#this is also another reason for me to be sad about Jinx and Viktor never *really* interacting

[marsreds]

Ough ough ough, you're cooking with this!! Because this ties it all so nicely and like. The laying out of the various ways it could've gone and who is actually good for Zaun/the Undercity.

What I mean is that if you look it as Jinx=Zaun you also get to project all these other relationships as metaphor for how all these characters (and their ideologies) interact with the idea of Zaun (in season 1):

Sevika being single-mindedly furious and uncompromising which can only lead to something breaking down the line.

Ekko who claims to reject it, but when it comes to it, he can't let it go. Stripped of all, he does in fact want a free Zaun, even when it's to his detriment. (Boy Savior indeed.)

Caitlyn is just. Terrified but can't manage to take the shot, because no matter how much Piltover tries to stomp it out it's not gonna happen.

Silco who loves her/Zaun with all of his being, identifies with her/its suffering but in spite of all of that, he's just not what she/it needs but he's also, due to circumstance, the only one she/it has at the time.

Vi is the odd one out here in this reading imo, but I also think that is intentional because Vi was always supposed to pick her sister over anything else, and that means transcending the metaphor and caring for Powder/Jinx the person, once the synthesis happens in her mind. But thinking about it, even that fits because Zaun the ideal is worth nothing if it isn't centered on people coming together in community.

Anyways, Arcane season one you will always be famous.

Arcane S2 wasn't as good because it wasn't about air

The common critique of Arcane season two was that "it didn't let the story breathe." I'm going to one-up that and state that season one set up an entire story about breathing and forgot that in season two.

Yes, yes, Arcane was a story about Piltover oppressing the undercity, but unlike a lot of other stories about social stratification, Arcane was very explicit about the methods Piltover uses to disenfranchise Zaun. Season one was clearly a story about eco-apartheid maintained through extractivist practices.

WHAT IS ECO-APARTHEID?

Ecological apartheid (also known as enviromental racism) is a form of disenfranchising and spatially separating a class of people through pollution, exploitation, and abuse of their local environment.

[E]nvironmental apartheid was largely instituted through rural marginalization, the use of rural space as an environmental means of marginalization... - Environmental apartheid: Eco-health and rural marginalization in South Africa

Topside and the undercity are basically one nation state with a blindingly stark fence between them. Piltover and Zaun are simultaneously connected and separated by the Bridge of Progress. Progress unites them and alienates them from one another. Progress is why Piltover is wealthy and clean, and it is why Zaun is impoverished and polluted. It is was on the Bridge of Progress that Silco incited the riot that led to Vi and Powder's orphaning and Vander's betrayal. It's where Ekko and Jinx have their standoff, and where the Hextech core is exchanged. In other words, progress is a border.

WHAT IS EXTRACTIVISM?

Prior to the proliferation of shimmer and the chembarons, industry in the undercity appears to be heavily centralized around one thing — fissure mining. Vi and Powder's parents used to be miners along with Vander and Silco. Jayce and Vi visit one of these mines and she explains the masks the workers use. Oh, and let's not forget the children don't have to yearn for the mines when they're dying in the mines!

The Zaunites' livelihood being dependant on the extraction of natural resources for the benefit of the Piltovans is what is known as extractivism — the exploitation of a resource-rich land and its people by a separate "global North."

In practice, extractivism has been a mechanism of colonial and neocolonial plunder and appropriation. This extractivism, which has appeared in different guises over time, was forged in the exploitation of the raw materials essential for the industrial development and prosperity of the global North. - Extractivism and neoextractivism: two sides of the same curse

The "North," in this case, clearly being Piltover. The resources being abused and exploited here aren't only the fissure mines, but also the bodies of the workers and those born around them. Viktor's illness, for example, is a product of growing up around the gaseous waste of the fissure mines. The Zaunites take the brunt of the side-effects of the pollution so that the topsiders don't have to. The "dregs" are kept below while materials, both people and things, that are deemed useful get to rise to the top. The processing of raw materials and shipping happens in Piltover, so it's the Piltovans who get a final say on the profits.

Silco and the chembarons establish their power by creating an industry that operates outside of fissure mining that doesn't rely on the patronage of the global North. Needless to say, drug dealing isn't exactly a noble trade, but extraction, processing, and distribution are mainly controlled and operated by Zaunites, which allows them a source of wealth and power that they can leverage against Piltover. To use a more recognizable phrase, they own the means of shimmer production.

I find it fascinating that shimmer is made by killing innocent underground creatures. Cannibalizing your own kind for a temporary boost of strength that eventually turns the user into a monster? It's a poignant metaphor about the infighting of not just the chembarons' gangs but of oppressed groups in general. And while shimmer offers power and brings in wealth, that's not what the undercity truly needs and only corrupts it even further.

Nah, the show has been very clear that what Zaun needs is breathable air.

SEASON 2 FORGOT ABOUT AIR

Even outside of the air pollution caused by fissure mining, the theme of breathing and air is everywhere in season one. Ekko and the Firelights' community is built around a tree — the clean air it provides is the reason they've been able to sustain themselves. It is considered an oasis in polluted Zaun. Jinx's is often heralded by brightly colored smoke, and the way she signals to Violet is through a flare that emits it. Silco's altercation with Vander involves him almost drowning — Vander literally choking the air out of him. Silco, in reponse to this traumatic event, teaches Jinx to willingly submerge herself in a place without air by baptizing her in the same filthy water he was choked in.

In other words, air is life and purpose. Zaun's aesthetics are defined by gas masks and smoke. Meanwhile, the scenes in Piltover are clean and clear. Ekko and the Firelights' tree represented hope and the possibility of clean air in Zaun. Viktor was similarly associated to flowers that grew in the underground, symbolizing how beautiful things can live even in the harshest circumstances.

