It’s only been out for just over a fortnight and is still sitting at 100% fresh
Arcane, the hit Netflix series based on the popular videogame League of Legends, is currently sitting on a perfect score of 100 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes and in the top 10 of trending shows.
Not only is the striking animated project ‘certified fresh’ with over 14 critical and 2,391 user ratings on the popular review aggregation site but it has already been renewed for a second season after its debut left viewers wanting more.
#Arcane (100%) has officially been renewed for Season 2 by Netflix. https://t.co/pbIgJv8G71
— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) November 21, 2021
Without getting too far into the lore or risking spoilers, Arcane essentially expands upon the existing League of Legends (LoL) franchise and universe, offering some truly wonderful world-building and storytelling, all of which is animated in a beautiful, almost cell-shaded art in which each keyframe was animated completely by hand. Seriously impressive.
As for Arcane season two, while we don’t have any real details beyond its confirmation on Twitter, we can tell you that it won’t be coming next year. Nicolo Laurent, the CEO of Riot Games – the studio behind LoL and Valorant – joked that at least this next series won’t take as long as viewers had to wait for season one:
So yeah, we are working on #arcane season 2.
The good news: you won’t have to wait for 6 years (the time it took us to making season 1)
The bad news: it’s not coming in 2022 😢 https://t.co/IQoPyLnw1J— nicolo (@niiicolo) November 21, 2021
There are elements of everything from steampunk and anime, to BioShock Infinite and Assassin’s Creed; Dishonored and His Dark Materials, Alita: Battle Angel and so much more — we really can’t count all of the influences featured.
The point is, there is a case to be made that this might be the best looking and maybe even the best animated show full stop since the final series of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Whether they are fans of the game or not, people are loving this show and it’s not hard to see why they’ve already got the thumbs up for season two.
Take it from a LoL layperson: you really don’t need to know anything about the massive MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) that attracts more than 115 million monthly players to enjoy this series.
It has a gritty edge that takes it beyond just a cartoon you sit and watch with the kids; in fact, it has a 14 age rating and really does lean more towards teen and mature audiences.
We’re not going to tell you anything about the story, we’re just going to as that it’s well worth giving a try: we can see it being just as big a phenomenon as the game – and Netflix clearly seem to agree.
Speaking of which, if you’ve never dived into the world of LoL before and the fanaticism that greenlit Arcane season two just over a fortnight after launch piques your interest, take a look at the below:
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