Hey everyone! I don’t normally send out a blog post at this time of week, nor do I do so after watching a show, but I really enjoyed Arcane and wanted to talk about it. I played League of Legends years ago, though didn’t go deep into the competitive scene given I was still in college. My favorite position was mid-field as Ahri, the nine-tailed fox champion. I had a huge crush on Vladimir (still do, to no one’s surprise I’m sure!)
Sadly, neither of those champions will likely show up in this series, but maybe I’ll see them someday anyhow. It would be super neat if all champions were explored someday. There’s characters like Aurelion Sol that would look SO COOL in the show, I feel. I mean, look at his design! He’s a bloody celestial dragon!
SPOILERS START BELOW.
While some of my favorite champions didn’t show up, I still really enjoyed the show. We got to see the childhood of Jinx and Vi, and much of the community from what I read speculated that they were sisters. That was confirmed here, and we slowly see how Jinx spiraled into instability, prompted by the violence but particularly by Vi’s abandonment. Vi went to take it back, but was arrested and thrown into a cell so she was unable to do so. This is where Silco comes in, a villain who forms into a father figure for her.
I really enjoyed following Vander’s story as well. He was a very well-developed character, and cared deeply for the children he took in. He wanted to avoid violence to protect the people of Undercity, but unfortunately this failed due to both the Enforcers of Piltover/their government and Silco’s underground empire. He didn’t win in the end, but I suspect that hairy arm during one later episode in Singe’s lab was him. I can’t be too sure. Given in League of Legends he is a mutated wolfman, I’m sure we’ll see him in that form in the future. I actually had to research who ‘Vander’ was and was shocked to see he was Warwick. It was so cool seeing Warwick developed here, and I can’t wait to see more.
The class disparity was very prominent in this story, highlighting societal issues that very well could compare to today. The blend of magic & technology was extremely intriguing, leading this to sci-fi fantasy territory, something I personally love. I am not a fan of strict sci-fi with no magic, that is just my preference, so a good blend of the two lie in this series is excellent.
Vi x Cait was another thing explored in Arcane that I really enjoyed. I crushed on Vi in particular, and loved the up-against-the-wall scene everyone else is also obsessing over, where she punches the wall by Caitlyn and leans into her face. I was rooting for them and kind of sad that Jinx had a deep hatred for Cait, but it’s understandable given what the enforcers did to her. Sisterly love didn’t win out in the end, given Jinx fired that rocket for the massive cliffhanger. Though during the table-and-meal part where Jinx thought to ‘visit’ Cait, I actually thought she cut off her hand or something, but remembered that Cait didn’t have a missing hand in League of Legends, where I assume her character is in the future. Despite this, I was very much on the edge of my seat. Side note: I LOVE the nickname “cupcake” for Cait though… I want to see more of that romance!
Ekko was super badass and I loved seeing him grow from a tiny child to what he is now. He looks gorgeous too, and I definitely fell in love with his design/character. I left League around the time he was added, so didn’t get to really fight against him much in game. His concept is super neat, and he’s highly intelligent. I ADORE how he connected with Heimerdinger at the end (who has an ADORABLE WIDDLE DESIGN THOUGH!). That was such a sweet ending, with the tree set-up, and I can’t wait to see where that goes.
This is a good transition into a side character I found myself crushing on big time.
So I can’t tell if this fellow on Ekko’s team is dog-like or bat-like, but I’ll go with ‘both’ given he does a few howls at the end there when the glowing flies come out. I was like: “This person with the dog mask is going to be someone I crush on when I finally see his face, I KNOW IT!” Sadly, I was right, he just looks so nice to me, I can’t determine why. He didn’t get much development aside from appearing in two scenes, but maybe he will in the future given he’s on Ekko’s team? I hope so. I mean he’s just so cool, the limited movements I saw were neat, the sounds he made were awesome, and to top it off, he’s a caring father (if that was his child I saw in one episode, because he was definitely holding a baby.) Please let him see more development, damn it!
Jayce was a character I flip-flopped on liking. I felt he could have given Viktor more credit and attention, and I wish he spoke about their partnership more. However, it was evident he wasn’t going to leave his partner behind, especially with the concern of Viktor’s illness and body breaking down from the undercity gasses. I did like his developing relationship with Mel, however, and I predicted it correctly, too. I told myself “Those two are going to get together, aren’t they?” and was right. I really hope their ship goes well too. They seemed happy together, and so long as Jayce doesn’t forget Viktor in this, it’ll be very positive. Also, Mel’s mom looked super cool with the deep scarring and was a hint to now Noxus worked, being super battle-hungry. I wonder if we’ll ever get to explore that city…
Damn, Viktor was well developed as a character too. I really felt for him and wanted him to succeed. His story was tragic, and though I sort of know the outcome, watching him get to that point is heart-wrenching. Those who play League of Legends will know that he goes full cyborg at some point. The death of Sky was super saddening, and while I wish she got a tad more development, I’m almost glad she didn’t because I was sad enough seeing her death as it was. I wonder if her spirit will haunt Viktor? It was a horrible accident, regardless, but Viktor no doubt will always carry this with him.
Some of the side character designs I also really liked, for example, Finn. I couldn’t tell whether I found his design attractive or not, to be honest, but he certainly looked cool. (It was a constant ‘hm, do I find him hot? I think so… hm… not sure.’) It’s actually a shame he was butchered, because he could have made a cool League of Legends champion. Same with Silco, however that death was entirely warranted and I expected it at the end anyhow.
The fight scenes were really cool in Arcane, and I LOVED the art so much. It’ll take me a lot to not commission some of it for my characters if I find an artist who can do similar designs (when I actually have money again… I mean, if you’re reading this as an artist with open commissions and DO have a similar design, message me on twitter 😛 ). I REALLY liked the scratchy drawings for Jinx when she was lapsing into one of her episodes. It was actually super creepy, and I felt my heart break for her. She had a shattered mentality, very much still stuck in the past, and the art really expresses that well. The golden designs on Mel were also something I noted, the shines and just… colors on her were gorgeous, so she was another one who just had a design choice that was beautiful (I swear she’d better survive).
Thoughts on League of Legends
I wonder if any of the characters we’re seeing who aren’t quite champions yet will become one in League of Legends? Maybe hints at future champions? I would love to look into the game again, as the lore has always fascinated me, however the community right now is so toxic I wish to avoid it. As a returning player after years, I would be at a disadvantage, and I don’t have a team of friends to play with. That’s what really sucks about the game. It’s lots of fun, but the community brings it down. Until the administration actually does something to fix their community, it’s not worth looking into.
I know there was rumor of an MMORPG for the franchise in the works too, which I would be interested in, but again the community is a large ‘iffy’ factor. The world of League of Legends is so neat, though, that I would hope for a success. I RARELY hop to different MMORPGs, it took me forever to switch from World of Warcraft to FFXIV, but this would be one exception I would make if the community were to improve.
All in all, I really enjoyed the show and was left on a massive cliffhanger. Sadly, we won’t be seeing another season in 2022, but beautiful art and planning takes a while, so it’s understandable. Cheers for a great show, and I’m excited to be a fellow fan with others who enjoyed it!
Des M. Astor 