Creators: Christian Linke & Alex Yee (various writers)
Directors: Pascal Charrue, Arnaud Delord, Bar Maunoury
Finished first watch: 23/11/2024
Finished first watch: 23/11/2024
Animation Studio: Fortiche
Review contains ***SPOILERS*** for Arcane
Ratings:
It's tough, because I'm still feeling a lot of emotions from having just finished Arcane season 2, smashing out the last 3 episodes on the day of release as well. So I think this write-up might suffer from my immediate feelings getting in the way of objective assessment. Maybe I'll come back to this after a few months, maybe even a rewatch, and check myself. But for now, there are 2 things I would say about Arcane that I think are undeniable:
1. It is simply one of the greatest series ever made (and a good candidate for the #1 spot)
2. Despite this, there are still lots of ways it could have been improved.
Characters
Even above its stunning animation, I would say that the absolute strongest element of Arcane is its characters development, alongside the strength of the characters themselves. Every single member of this ensemble cast went on a journey throughout the series - they changed their attitudes, they fell under each other's influence and they significantly grew as a result of their on-screen experiences (including through some really thoughtfully used time-skips). And it was all driven my the massive, literally life-changing events that we saw them go through as part of the plot. Even side characters had such understandable and realistic responses ('realistic' more so meaning consistent and believable within the Arcane universe, than reflective of our real world); Caitlyn's dad, Salo, Sky(!!), for example, were all complete side characters yet still had really meaningful development throughout the show. And if main characters didn't have amazing development throughout the series, we'd get insight into their back stories which would still give us a really great sense of how they got to who they are in the story. The writers, who cannot be given enoough credit, then of course used this development to create more tense situations and force more decisions, which would lead to more of these seismic life events, building even more development and the cycle would continue.
The incredible development also wasn't just within the characters' personalities but was also masterfully reflected in their character designs. I have to use a pretentious word like 'masterfully' because the designers genuinely did show a mastery in their craft with this. All the young versions of the main cast are brought into the present era so well, visually. Jinx stops looking like a sweet little kid and instead does look like a troubled teenager. Vi goes from a tough kid to someone who will beat the shit out of you. You even see Jayce's outfit get more and more formal and regal as his political capital increases. Then when you get to season 2, the events get truly foundation-shaking and again this is reflected brilliantly on the characters. Dishevelled Jayce, pit brawler Vi, demigod Viktor, fascist dictator Caitlin. All significantly shifted desigs to reflect the characters' mental state and motivations, all whilst still being so incredibly appealing! That's something that is consistent throughout - every design is just so incredibly distinct and intersting. Even characters who didn't change too much still get thoughtful redesigns; thinking Silco (in the flashbacks and in the Alternate Reality) and Ambessa, who (literally) shows more of herself and gets more battle ready as season 2 progresses.
The apex of this incredible character design flexibility shows up in the phenomenal AU episode in season 2. Seeing how different Ekko and Powder would look at the same age if they hadn't been through the same events wasn't just creative and very cool to see but also really underscored the fact that they are who they are because of what they've experienced. Honestly, Arcane might have the best, clearest and most tangible character development I've ever seen. No 'subtle', half-baked nonsense - the stuff really happens and it really shows.
The characters themselves are, of course, also great. The cast is varied and deep. They all have understandable motivations and opinions and really interesting flaws and limitations. For example, it's easy to love Vander but still see that he's complicit in the status quo and, to an extent, a coward for accepting it. Silco is cruel and mistreats his own people but still has moments where it seems like he has genuine affection for Jinx, which is endearing. Of course this is all rooted in League of Legends lore but it made for characters who were great ingredients to an excellent story.
Oh and also, even the weapon designs develop over time! Vi gets the v1 rusty mitts, then the hex tech prototypes, then the final enforcer version. Jayce comes back from the Void with a completely overgrown wild rune Hammer. Jinx of course improves her proficiency and makes bombs and tools that are less cute and far more intimidating over time. More attention to detail that makes these characters and their journeys so great.
