Arcane, Netflix’s critically acclaimed series, has left fans in shock and tears. In early November, Arcane debuted its second and final season. The series released three new episodes, each Saturday, starting on Nov. 9th.
The animated series, which stars Hailee Steinfeld and Ella Purnell, follows their characters, sisters Vi and Jinx, respectively, as they navigate the classist divide between Piltover and the underground city of Zaun as well as family and relationship dynamics. Other characters include fan-favorite Ekko (Reed Shannon), Caitlyn (Katie Leung), Viktor (Harry Lloyd), and more.
If these names seem familiar, it is because Arcane is derived from the video game League of Legends, a rather infamous video game at that. However, while each character and the setting was from the game, Arcane’s creators were allowed to change the characters’ lore and kill off whoever they pleased, Champion or not.
The series delves into complex characters and the often painful dynamics between them that leave fans teary-eyed, which are furthered and developed through tactful storytelling. “When you release an entire season all at once, people will tend to binge-watch the entire show within a day or two; sometimes a story needs multiple days for it to really sink in and for people to fully appreciate all the inner layers within the story,” says Mr. Jablonka, a Social Studies teacher.
“The show has very few intricacies that, yes, you might notice the first time watching, but you probably don’t recognize the first time watching and you go back and start appreciating these things…When you have a plot that is split into four or five subplots, you know a show is really good, because you’re not just invested in one character, you’re invested in several.”
Arcane is drawn by the French animation studio Fortiche. While Fortiche mainly blended 2D and 3D media when creating Arcane, they also used watercolor and charcoal for more emotional scenes. “I feel like they really hit the mark with the colors they used for Jayce and Viktor in episode nine. The lights, bright purples, and blues made them look like nebulas; like they were a part of the universe,” sophomore Tsarina Brunson, a longtime fan of Arcane, says. “[Fortiche’s use of color] really contributes to how emotional the scenes were,” Brunson continues. Throughout the show’s two seasons, Fortiche has made use of symbolism through color to evoke emotion from the audience.
Overall, Arcane, which has garnered four Emmy awards, has shocked audiences with its breathtaking finale. Between unexpected plot twists and untimely endings for some characters, fans are left wanting more from the story of Piltover and Zaun. Arcane creators Christian Linke and Alex Yee have maintained that this is the end of this region’s story. The finale teased the League of Legends character Swain, a ruler of Noxus, and the creators have announced other TV series spin offs based on the video game, leaving fans hopeful for what the creators of Arcane will do next.
