It’s safe to say that I'm obsessed with Arcane.
From countless reaction and analysis/breakdown videos to unhealthy fanart consumption, there aren't many shows in existence that elicit this kind of response from me.
One of my most anticipated shows of 2021 turns out to be absolutely fucking incredible in nearly every way. I imagine some people had concerns or pessimism because of the well-known curse of videogame adaptations, with them being shit or forgettably average most of the time. In my case, I chose to remain cautiously optimistic and it looks like I chose right.
The setting and intoxicating atmosphere are complemented by Arcane's art style, the story is great, the music is wonderful, and the animation is LITERALLY flawless. When people mention "every frame a painting" when describing cinematography, they will now be able to pull any frame from Arcane and hang it on a wall, It’s that beautiful.
There are very few shows I could confidently call a Masterpiece on this planet, especially since most of the things I see rarely score above a 6 or 7, but Arcane is easily a Top 5 tv show nearly but not quite edging out Avatar: The Last Airbender (which is a big deal because that's my #1) and solidifying itself as the best animated anything I've ever had the blessing of seeing.
It will be a herculean task to top anything done in this season and while I pity the staff knowing the pressure they must feel on accomplishing just that, I have every confidence that Riot Games and Fortiche Production will be able to do it and do it well, if not better.
Against all odds, Netflix's "Arcane" pulls off an incredible feat. Through stunning animation, competent storytelling, and a heartbreaking score, the series paints a tragic world. It's full of loss and hardship. It deals with themes like progress, time, and civil war. But in the middle of this civil unrest is a tale about betrayal and sisterhood.
I'm ashamed I enjoyed this series less than others, but maybe after a rewatch, my mind will clear. If there's one thing I'm confident about, it's the series' visuals. Continuing the trend born from "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse", "Arcane" is 3D animated with a 2D aesthetic. The studio designed its characters this way, and it overlays 2D elements as well. If there's one reason to recommend this series, I assure you it's because of the visuals.
"Arcane" reminds us that our world is fractured. There are no "good guys" or "bad guys", simply those who are more fortunate and those who are just trying to get by. But it's difficult for both to create positive change, and this show displays that with grace and finesse.
Btw, Caitlyn is my favourite character. Don't @ me :P
She jinxed it again! I LOVE IT!
"In the pursuit of great, we failed to do good."
"I never would have given you to them. Not for anything. Don't cry. You're perfect."
This episode has some incredible quotes.
"In the pursuit of great, we failed to do good."
Hot damn. Even with all the hype, this show has SHATTERED all my expectations. From the JAW-DROPPING art style with PERFECTION in every frame, to the HEART-WRENCHING story with some of the most INCREDIBLE characters ever. I have no other word but PERFECTION.
How does this show keep getting better and better. what a great episode.
Like oil and water huh. Man this was an amazing episode. First, we got to learn more about Mia Maderda, and how her mother tried instilling the idea into Mia that you need to be able to go to war for some conflicts, beign diplomatic won't always be the solution, but because Mia rejected this idea, she was banished to Pultivor by her own mother, who seems to a warrior and leader in her home country. It makes sense that Mia know no longer wants Jayce to prep weaposn for war, realizing the consequences war can have for both sides, and that Jayce has no idea what he's getting his head into. But Mia's mom on the other hand, is going to do everythign she can to convince Jayce to go to war. Also, looks like Caitlyn and Vi failed their mission, thanks to Jinx stealing the crystal back at the last minute. Man, im surprised how much Silco seems to genuinally care about Jinx, the man was petrified by the fact that Jinx was half dead. And man, the doctor scene was terrfying and painful to watch, the tortorous lengths the doctor went through to save Jinx from near-death was gag-inducing, and watching Jinx's painful response to the treatment, plus the memories of her and Vi getting corrupted as she starts feeling like Vi replaced her with Caitlyn was painful to watch. Also, man the development Caitlyn has gone through has been amazing, Im surprised i'd like a character this much. Going from a person who naively had faith inn Pultivor and there government, to being exposed to the inhumane lif people living in the under city experience on a daily basis, while the people of Pultivor get to live laviouhly in a progressive technological hub, with no care or even acknowledgement of the conditions of everyone down below, and thus wanting change in how things functions, not just accepting that the pultivor governemt can sit back and relax as people are starving