The beautiful animation touches of ARCANE || Act 1 animation review
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 พ.ย. 2021
- The first 1,000 people to use this link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: skl.sh/tbskyen12211
---
Shorts and hot takes: / tbskyenshorts
Let's plays & gameplay: / 2bskyen
---
Merch store: www.redbubble.com/people/TBSk...
Tip me on Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/TBSkyen
Support the channel on Patreon: Patreon: / tbskyen
---
Vlog channel: / @tbskyenirl
Twitter: / tbskyenofficial
--------
#Arcane #Netflix #LeagueofLegends
Royalty free music in my videos sourced from filmmusic.io, incompetech.com, and composed by Kevin Macleod. Used under a Creative Commons license ((creativecommons.org/licenses/b...)
Additional music by Stevia Sphere
steviasphere.bandcamp.com/
Used under a Creative Commons License - เกม
The first 1,000 people to use this link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: skl.sh/tbskyen12211
Thank you!!
cool
Thank you! As a casual singer, I'd been looking for an excuse to learn how to do some mixing in a DAW, and it looks like Skillshare has some Logic Pro courses
Keep up the awesome animation content. I feel like I've learned more about it in the last month watching your Arcane content than in the last 10 years combined. Thank you for teaching and sharing your insight.
I don't know if they're used already, but me with my uninterested talentless ass will always leave these to people who actually want to try.
Hey Skyen, do you think that Vander will be Warwick?
The scene at the door with Viktor and Jayce is what happens when two incredibly smart people still only share a single brain cell.
Viktor being a genius but also a bad liar (which is actually showed again later, when he hides the vial of Shimmer but he keeps checking his clutch _where it's hidden_ in the least discreet way possible, like pls Viktor you've got such a honest heart lol) vs Jayce being like a child caught red-handed and not knowing what to do, this scene is hilarious. Interestingly, Viktor being from Zaun puts some interesting perspective on _him_ chosing to try and get away with the breaking in, even with the worst lie ever said
They share a single brain cell and sometimes they forget it at home. They have some adorably bad decision-making.
“Wait a minute, this isn’t my bedroom! How could I have…”
@@Firefight_ lol I read this with his voice in my head. 😂
@@Firefight_ " cops I wasn't breaking in I thought it was my house
Watching Episode 3 with Skyen: "My tears are hand-animated... *sniff*... on twos"
I'm low budget so **unf* I'm on **sniffle* 3s!
Lmao
Look at my arms doing some squash and stretch as I reach for the napkins to wipe my hand animated tears
LOL
@@abrarnoorani8385 p
your read of viktor and jayce is so so accurate to me. like. they have do much romantic tension, but neither of them are ever able to break it. jayce can't... do anything. he's a wet blanket. and viktor can't ask for what he wants, because he can't see himself as desirable. (also viktor/jayce has been popular for years BUT YKNOW YKNOW)
Arcane is what happens when you give an incredibly talented Animation Studio enough time and budget to create a masterpiece. I hope that it will be a turning point in the animation industry.
Disney and Pixar just got owned pretty hard with this one. And for sure with a much smaller budget and studio... They've gotten complacent.
@@simonm1233 A much smaller studio maybe but budget? I'm not sure about that one. I haven't actually researched the numbers but right of the bat I'm pretty sure Arcane cost several dozens of millions to produce with how insanely polished it is.
Also, with good relationship and experience with Riot and its league characters. In the premiere interview, the creators of Arcane mentioned about the relationship between the studio and the company was like critically important. They have been working with this studio for a long time and they'd thought, if they're gonna make something big, they're gonna have to rely on something they can trust fully, and that is Fortiche Productions. I think talent and trust are the strongest pillars for any project, and they nailed it on this one, a joint effort of passion. Sorry for bad english.
@@markopusic8258 i heard 100 millions of budget being thrown around. So yeah. Small animation team. Huge budget.
I feel like most of the budget went to advertising. Not sure though, I'm just assuming with absolutely zero evidence.
The bit where you talked about not shying away from character's looking ugly, in relation to having the light shone in their face, I'm glad you touched on that because I found that throughout the whole series.
With current films, especially hollywood ones, that have female characters as either the main or supporting cast, they always try to make them pretty regardless of what's happening. I remeber an interview with Elizabeth Olsen where they told her to not scowl as much when she's doing her magic stuff because that takes away from her looking pretty.
In Arcane, I found they really just allowed the female characters look ugly. They had them covered in dirt, or ugly crying, or bloodied and beat without trying to make them still pretty. It's something I really appreciated because it helped with the immersion and realism.
I measure a character based on how they cry and how ugly they look. Tobey Maguire cries well in Spider-Man, he looks unfuckable and his face is grody. It's good.
Tier 2 would be snot as well as tears, that's really upset.
Tier 3 is Powder, she's crying, she's got snot, she's fucking spitting when she screams. She looks like a nightmare, it's unholy, she looks like absolute shit and it's so good from an acting/character perspective.
Yes! I love how Arcane did not shy away from that at all! They treat their female characters like actual humans with emotions, not just pretty dolls that are there to be pretty. The fight between Sevika and Vi were full of ugly expressions, exhaustion, and hurt. They did not hold back on fighting and they even showed a female crotch kick! They weren’t lightly fighting with their hair flowing in the air and when they get hit, they actually have bruises and blood and cuts. Its ugly, it looks like it hurts (you can actually FEEL how much their hits hurt!!!), and its amazing.
The head of animation in Frozen once said that female characters are "hard to animate" in Disney style because they have to "always look pretty". I'm happy to see Arcane breaking the mold
one of the animators of arcane was telling their story of how, in previous shows, even showing wrinkles was frowned upon
i thought that i was an ass for saying i love how ugly they are. it’s the best part about the show, it’s unconventional and no character looks the same. it’s REAL.
