At the same time, Hailee Steinfeld steals the show with her phenomenal portrayal of Vi's entire arc throughout all nine episodes, bringing a worldful of pain and emotional baggage covered by a thick layer of toughness. Ella Purnell especially blends Jinx's outbursts of rage with enough vulnerability to inspire both fear and pity whenever she's on screen. Yet well-written characters are just part of it, as Arcane also boasts an impressive voice cast that helps bring a layer of emotion to the characters, from Katie Leung’s soft-spoken Caitlyn to Shohreh Aghdashloo's regretful Grayson. This is a stark contrast to Netflix's DOTA animated series, which focused so much on its lore and pleasing longtime fans it ended up a confusing mess for casual viewers. Still, if you have never played the games (confession time, I have never even touched any of the Runeterra-set games), the character stories are what keep you engaged episode after episode the lore is just icing on the cake to deepen everything within a larger story. Sure, the show does explore important events with big ramifications for the world of Runeterra. Despite many moving parts and an abundance of plot points and worldbuilding, Arcane succeeds by staying grounded in its two intimate storylines.
On the streets of Zaun, we follow orphan sisters Vi and Powder as they get involved with a heist gone wrong and the start of a gang war in Zaun with big consequences for both cities. In Piltover, we follow Jayce and Viktor, two scientists on the verge of being able to harness magic through technology, and the societal cost of rapid technological advance. The actual plot focuses on two parallel storylines across the two locations. The mechanical architecture of Zaun, the way a tavern changes its look from one arc to the other, and the statues referring to deities or past warriors all help tell that larger story without the need for many verbal explanations - much in the same way the original Star Wars did.
LEAGUE OF LEGENDS LORE FULL
From the start, Arcane does a fantastic job of introducing its expansive world full of rich history and lore without bombarding us with exposition by relying on visual storytelling and using easter eggs to hint at a larger world. Arcane is mostly an upstairs, downstairs story, centering on the brewing tensions and social unrest in Zaun, where people live in harsh conditions and under the constant threat of Piltover's brutal enforcers.
It does all of this all while delivering an exhilarating kick-ass story whether you know the entire history of Runeterra or you're just looking for the next event series.īased on the lore of League of Legends yet serving as a prequel to many character and story elements from the games, Arcane is set in the city of Piltover and its undercity district of Zaun. Though it was already starting to crack, this League of Legends adaptation puts the final nail in the coffin of the “video game adaptation curse” by shattering preconceptions of what the animation medium is capable of, delivering a once-in-a-generation masterpiece that is sure to inspire both fans and storytellers alike for years to come.
Arcane boasts a massive world with complex characters you either love to root for or love to hate, a simple yet immersive and layered story, and absolutely gorgeous and groundbreaking animation with a unique visual style.
0 kommentar(er)