below. Man, I'm glad Caitlynn's mom allowed Caitlyn and Vi an audience with the council members, and ofcoruse all the council memebrs gave no solutions for the issues, but they were atleast able to convince (altho admittedly most Vi later on) Jayce to help. Looks like Jayce is now going to be fighting alongside Vi to take out all of Silco's manufacturing facilities for Shimmer so that the people of Zaun will turn on Silco and Silco will be taken down. Man the fighting animation is so good in this show, I loved how dynamic and stylized it was as Jayce and Vi were beating up dudes in robot armor w/there HexTech weapons. Though things didnt feel as fun when the reality of what Jace and Vi have done started setting into Jayce's mind, with Jayce seeing all the death they've caused, including a child who was forced to work for Silco. Also man, looks like Victor succedeed in using the magical orb to enhance his body and heal himself, but then a woman was evaporated by the very orb Viktor used to heal himself, hopefully this moment shows Viktor how serious the magic tech is and he calms down with using it so much. Also, poor professor heimerdinger, the man was completely correct about Viktor and Jayce not messing around with magic tech, and its looking like his fears are playing out into reality, and now that he was fired, there's nothign Prof H can do. Although, now that he met Ekko, maybe they could do soemthign together, unless Ekko just decides to stay back at his hideout and help his people there.Also, its starting to look like there might be an uprising within Zaun, with people like Sevika (who originally betrayed Vander to help Silco) thinkign that Silco's attachment to Jinx is holding him back and some other ppl wanting change in the leadership of Zaun. Also man, did Vi really have to do Ciatlyn like that, say that Caitlyn should just stay with the royals and forget about her, since theyre from two different worlds and as such could never get along, I mean Caitlyn and Vi were so close with eachother. Also, its looking like Caitlyn might be fucked, with a transformed (thanks to the doctors brutal surgery) Jinx whose out for blood right behind her.
Mel: "I don't need your guidance."
Mel's mother: "We'll see."
Jayce: "So thank you for your advice, Mrs Medarda, but I have a city to run."
Mel: "Jayce, you don't know war."
Caitlyn: "What about us?"
Vi: "Oil and water. Wasn't meant to be."
Caitlyn: "You're just saying that."
Vi: "Do yourself a favour, Cupcake. Go back to that big, shiny house of yours and just... forget me, okay?"
Jayce: "Yeah. I want to make Silco pay."
Vi: "I want in."
Jayce: "There is no in. You heard the Council."
Vi: "Fuck the Council."
Vi: "So... we got a deal, pretty boy?"
9.5/10 - Another absolutely great episode <3
That decapitation scene was well cut :D Visually it kinda wasn't really brutal at all (apart from the blood at the end) but it was very clear what happened. I liked that style.
It was quite heartbreaking when Caitlyn's plan didn't work out. "It's gone." "It was all for nothing." That really hit me. I'm just relieved that they got to talk to the council so it wasn't really all for naught.
Speaking of that: It really killed me how Caitlyn's mom kicked the door open and stood there with the gun xDD And it was so lovely that Caitlyn brought Vi to her home. It was quite amazing to see Vi react to everything new. And the two are of course so sweet together! And they fell in love faster than I thought.
If Jinx wasn't insane before the procedure she's probably proper crazy now... :o That final scene was quite scary - I hope Caitlyn will be fine.
At least Ekko is still alive :) I'm so happy that he met Heimerdinger. I was afraid that he'd do something stupid or get into trouble but I expect that it'll work out very well now. It's awesome how he wants to offer his assistance to the people of the undercity (and that scene with the kid was lovely). He's much more grounded than I though (I already really liked him before but that probably makes him the best (smart, kind, etc.) character). I really want to see Ekko and Heimerdinger work together now! :)
It looked like Viktor's plan didn't really go well... :o And IIRC he was even aware that Sky is into him. Quite unfortunate! I guess that won't end well now...
And Vi has her gauntlets - at last :)
The best episode yet, the last scene was something else.
LOL I didn't expect to see Echo at all! So cool :)
"Gee, I wonder who I learned that from?" xD And Vi even hugged him. Such a sweet reunion <3
And that place he built looked so amazing/beautiful! And that huge drawing full of the people they lost was stunning.
And I became concerned about Viktor again... :o Not his health but about him becoming a bad person. But I was so wrong: He is a really good person! He has heart, passion, and cares about people. And I love how he still just casually goes to the undercity. He didn't forget and he isn't just glad that he could escape it and never has to return.
At least Jayce has regrets about betraying his mentor. Mel's "Try not to lose your nuts." was fun :D
I'm a bit concerned about Heimerdinger. I wonder what his undercover mission is.