Viktor just has a permanent smoulder. Sends off serious mixed messages, no wonder sky fell for him when he’s casually giving her looks like that.
seriously lol i fell for him! ://
@@chance1774 sounds like someone is ready for the glorious revolution
@@ProjectEchoshadow i’m more than ready 😭😭
@@chance1774 oh yeah baby
Viktor is hot.
Skyen hyper fixating on the Viktor/Jayce bedroom scene and laughing his ass off gives me a reason to keep living
THIS IS SMOLDERING
E X A C T L Y
I HAD THE SAME THOUGHTS LOL.
I love how this turned from your animation teacher giving an extended lecture to Skyen just devolving into giggling fits at the scene with Viktor and Jayce at the door and going on a tangent about it for like five minutes, it genuinely made my night.
It made my day, I didn't realize the implications of him trying to excuse it as his room and I love how well his expression fits that as the situation, it was just the first thing that came to mind for him 😂
“Don’t worry miss councilor im just sneaking a man into my room… as you do”
Don't let all the deep and amazing analysis distract you from the fact that Skyen does an incredible Heimerdinger impression.
Also, act 1 was fully livestreamed on Twitch so you can probably get away with asking them for permissions. Hopefully.
their Viktor impression is pretty good too
And his Victor impression is absolutely spot-on!
fully agreed. made my day
As someone who fell down the stairs as a kid (a lot), Powder moves down stairs like someone who has nearly bit her tongue off face-planting on the bottom step before.
Thank you for puting wirds to it
But have you ever fell up the stairs? Because I did, more times that I want to admit.
have any of you fallen *on* the stairs? shit hurts
Anyone else fall *over* stairs?
I was a dumb child who liked to jump where one should not jump.
This is exactly why you jump before you get to it. The heck with that stair.
Power crying in Ep 3 is a panic attack. its established its the first time Vi leaves without her and she has abandonment issues.
Its depicted as it is irl.
its in character and shouldn't be criticized as much as it is.
Once she "figures out" how she can help, the panic stops.
That's the first time i heard about this detail! That's pretty cool.
Thanks for naming this
how is he criticizing it? It's an analysis
yes thank you! i've seen people say it's too exaggerated and "no one cries like that" but it's not just a tantrum or "i'm sad my sister went without me". she's having a panic attack and they're horrible and never pretty.
@@takahashierik i don't think they meant skyen is criticizing the scene, more that he mentioned it took people off-guard and acknowledge others have criticized it. however it's meant to take you off-guard and be uncomfortable because it's a panic attack.
Hopefully Arcane will mark a turning point in adult animation that shows how versatile and imaginative the medium is
Especially in the west
Considering the reach it is having I'd be amazed if it didn't. Hell its probly gonna have an impact on writing too. On how to depict trauma. Sure it slipped into a few clichés but for the most part, amazing
Watduyumin by adult animation?
Edit: Is it like Bojack horseman AA or hen... ??
This and Primal on adult swim are perfect examples of adult animations.
I'm waiting for The Legend of Vox Machina in february in Aamazon video to keep up the adult tone for animation and how succesful can that be, I really hope LVM is great
Victor: "Wait this isn't my bedroom"
Everyone: Dies
I'm glad that Skyen enjoys Viktor's reaction to getting caught outside Heimerdinger's office as I do. I love Viktor's subtle sense of humor so much.
I honestly thought he would be the boring snotty serious guy but that dumb moment getting caught really proved me wrong. I loved Viktor from then on lmao
Ah yes, I was going to have hot times with big man, I was so excited I entered the wrong room, I'm sorry counselor
His first instinct when caught sneaking around at night with some hot guy is 'oh oopsie this isn't my bedroom hehe~'
Whoever wrote that bit is a sick, twisted genius and deserves a raise. Baited the ENTIRE fanbase, I'm telling ya.
I love his laugh on that review on that scene HAHA
Aye Viktor is hilarious in so many subtle ways, because he's often in the background or in the shadow, it's not easy to notice compared to other characters (and that in itself is a brilliant visual narrative move) but he has a lot of little moments like that, which makes him incredibly well characterised and interesting. He doesn't say things, but he still shows them in his own Discreet Viktor Manner
Animators in 1995: "wow we can finally make animated movies that look just like live-action! Technology is amazing!
Animators now: "smear frames go brrrrrr"
Exactly. Animators in the past were obsessed with making things seem as realistic as possible but now its going back to being artistic and stylised
If you want something to look like live action you do live action if you want something stylised you do animation
M. Night taught us that live action is overrated. Now we just appreciate our animation and will never EVER ask for live action EVER AGAIN.
@brittvaughn9447 I was trying to forget thank you very much 😅
There's a thing where Viktor often hands Jayce stuff and Jayce keeps putting his hand of Viktor's shoulder. I keep trying to figure how to symbolically interpret it.
Not sure about viktor handing jayce stuff but jayce putting his hand on viktor's shoulder definitely reads to me like an extension of his sort of protective urges and an offer of support or safety
When Viktor met Singed as a child and asked to help with his experiments, Singed put his hand on his shoulder exactly the way Jayce does. He says, “we can be loners, together”. I think that’s how Viktor sees his relationship with Jayce, because in Act 1 it was them and their Hextech dream against the world. But despite him being crucial to its completion, Viktor’s dream doesn’t hinge on magic/hextech. It is truly Jayce’s dream to use magic specifically to improve the world bc it saved his life. Viktor’s dream is to improve people’s lives and make the world a better place, however he can, bc he grew up in a world that needed improving. I think that’s why he’s always handing Jayce tools, it’s rlly still Jayce’s dream he’s helping him with. Despite everything, he’s still an assistant living in the lead scientists shadow. Unrecognized by everyone in Piltover (except for Sky, who also came from the undercity, and who his experiments killed before he knew she recognized his efforts).
