Arcane is one of those delightful surprises that not only ends up being much better than anyone expected, but also reframes the landscape of video game adaptations. It creates an immersive world and focuses on a smaller slice of the expansive world of League of Legends’ Runeterra, focusing on several champions and original characters to weave a simple, but emotionally resonant story.
This is a tale of two cities: Piltover, the topside, shiny ‘city of progress’, and Zaun, the undercity with poor, neglected n’ever-do-wells. Sisters Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) and Powder (Ella Purnell) grow up under the watchful eye of their adoptive dad, Vander (JB Blanc) until a dangerous heist job in Piltover attracts the attention of the city’s enforcers. The two sisters soon get entangled in the rivalry between Vander and his former friend, Silco (Jason Spisak) and they are separated from each other for the next decade, eventually ending up at odds with each other.
There’s also Jayce (Kevin Alejandro), a gifted scientist who discovers the revolutionary hextech technology that taps into the power of arcane magic with the help of fellow scientist Victor (Harry Llyod). Over the course of the series, we see a handful of other perspectives from characters like councilor Mel (Toks Olagundoye) and Ekko (Reed Shannon).
The element of Arcane that immediately leaves a great impression is the excellent animation done by French animation studio Fortiche, which has worked with Riot Games for several years.
It’s a unique take on CGI animation, with fluid motion and expressive faces that convey a multitude of emotions.
The art design is also well realized, pulling off a kinda broken down steampunk aesthetic with the undercity and a more polished, grander tone with Piltover. Often, characters’ faces are smeared with dirt. Almost every frame of the series is chock full of details.
Arcane is also a highly stylized series, full of needle-drops courtesy of several big name artists such as Imagine Dragons and Sting, among a handful of others, though they might seem a bit juvenile at times. This is a series that is unabashedly young adult, but it also tells its story deftly enough to appeal to older audiences as well. The action sequences are also fluid, and sometimes, stylized to great effect, such as one particular fight between Ekko and Jinx (the former Powder) that is first portrayed in 2D shadows before rolling back and rendering it in CGI again.
The characters are also deftly handled. The main characters get plenty of character development, and even the supporting cast get to hold their own. The end of the first act of the season beautifully escalates the stakes of the story and makes you feel that, truly, nothing will be the same again. Although the story isn’t as impactful in later episodes, it does resolve some characters’ arcs in satisfying ways, though it leaves plenty of others unresolved. The voice actors do a stellar job as well, including Steinfeld, Purnell and Leung, who voices Caitlyn, a Piltover enforcer that Vi comes to care for over the course of the season.
Arcane ends on a cliffhanger, suggesting that there’s at least one more season to come.
As it stands, it is definitely a big success for both Netflix and Riot Games. This is one of the most creative shows Netflix has put out this year, and hopefully, the show can continue its hot streak and maybe even improve on the impressive first season in the future.
