I’m breaking a rule with this article, I know, but I would like to establish a precedent whereby if I find a series whether on streaming or on any other platform that I would like to discuss via an article I’ll write up my thoughts, thereby expanding the wealth of content you can find on this blog.
And so, Arcane. Released on Netflix on November of 2021, it’s an animated series produced by Fortiche and Riot Games which is centered around the fictional universe of the popular video game League of Legends, produced by the latter of the two companies. The show’s first season was released over three weeks in bundles of three episodes per week and by the end it garnered overwhelming praise within the industry, within its audience, within the fan community of the original game, pretty much among everyone who saw it.
I have played League of Legends in the past, but for quite a few years now I stopped. Periodically I consume some form of content related to the game, whether it’s championship coverage or the marketing content Riot Games posts on Youtube, including the very famous cinematics that served as a prelude to what this series would ultimately present. However, I was somewhat skeptical about the series once I heard about it, a short time prior to its release, mainly because, like everyone, I am aware of the terrible reputation video game adaptations into series or movies have. But also, because I was hesitant to give praise to a piece of work from a company whose values I’ve been questioning for quite a while. It has been well known that Riot Games fosters a questionable working culture, including systemic cases of sexual harassment, sexual discrimination and in general a toxic work environment for employees, going all the way to the top, and since these problems started being investigated in 2018 there hasn’t been that much progress made, apparently, as lawsuits continue to be leveled against the company.
I feel it necessary to mention this as the latter factor really tainted my enjoyment of the show and my pleasure in writing this article. Therefore, despite whatever thoughts people have and discuss regarding the quality of this show, I believe they should not distract from the serious issues present at Riot that also deserve attention and need urgent addressing.
That being said, I sat down to watch Arcane sometime after all nine episodes came out, and was able to watch them continuously, not all in the same day, but over the course of a week of daily viewing, and, like the vast majority of people, I was truly, deeply impressed. This show truly sets a new standard for quality animation and storytelling, and the frequent comparisons with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse are well deserved.
From a presentation standpoint, the show is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. A brilliant combination of 2D and 3D animation gives the show a distinctive artistic look, and the design of every element of this world is full of life and personality, from the characters to the sets. But it’s not just the design that’s stellar. Every visual element complements the drawings in a way that gives Arcane an edge compared with other animations. Directing, lighting, cinematography, shot composition, all come together in a way that really makes you recognize what can be done in the field of animation when you break away from the standardized models of Disney and Pixar that we’ve grown accustomed to. Not that there’s anything wrong with that style of animation, but it’s nice to see something that dares to try something new.
It’s also important to dedicate sometime talking about the characters as they are presented visually. Arcane makes a point of making every single member of its cast standout as the driving point of this show, rather than its plot. And this is important because Arcane is not adapting the story of the video game it’s based on, the video game itself has barely any story behind it, aside from the lore aspect of the universe, which is a supplementary element of the game. Instead, Arcane is simply taking these characters from the game and giving us their detailed backgrounds, and how they relate to each other. Therefore, it’s important for the show to really present these characters in a way that makes them feel straight out of the game, to assure fans of the game of the show’s commitment to authenticity, and to create iconic visual images of these key players for newcomers who are not familiar with the characters. Arcane succeeds in this aspect quite spectacularly. Vi, Jinx, Caitlyn, Jayce, Viktor, Ekko and every other character, whether from the game or not, leap right off the screen with a distinctive visual presence that is burned into your memory even after you’ve finished watching.
The show also succeeds very well in regard to its sounds. The score is quite good, but in all honestly, not particularly memorable. However, the soundtrack is where the real high points are found. Arcane leverages great talent to craft original songs made for the show which combined with certain key moments in its story, elevate those scenes to truly bombastic sequences. Not every song in the soundtrack is well integrated, to be true, some did break my immersion for a bit, but when they hit well, they hit so well. Standouts are definitely “Guns for Hire”, “Dynasties and Dystopia” and “What Could Have Been”. On the other hand, the Imagine Dragons’ song “Enemy”, which is featured in the show’s opening sequence for every episode is absolutely brilliant in that context, but when it’s inserted once in a story moment mid-narrative, doesn’t really work and is a bit distracting. Finally, the sound design is just flawless, especially in fight scenes, when there are quite a few elements to capture from an audio standpoint, some of them mechanic, others magical, and the show is able to merge the two impeccably.
