You might have heard of the popular MOBA game, League of Legends, but in the past three years, the Netflix series adaptation of the game, Arcane: League of Legends, has gained an enormous amount of popularity, praise, and critiques. Having a nearly perfect audience rating of 4.9, it’s safe to say that the show definitely has a strong reputation. But what makes this show so appealing? Why is it worth watching? What are the best components of the series? I get to combine two of my favorite things to answer these questions. Watching TV and sharing my very correct opinion!
If you’re not familiar with the arcane show, it is an animated Netflix series directed by Pascal Charrue that tells the origin story of two sisters who, in the original game, are both iconic League of Legends champions: Jinx — also known as Powder — and Vi. The sisters eventually find themselves on opposite sides of a potential war between the utopian city Piltover and its oppressed undercity, Zaun.
The most appealing part of the show depends on the person watching, but probably the most common reason for watching is the lore. Lore is basically the background or reasoning of certain occurrences in a story. And in the case of Arcane, it’s an understatement to say that there is a plethora of lore to dive into. Junior Sienna Mallet says, “It hurt me in a good and bad way.” From the backstory of the characters to the relationships they have with each other to the complex social dynamics of the world in which they live, there are hundreds of factors playing into the lore of this story. Much of the lore in the series revolves around society and class dynamics. The lore can also be tied into the plot of the story, which mainly focuses on the lives of Vi and Jinx, but also Jace and Viktor’s journey with Hextech.
A huge component of the show is the characters and their complex (and sometimes relatable) backgrounds and personalities. People love being able to connect with a certain character in movies and shows that they like. One of the best parts of the characters in arcane is the fact that none of them are truly good or bad. There is no black and white in the series making it clear that a major theme is that nothing is exactly as it seems at first and there is both good and bad in everything. The most popular character in arcane — and arguably the most complex and interesting one — is Jinx. When I asked Talulla McCormick if she could change anything about the show, she replied with a very strong, “bring Isha back!” I think most of us can agree with her.
The plot, the lore, and the complex characters are all great factors of the show, but some of the best parts of it (and my personal favorite factors) aren’t even part of the storyline. The unique art style, music, and designs are all amazingly captivating parts of the series, making it aesthetically and audibly appealing for many art and music lovers. “The art was scrumptious,” senior Big Moneybags Morales commented in an interview. The art in question was masterfully crafted by Paris-based studio Fortiche and as for the music, many well-known musicians such as Imagine Dragons, Twenty One Pilots, and Stray Kids were involved in creating the soundtrack.
In my very professional and legitimate opinion, Arcane is definitely one of the best shows to walk the face of Netflix. I would absolutely recommend watching it. It’s packed with edge-of-the-seat action, juicy drama, beautiful visuals, head-banging bops, and heart-wrenching backstories. The perfect recipe for a binge-worthy show on a Friday night.
