A selection from the Netflix Trending List: Arcane
I won’t be the only one: no more series to binge for a while, no long-awaited movie that can finally be seen on Netflix. So you’re just endlessly zapping through that also endless stream of content that Netflix has managed to collect by now. Netflix claims to know what you like based on your viewing history. Now people sometimes miss the mark when they claim to know me, but the Netflix algorithms are really not helpful to me.
Then there is also the list of currently watched content under the heading Trending. But do I like what everyone else likes? Old films, new films, well-known titles and obscure eastern bloc cinema about men racing pigs through the dilapidated streets of their village. It all comes along. In this series, we’ll try to help you by picking a random title from Netflix’s list of trending content and telling you why we think it’s worth watching. Today a real exception to the rule that video game adaptations always suck: Arcane!
Pay attention people, it’s possible!
The list of filmed video games is now quite long. The vast majority of them did not appeal to fans of the subject matter or cinephiles. The best one can usually hope for is that it’s an okay movie/series. The reasons why are endless, but the majority can be captured in the observation that the films are usually written and directed by people who have nothing to do with the games. And yes, if the games don’t excite you, how do you know what needs a good movie adaptation?
Filming a game is just not that easy. They are two intensely different media. The main difference is that a movie viewer is passive where a gamer actively participates in the story. That’s not to say that video games themselves always get that notion. Case and point the topic currently under discussion: League of Legends (LoL). There’s a whole lot of lore behind the game that has nothing to do with why undersized hairball A and tall lady in stiletto heels B are trying to smash the brains into wardrobe C. So why do they even bother, you ask?
A good story for a video game goes hand in hand with the gameplay. That way you know what you are doing and why. Perhaps lore is not that important for a game like LoL, but it is certainly the game’s fault that one can play the game without knowing anything about the story without missing anything. I played a lot of LoL years ago with friends, but the game never really grabbed me. Still, I can now say that I’m very glad someone wrote all those rags at the time, because it was the birthplace of a series that proves that when it comes to your heart, you can base a good series on a video game .
Unforgettable characters
It must have been a special person who felt it necessary that every character in the MOBA (Multiplayer online battle arena, the genre of LoL) should be provided with background, personality and motivation. It requires a certain passion. It is precisely that passion that drips from every image that passes by in Arcane. The modelers, animators and composition staff of French animation studio Fortiche worked under the close eye of Riot Games, the developer of LoL.
How the characters move, the facial expressions, how scenes create atmosphere, everything shows heart, soul and skill. The art style of the series borrows, how could it be otherwise, many of the games, resulting in a setting that is recognizable for fans of the game. But also for people who have never touched the game, there is something to be gained in Arcane. As important as the world, story and art-style are, it’s all secondary if you ask me.
Because what would you rather watch? A series that does everything right except characters, or the opposite? The two sisters, Vi and Jinx, who star in the story are so well written and animated that if it weren’t for the cartoonish violence (which abounds) you’d almost forget you’re watching an animated movie. The world they’re in does what it has to do to sell the act, but it’s these two characters that make it all worth it. Orphaned, neglected and broken. How can such a thing leave your heart untouched?
Also for those who are not fans of the genre
I can imagine that many people have seen the thumbnail on Netflix and thought: not for me. A similar thing happened to me with Castlevania (also worth a look, by the way). Certain genres stick to certain forms of expression that one can appreciate and the other can’t.
Still, I recommend everyone to give the series a try. Yes, there’s a lot of what I usually describe as “anime bullshit” in there. Style can be a deal breaker and that’s okay. But underneath that sauce is a story that touches on our collective humanity. How do you deal with being given too much responsibility, with rejection, with having to take care of yourself too early? Perhaps characters who struggle with this won’t touch everyone the way they did with me, but I still recommend giving Arcane a chance.
The best review I can give Arcane is that I managed to scribble an entire article without actually talking about the show in substance, except for a few vague allusions. There is so much more, plot, other characters. But actually I want to say as little as possible about it in order to reveal as little as possible. You have to experience it. You have now been able to share my experience, I am curious about yours.
Haven’t you looked at our Netflix recommendations for the month of June yet?
