Arcane (Netflix)

It's based on League of Legends, but you don't really need to be familiar with the game to watch it. Netflix is doing something unusual with it and releasing it in three "acts" over three weeks. The first three episodes came out on the 6th, with the next episodes being released on the 13th and the final three on the 20th.

YouTube video

YouTube video

I've watched the first three episodes and I quite like it. Good voice acting, really good animation, interesting plot and they manage to do a lot of world building without it being overwhelming.

I haven't played League in around 8 years (and have no intention of ever doing so again), but I thought this was quite enjoyable. The animation was stellar. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

Originally posted by ares834
I haven't played League in around 8 years (and have no intention of ever doing so again), but I thought this was quite enjoyable. The animation was stellar. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

This has been getting really good reviews so far, which is rightly deserved IMO. This is probably the best animated thing I've watched since Castlevania.

And so many people who do reactions especially focus on the ending to episode 3, which is understandable for a number of reasons,

Spoiler:
as the scene is pretty intense and hits the feels quite hard already, but it also helps explain why Jinx is so mentally unstable in the current setting.

I'm half temped to wait until the 20th so I can binge all the remaining episodes.

Act II was really strong as well. If they can end it off well I could definitely see Riot expanding things further with more shows and potentially films.

Originally posted by TheVaultDweller
This has been getting really good reviews so far, which is rightly deserved IMO. This is probably the best animated thing I've watched since Castlevania.

And so many people who do reactions especially focus on the ending to episode 3, which is understandable for a number of reasons,

Spoiler:
as the scene is pretty intense and hits the feels quite hard already, but it also helps explain why Jinx is so mentally unstable in the current setting.

I'm half temped to wait until the 20th so I can binge all the remaining episodes.

3 is where I ended off so far. To be honest

Spoiler:
I kind of agree maybe Powder really is a jinx, and never should have been brought on dangerous missions.

Originally posted by cdtm
3 is where I ended off so far. To be honest

Spoiler:
I kind of agree maybe Powder really is a jinx, and never should have been brought on dangerous missions.

Maybe, but I can also understand

Spoiler:
why she was brought along. Violet and Powder only had each other left from their original family, seeing as their parents were killed when they were younger. So, Vi would want to keep Powder close. And she'd also want to prepare her, given the harsh environment they had to live in. And Powder herself probably felt like she had a lot to prove, trying to pull her weight with older, bigger kids, especially considering her sister was the group's leader.

It's interesting though that the one botched burglary had such a drastic impact on so many people's lives and futures. Not only did it put Violet and Powder on their tragic path, it also served as the catalyst for Jayce and Viktor to form their partnership and laid the foundation for where they end up in the current setting. And potentially a few other characters as well.

I don't know how much you know of the lore of the characters in the show though, so I won't say too much further.

Not much. Never played the games.

So they are staples in the actual games then, not original characters put in the League of Legends setting?

Originally posted by cdtm
Not much. Never played the games.

So they are staples in the actual games then, not original characters put in the League of Legends setting?

Arcane is pretty much a prequel to the current League of Legends setting, though it has deviated a bit from the preexisting cannon with some details. League of Legends actually has a fukton of lore, with several different regions and well over a hundred established characters who have their own backstories.

One more to go.

Didn't realize they were only six episodes in.

So looked into League of Legends lore a bit. Are all "Champions" essentially flawed anti-heroes? No classic good guys, everyone has a shady past?

Originally posted by cdtm
One more to go.

Didn't realize they were only six episodes in.

So looked into League of Legends lore a bit. Are all "Champions" essentially flawed anti-heroes? No classic good guys, everyone has a shady past?

Nah, there are some classic good guys. Most of them do have some darker events in their past, but that's more to do with their circumstances rather than their own character. Caitlyn, for example, has had bad things happen to her, but she's very much a clear cut hero in terms of her personality and behaviour.

And the final three episodes are out on the 20th. It will probably get renewed though, given the show's popularity. My only concern there is it might take a very long time for a second season to drop, if what I've heard about how long they worked on S1 is any indication. They apparently began working on it right after Jinx's character debut in the game, which was like 8 years ago. It's funny, actually. At one point in the show,

Spoiler:
Jinx is listening to her own title song from when her character first came out, "Get Jinxed."

One thing that's weird though is that Arcane is doing really well in a massive number of countries, being one of the top viewed shows on Netflix in like 50 different places, but not that well in the US itself. So, I'm wondering if it's because of the release format and if we'll see a spike in US viewership after the third act drops, so people can binge the entire thing at once.

