*takes a deep breath… followed by a big sigh*
Where the HECK do I even begin with this!?
Nah, seriously tho.
Arcane: League of Legends, in my truly honest of opinions, is THE BEST animated TV show that I’ve ever laid eyes on. PERIOD. And I’ve watched some really, really amazing ones so far (all unique experiences in their own ways, and rightly so), the likes of – Death Note, Attack on Titan, Castlevania, Blood of Zeus, Invincible, Primal, and Love, Death, and Robots; with the latest one being Secret Level (putting this on here mainly cuz of the Warhammer 40K episode… which was insanely good!). A pretty decent list altogether, I’d say, no?
BUT… Arcane has quite easily surpassed all of them, not a shadow of any doubt in my mind whatsoever. It’s simply THAT GOOD. And to put it plainly, you absolutely MUST WATCH it ASAP if you haven’t already done so! Trust me… you’ll thank me later.
Well, what’s it all about, then?
To put it very plainly – it’s a story about two siblings who are caught-up in a power struggle of social hierarchy, and how they and everyone involved with and connected to them are affected by the ensuing tragic events that follow. Oh, and there’s a bit of magic and stuff present too, just for good measure I suppose…
That’s pretty much all you need to know. I’M DEAD SERIOUS. Anything more will take away all the fun, believe me. So don’t even dare to look up any of the stuff anywhere else. Just simply go and watch the show in its entirety if you haven’t already. To say that it was not only an unbelievable watching experience throughout, but also a game-changer in many ways, would be an understatement. And that’s saying something. That’s really all you need to know. TRUST.
And don’t worry if you’re not at all familiar with the game League of Legends by Riot Games upon which this show is based (even I had no idea about it; just knew that it was very popular). It is perfectly watchable on its own, and no prior knowledge or gaming experience is required for you to dive into it.
So then… what the HECK are you waiting for!? GO AND WATCH IT RIGHT NOW! (okay, maybe after going through this review in its entirety, if I may so humbly suggest…)
What was SO GOOD about it?
“WHAT IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD WASN’T GOOD ABOUT IT!?”, should be the real question, honestly.
Animation
- Fortiche, an animation studio from France, have absolutely knocked it out of the park with the production. WOWZERS. Whatever praise I dish out won’t do justice to how INCREDIBLE the animation was throughout both seasons. Simply sensational! You just have to experience it for yourselves in its full glory!
- The various colour schemes, be it violet, green, yellow, and so on, looked immaculate on screen and popped off so well visually that I was left mesmerized every time and at every frame.
- And the animation style, while being mainly one of a kind throughout, does change a bit for numerous sequences (especially in Season 2), making it an even better experience. It’s similar to that of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), which in itself was incredible too!
- Oh, and there are some dope slo-mo shots present as well!
Soundtrack
- One of the best soundtracks in any media… EVER. HOLY SMOKES… the impact it had on me coupled with the stunning and emotionally powerful visuals needs to be studied, like seriously, not even joking at this point.
- Quite AMAZING opening credits – Enemy by Imagine Dragons, and I’m so glad they kept it same for both seasons (and although the song remained the same, the intro sequences were different and equally amazing both times). The band also appears in an episode of Season 2… playing the very song itself… nice touch indeed!
- The BGM was gold standard. LOVED IT! Talk about sad, emotional, somber… it literally had everything, and it quite literally stirred up my soul on numerous occasions.
- But amongst all this, what took me in complete surprise was an Indian mash/rap song in Season 2. Totally wasn’t expecting that… and it was so good!
Characters
- Incredibly portrayed and voiced characters throughout. No praise can do justice to how superbly they all were depicted, not only in their respective growth and journeys in both the seasons, but also in displaying the various raw emotions they all went through.
- And just when you think you can’t love each and every one of them enough from S1, there are more introduced in S2 which you’ll equally love!
- The past/background of several characters is present which only adds massively to their depth and story.
- The various relationships between characters was equally brilliantly shown, and that is especially true when it comes to S2, which gradually develop episode by episode (won’t be naming names so as to not give any spoilers).
- Two of my faves include Mel’s totally bad*ss mom – “You have no inkling what family is to me.” (can’t wait to dive into her story in the newly released novel – Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf: A League of Legends: Arcane Novel by C. L. Clark); and Silco with his raspy-like voice and hard-hitting monologues/dialogues – “There’s a monster inside all of us. You see… power… real power doesn’t come to those who were born strongest, or fastest, or smartest. No. It comes to those who will do anything to achieve it. It’s time to let the monster out.”
