thank you for your comment and watching!! I think arcane gives us a character who we think will act a certain way and then makes them so complex! Jinx, Jayce, Mel all act different than the stereotypical box they could be put in. It’s really nice to see it since they feel so human. Also your paint in gold comment is so beautiful 😭 I didn’t think of it that way
This is one of the best analysis I have seen of Mel, her philosophies, motivations and the people she cares about. Thank you. This review is like Christmas all over again.
Mel's relationship with Jayce always intrigued me. Jayce is Mel's investment before someone she can use until she became vulnerable with him and I think there's more potential on their relationship but yeah... The distant
That’s a very, very good one. It feels like Mel needed more space and it’s too bad season 2 went the way it did not giving her near enough I perceived her relationship with Jayce as more of finding mutual support and kinship in each other that went beyond initial infatuation and intrigue, seeing her being brought up in ship wars is beyond obsolete
11:29 Mel's basically saying "nah, imma do my own thing". this video is so beautifully done. I'm ashamed. i hated the writers for not writing her character well enough when they did! i was just listening too much to the fandom and not paying as much attention as i should've. this is so well done. this may be crazy, but i honestly hope Christian Linke and Amanda Overtone can watch your video!! because you did such a great analysis on such an underrated character by the fandom.
13:20 you are just hitting all the right points and it makes me realize why Jayce got so much hate in the fandom. as you said in the timestamp, we all thought Jayce was gonna be the rich, snobby, egotistical, narcissistic and ignore Viktor 24/7 now that he got his fame. but he wasn't like that at all. and because majority of the fandom were more concerned about the Vi-Jinx story line (which made sense because they had more screentime + the series legit started with them), they hated their idea of what jayce was and not what he actually was.
27:57 honestly i love this message for Mel, a character full of traditionally feminine traits, usually on western shows they treat traditionally feminine characters, as weaker because of these traits, and usually only masculine traits are a example of strength
I adore seeing these types of videos because it further shows just how well written the main cast of arcane is, no one is completely black or white, good or bad, they’re simply human
for me, Mel was one of the highlights of arcane; especially season 1. I loved her ability to seamlessly navigate through and around piltover’s bureaucracy and use its corruption and loopholes to her benefit. Quietly but remarkably intelligent. absolutely love her
when i clicked on this i was not expecting to be converted to a melsteb (goldfish?) shipper but here we are. lol anyways absolutely banger analysis thank you so much. i will scream if i see one more person say she is just a manipulator or otherwise reduce her complex character to evil conniving seductress. this video is required viewing for anyone that still says that
Goldfish is the cutest name!! 😭 thank u for watching and im glad the message resonated. Im excited to see more Mel analysis from those who enjoy her character 💛
Is good to see people understanding Mels character. Some people just want to make her an evil character and hate on her while other popular characters people paint them as angels
I absolutely love this analysis, THANK YOU for making this video!! Mel is my favorite character and I love she’s getting more appreciation. 10:10 - I never picked up on this! Gives the final shot of her ships even more depth. 15:30 - This is so true. People forget Jayce is a grown man capable of making decisions! 16:53 - Tbf to Mel we’ve seen Jayce isn’t above skirting the rules to achieve a goal (illegal experiments, breaking into a lab, attacking the factory) 17:41 - Yes! Their relationship was always built on aligned goals and ideologies 21:06 - Mel arguably has the best understanding of human psychology on the show, I love that her strengths aren’t physical (pre S2) but are just as powerful!
Such a great deep dive, I appreciate how you don't ramble and everything you say has a point to it. You showed me a lot of things I had missed like Mel putting her hand on Viktor's cane. I'm happy to see people appreciate Mel and see that although she is cunning and knows how to manipulate, she is very caring for the people around her and absolutely loves Piltover and its people. But I also appreciate you calling out how she failed the people of Zaun. I love jayvik but Mel and Jayce had such a loving relationship despite it starting as more of an investment, they truly loved each other and were good to one another. It's very frustrating to see people boil her down to just "a manipulator" or a bad person just because she has been taught how to control social situations. It was such a shame that her story was so rushed in season 2 because I would've loved to see more of her, her grief and how she has been taught to surpress it, and also more interactions with Jayce after not seeing each other for so long. I hope they continue her story in Noxus and give her the time she deserves. Thanks for the awesome analysis! You even made me like Ambessa more.
I, minding my own business, watching a top-notch Mel deep dive, WAS NOT expecting the last 7 minute to bring up a mention for Steb and Mel's potential shipping fuel! I threw my fists up in the air! My eyes legit got all watery! 😭 They mean so much to me! As one of the only 4 fans who have publicly made some sort of content for them, I now owe you my life, madam! 🥰 What a great video!
Omgosh really!!! I was searching his name to see if anyone liked them together I felt this might be a hard one for people to see which is totally fine 😭 that’s so cool!! You’re keeping the ship afloat!
@velaslive They don't have a legit ship name yet, but I have seen "goldfish" and "goldtide" as well as just the usual "stebmel" and "melsteb". I'm the only art I've seen so far, but I am slowly working on a fic too! I hope your video helps kindle the fandom and more people see the vision and make some more content! They deserve nice things! 🩵💛 Same with Lest! 💜
mel is my favorite character in arcane and i absolutely loved this analysis!! you picked up on so many little details and nuances to her character that completely flew over my head oh my gosh
Woah, that's a well thought analasys of a Arcane character that you did Vela, she is indeed such a expressive person and kind soul, despite being born in rich monarchy that worships war, and it's very interesting that she expressing all of her emotions thru her paintings, this is truly such in interesting video that you ever did 👏✌️🙌👍💫✨
This was so well done. It's making its round on X and shared and discussed by avid Mel stans and those open to discuss all aspects of her and not just the manipulation part and make her out to be cartoonisg. So, thank you for touching all these bases of her character. Like even with the love interest aspect, even if it isn't quite who I'd go for, but I do see mkre vouching for Mel/Lest
That’s amazing!! I did see one thread today on the black rose and how physically painful her mage transformation was, the depth that it was written was incredible. I can’t wait to see many more come out from Mel lovers!!! And haha yeah I heard of a couple other ships too late 😅 I would love if she got a completely new love interest too but that explored love that opens her up in a different way from arcane. I just want to see her loved and grow even more!!
@velaslive Please share the thread link. That's something I've not seen anyone talk about. They just overlook it to talk about how cool/beautiful she looked afterwards, but the poor girl was clearly in so much pain and screaming at the top of her lungs. Like did we all not watch that to reason that perhaps Ambessa was the good guy, in this case, shielding Mel from basically being tortured into a weapon... imagine if the Black Rose got her as a child when the arcane wasn't already waking up in her to make the torture quicker... Lord knows how long they held and tortured her brother for before realising he wasn't the one. Yet I see more discussions where people believe that the Black Rose is telling the truth about Ambessa seeing Mel as a weapon (when we all saw that ironically, the Black Rose literally just made her into one a second ago against her will). They forget that if that was indeed how Ambessa viewed Mel, Mel would have since been wired up and experimented on like Warwick to transform her earlier. Anyway, I digress. Would just love to read someone's opinion that isn't about how Mel became even more beautiful after transforming. Like they took "beauty is pain" way too literally.
