Arcane is an adult animated science fantasy television series adapted from the video game League of Legends. Produced by Riot Games and Netflix, the series primarily focuses on the relationship between sisters Vi, voiced by Hailee Steinfeld, and Jinx, voiced by Ella Purnell. As conflicts between them arise, so do tensions between the rich, powerful city of Piltover and the oppressed, gritty city of Zuan as elements of technology and magic are put into play. 

What does Arcane do Right?

First released on November 6, 2021, the series appeals to both long-time fans of the game and viewers who have never played. Arcane is considered to be the best video game adaptation ever made with praises from animation, story, worldbuilding, characters, emotional weight, sound, and voice acting. But the question remains, why should you watch it?

Animation

When talking about Arcane, it is hard to ignore the stunning animation style that brings it to life. The series blends different animation styles and is considered to fall under the category of 2.5D animation, a mix of 2D and 3D, along with other refreshing motion pictures, such as “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.”

Artists who worked on the series crafted 2D backgrounds, digitally painted like a classic anime, and textures with 3D objects and characters in the foreground, giving the series a hand-painted, storybook quality. 

The results are an environment that feels real and has detailed character movement. 

Story

Arcane consists of two seasons, with each season consisting of nine episodes. The structure can be broken down into the Three Act Structure: Setup, confrontation, and resolution. 

Act 1: The Setup. In this first act, all the characters are established. The audience learns about the dynamics of sisters Vi and Jinx along with information about other side characters, like the ambitious scientists Jayce and Viktor, the politicians Mel, Silco and  Heimerdinger, and misfits Caitlyn and Ekko. The audience also gets to see the world these characters live in, including the cities of Piltover and Zaun.

 Act 2: Confrontation. In the next act, which consists of episodes four to six. The audience gets to see how the characters develop and is faced with questions that have no answer. 

What will happen between the Pltover and Zaun conflict? How will Jayce wield magic? What will happen to the sisters?

Act 3: Resolution. In the final episodes, everything is answered. The audience gets to see how one choice affects another. We see how all the different storylines that the show has been building up tie together.  In season one, act three the show also sets up other characters that are going to be Images prominent in the next season, like the warlord Ambessa and the alchemist Singed.

Season two follows the same structure while exploring new themes and topics. On paper, it might look formulaic, but the end product shows no character irregularities, worldbuilding inconsistencies, or plot holes despite having intricate storylines and in-depth characters. 

Emotion

Arcane has many emotional storylines that tie into internal and external themes. Dealing with heavy themes like mental health, diseases, family dynamics, classism, police brutality, and war, Arcane takes the viewer on an emotional rollercoaster while incorporating real-life issues. Main character, Jinx, hallucinates as a result of her schizophrenia. 

Criticism

The biggest problem that Arcane has is pacing. Season two- while still good- failed to live up to the previous season. It lacks the organic and natural story that was perfected in season one due to the pacing. More specifically, Act Three was rushed. It is important to note that the final episode was cut back. Originally, it was supposed to be an hour and forty-five minutes but it was cut down to an hour. This meant that much of the content was cut out and left fans feeling like they missed important contexts that would have warped the series up in a more satisfying way. 

Conclusion.

Arcane isn’t going to be for everyone but I do recommend you watch it. The worldbuilding, characters, and themes are all things it does right. Most notably, its animation is visually stunning. However, it does receive some backlash, mainly for its pacing in the final season.