Plot
The story writing is incredible. Not only does it have the previously mentioned events, impacts and character decisions linked but it also has the different strands of the story interact with and influence each other in really clever ways, as well as managing a really intriguing fantasy/magical component and tying that in with everything else. The story also does reflect very relatable and topical issues from the real world in very entertaining and appealing ways but never relies on the viewers' perceptions of these issues. They always clearly show how each character feels about them and thoroughly explains why. The plot is also constantly evolving and shifting too. So the twists and turns the story takes keep it interesting and keep a great level of tension throughout. And nothing ever feels like a cheap twist, either. I would honestly say that the plot and writing for season 1 are the best I've ever seen, although I'd sadly have to say that season 2's isn't quite as good. The two main reasons being: 1.) the lack of explanation and resolution of quite a few of the storylines, and 2.) the pacing. The pacing for season 1 was perfect but there were quite a few events in season 2 that just needed a bit more time to breathe or maybe a bit more of a build-up. For example, Jinx accepting that she was being heralded as a rebel hero or Caitlin implementing martial law in the undercity. Both were quite abrupt and didn't necessarily follow on directly from where the storylines had last left off. As for the storylines that weren't actually fleshed out enough, here's a mini list:
-Mel being magical. She gets a whole new backstory, as well as mage powers and accepts and masters both of them within an episode, to the point that she's then war ready. Definitely needed more explanation and learning (for her) and a lot more exploration (for us). I'd also say I liked the way Mel influenced the story as a clever councillor early on, so the magic felt unnecessary.
-Linked to that, the Black Rose storyline was far too vague throughout. We're given thee bare bones but we then got no real explanation for why they actually wanted to kill/get Ambessa. Then at the end, Mel says "I see through you" or whatever, with zero explanation of what she actually means. Did she save her mother from them? What did she see through them about? Were they dishonest about something? Why did it matter? They were also just too abstract as characters as well. We only ever see glimpses of 2 of them on screen (apparently not even in their true forms), yet they're driving force behind Ambessa's entire story. It would have improved her character significantly if we'd been given the full context.
-Viktor's actual plan and motivations**. We spend the vast majority of the show hearing Viktor talk about helping people, including becoming a magical healer. To the have him suddenly flip to wanting to evolve humanity(?), effectively make everyone braindead and also be willing to fight a bloody war to achieve it is very jarring. But also it just didn't make sense mechanically. What was he actually doing, how did the wild rune magic work? What even is Jayce's solution?
-Jinx's madness practically disappears. She also becomes very altruistic out of nowhere (if anything she should be more fucked after losing Isha). Even before that, we end Season 1 with Jinx being at her most lost, unable to turn to Silco or Vi but then Season 2 kicks off with her pretty much finding immediate stability and safety. Side note, but I also remember being incredibly disappointed with Jinx's first appearance in season 2, because it was very anticlimactic. Whereas her first appearance as Jinx in season 1 is so fucking good. So impactful.
-Singed. What was his actual plan and why did it rely on Viktor? And if it did rely on Viktor, why did it still kinda work out even though Jayce stopped him? Also, how did Singed slip out completely free after his role in the war? And did he actually reanimate his daughter? He was another one who was basically the root cause of a lot of stuff but just didn't get the exposition needed on screen.
I would also just say that in season 2, the show kinda lost itself. It got too swept up in the mystique and mythos and lost sight of the storylines that had been so engaging up to that point - the love and hate between the 2 sisters and Zaun's struggle against Piltover. Completely brushing those 2 stories to the side to fight for the existence of humanity didn't create a very satisfying final act for me. In general, I'd say that massive, existential stakes are generally a lot less compelling than small-scale, very human stakes. There were also just some other choices they made with the show that I didn't personally like, although they weren't necessarily bad or wrong:
-The shift away from very tangible story and magic mechanics (hex tech, shimmer) towards unquantifiable and unknowable magic (the wild runes, Viktor)
-Bringing back Vander didn't really work for me either. It led to some really beutiful moments (one of which made me actually cry) but it felt strange to (literally and metaphorically) revive his dead corpse as a way of bringing the sisters back together.**
-Again, definitely just a style preference but it's become very predictable and honestly a bit stale at this point for fantasy series to end in a big war. So that was a bit disappointing too. Same again for multi-versing; it's a bit of a trend recently but fair enough, they made a genuinely beautiful episode out of it.