Environmental degradation, more specifically air pollution, is the raison d'être of topside-undercity conflict. Silco says as much when he threatens the other chembarons and reminds them of why he's in charge.

Have you forgotten where we came from? The mines they had us in? Air so thick it clogs your throat — stuck in your eyes. I pulled you all up from the depths, offered you a taste of topside and fresh air. I gave you life. Purpose. But you've grown fat and complacent, too much time in the sun. We came from a world where there was never enough to go around. That is why we fight. Do you remember? - The Boy Savior, Arcane S01E07

But by the second and third acts of season two, pollution may not as well exist in Zaun. How does Viktor's commune plant its flowers and grow its fruits? Does the Firelights' tree ever get cured of its corruption? Did everyone forget that the undercity is literally suffocating? Seriously, why is Ekko's storyline with the tree never resolved? Why give Jinx that monologue about a wispy goddess of air the fissurefolk pray to and never go anywhere with it?

JINX SHOULD HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED TO JANNA

The Grey presented an opportunity for Jinx to be the revolutionary hero Arcane wanted her to be. The enforcers have clearly aligned themselves with pollution and poison, and Jinx could have been the herald of their wind goddess come to answer the people's prayers for relief. But the people don't rally behind Jinx because of her association to Janna, clean air, or her repelling the invading cops using bioweapons.

I firmly believe that Jinx being a symbol of the revolution because she blew up a government building is missing a few steps. She'll get radicals who already hated Piltover behind her, sure, but the everyday Zaunite would more likely blame her for causing chaos and bringing trouble to their streets. Because the average person doesn't really care who's on the council or if a politician so far from them dies. But they do care if the cops are suddenly at their door with tear gas because an extremist junkie decided to commit arson.

The first act of season two had me very optimistic that the show was picking up where it left off with its enviromental themes. The enforcers use The Grey, polluted air, to surpress dissent and hunt down Jinx. Jinx fights back under a mural of Janna, the goddess of clean air. Her plan involves her using air to push back The Grey and send the gust up to Piltover. After being actively gassed by the enforcers, Jinx and her association to colorful wind becomes a symbol of hope and revolution to the people of the undercity.

Except that's not what happens. The Grey is only shown affecting targeted criminals with no collateral damage to civilians despite it being deployed all over the trenches. The gusts of wind Jinx pushes up to Piltover don't make topsiders experience the air pollution Zaunites suffer. Instead, it just midly inconveniences them with paint splatters. In the end, The Grey is forgotten and has nothing to do with their fight in front of Janna's mural. Caitlyn gets a promotion despite gassing the entire underground with nothing to show for it, and the undercity idolizes Jinx despite her being the reason they were gassed in the first place.

ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION IS INTERPERSONAL RESTORATION

Unlike in the game, Arcane chose topside and the undercity to be originally established as one city — and I don't think that was done without reason. The nation of Zaun and its identity is established as a reaction to the suffering of those underground. A community developed centered around helping one another cope and survive through the pollution. In short, Piltover created Zaun.

Thus, the interplay between Piltover and Zaun extended to all plotlines and the relationships they explored and developed. Jinx and Vi, Vi and Caitlynn, Viktor and Jayce, Ekko and Heimerdinger — these are all relationships that reflect the tension between Zaun and Piltover. Family torn apart by civil war, bitter ex lovers, different ideological approaches to scientific advancement, intuitive inventiveness and practiced genius. Their relationships are born from a common desire and degrade because of that looming border inflicted by the pursuit of progress.

Piltover and Zaun is a single house fractured because of how it threw all its detritus in the basement as it sought to build a tower that will reach the skies. The whole building is threatening to crumble, especially now that someone threw a bomb at it like in the finale of season one. The status quo Arcane and we as a globalized eco-apartheid have is extremely precarious as is any foundation built on abuse and exploitation. A lot of people will cheer on the Jinxes who don't care so much about fixing it than they do burning it all down to express their understandable rage and grief, but that doesn't really fix the problem of having breathable air, does it?

Unfortunately, we'll never know how the show will wrap up the Zaunite plight because it was all but forgotten in season 2. The problem of Zaun was never that they needed to evolve or be perfect — it's that their environment and the people by extension were being suffocated.

In my perfect world, the finale would have addressed the lack of light and clean air in the underground. It would have mirrored how some bodies and relationships can never truly fully recover the damage that has been done. As in real life, restoration is not a substitute for not doing harm in the first place. But it could have ended with a hopeful message that burning it down and running away isn't the answer either.

When Viktor was healing Vander and decided that, despite the unprecedented effort and time, his natural, non-weaponized humanity was worth saving because of how much he means to his local community, I thought that was what they were going for. Alas, they didn't let the show breathe.

