Video game adaptations are often a coin flip in terms of their quality. Whether it’s books, movies or shows, it’s often quite rare that one of these adaptations is both faithful to the source material and a really well written story. But once in a while a story comes along that is so beautifully written that it leaves such a lasting impression that stays with you for days after it’s finished. After season 1 of Arcane, I don’t think anyone doubted that season 2 would also be amazing. And to no one’s surprise, it was absolutely amazing but I didn’t expect it to be as good as it was. Fortiche did an amazing job in every conceivable way.
Character Development
10/10
It’s quite rare to find a story where I unironically like how every character was written. I realize I’m going to be saying that quite often, but a lot of aspects of Arcane are just so phenomenally good that it can’t be denied. The character writing in this show is some of the best I’ve seen in any medium I’ve seen or read in the last decade. The web of complex relationships is so intense but somehow never gets confusing or messy because they let the characters breathe. We get to see just how much pain, suffering and anguish they feel contrasted with moments of joy, love and genuine relief. It’s amazing how expressive everyone is and just how real they feel. Despite the fantastical world of Runeterra (League of Legend’s universe), the characters always felt so grounded and real.
Something that became very evident, even in season one, was that Vi and Jinx were the focus of the series yet somehow it’s both true and not true at the same time. Their relationship is the focus of almost all of season one but, while it was still incredibly important in season two, other characters and their relationships were risen to match the emotional wait of Vi and Jinx. What surprised me was how they were able to make everyone’s story arc feel so important and impactful in such a way that didn’t diminish anyone else’s. Often times one story arc will be prioritized over the others in a natural way that happens during the story, but in Arcane that was not the case at all. Whether it was Vi and Caitlyn, Jayce and Viktor, Jinx and Sevika, all of the characters were given equal and care and attention to their story arcs. Viktor in particular was one of my favorite characters and I was so happy how well written he was considering his story seemed so difficult to approach.
Plot
10/10
The way Arcane’s story progressed from season one to season two was nothing short of brilliant in it’s set up and execution. With a story so focused on magic (it’s in the name after all), there’s always the risk of the story feeling too wild and confusing to follow at certain points. It often requires a slow build up throughout the story to make it feel believable and Arcane managed to do that perfectly. The show was really well thought out in that everything was given enough time to breathe and be fully developed. The way how there were so many different story arcs taking place simultaneously but never overshadowing each other was fantastic.
The way the story is so heartbreakingly character driven made everything feel so much more emotionally intense. Every time a choice was made that impacted the story and the world in a drastic way, you could easily follow the steps that lead to that moment. The whole story flowed from start to finish with such grace and fluidity that it never felt forced when anything developed. What really helped to achieve this was how the quiet moments of Arcane were so carefully done and allowed for the characters to express how they felt between each major story moment. It made the consequences of what happened so much more intense and emotional, either a moment of joyous bliss or painful anguish. Allowing the characters to show how they felt about the events that happened and how they feel about each other felt so human which kept the story grounded in a way that made it easier to understand and relate to.
Worldbuilding
10/10
I’ve always loved the world of League of Legends when I used to play the game. The world of Runeterra is so rich and fleshed out throughout the years that League of Legends added new characters and kept expanding the lore. I always wondered if they would ever do anything with this world they’ve created and having watched Arcane fully now, I want more of it! The way Piltover and Zaun were created and the contrast between the two being so nuanced was brilliant. It’s not necessarily an original concept, but it’s one that people can easily understand, especially when set in such a fantastical world. The conflict between these two is at the very core of Arcane’s story and it would not have it as hard as it did had the show not taken the time to show how varied the people are in both areas. They could have easily done a generic story where one side was just evil and the other good but instead they chose to give each society a more nuanced approach that helped to make them feel more real. Not everyone in Piltover is cruel and hateful towards Zaun, but they certainly look down on them whether explicitly or implicitly. In the same way, not everyone in Zaun was resentful and angry towards Piltover as there were many who wanted to focus on helping one another. It helped to justify why the story played out the way it did so everything felt natural.
A risk that comes with creating a soft magic system is that it can feel like just about anything can happen which causes the stakes to not necessarily feel as intense as they could be. Arcane handled their magic system in such a careful way that I didn’t realize that it was a soft magic system until the very end. It never becomes such an overwhelming force that it overtakes the narrative but it is present enough that the story is shaped drastically by how the characters use it. In fact, it’s quite fascinating how every character interacts with the intersection of magic and technology. Everyone had a rather unique purpose for what they wanted that fit their character development perfectly rather than forced to fit a role the story needed.
Score
10/10
15/10 really, it’s so damn good. For anyone who wants to improve in character writing, worldbuilding, character driven storytelling, basically just improve as a story writer, this is a show worth watching and worth studying.
Raph's Cozy Musings 