If you are a fan of League of Legends then you are aware by now about Arcane, their brand new series dedicated to the game's lore and two of its characters (or maybe more) Vi and Jinx. Even if you have never played LoL this series is worth your time.
Before i start reviewing the show let me tell you that i have been a League of Legends player for many years and i managed to climb through Diamond (rank) for those that get what i am saying. Now, regarding RIOT, the company behind the game i'll have to admit that they put a lot of work.
Don't get me wrong League of Legends has one of the shitiest communities in my mind but still i can't argue that they made their game massive, with constant updates and "giving" away thousands of dollars to games. I think that they managed to make e-sports a thing out there. Now once again they made the extra step and had their own series which in my opinion was quite good.
Now, a few things about the series, it has 9 episodes that are about 40 minutes each and was released on 6 November 2021. The Production companies behind are Fortiche productions and ofc Riot Games. Also, there will be a second season which is already confirmed for 2023 i think.
Arcane Plot
The plot is around VI and Jinx and along with those 2 other characters smartly introduced to us. After a war, Vander a veteran soldier saves 2 little girls whose parents were killed. Fast forward and these 2 girls grow a bit, with Vi being a teen a Jinx a bit younger.
The city has been divided into 2 parts, one as the one we know and an underground one led by Vander who maintains stability between the 2. The first 3 episodes show us how Vi, Jinx and the rest of the gang manage to steal some crystals, crystals that Jayce (oh yes the one you know) used for his research, because apparently, he is a scientist.
There we are also introduced to Heimer who is a known scholar and Victor who is also another scientist that believed in Jayce's work, which is tied with magic, something that's a bit heretic in this world as science rules!
A bunch of things happens and now the next 3 episodes have a bit of a timeskip after certain events took place and all those characters i mentioned above are older and with certain goals that they want to achieve.
The gist without huge spoilers is that Vi tries to find Jinx because they got separated, Jayce and Victor have made remarkable progress with their research and a new villain is trying to take control of the upper world!
What I Liked and what i Didn't
First of all, the way they divided the episodes is quite smart. The first 3 show a bit about each character's past, we get to know them and understand how the "world" is governed. The next 3 episodes have a bit of a time skip, showing us what changed and what are the new goals of each character. Finally, in the last 3 the big fight is happening which given the last six that were basically a setup for the final act we are left with a "WHEN SEASON 2?"
Another thing that is amazing is the animation. At first, i thought it is a bit weird and that the fight scenes will be a failure but i was dead wrong and thank god for that. On the other hand, it seems RIOT paid a lot of money for that show and that is a good sign.
The Characters are awesome, the voice acting is great and honestly, you will get to understand their motives as well as their convictions. Ahhh and the music is awesome too, they managed to have the Imagine Dragons create a soundtrack for them!
Final Thoughts
All in all, i believe they did awesome work and it's worth watching whether you like LoL or not. If you are a fan of the game ofc the experience will be 10 times better.
Another thing i wanted to say is that RIOT with this huge success that managed to surpass series on Netflix like Narcos and stranger things, can easily create a whole role of series based on their characters and make millions!
IMDb Rating 9.3/10
My Rating 8.5/10