[violent-viscera]

my true (respectful) thoughts of arcane s2

so much of the promotional material promised so much in the way of vi and jinx/powder and their sisterly relationship, but i feel like with the amount of storylines/plotlines they did in this season, it was just too busy to focus on anyone–let alone the two supposed protagonists of the show. i think the best way for me to articulate how i feel about the writing of this show is that it fell flat, lost its heart, and emotional impact of the first season.

i would have been okay with them straying from my personal favourite focus if:

the storylines had been fleshed out better

the decisions the characters made actually made sense

main characters didn't become plot devices (vi)

new additions of the show weren't just plot devices (isha, loris, maddie, etc.)

motivations of characters made sense

characters had even small lines/dialogue to articulate their intentions/ideas

less time spent on off-screen development

and the thing is with the amount of plot lines they were ambitiously aiming to see out to fruition, its really hard to also set up all these new facets or opposing characteristics in former characters–plus adding new ones too. for example:

caitlyn's facist arc that didn't really have much meaning or attention

jinx's s1 mental collapse which changed abruptly into her redemption arc via isha (plot device)

jinx's revolutionist arc (first, reluctantly and then, willingly w ekko)

vi's pitfighter/brawler arc which was literally just one clip (which ended up being a teaser that showed everything)

im almost grateful to the minimal screen time ekko got bc they didn't try to change the core and essence of who he was in s1: he stayed true to himself. he's just a boy with a huge heart and love for his people that chose to leave his happy ending in an alternate timeline to return to the ppl who needed him where he is almost guaranteed heartbreak in some way or another.

i think the main reason so many ppl loved the first season was bc the characters were relatable in one way or another and they became so multidimensional when you explored how their environment/circumstances shaped them. but this season bc it was so purely focused on the endgame instead of HOW everyone got there, the characters fell flatter, they lost a soul and heart, and i felt the show lost its charm.

i know we all have our favourite characters and storylines we want the show to focus on and i would have been okay if i didn't get my way. if the show didn't focus on jinx and vi, i would've lived (although the promotional material was unfairly misleading) if the storylines, characters, and everything else made sense to me.

of course, the animation was lovely and the music was catchy/heartbreaking. i dont regret watching the show out to its final episode. it was one of the most beautiful visual experiences of my entire life. i still love the characters and will never regret staying on board until the final moments.

but i cant lie and say im not a little sad at how it ended too.

edited add-on:

also, the voice actors did phenomenally. ella purnell just absolutely nails the delivery for every line and reed shannon also hurt me with how he portrayed ekko. so on and so forth.

but that being said, i also felt the dialogue and lines of each character felt much less impactful this season (again, writing.)

i liked viktor’s monologue at the end of act 2. that was compellingly well written

but the lines this season weren’t the same quality as silco’s monologue about drowning, jinx’s speech at the beginning of the doomed tea party, etc. everything just felt so flat and shallow this season overall.

[arcane-ruined-my-gut-flora]

Please tell me I'm not the only one who has problems with this season's pacing, especially act 2. I'm still enjoying the show but I'm so sad they didn't get more episodes to take it slow with the narrative, especially considering they're adding a ton of new stuff to the story and the lore.

Heavy spoilers ahead!!

I feel like Ambessa is taking too much space, for one. I love her, but with all her screentime she's not even doing much. We could've had more Caitlyn time, some introspection, a look at how she feels about her "relationship" with Maddie. Does she have nightmares about Jinx? Does she dream of Vi? Does she see Vi's eyes in Maddie's?

Or, we could've gotten Caitlyn's thoughts about Ambessa and everything she's doing. Does Cait feel guilty for endorsing her methods? Does she see some sort of twisted maternal figure, someone who guides her like a seasoned soldier while also appearing as an overall stable, mature figure she can rely on?

I'm also sad we didn't get actual Emo!Vi. On YouTube it felt like it was a montage of multiple scenes, but turns out that's all that there is to her. What's her relationship with Loris? What does Loris say about her declining condition? Does Vi see Vander in his face, in his company?

And don't get me started on Isha. I still grew to like her, despite the short screentime she has, but I feel like they wasted her by killing her off now in the last episode of Act 2. We saw her with Jinx, but not enough. Did Jinx flinch away from her in the beginning? Did she try to put some distance like she tried to push her off during the fight in Act 1? Did Jinx let her in begrudgingly, telling herself she doesn't want to curse another person but knowing she's actually curious and maybe even fond of her company?

And who the fuck are the members of the peanut patrol? We saw Loris, but barely heard him talk in the beginning. Vi would never open up to a stranger, let alone an Enforcer (even though it wasn't exactly clear he's one), but the first time they met and drank their asses off we could've had something meaningful. Loris asking a question that makes Vi think, maybe regarding Cait's proposition, or offering an external point of view whether it's to convince her to join or not.

Maddie does it, by mentioning the fight Caitlyn put up to get the badge, but some more convincing wouldn't have hurt. Vi is infamous for her stubbornness after all. And who is the other guy? I hope they'll come back in Act 3 with some more information, but even then it feels too late if you consider everything that's happened with Maddie and Loris off camera.

The Black Rose. That's it. That's my umpteenth problem with this season. I have nothing against this new part of the plot, it's actually pretty interesting, but it's clear we don't have much space for it with everything that's happening. It's cramped in there, it's the reason why we have so much Ambessa and so little Mel. It feels like we're watching two different series/seasons edited together, because the "arcane waking up" was pretty much enough of a twist for me.

The arcane waking up, Viktor becoming Jesus, Jayce becoming Judas. Yes, we'll see more in act 3, but it means we won't see as much of everything else as we could've.

This series was about Zaun and Piltover, about the collision between these two very different worlds that are also two faces of the same coin. We don't see much of the Jinxers and their rebellion, we don't see how Piltover is reacting to the new administration. We talk too much about Noxus and I don't feel the tension between topside and undercity even though it's theoretically growing to the point of snapping.

It's extremely sad, because season 1 left a brilliant, positive memory in my mind. Its writing was top level, and it still would be if only they had a little more time, a couple episodes more, a bigger canvas to work on.

I still love the show, I'm still in love with the characters and I know it's not complete so I can't judge it in a definitive way. Yet it stings.

