Netflix’sArcanecame out of nowhere and hit the ground running. Against the backdrop of so many underwhelming video game adaptations, the show was under no pressing expectations of excellence. Which, without the pressure and corporate overhang that bogs down bigger franchises, may have been what allowed the show to easily rise up the charts of the best series of all time, merely months after its release.
Related:The Best New Adult Animation Shows You Should Watch In 2022, RankedMuch love, thought, and care was put into everything from the animation, worldbuilding, and characters to bring to life an intricate plot inspired by the game but not bound to its limitations. The show’s unusually long development time paid off, and it left fans exactly where they want to be – ravenously craving more. With the show undoubtedly up for accolades in this year’s award season, it’s worth taking a look at whyArcanedeserves all its praises.
One Amazing Story
Unlike other video game adaptations likeAssassin’s Creed, Riot Games’League of Legendsis not bound to a plot and story mode campaign. The MOBA tosses players into a ring for team-based combat and largely disregards each champion’s intricate backstories. All this means that the writers ofArcanehad near carte blanche with the story they wanted to tell andthey pulled out all the stops.
The otherwise standard plot on paper – an uprising of the oppressed and mistreated Undercity dwellers against the rich and powerful Piltover denizens – is told through the eyes of the oppressors and the oppressed, each with different goals and motivations that occasionally align for a nail-biting political drama.
A Beautiful Blend of CGI and Hand Animation
Arcanespent six years in development and every single frame is a testament to the dedication of the artists who painted traditional 2D backgrounds and effects, to the CG artists that brought brutal fight scenes and sweeping camera shots to life. The show walks the line between a 3D video game aesthetic like Netflix’sDragon PrinceorRWBYand traditional 2D animation like Nickelodeon’sAvatar: The Last Airbender.
The neon grunge of the Undercity, the polished white and golds of Piltover, and every single fight scene make beautiful art. Scenes that otherwise could have been simple exchanges of dialogue or transitions are made jaw-droppingly iconic, like the episode 6 moment where Jinx lights the flare toWoodkid’s“Guns for Hire.” With the support of fans worldwide and, hopefully, a bigger budget on the way, the art can only get better from here.
Every Rich and Dynamic Character, Even the Extras
Leave it toArcaneto make sidecharacters so well donethat those who haven’t playedLeague of Legendscan’t tell who’s from the video game, and who was created for the show. The series does not rely on its canon heroes to carry the plot, with the likes of Silco (Jason Spisak) and Vander (JD Blanc) original to this series.
Related:Arcane: 9 ‘League Of Legends’ Characters Fans Want To See In Season 2Fans of the game were left in anticipation for familiar faces to don their iconic dress and weapons. The series teased Vi’s (Hailee Seinfeld) gauntlets and Jinx’s (Ella Purnell) pink eyes and Gatling gun with an expert progression of development that felt natural, and, most importantly, plausible, for every outlandish character design from the game.
Jinx’s Tragic Downward Spiral
Jinx’s archetype is nothing new – a manic pixie with a twitchy trigger finger – and the writers could have very easily left her as such, and they didn’t. Jinx is in many ways like Azula fromAvatar: The Last Airbender, a girl too young for the pressure on her shoulders, psychologically damaged by the loss and abuse of her parental figures, a sibling at odds with her very being, and a manic glee for prowess in combat.
WhatArcanegets right is the tragedy of her character, constantly showing the bodies of Mylo (Yuri Lowenthal) and Claggor (Roger Craig Smith) that still haunt her, the breaks of her psyche and the distrust she has for everyone around her. Jinx is a victim, not a ditzy aspiration, and certainly not here to glorify what she has suffered.
Imagine Dragons’ Opening Theme
With Neflix’s “Skip Intro” button commonplace among many binge-watch sessions, few TV shows have an opening title sequence worth watching over and over again.Arcaneis one of them. “Enemy” byImagine Dragonsand the animation it’s set to work double-time to establish the tone of the world and, like many anime opening songs, foreshadow what’s to come.
