Arcane Season 1 Review: A Tremendous Adaptation!

I’m not gonna lie, when I heard Riot was working with Netflix to make this veritable masterpiece I was skeptical, but intrigued. Anyone who’s familiar with the game knows these writers have a lot to work with in terms of lore and world crafting.

Arcane Season 1 focused on the backstories of the maniac Jinx and her enforcer sister Vi and how they pretty much came to be who we know. Running in conjunction with the story of these sisters is that of Jayce and Viktor as they attempt to forge a new age with their Hextec technology. Here and there other characters make their debut and it’s all set to the backdrop of the conflict between Piltover (topside) and Zaun (the undercity).

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I played this game back at school and I stopped somewhere after they released Ekko, funny enough. If you’re a long time player, you know just how time consuming it is and how toxic the community has become. Thankfully, I’m familiar with the characters featured this season and their steampunk city.

Arcane features a well written and evenly paced storyline which follows the reboot. I especially liked the portrayal of the characters and how their individual story arcs were linked. The writers managed to hit all the emotional notes with this one too. In truth, the expansion that we get into the League of Legends world and lore is probably the highlight of this series.

Speaking of, stunning animation and artwork with a mix of both 2D and 3D styles present us a unique look while staying true to the feel of the game. It really brings both the character designs and this unique world to life. Solid voice acting with standout performances from Hailee Steinfeld as Vi and Ella Purnell as Jinx. I can think of no one better to do the theme song than Imagine Dragons who’ve done quite a few for the game franchise. The soundtrack is upbeat, distinctive and definitely evokes the spirit of the show.

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Ultimately, Arcane is definitely a show that both fans of the game and those who aren’t familiar at all with the lore can enjoy. They’ve managed to achieve a tremendous feat with this adaptation. I’m really excited to see how they continue this story and adapt the other cities as well. Watch ‘Arcane Season 1’ on Netflix here.

‘Arcane Season 1’ Rating – 5/5

Follow Jennifer (the Author) on Instagram – @islandgirlreview

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