An original adaptation of a video game that does not really need it - we talk about Arcane in League of Legends without spoilers
Yuriy SheremetOn November 20, Netflix premiered the final act of the animated series Arcane, based on the League of Legends universe. The 9-episode show, created by French animation studio Fortiche under the direction of Christian Linke and Alex Yee and paternal supervision from Riot, succeeded. Critically acclaimed and warmly received by audiences, the series quickly rose to the top spot among Netflix's most watched shows.
To get acquainted with Arcane, you do not need a game background and knowledge of the League of Legends universe. It pays homage to fans of the original MOBA Riot Games, but doesn't go to extremes. To understand what is happening, you do not need to know all the characters by name. The creators give information in portions, without overwhelming the exposure and smoothly introduce them to the course of events, explaining in an accessible way how the local world works and what rules this universe has. The heroes of the show and its decorations are responsible for worldbuilding, which will be discussed later.
The show is divided into three acts, where each subsequent one complements the previous one. It may seem that Arcane is easy to get confused, but in reality it is not: there is a single timeline, few flashbacks, a minimum of geography of the world, and the storylines develop smoothly and in a structured manner. Authors of the form of storytelling, accessible to everyone - the language of emotions.
It is clearly manifested in the first scene of the work, where the audience gets to know and establish contact with the main characters of the show - the sisters Wai and Powder and literally see the emotions of the second. In subsequent episodes, Fortiche will continue to visualize the emotions of the characters, in particular Powder, reinforcing the connection they received in the first minutes of the series. The crisis in the relationship between the sisters is a cornerstone for Arcane, but the series does not dwell on it and tells the stories of others who are in no way inferior in elaboration to the main characters of the personalities. Each character in Arcane evolves over the course of the show and grows overgrown with new facets, becoming complete.
There are no evil and good in Arcane: Silko, led by power, is a loving father, intriguer Mel is a child expelled from his home in search of a new home, blessed Jace is an intoxicated scientist who doubts the correctness of his discovery. There are many such in the work.
Despite the fantasy-like narrative, the characters here look alive and multifaceted. They want to empathize. The authors managed to show a gray morality practically without distortions. After watching Arcane, you realize that the evil villain and the good kind are not here.
Arcane is rough and mature, not very typical of the League of Legends universe. Maturity is given by the heroes and the scenery, where the main events of the show take place - the cities of Zaun and Piltover.
Wealthy Piltover, the center of world trade, a city with an elite academy and respected academics. A city dominated by others, in particular Zaun. City of progress.
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Opposed to Piltover is the impoverished and decadent Zaun, who was once on the same level with his “brother”. In Zaun, the strongest, but more often the cunning, survive. Instead of fresh air, there was smog, instead of scientific breakthroughs, experiments on people, and international trade was replaced by smuggling.
The creators manage to acquaint viewers with the world without really showing it. For the entire series, the viewer will see a couple of locations, not really knowing what else is there besides the Piltover Academy and the "Last straw" bar in Zaun. The series is guided by its protagonists, reflecting the best and worst that cities have to offer. They play an important role in Arcane. The problem of urbanization in the show rises on a par with the class problem, the problem of fathers and children and relationships between loved ones.
Characters, perspectives, "wrapper" Arcane in the form of Piltover and Zaun - strengths of the animated series Riot Games and Fortiche, but skeptics may have questions for them. Still, the show is not a revelation, the questions asked here have been heard before and continue to sound now. In the series, it is often easy to predict the actions of the characters, from which moments they can seem like cardboard. The problems raised by the show can be called far-fetched. But what the ordinary viewer does not have to complain about is the technical component of the series.
Fortiche has been with Riot Games for a long time since 2013 and has done most of the League of Legends cinematics for them, including the 2013 video presentation of Jinx. Even then, the French distinguished themselves as skillful clip-makers, and with the release of Arcane they managed to prove themselves as talented visionaries, but at the same time preserve their identity. The directors of the show, Pascal Charru and Arnaud Delors, managed to competently show the studio's handwriting and make it work for the benefit of the series.
All "inserts" have completely different emotional colors and are perceived in different ways, but they perform identical functions - they reveal and complement the characters and move the plot together with them. They find a functional application, moreover, original and distinctive. The scene of Jace and Mal's intercourse, the presentation of the Arsonists, the fight between Ekko and Jinx - something that pops into your head after watching the show at the mention of him. Even the cameos of Imagine Dragons, who, incidentally, wrote the title soundtrack of "Enemy" to Arcane, are harmoniously woven into the narrative and inserted here not as a cameo for the sake of a cameo.
Besides Imagine Dragons, the series features Sting and Ray Chen, Woodkid, Bones UK, Bea Miller. The show does not have individual memorable themes of the heroes, and it copes without them. The compositions in Arcane enhance the overall vibe and get stuck in the head for more than one day. Not without this, the series is perceived differently: at one moment it is a dark noir detective story, at another - a perky action movie. However, the gloom of the narrative, despite the bright and driving elements, does not disappear anywhere until the very end.
Arcane is full of little things that emphasize the painstaking development process. The first season of the series was created for more than 5 years, in freedom atmosphere. Fortiche's piece is not a fan service for LoL betting sites fans. It is as entertaining as the Marvel movies, as it was created in a friendly cooperation between Riot Games and a French studio.
Arcane is a work of authorship independent of League of Legends. The show is distinctive and autonomous, and the original League of Legends can put a stick in the wheels of Fortiche in the development of the story told in the first season. However, no one bothers Arcane to reveal an alternative history of heroes, not burdened with real playable characters. The story that the viewer can get in the second season of the show.
After the final 9th episode, Riot Games announced a sequel to Arcane. This decision was only a matter of time, since the finale of the show does not provide answers to many questions. The first season set the bar for quality. Christian Linke, Alex Yee and Fortiche will get the freedom they had when they created the show's debut season, as told Riot. The question is whether they will be able to maintain the quality bar at the same level.
Whether Arcane is good or not is up to you. Does Arcane matter - yes. At least for the gaming industry. The work of Fortiche shows how, with the right approach, diligence and love for what you do, you can show one art form through another.
Yuriy Sheremet – Expert in mobile gaming and esports among shooters and MOBA games.
At EGamersWorld, Yuriy, as in 2020 when he joined the portal, works with content, albeit with adjustments to his area of responsibility.