[menofprogress]

Here are some of my hot (or maybe tepid) takes about arcane:

(Under the cut bc i got wordy lol)

-the show could have used another season or like at least 5 more eps per season. Thats not a dig at the creators bc we know they were already forced to cut stuff out, but imho it shows a little, esp in s2. I fully believe Sevika was one of the biggest victims here, i genuinely believe she had an arc in s2 act 3 that was fully cut. And her being one of the biggest defenders of zaunite independence also means that by cutting her they basically gutted that storyline.

-the sheer lack of time with some characters also means that i simply did not connect with some of them, which made their deaths kind of underwhelming. Like i gasped when loris, isha, elora and sky died, but i cant say i was actually sad. That might be a me problem, but i need a little more time and info on a character to feel literally anything about them.

-on the other hand: we need to accept that sometimes background or minor characters are just that. No they werent robbed, no they werent underwritten, theyre simply not that important and thats OK bc theyre characters, not real people. You dont need to give equal attention to all characters for it to be "fair". And i sometimes feel like ppl think they HAVE to bemoan this. esp when its a female character a lot of fans talk about "sidelining" or "theyre using them as a plot device!!" Buddy, sometimes characters are literally just there to move the plot along, thats not inherently a social justice issue. (Ive seen this the most with sky and lest and like.... sorry, they were never gonna be more important than this. They can still be your fave, but just bc you wanted to see more of them doesnt mean they were sidelined for nefarious reasons)

-however sometimes the problem isnt that a character got too little screentime. S2 is a perfect example to show you can do a lot of character work in less time (viktor, ekko) and little character work with a lot of screentime (vi, sorry). Viktor and ekko were missing for entire episodes and managed to have full character arcs and vi was kind of there the whole time, but stuff just happened to her? Like she does do a lot, she looks incredibly cool, i liked watching her scenes, but her motivations, her goals and her values are ALL over the place. I love caitvi, but it did kinda ruin vis integrity when she threw away core beliefs (she becomes an enforcer, she temporarily agrees to kill jinx, she participates in chem warfare against the undercity) for cait. Hmmmmm.....

-i wasnt that deep in the fandom in s1 so i might have simply missed it or i might just not be following assholes, but the "jayvik shippers hate mel" thing never made sense to me. NOT because i dont believe it, bc i sure as hell have seen enough mlm shippers be fully misogynistic or racist, but the way ppl (mainly meljay shippers lbr) talked about jayvik shippers being horrible to mel like it was this HUGE thing confused me bc i personally have seen like 2 fanfics where they horribly mischaracterise mel to be a viktor-hating bitch, but thats it? Like, was that an actual problem or was it ppl deliberately misunderstanding stuff? (One specific example: ive seen someone accuse jayvik shippers of being misogynists bc they accused mel of manipulating jayce and sidelining Viktor. Which is a canonical thing happening in the show. Like ofc you can word it in a way to make mel a horrid evil bitch, im sure there are ppl who DO hate mel and think she is an evil succubus, but this person in particular just seemed upset about the fact that ppl were talking about things that mel canonically did.) This is a genuine question, bc from my pov after s1 mel was one of the fan faves and jayvik wasnt THAT big of a deal until s2. I literally saw a hundred times more jayce hate than i did mel hate, but maybe thats not the universal arcane fandom experience? Like, again, i HAVE seen (for lack of a better term) fujoshis get wildly hateful towards female characters in the vicinity of their ship, i was just pleasantly surprised that the arcane fandom seemingly DIDNT. So the unrestrained resentment and bitterness of some fans after jayvik "went canon" caught me off guard.

-the reason i ask this: i saw a video where someone talked about some rando homophobic timebomb fans who apparently resented caitvi for getting a happy ending instead of jinx and ekko. So i commented "i s2g het-shippers act like theyre an oppressed group sometimes" to which another person responded "well jayvik fans were really shitty about mel, soo...." and i was so fucking confused bc what? The video wasnt even about mel or jayvik?? They just heard me make a snarky comment about het ships and immediately felt called out. But yeah thats what prompted my question.

-i dont get the thirst for the fish man. I get the salo thirst even less. I cheered when jayce bonked him.

-i actually dont want jayce or viktor to appear in future projects. While i love the idea of them being ~not dead~, i think any further canonical storylines about them would devalue the extremely emotional ending they had. Like, imagine if they only bring one of them back?? What then?? No, i actually prefer post-canon fix it fanfics in this case. (Cough cough esp bc this way i can still plausibly delude myself into them being actually canon and yall KNOW it probably would not stay this way if their story continues)

[arcane-temp-fandomblog]

Thank you. :D

#I'm not sure if I agree with every point

Firstly, good. I'm happy to hear that. Engaging in other people's interpretation of media should always be critical even if there's agreement with points and as much as I try to write only about the text of the show (ie. what is there in dialogue/visuals/framing) and add as little as possible of conjecture about characters motivations. I have to assume some things about authors ideas and direction. And I'm a person on the internet, I do play favourites with both political theories and angles on characters.

Secondly, I don't even agree with my past self on the blog. As I changed my mind a lot as I rewatched the show. I'm not very attentive viewer.

Thirdly, I don't even agree with myself 100% in most of these notes. But I would have to make more sweeping assumptions where character arcs are heading.

Which who knows, my only assumptions are:

1. that while the show will be bitter-sweet - it's not going to be grimdark or tragedy. It'll be pain but good pain. For now at least this show has remarkable logical realism - character's take suboptimal/irrational actions but the outcomes are not unexpected or random.