On storylines, I also want to give a specific mention to Caitlin and Vi's romance storyline. I usually find romance stories in entertainment to be a bit boring and forced. A good example of this is AU Ekko and Powder kissing. I think that episode would have had more emotional impact as a reflection of Ekko grieving a lifelong friendship - making it romantic sort of undercut that because it seemed to be more of a fantasy than the loss of the deep bond they already had. However, Caitlin and Vi on the other hand, is possibly the first on screen romance that I have absolutely loved, because it was constructed and executed so well! You see these two characters, who are both in crisis in their own ways, have their worlds and perceptions changed by each other. They each represent the other's enemy but over time, they warm up to each other and that opens up the possibilities of humanising the other side. Their romance also completely mirrors the overarching storyline of Piltover vs. Zaun, so it's thematic and story-relevant. And even if it's not healthy, they find comfort in each other during times when they're grieving or feeling lost. Importantly though, they clearly find really admirable traits within each other during their excursion in the Lanes (Caitlin learns that Vi is loving and principled rather than just a criminal and Vi learns that Caitlin is honorable and tough rather than just pampered and pretentious). This also means that the will-they-won't-they moments even feel real, because Jinx's actions start to erode away at those very same traits - they find themselves in crisis again and retreat back into their old habits but they can still see those admirable qualities within each other throughout it all. I absolutely loved the dialogue before before their big scene in season 2, when Vi says "I choose wrong every time". Because it was so clear that yeah, duh! That's what Caitlin loves about you! You choose to believe that everyone can change and you want to show them compassion, even when you say you've given up on them. And of course, it's great to see a romance between two women that doesn't end tragically. Bechdel test of course passed with... flying colours.
**Last point on plot, I recognise that a lot of what I know as 'Arcane' is built off existing LoL lore. So the two starred points above, were always in the plan, since they were already established elements of those characters' backstories. The Viktor and Vander from season 1 were already destined to become the Viktor and Warwick from LoL (which I now know, following a week or so of watching youtube videos/shorts about the lore). Same with things like the Black Rose, which have their own deep mythology already established, apparently. That doesn't mean Arcane's creators get a pass to not develop or explain these things properly, in fact it's maybe the opposite. I think it highlights the fact they really needed more time to get from the end of Season 1 to where they wanted to end up. What I wll give them credit for, however, is how well they established these new versions of these characters, so that their already published histories felt like they were thrust upon them. I'd also include in that Vi becoming an enforcer - they gave Arcane Vi such a strong identity that even though she has Police Officer skins in game, it still felt strange seeing her become a cop. Side note though, being an underprivileged kid and having served jail time, fucking a cop inside a jail cell is absolutely insane behaviour. Great scene, just insane for a very ACAB character.
Storytelling
This is another thing that the series does exceptionally well! Of course, 'show, don't tell' isn't an absolute law of film and TV but the way Arcane tells its story visually without having to spell things out via dialogue is amazing. I'd even extend the phrase to 'show beyond what you need to tell', which the show does an incredible job of doing. One example of this that I loved was NewJinx heading back to the arcade in Season 1. It's a place of comfort and somewhere that will always be linked to Jinx's past - so we subconsciously get a sense of where she is mentally from that alone. But when we see her actually turn the boxing machine on, not only do we get a great action sequence with really strong, visually impactful poses, we get to learn that Jinx, unlike Powder, absolutely can fight. She's physically strong, she's quick and she's willing to get involved in combat. So that shows us how her character has developed during the time skip. But then the scene finishes with her completing the round on the machine and the scoreboard lighting up to show her high score - 2nd highest. She enters the 3 letters for her name slot but of course, the no. 1 spot, not illuminated, is taken up by none other than Vi. That confirms to us that although Jinx is now clearly an adept fighter, Vi would still beat her ass if it came to it. But beyond that, I think it showed that Vi was still dominating her thoughts and that she was still chasing after her. Especially since the entire sequence has cuts and flases of her memories of Vi. The whole passage also happens over the span of about 2 minutes. So we get such rich, engaging and visually pleasing story telling without wasting valuable screentime. That's pretty much consistent with the rest of the show.