Silco's power move was great. He is one of a kind!
Caitlin and Vi are so sweet together <3
And those firelights looked awesome. Until it was revealed that they're bombs from Jinx. She's crazy but smart. At least she did get that it's just a goodbye hug. Speaking of that: The hug between Vi and Caitlin was so sweet, again <3
And last but not least: Echo was quite the hero at the end! His hoverboard is so cool and his time abilities just made it epic. And how he saw Powder and still cares about her <3
Such an emotional episode. I never thought I'd rate such an episode 10/10 but I feel like this one does deserve it.
that fight between ekko and jinx was incredible. the whole situation reminds ekko of the times they used to play as kids. Jinx then stops and this wide smile spreads across her face. She remembers the same thing. SHIT
Another solid episode of Arcane, fleshing out some characters and more of the story. For one, we learned a it more about Viktor, who was a loner kid obsessed with inventing, and was a young apprentice to this old man who created a new life, but Viktor abandoned that old man after seeing the inhumane lengths he'd go to for the sake of keeping his mutation alive. Also, looks like Viktor is dying soon, just as he and Jayce are on the brim of another magical tech innovation, with them learning that the magical orb they obtained reacts to organic matter, and could potientally be used to save Viktors life. But Prof Heimodegger, the 300yr old professor who founded Pultovir, has seen what happens if magic is used in the wrong hands, and is worried that the magical tech Viktor and Jayce are innovating will bring havoc upon Pultivor and as such, wants it destroyed. Naive and idealistic as always though, Jayce refuses to listen to Prof H, who himself isnt opposed to Jayce's magical tech advancementss, but believs it should be done slowly to ensure the safety of Pultivor. Jayce instead starts and succesfully gets a vote to retire Prof. H as leader of Pultivor, presumably so that Jayce can take over and continue his march towards magic tech innovation for the good of humanity. We also learned some more about Mia, how she was exiled from the Madera name because she didnt live up to the title, that may explain why Mia is so driven to bring innovation to Pultivor, maybe to prove her worth. And, back to the under city affairs, its clear that Marcus is conflicted with working alongside Silco, wanting to stop all of this, but sadly for Marcus, he has a kid that he loves, and Silco is taking full advantage of that. Man Silco is one terrifying villain, without outright saying it Silco basiaclly told Marcus that if he messes up or lies to him again (lying about killing Violet when in reality Marcus saved violet from being killed by putting her in prison), his kid will be killed. And when Silco showed up with his henchman to confront and kill Violet and Caitlyn, man was it terrifying. Also, looks like the fated reunion has occured, with Jinx first realizing through one of Silco's henchmen that Violet is actually alive, then Jinx lighting a flare to contact Violet in the under city (the same flare Vi gave Jinx pre timeskip to alert Violet when shes in trouble) and they hugged it out. Man the reunion between Violet and Jinx was heartwarming, seeing Jinx breakdown and start crying after seeing her sister again, and Violet comforting Jinx saying she understands that Jinx needed to change to survive was heartbreaking. Though things took a turn for the worst when Caitlyn, an enforcer showed up, and Caitlyn realized Jinx is Violet's sister, w/ Jinx almost having another mental breakdown and almost shooting her sister and Caitlyn with a machine gun. And now, not only is the magic orb gone to those animal masked guys, but also Violet has been captured, again being taken away from Jinx's life. Also man, watching Violet's horrified reaction after witnessing what kind of person Jinx had become after the timeskip was painful to watch. Also back to Silco, looks like Marcus succesfully put the blame on the animal masks, and now Marcus and his men, under Jayce's command, have to search everyone who crosses the bridge connecting the underground to Pultovir, hopefully though Caitlyn can come back alive to prove who the real culprit is. Also looks like Viktor is going to his mad scientist for help on how to keep himself from dying with the magical tech him and Jayce are working on, man its starting to look like Viktor might become a villain.
It was quite interesting to see young Viktor. He's an interesting character :) I like him but somehow I'm always afraid that he's on the verge of becoming "evil" without really intending it.
I also liked Heimerdinger's quote: "Those who shine brightest often burn fastest."
It is nice that Jayce still remembers that "Viktor saved my life once" and basically considers him a brother.
It was cool that Timo was in that book :D I wonder if he'll be a character in this show as well.
