Arcane. Heard of it yet? Currently one of the most popular shows on Netflix, Arcane is an animated series based on the lore of a fantasy video game League of Legends and is created by Riot Games themselves who are the creators of the original League of Legends too. Riot Games has been expanding their horizons from a simple video game company to one that enhances the many aspects of entertainment for their consumers. From music to esports, Riot Games has it all, and now they have got TV shows under their belt too. But is Arcane any good? Can a video game corporation create such a show that keeps the audience wanting for more? Or should they stick to what they already do best, hammering out new updates to what they have already started?
First, let the numbers do the talking. According to FlixPatrol, Arcane has consistently been in the top ten of all series in the world since its first episodes’ release. Netflix themselves has revealed that in the week from November 8 to November 14, Arcane has amassed over 34,000,000 hours viewed internationally. Additionally, a bunch of popular entertainment review companies have also given the show amazingly large ratings. Rotten Tomatoes has called the show a whopping 100% and IMDb comes in with an insane 9.4/10. The show seems to attract nothing but positive attention, and having watched the show myself, all of it is well-deserved.
The animations were great which makes sense as they were made by a video game creator. The show looks professionally made, and everything feels so smooth. The style of the animation fits the theme of the show which is the telling of lore of the original video game. The plot itself is also wonderful with well-thought out side plots, too which leave the audience yearning for when they all meet and collide. Seeing the champions from the game I play frequently as characters in the series also breeds a feeling of familiarity and pleasure. Although there is quite a bit of violence in the series, it is still very fitting for teen viewers and older. For these reasons, watching Arcane as a player of the parent game is basically a must. There is really no reason to not watch it.
But you might be wondering, “League of Legends? Arcane would be a waste of time for me”, but the truth is that if anything, the show may even be more appealing to those completely new to the characters. Having played the game and having understood some basic backstory of the champions from the video game, I can sometimes identify unknown characters and predict parts of the plot. Without knowing the lore in the first place, a viewer would be completely immersed in a world full of mystery and fantasy and would see the story unfold with no idea of what is coming next. Also, the show does an incredible job at developing the characters, so prior knowledge is only optional.
All nine episodes of Arcane are already out on Netflix and are gathering millions of watch-hours rapidly. With the gigantic success of Arcane, Riot Games will possibly plan and develop more in a similar style as well which could be either continuations of the plot introduced initially or further branch out to include other regions and their stories in the fantasy world of League of Legends. Impressed by these episodes, I cannot wait for what Riot Games does next, and neither should you!