In general, I'd say that the storytelling always keeps things visually interesting, so that even straightforward conversations are coupled with visual symbolism or at least atmospheric/quiet world building. They never leave you just looking at the same angle for long enough for it to become stagnant. The staging/framing is also excellent, especially when they draw parralells. For example, Jinx injecting Silco's eye comes across as such a domineering power play by Silco at first, as we see Jinx being incredibly delicate and precious in how she approaches him. But when she finds out Vi is still alive, this is completely flipped, so that it becomes an act of aggression and assertion from Jinx, to the point that it feels like Silco's life is in her hands as she holds the needle. Especially across season 1, it just felt like they kept finding great ways to do transitions and montages and it was always cool and visually pleasing. It may be a bit harsh to say but there were times in Season 2, however, where they leaned on the great storytelling a bit too much to try and bridge gapw left by the absence of some important story events. It was a bit frustrating, because they effectively found the most interesting way to cover up a lack of substance with literal style, where they actually used different animation and art styles to tell the story. Can't knock the storytelling for that, I guess it too was just complicit in the story falling short.
Something else I think the directing did amazingly well was having amazing, powerful, metaphorical and cinematic shots, which were story-relevant. One of the best ones, in my opinion, was Silco appearing in the lanes and holding out the vials of shimmer to the shimmer addicts, after they sold out Vi. It's a really cool shot, that frames Silco as being like a god to these people but really, it's more the case that they're at their lowest point. I would compare it to a similar shot in Batman v Superman, when Superman gets adoration from a bunch of people wearing Mexican Sugar Skulls. I'd say both are equally cool shots but in the Superman shot, these characters are not story relevant (they don't appear in any way outside of that shot and are not named or otherwise interacted with), whereas for Silco, this shot is used to give the viewer and Caitlyn/Vi a sense of despair, as they realise these people they had trusted (who are afflicted by Shimmer, one of the central plot points) are actually loyal to Silco (really their addiction), which makes their situation much more desperate. There were so many more shots like that, especially in season 1.
Also, incredible music, fantastic voice acting (and a stacked voice cast!) and an amazing, very well thought out world also support that brilliant storytelling.
Animation
Somehow, I'm speaking about animation last but I think it's all already been said by every other Arcane fan. The animation is absolutely stunning. I genuinely don't think there is a single project, big or small screen, that has such fluid and intentional movement of its character models. Even subtle movements and secondary actions, like eye movement and small smirks were done with great attention and care and added to that phenomenal storytelling. Of course, in addition to this we saw great shots, really strong poses (which were held for just long enough at the right times) and some really brilliant fight scenes. To be honest, after watching quite a few Netflix animated series/movies, I was astonished at the animation quality in Arcane. Of course, that's because it isn't quite a 'Netflix' series in the way that Nimona or The Sea Beast are Netflix movies, but Arcane blows everything else completely out of the water.
Arcane distinguishes itself stylistically through its painted textures, that all look incredible. There's no substitute or software solution for painting all of your props, models and backgrounds and these guys did it beautifully, to create a style that is distinct and clearly video-game-like, whilst never being too abstracted from reality to keep your sense of immersion. They also incorporated lots of different animation styles throughout the run. Most prominently was all of the hand-drawn effects animation. Somehow, this never looked out of place against the 3D modelled world and it was all done beautifully. As far as I could tell, it only ever needed to be straight-ahead animated, so I think the artists who got to work on it really were allowed a lot of freedom. So lots of details did end up looking really gorgeous, like explosions, smoke or even just a little bit of steam from a hot cup of tea. Really pretty. Then of course, there are the full sequences where they change styles entirely. Like Vander's memories being rendered in watercolour, which really added to the feeling of nostalgia and sadness. Or when they rendered Ekko's fight with Jinx on the bridge in a charcoal/stencil style - was clearly still modelled but again, the consideration and attention to render it in a different style amplified the impact of the sequence.
