If you haven’t seen Arcane, it’s time to drop whatever you’re watching and get started. Seriously. This sublime steampunk animation is set in the gleaming city of Piltover and its impoverished underbelly Zaun, where oppression has driven the city’s poorest to the brink of revolution.
An action-packed drama about those caught up in the conflict, Arcane has already snagged an Emmy – and with a second season arriving this week, it’s high time more people were talking about it.
It tackles some seriously heavy themes
Though Arcane is a spin-off from multiplayer strategy game League Of Legends, you don’t need to know a thing about it – or video games in general – to enjoy the show. It’s completely standalone and focuses on broad themes of classism, sacrifice and the price of progress. However, Arcane’s toughest question is whether the people of Zaun – who live in poverty and sickness due to Piltover dumping toxic chemicals on them – should accept their lot or risk violent revolution.
There’s no clear answer because Arcane thrives in these morally-grey areas. Well-meaning characters commit atrocities while trying to do the right thing – and even its biggest baddies have good points to make. Speaking of which…
Silco is one of the best villains we’ve seen
The deeply compelling villain of season one, Silco is a cutthroat crime-lord who is hell-bent on leading Zaun to freedom at any cost. Silco uses horrific methods to drive what he calls “the base violence necessary for change” but as Arcane unfolds, we’re shown that his way really could be the only means of saving Zaun – though there are lines that even he won’t cross.
Cold yet charismatic, brutal but tender, Silco dominates every single scene he appears in – and like any good villain, can monologue like nobody’s business.
It’s beautifully animated
From the ever-shifting art style of Love, Death + Robots to the charming stop-motion of Pokémon Concierge, Netflix’s animated shows often look fantastic. Arcane, animated by French studio Fortiche, is no different – every background is digitally hand-painted, making every episode look grimy yet gorgeous.
That’s to say nothing of Arcane’s many fight scenes, which range from Spaghetti Western-style saloon brawls to artsy, emotional showdowns. It also boasts one of the best animated brawls we’ve ever seen – and while we won’t spoil it for you, trust us when we say there’s a good reason this won ‘Best Animated Program’ at 2022’s Emmys.
Come for the animation, stay for the music
Three years after Arcane’s debut, the show’s soundtrack still draws in a whopping 13million monthly listeners on Spotify. That’s because season one featured a cracking set of original songs by Denzel Curry, Pusha T, Imagine Dragons and Sting, to name but a few.
None of these collabs sound gimmicky, phoned-in or out of the artists’ respective wheelhouses. Curry’s ‘Dynasties And Dystopia’ goes just as hard as you’d expect from the Miami rapper, while Bones UK’s ‘Dirty Little Animals’ is a hedonistic, filthy introduction to Zaun’s nightlife. Of course we can’t wait to see how Arcane’s story picks up in season two, but the thought of another soundtrack like this is just as exciting.
The performances are great too
We’ve already talked about Jason Spisak’s chilling portrayal of Silco, but you’ll likely recognise plenty of the actors that appear in Arcane. Streetwise brawler Vi is played by Hailee Steinfeld (Hawkeye, Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse), while her younger sister Jinx is brought to life by Fallout‘s Ella Purnell.
Both give gut-wrenching performances as siblings torn apart by Silco, while Katie Leung (Harry Potter) plays naive Piltover hero Caitlyn to perfection. Arcane is a tragedy that pulls no punches, and it’s the phenomenal performances behind each character that hammer every heartbreak home.
There’s still so much more to come
If you still haven’t rolled credits on the first season of Arcane, you better get moving – the new episodes debut on November 9. Besides season one’s shocking cliffhanger ending, there are so many loose ends that will leave you desperate for more – in fact, the latest teaser for season two has already teased a grisly fate for a fan-favourite character.
Rather than feeling like a show at its peak, Arcane seems like it’s just getting warmed up as it hurtles towards its final season. There are still so many heroes and villains from League Of Legends who could make an appearance, and some of the show’s biggest characters are yet to hit their stride. Is there a happy ending in sight? Er, maybe not – but we suggest getting caught up with the first season so you can find out for yourself.