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Arcane: Season 1 (Blu-Ray) – Review

Published and developed by Riot Games, League of Legends has been one of the biggest gaming franchises ever since it began in 2009, building a dedicated fanbase and filling out arenas with esports events around the world. The characters themselves have become pop culture icons even outside of gaming, with fans wanting to know more about them. There have been various animated shorts and music videos showcasing the Legends, but it wasn’t until 2021 when the animated series, Arcane debuted on Netflix to critical acclaim. The highly anticipated season 2 is set for release on Netflix in just a few weeks, but before then, season 1 is now available on Blu-ray featuring all nine episodes and hours of bonus content.

Arcane is a prequel focusing on Jinx and Vi, detailing the events on how they became the Legends we know them as today. Amidst the escalating unrest between the rich, utopian city of Piltover and the seedy, oppressed underbelly of Zaun, sisters Violet (Vi) and Powder (Jinx) find themselves embroiled in a developing conflict over clashing convictions and arcane technologies.

The story is told over three acts with three episodes each, totalling up to nine episodes overall. Each act represents different stages of Vi and Jynx’s lives and was released on Netflix a week apart. The Blu-ray version has three discs each with its own act plus hours of behind-the-scenes content. The three acts create an overarching story, diving deep into the lore of two of the most popular characters from the game.

Film and TV show adaptations of video games don’t have the best track record, so there were already doubts leading up to the release of Arcane and whether it could do the characters justice and deliver on the stories that fans have been wanting for years. The show exceeded expectations, proved all the doubters wrong and set the standard for game-to-TV adaptations. A big part of this is due to the voice talents of Hailee Steinfeld and Ella Purnell as Vi and Jinx respectively and many more other various characters who play their part in this riveting story including Kevin Alejandro, Katie Leung, Jason Spisak, Reed Shannon, plus many more prolific voice actors.

Vi and Jinx show so much character development over the nine episodes. Jinx especially wasn’t always the crazy and unhinged maniac we know her as and Arcane does an amazing job illustrating the tragic and traumatic events that lead to the personality she has now. She was often compared to Harley Quinn, but the show more than sets her apart from the popular DC villainess. Underneath Jinx’s wide grin is a story full of trauma and tragedy.

Along with the talented voice cast and powerful storytelling, the animation needs to help illustrate all of that. It more than achieves it thanks to the dedicated team at French animation studio, Fortiche. The animation style sticks to the look and presentation of the game, utilising 3D animation with a painterly art style not seen in many other media. Pausing anywhere in the show will make it look like a painting. Where the animation shines the most is in the character’s facial expressions detailing their raw emotions. A big highlight is when Jinx slowly turns her frown into a smirk, which is a simple and subtle action but so much is told through that little piece of animation and adds a lot to her character development.

There is no shortage of action scenes, as fans will see Vi and Jinx show what they’re made of. Seeing League of Legends characters pull off their moves with more detail than what the MOBA game can achieve is jaw-dropping and satisfying to see. The action scenes aren’t just for the sake of action, they also do a lot to contribute to the epic storytelling and add to the emotion of the characters.

Along with all of that, the soundtrack only adds more to the epic prequel story. The opening theme song, “Enemy” is an original song made for the show, written and performed by Imagine Dragons and JID. It’s a fitting song that can be heard at the start of each episode and will get you in the mood for what’s to come. Imagine Dragons also makes a cameo appearance in the show as a fictional band. Other artists featured on the official soundtrack include Bea Miller, Woodkid, Sting, Ray Chen, BONES UK, and more. An original score was also made for the show with each act having its own.

The Blu-ray features hours of extra content, taking a deep dive into all the work that goes on behind the scenes. It has interviews with people from Riot Games and Fortiche and how they all contributed to the show. It’s interesting that the show almost never happened, and the studios had to reluctantly lay off almost all the staff due to budget cuts.

The amount of struggles and hoops they had to get through only makes you appreciate all the hard work by these studios to make a show happen. In an age where completed shows and movies are being cancelled and claimed as tax write-offs and studios resorting to AI while putting thousands of creatives out of work, it’s nice to see writers, artists, and animators getting the praise they more than deserve.

There are also scene breakdowns with the animators detailing how some big scenes were made and the thinking and processes behind them. Die-hard League of Legends fans will find so much to enjoy that they wouldn’t see on Netflix and even fans of art and animation in general plus those aspiring to get into the industry will find so much they can learn from and be inspired by.

Arcane is one of the absolute best game-to-TV adaptations deserving of its awards. It’s a prequel series focusing on two of the most popular characters from the franchise, giving fans a deep look into their pasts. Those who have never played or know anything about League of Legends can enjoy this show to its full potential. The show had so much going against it, but it is masterpiece storytelling at its finest that puts any doubt to rest and exceeds expectations.

It’s proof that even the most unlikely of sources can have some of the most riveting, powerful, and thought-provoking stories to tell full of lore and character development. The Blu-ray provides more extra content on top of the nine epic episodes. It won’t be long until season 2 arrives on Netflix and the League of Legends franchise will be entering the fighting genre with 2XKO due out sometime in 2025. Whether you’re a fan of League of Legends and not a fan at all, either way, Arcane is an absolute must-watch show for the ages.

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The Good

  • Masterpiece storytelling at its finest
  • A game to TV adaptation done right and exceeds expectations
  • Painterly art style and detailed animation illustrating the emotions
  • Blu-ray provides hours of behind-the-scenes conten
  • Gives praise to the hard-working team to make this show happen
10
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10

Written by: Sammy Hanson

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