@@mary-brendaakoda7389 WHAT that is crazy to think the black rose is telling the truth. For all ambessas wrongs she DOES love her children and wants them out of the black roses hands. I definitely wish I read the thread before this video because I didn’t fully see how pained she was with the transformation and I was in shock for missing it since it’s so obvious how painful it was and how weak she feels after using her magic!! I left a lot of talk out of her powers since I didn’t understand them well and still kinda struggle :’) but I want to so bad. I’m pretty bad at grasping magical concepts but the thread was beautifully helpful as well as all the new stuff coming out!! Thread: x.com/eifavoritedango/status/1869812180218196172 I COMPLETELY agree the black rose was forcing her powers to come out with high stress torture. Your comment is so well done. I really love the analysis. And one of Mel’s voice lines really hit on your final point!! “Raised by noxus. built by Piltover. TAINTED by magic” she feels so strongly about what these powers did to her
Re black rose lies: I know right... but here I was, finding an almost hour long "Ambessa - therapist reacts" video with the TH-camr having to analyse the whole seasons and justify that Ambessa loved her and didn't see her as a weapon. Yet, some comments were still saying there's truth to their lies, etc. Re painful transformation: Going back to watch that part, to be fair, I think we were all too focused on the fancy new gold markings. It was actually only one TH-camr (from the mash of TH-camrs' reactions I saw) that reacted with a pained look and said, "that looks very painful" and was concerned for her wellbeing and what they were doing to her. That was only when my eyes looked up from the gold on her body to her facial expression in this transformation and noticed for the first time that she was screaming all along and with that registering in my head, I finally heard the screams too and realised it wasn't part of the epic background music. So never been the same giddy person again at that scene. Poor girl was hurting so badly and we were there cheering 😅 Hmm. Thought the thread was going in that direction 😅. Regardless, good thread; only disagree with the part about Mel knowing about her magic before her transformation. She definitely didn't. She was shocked too and didn't even guess she was the magical child. Yes, they were forcing it out, and thankfully for Mel, the arcane was already awakening (or had awakened) so she didn't have to suffer for long (for them to get it out). Probably unlike her brother... well, actually, they told us Mel had been gone for months and we know she was with them all this while so maybe we only saw the climax of it. Thank you for your kind words. Funnily enough, I've never commented on anything on YT before 😅 Re tainted: Yes! That's such a powerful point and you connecting the dots to this makes so much sense now for me. I heard such sadness in her voice when she said that, but couldn't place why, since we were all in the mindset of "that was the coolest thing ever; you're the coolest thing ever!", but come to think of it, noone actually asked her permission; e.g., if LeBlanc had refrained from killing her friend and moved her whole speech forward to first tell her and then be like, "so what do you think? Would you like to unlock your magic and become the world's saviour? I must warn you though, it won't be easy". That would have given Mel the decision and some time to think about it and even make sense of it. But she wasn't so while we think she's cooler now having magic, she probably feels violated, hence the use of the word, "tainted". Plus as her mum always said, "weapons cannot be unmade and they are always used"; so she definitely knows there's no reversal to what happened to her and she now has to all of a sudden struggle to make sense of it and accept it however reluctantly, while figuring out how to not be used by others. P. S. Hate that she only got one very short conversation with Jayce to express how she felt. Girl needs a whole therapy. Rather, all her loved ones die and she's left to take up her mum's leadership mantle (which she wasn't expecting) as heir, leave her nice and progressive home that she's built (and where she's so easily superior to everyone else) back to her hostile, cutthroat home (where they most likely knew about her banishment so by default, underestimate her, and she'll have to prove herself a lot--game already said that), all this while being alone and without some time to recover from the events of S2. At this point, I would have appreciated if they at least gave her Rictus--yes, he's not a friend so she would still be alone, but he'd have been a loyal adviser and maybe helped her process a bit about Ambessa and tell her more about their enemies and what to expect. Anyway, wishful thinking. At least Ambessa feels she's a wolf now--though at what cost to her soul, happiness and principles if she has to keep becoming the wolf (more than the fox)... that would be exhausting. I bet that nostalgia for home will quickly go away and she'd look back at Piltover and think, simpler times. Sorry for the long rant. Just got carried away. I love Mel too much.
@@mary-brendaakoda7389 i really loved reading this I think your analysis of mel is SPOT ON! Sadly in arcane I feel so many characters are misunderstood but at least people are finding videos and threads to learn more! I didn't understand the black rose when I first watched so I'm thankful for the videos haha The cheering oh no!!! I think the beauty is pain hit it on the mark perfectly. Distracted by the gold. Mel always hides her pain well too, she came out of the experience looking so determined. Yes the screams!! I had to go back to really listen and hear the pain. I agree I don't think that mel knew and I like it that way better because it makes her scene where she is discovering it so much more powerful. I always thought when the magical child came up that she thought they had another sibling lol I'm making a video on the voicelines and I talked about the tainted part already but I wanted to mention where you talked about if Leblanc did things differently. Would it be okay to highlight your comment? Would you like your name blurred out or kept in/preferred name? I can keep it anonymous depending on what you feel comfortable with. I just thought it was such a great point to show if the introduction to her powers were done differently mel could've felt empowered by her magic instead of almost a victim to it (the experience of torture to awaken it outside of her control just because someone ELSE wants it). I mention this in the video too but she also goes "I cannot be undone" in one of her voice lines TT combined with the ambessa's whole "A weapon cannot be undone" Mel truly believes herself as a weapon. Hopefully one she controls at least. I AGREEEE IM SO SAD ABOUT IT. I'm finding solace in the voicelines but its cope for sure it's sad she has no one but i'm truly hoping she can find allies quickly. I'm a bit delusional but seeing her friendly lines with Lux, Senna, and Hwei I'm like please.....be her friend. If Rictus was there I'm sure she'd feel like a part of her mother remained as they shared many memories together. His guidance would've been valuable. That makes me so sad. she yearned for her home so badly only for the reality of it to hit her hard especially now alone. Though I wonder if she has other family there to go back to? Cousins/etc?
First, wow your analysis is spot on and incredible, thank you second, i kept wondering why the writers never featured Viktor and Mel interacting too much given their potential for story-driven conflict, but as of S2, the newest League season trailer posted today, and what it looks like the writers are going for, i think i understand why they never had prolonged interactions. The writers tease us with this when Viktor nearly infiltrates Mel's mind as the Machine Herald: Mel's power is INSANE and Viktor being able to see what she is capable of, her memories, and her inner thoughts, plus his reaction to them, may have hinted at future plotlines that Riot isn't prepared to reveal yet. I am also coping so
I've been searching for videos analysing Mel's character, especially after season 2 and this one is exactly what i wanted. Amazing video and character analysis keep them coming ❤❤
Oh my gosh I am just squealing in my head right now for how thoroughly and eloquently you have worded every single thought in my head about Mel!!! She's one of my favorite characters in the show and I have so much love for her, but sometimes it's just so frustrating talking about her to certain members of the fandom because her nuances seem to fall to the background for a lot of people. I'm especially so happy to hear someone else acknowledge the depth in Mel and Viktor's relationship beyond being mirrors of Jayce's affection, it's literally one of my biggest niche fixations in the show!! You also talked about Mel's manipulation and role in the council as oppressors of Zaun so so well, I can't express that enough! This was an incredible video, thank you so much for making it
mel is such a great character. i'm looking forward to hopefully seeing her in the next show. and her character design is incredible. i really like the golden freckles and later tattoos.
I appreciate this video so much! Mel is one of my favorite characters, it makes me so happy to see such a thorough and nuanced analysis of her! I love the silver tongued type of character who can leverage soft power and manipulations, while also having genuine empathy and care. I love how her background and relationship with her mother deepens her beyond just Rich Sponsor; the difference between her playing the council like they're dolls, being arguably the most powerful person in Piltover, yet she struggles with inadequacy, her family legacy, and the violent reality of the city beyond her gilded walls. I was a little disappointed that her mage arc in season 2 eclipsed her already established strength of diplomacy, with her political and ideological conflicts with her mother being boiled down to the secret magical heritage and a physical standoff. Felt like s2 missed the point of her character a little, but she did look kickass so its a mixed bag. Despite the detour her story took in season 2, I'm still glad to see people reading more into her complexities and her inner world rather than purely villifying or ignoring her. This explored so many different aspects! I love the Meljay appreciation; I love Jayvik but I feel like people downplay the honesty and vulnerability that Mel and Jayce shared solely to prove Jayvik superior. It makes sense that they'd break up, but their bond is still compelling to me. Speaking of ships, I love the MelLest shoutout! I'm glad I'm not the only one that felt some type of way about their clandestine collab. Also Steb! I never considered a romance between those two before, but you make a good case! Anyways this was a whole ramble, but I'm really really glad for this video! Mel Medarda for the win, this is going on the favorites playlist. Thanks for sharing!