I'm irritated that Caitlin traded her rifle for the medicine. It must be one of her dearest possessions, right? She must really care about Vi (or at least about the mission). And Caitlin even hugged that person she just met (and that apparently ratted them out later).
Jayce voting Heimerdinger out was heartbreaking. I get why but how could he do that? Their relationship wasn't always easy but didn't he get his seat thanks to Heimerdinger? And he basically was his mentor. Jayce should've searched for a better way... :o I have a bad feeling about this decision!
It was great that Vi apologized to Jinx <3 That was right and necessary. Now I'm fine with whatever happens next. Powder might be too far gone or too crazy but at least Vi tried and basically did everything right. Therefore, it won't be frustrating if Jinx doesn't come back to her. I'm sometimes so frustrated by movies where the apology doesn't even happen...
Anyway, it was unfortunately a short reunion. But nonetheless a sweet one :)
PS: And that poor animal! It looks so cute and had such a bad fate... :o I was quite confused about Viktor at the end (he shouldn't understand that).
I am absolutely astonished by this show so far. Only thing that bothers me a bit is that Powder is so quick to turn against her sister, seems a bit forced. But that's criticism at a high level, I can't wait to binge the rest tomorrow.
Also RIP Mylo and Claggor, I really hoped we could see them grow, too. Makes for good drama though, and hell, I'm definitely here for that.
Vi is my favorite character by far
Man I am really enjoying the lore and characters of Arcane. I like this new guy Jayce, someone who grew up poor and was trekking through a snowy blizzard with her near-dead mother, untill a cloaked mage showed up and teleoported the two to a sunny, grassy land across the globe, saving the two, and the mange gave Jayce the gem he used to do that magic. After that experience, Jayce had seemed to dedicate his life to researching how to harness magic with technology w/ a rich family sponsering his work, as Jayce research about creating an artifical form of magic, because he's seen the potential of magic to help others and Jayce believes that, if succesful, he could change the world for the better. Though, and seemingly for good reason, people think its too risky to be tampering with magic in Poltir, especially the 300yr old profresser whose seen what could happen when the power of magic falls into the wrong hands. And sadly for Jayyce, he was punished at a court hearing, after being put on trial for experimenting with illegal and dangerous technology to try and create artifical magic, with him beign expelled from his academy and sent back home, w/ even his own mother, who has firsthand experience of how magic can help others, trying to get Jayce to stop. Man luckily Viktor came in time before Jayce tried to kill himself after he has been completelty stripped of the oppurtunity to continue his research, and looks like Viktor, some academic at the university who also judged Jayce, is intrigued in Jayce's research and luckily saved Jayce's book and gem thing. Looks like Viktor and Jayce are going to be working together now to complete the research. Also, not to tangent of anything, but it really feels like Jayce is going to become a villan, the whole air Jayce gives off just makes me worried about him and what he'll do, to accomplish his research or after he succeeds in his research. Also, man the enforcers really are pillaging through the underground slums in search of the 4 kids who blew up the builidng in Poltir, Vancer wasnt lying about the kids needing to stay low. Also, poor Powder, hhaving to deal with everyone in the crew, besides Vi, thinking she's a failure, and Powder herselrf also internalizing these feelings because she cant be a fighter like her older sister. Also man, im glad we got moore of an explanantion about what happened iin the openeing scene of episode 1, it seems like Vancer lead his accross the brdige connecting the underground slums to Poltir to fight against the Enforcers, who were lviing it rich up in Poltir while the people of the underground are poor, starving, and sick, and it seems liek that war ended with a brutal massacre of the underground people, and even lead to Vi and Powder's parents being killed. The war clearly taught Vancer that war is never a good solution, it just leads to death and destruction, and now, even as the Enforcers are brutally searching for the 4 kids, Vancer knows fighting back will just lead to all the underground people being killed, and as such he has no real solution to this issue (other then poteintlly callign that enforcer ally and sending in one of the underground ppl to accept punishemnet for the building assault). And even worse, all of the underground people are wanting to fight back and start a war with the Enforcers (especially Vi), Vancer is completely stuck and needs to do something otherwise theyll all be fucked one way or another. Although, after pressuring Echo to spill about Vancer's ally within the Enforcers, and the ultimatum she gave Vancer, Vi chose to steal Vancer's contact device and turn herself in to save everyone in the slums from the constant brutality the Enforcers are treating them with to film the underground criminals, and to prvent another war as the undergroudn people get more fed up woith being complacent. Man im really enjoying Vi's character, after her life was destroyed thanks to the Enforcers, with her being parentless and stuck in the slums, Vi started to view herself as lesser than the people of Portir, and Vi just wants to do all she can to make sure Powder doesnt go through thtat and instead has a bright future. Vi knows its unfair how the Enforcers treat them, and how society's structured so that only the people of Portir live lavishly while the ppl of the underground starve and live in poverty, and Vi wants to change this with fighting back against them, starting a war. But luckily, thanks to Vancer opening up about how in war there are no winners, and saying how the death of her parents is Vancers fault for going into war, Vi seems less war hungry. Also damn, Silco is one terryfying man, using the beast-fluid on a human to see the poteiintall of the fluid. Also, more on the counicl hearing, that black woman seemed interesting, I can't wait to see more of her.
