The Music of Arcane: Forging Narrative Synergy Across Genres 

Just wanted to say we are so incredibly honored by this absolutely wonderful video!! It means so much, got the insta sub from me 😂 oh and our fits are 10/10

This was a great analysis and basically confirms what I believe: Arcane is so ridiculously good that most people don't realise just how good it really is.

God I only wish Season 2 is just as good. Fortiche, Riot, please don't rush. We'll wait, you've built yourself a strong fanbase, we'll be there in throves to celebrate season 2.

"Guns For Hire" is like one motif away from being the best James Bond theme in decades

I have no idea what all of those squiggly lines on the sheet mean, but I completely understood everything you said about what the music was doing in each scene. Great show, great analysis. Thanks.

Knowing nothing about music theory, it was genuinely fascinating to see how the emotional beats in the story were brought out by the musical techniques being used. Arcane is a masterpiece in every department, its still amazing that somehow a video game adaptation could bring all these parts together in a way where its unfair to anime to compare it to them but its true comparison is to the biggest, most successful Golden Age live action shows.

My favorite music fact about Arcane is that "Dirty Little Animals" kind of just straight up describes what taking Shimmer feels like.

Arcane certainly did something right. Because I’ve seen the show 4 times (first time myself, next 3 showing to different friends) with a planned 5th rewatch with friends in the future. And YET, just hearing bits of the music in the first minute of the video made my stomach twist and tears prick at my eyes all over again

Arcane has received a great deal of praise already for its writing and animation. I'm glad to see the genius in its music composition getting more attention as well. I've seen a number of shows and movies that did certain things very well and earned their respective praises, but Arcane is the rare anomaly where every aspect of it was masterfully and lovingly crafted to near perfection.

I swear to God as much as I love Billie, Woodkid's Guns for Hire was more deserving of an oscar than Eilish's No time to die

Listening to the score, i was surprised to hear some themes coming back unexpectedly . Like « story of opposites » which is the introduction theme of silco, comes back during vander&silco scenes of course, but also at the end of the fight between ekko & jinx when they are face to face. Make so much sense ❤

High schooler here - I decided to do my assessment analysing and replicating the way arcane introduces places, focusing on Playground and Bicentennial to contrast the differences between Zaun and Piltover. This helped me so much to see things in the music I'm not experienced enough to look for myself.

I absolutely love musical break-downs like this. And having one done for the music of Arcane was a real treat. Thank you, sir!

I normally don't watch much TV or movies anymore because so much of it feels like a cheap product... but Arcane is an artistic masterpiece and I LOVE it. Already watched it through 4 times! Just hearing the music makes me cry.

This is exactly why I want to learn music theory, to really understand what makes greatness tick. It’s just so daunting to get into, since I don’t have a childhood background in music, but you broke it down perfectly to make it readily accessible to someone like me

As a musician myself, gotta say, you really explained this in a simple and good way, to people that don’t know music theory, and at the same time, you have the knowledge of music theory is very entertaining too!

Fantastic video, criminally underrated. Never noticed all of the reoccurring chords and keys between the “showstoppers”, makes me appreciate the masterpiece that is Arcane even more.

It’s breakdowns like these that makes me and I believe everyone who stumbled upon this enjoy arcane even more, long after they’ve already finished it even

My favorite part of the aftermath of Arcane is how all the experts in the different artistic processes that went into make Arcane have all made videos being like, "guys... this is like disgustingly good.. like to a degree where it might be a breakthrough in the genre" the entire thing is a masterclass on so many artistic things that only experts can truly appreciate just how good it is on a single aspect of the series. Thats insane

If anyone wants to hear the progression of Jinx’s timbral leitmotif, I recommend listening to “The Explosion,” the beginning of “Just a Taste,” “I Can Help Them,” and finally “Everyone Else Betrays Us” in that order.

It is the best show to grace the world. Art, voice acting, music, story. Literally everything is perfect.

All three of the showstopper songs never cease to make me tear up. Just incredibly powerful.