Adore Mel, hope to see more of her in a Noxus show. Great analysis 10/10 Mel's journey and character was especially interesting to me in contrast to Vi and Caitlyn: Vi and Mel both being protectors, and Caitlyn and Mel both being misfits struggling with their family legacy and personal identity/principles. also, re: Steb, I saw it as Mel protecting the one loyal survivor of Cait's task force. He's the #bestEnforcer
I said it in a different comment, but just wanted to make another praising how flipping good this video is. It's a breath of fresh air and your critical media perspective is sharp as hellllll and JUST IN TIME for her to waltz into the main game! haha after all the new content with her that's out it's almost as if they're setting up to make her a contender for the noxian throne against Swain
Mel is that fine line of Manipulation and Encouragement. Jayce WAS a good investment, she even let him and Viktor BREAK INTO the lab. Because she knew Jayce could do it. And as their plans for the future aligned, so did their ideals and their intimacy. There isn't a scene with Mel and Jayce where they arent spilling their guts and being vulnerable with each other. A manipulator never puts down those walls. Mel's love was obvious, but she was raised to be cunning in everything. Her words always kill two birds with one stone. But that's not a bad thing.
I absolutely adore Mel as I started the series. She’s cunning and smart, yet at the same time vulnerable! She’s a great manipulator because that’s what she was taught as a Noxian. As we progressed throughout the season, we get to see cracks of what she truly is, and that’s why she’s amazing. If Riot plans to focus on the Noxus region of their next series, they better pull Mel out of the box because her whole story is so, so tragic and we wanted to see her dealing it
This is so good! Feeding me for like a month with the amount you served here. Edit: The Steb bit😭 girlllll. I never caught that Mel sheilded him. Thats such a good detail. Its giving crackship but im not mad.
This is such a good analysis! It’s refreshing to see a video that truly highlights the intricacies of Mel’s character, and what makes her so well written. Great video!
Thank you for this amazing analysis and really acknowledging what an amazingly well written character she is. However, I do still love her with Jayce. I can’t help it 😅.
@ You’re welcome! It’s so nice to see someone who understands Mel and gives her character the credit it deserves. I’m sorry if I implied anything, I didn’t think your video was forcing ships. I just meet a lot of people that get mad if you’re a fan of Mel x Jayce even though I think the relationship was such an interesting aspect of the story.
@@beccaknight5763 oh man I’m sorry that’s happened! I remember ppl used to ship Jack Frost and Elsa (two completely different movies) it really is just fun when you see a dynamic you enjoy
@ Yes, I was one of those people that shipped them lol. But ships are supposed to be fun but I think some people take things too far sadly, but it’s nice to meet people that remember the fun in them ☺️
also to add about Jayce's trauma, Jayce, among all the characters in arcane, hasn't really had a hard life compared to them. the hardest thing he went through was the snowstorm when he was little. that's legit why he throws up when seeing the death on the bridge while mel doesn't react that way. so for jayce to be suddenly plummeted into a AU where it's just him, he's forced to basically go through what viktor went through in a span of a few months, his mental state returning is wholly understandable.
I love everything about this breakdown!!! Thank you so much for speaking positively and with such depth about an awesome character who I hope we see more of
Mel’s character is a tragedy where all of her insecurities where amped up by the political conflict she was part of becoming exactly what her mother wanted her to be instead of embracing those insecurities and accepting herself and her way of thinking that’s how I see it
I'm so happy that someone did such a wonderful analysis of are darling queen. ^^ Also i agree with the love elements. How its beautiful to relate to that part of her. ^^
Great analysis. They bring in a strong black woman onto a show like Arcane and with the proper writing she is shown to be quite nuanced as well as layered. It's ironic that in season 2 they throw her character into a metaphorical trash can, then throw the relationship with Jayce away to boot. They proceed to turn her into the anti-thesis of her character by the time she's awkwardly shoved into the final act of the show. What a joke! Are the writers saying a woman has no power with her brain? Isn't that the whole point of her character? But she needs magic to solve all her problems now, huh? How stupid and racist. Mel's entire character contrasts beautifully with her Mother. Her Mom doesn't realize how many people she actually pisses off with war or violence (something that has consumed her family), whereas Mel is basically the social butterfly who keeps everyone happy with one another regardless of the cost- as long as the cost isn't MURDER. She's manipulative, cunning, but also shown to be a diplomat and a loving woman. She's a lover- not a fighter. There is no love in Ambessa, just looks at how she uses people while she's in Piltover in the first season.
I wouldn't say it's racist, that's stepping over the line, but everything else is true. personally I think Mel is too good for Jayce-but I wish they had more respect for their relationship and Mel's character
@@hello-lz4xj Mel deserves someone for whom she will be a priority above anything else and Jayce had another priority. Tbh Mel had other priorities too - finding her own path that wouldn't be determined by her mother, taking control of her life and her agency, learning her origin that she didn't even know about before. I'm excited about her journey in the Noxus. I hope the writers won't screw it up. I personally enjoyed her mage arc a lot because I wasn't invested in the political storyline much but I'm excited about magic in Runeterra, I love Black Rose in the lore and I love that Mel could be a part of that
@@hello-lz4xj I think Mel and Jayce are good for each other. Jayce was the fresh air Mel needed. This video talks about it. Mel is a business woman and while she has colleagues, she doesn't have close friends. Jayce was a person that wore his emotions on his sleeve and was genuine which allowed her to be vulnerable too. He also wasn't like other council members that cared for their own investments, he cared for progress and helping the city which is what she also cared about.
What an amazing video, I can really see the love you have for the character, which is what she needs the most both in fiction and in real life haha. I think I might disagree a little with the "supposed breakup" part between Mel and Jayce. Maybe I interpreted wrong, but maybe you take it as a breakup, which is understandable, but I don't think it was well done or I don't feel like there was proper preparation for it. I don't mind them breaking up but I expect a better deconstruction even though I liked the first 5 seconds and the last 10 of the meeting between the two. As for manipulation, what I see from several is that they take the relationship as a whole in a "manipulation" framework when in reality at least for me the relationship was a business one that slowly evolved into a more intimate and personal one. As for relationships, totally get it , I have some mutuals on Twitter who do the same or have the same perspective as you. My problem (it's completely my problem) is how I framed MelJay as an endgame (silly of me maybe lol), maybe the reason I like it so much is that feels very real, I don't believe in the idea of soulmates, I believe in two people making small leaps of faith to trust. They are both visionaries and feel like they can honestly talk about what's going on with them, which I think ended up surprising Mel for the better because she ended up letting her defenses down. I know the ship thing is something I'll have to let go of for Mel's sake but it's kind of hard lol Very interested to see what they do for Mel's future, I really liked the relationship with Ambessa another awesome character, hopefully we get to see more of the family especially her father and that they don't retcon her relationship with Jayce Again incredible video sorry that I made it long
Thank you so much for this break down, people see what they want to see and to many people only want to see a Beautiful, Dark skinned feminine, intelligent woman, Season two felt the need to make Mel masculine. I agree with you 100% New subscriber here and yes Mel deserves a relationship, with Jayce or another Man, as do any Black woman who wants that. All to often people only want to see Black women gay or and masculine.
Yes! 💯 I loved Mel because she’s such a rarity on so many levels! She’s a breath of fresh air! I was shocked how well her character was written! I actually like her with Jayce tbh.
