• Adventurous
• Intense

‘Arcane’

Video game adaptations are usually either a hit or a miss—and aside from shows like The Witcher, most firmly fall into the “miss” category. However, Netflix’s latest foray into the genre, Arcane, is definitely the former. Based on the popular League of Legends game, Arcane renders two parallel storylines that eventually merge into one: first, the show follows sisters Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) and Powder in the underground city of Zaun, which is overrun with warring gang leaders and a drug called Shimmer that turns people into monsters. Meanwhile, in the above ground city of Piltover, a young scientist is on the cusp of harnessing magic through technology, which will transform both cities for better or worse. Arcane has a lot of plot to cover in just nine episodes; however, by honing in on its character drama, the show has a highly emotional core that makes its ambitious world-building easier to digest. With its gorgeous animation and thoughtful approach to issues like poverty and class, Arcane is a video game series worth watching.