Not so long ago, 'Arcane', based on the popular game League of Legends, concluded on Netflix. We explain why it is a contender for the title of the most outstanding animated series of the year.
The animated series 'Arcane' is based on the lore of the popular online game in the MOBA genre — League of Legends. However, you don't have to be a fan of the game to dive into watching it with understanding. Riot Games and Fortiche Productions clearly developed it with not only gamers in mind, but also a new audience of viewers.
Undoubtedly, being a LoL fan makes watching the project more interesting, since the series is littered with references and Easter eggs noticeable and understandable only to players, but this is just a nice bonus for those who want to feel more involved in the universe. Otherwise, absolutely anyone can watch the animated series, regardless of whether they have played the game or not.
What's the Plot?
The action of 'Arcane' takes place in one city, socially divided into two parts. The upper part is a steampunk utopia called Piltover. Wealth reigns here, science and progress flourish, and all problems of the population are discussed at a meeting of the seven council members. The inhabitants of Piltover know no poverty and live happily in their own pleasure, enjoying all the benefits of the city, which is the main beacon of progress on Runeterra.
The lower part of the city is a mirror image of the upper part. Zaun was once part of Piltover, but now its streets are full of scoundrels, poor people, and criminals of all stripes. The population of the lower city is forced to breathe toxic air, survive by any means necessary, make do with little, and earn a living mostly through dishonest work. There is no authority here, and the laws of Piltover are not respected. The rich from the upper world have forgotten that Zaun was once part of their utopian state, but now everything is different.
Against the backdrop of such a state structure in 'Arcane,' two little girls — Vi and Powder (the future Jinx) — lost their parents during a revolution. The children were taken in and cared for by a local crime boss from Zaun — Vander.
After some time, the sisters grew up and, along with their friends Claggor and Mylo, decided they were ready for a real job. Despite the ban on Zaun residents visiting the upper part of the city, the kids decided to rob a rich man. Everyone knows it's no shame to steal from the rich. They won't miss it, and the proceeds can save lives for those in need.
Naturally, things didn't go according to plan. The owner suddenly returned to the apartment, and during the escape, an explosion occurred, attracting the attention of the local police — the enforcers. Fortunately, the heroes managed to escape the chase, but the fragile truce between Zaun and Piltover was shaken, and enforcers descended into the undercity, ordered to catch and punish the criminals.
At the same time, it turned out that a young scientist, Jayce, was illegally conducting experiments with magical crystals (hextech) in the apartment. Since magic is strictly forbidden in Piltover, the hero will have to face the council, which will expel him from the Academy, and the work of Jayce's life will be confiscated to be sent for disposal.
6 Hours Worth 6 Years
Riot Games and Fortiche Productions had been developing 'Arcane' since 2015. For the sake of six hours of the animated series, the creators spent a whole six years. Frankly speaking, back in October I didn't really believe in the project and said that Netflix decided to make series based on all toxic games. An anime based on DOTA came out at the beginning of the year, now LoL. For a complete flash royal, the only thing missing is Counter-Strike.
Now I am ready to take my words back, because Riot Games and Fortiche Productions managed to create something truly worthwhile. 'Arcane' should please both loyal fans of the game and viewers immersing themselves in the universe of 'League of Legends' for the first time. Over 6 years of hard work, the creators managed to write an excellent script where the entire mechanism works perfectly, like a Swiss watch.
The animated series is divided into 3 acts and, contrary to the rules of streaming, which gave viewers, it was released weekly (3 episodes per act) rather than the entire season at once. Each act is, so to speak, a self-contained story that could have been a standalone feature film. In essence, the streaming service rolled out a whole quality trilogy to viewers over three weeks.
The first act tells about the childhood of Vi and Powder. Even being familiar with the game's universe, it's difficult to predict all the plot twists prepared by the creators. The series accelerates exactly as much as needed. It doesn't sag and doesn't rush. Perhaps there will be a viewer who says the beginning is drawn out and lacks the action promised in the trailer, but after watching episode 3, the series makes a sharp turn. You want to quickly watch the next episodes and find out what will happen to the characters next.
The second act begins several years after the first. The characters grow up and gradually become those whom fans know as the game's champions. For example, the creators of 'Arcane' show the transformation of Powder into Jinx, which is an extremely important event. In the first act, viewers are introduced only to a shy girl who needs protection, while in the second act, the heroine is already halfway to her madness.
In the final third act, the formation of the characters is completed. All the series' storylines are approaching the final point. The creators of the animated series finish the last arc with a powerful cliffhanger, leaving the viewer alone with a bunch of emotions and experiences. After the final credits roll up, no viewer will remain indifferent. The absolute majority will be waiting for the continuation (which has already been announced, but, unfortunately, will not come out soon).
It is clear why the project's authors do not want to rush to release new material. Since the first season was developed for six whole years, time is definitely needed to give viewers a continuation of the same high quality. If you start churning out a season a year, the quality level, and consequently the ratings, could plummet. Such an outcome, I think, would not satisfy either viewers or creators.
Impeccable Balance
'Arcane' is a vivid example where, as mentioned earlier, everything works according to the studios' plan. It's hard to find plot holes in the animated series, and the characters appear three-dimensional and alive. The heroes are not abandoned along the way, and all storylines are brought to the necessary point, regardless of whether the character is encountered in the game or invented specifically for the project.