Hello everyone!! Waking up to such kind messages meant the world. Thank you for watching and I appreciate each comment. If you guys want to watch other analysis on arcane I have a playlist of shorts: th-cam.com/play/PLxfoxrdwFk3-72NmFM6AcE-Z4tOZe6jN7.html&feature=shared Who’s bedroom is it theory: www.reddit.com/r/arcane/comments/tdyff5/spoilers_ep5_the_truth_behind_the_sextech_crime/ Also I’m sorry for the weird editing. The video was getting blcked so I had to re-edit it by placing my model in certain spots A couple comments brought up s2 and the frustrations with Mel’s arc not receiving the care it should, how in some ways it flips s1 on its head by showing to Mel that she did need to become the wolf and it got me thinking of Ambessa’a quote with the old regime girl “Unalive her and you won’t have to unalive 1000s.” It calls to Mel taking out her mother while Noxus soldiers stood around them (Mel not needing to fight them in that moment). I feel that more time could’ve been spent analyzing this ending and reading your comments really opened my eyes to things I found uncertainty in as well. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, it really warms my heart to see others who feel passionately about this character and her themes 11:59 - meant to say they have failed Zaun* this was the last thing I recorded my brain was so exhausted by this point lol I’d love to hear someone dissect jinx and Mel’s art tho!!!! I think it’d be such a cool analysis
so glad to see a thoroughly thought out assessment of Mel’s character! so many people sum up her character as just a manipulator playing the political game. yes, that is a huge part of her character, but that’s also such a surface-level analysis. i remember thinking Mel was going to be Piltover’s “bad guy” in season 1, someone morally corrupt and just out for power. this changed after the scene with Jayce finding her painting, when i realized she was so much more than just a politician. she’s lower on my list of favorites character now bc i feel like she didn’t get as much in season 2, but that doesn’t change the fact that i still think she’s written wonderfully! Mel and Caitlyn’s battle against Ambessa may just be my favorite scene in the entire show, and none of them are even in my top 5 favorite characters. it just goes to show the emotional weight each of these people carry throughout their arcs, making scenes that would otherwise be used for spectacle in a lesser show into heavy, character-driven scenes to serve their wider arcs. i swear i could talk about this show and it’s characters for the rest of my life and never get bored💛 also i totally see Mel and Lest being a cute couple. something about their personalities just works for me, ya know? also elegant women in sapphic relationships is just >>>
This so refreshing to see, especially after she got completely sidelined by most of the fandom (and the writers) in season 2! But I guess that also might just be the internet and the louder and more dominant part of the fandom. I am obsessed with her, like literally. I don't know what it is about her character, her arc that relates deeply to me, I absolutely adore her. She has her imperfections, her blunders, but this only makes her more human and complex, and we also get to see her silently realise them as you said, which sooo many people overlook completely! Sigh. I'm honestly kind of disappointed in the fandom for being so black and white when it comes to her. Thank you so much for this analysis, I'm gonna watch it multiple times now 😭💖
Agreed. Mel was a super interesting character in the first season. Then they stripped everything that made her interesting and turned her into a mage with no setup for her having those powers in the first season. So stupid
You know what? I really do not care about LoL and wasn't planning on watching the Arcane movie. But, I can see you really worked hard on this video, so I will give this a try 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽 Ok Done! Now, I will give you some advise: when talking or showing about copyrighted material, limit yourself to a very few stills of said material. Otherwise, YT gonna nuke your video and channel with strikes or even takedowns. Great video other then that. 🎉🎉🎉
Hi I’m new to this channel can someone explain why she is constantly changing the images of herself (3D thing) It’s really cool it just is a bit confusing
I wish I didn’t have to 😭 TH-cam was blocking my video until I added those bits. I’ll show my model sometimes but I wish it was more consistent I definitely was bothered by the look of it in the end. The paper model was added in post-editing due to this and losing original footage
This was such a well thought out analysis on Mel’s character. It feels like you understood her character so well. It is a shame it didn’t seem like she got as much nuance and care as she did in s1 :( But overall this was great!
Thank you so much for watching!! And I do agree there’s a lot of things I question in s2 and wonder if I spend more time thinking about it I’ll get it? haha they definitely needed an act 4 or 3 seasons 😭
@@velaslive couldn’t agree more on that last point! I hope that since the next arcane series will involve noxus, that at the very least she will be both in it and that it’ll expand on her lore some more
Nope. It's like Jayce said: she used him. He was wise to that now and it appeared there was absolutely no care for him coming from her. Despite everything, in the end, she is just a manipulator.
yet another 3 dimensional character fallen victim to season 2, in season 1 she had agency and acted upon it. Season 2 puts her in a timeout room for 7 episodes then she is relegated to hurr durr my plot magic wins LOL.
this analysis fails to acknowledge that narratively s2 has nothing to do with s1. a complex character of s1, full of goals and motivations, is replaced with generic "she needs to learn be vulnerable".
I would love to know what are some things you wished you saw in s2? I def have criticisms of s2 and wish the pacing was different, I kept from saying those thoughts to focus on what they gave us and understand her through that lens. But I’d love to hear how you saw Mel and would’ve liked her story explored? What are some challenges she could’ve faced? How could her character have grown differently? It is sad to see that by the end she is now the head of an army. A lot of people who love Mel can recognize she may be now in a spot she never wanted to be in
Yall how we feeling about “welcome to noxus” vid 😭 she’s back!!!
Part 2 coming soon
It was exciting. 🎉
Finally somebody going beyond "Mel is a manipulator". Very interesting analysis!
They only say that because she gets in the way of Jayvik.
@@blacktigerpaw1 I heard this interpretation of Mel before Season 2 already. I don't argue with Jayvik shippers because I admit they have very good bases for their ship. But I think that downplaying Mel is not necessary to support that ship. Also I heard the theory that the misjudgment of Mel might be rooted in misogynoir, at least for some people, and in my opinion it is a possible explanation.
@@elisaelisaross I've seen it on Twitter, so it isn't a theory, and I have seen it in fanfics. Not to mention Andres Derakhshani, a former animator, also said openly that Mel was a beard for Jayce because he was 'thinking about Viktor' whem sleeping with her. That interview went viral on Twitter and TikTok despite the blatant misogyny in it, and was used as proof that the animators made the ship canon.
I do not mind the ship myself, but throwing aside a black woman for a white man is not good optics.
literally. "She's a manipular!" She's literally so much more than that??? heaven forbid a politician acts like a politician and is a byproduct of her upbringing
I heard people say they did this and it was disrespectful, but I only recently looked into it myself. Yeah bad optics, especially since the disposable black girlfriend trope is being acknowledged more and more. I was told that after they did that the hate for Mel got worst. So sad.
I also hope Mel can find love again even though she’ll be in Noxus.
There’s a lot of cool characters over there!! I’m excited and going to keep my hopes high 🙏
@@velaslive Maybe Lest will be there :3
It cannot be stated enough how amazing this video is. I hate how so many conversations about mel start and end at “she’s a manipulator” without any other context/analysis, just go straight to demonization and thus dismissal. You do a really great job of explaining (w/o excusing) her actions and decisions, while focusing on the other aspects of her character that make her so compelling. She’s also my favorite character, so it’s really great to finally find a video that isnt entirely focused on mel in relation to jayce or woobifying jayce. Thank you !!!
Jayce and Mel's relationship is honestly my favourite in season one and I think its nuance is so underrated!! You encapsulated it perfectly in this video! They help each other grow beyond their own narrow worldviews by opening up to each other and being vulnerable.
Thank you for the time and care you put into giving Mel such a great analysis video!
I love seeing people also love Mel. She’s been the character I’m most interested in since S1. S2 makes me excited for what’s next in her story.
Absolute fire analysis, I always felt that Mel was always such an under-appreciated character. Her relationship and opposition to Ambessa in S1 made her one of my favorite characters. Her confrontation of ambessa in S2 solidified that for me.
*Her confrontation of ambessa in S2 solidified that for me* but nothing happens in that scene. The black rose thing is just some throwaway subplot conflict that doesn't actually change Mel or her relationship with her Mother in a meaningful way. You could argue that Ambessa would've been nullified regardless of Mel or the black rose interfering sans Viktor. That's how inconsequential that conclusion is. It doesn't even really make sense that she suddenly doesn't want the black rose to torture and presumably kill her Mother. None of that really has much bearing on the relationship between these two characters. It's such a major leap to think things are totally resolved between Mel and her mom.. so Mel wants to suddenly destroy the black rose to save her mom? Why didn't she just do that as soon as she got her magic powers? It's convoluted. They ruin her character by reducing her to "magic will solve the problem," instead of her brains or her resourcefulness or her loyalty with her friends or her boyfriend (the last one being particularly important seeing as it does happen).
Thank you for commenting ❤️ you’re one of the first comments in this video and I remember seeing it before sleeping and feeling so grateful and encouraged. Yes we got to see Mel’s ideologies so strongly with her scenes with her mother!! Im glad they showed more of their relationship in s2
You realize viktor winning is death for the world, a lot more than just beating ambessa @@MapRef.41degreesN93degrresW
Great analysis. Mel is so underappreciated, it's great to see her get the deep dive she deserves.