Viktor learned the first lesson of Zaun. Never admit to anything.
Guess you could say snitches literally get stitches
My favourite animation detail in the series is the scene where Viktor and Jayce make the first try to stabilise the crystal and when Jayce asks "is it dangerous", Viktor makes a "yeah idk" shrug/face and everything in that shot specifically is perfect because Jayce is in the light (thus the focal point, visually) while Viktor is (as often throughout the series) in the shadow, so his cute "dunno" face can easily be missed yet it is such a great visual characterisation that he'll show again later on everytime Jayce asks if something is dangerous and his reply is basically "I don't know but we're doing it anyway". I love Viktor and his insanely well done characterisation, both in the dialogues and the visuals/actions. I really can't wait to see more of him in season 2!
I loved his face there. It was like a grimace and a prayer.
i came for the animation analysis, but i am also deeply endeared by the way you defended the Jayce/Viktor shipping- genuinely refreshing to hear it being acknowledged and even supported
hahaha I am so glad that I wasn’t the only one who replayed and completely obsessed over Viktor’s “wait a minute, this isn’t my bedroom???”
the hand on his chin and everrrryyything. and also his face after Jayce asks him “are you sure you know what you’re doing?” the best ://// face I’ve ever seen
Skyen laughing at Viktor opening the door is the validation i needed in my life, shit had me laughing for a solid minute.
I love how the Viktor bedroom office situation cracks you up lol the first time through I didnt even hear it in the show because Jayce is clearly the main character here, but the second time around I was like "wait a minute what did he just say?"
"there's some self esteem issues in this little boy" awwwwghhhhhh idk why that was such a cute way of describing Viktor
One thing I really liked about the final scene, around the part when Silco says "It's okay", is that, even though the camera shows us only his injured eye, it isn't used to make him look monstrous. His facial expression really shows that he's honest and vulnerable at that moment.
His injured eye goes from making him more scary in the beginning to making the eye is vulnerability. As Silco had seen it the whole time.
Which, super interesting and definitely spoiler-y, on the 9th episode, Silco's last shot is seen from his good and benevolent eye.
It was like the light went out of his eyes kinda. He did some terrible things but he was human at the end of the day and he did somewhat care about Jinx like a daughter. Everyone has their own flaws and faults because that’s what makes us human.
But it also gives us all a healthy reminder of who he is like, this man still is a villain look it's his supernatural villain eye to prove it so clearly this is not going to end well, which it very much obviously doesn't
Cool thing in the art style of this world: In Piltover, they uses a lot of art deco inspirations, that angular style you mentioned in the enforcer's design. Art Deco was used in the 1920s when everybody was thriving and the economy was great. In Zaun, they use a lot of Art Nouveau inspirations, that more organic style with round shapes and fine detailing. This was the art style that was developed right after art deco during the great depression. I think it's a neat use of visual storytelling for people who know a little about art history.
Art noveau>
@@guisampaio2008 El Dorado meoment: Both? Both are good.
Actually, the art nouveau style was created in 1860 and was popular from 1890-1910. It was an intentional attempt at creating a new style that was different from the hisroricism that was popular before 1890. It was then revived in 1960 among hippies, rock stars of the time, and became an integral part of the psychedelic asthetic.
But art nouveau is a style defined by going against norms, so it definitely fits zaun
One thing people forget when they talk about Powders breakdown is that she has *hardcore abandonment issues* so being left behind when something so important is happening and not knowing if anyone will comeback because of the things she has seen makes her breakdown on top of being a child who doesn't have control of her emotions yet and is self-conscious because of Milos constant picking on her.
Tbh. Last time anyone left her behind for something dangerous, it was her parents and we saw how that turned out.
can SOMEBODY appreciate the literally spot-on impression of heimerdinger he does with me??? because holy FUCK that was such a good impression!!
i was looking for this comment!!! It was amazing!!
Right?? and the viktor impression too! They were spot-on!!?
... i am still laughing both with and at Skyens reaction to Victor's "this is not my bedroom" breakdown and laughing fit... lol....
I love how you talked about how people interpreted jayce and viktor's relationship as romantic, because that's exactly what I did lmao. Going into this show completely blind, I only knew what my friend had told me, and that was that there was a canon lgbt couple in it. And for the first four episodes, I was 100% certain it was jayce and viktor. I was so confused when episodes kept going and nothing was happening between them lmao. Until finally cait and vi started their flirting and it clicked. So yea, very easy to read as romantic.
Funny how that canon lgtb couple isn't any of those 2
@@naut7826 who
@@Sowono The canon couple would be Leona and Diana
in the league canon that’s true but in the arcane canon vi and cait are gay for each other
love episode 5 for simultanuously breaking and immediately mending a lot of hearts
I just want to point out the amount of asymmetry in the characters' faces? I think it does a lot for realism in Arcane
1:20:23
Completely lost it when you started in on the jayvik bits hahaha
That rendition of 'Never Gonna Dance Again' and "I am just a silly man who wanted to get some nookie down on a friday night" christ XD
Thank you so much for making my entire week
That's right where i lost it too XD
I replayed that moment a couple times, it's brilliant lol!
I’m sorry but your Viktor impression is SO GOOD that for a second I thought it was actually the va. I also love the laughing fits from the door scene (aka the best scene ever)
I was cracking up right along with this guy explaining the "Mel catching Jayce and Viktor" scene 😅🤣😂
Rage and fear reactions from trauma triggers are often quite sudden and violent (not in the sense of physical violence but more emotionally violent. Like you're being torn apart from the inside). So I didn't find her reaction to being left behind all that out of place given her character's experiences.
