Arcane (Season 1)
Summary
Arcane is an animated story based off of the infamous League of Legends videogame. The first season of this series is full of breathtaking animation, tight, expert writing, and entirely real and believable characters. Given the material it is based off of, however, is it worth the Christian viewer’s time?
Assessment
Arcane is a steampunk-fantasy animated miniseries based off of League of Legends, the popular and somewhat controversial multiplayer videogame. The show focuses on the backstory of two of the most prominent characters, sisters Vi and Powder (who later becomes Jinx), from their tumultuous childhood into an even more violent and traumatic adulthood. Through their actions and those of the characters around them, the story unfolds in an expertly written maelstrom of political intrigue, class wars, murder, and chaos.
The story is rich, well-paced, and filled with a surprising amount of hope given its relatively dark nature. The protagonists are all striving for some good quality, whether it is reconciliation with a loved one or a brighter future for those around them. They may not go about achieving these things properly; several of them make truly foolish decisions that have clear and direct consequences, but they are trying to reach for these noble goals, nonetheless. Misguided, but enthusiastic.
For as gritty and action-packed as it is, the show is surprisingly restrained. There were many places it could have been much, much more graphic, but it kept itself at a pretty tame level for what was going on. While the show does have a rating of TV-14, it seems better suited for either adults or older teens (+17) given how intense any of the themes are and the partial nudity. On that last subject, the nudity is typically part of the scene staging, so it comes across as either symbolic or metaphorical, rather than sexualized. There is one sex scene that kind of pushes the boundaries of “fade to black”, but overall it is not too graphic.
Light-o-Meter
Writing: 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Animation: 7 out of 7 Little Lights
Acting: 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Cleanliness: 3 out of 7 Little Lights (for partial nudity, violence, language, and some adult themes)
Theological Message: 3 out of 7 Little Lights
Overall: 5 of 7 Little Lights
Talk
I have SOOOOO many words about this, so buckle up because I am buzzing with excitement! When I first started watching this series, I was immediately hooked based purely on the quality of the animation. The art balances the more stylistic elements of characters and worldbuilding with truly realistic expressions, gestures, and body language. There was every detail from the smallest micro-expressions in a character’s eyes widening ever so slightly after an insult to the how each character carries themselves and what that conveys about their internal world. Then there are the bigger, grander elements like how the environment is used to shape what the audience knows about the character — to the point where you could look around the room the character was in, observing the balance of light and shadow, and know almost exactly what that character was thinking — the precision in the craft of animation was absolutely breathtaking to watch. At no point did it feel animated. It felt like looking into an alternate, but still incredibly real, reality.
While the animation is really where this show is at its peak, the writing also shines brightly. Each character is crafted with a distinct personality, driven by specific motivations (often the result of their upbringing or past) and these motivations are all working with or against each other in this mosaic of character-driven disasters. There is not one useless character or plot element in the entire show. It all weaves itself together in a tangled tapestry of alliance, loyalty, betrayal, hope, familial love, insanity, and deals made with the devil. The characters are so believable and realistic that I had genuine, palpable frustration for their stupidity (which there was a lot of, to be quite honest).
Now, the big question comes down to — especially to those who have played League of Legends or know the lore surrounding the game — “how can Arcane be fit for a Christian audience with all the LGBTQ characters in the game?” (Or, at least, that was the question I had when I first started watching the show.) In my assessment, the show does depict homosexuality in a few different ways. It is heavily implied that the main characters’ parents were both women, one of the main female characters appears to kind of get into a relationship with one of the other female characters, and there are a few instances of side/background characters that have an uncertain gender presentation.
However, that is not the message of the story. It is not something that is being glorified or even truly relevant to the plot. Even the main same-sex “couple” is presented in such a way that, honestly, I just ignored it (I also believe it can be viewed as more of a sisterly affection situation, given the way the rest of the story is structured. It is a little bit of a stretch when you know more of the game’s lore, but doable). On top of this, there are plenty of other sins depicted in the story as well, such as greed, violence, premarital sex, drunkenness and drugs, hatred, murder, etc. None of these are glorified, and what is lifted up is hope, reunion with family, peace, and to showing love to one’s neighbor. These are the real messages of the story and why I believe this is a fine piece of media for Christians to watch.
Now, if you are a Christian creative — specifically in the animation or writing industries — I actually highly, highly recommend* watching this show as a study in craftsmanship. This is an insanely well-made piece of art, to the point where I am pretty sure it is the best animated show I have ever seen in my entire life. In that, I think is show’s true message to Christians. While it does have some good morals, it is first and foremost a shining example of doing good work; of being diligent in your craft, which Christians are called to do (Colossians 3:23). This is the quality of media that Christian creatives should be aiming for when they set their sights on a project. Will everything we make always be this high-quality? No, there are plenty of things that interfere with it from outside forces to our own sin or flaws as humans. But our goals, what we are striving for, how we hone our craft, should be pointing us in the direction of Arcane (at least in terms of quality).
*I do want to clarify: if you struggle with any of the sins I mentioned above (but especially homosexuality and gender identity), I do not recommend this piece of media for you no matter what. No piece of media is worth your heart, no matter what you might be able to get out of it.
Wrap-up
Arcane is an amazingly well-crafted, high-quality animated miniseries based off of the game League of Legends. From the art style to the writing, this show stands far above others of its class. While it does depict a variety of sins (including hinted at homosexuality), it never goes so far to glorify them, and it upholds a lot of good, even Biblical messages of reconciliation and loving one’s neighbor.
Where to Enjoy
Arcane is available to stream on Netflix.
Amazon: Amazon.com: Arcane: League of Legends - Season One - Limited Edition Steelbook [Blu-ray]
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