Thank you for this analysis. It's always wonderful to see people approach Mel as a brilliant character in her own right and not part of noxious shipping discourse or to just flatten her into an evil villainess. In my opinion, she's one of the best characters in the entire show. Complex, nuanced, with so much cool potential. I love how she defied expectations - most people expected her to be some sort of evil femme fatale and heartless political operator but she's not. She's so much more. Her heart and her desire to paint the walls in gold (to do good) sets her apart from whatever archetypes people would want to place her in.
Thank you for your comment and watching!! I think arcane gives us a character who we think will act a certain way and then makes them so complex! Jinx, Jayce, Mel all act different than the stereotypical box they could be put in. It’s really nice to see it since they feel so human. Also your paint in gold comment is so beautiful 😭 I didn’t think of it that way
This is one of the best analysis I have seen of Mel, her philosophies, motivations and the people she cares about. Thank you. This review is like Christmas all over again.
❤😭 this was so sweet to read thank you for watching
Mel's relationship with Jayce always intrigued me. Jayce is Mel's investment before someone she can use until she became vulnerable with him and I think there's more potential on their relationship but yeah... The distant
That’s a very, very good one. It feels like Mel needed more space and it’s too bad season 2 went the way it did not giving her near enough
I perceived her relationship with Jayce as more of finding mutual support and kinship in each other that went beyond initial infatuation and intrigue, seeing her being brought up in ship wars is beyond obsolete
11:29 Mel's basically saying "nah, imma do my own thing".
this video is so beautifully done. I'm ashamed. i hated the writers for not writing her character well enough when they did! i was just listening too much to the fandom and not paying as much attention as i should've. this is so well done.
this may be crazy, but i honestly hope Christian Linke and Amanda Overtone can watch your video!! because you did such a great analysis on such an underrated character by the fandom.
13:20 you are just hitting all the right points and it makes me realize why Jayce got so much hate in the fandom. as you said in the timestamp, we all thought Jayce was gonna be the rich, snobby, egotistical, narcissistic and ignore Viktor 24/7 now that he got his fame. but he wasn't like that at all.
and because majority of the fandom were more concerned about the Vi-Jinx story line (which made sense because they had more screentime + the series legit started with them), they hated their idea of what jayce was and not what he actually was.
27:57 honestly i love this message for Mel, a character full of traditionally feminine traits, usually on western shows they treat traditionally feminine characters, as weaker because of these traits, and usually only masculine traits are a example of strength
I adore seeing these types of videos because it further shows just how well written the main cast of arcane is, no one is completely black or white, good or bad, they’re simply human
for me, Mel was one of the highlights of arcane; especially season 1. I loved her ability to seamlessly navigate through and around piltover’s bureaucracy and use its corruption and loopholes to her benefit. Quietly but remarkably intelligent. absolutely love her
I love that there is also analysis of Jayce as Mel story is interwoven in his.
when i clicked on this i was not expecting to be converted to a melsteb (goldfish?) shipper but here we are. lol anyways absolutely banger analysis thank you so much. i will scream if i see one more person say she is just a manipulator or otherwise reduce her complex character to evil conniving seductress. this video is required viewing for anyone that still says that
Goldfish is the cutest name!! 😭 thank u for watching and im glad the message resonated. Im excited to see more Mel analysis from those who enjoy her character 💛
I think Jayce isn't dead, but Mel can of course find more love while she believes he's dead and gone.
Is good to see people understanding Mels character. Some people just want to make her an evil character and hate on her while other popular characters people paint them as angels
I absolutely love this analysis, THANK YOU for making this video!! Mel is my favorite character and I love she’s getting more appreciation.
10:10 - I never picked up on this! Gives the final shot of her ships even more depth.
15:30 - This is so true. People forget Jayce is a grown man capable of making decisions!
16:53 - Tbf to Mel we’ve seen Jayce isn’t above skirting the rules to achieve a goal (illegal experiments, breaking into a lab, attacking the factory)
17:41 - Yes! Their relationship was always built on aligned goals and ideologies
21:06 - Mel arguably has the best understanding of human psychology on the show, I love that her strengths aren’t physical (pre S2) but are just as powerful!
Such a great deep dive, I appreciate how you don't ramble and everything you say has a point to it. You showed me a lot of things I had missed like Mel putting her hand on Viktor's cane. I'm happy to see people appreciate Mel and see that although she is cunning and knows how to manipulate, she is very caring for the people around her and absolutely loves Piltover and its people. But I also appreciate you calling out how she failed the people of Zaun.
I love jayvik but Mel and Jayce had such a loving relationship despite it starting as more of an investment, they truly loved each other and were good to one another. It's very frustrating to see people boil her down to just "a manipulator" or a bad person just because she has been taught how to control social situations. It was such a shame that her story was so rushed in season 2 because I would've loved to see more of her, her grief and how she has been taught to surpress it, and also more interactions with Jayce after not seeing each other for so long. I hope they continue her story in Noxus and give her the time she deserves. Thanks for the awesome analysis! You even made me like Ambessa more.
I, minding my own business, watching a top-notch Mel deep dive, WAS NOT expecting the last 7 minute to bring up a mention for Steb and Mel's potential shipping fuel! I threw my fists up in the air! My eyes legit got all watery! 😭 They mean so much to me! As one of the only 4 fans who have publicly made some sort of content for them, I now owe you my life, madam! 🥰 What a great video!
Omgosh really!!! I was searching his name to see if anyone liked them together I felt this might be a hard one for people to see which is totally fine 😭 that’s so cool!! You’re keeping the ship afloat!
@velaslive They don't have a legit ship name yet, but I have seen "goldfish" and "goldtide" as well as just the usual "stebmel" and "melsteb".
I'm the only art I've seen so far, but I am slowly working on a fic too! I hope your video helps kindle the fandom and more people see the vision and make some more content!
They deserve nice things! 🩵💛 Same with Lest! 💜
mel is my favorite character in arcane and i absolutely loved this analysis!! you picked up on so many little details and nuances to her character that completely flew over my head oh my gosh
😭😭 I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed it, Mel is a phenomenal character to unpack and so excited to see her story continue
Woah, that's a well thought analasys of a Arcane character that you did Vela, she is indeed such a expressive person and kind soul, despite being born in rich monarchy that worships war, and it's very interesting that she expressing all of her emotions thru her paintings, this is truly such in interesting video that you ever did 👏✌️🙌👍💫✨
Thank you croteam!! 😭❤️ you’re always so kind
Awwy, you are welcome @@velaslive, i am always super kind to you, cause you do have a potential to be big in here, on TH-cam 🥰😇🤗✨💫
I really appreciate you for providing a nuanced and evidence supported analysis on Mel. It’s been so tiring to see the fandom reception of Mel!
I hope to make a part 2 soon :’) Ive been seeing the takes more often and could not agree more
This was so well done. It's making its round on X and shared and discussed by avid Mel stans and those open to discuss all aspects of her and not just the manipulation part and make her out to be cartoonisg. So, thank you for touching all these bases of her character. Like even with the love interest aspect, even if it isn't quite who I'd go for, but I do see mkre vouching for Mel/Lest
That’s amazing!! I did see one thread today on the black rose and how physically painful her mage transformation was, the depth that it was written was incredible. I can’t wait to see many more come out from Mel lovers!!! And haha yeah I heard of a couple other ships too late 😅 I would love if she got a completely new love interest too but that explored love that opens her up in a different way from arcane. I just want to see her loved and grow even more!!
@velaslive Please share the thread link. That's something I've not seen anyone talk about. They just overlook it to talk about how cool/beautiful she looked afterwards, but the poor girl was clearly in so much pain and screaming at the top of her lungs. Like did we all not watch that to reason that perhaps Ambessa was the good guy, in this case, shielding Mel from basically being tortured into a weapon... imagine if the Black Rose got her as a child when the arcane wasn't already waking up in her to make the torture quicker... Lord knows how long they held and tortured her brother for before realising he wasn't the one. Yet I see more discussions where people believe that the Black Rose is telling the truth about Ambessa seeing Mel as a weapon (when we all saw that ironically, the Black Rose literally just made her into one a second ago against her will). They forget that if that was indeed how Ambessa viewed Mel, Mel would have since been wired up and experimented on like Warwick to transform her earlier. Anyway, I digress. Would just love to read someone's opinion that isn't about how Mel became even more beautiful after transforming. Like they took "beauty is pain" way too literally.
