Very few games get adapted into television, and most that do turn out terribly (think Mortal Kombat). League of Legends, thankfully, is not one of those games.
The first season of Arcane, League’s first animated series, was released in November of 2021 as a way to expand on League of Legends’ lore. The series took a total of 8 years to write and produce, and received overwhelmingly positive reviews, scoring a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and becoming the first series ever to have every episode rated above a 9/10 on IMDb. Within the first 6 days of its release, Arcane gained over 34 million views, a testament to its immersive storytelling. Later, Arcane won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.
The fantasy show centers on the relationship between Vi and Jinx, two sisters from the Undercity. It features complex, detailed world-building and a compelling narrative. One aspect that especially stands out is Arcane’s character development. The series has a cast of well-written, relatable characters, none of whom, heroes or villains, are static. It manages to avoid cliched representations of good vs evil, instead creating morally complex characters whose motivations are shaped by their past and their circumstances. Arcane is also very visually striking; the mix of 2D and 3D animation, combined with hand-painted frames, gives the show its distinctive style that pushes the boundaries of traditional animation.
For people already familiar with League, much of the fun comes from guessing who the champions are based on their Arcane representations. While some, like Ekko and Heimerdinger, were obvious from their introduction, others took more work to figure out. Of course, Arcane isn’t just fan service; the show’s relatable themes, emotional storyline, and plot twists make it an enjoyable watch even for those unfamiliar with the character lore.
After two years, the much-anticipated second season of Arcane was finally released, and the third and final act of the series dropped on November 23. Immediately after its release, the series topped Netflix charts in over 60 countries.
Building on the momentum of the first season, season two swooped in and took viewers’ breaths away. Picking up in the aftermath of season 1’s dramatic ending, the show shifts the focus to the broader social and political implications of the actions taken in the previous season. Season 2 is incredibly action heavy, delivering frequent, intense fight scenes that reflect escalating tensions between Piltover, the utopian city of progress, and Zaun, its dangerous undercity.
However, the season did have its flaws. Despite their attempt to wrap up the show in 9 episodes, some scenes ended up feeling rushed. Frequent info dumps, especially in the first act, left me feeling a little overwhelmed. Many of the new characters this season also felt underdeveloped. Extending the story into a third season would have given them more time to properly expand on parts of the plot and improve the character development. Despite this, Arcane remains an amazing show.
For those who are sad about the end of the series, although Arcane has officially concluded, there are still more stories left to tell. As Mark Merrill, the co-founder of Riot Games explains, “Arcane is just the first of many stories that we want to tell in Runeterra.” Piltover and Zaun are only one out of 11 regions in Runeterra, and we can look forward to seeing more in the coming years.