Story / Lore / World / Setting
- I mean… WOW. I can’t praise enough how well these aspects are shown throughout.
- The plot / story was SIMPLY OUTSTANDING. The pacing was incredible. Talk about engaging, action-packed, non-stop drama, and a ton of emotions.
- The lore / world / worldbuilding was so good that it elevated everything to another level altogether.
- And of course, the whole setting(s) (mainly limited to Piltover and Zaun) was just superb.
- Piltover – The land of progress, equality, and innovation; nearly 200 years old; divided into “houses”. As a city in itself, it was pretty well shown.
- Zaun – Absolutely loved its depiction and vibes; the smoky, hazy streets, and the overall ambience shown was pure awesome! All the colours (especially the likes of green, yellow/orange, red, violet, etc.) just add to it all very, very well.
- The changes in the nature and working of both Piltover and Zaun is pretty significant and downright evident as early as post S1 Act 1.
- S2 adds a whole new dimension, with the magic taking over pretty much. Yep, I’m talking about the Arcane – a way to harness magic through science! But with the advent and progress of science and technology, alongside magic, the eventual outcome of doom isn’t really surprising, as it slowly turns and becomes “flawless, exquisite… chaos.”
Following are a few more stills/shots showing the “divide” between the two: –
Season 1 (my live/raw emotions, notes, and thoughts + some highlights!)
“What makes you different, makes you strong.”
- Act 1; E1 – holy moly… that opening! bgm, visuals, the emotions… wow! What a start!
- E2 – a different plotline than E1; topside POV; loving it!
- E3 – flippin’ heck… episode 3… dang; “goodbye” song = awesome and heartbreaking.
- Act 3; E9 – song = epic with the scene… wow… just wow + that ending… unreal, speechless.
“Nobody wins in war, Vi.” “You’ve got a good heart. Don’t ever lose it. No matter how the world tries to break you. Protect the family.”
Season 2 (my live/raw emotions, notes, and thoughts + some highlights!)
“Perhaps it’s time for the era of magic.”
“This isn’t a fight for ideals or territories. It’s a fight for humanity itself.”
- Picks up right after the events of S1; E9.
- Act 1; E1 – LOVE the opening sequence right after the credits; so well made! Great song too! (how you gonna makes us cry in the first 5 mins lol!?)
- A new potential enemy is now making an entrance into the plotline.
- WTH is going on with all the hextech/arcane stuff?!
- Act 2; E4 – love the opening animation + song!
- Act 3; E7 – totally a twist! Was not expecting that!
- Wow… truly beautiful; wasn’t quite the biggest fan of all the hextech/hexcore stuff; but it definitely makes up for it all towards the end; it’s called “arcane” after all, eh?!
- E9 – a really unexpected turn of events leading up to the last episode; love it! Was not at all expecting any of it (thanks to no spoilers, not even watching the trailers, etc.)
- What a flippin’ final episode!!!
“Wrath must be met with wrath.”
“Why is peace always the justification for violence.” “We can’t erase our mistakes… none of us.”
Best of dialogues/quotes
- “Knowledge is a paradox. The more one understands, the more one realizes the vastness of his ignorance.”
- “It’s inescapable… humanity. Our very essence. Our emotions. Rage. Compassion. Hate. Two sides of the same coin. Inextricably bound.”
- “That which inspires us to our greatest good… is also the cause of our greatest evil.”
- “No matter what happened in the past, it’s never too late to build something new… someone worth building for.”
- “Why does anyone commit acts others deem unspeakable? For love.” “Love and legacy are the sacrifices we make for progress.”
What wasn’t quite perfect?
You gotta be kidding me, right!?
Not a bad thing/complaint from my side whatsoever!
The only “real” complaint I have is that S2 wasn’t quite perfect. It felt a bit rushed, and the storyline took a complete turn, something that I wasn’t expecting at all. It was still AMAZING in itself, and that’s saying something. But S1 was simply IMPECCABLE; beyond perfect, and S2 just couldn’t quite hit those incredibly high standards of its predecessor. That’s all.
Final thoughts
Seriously!?
If you’ve fully gone through what’s aforementioned (you better have!), then you needn’t even bother with this. JUST WATCH THE DANG SHOW IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY! You absolutely won’t regret it, trust me on this one.
“Our story… isn’t over.”
That literally gave me goosebumps. I honestly didn’t want it to end. WHAT A F*CKING SHOW. And I sure as heck hope that we all get to witness this epic world and its wonderful characters again in the future.
Rating: – 12/10!!! (simply THE BEST animated show EVER! Need I say more!?)
