Arcane: League of Legends review — society’s misfortunate fighting back
A heart-wrenching adventure through their eyes.
Arcane was released on November the 6th 2021 based on the lore of Riot Game’s League of Legends multiplayer game. The series is available to watch here on Netflix before I state any spoilers. If you are a fan of steampunk and dystopian worlds, this thrilling tale is not one to miss out on. The story is set in an unjust society divided into two halves. Firstly the sparkling city of Piltover where pretty much everyone lives a privileged life. Contrastingly, in the undercity slums of Zaun poverty is ever prevalent, like the smog from toxic waste there. From this contaminated city, our story begins with two sisters Vi and Jinx. Torn apart by the war between the two cities, the sisters go in different directions to challenge this societal oppression and find one another once again.
In Piltover, we meet the council who leads the city. Visionaries, stating big plans for bettering the lives of those in the city through flashy, new technology. Yet these supposed visionaries do not invite anyone from Zaun to sit at the table, their voices unheard. There is a crucial discussion where Vi and her partner in justice, Caitlyn, plead to the council that while the undercity has stolen Piltover’s newest technology, these people live and suffer in atrocious conditions. Ultimately, no help is offered by the council for the helpless people: only the solution of war and unfair negotiation. Any option for peace is given too late. But perhaps, if those at the top offered an ounce of compassion, such chaos, death, and division could have easily been evaded.
Arcane’s season finale concluded with a distressing collection of scenes. Ultimately, younger sister Jinx is left broken-hearted as she fires a deadly rocket directly into the heart of Piltover where the Council lies. The audience is left to interpret the full meaning, but this missile appears to be an attempt to put an end to all the suffering. Beyond this show’s amazing art and addicting story, cliffhangers and open interpretations are vast to the viewer. Yes, Jinx can be seen villain of this story, she is full of insanity and a general threat to society. But, it was this society that took away her childhood innocence. Portraying the darker sides of society in a beautifully sad way, Arcane is not a show to miss.