So this was pretty great. Not a big fan of the cliffhanger ending. Hopefully they can get out a second season in the next year or so.

Victor is best boy.

Originally posted by ares834
So this was pretty great. Not a big fan of the cliffhanger ending. Hopefully they can get out a second season in the next year or so.

Victor is best boy.

Yeah, Vic is the only reason I couldn't side outright with the cat.

What his partner should have told him is not to convince him, but to convince the man who's very life is depending on that research. Tell it to his face.

Originally posted by ares834
So this was pretty great. Not a big fan of the cliffhanger ending. Hopefully they can get out a second season in the next year or so.

Victor is best boy.

Well, as mentioned previously, this show has been extremely popular all over the world and has critical acclaim. And Riot have said that they're committed to multiple seasons of the show. So, I'd say it's pretty much guaranteed to get more seasons. And the process will probably be quicker now that they already have all their teams in place in terms of production, animation etc.

And, yes, Viktor was great. And also part of the reason this show should probably continue. His journey to get to who he is in the current setting is not done yet.

Overall, this was one of the best things I've watched in a long time. Not just animated. It's a testament to the voice actors, writers, directors and animators that I was so emotionally invested in these characters despite them not even being live-action.

But damn,

Spoiler:
that ending got to me. Even though I knew that Vi and Jinx aren't on good terms in the current setting, a part of me was still hoping for some kind of positive resolution between them, even if it meant some retconning. I just kept picturing the scared little girl from the very opening scene and looking what happened to her and it's heartbreaking. Jinx's fight with Ekko especially exemplifies this, jumping between their play fights as kids and friends to their battle as mortal enemies years later.

And Silco ended up being a great too IMO. And he clearly also cared a great deal about Jinx. But she's just too broken at this point to trust anyone fully.

And lol, right after I posted that I see this. This video can be kind of spoiler-y for people who haven't watched the current season, as short as it is.

YouTube video

Shame about

Spoiler:
Silco. He was a good man in his way.

I had a thought. Heimerdinger is really the one to blame for everything.

Spoiler:
He was the founder of Piltover and the head of the council until getting ousted. It was under his leadership that the corruption, abuse of power, discrimination towards the lower city/Zaun, the resulting poverty etc. occurred. His negligence and inability to act decisively is pretty much the root of all the problems the other characters had to face.

Originally posted by cdtm
One more to go.

Didn't realize they were only six episodes in.

So looked into League of Legends lore a bit. Are all "Champions" essentially flawed anti-heroes? No classic good guys, everyone has a shady past?

Incidentally, as far as the show goes, coming from someone who still regularly plays League and is at least someone invested in the setting, this was shockingly fantastic. I really didn't expect much after the disaster of the Sentinels of Light lore event but this is easily the best thing Riot has had a hand in quite possibly ever. This show did more for the champions who appeared in it than any bit of lore they've ever gotten. Particularly for imho Singed, who previously had always been portrayed as a very one-note cackling mad scientist but here is portrayed with a surprising amount of depth as a man determined to conquer the frailty of life while still portraying him as a man shockingly callous about the costs of his research.

Great show, and am actually looking forward to what comes next in 2023. Hoping for Warwick (

Spoiler:
Who is obviously just Vander now

Originally posted by NemeBro
Great show, and am actually looking forward to what comes next in 2023. Hoping for Warwick (

Spoiler:
Who is obviously just Vander now

) and Camille in S2.

Warwick is highly likely for S2.

Spoiler:
When they show Singed in his lab during the missile flight at the end, what looks to possibly be Warwick is partly visible. And there's the howl at the end of the Season 2 announcement clip.

Originally posted by TheVaultDweller
I had a thought. Heimerdinger is really the one to blame for everything.

Spoiler:
He was the founder of Piltover and the head of the council until getting ousted. It was under his leadership that the corruption, abuse of power, discrimination towards the lower city/Zaun, the resulting poverty etc. occurred. His negligence and inability to act decisively is pretty much the root of all the problems the other characters had to face.

It seems so after looking at his reaction to progress.

The problem is

Spoiler:
He means well, but is the ultimate conservative because he's lived far too long and squash's all initiative. What he doesn't realize is risk is necessary for progress, and he simlly refuses any risk at all.

And I'm honestly debating whether

Spoiler:
Silco is evil or a misunderstood anti hero. His goals were perfectly reasonable, but if he wasn't willing to take the deal, what would he have done?