OH: 'Arcane' is in its own league
Netflix just released the final three episodes of its original animated series, "Arcane," based on the popular video game "League of Legends." Many characters and areas we visit throughout the series are based on the game's lore. Regardless of whether you play the game, the series' compelling plot helps new viewers understand the characters.
The original synopsis to "Arcane," according to Netflix, is a story about two characters from the original series, Jinx and Vi. They are in the middle of a war between two cities, the utopian Piltover and the oppressed underbelly Zaun. The show also follows the relationship between Vi and Caitlyn Kiramman, a Piltovan enforcer.
The show has so many more interesting plotlines than just Jinx and Vi. Without giving too many spoilers, I will try to explain some of the key plot points this original synopsis fails to address.
You have the drug known as Shimmer, affecting the main characters, whether through its recreational use or as an energy source. Shimmer plagues a majority of Zaun's citizens and causes trouble for Piltover's police enforcement due to how often the drug is smuggled into Piltover's borders.
You have magical orbs known as Hextech, which is an unknown power source that two of Piltover's scientists, Jayce and Viktor, are trying to tap into. Jayce and Viktor believe that this power source can ultimately help Piltover become a respected city across the world of Runeterra. Every time they make a breakthrough discovery, they realize more and more about the dangers of this power source, which has seemingly limitless possibilities.
You even have a second nation called Noxus with a culture that thirsts for battle and conquest. Despite their notoriety for being bloodthirsty tyrants, a few ambassadors from Noxus come peacefully to Piltover. Their intentions are at first unclear, but they are revealed near the end of the show.
But there was a time when I was very skeptical about this series, having played "League of Legends" in the past. And I will just say my opinions regarding the game were not the most positive.
There are still a lot of problems with the game, mainly with how poorly balanced the characters are, with some being completely overpowered and confusing to a fault.
While I did notice many differences between "Arcane" and the original stories of some of the characters in the game, I arguably enjoyed the backstories of these characters from "Arcane" far more than their original backstories.
In addition to the incredible storyline, "Arcane" has some of the coolest animation and the most memorable soundtrack I have ever seen and heard. Even the most minute details in "Arcane" are relevant within the storyline.
On top of that, each important scene has its own unique soundtrack. Some of my favorite tracks include "Ma Meilleure Ennemie," "Enemy," "Remember Me" and "Dynasties & Dystopia." These tracks often elicit some type of emotion from the audience that perfectly captures what each scene is trying to show us.
This is not to say that I find the series perfect. A lot of critics believe that the storyline felt rushed. I do not think it was egregiously rushed, but sometimes, I felt the storyline just did not connect coherently.
For example, there was an introduction of a fourth party called the Black Rose, a secret organization of powerful mages residing in Noxus. It was cool to see the powerful abilities these mages possess, but I felt their motives and importance were vague at best.
It was not until the final two episodes that we finally got an explanation as to why the Black Rose is heavily tied to our main characters.
Moreover, they contributed little to nothing in the final battle of the series, and it felt like the writers just included the Black Rose to establish a future villain in a spinoff series.
Even with some of the faults of the series, it was still an enjoyable watch.
I do not believe that I am the only one with this opinion. There are so many different YouTubers and online reviewers that praise "Arcane." Rotten Tomatoes has a critic score of 100 percent and an audience score of 93 percent. While I disagree that this series is perfect, the overall storyline, animation and soundtrack more than make up for its faults.
Overall, this was one of the best animated series I have ever watched. While I cannot guarantee that everyone will enjoy it, I think the vast majority of people who have already seen the show can agree that "Arcane" was beautiful to watch.
Jesse Oh is a senior in the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Communications and Information majoring in economics and journalism and media studies. Oh’s column, "What's Going On Outside of Rutgers?" runs on alternate Tuesdays.
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