Arcane
Overview
Arcane is a 2021 adult animated steampunk action-adventure television series created by Christian Linke and Alex Yee for Netflix, based on the League of Legends video game franchise. The series is set in the utopian city of Piltover and its oppressed underground of Zaun, two cities that are in conflict. The series follows the origins of several iconic League of Legends champions, including Vi (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld), a hot-headed, street-smart fighter who was raised in the undercity of Zaun and has a complicated relationship with her sister; Jinx (voiced by Ella Purnell), a mentally unstable, chaotic inventor who was once Vi's innocent younger sister Powder before a traumatic event transformed her into a terrorist; Jayce (voiced by Kevin Alejandro), a brilliant inventor from Piltover who discovers a way to harness magic through technology; Viktor (voiced by Harry Lloyd), a scientist from Zaun who is Jayce's partner and whose health is failing; and Caitlyn (voiced by Katie Leung), a sheriff from Piltover who teams up with Vi to investigate the criminal underworld. The series is a stunning achievement in animation, with a unique, painterly style that blends 2D and 3D techniques. The series explores themes of class conflict, family, trauma, and the consequences of ambition. The voice acting is exceptional, with Hailee Steinfeld and Ella Purnell delivering particularly powerful performances. Arcane was a massive critical and commercial success, winning four Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Animated Program, and it became the first streaming series to win the Annie Award for Best General Audience Animated Television Production. A second and final season is in production.