@@mary-brendaakoda7389 WHAT that is crazy to think the black rose is telling the truth. For all ambessas wrongs she DOES love her children and wants them out of the black roses hands. I definitely wish I read the thread before this video because I didn’t fully see how pained she was with the transformation and I was in shock for missing it since it’s so obvious how painful it was and how weak she feels after using her magic!! I left a lot of talk out of her powers since I didn’t understand them well and still kinda struggle :’) but I want to so bad. I’m pretty bad at grasping magical concepts but the thread was beautifully helpful as well as all the new stuff coming out!!
Thread: x.com/eifavoritedango/status/1869812180218196172
I COMPLETELY agree the black rose was forcing her powers to come out with high stress torture. Your comment is so well done. I really love the analysis. And one of Mel’s voice lines really hit on your final point!! “Raised by noxus. built by Piltover. TAINTED by magic” she feels so strongly about what these powers did to her
Re black rose lies: I know right... but here I was, finding an almost hour long "Ambessa - therapist reacts" video with the TH-camr having to analyse the whole seasons and justify that Ambessa loved her and didn't see her as a weapon. Yet, some comments were still saying there's truth to their lies, etc.
Re painful transformation: Going back to watch that part, to be fair, I think we were all too focused on the fancy new gold markings. It was actually only one TH-camr (from the mash of TH-camrs' reactions I saw) that reacted with a pained look and said, "that looks very painful" and was concerned for her wellbeing and what they were doing to her. That was only when my eyes looked up from the gold on her body to her facial expression in this transformation and noticed for the first time that she was screaming all along and with that registering in my head, I finally heard the screams too and realised it wasn't part of the epic background music. So never been the same giddy person again at that scene. Poor girl was hurting so badly and we were there cheering 😅
Hmm. Thought the thread was going in that direction 😅. Regardless, good thread; only disagree with the part about Mel knowing about her magic before her transformation. She definitely didn't. She was shocked too and didn't even guess she was the magical child.
Yes, they were forcing it out, and thankfully for Mel, the arcane was already awakening (or had awakened) so she didn't have to suffer for long (for them to get it out). Probably unlike her brother... well, actually, they told us Mel had been gone for months and we know she was with them all this while so maybe we only saw the climax of it.
Thank you for your kind words. Funnily enough, I've never commented on anything on YT before 😅
Re tainted: Yes! That's such a powerful point and you connecting the dots to this makes so much sense now for me. I heard such sadness in her voice when she said that, but couldn't place why, since we were all in the mindset of "that was the coolest thing ever; you're the coolest thing ever!", but come to think of it, noone actually asked her permission; e.g., if LeBlanc had refrained from killing her friend and moved her whole speech forward to first tell her and then be like, "so what do you think? Would you like to unlock your magic and become the world's saviour? I must warn you though, it won't be easy". That would have given Mel the decision and some time to think about it and even make sense of it. But she wasn't so while we think she's cooler now having magic, she probably feels violated, hence the use of the word, "tainted". Plus as her mum always said, "weapons cannot be unmade and they are always used"; so she definitely knows there's no reversal to what happened to her and she now has to all of a sudden struggle to make sense of it and accept it however reluctantly, while figuring out how to not be used by others.
P. S. Hate that she only got one very short conversation with Jayce to express how she felt. Girl needs a whole therapy. Rather, all her loved ones die and she's left to take up her mum's leadership mantle (which she wasn't expecting) as heir, leave her nice and progressive home that she's built (and where she's so easily superior to everyone else) back to her hostile, cutthroat home (where they most likely knew about her banishment so by default, underestimate her, and she'll have to prove herself a lot--game already said that), all this while being alone and without some time to recover from the events of S2. At this point, I would have appreciated if they at least gave her Rictus--yes, he's not a friend so she would still be alone, but he'd have been a loyal adviser and maybe helped her process a bit about Ambessa and tell her more about their enemies and what to expect. Anyway, wishful thinking. At least Ambessa feels she's a wolf now--though at what cost to her soul, happiness and principles if she has to keep becoming the wolf (more than the fox)... that would be exhausting. I bet that nostalgia for home will quickly go away and she'd look back at Piltover and think, simpler times.
Sorry for the long rant. Just got carried away. I love Mel too much.
@@mary-brendaakoda7389 i really loved reading this I think your analysis of mel is SPOT ON! Sadly in arcane I feel so many characters are misunderstood but at least people are finding videos and threads to learn more! I didn't understand the black rose when I first watched so I'm thankful for the videos haha
The cheering oh no!!! I think the beauty is pain hit it on the mark perfectly. Distracted by the gold. Mel always hides her pain well too, she came out of the experience looking so determined. Yes the screams!! I had to go back to really listen and hear the pain.
I agree I don't think that mel knew and I like it that way better because it makes her scene where she is discovering it so much more powerful. I always thought when the magical child came up that she thought they had another sibling lol
I'm making a video on the voicelines and I talked about the tainted part already but I wanted to mention where you talked about if Leblanc did things differently. Would it be okay to highlight your comment? Would you like your name blurred out or kept in/preferred name? I can keep it anonymous depending on what you feel comfortable with. I just thought it was such a great point to show if the introduction to her powers were done differently mel could've felt empowered by her magic instead of almost a victim to it (the experience of torture to awaken it outside of her control just because someone ELSE wants it). I mention this in the video too but she also goes "I cannot be undone" in one of her voice lines TT combined with the ambessa's whole "A weapon cannot be undone" Mel truly believes herself as a weapon. Hopefully one she controls at least.
I AGREEEE IM SO SAD ABOUT IT. I'm finding solace in the voicelines but its cope for sure it's sad she has no one but i'm truly hoping she can find allies quickly. I'm a bit delusional but seeing her friendly lines with Lux, Senna, and Hwei I'm like please.....be her friend. If Rictus was there I'm sure she'd feel like a part of her mother remained as they shared many memories together. His guidance would've been valuable. That makes me so sad. she yearned for her home so badly only for the reality of it to hit her hard especially now alone. Though I wonder if she has other family there to go back to? Cousins/etc?
First, wow your analysis is spot on and incredible, thank you
second, i kept wondering why the writers never featured Viktor and Mel interacting too much given their potential for story-driven conflict, but as of S2, the newest League season trailer posted today, and what it looks like the writers are going for, i think i understand why they never had prolonged interactions. The writers tease us with this when Viktor nearly infiltrates Mel's mind as the Machine Herald: Mel's power is INSANE and Viktor being able to see what she is capable of, her memories, and her inner thoughts, plus his reaction to them, may have hinted at future plotlines that Riot isn't prepared to reveal yet. I am also coping so
I didn't know I need an analysis of Mel the artist and yet I did -
This video is seriously amazing - very smart and detailed, great work!!!
I've been searching for videos analysing Mel's character, especially after season 2 and this one is exactly what i wanted. Amazing video and character analysis keep them coming ❤❤
This analysis is so amazing!!! Mel is such an underrated character and I barely see people talking about her, so this was a treat :)
Oh my gosh I am just squealing in my head right now for how thoroughly and eloquently you have worded every single thought in my head about Mel!!! She's one of my favorite characters in the show and I have so much love for her, but sometimes it's just so frustrating talking about her to certain members of the fandom because her nuances seem to fall to the background for a lot of people. I'm especially so happy to hear someone else acknowledge the depth in Mel and Viktor's relationship beyond being mirrors of Jayce's affection, it's literally one of my biggest niche fixations in the show!! You also talked about Mel's manipulation and role in the council as oppressors of Zaun so so well, I can't express that enough! This was an incredible video, thank you so much for making it
mel is such a great character. i'm looking forward to hopefully seeing her in the next show. and her character design is incredible. i really like the golden freckles and later tattoos.
Excellent analysis! It's so great to see such a deep dive into Mel, this character deserves so much more attention.