All the heroes appearing on screen got a specific place in this steampunk world. The authors don't forget about anyone and gradually introduce the viewer to the characters. It feels like just enough screen time was allocated to present all the heroes without dragging out the narrative.
Notably, not a single character in the series evokes exclusively positive or negative emotions. No one is divided into black and white, even though the characters are often mirror images of each other. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, making you empathize with each one, because it's easy to notice qualities inherent in any person in the characters. And even the most heinous villains are not devoid of feelings, life values, and completely understandable motivation.
Of course, you could criticize the animated series for being derivative in certain moments. For example, in one scene the main antagonist Silco and Jinx are very reminiscent of Joker and Harley Quinn, where Batman's main enemy bathes his assistant in toxins. Or the storyline of Jayce and Viktor is very similar to what we were shown in 'Iron Man 3', where two extremely gifted people with different pasts go towards their goal, but one inherited a luxurious empire, while the other had to fight his way to success from the very bottom.
Also, with the pedantry of a fan, you can nitpick that the biographies of some characters are either slightly adjusted or significantly changed for the sake of the project's script. Only such moments do not affect the quality of the animated series in any way.
Criticizing it for a small share of derivativeness or minor adjustments to the universe would be stupid and nitpicky on my part. Comics are also transferred to the screen not page by page, leaving only the general skeleton of the story, and it is extremely difficult to avoid repetitions nowadays, so the factors I listed do not spoil the animated project at all.
A Drop in the Ocean
Over nine episodes, not too many characters from the game appear in 'Arcane'. There are exactly eight confirmed ones, and I'm almost sure about the teaser for two more. In total, that makes exactly 10 champions, when there are already over a hundred heroes in the game itself.
In the animated series, the viewer was only shown a small part of a huge universe. Runeterra is not limited to Piltover, Zaun, and the mentioned Noxus. There are at least 5 more locations on the planet that I hope the series will one day visit. For example, hextech crystals are mined in the divine empire of Shurima. This isn't mentioned in 'Arcane', but the magic crystals are brought from there, so I hope one day the creators will get to the rest of the planet's locations.
In the upcoming season, of course, the screen is unlikely to move beyond Noxus, because to be realistic, not all characters from Piltover have been shown yet, and I'm already dreaming about other cities and empires. For example, Viktor, according to the lore, should create the steam golem Blitzcrank, who is designed to help the residents of Zaun, but thanks to the hextech crystal, he will gain consciousness and become an independent character.
There is still a sea of interesting things in the League of Legends universe, so the creators clearly have plenty of inspiration to draw from. For us, all that remains is to hope that the new material reaches viewers as soon as possible and does not lower the quality level.
In fact, 'Arcane' is a surprising product. It is neither a children's cartoon nor a project aimed solely at fans. The series raises many important themes: the side effects of progress, the striving for a utopian state structure, bureaucracy, political games, corruption, social inequality, growing up, the value of family and friendship, and many others.
This is quite an adult animated project, moderately violent, filled with action and drama. However, what makes it adult is not only its intricate plot and sexual scenes, but also the food for thought that the animated series leaves behind. With the abundance of themes raised in 'Arcane', each viewer can find between the lines the problems that interest and affect them personally.
Gorillas and Dragons
The visual style of the animated series is stunning. The detail is simply amazing. Whether it's the bright streets of progressive Piltover or the neon-filled dark alleys of Zaun, everything looks very well-crafted. Moreover, the animation does not seek to imitate the style set by 'Pixar'. The animation rather resembles 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' or Gorillaz music videos.
Not surprising, because Fortiche Productions not only works with Riot Games on music videos and trailers for the game, but once created an ad for 'Converse' featuring the band Gorillaz. Even if you are not a fan of this style of animation, the plot, detail, and action will still not let you tear yourself away from the screen.
The visual beauty applies not only to the scenery, but also to the characters' clothing, explosions, fight scenes, and various toys and items from the game (Rabaddon's Deathcap and Liandry's Torment briefly appear in frame). The LoL universe looks incredibly cool, thanks to the efforts of the artists and animators. No joke, you want to immerse yourself in the on-screen world and explore every corner.
Another integral part of the 'League of Legends' universe has always been music. The game even created the rock band Pentakill, the K-POP group K/DA, and the hip-hop group True Damage. And the anthems 'Warriors' and 'Legends Never Die' for the 2014 and 2017 world championships respectively are known to many people who have never heard of the game.
Similarly, 'Arcane' is filled with various magnificent songs. Starting with the opening 'Enemy' by Imagine Dragons (the band itself was included in the series for a couple of minutes), who wrote the anthem for the 2014 championship, and ending with songs by Denzel Curry and Sting. Everyone can pick out a melody from the soundtrack that suits their taste, or perhaps, as I did, add the entire album to their playlist.
What's the Verdict?
If you are still wondering whether to watch 'Arcane' or not, the answer is: 'Definitely worth it.' Perhaps the project is the best animated series of the year to date. At the very least, it is a quite bold and self-sufficient cartoon that anyone can watch, regardless of whether they are familiar with the game or not.
The uniqueness of the animated project also lies in the fact that the viewer is immersed in a new universe where steampunk and magic stand side by side. The world of 'League of Legends' teems with various creatures and interesting characters, and many locations are still unexplored; the authors have yet to introduce viewers to the vast world of Runeterra.
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