“Everybody wants to be my enemy,” fits every main character, with the odds stacked against them each in different ways. The clay-like models of the cast post-time skip may not be clear in the first three episodes, but each Easter egg falls satisfyingly into place as it rolls at the start of the 9th episode, and all becomes startlingly clear.
The Explosive Fight Scenes
In a show based on a MOBA,Arcanehad to deliver on its fight scenes, and it did in spades. Unafraid to show the uglier side of getting punched in the face, the animation hits audiences in the chest with the weight of every kick and sucker punch. It also delivers on the teased promises of signature weapons of the characters from the games, whether it’s Jayce’s (Kevin Alejandro) hammers, Vi’s gauntlets, or Jinx’s many guns.
Related:That ‘Arcane’ Opening Action Scene Demonstrates Its Ability to Leave an ImpactBetween the fights against the Firelights, Ekko (Reed Shannon) versus Jinx, back-alley skirmishes, Vi and Jayce’s temporary alliance, and Vi’s stand against Silco’s goons, every episode had a new dynamic to throw at viewers and every opportunity for Riot Games to show off the prowess of their champions.
Every Song on the Soundtrack
Arcanehas a tone it’s looking for, and every song fits its scene beautifully. Take, for instance,CWshows that pick songs unironically befitting the moment, orSuicide Squad, with deeply uninspired music choices that are the epitome of “tell don’t show.”Arcanepicked every song with the intent to make each scene as epic and poignant as possible.
“Guns for Hire” andSting’s“What Could Have Been,” are just two songs that come from surprising sources for the nature of the show, eschewing popular titles and artists for voices and songwriters that can deliver exactly whatArcaneneeds. Say nothing of the show’s original score as well, all certain to appear on many an iTunes playlist.
Visceral Voice Acting
Except for Steinfeld, the voice cast ofArcaneisn’t Hollywood’s best and brightest names to slap on the posters for clout. Actors were chosen to fit the character, as voice actors should be, and the standouts beyond Steinfeld are Purnell and Spisak as Jinx and Silco.Harry Lloyd’sperformance as Viktor, with his unique Undercity accent, is also stellar.
Silco could have easily been another snively villain with a pure evil voice to match an irredeemable man, and he wasn’t. Spisak’s delivery of “Don’t cry, you’re perfect,” (episode 9) is exactly the right chord of grief without being over the top. Purnell’s every voice crack, all the rough edges to her deliveries like, “Sister, thought I missed her. Bet you wouldn’t miss her,” (episode 6), help make Jinx themost fascinating character of the show.
Worldbuilding: The Tip of the Iceberg
League of Legendshas dozens of champions from dozens of realms beyond Zaun and Piltover, teased by the members of the Council and throughout the series. Instead of tackling them all,Arcanestarted small and built strong foundations for its first season in setting and with the rules of the world. It’s fantasy but still grounded in some reality, with Hextech very much a science and not a world-breaking plot device.
Related:‘Arcane’ Season 2: Everything We Know So Far About the ‘League of Legends’ Show’s FutureArcanehas much more than nine episodes of content to give the world and too many possibilities to predict what’s in store for season two and beyond. With Zaun and Piltover left on the brink of catastrophe and our heroes caught in their crosshairs, the series has everything it needs to deliver the next chapter as satisfying as the first.
Cultural Impact of Its Themes and Characters
League of Legendsisn’t afraid to give unique and inspired backstories for its champions and doesn’t play the queerbaiting game. In 2021, the world deserved better andArcanedelivered on the foundations of LGBT characters and much more.Themes of oppression are nothing new.The series is a steampunk dystopia (for now, at least, until they explore other settings), and class war has been done over and over again to much success.Arcanetakes these familiar themes still hyper-relevant today and adds fresh faces to the same old song.
As a series, the production time and style and the effort made more than paid off, which could and should open the door to more flexible production timelines in the future for other franchises. As a video game series,Arcanealso proves that it’s not the source material, it’s what one does with it, that makes a great story.