Yeah, I think I've had that expression when I'm in full-on panic attack mode. As he said... It's feral.
its less about how sudden it is, as it can still be sudden, but what skyen means is that it should've been set up more to make the audience not have to piece it themselves together. the preferred show not tell kind of thing.
maybe a scene where she gets triggered and almost breaks down but vi is there to help her calm down, it could even happen in the first episode where they were first talking before vi brought her up to the roof. it would make the scene in third episode register more smoothly in the audience's minds that she is breaking apart again and this time, vi isnt there to help her.
@@hereiampercylover oh no, ur opinion is def valid it is cool when you find all the things to click together, but i def think it deserved some kind of set up for the click to feel even better, thats all
I was shocked and confused by her reaction because at this point in my life the protagonists always shove away their trauma while they're experiencing it to continue to do the right thing which is exactly why I expected powder to attack. I totally and completely forgot that she is a literal child who just saw everyone in her adoptive family die and the only blood relative she has left become outraged by powders actions. I was flabbergasted until later when I remembered that at 9 years old I know for a fact id absolutely do the same thing as her because I would have had literally no one left to love or to love me
I've been a professional animator for almost 10 years (TV kid and occasional adult shows mostly), and I can only dream of working on a show like Arcane. This kind of show has always been technically "possible", but the budgets just never permit this kind of time dedication. Makes me want to brush up on my CG animation skills anyways.
Good explanation of 1s and 2s :) and fantastic analysis!
Man, it's so wonderful how great art inspires more artists! I wish you luck on growing your skill! :) I like to animate little things in 2D, I learned through video tutorials, and I'm not very good, but stuff like Arcane makes me want to make things too. I know I can definitely never match anything like that, but I have a lot of ideas I want to put to paper.
Woof, I'm an artist too, strayed away from animation (more power to you) my first thought watching Arcane was WHAT was the budget, how much time did they get? I was slightly concerned people were being driven like dogs in the studio cause I was blown away by the craftsmanship. You just don't see that very often...It was like a 10 hour short film.
*But even with how well things were "shot" - you don't get that by just grinding out detailed frames...You get that quality by sitting down and going over different ideas, and pruning them down to create the best solution for a scene. I really felt that time was put into this show. Yeah...it made me want to brush up on some skills.
i really like Viktor in season 1, and especially his reactions, that even after watching Arcane 8 times, you keep noticing little details in the eyes and face whenever he reacts or talks. something i also noticed, Both Silco and Viktor have a white tie, which i wonder if we're gonna see even more similarities between Silco and Viktor, as both had a close relationship with their partner/brother, a dream both shared.
White symbolises purity and innocence
K
@@sageker8208 of all of the things you could've possibly said under this comment I must congratulate you on finding one of the most useless ones.
@@SylverScourge lol I didn't even know I made this comment, but k
I wish Riots releases a 6-hour documentary about the making of Arcane while we're waitng for season 2.
WHY AREN"T WE FUNDING THIS
Because to fund it you need to play league of legends.
- 10 year veteran of league here.
@@tripp9278 so basically we have to fund it with our souls-
YOO THEY'RE DOING IT NOW LOL
With the Silco scene, when he relaxes and hugs her, I also got the impression they both feel like they killed Vander. He stabbed Vander. Powder, for all she knows, killed him with her bomb just like she killed everyone else. They are sharing the feeling of being betrayed by someone they love, and confusion for killing people they care for... On that note I didn't have the feeling that Silco was out to kill Vander from the start. He didn't kill him immediately, he captured him, dragged him back to the lair, and talked to him. He lured the kids out. That to me was to try and provoke him to fight for the cause again, i.e. enlist him as a fighter again. But things went sideways, things turned deadly, he got angry and stabbed him. Powder accidentally blew up her friends. Adrenaline fades, and they're left confused hugging in the rain.
1:25:53 is the moment I came to recognize that Viktor was actually attracted to Jayce. Or that one animator has a headcanon.
I love how Silco's forced to choose between Jinx and Zaun.
Most shows would avoid the quandary, having their cake and eating it too.
But the Arcane writers understood fully exploring which Silco would choose was critical to the judgement of his character.
Great writing.
It also completes his transformation into becoming what he hated: he became like Vander. He had to chose to stop fighting for Zaun to protect family. It doesn't make him good, he's still the "bad guy". He's done terrible things through terrible means. But He now *must* understand and respect Vander once again.
@@telepresencebot2
Wow, I never noticed that.
And both were ‘killed’ by Jinx.
@@telepresencebot2 his talk with Vander's monument is amazing. . "Is there anything more undoing then a daughter?" he truly did understand then. Too bad it came to late.
The entire rant about Viktor and Jayce at the door actually made me start crying of laughter, you manage to vocalize all the thoughts I have had about it and more
Finally ive found someone else who thinks the same way xD
Animation wise, my favourite bit has got to be when powder realises what she has done in the 3rd episode and she bloody shakes her head in almost denial of what she had done... my god that small touch hit so hard. then to push it even thurver she looses eye contact with everything then looks over to the side almost as if she is talking to someone as she repeats she was only trying to help, as if she was talking to herself, or even talking to someone who wasnt there so basically trying to convince both herself or even those she killed that she was only trying to help. then finally turns her head back to vi, and now that she realises vi is the only one that is there, she truely gets loud and her intire body moves into the words i only wanted to help, as almost a desperite begging for vi to understand... That bit... Oh boy does that tug on my heart strings
That first heartbreakingly quiet "I only wanted to help" right before she lets a sob slip out, you can _see_ the lump in her throat and this quiver in her lip as she turns her head away, like she's trying to keep it together but also absolutely about to lose it. I can't even explain it, it's such a bizarrely specific, raw, and _human_ tick that I don't think I've ever seen portrayed in animation until Arcane.