2. No one from main cast will die. Again - this show after act1 seemed to have: anyone can die vibe - because they played it so straight with Mylo & Claggor (thou at least the latter was pretty telegraphed with Ekko & Vi in lol having his glasses in splasharts). But we have very little actual death from named characters, and even that is after the character has been given a lot of outs. Notable exception are Greyson & Benzo. But aside of it:

a) Vander - had option to join Silco in his "rebellion & scaring Piltover. with monsters" after being kidnapped by him. But didn't because whatever reason - he wouldn't fight. That's why he couldn't protect all his children. If he did imo. the story would unfold more alongside enemy video.

He's not even dead yet anyway.

b) Marcus - has years of time to come clean. But even if there was more at play than just Silco to not to - ie. also some of Piltover's dealings, he should have come clean at the barricade.

Instead he shot Ekko - that is the main point why he died.

c) Silco - if he grew out of "everyone abandons us" scar he had after Vander left him - something that stifles Jinx's growth, and what makes his relationship with Jinx so clingy - as Sevika points out. If he only trusted other people aside from Jinx that have his back.

And that's core reason he died.

But anyway, while we don't see it - these 3 characters had years to figure out growth. Yet they never did.

Ah and one exception: Sky Young. But that is sad (since she was such a great character) and mostly realistic inversion of the trope of what happens if someone saves another person's life at the cost of theirs. Not so heroic and upbuilding, is it? And if Viktor died in the last episode, he would have taken her research notebook - the thing that she worked for so long personally as a scientist - and the thing that may be timeless source of good even if she passed away - with him. That would be a second part of Sky's death tragedy.

And ime. someone dying is low stakes in most stories, that's why no character in Arcane has it as their goal. Even Viktor's possible and surely approaching death is never framed as "what if he dies, that will be sad". It's always within the context that he did not see any progress for people/areas that counted for him.

But if I had to pick characters that could die - making Arcane even less canon, it'd be in this order of likelihood:

Ambessa > Sevika > Jayce > Ekko / Viktor

but prove me wrong Arcane, I dare you.

3. I assume most characters, sans Heimerdinger maybe, will have positive character arcs. Definitely not what we and character's themselves expected but positive none the less. I think that because positive realistic arcs in the world they set up are harder to write, and because if it was all to spiral into negative character arcs - they already gave too much away. Like nothing worked as intended this season and next season also nothing works out.

Instead what I think they're shooting for is a positive angle to write:

Season 1 - nothing worked as intended even with best intentions

Season 2 - nothing works out as intended but the characters learned enough in season 1 about the reality that they choose more in line with themselves and have more optimal paths. The more they learn the better outcomes they get. Growth is rewarding character arcs.

I also watched the show with subtitles in 2 other languages I speak or semi speak, and eh - intentionally or not - some of translations take out ambiguity from characters speech. Which is really imo. is there intentionally to feel like everything is possible with how character arcs unfold. Understandably this show is written english first, but english is very imprecise language, and that can be lost in translation either due to translator's errors or having to go with underlying meaning instead of what is said at face value.

Otherwise I don't see a reason to write all characters aside from Jinx, Ekko & Mel, going from fail to fail. To show they fail? I mean it's entertaining. But if nothing come from it, then what was the reason? Jinx already got to her lowest point ending in act 1 - in writing theory kind of way, that's how she became the facilitator of change.

Vi is there or nearly there, Viktor maybe?, and Jayce and Caitlyn are nearly there too. Mel & Ekko will probably get to theirs sometime mid next season, as for now imo. we only got their character arc setup. At which point imo. Mel & Ekko may become parallels - one topside / one undercity. Anyway, that's a lot of assumptions.

For all intents and purposes everyone in the council may die, and Season 2 we get Caitlyn & Vi R18+ bedroom scenes for 9 episodes. Which is a win?

Or all character development for everyone will be wiped by the council rocket.

Arcane framing / Piltover political speech / Diplomatic solutions

Characters in Arcane are cute, but my love will always be the politics in it. The speech and behaviours are as if watching real world politics, but at safe funny distance. Every single council member in this story, aside from the disaster man which is Jayce, sounds so reasonable and measured. Yet, the town is at a boiling point - something that everyone outside of Piltover can see. Thank you whoever are Mel's friends oversees and Ambessa. The the cherry on top is vying for economic perks over safety of their own city. Chefs kiss.

But since the whole political mess involves the undercity, what is actually the status of people of the undercity. Is it a district of Piltover or not?

So they are their constituents even if not preferred. Truly the council represents everyone equally in “Piltover the land of progress, equality, innovation.” (this is forever going to be my catchphrase, thank you Jayce).

I mean they are, until they show any bigger dissatisfaction with Piltover because of something that was done through the decree of Piltover's own not-president on advise of sheriff Marcus.

Apparently that's enough for people in the undercity to not be Piltover's people. They're the other people now. Like being from the undercity is pretty precarious situation all the time, as was shown in Act 1 - when even the leader of the Lanes had to make a choice to sacrifice either himself or his children.

I think 'own countermeasures the Piltover edition' don't need to be explained but just in case this is how countermeasures against undercity looked already, barricades & all:

I'm just pretty sure Mel, who may not think high of other councillors but thinks highly of Piltover - the city that represents more humane and upstanding governance than what her mother's rule is (or appears to be - like I'm not fan of Ambessa conquering ways, but I'd pick her over Piltover), does not realise it. Countermeasure are this, taking arms agains own civilians that are dissatisfied ends up like this in Piltover. Bloodshed and traumatised children, while the Piltover's council room is even spared looking at the carnage because of the smoke. It's always easier when one doesn't have to see the cost of war with own eyes.

Mel just wasn't in Piltover at the point of opening rebellion imo. and “Piltover the land of progress, equality, innovation.” would most likely hush extents of such events to the public. Appearances, Piltover can never do any wrong. If she ever discovers the truth - oh, she will be so pissed.