One of my favorite musical moments in the score that hasn't gotten much appreciation is Jinx's baptism scene where the Jinx theme combines with the Silco theme in the most seamless way

Christian Linke was recently in a german Podcast ("Der Phantastik-Brunch" episode 35) as a guest. There was a part where he spoke about the music. Very interesting. I don't want to translate and rewrite all aspects. But just one aspect: he said they deliberately made a point of using different styles of music for Piltover and Zaun. In the upper town more orchestral music, technically very accurate and sophisticated. not only the first and second violins, but also more audibly in orchestras the far left, for example. And with Piltover as with large orchestras or bands, in Zaun more in the urban, alternative way and with fewer musicians.

Ok now I might finally get around to watching arcane

I'm 3 days into watching arcane reviews, analysis and tear downs. and the deeper i go the more incredible this show becomes, every aspect of it is so meticulously crafted that I'm starting to wander how humans could even create such a show. I'm honestly convinced at this point that this is the greatest cinematic achievement in history. almost every frame has meaning beyond the scene itself, every sound is intentional and important, every song is a prefect match to the message or setting they are trying to convey.

The King Returns

just stumbled over this masterfully made breakdown of Arcanes music. I absolutly love it. From my pov it is one of the best if not the best mix between "calssic" Filmscoring as seen in most Movies and Films and the "Pop-music". Thank you for this video!

This was great! It's so illuminating to hear the way themes and leitmotifs evolve over the course of the story. Thanks so much for the analysis.

I love videos like this because when the creators made these choices, they were probably just like “this sounds good” or “this is great!” But then we get an educated musician showing us why everything works

Vi and Powder's "sister theme" gave me CHILLS the first time I heard it when Vi says "someday this city is gonna respect us". I loved hearing you breaking it down!!

I've left my full transcription of What Could Have Been in the description for those interested!

"Best video game adaptation" is an understatement, this is just flat out one of the best pieces of media to come out in years, I am very restricted in language I could apply to this series in order to overstate how good it is and I don't think I'm alone in that at all, speaking as someone who isn't even much of a fan of the game it's loosely based on. I mean seriously, I could even state that this is one of the greatest (and in my opinion THE greatest) animated works of fiction ever created and I doubt any significant number of people would disagree.

In hindsight it make so much sense why i can see the events fold out in my mind during the show when just listening to the pop songs because they were literally writing in conjunction with the scenes. thank for this amazing analysis.

Every new video analysis i watch of this show I once again gain a renewed sense of respect and awe for all who went into making this masterpiece come to life

After watching arcane for the third time, I noticed the songs are there to match the narrative!!! I didn't even notice it the first time around. It shows the feelings of the character at the moment. it's so well done

Me watching to an in depth analysis of Arcane's music while trying not to cry, feelin all the emotion and heart break the songs let out.

such a good video, i love how you pointed out the elitism and classism that is historically associated with classical music and why it reflects piltover so well. your comments about the vocal duets vs solo to reflect the state of vi and jinx's relationship throughout the series and the combination of pop music with orchestra to symbolize how jinx's arc will impact both piltover and zaun going forward from the end of act 1 were so insightful 😭 i would've never noticed those things on my own

this video made me feel things... the in depth explanation... the whole package.... one of the best videos ive ever seen holy instant sub

Ending scene of arcane s1 is my favourite scene on any film, game, series so far. Probably won't change for long. I love it

I understood completely nothing but that this show is really goddamn good, but then, I already knew that.

The song "goodbye" fkn broke me man.The slight dissonance in the vocal harmonies - Geeeeezus.

Guns for fire and what could have been will always make me cry

Coming from a classically trained pianist who hasn't played for years, it was great to hear you breaking down all of the songs! I freaking love Arcane and really enjoyed your exploration 😁

the musical highs in this show are just insane

I wish I could see this show for the first time again. This show became a core memory out of nowhere. I bring it with me where ever I go. It's so good it's actually ludicrous

featured violin soloist ray chen

This video stands out among the seemingly hundreds of analysis videos I’ve watched about arcane.. I’m not a musician but I love learning more about music in media to help me appreciate the artistry behind it more deeply. thank you for making this. :)

You know, I love art in all its forms! When watching this short video the music gives me chills and makes me feel a certain way. The power of good artistry and love of the craft I suppose.