That's something that never failed to wow me throughout all nine episodes: how well all of the facial expressions were animated. With extremely few exceptions, the medium of episodic animation has never really allowed for expressions to be visualized this well before. But I feel as if every character in this show got multiple moments of silence where their nuanced expressions did all the talking for them. Which was just fucking incredible to watch.
@@robofistsrevenge3288 absolutely, I remember watching the opening of the first episode, and how when Vi first sees her mother’s body she doesn’t just go straight to crying, or pull a horrified face like you met get in another animation. You can see her trying to pull herself together. The moment I saw that little exhale she does I knew I was committed to the whole thing, because as you say, it’s such a tiny, *real* human detail. When I’m really upset about something and trying to hold it together, that’s exactly what I do, and realising they’d taken the time to animate something like that really piqued my interest. And then obviously it turned out to be a wise investment of my time.
What hit the hardest for me is that I completely understand why both of the characters acted the way they did. As the oldest in my family I feel the need to protect my little sisters from the bs that is the world like Vi tried to do by telling Powder to stay home. I also understand fully why Powder disobeyed Vi because she wanted to make a place with her family then for it all to backfire immensely. I 100% agree with the reason why Vi hit her sister because "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO LISTEN TO ME WTF DUDE" while also factoring in the immense grief of the moment when she loses her entire adopted family. At the same time Vi is also a teenager at this point who barely has any control over her emotions so it's damn near impossible in this situation for her to calm down and ground herself as the anchor for powder because Vi lost her whole family again and the kicker of it all is that she remembers both tragedies vividly. Powder on the other hand is a literal child, she cannot grasp the sheer intensity of either tragedies, sure she remembers her parents but probably not well yet she understands that they aren't ever coming back and that her new family is all she had... until she killed them. She's only a kid, she truly cannot fathom the consequences of her actions because her brain literally cannot process them yet she knows her family is dead and that her invention killed them which clearly carries over into her teen years when we see her as Jinx. Honest to God so humanizing and an amazing reality check for the people who forget what it's like to be a kid since a lot of tv shows often portray the heros to just power through trauma immediately so they can get back up and finish the noble fight. Helped me realize how lazy writing has been for characters these last few decades lol
"A digital illustration in motion"
You hit the nail there, a single frame of Arcane sometimes looked an uncanny amount like an illustration I would spend at least 4 hours on. And then it's animated and on screen for 10 seconds before moving onto a completely different 4 hour illustration. Bit of an existential crises. I think it means I need to work on my speed painting. Or buy a raft and retire to Florida.
That’s exactly what I was thinking!!!! Every single frame looked like a digital painting!
Keep in mind that the show is not done by one person, there's a huge team of animators all working together to make these things. I'm sure if we grabbed one of them and said "hey make us an Arcane themed illustration" it'd take them about 4 hours and lots of crying to complete lmao
I hate, HATE (read: love) how much emotion is put into viktor's face animations in comparison with the other characters, which hurts all the more when you see his cyborg body with the mask on and with the knowledge he operated himself too much to the point his brain seldom knows what emotions are anymore. At least he's still an awkward introvert, or he's just acting it out.
I'm pretty sure he and jinx are the only characters with animators specifically for their facial expressions
Act one viktor was the embodiment of “twink boutta pounce” like those are extreme bedroom eyes
I feel that Arcane did an amazing job at showing the impact physical touch and intimacy has on people, how something as simple as a hug or a touch of the cheek has a tremendous impact on humans. There are a number of scenes throughout the show that really emphasize this:
- Vi hitting Powder in rage and desperation, which is shown to have a profound impact on Powder when Vi gets up and walks away. It is hard to see, but in the background you see Powder recoil as Vi stands up. Powder almost instinctively covers her face almost expecting Vi to hit her again. She no longer sees her sister as a loving and caring person, but as a source of pain and hurt. At that moment she wasn't expecting a hug, she was expecting more physical hurt.
- The scene where Silco extends his hand to comfort Powder, the slow motion shot focusing on his hand that is about to embrace a broken and traumatized little girl. It deliberately emphasizes the power an embrace can have to someone as damaged and hurt as Powder.
- The moment when Vi meets Jinx after being separated for so long, and how her hug almost catches Jinx by surprise, eventually breaking her down until she accepts Vi's hug and embrace. This is shown again when Jinx, agitated and losing control after seeing Caitlyn is almost brought back to her senses when Vi once again reaches out and gently touches her arm, almost trying to calm her down and show that she is not a threat, that everything will be ok.
- Vi embracing Ekko, hugging him after his defensive and almost aggressive posture. The hug immediately brought back the memories of them when they were younger and it has an immediate effect on Ekko, which promptly accepts Vi's embrace and is brought to tears.
- Caitlyn's many embraces and interactions with Vi, ultimately pushing their friendship into a relationship, turning what were subtle gestures into full out displays of affection and attraction. Things like grabbing her face and staring deeply into her eyes after giving her the shimmer potion, or when she hugs Vi on the bridge and almost nuzzles her in their embrace as they say goodbye. And let's not forget about the scene Caitlyn hugs the Shimmer addict that brought her to the potion maker as a sincere show of appreciation and humanity.
I could keep going on as there are countless intimated physical interactions like these, but it just goes to show how well the writers and animators understand the profound impact physical interactions has on humans, and how something as simple and subtle as a hug or a handshake can mean the world to someone.
I love this about Arcane!
And I love that they took the tall muscular guy and made him the most touchy-feely character in the whole series. Jayce's hug with his mom, all the times he puts his hand on Viktor's shoulder, being the little spoon with Mel. 🥰
And there's the closeness between Jinx and Silco, which was perfectly awkward.