She's the newest addition to the council (aside form Jayce) and they defanged her over time with the way they have no vision. You can be the best political player in a room but if the game everyone is playing is self-interested shit - you can only play that one. And if someone is to blame for that - it's the father of Piltover - Heimerdinger.

But the peace - apparently - is broken because of inaction. I'll make small injection that the show clearly conveys that the inaction is the created economic disparity. But it has been created and there's no going back.

Or...

... they invade. I mean I always bark out ugly laugh that they consider going to a district they govern over an invasion. Yet, here we are - even to the political body - the undercity is a foreign land. Which it became in everything but name under Silco.

"The peace is already broken but it could trigger war". I do want to know what is name of a state that is neither peace or war? Anyway, jokes of this shows that include political speech/logic like this are golden.

This of course triggers in Mel reaction - same she has against her mother's invasion governance techniques. See countermeasures sound nice, invasion sounds like war. Same difference for the people in the undercity. But ie. to give real world example, highly precise drone warfare sounds much nicer than what it actually entails. Not to mention whenever governments decide to take actions against people they preside over.

I'm going to interject, that war against own people should never be last resort. That is a failure of governance within the country on the governing body. But as the Arcane shows us- undercity people are only sometimes Piltover's constituents and sometimes are not their people. Depends how wind blows.

And they will then become not their people in name too.

For now everyone agrees that war is a no, any other diplomatic solution is not proposed either. They all sound so reasonable. In this scene in comparison to Jayce, they are for sure. But just personal opinion - reasonable speech does not imply reasonable actions. Lack of action is action too.

And imo. aside from Mel and Jayce - some of these councillors were around for first rebellion. The strategy is to wait to boiling point and send the enforcers to clean up.

But that doesn't happen... because this does:

Look at these two idiots go "fix" the problem of the undercity.

This also results in the funniest Mel's and Ambessa's fight to date (these two give me life together), when Mel thinks Ambessa said something to Jayce to influence his actions, and Ambessa is like 'I accelerated the process you started'. The issue is Ambessa, while being honest about her opinion on Piltover's system with Jayce, said less to him than Mel.

The person that accelerated the process was Vi. I swear no one in higher up Piltover's politics thinks about undercity folk as people with agency.

Anyway thanks to the fiasco of the two disasters, Jayce & Vi, a diplomatic solution is proposed. Not by the council, but by Jayce. Without anyone's input from the political sphere, he goes to Silco

Well this took Jayce only two whole acts to learn.

After all the trial and tribulation, as council wanted - there will be no war and diplomatic solution can be reached maybe.

The diplomatic solution:

And the response, to this preferred to war, diplomatic solution from the councillors is as expected - elation and sigh of relief to have averted further bloodshed:

That's what winning looks like, right.

Is this not what they wanted?

He went and did what you asked of him in the end councillors.

Jayce Talis discovered economic lobbying and leverage power of Hexgates (right? why else they vote for Zaun's independence?), it's super effective.

That is why everyone on the council, maybe aside from Mel who - if Jayce leaves politics - will become the head of it and has a vision, votes for undecity's independence. Like what are they going to do? Not use Hexgates. haha... lobbing can be so fun. But not in real life, just in Arcane.

Anyway Jayce and Viktor will probably pay for this little stunt next season, but for a moment it was fun.

Arcane politics give me life, I hope it's continued next season. I really want to make a big post about cait & vi - non love angle centric - but too many screenshots.

_

also: I just adore Miyavi & PVRIS - Snakes song lyrics that imo are from Jayce's pov - boy at the tender age of 30+ discovers that not all people have his best interest at heart. True gold.

Whoever wrote this line, chef's kiss

'I’m nice but I can get wicked'

btw imo. first part is for Vi, rest is for the council? I think - in that song. Vi part below:

Know you got my blood running Turn the heat to 600 (...) My friend karma’s a bitch She’s got some lessons you’ll learn ‘em

_

Other posts by me - Arcane meta analysis posts - mostly politics, tech and character parallels

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Grimoire of Zero 10 - 11 | Royal Tutor 11 - 12 (FINAL) | Kado 10 | Boku no Hero Academia 25 | Tsukigakirei 10 - 11...plus summer 2017 anticipated anime.

Just gonna put this here so it gets more attention while it’s open.-> http://www.strawpoll.me/13311671

Grimoire of Zero 10

Geez, the staff pulled a Kado 0 - 1 on us here…i.e. the ending of one ep is the same as the opening of the next ep. It’s just to a lesser extent than Kado did.

Seriously, who is Him??? They still haven’t told us!

Welp, there’s my answer. It was too obvious to centre a 12 episode series around, I would’ve given a plot point like that about…3 or 4 eps, tops.

Grimoire of Zero 11

The thing about this show is that you can just turn your brain off and watch along. It’s a tad slow, but enjoyable and that’s why I’ve stuck with it.

LOL, I understand what it’s like to have “messy, wormlike handwriting”…

I don’t believe a wisp of that karate chop, Holdem. The hand was at the wrong angle.

Finally, the show gets funny again. There’s the Zero we know.

I love the sense of scale the animators have demonstrated with the spells. Just saying that before I have no more chances to.

Ooh! Oh, that man. I actually side with Holdem on this one, he deserved that punch.

“I-“ – Ooh, at that moment I got completely engrossed in the cliffhanger. Normally shows don’t cut off in the middle of a sentence, do they?

Royal Tutor 11

I can’t believe they forcibly took Gregor. Isn’t there some kind of legal offence for-oh wait. That’s called kidnapping. (partially sarcastic)

I’ve always found it interesting that the princes have to refer to the king as such, rather than “dad”. That seems to be a problem in every single piece of media you get about royalty, although these guys have a conscious sort of “I am no longer the king, but your father” (and vice versa) switch which is controlled by Viktor.

