Arcane Season 2 has been out for a few days now and it’s already garnered a ton of success. Much like the first season, the second season is quite the spectacle to behold. For something that’s based on League of Legends, it managed to grab the attention of even non-League fans. In today’s article, we want to talk about that. What makes Arcane so great? Don’t worry, no spoilers for Season 2 but I will be spoiling a bit of Season 1. Another disclaimer before anything. This is a long article, so get comfy!
More than Just a Game
First and foremost, I think the main success of Arcane: League of Legends lies in the fact that it’s not a straight adaptation of the game. Had they gone with a direct route of just adapting League of Legends as a whole, the show would not have done as well as it did.
The appeal of League is that it caters to a very specific and niche audience. If you are not part of the initial audience, League has very little appeal to you despite the rich lore.
That all changes in Arcane are for a very simple reason. It is its own thing. Yes, the creators took the lore and concepts of the Zaunite and Piltoverian characters for the show. However, they adapted it and made it their own.
They have created characters who are a far cry from their League counterparts. This allows the characters to develop naturally and in dynamic ways. They are not bound by the in-game lore and their predestined champion selves. Arcane took familiar characters and gave us a story that is easy to follow and just as captivating. No matter the audience!
Arcane flies on the fact that it is more than just a game adaptation. It is a cinematic universe housed within the League of Legends franchise.
Art and Animation: Life and Emotion
This section is going to be a little long because the art of Arcane is something entirely special to the series. It is the foundation upon which storytelling is done and done so effectively.
Had Arcane taken a more traditional route of animation (i.e Dreamworks style or Anime), it wouldn’t have been as captivating visually. The animation style beautifully mixes hard planed from 3D animation with the stylized brushstroke colors of painting, and the defined outlines of sketches. They all come together wonderfully as an expressive animation style that is halfway between 3D and 2D animation.
To some of you, the animation style may look familiar. That’s because it’s the same animation style used in a lot of the League shorts. Mainly in the Legends of Runeterra and Ruined King animatics. I may be wrong, but this is a style that I personally have seen to be unique to League of Legends.
This is not just praise to the animation team and their work, mind you. I want to point out that along with this unique animation style, Arcane acquires something that is uniquely its own: Identity. The animation of Arcane allows the characters to tell their story and share their perspective in an effectively captivating manner.
Take for example the animation of Jinx and Powder. The animation team created a special 3D rig for the character that allows them to animate her emotions and movements in all sorts of manners. There are scenes in Act 3 wherein one moment it’s Jinx wreaking havoc on enemies, and at the drop of a hat, it’s Powder peeking out and scared of the world around.
Powder is who cries as she searches for her sister and it’s Jinx who screams in frustration as she’s abandoned. It’s Jinx who shoots at Ekko on the bridge, but it’s Powder pleading as she’s pinned to the ground. It’s Jinx who detonates the bomb. These are two different characters inhabiting the same character model and yet the animation shows us just how different the two of them are.
Cinema Level Cinematography
Did you think I was done talking about the animation? Ha! Fat chance. But seriously, this show has cinema level shots that frame the narrative in such artistic ways. Take for example the fight scene between Ekko and Jinx on the bridge. The song playing in the background of this scene (Dynasties and Dystopia) is fast paced and upbeat. Yet, it it’s juxtaposed with a fight sequence that is captured in slow motion. This level of contrast can be seen all throughout Arcane.
Another example is the portrayal of power in the show. Silco is calm and collected in all the scenes wherein he has control and power over those around him. The only moments he loses his cool is around people he knows he cannot control like Vander, Vi, and Jinx. These moments are framed by wide sweeping shots of the room when he has control, and closeup and frantic shots when he loses his power over the situation.
I could go on and on about the cinematography but you get the idea. Honestly, Arcane is so much more than just a Netflix show. It’s an experience that demands it be experienced rather than told. Don’t take it from me. Go watch both Season 1 and Season 2 for yourself and decide then!
Want to know our Spoiler-free thoughts about Arcane Season 2? Read our article about it.