I think that the problem that I have with the "Silco is a good dad" argument is just the fact that a person can be genuinely loving, but still not able to express that love in constructive - or even non-abusive - ways. Silco is such a brutally maladapted individual that his love for Powder can't help but be corruptive and warped, no matter how genuine it is. He's so broken that he thinks that Powder becoming a violent, schitzophrenic sociopath is a *good* thing, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary. He can justify the suffering he puts her through because he himself is fully warped into an "ends justify the means" mentality. Yes, Silco's love for Jinx is genuine, but it's also genuinely toxic. Much how you talked about the unexplored romantic tension between Victor and Jayce, Powder was the means by which Silco could have had a redemption arc. But that's not who Silco is; he chose to go a different way. In that respect, I see "Good-dad-Silco" as being similar to Jayce-Victor shippers: the setup was intentionally put into the show, but explored in a way that went very differently than these fans wanted to see. Jayce and Victor's arc is about how an intimate friendship can still function between two romantically compatable people who simply chose not to persue that kind of relationship (or, how the "friendzone" isn't always a bad place). Silco and Jinx's arc is about how you *will* pass your trauma on to your kids unless you actively try to overcome that trauma yourself, no matter how much you love them (or, being a loving parent doesn't automatically make you a *good* parent).
FINALLY, SOMEONE ELSE GETS IT
Yes, the argument of if Silco is a good or bad dad to Jinx is stupid. Basically it's okay to acknowledge that people who are abusive aren't necessarily all soulless and emotionless. Silco is the complex antagonist of Arcane and happens to love Jinx like a daughter
If you look at the Council Archives they show that in the beginning Jinx did feel tormented over killing the people Silco ordered her to, but also very happy to gain his approval. The diary also shows her first attempts at rationalizing away her guilty concience.
Presumably by the time of Act 2 she no longer conciously feels any empathy for people other than Silco and Vi basically, as she even mocks her victims at times. There may be subtle signs that she's also not happy about having to fight Ekko if you analyze that scene closely, but outwardly she doesn't recognize that.
From Silcos perspective, the solution to Jinx' trauma is to make her harder, as he expresses in the water scene.
Thank you and that's why I love him a as an antagonist but I hate him as a human I guess I hate what he does I hate how abusive he is, I hate how he encourages Powders self destructive behavior. He is loving yes but he is not a good parent or competent. Two things can be true at the same time.
@@xylypotatohead3947 Silco is a good parent in that he encourages Jinx's strengths and doesn't make her afraid to make mistakes or express who she is (something Vander never stepped in to stop when the original group saw nothing of value in Powder). Silco is a bad parent in that he doesn't teach her appropriate boundaries, encourages her to be dependent on him and him alone, and of course, teaching her to never move on from her trauma and ingrate it into who she is as a person.
He's a competent, intelligent person, but his vision is warped by his own trauma. He does pass on some good values, but also a TON of really really bad values, which isn't good for Jinx in the long run, even if it meets her need for approval and to avoid those feelings of rejection and abandonment. As someone with a parent who both did well by me in some aspects but damaged me irrevocably in others, these things can be true at the same time. Parenting is a complex thing.
Your Viktor impression during the “this isn’t my bedroom” scene crosses over into Doofinshmirtz! 🤣
May I take a moment to appreciate the accents Skyen does when retells the scenes. They are so good, they capture how the characters sound so well
The moment Silco hugged Powder, I knew he was going to be a freaking rad villain. Showed his humanity and really set up a very good character development. and at the end where they parallel Powder's pose in Vi's arm with her in Silco's arm. Just feels.
Off topic, but will you be willing to do these types of design reviews of other games or MOBAs (e.g. DotA, HotS, Smite)? I just love your insight for characters. 🙂
55:50 is one of my favorite moments. Viktor has such an intriguing, quiet ambition at this point in the series. It’s the same humble, down to earth attitude that he scolds Jayce with when he’s coming back from Singed’s lab.
And omg 1:05:30 was simply the best part of the first act. Hands down I’m swooning for this fictional character WHAT
My favorite part of the Silco/Powder hug is when he's saying "We'll show them all" he's staring at Vanders corpse.
I’d say the episode 3 touch that nobody talks about that I really liked is that only four of Silco’s goons survived the warehouse explosion, and I found it interesting that Sevika only lived because the big tattooed guy bothered to carry a dying person out of a burning building. On top of that, the other two goons that lived were two of Deckard’s friends. It sort of goes to show how much people trust and believe in Silco that these four people would still follow him and stay by his side even after such an overwhelming, traumatic tragedy. In most stories the goons would just run away, but these people stayed. And after the timeskip, we see that they’re still around.
Skyen: that’s a smolder
Me: *quickly looks up what a smolder is and it’s meaning* 👁
I’ve always head cannoned that Viktor and Jayce are intellectual romantics. Two people, two geniuses that have finally found equal ground with someone else.
I love how Skyen can make a two hour video about four minutes of animation!
some things never change 😌
Imagine if dmca doesn't exist
Oh my gosh, I've never watched one of his videos before and he was like "it's about 4 minutes of animation" and I was like...it's a 2 HOUR VIDEO LOL WHAT??? It's been good so far though sooo...here we go!
To be fair, how much time do the animators and producers dedicate to those 4 minutes, maybe 1 week, 2 weeks, a whole month? Hahah
And imo he could go even deeper lol. I'll bleed my screen time for him any day.
You kill me with the Jace and Viktor part 😂😂
I love Viktor staring at the keys like he's never seen them before. I didn't really pay attention to how stupid that whole scene is with those two. amazing lmao
Man I can't believe you did skip the scene where Vi understand that Powder is the cause of the explosions. The facial animation of Vi is just too perfect, you can read the train of emotions and thoughts through her eyes!
they knew what they were doing with viktor's smoulder like I am absolutely infatuated with that man lmfao
1:05:40 You’re legitimately good as singing, imitating characters' voices,
AND analyzing animation?!