Oh, so it’s basically all the Dickensian stuff you get in Oliver Twist…(I haven’t read it, but you know how it is with classics *rolls eyes*).

Heine’s movements are believable, but there’s some suspension of belief needed for Viktor’s (because he faints a little too fast, I think).

Welp, this ain’t quite crying material, but I can tell there was a “climax” where the audience was expected to cry. Knowing this is anime-only material keeps my eyes dry, I guess. However, knowing that Heine’s resigned as Royal Tutor really made my heart drop…after all, this is the second last episode, and I’ve really had fun watching these princes and their diminuitive tutor.

Royal Tutor 12

Bruno really likes Gendo poses, doesn’t he?

Heine’s voice is great for a noob VA. It really sells the character.

I always thought “hai-neh” was a weird pronunciation, but that’s what it says in the katakana.

Seeing Heine tell others their strengths really makes me feel like I’m missing them already, in a good way. I’m not tearing up yet, but it’s real heartwarming and I know if I were in the same situation, I’d cry too.

“Goodbye” isn’t quite “excuse me”, but I guess it works context-wise.

This is one of those shows where “show, don’t tell” works well and I think the show’s nailed it for the most part.

University degrees don’t necessrily make good tutors. Any student knows that, especially in uni.

I can see why even the author cried at this now, even though I’m still not crying.

W-Who’s that? With the dark hair? Eins???

Ah, there’s my answer. It was indeed Eins. Why does he have dark hair???

Welp, there’s one finale for the spring season over. The anime staff really couldn’t have done too much about Eins, though, which sucks. Come back another time for a different show, ‘kay?

Kado 10

I’m in that weird stage where I want to like Kado, but because everyone’s jumped ship, I won’t want to like it either…what a weird thing peer pressure is. *feels like crying*

I feel like I’m in Superhero Project (one of my stories) where protag Keisuke wakes up in a white expansive room to be trained in his powers. Only this time, they gave the room fractals.

Interesting. It’s like an alien LINE convo.

Sarasouju tree…apparently, it’s this thing. Commonly known as “sal”. I’ve never heard of it, though.

“Humans are ephermeal creatures.” – You remind me of Haibara (Detective Conan).

“There’re guns everywhere in America!” – LOL, that sure ain’t the truth, as much as America has gun problems.

Let’s play another common anime game. It’s called “Spot the Main Character from their Hair Colour”.

(SPOILERS for White Parasite from now on!) zaShunina’s still teetering on “cuckoo” from his facial expressions here. It’s sad, because I wanted him to be mysterious and beautiful like La Luna forever...that’s why I killed La Luna off!

*sigh* Okay, evil mastermind pretender, put your hands back on and please just negotiate like you wanted to in the beginning. (*on the brink of tears* Hey, I realised something. I keep making comparisons to White Parasite, but people find it confusing. By making those comparisons, I seem to have almost jinxed Kado to be this way.)

*crying because Shindo* La Luna’s force of living was the goodwill that it used to create its powers. Does that mean the anisotropic run off trust in the same way? (By the way, please don’t resurrect Shindo. That would break the laws of reality as we know it – even anisotropic laws.) (end spoilers)

Welp, I guess not. B-But, my dreams just got ruined by Saraka kissing Shindo (although the Kado tag spoilered it for me anyway)…

Pffffft. Okkkkkkay, Captain Shang, hold up!

Shindo’s angry face at Saraka wearing his shirt had me dying. He really is Captain Shang.

Kado. You were so beautiful at first. I placed my faith in you. B-But you changed, and now all I can do is see you through as you become a cliché fest I could have easily created with my own hands. In fact, I did create a Kado with my own hands - White Parasite. So I am the one to blame…I will have to see this through as I have seen through White Parasite.

Boku no Hero Academia 25

Well, that certainly threw me for a loop. Between two forces of roughly even power, it’s unpredictable who’ll win, but the ability to humanise a character comes with weaknesses. I know that already, as a writer and reader of hero stories.

All Might is such a fatherly type. I don’t think I could write a character like him – both OP yet grounded at the same time.

Plus Ultra!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wait, the woman with red streaks is his…aunty? Sister? I’m not sure at all.

Aw, this Shouto segment was just too good. I’m worried about Iida though, because from the Stain stuff I’ve seen floating around, he will not take the defeat of his bro lightly. Also, amazarashi is coming in the next part of BnHA! I loved Speed to Masatsu, so it’s good to meet him again here.

Tsukigakirei 10

“An Encouragement of Learning” is a Fukuzawa work.

From Kawagoe to Chiba it really is about 2 hrs. Look.

Oh great. Bad CGI people strike again…

Monzenyokocho.

Did Hira have kawaii eyes just as the other people thrust trash at him?

Imokoi is a Kawagoe specialty involving…wait for it…sweet potatoes. That’s why the sweet potato mascot makes sense.

My eyes!!!!!!!! Bad CGI people stand out more in night scenes (compared to day scenes, of course).

Toki no Kane, apparently also known as the Bell of Time.

The “game” in question, that rock paper scissors, was probably a batsu (penalty) game.

I guess I should’ve guessed Kotarou would’ve gotten angry at Hira eventually. I just didn’t think it would be now.

That shot of Kotarou walking down the street looked a little awkward because it looked like he was walking on a flat surface when it’s actually slanted.

It’s not just my video, is it? Akane’s crying got sped up and that pulled me out of what was meant to be an immersive scene.