The animation is actually probably the only thing that doesn't dip in quality from season 1 to season 2 - in fact, it might even improve in the second half! When you get to these abstract and ethereal passages with Viktor, the animation (and overall concept) is really beautiful. I don't know if Sky in season 2 is her actual spirit or just an apparition summoned by Viktor's guilt (which is actually the kind of thing I don't mind being left to interpretation, because it's completely inconsequential to the story) but the way that the two of them look in this spectral dimension really takes you there as a viewer. They aso really stepped up the combat sequences for the war in the final episode, which was a lot of fun.
Conclusion
The more time I spend thinking about Arcane, the more I realise how well put together it was. It's definitely the kind of thing that people can write analysis and interpretations of for years and years into the future, and I personally can't wait to follow along with all of it. I know there's a whole bunch of symbolism and foreshadowing I missed! Sadly though, I think I'll always remember it as something that was astonishing and wonderful but didn't realise its full potential.
However, to finish off, I have to give massive props to the executives from Riot who decided to create this series and their overall approach and philosophy. Great story and great animation are not easy nor cheap to create. However, they made a clear decision that if they were going to create this show to draw new players to their game, they were going to do it in a way that honours the existing lore and creates a fantastic series that could stand and be brilliant on its own. I especially loved this quote from Marc Merrill, Chief Product Officer at Riot, in response to a question about Arcane's reported $250million budget:
"We're more than comfortable with the spend it took to deliver a show that was worthy of our players's time."
That alone is enough to make this show great. Right now, most of what we see on our screens, especially in animation, is held back by companies and executives choosing lower costs over a perfect end product. To have someone give a piece of art this kind of backing and commitment is rare and commendable. So alongside anything else I might say, I will always consider Arcane legendary for the fact it was made for its fans and no one else.
Random Thoughts:
-Ambessa's mask design was so fucking cool. I'm sure they designed it to look like the face of a leopard, which is even cooler (although potentially kinda real Earth-centered).
-It should be noted that it's a huge win for the series to feature a prominent lesbian/sapphic/wlw couple between two of its major main characters (and do it so well!). This is something that absolutely should be celebrated, because it isn't the norm yet.
-Similarly, this is a series that included several incredibly well-developed and well written women characters, none of whom were tokenistic in any way. So again, the show's creators should get a lot of credit for that.
-Ambessa absolutely loves a Twink and that was both hilarious and relatable (and tbh good strorytelling still).
-I could have watched Ambessa kicking the shit out of Caitlyn and Mel all day, that was an amazing fight scene (I think I love Ambessa)
-It was very cool how they included character models for the band Imagine Dragons in the actuall meat of the show. Great service to them as artists.
-The more and more I find out about LoL, the more I appreciate how well they honoured the game through the series. E.g. Ekko specifically stating that his time skip tool could go back exactly 4 seconds is actually a nod to one of his in-game abilities
-Jayce and Vi teaming up to go and bust up the shimmer plant was a reall fucking cool scene.
-Shout out to FlowChartKen for loads of great LoL lore videos, which I've been watching since finishing the series. They've really helped give me a deeper appreciation of a lot of stuff. Also shout out to this other random video for catching the Vander-Warwick thing on the spot after season 1.
-Similar to the point about Vander being a coward, I really liked how Ekko ends up putting Heimerdinger to shame in the AU by being so adamant on getting back to their universe. Heimerdinger is so content to just forget his failures and hardships in the main universe and enjoy the paradise here but Ekko knows that he can't do that when so many people are relying on him back home. Similarly, it creates a parallel with Jayce's AU adventure, where Jayce had to fight through a nightmare to get back but Ekko had to make the more difficult choice to leave this perfect paradise and go back to hell. He's a legend for that.
