The new series of League of Legends (LoL) has premiered on Netflix. MeinMMO’s editor-in-chief Leya Jankowski was able to watch the first 4 episodes of Arcane before the release. She strongly recommends you watch the series, even if you have nothing to do with LoL. 

The history of video game adaptations is painful for fans of the medium. Adaptations of game franchises such as Resident Evil, Mortal Kombat, or Sonic have left us burned and empty. Depending on which productions one wants to include, there are now well over 100. They are all poorly made or at best mediocre. There are only a few bright spots like Castlevania, which can be counted on one hand.

These numerous adaptations neither tell good stories nor do they do justice to the characters and worlds we have lost ourselves in. We hold our games close to our hearts and it hurts when cheap adaptations trample on them.

With League of Legends: Arcane , it is completely different. The series sets a new standard for video game adaptations.

Because Arcane is more than just a top-notch video game adaptation. I claim it’s the best animated series you can currently watch. Whether you know League of Legends or not. The series hits me as a former junkie of the game right in the fan heart. But Arcane also tells a gripping story, with complex characters in a divided world.

In the following, I want to convince you to give Arcane a chance and spend your time on the series. You don’t need to be afraid of spoilers. There won’t be any here.

A story about industrialization, told like Game of Thrones

Arcane inventively tells the story of industrialization and a two-class system. In Piltover, the economy thrives – through progress and a newly discovered technology. There is even a scientific chair in Piltover that wields the greatest power.

But there is a district in the undercity called Zhaun. Here lives the forgotten scum. Here is the working class that supplies Piltover with valuable goods. Criminal gangs have their way here. What thrives here is the black market.

Piltover and Zhaun are dependent on each other, but it’s the complete mirror image with an unfair distribution of wealth. 

You dive into a steampunk world here, where you can almost hear the gears rattling and feel the steam on your skin. Whether we are in Piltover, where airships ascend to the sky, or whether we are in Zhaun, where industrial grime drips from the walls.

Arcane provides fertile ground for conflicts that tell stories of love, hate, envy, longing, and intrigue. At the center are the once-loving sisters Jinx and Vi, who are driven apart by a tragic fate. At least initially, one believes that the two are the absolute center of the story.

However, starting with the second episode, the storylines split and other characters from the League of Legends universe get space. Just like in Game of Thrones, their stories are interconnected. You can already see in the first episodes that everything is building towards a big, shared climax.

Just like in Game of Thrones, the characters are not simply good or evil. They are human with various facets. There are good reasons for the characters’ actions. This makes them relatable.

If that speaks to you, you will like Arcane. You don’t even have to have heard of the game League of Legends. What makes the series particularly strong: All characters are treated equally, whether they come from the game or not. They have memorable traits, a story, and strong personalities.

The production value is incredibly high

Each episode of Arcane lasts about 40 minutes, allowing for a depth of storytelling that many animated series lack. The standard for animated series is 10 to 20 minutes, with some exceptions.

You will not find any animated series currently produced at a higher visual quality. 2D and 3D animation are mixed here, giving the series a look that will always look good. The only animated production that has a comparable style is the touching Christmas movie Klaus (via Moviepilot).

There is play with perspective, light and shadow, with various color tones. The theme of contrast is important to the story and is always emphasized with the visuals. If you discover neon colors somewhere in the series, it’s a sign that the extravagant Jinx is not far away.

When I saw the high-quality trailers for the series, I feared that only the trailers would look exceptionally good. Because Riot, the studio behind League of Legends, has a long history of producing high-quality music videos and short films. Many fans out there have been shouting for years for a film or series.

For these productions, Riot Games has often worked with the French animation studio Fortiche. That is exactly the studio that produced the viral music video POP/STARS from the fictional K-Pop band K/DA. The band consists of characters from League of Legends. That’s the studio that is now producing Arcane.

The music video has now reached nearly 450 million (!) views on YouTube.

However, a complete series is not yet in the portfolio. Neither at Riot Games nor at Fortiche. After the first 4 episodes of Arcane, it looks like they have mastered it. My fears were unfounded.

Fans of League of Legends will often exclaim joyfully

Those who know the game League of Legends know that the story and world-building behind it make little to no sense. That’s in the nature of the game and genre.

New characters are continually introduced into the game, each with their own background story. However, that does not matter for the game itself. I am one of the players who enjoys reading the stories behind the characters. Here and there, there are overlaps, and somehow they all live in the same world – but that can’t be compared to a game where the story is in focus.

And that is what Arcane will finally give you! There is a coherent story that actually makes sense and brings the universe to life. In Arcane, the lore of some characters is changed, which is a good thing. To avoid spoilers, I will not go into detail on that. 

But I assure you that the characters remain true to their core. They will be exactly the people you know and love (or hate) from the game. The changes are essential for the story to work. 

The story works on its own. Still, I repeatedly found myself exclaiming joyfully when my fan heart was triggered. Every time a new character from League of Legends was recognizable. When suddenly a Poro was sitting in the corner. When Jinx winds up her toy monkey. There are so many moments.

Especially for fans of the game, I particularly recommend the series.

Watch Arcane

After the first 4 episodes of Arcane, I want to dive deeper. I followed every storyline and twist with excitement. In some fight scenes, goosebumps even appeared. I want to know how the characters will develop and where their paths will take them.

I’m sure the series will remain at a high level until the end. In the next 3 weeks, 3 new episodes will be released together each time. The first 3 episodes are now available for you on Netflix. In total, we will have 9 episodes – and I can’t imagine that this will be the end if the series is a success.

The universe of League of Legends is gigantic and Arcane has only covered two regions so far. There is still plenty of room for growth, where we can dedicate ourselves to other characters and places.

You will not find a higher quality animated series or a better video game adaptation at this point.

Watch Arcane.