Bro, you're too powerful.
And you got me to sit through a two-hour, painstaking, thorough breakdown.
Wonderful video.
I could take the accents, but the singing too? Leave some talents for the rest of us, jeez.
@@gasgano8255 yeah!
I dont know if he's going to talk about it because i just started this video, but one thing i love about arcane is the detail on the face animations, making stuff like the lips move slightly asymetrical or raising one eyebrow a bit more than the other, because actual human faces do not move simetrically most of the time
Also love how the eyes never move in a steady movement, because humans can't move there eyes smoothly unless they're tracking an object.
Oh man but considering the ship?
"As he holds it in his hand, you see he clutches it so hard that his hand shaking. He doesn't just take that thing, he grips onto it with all the strength in his hand"
I'd read that fanfic
ngl this video legit gave me a lecture vibe where a prof talks about his favourite topic and breaks it down bit by bit. And I'm all for it!
ngl, I would watch a 3 hour video of you just talking about viktor and jayce. I also cant get over the bedroom thing 🤣 viktor you adorable dum dum
Also: Powder and Silcos, “we’ll show them all,” scene with her eye in the crook of his arm DIRECTLY parallels the promo art with her and Vi, down to the colour of the sleeve.
That shot was used as far back as in the Giants music video from 2019, which is pretty amazing
in the Jayce and Viktor door scene it also shows a but of their backgrounds as well
Jayce the low nobility from piltover's immediate response is to give up and ask for forgiveness or offer an explanation once caught in a crime. very much an "I'm from a privilege background and nothing really bad will happen if I confess"
Viktor may have been a cripple and probably didn't perform any heists but he's still from the undercity, where cooperating with the authorities is viewed like a betrayal. and his first instinct is to lie
I love these breakdowns, its crazy how much there is under the surface of this show.
Ive been kinda disappointed at the seeming lack of analytical videos being made about Arcane. The show blindsided me a bit as Id been largely unaware of it until my first wstch but what we got is so rich and wonderfully nuanced. It feels so ripe for deep dives into everything from its art and animation to its characters, music and themes. yet most of the vids Ive found about the show just seem to be either short reviews or clickbaity “reaction watch” content.
It hasn't even been two weeks since Act 3 came out. Good content takes time and effort just be patient lol
@@Lipidman0 You see, I never learned patience.
You should watch the analysis by Savage Books, It's not very long but he's very good.
This is a serious cinema. There's a lot of cinemetic techniques, the camera work, the writing, set ups, payoffs, foreshadowings, acting, even the choreography of the fight scenes. Sadly, aside from gaming and anime communities, many people wouldn't give it a chance because it's an animated "videogame adaptation".
Make sure you check out Georgia Dow's deep dives into the various characters. Great stuff!
I always always ALWAYS loved Vander's little finger walk when he's chewing out the kids
54:29
Oh my god--Milo's eyes flicker into X's from the spinning motion.
Great foreshadowing on how he appears to Jinx.
This show is perfectly imperfect. No one is unrealistically beautiful for the universe. Even character's NAIL POLISH is chipped. Insane amount of detail in this show, they get my applause
When Jinx nearly falls in episode one I KNEW this was going to be a good show. The way the camera just tipped over with her.
The like, 5 minutes around 1:20:00 you spent just losing it over Viktor and Jayce sharing one failing braincell upon being caught by Mel is what made me subscribe XD love the analysis but that just cracked me up
Vi's fighting scenes are great. They look very good both in rendition and choreography. I bet they had some MMA trained guy hit stuff a lot to get a ton of reference
T B Skyen voice acting when?
Loving the video. So glad you touched on things like Vanders hand motion when he confronts the kids. And my favourite, THE EYES. Fortiche makes all of these characters feel so, so, real. Glad you enjoyed it as well. Keep up the good work man, absolutely love it.
This guy's laughter is infectious 😅
The scene with Jayce and Viktor's first meeting, followed by Silco and Vander's reunion and argument on differing values makes me wonder if a lot of it was intentional, and if we'll be seeing a similar cinematic parallel in upcoming seasons after Viktor's transformation. We already know based on league lore how their friendship will turn out and... ho boy I'm not ready lol
It's fun that when Silco and Jinx hug in episode 3, it was an active choice that the side of his face shown was the scarred side. It would've been easier to empathize with the non-scarred side of Silco's face because it was more "human" I think.
Something something villains can love too. yes.
I'm still confused at why Powder runs over and gives him a hug in the first place...
I can explain it to a degree. She hugs him cause at this moment she is beyond terrified. She, in this moment, is alone cause she, in her opinion, kills and ruins everything. She sees no point in her life beyond her mere existence causing pain. She is in full panic attack mode, showing the exact same phobia style reactions as anybody suffering a deep fear.
She hugs him to quiet her mind. She clings at this moment and every other moment on as it is all she can do to keep moving and surviving. She says Vi made her Jinx and THIS is that moment. She knew she was wrong and it was destroying her, she became the very thing she feared most and after a punch and reaffirmation of her personal thoughts, she watches her sister leave her and doesn't see her again until she is with an enforcer. Silco in this moment, and in that final scene in episode 9 says and does exactly what she needed mentally for that moment. A simple affirmation and the smallest shred of affection.
Powder chose to be Jinx as it was the best and safest option for her already broken mind, shattered by being left in the rain for the biggest mistake in her life. If she chooses to not be close to everybody, just accept that she breaks and destroys any and all connections she has with others. She can live with that fact. She can't live with hurting anymore people unintentionally.