Finally, I’ll go over the story and mention its greatest strengths, as well as the admittedly few shortcomings it has. Arcane focuses on the tale of the sisters Vi and Powder (later known as Jinx). Orphan residents of the undercity of Zaun, these sisters have only ever known misery, poverty and the oppression imposed by the topside city of Piltover, whose ruling class live in substantially better conditions, mostly oblivious to the plight of those who reside across the district dividing bridges. We follow their story as a key event in the first episode escalates into a confrontation which breaks them apart, followed by a time jump after the third episode after which we see them in very different places, physically and mentally, and how their journey shapes the destinies of the two cities. On top of this we also have the perspective of Jayce and Viktor (also Caitlyn), academic residents of Piltover whose scientific discoveries propel the city towards astounding development, which is impacted by the political instability between Piltover and Zaun.
It’s quite impressive how Arcane balances these two narratives without feeling disjointed, and in the end brings them together successfully without it feeling forced. That success is the result of clever tying of some story threads and excellent world building. Not only does the story connect the two perspectives as early as the first episode, but it keeps making those tenuous connections to keep you invested in both plotlines. In addition, the show crafts the overarching conflict between Piltover and Zaun quite well, and since both stories inform that conflict, they feel necessary and relevant, despite the audience jumping from one point of view to another
Despite that achievement in structure, some subplots are more relevant than others, and while every individual character succeeds as a standalone protagonist in his or her story, some are superficially tied to the overarching conflict. The most obvious example of that is Viktor, a fan favorite, to be sure and very well realized, but a character whose story is not that well integrated into the larger conflict as it could have been, and with an ending that is eclipsed by everything that is going on elsewhere.
The plot itself is not that revolutionary, most key concepts and ideas have been explored previously in other works, but it’s the execution that makes Arcane particularly compelling. Class differences, the regulation of technological progress, family tragedy and a Harley Quinn-esque protagonist are all things you’ve seen before, but they are featured here with such great care, eloquence, and daring, that they actually surpass the source materials that these elements are drawn from in some ways. Putting it bluntly, if one argues that Jinx is basically just a rip-off of Harley Quinn, which is a fair point, I’d argue that Jinx fulfills that part better than any Harley Quinn centric media I’ve ever seen, being far more autonomous, tragic, complex and dangerous.
Finally, it is worth pointing how Arcane balances the issue of fan-service because this is an area where many video game adaptations meet their doom, and I find Arcane to be the golden standard on how to handle this aspect. Arcane prioritizes making its story and characters work on their own, rather than as pieces of a larger, well-known world. Most people argue that one can watch Arcane without ever having played or known anything about League of Legends and I agree with that statement. At the same time, it does add something to be familiar with some characters and concepts, but not in a way that discriminates the enjoyment of non-fans.
You do feel something when Ekko appears later in the story and fights Jinx, or when Jinx is revealed in the beginning of Act Two, or when Vi puts on her gauntlets, whether you’re a fan or not, and that is because Arcane puts in the work (especially in Act One), to make you connect with these characters first, make you believe in them and their world, and give value to their individual characteristics and their relationships with each other. That is how fan-service should be done. The intertextual elements can pack an extra punch for those who are familiar with the source material, but the majority of their meaning needs to be present whether you are aware of the element or not.
Ultimately, as much as I hesitate to say it given my thoughts about Riot, Arcane might just be the best thing I’ve seen all year, series or movie. It is definitely my favorite work of animation of 2021 and maybe even further back. The work of the individual animators, creators, musicians, writers and voice-actors is to be commended and appreciated. I would definitely recommend it, and I hope it inspires great work in animation from here on out.