I appreciate this video so much! Mel is one of my favorite characters, it makes me so happy to see such a thorough and nuanced analysis of her!
I love the silver tongued type of character who can leverage soft power and manipulations, while also having genuine empathy and care. I love how her background and relationship with her mother deepens her beyond just Rich Sponsor; the difference between her playing the council like they're dolls, being arguably the most powerful person in Piltover, yet she struggles with inadequacy, her family legacy, and the violent reality of the city beyond her gilded walls.
I was a little disappointed that her mage arc in season 2 eclipsed her already established strength of diplomacy, with her political and ideological conflicts with her mother being boiled down to the secret magical heritage and a physical standoff. Felt like s2 missed the point of her character a little, but she did look kickass so its a mixed bag.
Despite the detour her story took in season 2, I'm still glad to see people reading more into her complexities and her inner world rather than purely villifying or ignoring her. This explored so many different aspects!
I love the Meljay appreciation; I love Jayvik but I feel like people downplay the honesty and vulnerability that Mel and Jayce shared solely to prove Jayvik superior. It makes sense that they'd break up, but their bond is still compelling to me.
Speaking of ships, I love the MelLest shoutout! I'm glad I'm not the only one that felt some type of way about their clandestine collab. Also Steb! I never considered a romance between those two before, but you make a good case!
Anyways this was a whole ramble, but I'm really really glad for this video! Mel Medarda for the win, this is going on the favorites playlist. Thanks for sharing!
Adore Mel, hope to see more of her in a Noxus show.
Great analysis 10/10
Mel's journey and character was especially interesting to me in contrast to Vi and Caitlyn: Vi and Mel both being protectors, and Caitlyn and Mel both being misfits struggling with their family legacy and personal identity/principles.
also, re: Steb, I saw it as Mel protecting the one loyal survivor of Cait's task force. He's the #bestEnforcer
I said it in a different comment, but just wanted to make another praising how flipping good this video is. It's a breath of fresh air and your critical media perspective is sharp as hellllll and JUST IN TIME for her to waltz into the main game! haha
after all the new content with her that's out it's almost as if they're setting up to make her a contender for the noxian throne against Swain
Mel is a great character. And we know so little about her!
Mel is that fine line of Manipulation and Encouragement. Jayce WAS a good investment, she even let him and Viktor BREAK INTO the lab. Because she knew Jayce could do it. And as their plans for the future aligned, so did their ideals and their intimacy. There isn't a scene with Mel and Jayce where they arent spilling their guts and being vulnerable with each other. A manipulator never puts down those walls. Mel's love was obvious, but she was raised to be cunning in everything. Her words always kill two birds with one stone. But that's not a bad thing.
I absolutely adore Mel as I started the series. She’s cunning and smart, yet at the same time vulnerable! She’s a great manipulator because that’s what she was taught as a Noxian. As we progressed throughout the season, we get to see cracks of what she truly is, and that’s why she’s amazing. If Riot plans to focus on the Noxus region of their next series, they better pull Mel out of the box because her whole story is so, so tragic and we wanted to see her dealing it
Solid video that speaks about the complex and overlook character of Mel
This is so good! Feeding me for like a month with the amount you served here. Edit: The Steb bit😭 girlllll. I never caught that Mel sheilded him. Thats such a good detail. Its giving crackship but im not mad.
This is such a good analysis! It’s refreshing to see a video that truly highlights the intricacies of Mel’s character, and what makes her so well written. Great video!
Thank you for this amazing analysis and really acknowledging what an amazingly well written character she is. However, I do still love her with Jayce. I can’t help it 😅.
You’re so sweet and everyone is welcomed to ship her with anyone they like!! I have no say over that haha I hope I didn’t make it seem otherwise 😭
@ You’re welcome! It’s so nice to see someone who understands Mel and gives her character the credit it deserves. I’m sorry if I implied anything, I didn’t think your video was forcing ships. I just meet a lot of people that get mad if you’re a fan of Mel x Jayce even though I think the relationship was such an interesting aspect of the story.
@@beccaknight5763 oh man I’m sorry that’s happened! I remember ppl used to ship Jack Frost and Elsa (two completely different movies) it really is just fun when you see a dynamic you enjoy
@ Yes, I was one of those people that shipped them lol. But ships are supposed to be fun but I think some people take things too far sadly, but it’s nice to meet people that remember the fun in them ☺️
Really appreciated your art analysis in this video.
Mel and Vi were so erased this season... it sucks what they did with them :(
also to add about Jayce's trauma, Jayce, among all the characters in arcane, hasn't really had a hard life compared to them. the hardest thing he went through was the snowstorm when he was little. that's legit why he throws up when seeing the death on the bridge while mel doesn't react that way. so for jayce to be suddenly plummeted into a AU where it's just him, he's forced to basically go through what viktor went through in a span of a few months, his mental state returning is wholly understandable.
I love everything about this breakdown!!! Thank you so much for speaking positively and with such depth about an awesome character who I hope we see more of
Mel’s character is a tragedy where all of her insecurities where amped up by the political conflict she was part of becoming exactly what her mother wanted her to be instead of embracing those insecurities and accepting herself and her way of thinking that’s how I see it
this was awesome, please do all the other characters, such a great analysis
I'm so happy that someone did such a wonderful analysis of are darling queen. ^^ Also i agree with the love elements. How its beautiful to relate to that part of her. ^^
I hope Mel can find support and love in Noxus.
Great analysis. They bring in a strong black woman onto a show like Arcane and with the proper writing she is shown to be quite nuanced as well as layered. It's ironic that in season 2 they throw her character into a metaphorical trash can, then throw the relationship with Jayce away to boot. They proceed to turn her into the anti-thesis of her character by the time she's awkwardly shoved into the final act of the show. What a joke! Are the writers saying a woman has no power with her brain? Isn't that the whole point of her character? But she needs magic to solve all her problems now, huh? How stupid and racist. Mel's entire character contrasts beautifully with her Mother. Her Mom doesn't realize how many people she actually pisses off with war or violence (something that has consumed her family), whereas Mel is basically the social butterfly who keeps everyone happy with one another regardless of the cost- as long as the cost isn't MURDER. She's manipulative, cunning, but also shown to be a diplomat and a loving woman. She's a lover- not a fighter. There is no love in Ambessa, just looks at how she uses people while she's in Piltover in the first season.
I wouldn't say it's racist, that's stepping over the line, but everything else is true. personally I think Mel is too good for Jayce-but I wish they had more respect for their relationship and Mel's character
@@hello-lz4xj What are you some kind of racist?
@@hello-lz4xj Mel deserves someone for whom she will be a priority above anything else and Jayce had another priority. Tbh Mel had other priorities too - finding her own path that wouldn't be determined by her mother, taking control of her life and her agency, learning her origin that she didn't even know about before. I'm excited about her journey in the Noxus. I hope the writers won't screw it up. I personally enjoyed her mage arc a lot because I wasn't invested in the political storyline much but I'm excited about magic in Runeterra, I love Black Rose in the lore and I love that Mel could be a part of that
@@valeriyav2149 yess I agree (by someone I mean me, MEL PLEASE MARRY ME 🙏)
@@hello-lz4xj I think Mel and Jayce are good for each other. Jayce was the fresh air Mel needed. This video talks about it. Mel is a business woman and while she has colleagues, she doesn't have close friends. Jayce was a person that wore his emotions on his sleeve and was genuine which allowed her to be vulnerable too. He also wasn't like other council members that cared for their own investments, he cared for progress and helping the city which is what she also cared about.
What an amazing video, I can really see the love you have for the character, which is what she needs the most both in fiction and in real life haha.
I think I might disagree a little with the "supposed breakup" part between Mel and Jayce. Maybe I interpreted wrong, but maybe you take it as a breakup, which is understandable, but I don't think it was well done or I don't feel like there was proper preparation for it. I don't mind them breaking up but I expect a better deconstruction even though I liked the first 5 seconds and the last 10 of the meeting between the two.
As for manipulation, what I see from several is that they take the relationship as a whole in a "manipulation" framework when in reality at least for me the relationship was a business one that slowly evolved into a more intimate and personal one.
