'Arcane' - Surprisingly Great

 

Series - Arcane

I'm not fond of games with lots of microtransactions like PUBG or League of Legends. In fact, many players who started LoL regret it and actively advise against playing it. That's why I wasn't interested in this show at first.

But then my Twitter mutuals began hyping it up, so I decided to give it a shot. After all, it was released weekly. I'm glad Netflix is dipping their toes into weekly releases, such as with Komi Can't Communicate.

By far the best aspect of the show is the animation. Like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, it's a unique blend of 2D and 3D, animated by a prestigious French animation studio - Fortiche. It also just so happens to share a lead voice actress with Spider-Verse -- Hailee Steinfeld, who once again proves to a compelling, emotional voice, like she was in Spider-Verse and When Marnie Was There.

It's a prequel to LoL, re-telling the characters' stories, but it can easily appeal to both people who don't play it AND people who do. I don't play it, but I found myself invested in these characters, their struggles, and a twisted war that ultimately boils down to sibling rivalry.

The main theme of the show is that war is hell. It ultimately corrupts. In the series, there is a drug called Shimmer that turns human beings into monsters, but it's not just the drug that turns people into monsters; characters turn themselves into metaphorical monsters via war and violence.

The soundtrack was also surprisingly good. I'm not too fond of Imagine Dragons, but "Enemy" is actually the perfect theme song for this show as it matches the show's themes.

I personally believe that this show sets a high standard for what video game shows/movies SHOULD be. They should be accessible to newcomers, yet still appealing to longtime players.

If you want a dramatic, badass dystopian cyberpunk epic that is similar to Invincible in episode structure, I recommend Arcane.

Animation - 2/2

Characters - 2/2

Music - 2/2

Writing - 2/2

Voice Acting - 2/2

OVERALL - 10/10



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