We don’t get to choose our families. We don’t get to choose the times in which we live. The best we can hope is that the times bind us closer to our brothers or sisters rather than cleave us apart.
At the heart of Arcane: League of Legends (Netflix 2021-2024) is a story of a family living in divisive times. In particular, the story lovingly portrays sisters Violet and Powder as they grow from children to young adulthood in the slums of Zaun. Zaun is a ghetto that lies beneath the surface of the thriving, clean, elite, advanced steampunk society of Piltover. From the open sewers of Zaun, Vi and Powder can see the good life. It’s just a parkour hop, skip, and a jump away.
But the times are destined to tear the sisters apart, turning Vi into a violent street fighter with a heart of gold, and Powder into a mad villain bent on sowing chaos who adopts the name Jinx. The times put the sisters at odds.
And therein lies the drama of Arcane. There are many other plots and subplots—sometimes more than fit into the 18 episodes of the two-season arc—but this is the one that pulled me in. This is the heartbeat of the show. Vi is heroically voiced by Hailee Steinfeld, and Jinx by Ella Purnell. While Vi is indeed heroic, it’s Jinx who steals the show. The character is twisted and complex, remorseful and insane. Jinx is a crazy-assed villain that compares favorably to The Batman’s Joker.
The animation and design work for Arcane is of an unbelievable quality. Each frame is lovingly composed, and the textures are exquisite. Some scenes are truly mind-blowing in their conception and execution. My understanding is that the production nearly bankrupted Riot. That’s a shame, but you can see every penny in the result. It’s gorgeous.
I’m giving Arcane 5 stars out of 5.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️