Wow, that was even better on rewatch and boy am I pumped for Part 2!
It was everything they said it would be and then some! Supreme spectacle with otherworldly intensity. Fan first was an experience I’ll never forget. A film for the ages. Long live the fighters!
"Lead them to paradise."
So epic! A proper sequel to the masterpiece that is the first one, Dune: Part Two is everything I wanted and more. The scale and the stakes are much bigger. It really benefits from the world-building and character roots previously established in the first and makes everything bloom. The themes (and at times criticisms) on religion and politics felt so refreshing for a sci-fi movie. It's pretty thought-provoking in that sense. The story had me captivated and invested. It still has it's slow moments but the action sequences are perfectly placed and the payoff in the third act is so worth it.
The biggest praise I could give it is the character arcs and evolution. Paul's evolution here is so fascinating, we basically watch a boy become a man. At the beginning of the movie you fear for his life but by the second half he's the one to fear, emanating confidence. Timothée Chalamet absolutely owned it. Austin Butler is the perfect villain, so unpredictable and violent. I love Jessica's character arc but it felt rushed at times, like she changed too much in between some scenes. The Reverend Mother is so badass, i'm always secretly rooting for her for some reason (the "silence" moment was perfection).
I wasn't expecting the amount of action we got, compared to the first there's a lot. The action and set pieces are so memorable. The worm riding scene was the best moment of the entire movie, I felt so alive with all the special effects and the sound design and the vibrations it's like I was riding it myself. Epic third act battle and hand-to-hand knife scene (although it isn't top tier combat compared to a lot of action movies but the editing and camerawork made it look flawless). They did skip some action in the third act that I wanted to see more of though.
God tier cinematography. I thought there was no way it could look better than the first but they somehow managed to make it look even better in this one. Loved the color grading and the way the sand moves, flawless. The most visually stunning sequence was the black and white one introducing Austin Butler's character. Epic sound design.
I keep trying to pick a favorite between Part One and Part Two and I don't think it's going to happen... they're equal. Overall an excellent sequel. Can't wait to see what's in store for Part Three.
I thought the season long arc about the monster was the least interesting part of the show.
The finale wasn't great and had a lot of developments that feel more needed by plot instead of actually earned, including a full on Deus Ex Machina not dying anymore fake out. I guess they wrote themselves into a corner or two.
Still way better than Sabrina ever was.
I don't get why people didn't like Fred Armisen as Fester. What were they expecting? His portrayal reminded me of the 60s show Fester by the way he talked and he added his own comedic criminal macabre twist; giving us something new and still holds to how Fester is. Fred was awesome as Fester.
I’m not a Fred Armisen fan, but wow, does he rock it as Fester.
Loved Fred as Uncle Fester! And Thing we love you very much <3
It finally clicked why it feels very familiar - it's feels like Veronica Mars in a supernatural setting, the parallels are actually quite striking once you notice them.
Teenage girl with rather dark view on humanity is very resourcefully trying to solve a mystery, and is somehow better at it than everyone else. In the process she regularly uses the few friends she has to achieve her goals, sometimes getting them hurt in one way or another, and has no problem suspecting at least one of them of horrible things. Somehow she always ends up close by or in the middle of things going down.
"Come on, don't you like a day that's all about you?"
"Every day is all about me, this one just comes with cake and a bad song."
Every scene with that girl Enid puts a wide smile on my face and a giggle in my throat :grin:
Enid is the only character in the show Wednesday has any real romantic chemistry with. Enid's measures taken to celebrate Wednesday's birthday and Wednesday's courtesy when declining to wear the scarf hat thing solidified that for me. Wednesday's nixie tube clock is so awesome. Does anyone know what song the music box played?