As for relationships, totally get it , I have some mutuals on Twitter who do the same or have the same perspective as you. My problem (it's completely my problem) is how I framed MelJay as an endgame (silly of me maybe lol), maybe the reason I like it so much is that feels very real, I don't believe in the idea of soulmates, I believe in two people making small leaps of faith to trust. They are both visionaries and feel like they can honestly talk about what's going on with them, which I think ended up surprising Mel for the better because she ended up letting her defenses down. I know the ship thing is something I'll have to let go of for Mel's sake but it's kind of hard lol
Very interested to see what they do for Mel's future, I really liked the relationship with Ambessa another awesome character, hopefully we get to see more of the family especially her father and that they don't retcon her relationship with Jayce
Again incredible video sorry that I made it long
thank you for ur analysis i enjoyed knowing so much more about her
Thank you so much for this break down, people see what they want to see and to many people only want to see a Beautiful, Dark skinned feminine, intelligent woman, Season two felt the need to make Mel masculine. I agree with you 100% New subscriber here and yes Mel deserves a relationship, with Jayce or another Man, as do any Black woman who wants that. All to often people only want to see Black women gay or and masculine.
Yes! 💯 I loved Mel because she’s such a rarity on so many levels! She’s a breath of fresh air! I was shocked how well her character was written! I actually like her with Jayce tbh.
43:00 Same I love her so much😭😭😭
36:30 Mel’s VA says that Mel likes Viktor yeah
Did she say that Mel like him or that she (the VA) like him?
Yesss! Thank you for breaking it all down! I lover her moarrrrr now. Mel/Lest is now OTP
Hello everyone!! Waking up to such kind messages meant the world. Thank you for watching and I appreciate each comment.
If you guys want to watch other analysis on arcane I have a playlist of shorts: th-cam.com/play/PLxfoxrdwFk3-72NmFM6AcE-Z4tOZe6jN7.html&feature=shared
Who’s bedroom is it theory: www.reddit.com/r/arcane/comments/tdyff5/spoilers_ep5_the_truth_behind_the_sextech_crime/
Also I’m sorry for the weird editing. The video was getting blcked so I had to re-edit it by placing my model in certain spots
A couple comments brought up s2 and the frustrations with Mel’s arc not receiving the care it should, how in some ways it flips s1 on its head by showing to Mel that she did need to become the wolf and it got me thinking of Ambessa’a quote with the old regime girl “Unalive her and you won’t have to unalive 1000s.” It calls to Mel taking out her mother while Noxus soldiers stood around them (Mel not needing to fight them in that moment). I feel that more time could’ve been spent analyzing this ending and reading your comments really opened my eyes to things I found uncertainty in as well. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, it really warms my heart to see others who feel passionately about this character and her themes
11:59 - meant to say they have failed Zaun* this was the last thing I recorded my brain was so exhausted by this point lol I’d love to hear someone dissect jinx and Mel’s art tho!!!! I think it’d be such a cool analysis
so glad to see a thoroughly thought out assessment of Mel’s character!
so many people sum up her character as just a manipulator playing the political game. yes, that is a huge part of her character, but that’s also such a surface-level analysis. i remember thinking Mel was going to be Piltover’s “bad guy” in season 1, someone morally corrupt and just out for power. this changed after the scene with Jayce finding her painting, when i realized she was so much more than just a politician. she’s lower on my list of favorites character now bc i feel like she didn’t get as much in season 2, but that doesn’t change the fact that i still think she’s written wonderfully! Mel and Caitlyn’s battle against Ambessa may just be my favorite scene in the entire show, and none of them are even in my top 5 favorite characters. it just goes to show the emotional weight each of these people carry throughout their arcs, making scenes that would otherwise be used for spectacle in a lesser show into heavy, character-driven scenes to serve their wider arcs.
i swear i could talk about this show and it’s characters for the rest of my life and never get bored💛
also i totally see Mel and Lest being a cute couple. something about their personalities just works for me, ya know?
also elegant women in sapphic relationships is just >>>
This is beautiful
Jayce is kind of gullible
I am a fan for life
Have a happy new year Vela
You too!!
This so refreshing to see, especially after she got completely sidelined by most of the fandom (and the writers) in season 2! But I guess that also might just be the internet and the louder and more dominant part of the fandom.
I am obsessed with her, like literally. I don't know what it is about her character, her arc that relates deeply to me, I absolutely adore her. She has her imperfections, her blunders, but this only makes her more human and complex, and we also get to see her silently realise them as you said, which sooo many people overlook completely! Sigh. I'm honestly kind of disappointed in the fandom for being so black and white when it comes to her. Thank you so much for this analysis, I'm gonna watch it multiple times now 😭💖
The video was really good, I enjoyed it a lot. On another note the model at 20:32 is so cool, what is the name of the artist?
Damn... That title and thumbnail is wild.
If I make some zesty fanart of these hypothetical ships. I'll blame you😂😂❤❤
PLEASSSE MAKE IT , WE ARE STARVED
Please do a Vi, Caitlyn and Jinx character analysis!
YOUVE PUT ME ON MEL X STEB LMAO…………….
Good job
Vela my favorite roblox vtuber
NOT ROBLOX 😭
Season 2 kinda ruined Mel for me. I liked her better in season 1.
Agreed. Mel was a super interesting character in the first season. Then they stripped everything that made her interesting and turned her into a mage with no setup for her having those powers in the first season. So stupid
You know what?
I really do not care about LoL and wasn't planning on watching the Arcane movie.
But, I can see you really worked hard on this video, so I will give this a try 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
Ok Done!
Now, I will give you some advise: when talking or showing about copyrighted material, limit yourself to a very few stills of said material.
Otherwise, YT gonna nuke your video and channel with strikes or even takedowns.
Great video other then that. 🎉🎉🎉
Hi I’m new to this channel can someone explain why she is constantly changing the images of herself (3D thing)
It’s really cool it just is a bit confusing
I wish I didn’t have to 😭 TH-cam was blocking my video until I added those bits. I’ll show my model sometimes but I wish it was more consistent I definitely was bothered by the look of it in the end. The paper model was added in post-editing due to this and losing original footage
Wellp
Screw JayVik
I believe in MelJayVik supremacy now
43:17 46:15 That time I reincarnated as a side character in Arcane 😂😂😂😂
This was such a well thought out analysis on Mel’s character. It feels like you understood her character so well. It is a shame it didn’t seem like she got as much nuance and care as she did in s1 :( But overall this was great!
Thank you so much for watching!! And I do agree there’s a lot of things I question in s2 and wonder if I spend more time thinking about it I’ll get it? haha they definitely needed an act 4 or 3 seasons 😭
@@velaslive couldn’t agree more on that last point! I hope that since the next arcane series will involve noxus, that at the very least she will be both in it and that it’ll expand on her lore some more
Is Mel a power hungry manipulator or is she just conflict averse neurodivergent who likes to paint & do puzzles 😅
“And do puzzles” 😭 she does excel at them!!
Why do you have two different vtbers models? That is the incorrect way to build a brand. If that is what you are trying to do off course.
Do you think Jayce and Mel would still be together if he didn’t die?
Nope. It's like Jayce said: she used him. He was wise to that now and it appeared there was absolutely no care for him coming from her. Despite everything, in the end, she is just a manipulator.
Season 1 Mel is fantastic. Season 2 Mel was butchered and shallow
yet another 3 dimensional character fallen victim to season 2, in season 1 she had agency and acted upon it. Season 2 puts her in a timeout room for 7 episodes then she is relegated to hurr durr my plot magic wins LOL.
this analysis fails to acknowledge that narratively s2 has nothing to do with s1. a complex character of s1, full of goals and motivations, is replaced with generic "she needs to learn be vulnerable".
I would love to know what are some things you wished you saw in s2? I def have criticisms of s2 and wish the pacing was different, I kept from saying those thoughts to focus on what they gave us and understand her through that lens. But I’d love to hear how you saw Mel and would’ve liked her story explored? What are some challenges she could’ve faced? How could her character have grown differently? It is sad to see that by the end she is now the head of an army. A lot of people who love Mel can recognize she may be now in a spot she never wanted to be in