I was waiting for so long for an analysis of Arcane music and in this video I got everything I wanted and more. Amazing work, thank you ❤️❤️

It's kinda weird how few subscribers you have considering the quality of the video, I think you deserve more :)

First: great video! Oh man, this music.... if i just think about "what could have been" i get tears in my eyes. Im sure, they want hurt all viewers ,as much as possible and i it works so good. I mean actually it's just a painted comic show in a fantasy world... but i cried more for those cartoon characters than for all the other super sad moments in all the other movies/series i know combined... and everytime i watch again - uff. This visual/music combo delivers always.^^ You did a really nice video that desers much more klicks And btw, you should watch the new LoL saison 2022 cinematic "the call"...again with a really epic song. Maybe you already know it but if not - I swear, you will love it ;)

I am not a musician, and my attempt to learn music theory boiled down to 'I think I understood some of that' while watching this video. But it was still fascinating to hear an actual expert explain things that hadn't consciously occurred to me until watching.

I get chills every time listening to the soundtrack. It was also nominated for a Billboard Music Award this year for best soundtrack for an animated production - it lost to Disney's Encanto, which of course also has an amazing soundtrack. Still I was so happy to see the music of Arcane getting more recognition and appreciation. And it's recently been announced that Arcane is also nominated for 2 Emmy awards! Best animated production and best sound editing! So, so deserved. I never watch award shows but I'm gonna watch the emmys this year in hopes that they win both!! Didn't look up who their competitors were but idc, team Arcane all the way!

I know absolutely NOTHING about music theory so this seems like the best place to start XD

The only time I think of the game is the line "I want you to lose like I lose when I play" cuz that feeling when you get ganked, yeah that's what I'd wish on my enemies too...

It would be good to have a theatre showing of this series

HE RETURNS I've been eagerly waiting for this

Fantastic analysis! This is straight up a 22 minute documentary that is incredibly informative, fully thought out and well edited - all from a channel with criminally low recognition. Keep up the good work!

Fantastic video. This soundtrack is one of the best I've heard in awhile, just a perfect execution of focused vision. Glad someone did a video looking at it in more depth!

Absolutely wonderful analysis, finally someone bringing in some love and attention to the phenomenal score instead of just the songs. Excellent video.

being so deep in the sauce of league there are already incredible unnoticed details about the show, yet even the music is yet another abyss of talent filled to the brim. as a league player, best media to ever come out

Awesome video! It is really fascinating to see how they used different genres to symbolize different places/different societies and that they tie in a class warfare narrative right from the first episode. Just one small nitpicky thing: I would have loved a little breakdown of Silco's theme since I found it so unorthodox and uncommon to use a female voice for a villain theme.

an incredible analysis, thank you so much. i knew the music was *incredible* but now i also know *why*!! i can’t wait to show my friend this video after we’ve watched it together

This video is EXCELLENT -- truly a brilliant analysis. Arcane's music immediately grabbed me -- the blend between pop, EDM, orchestral, symphonic, etc. genres is stunning.

"Once a duet, only a solo vocalist sings now, as Vi is alone in her fantasy of being sisters again with Powder" - WOW I am heartbroken AGAIN

I'm rewatching Arcane for the first time since watching this and i noticed that in episode 2 when Jayce has his flashback, at the very end you can hear an altered version of the hex crystal theme :>

the way you break down the songs and how they play into the story’s narrative is so admirable. you’re so in tune (pun intended) with how music emulates emotions with inclusion to the theory behind it. someday if you ever have time, i would adore a video dumbing all this stuff down because i want to learn how to replicate music but the technicalities of it all make it so confusing to begin. anyways, this video is amazing! your knowledge on this subject is beautifully displayed here.

i just saw this video on my fyp, watched it, subbed to you and thought to myself "this is probably one the best videos about music i have ever seen!" you deserve way more subs and views than this. very good job

This video was absolutely amazing. as a musician and a fan of the show, this was exactly what was missing in my life. Thanks!

