Maybe Arcane Is the Friend We Made Along the Way
A Review of the Animated Show “Arcane”
The first season of the well-renowned TV show “Arcane” was released in two parts, on Nov. 6 and Nov. 20, 2021. The most recent season of the show was aired on Nov. 9 and Nov. 23, 2024. This show features a lot of action and stunning animations, with a rating of five stars on Rotten Tomatoes. The show is based off of the video game “League of Legends,” although “Arcane” makes the characters understandable and meaningful for viewers who have never played the game, while simultaneously providing unmatched visuals and a notable storyline.
In the first season of “Arcane,” the plot is very straightforward, with clear objectives for the characters. The show starts off focused on the city of Piltover, which is considered the wealthier side of the region. In this city, the audience witnesses a group of kids stealing from one of the apartments there. The kids are from the less wealthy city, named Zaun, and they are stealing technology. As the story progresses, the audience becomes aware of the technologies intended use, as well as the characters and their stories in both cities. The writers did an excellent job of showing each character’s viewpoint of certain scenes, giving the audience better understanding of both the characters and the content.
Alternatively, in the second season of “Arcane,” the plot becomes very complex and at times indirect in what the characters are trying to contribute to. The season starts off following the same storyline as the first season, but as it progresses many alternate storylines and characters are introduced. These additions can make some aspects of the show seem distant and unnecessary, and can make it difficult for the audience to fully understand every event and its importance. Each episode was very content-dense, making it not a favorable show to binge unless the audience has a complete understanding of everything that is happening. Despite the complex storylines of the season, the writers were able to tie them together and create a complete, yet open to interpretation, ending.
“I thought it was a lengthy plot, which I kinda liked, but it had a lot of twists and turns so it was different each episode,” freshman Paige Grooters said.
The show was originally intended to be three seasons, but was cut short so that other “League of Legends” projects could be started. There are many portions of the second season that definitely can be expanded upon, such as the introduction of alternate universes and other regions of the “Arcane” world.
The art and animation style of “Arcane” is unique and absolutely stunning. The show showcases vibrant colors and merges 2D and 3D design elements, making watching an immersive and beautiful experience. Each city and character encompasses their own unique details, like the city of Zaun owning a dimly lit and green-hued look. In contrast, the city of Piltover is much brighter and has many gold details. In addition, other than just a stunning animation, “Arcane” incorporates various songs that add depth to each scene. The song choices are very diverse, with varying styles and languages. Artists such as Imagine Dragons, Stray Kids and Twenty One Pilots have contributed to creating songs that are not only fitting for the show, but enjoyable to listen to outside of show time.
“Part of the reason I wanted to watch the show is because of how interesting it looked. I just think all the characters were just so well designed,” freshman Sloan Strickland said. “Even the background characters, there was so much thought put into everything.”
“Arcane” does a really good job of making each character detailed and understood. Throughout the show, it is unclear if there is a real antagonist due to every character making understandable choices with their circumstance. Additionally, in “Arcane,” there is a wide variety of characters that the audience has to be familiar with in order to understand the plot. Out of all of the characters, the most significant ones are known as Viktor, Mel and Jinx. These characters have contributed the most to the plot, and nearly every other character is tied to them in some way. The character Viktor is a scientist whose terminal illness is a driving factor for his decisions. With another scientist, he helps create technology that affects both cities tremendously. For the character Mel, she is the leader of Piltover, but inherits a nation called the Noxians from her mother towards the end of the show. There will be a spinoff from the “Arcane” series focused around the Noxians, and in the trailer it is seen that Mel will be heavily a part of the show.
“I think Mel and her mom’s relationship is just so well represented too, I feel like they have a bit of something for everybody, that’s why I recommend it,” Strickland said. “It’s like literally what everybody could want in a show.”
The character Jinx is an unpredictable and impulsive character, first seen as one of the children stealing technology at the beginning of the show. She originally goes by the name of Powder, but experiences many traumatic events that shape her into a more unhinged character. Her ending in the show has caused much speculation, but ultimately there is belief she will be found in future series.
“I loved every scene with Jinx, the way they made it super chaotic, I felt like that really encaptured her,” Grooters said. “I just really liked how they did that, I feel like every single scene Jinx was in I was excited to watch it.”
The show “Arcane” encompasses a tragic and extensive plot while maintaining interesting and unique visuals, and fascinating characters. There are so many small thought-out details in every scene, and the show is overall a wonderful watch.
<Star Ratings>
Plot: ★★★★★
Cinematography: ★★★★★
Characters: ★★★★★
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