Chotto matte means “wait a bit”, but I feel like “I’ll be right there” is warping the meaning a lil’ too much.

Well, I never expected this show to portray anger. It pulled Kotarou’s anger off really well.

I never thought I’d see the day where Kotarou would rely on the potato mascot, either. I like a show that goes out of its way to be unpredictable like this. Too bad it came a little too late in the game.

Tsukigakirei is all about following the heart and not necessarily the mind, so this is a pefect way to show it.

Oh! That was another good unexpected thing, but then they’ve been teasing that since the fireworks. Too bad they kept part of Kotarou’s face hidden right after it.

This end of ep LINE convo is about a couple that can’t sleep, so one of them starts talking about their part time job…then it gets cut off.

Oh, so that’s how Sakura is related to the main events…okay.

Tsukigakirei 11

“To decide that I’m hopeless before I even begin is nothing but laziness.” - Wise words, Dazai.

Were there always two potato mascots at the top of 13.70? I think one appeared there when Kotarou first received his, actually, although I’m not bothered to look…

The people aren’t CGI now…or I’ve somehow gotten used to them…? Either way, they’ve stepped up their animation game (in exchange for ep 12 being late, according to a note on the CR page).

That’s a cute jumper, Akane.

The fact Kotarou changes his message is something I can relate with. Even one forum post can take hours to type, even though time is always never on my side.

What’s that purple thing on the onigiri plate? A pickled plum? No, those are red…

A “root for the underdog” story is a classic, so I can see why Roman’s rooting for Kotarou.

Hahaha…yeah, let’s just sat I can’t understand the science for the life of me and leave it at that. That stuff’s chemistry, I haven’t touched it since I was 14 or 15.

The stuff about circles appears to be on segments, equal angles and so on (you know how you find the angle of a triangle based on where it is in a circle? Yeah, stuff like that).

Oh yeah, I never thought this but…Kawagoe Seminar. It’s named like Sailor Moon’s Crystal Seminar, and for good reason – both are cram schools.

There’s a grade score near Kotarou’s wrist, so understandably he got an A in Japanese.

Parents aren’t like that, Kotarou. They don’t always hope for your failure, they just hope you’ll do well in life…says someone whose parents have aways supported them.

Instead of having CGI people moving, they’ve finally done 2D people. However, the tradeoff is that now the people are not moving, which is just as weird if not even weirder.

“PoPo” is such a weird name for a shop, LOL.

No wait, I take part of my comment about 2D people back. There is still CGI, it’s just less prononced now they’ve bothered to put in 2D background people as well.

That scarf goes well with his outfit…says someone who sucks at coordinating outfits.

Why not just talk with her when you’re ready, Kotarou? If The Royal Tutor taught me anything, it’s that it’s always good to talk things over if you can’t understand each other.

Aitai can mean “want to meet”(like you’re meant to do to make the fish a heart), but the ai is in hiragana (so it doesn’t mean anything) and the kanji for tai used means “red snapper”. As in, the fish.

There’s a lot of ganbaru (try your hardest) used in this ep, and Kotarou says benkyouganbaresou in this “Sorry it didn’t turn out so great” convo. The nuance is therefore lost in the translated version, “I feel like I’m ready to study again starting tomorrow”, although I can’t suggest a better alternative.

Yeah, Kotarou’s mother is right. If you have a normal sleep schedule, you’re able to work better, despite how great it may be to sleep in.

I get easily lost on public transport, so I understand the vibe Kotarou’s parents are giving off.

This ep’s ED LINE convo is two people (one’s a guy, the other I don’t know the gender of) talking about studying and, at the start of the convo, the guy’s mother being angry. At the end of the convo it turns out the guy’s notebook was blank (and that’s the punchline to the convo).

Well, I’ll confirm my lineup for summer here and now. Licensing’s already being doled out as we speak so some of the lineup’s set in stone already. In order of hype:

Definite hype:

Boku no Hero Academia 2* (carryover)

Katsugeki Touken Ranbu*

Reflection*

Nana Maru San Batsu

Kaito x Ansa (already binged Nazotokine to prepare)

Nobunaga no Shinobi ~ Ise to Kanegasaki-hen ~* (see below, carryover)

Medium - low hype:

Vatican Kiseki Chousakan

Princess Principal 

Jikan no Shihaisha (seen the first chapter or so of the manga)

Isekai Shokudou* 

18if

Youkai Apato

Clione no Akari

Konbini Kareshi

Zannen Onna

Asterisks mean licensing’s been confirmed already for me as of this post - I’ve asterisked anything confirmed to be by CR this season, because that’s likely to be worldwide bar Asia. Katsugeki is the only known show out of the asterisks that isn’t a CR stream. 

Funi’s opened up its services to my region (due to the CR x Funi merger), I could probably watch 18if there, but 1) I feel like Funi doesn’t have a good enough player, and 2) I feel like it’ll show up on a service that has a better player.

You’ll notice Nobunaga no Shinobi, a carryover from the last season I previously didn’t care for, is on the list. I was looking at YouTube videos of people’s favourite OPs and I fell in love with Shirayuki (by Renka, it’s the OP for the current season) recently, so I binged the existing content in one day. However, it being a short series means it’s not eligible for simulcast commentary and I’ll have to make a separate ranking for short series once I make my year-end rankings (to include ~ Ise to Kanegasaki-hen ~, and because watching Kenka Bancho Otome has screwed my rankings over enough as it is). After all, my 2016 ranking policy was “a show I saw at least once over in 2016 and had at least one seasonal entry in 2016″, which if applied to this year would make Nobunaga no Shinobi eligible, but it would be unfair to pit it against any shows with standard 24 min eps.