I love The Prince of Egypt snippet in the intro. 10/10 subworthy

I first thought that I found another a million subscribed channel. Oh my was I wrong and this makes me happy. Seeing small channels like you being this good.

This analysis is amazing. I loved the show but it's funny how you can forget how important the music is in tying it all together and even when I'm not consciously thinking about the score while watching Arcane, all the background work was there to make me feel all the emotions at all the right points in the run. Thank you for making this video, it deserves way more than 11k views. I hope that the algorithm is kind to you.

Excellent breakdown, it was the music in that opening scene that made me pay attention to this show. I had noticed the use of the II chord in Goodbye and Guns for Hire (I especially love it on Guns for Hire, I love how he accents the b5 (major 3rd of the II chord) in the second half of the chorus over it, then also hits it again less accented after that b6/5 descent, definitely a song writing trick I'll be yoinking) but I'd not spotted it in What Could Have Been, or tied together how it was acting as a common theme point in the show at the end of each act! Very glad I watched this show a few weeks ago after a friend sat me down and forced me to watch it! I normally hate TV and films so was pretty grumpy at first, but that exquisite music in the opening scene caught my attention so I stopped my moaning very quickly and I was treated to that rarest of things; TV that's worth watching. EDIT: moments after posting I realise it'd really be a #4 rather than a b5 in Guns for Hire, but whatever, sure you got what I meant

this video is so well made and interesting- normally i watch these types of videos in the background of whatever i'm doing, but i had to keep clicking back and actually watch what was happening on screen lolol

I haven't seen arcane yet but it looks like I'm going to have to watch it before I watch this! I was just rewatching your GitS and Akira videos last week! As well as the Girl Who Lept Through time. I was hoping you'd come back soon and here you are! Welcome back!!! ❤️💕

Man, that is some good freaking violin

9:05 CHILLS!

Bro, I had honestly 0 knowledge but it felt amazing to discover such principles! Kudos for making me feel all my favorite moments through a music analysis. You phrased each comments perfectly. Well done and ty for your time 🥰

HOLY FKING SHITTT!!! i've watched arcane like 9 fking times and never realized that there was a vi and jinx theme that was used throughout the 3 acts but each with a different arrangement! WTH that's fking brilliant!

Excellent video sir, deserving of more views. One of my favorite motifs is Viktor's theme, which can most clearly be heard in 'The Toy Boat' (start of ep6), and shows up somewhat regularly in various forms throughout his scenes. (including briefly in 'romance' and more noticeably in 'something i've been working on')

POV: enemy. "Yeah we just need a drum track for the intro to the show and one fight scene, not all that much." Imagine dragons: "Yeah mo problem"

I’m not crying over the sisters theme. You are! 😭 oh god Vi all alone… imma give you a hug, girl. Jinx, too. ❤️‍🩹

They said in Beyond The Rift that in the second season the music will be made in tandem if not before the scenes, so there will be even more cohesion

It's just the best fucking animation ever I swear 😭😭

Amazing WORK!

thank you

I have no idea what you are talking about exactly, but every song of every event was a masterpiece of emotions

this is genious. just listening to parts of the score bring tears to my eyes

Thanks for this amazing analysis, wish I could realise these things on my own. What an amazing piece of art

I'M OBSESSED

Arcane for me is beyond perfection, just watching this analysis shows me more about the kind of elevated art the show has achieved. You got a very nice point: writing for the show rather than borrow music. That's a perspective that has been on video games for a long time but in this case is also matching scenes to tell stories without words. I cannot imagine the outstanding pressure composers had to pass through in order to match their music to the show.

Goosebumps, honestly, from the music in this show.

i had goosebumps throughout this entire video. thank you so much for this extremely insightful and fascinating analysis. i’m in awe at how much thought and consideration went into this whole series.

Brilliant! Thank you so much :)

Love your video. Thanks for doing this.

Love this video, tysm for making it 😩

Amazing analysis

Thank for your video

Amazing amazing amazing video!!!!! Thank you!