Why You Should Watch Arcane

I normally don’t do stuff like this.

Many people have already seen Netflix’s amazing animated series Arcane, and many have already decided that it is not for them. It has been through it’s current iterative life cycle, and until Season 2 arrives, it will likely remain in those two camps; the camps of those who have watched one of the best shows, period, to be released in the past year, and those who haven’t.

Now, understand, I was one of the latter until a week and a half ago. I had dipped my toes in it, but I had watched it like I watch The Office or Friends; without paying much attention. What I saw was an animated pilot depicting the Dead Parents Trope, and showing me the origin story for two characters of a video game I had played one time about three years ago. Although said pilot was brilliantly animated, and had amazing music, it was ultimately my lack of attention to anything else about the show that caused me to switch back to the aforementioned shows for months.

My downfall was in treating it like it was just another Marvel or Star Wars Disney+ show, and unfortunately that is the best analogy I can come up with to refer to this feeling. I feel like Marvel exemplifies the problem better as an IP, because the Star Wars IP has The Mandalorian, however they both work fine in this context. In my opinion, most of the Disney+ outings have lacked much depth in their storytelling and character growth. I treated Arcane with a similar enthusiasm that I would have treated Hawkeye, or Moon Knight; not bad shows, just lacking in the passion or depth that really excites me in storytelling.

Then, I gave Arcane another chance, while on my lunch break at work. Oh wow, was I ever wrong about this show.

What I was met with on this viewing of the pilot was still a Dead Parents Trope, but I understood why; the nation of Piltover wouldn’t allow any agency on the parts of the Undercity, and it created the fierce rebel in Vi that becomes who we see in the later episodes. In the first three episodes, we are introduced to a status quo of the Topside and the Undercity, only to have that status quo ripped from us in a horrific character entry sure to make any cry. It made me cry.

I saw, in Act 2 of Season One, a beautiful and poignant depiction of the horrors of trauma, and what our scars turn us into.

And, in the finale, I felt a strange mixture of sadness and power, as who I would argue was the main character took back her power and agency, sealing the circle from the opening scene.

It’s truly difficult for me to put into non-spoiling words how much I love this show. I can tell you, reader who has not seen Arcane, that I watched the entire show, front to back, twice in the last week, and as of writing this post am considering a third time. I want to inject storytelling of this quality into my veins.

It is not just the plot’s story, or the characters’. The story is driven by emotionality, by the beautiful visuals, by the stunning score, and the true passion of its creators, who spent six years of their lives breathing life into the wonder that is Arcane.

Watch it, dear reader. If you have any desire to watch one of Netflix’s best offerings to date, please skip past the animation. Please get past the fact that it is technically a video game adaptation, though it is so only in world and character (the game in question holds very little in terms of story moments, the story is mainly told in the Overwatch style, through cinematics and comics).

It is not an anime. You don’t have to enjoy those to enjoy this.

It is not a video game adaptation like the rest. You don’t have to know anything about League of Legends to enjoy this.

It is a brilliant piece of work by passionate artists who want to tell valuable stories.

It is a masterclass of visuals, sound design, musical composition, and is television storytelling at what I believe to be its finest hour.

There is something here for everyone. Please enjoy it, and support artists who have this much passion.

I hope I have called enough of you to action this week. Tune in next week for another post, likely about some other piece of media I did or did not like. Let me know if you watched and loved Arcane in the comments!

Cheers,

Henry J. Young