Also there is a psychotherapist reaction to Jinx that ALSO helps explain it. Personally I belive Powder suffers from abandonment, social anxiety, self loathing, and a deep anxiety/phobia that deals with how others view her. She exhibits similar symptoms to somebody with death anxiety as well, and anybody who suffers from that will often do ANYTHING to get rid of the thoughts
@@centurosproductions8827 I'm not an expert, but my understanding is that people who are traumatized - especially children will in times of crisis attach themselves to any person who isn't outright hostile upon contact. And Powder is basically in full breakdown mode, so she would've probably clung to anyone entering her space in that moment.
Damn, seeing Silco makes me miss him already. Such a great character.
Love when he starts laughing uncontrollably.
31:20 - I love that he even does a little 'tap' movement before he does the running fingers. It feels so natural!
1:52:35 - You know what this reminds me of? L'Ange Dechu/The Fallen Angel by Alexandre Cabanel.
Another thing I adore about the scene where Powder tackles Silco into a hug is how that act both literally and figuratively disarms him, leaving him unbalanced on his back defenseless... It really was an omen of what she would bring about his downfall and death. From the very start he was powerless against her.
Also I don't know if you mentioned it in another video but I really love how the undercity dwellers are all more gaunt, asymmetrical and weathered looking compared to the topsiders. It almost seems like you can tell them apart just from their teeth. It's amazing how much world building and character design this series could fit into every single tiny detail
When it comes to the high scores on the boxing game, I think they were telling us something different about the characters of Vi and Clagger. In the fight scene we saw earlier, Clagger was taking on 2 or 3 people at any point in time and completely holding his own, while Vi was going toe-to-toe with the enemy leader. It seems like Clagger might just be the better fighter or at least equal to Vi but he's not the kind of person who would ever try-hard in a game when he's competing with his friends, because he's cool and calm 100% of the time. Plus his humble willingness to let others shine, because he gives all the credit to Vi in his conversation with Little-Man later
omg *tears up* i lovee claggor
When you’re talking about hang time at 19:38, it reminded me of my favourite use of that style in Arcane:
During the fight scene in Ep.8 with Jayce and Vi against the chemtech guards, Vi gets knocked to the ground. She uses the gauntlet to flip up and over the guard, and just before landing she has a hang-time spin reset which is just INCREDIBLY powerful. That followed by the subtle standstill when she landed created one of my favourite animation sequences in the entire series.
While watching this I realized that the shot when powder is in Silco's arms after her says "we will show them all" mirrors the poster for the show where Vi is protecting powder
Something that make you think is that when Vander is drawing Silco he has to take Vander's knife, he didn't think to bring one with him, he was with his brother so he is safe, so to defend himself he takes vander's .
Somehow this makes thr scene more hurtful.
Just a thought
Jinx's body language would be FASCINATING to analyze
Skyen talking about Jayce and Viktor like "they're gay, your honor!".
I freaking love how you're so attached to the animation and you break it down so wonderfully. I havn't a stitch of talent in my body but i'd give almost anything to be able to paint in this style... it's simply gorgeous!! And damn right !!! I felt that intensity between victor and Jayce in that scene... it was INTENSE. I replayed that scene over and over. And you're right it doesn't have to be romantic but it's still fascinating to observe!!
about the first scene, I'd express it like this: that the animation of the smoke is so good because it emulates reality in how light and smoke move and are perceived by the human eye. the animation gives us a sense of space and texture and time that would be lost if smoothed out or if they didn't alternate between animation by ones and by twos.
thank the fucking lord you acknowledged the way viktor looked at jayce the first time they locked eyes. jayce may be obsessed with mel but no fucking way viktor simply sees him "as a brother" oof
35:31 My key take-away from this video is that Skyen could've voiced Heimerdinger.
Oh and every other character in the show btw
1:29:29 You can see Heimerdinger's pupils expand as he takes in this new tech and it's so cool
Holy shit your heimerdinger impression was on point
hhmmmm I wonder who is your favorite character through this? LMAO Dude, thank you for your analysis of the "caught by Mel" scene, I laughed with you, great attempt at the accent; you're great catching the eye details especially, some stuff I haven't noticed at all. Also, you're the first I see actually getting Silco's whole demeanour through that scene. Good stuff.
Wow. Your short rant/analysis of the Viktor x Jayce ship was spot-on. Even though this is a video about the animation, you still spent a while just defending the validity of the ship and why it's appealing to a lot of people, even though it's off topic. Bravo man.
My mind is so blown at how people come up with this kind of shit. Like....all those little details are just INSANE. Mad respect to every animator involved.
Unironically i love how *into* these analysis you get where you lose yourself on a tangent for five minutes or laugh at a joke in the animation, great energy, ya love to see it.
MANN you're so funny and informative, when I saw the sheer length of this video I thought "yeah there's no way I'm gonna be sitting here for THAT long" but I did bc you are just so naturally entertaining I couldn't bare to skip a second. I found you thanks to jayvik Twitter LMAOO so I was ecstatic when I heard your take on their relationship. It was so well done and it made me realize so many new things about their dynamic and the reason WHY their relationship didn't progress to romantic in this season (fingers crossed for next season tho hehe) and you are so absolutely right about jayce not making a single damn decision on his own AHAHAHA
Like, I never noticed how prevelant it was until you mentioned all those examples, it really made me view his character differently. Definitely subscribing because I absolutely adore you and your analysises (is that even a word-). The way you make your videos makes it feel like I'm having a conversation with you and I did accidentally speak once or twice thinking you could hear me AHSBSJAJKANA
AND YOUR LAUGH IS SO CONTAGIOUS I SWEAR YOU HAD ME CACKLING FOR A GOOD TEN MINUTES DURING THE VIKTOR SCENE
Yes. All this.
god yeah the facial animations are so god tier its a marvel to watch and ahskdkf you losing it over the viktor expressions is so endearing, we love our resident stupid genius