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Arcane
Arcane
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Arcane

Arcane

Arcane

2021
Sci-fi, Action
TV Series
41m
Set in utopian Piltover and the oppressed underground of Zaun, the story follows the origins of two iconic League champions - and the power that will tear them apart.
You've rated 0 of 18 episodes in this series

Directed by:

Pascal Charrue
Pascal-Charrue
1 total credit
Pascal Charrue has just 1 credit at Criticker: Arcane, Welcome to the Playground, The Monster You Created, The Base Violence Necessary for Change and Happy Progress Day!
,
Arnaud Delord
Arnaud-Delord
1 total credit
Arnaud Delord has just 1 credit at Criticker: Arcane, Welcome to the Playground, The Monster You Created, The Base Violence Necessary for Change and Happy Progress Day!

Writers:

Ash Brannon
Ash-Brannon
6 total credits
Ash Brannon has 6 credits at Criticker, including: Toy Story 2, Surf's Up, Arcane and Rock Dog
,
Christian Linke
Christian-Linke
2 total credits
Christian Linke has 2 credits at Criticker, including: Arcane, The Dirt Under Your Nails, Heavy is the Crown and Watch It All Burn
,
Alex Yee
Alex-Yee
2 total credits
Alex Yee has 2 credits at Criticker, including: Arcane, The Dirt Under Your Nails, Heavy is the Crown and Watch It All Burn
,
Amanda Overton
Amanda-Overton
4 total credits
Amanda Overton has 4 credits at Criticker, including: Arcane, Hide and Seek, Heavy is the Crown and Pretend Like It's the First Time

Starring:

JB Blanc
JB-Blanc
22 total credits
JB Blanc has 22 credits at Criticker, including: The Count of Monte Cristo, War Dogs, Arcane, Tristan & Isolde and Justice League Dark
,
Shohreh Aghdashloo
Shohreh-Aghdashloo
32 total credits
Shohreh Aghdashloo has 32 credits at Criticker, including: The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Lake House, Star Trek Beyond, House of Sand and Fog and The Expanse
,
Josh Keaton
Josh-Keaton
25 total credits
Josh Keaton has 25 credits at Criticker, including: Hercules, Arcane, What If...?, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths and Doctor Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme
,
Kevin Alejandro
Kevin-Alejandro
23 total credits
Kevin Michael Alejandro is an American actor and film director. He is known for his roles as Nate Moretta in the crime drama Southland, Forklift Mike in Parenthood, Jesús Velázquez in the supernatural thriller True Blood, Sebastian Blood / Brother Blood in the superhero series Arrow, and as Daniel Espinoza in the comedy-crime drama Lucifer.
,
Hailee Steinfeld
Hailee-Steinfeld
21 total credits
Hailee Steinfeld is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. Her breakthrough role was as Mattie Ross in the drama western film True Grit, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Thereafter, Steinfeld gained further prominence for roles in Ender's Game, Romeo & Juliet, Begin Again, and 3 Days to Kill. She appeared as Emily Junk in the Pitch Perfect film series, and received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Mu
,
Harry Lloyd
Harry-Lloyd
22 total credits
Harry Lloyd has 22 credits at Criticker, including: The Theory of Everything, The Iron Lady, Arcane, Anthropoid and The Wife
,
Jason Spisak
Jason-Spisak
9 total credits
Jason Spisak has 9 credits at Criticker, including: Arcane, Time Lapse, Batman: Hush, Young Justice and Green Lantern: The Animated Series
,
Miles Brown
Miles-Brown
2 total credits
Miles Brown has 2 credits at Criticker, including: Arcane, Black-ish, The Word, Rock, Paper, Scissors, Gun and Dr. Hell No
,
Remy Hii
Remy-Hii
11 total credits
Remy Hii has 11 credits at Criticker, including: Spider-Man: Far from Home, Crazy Rich Asians, Arcane, Marco Polo and 2:22
,
Mia Sinclair Jenness
Mia-Sinclair-Jenness
4 total credits
Mia Sinclair Jenness has 4 credits at Criticker, including: Arcane, 10 Things We Should Do Before We Break Up, The Boy Savior, Finally Got the Name Right and Paint the Town Blue

Genres:

Sci-fi, Action, Animation

AKA:

Arcane: League of Legends

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Arcane

2021
Sci-fi, Action
TV Series
41m
Avg Percentile 72.78% from 958 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(958)
Compact view
Compact view
Rated 07 Dec 2021
95
91st
The gorgeous visuals occasionally threaten to overwhelm everything else, but fortunately the story is strong (if trope-filled), the dialogue sophisticated, and the characters worth caring about. A really good time, and certainly the best video game adaptation to date.
Rated 16 Dec 2021
9
94th
Truly unique aesthetic: it's not anime bullshit but also not the boring Disney/Pixar or trashy CalArts. Unsurprisingly, it wasn't made by Americans or Japanese, but by a French studio. Story is good but it's the characters that shine, it's very easy to empathize with all of them, even the villains. I was pleased to read that the show was written by a couple of guys from a game company, with no writing experience, yet they did a better job than all those highly paid Hollywood hacks.
Rated 25 Apr 2022
71
51st
Never played League of Legends. I fell in love with the initial episodes to the point that I'd prefer the whole series be focused on the characters as kids - because the material set in the present isn't nearly as strong. Sometimes it feels as though bad things happen because they have to, rather than feeling like organic developments. As such I'm left with some mixed feelings. Absolutely love the animation though, I would love to see more works in a similar style!
Rated 20 Dec 2021
7
84th
I’m barely aware of League of Legends’ existence and have certainly never played one second of it, but I thought this was pretty cool. Neat cyberpunk-y worldbuilding, good pacing, engaging enough characters. Visuals were just gorgeous; my smooth brain couldn’t even fully comprehend if it was exactly 2D or 3D animation or in between, but it was something else to look at. Would’ve been impressive even if this had been an animated movie, but especially for a TV show.
Rated 31 Jan 2025
33
42nd
frustratingly gorgeous and stupidly flawed, this had all the mealy-mouthed status quo simping of an mcu movie, except in a way this was worse, because I saw something beautiful here. anyway, I'm gonna take a page from my queer heritage and claim revolutionary villains as much as we have our queer ones (except caitlyn, no thank you... wait whaddaya mean she's not a villain)
Rated 16 May 2024
4
5th
sooo liberal they have to make all the characters act in completely unrealistic ways to remove the radical message inherent to a plot about oppression. hate! hate! hate!
Rated 14 Mar 2024
80
86th
A wonderful show, both extremely well-written and beautifully animated, and anchored in great, nuanced characters. To think that this is not only a game spinoff, but a fucking free-to-play cash cow one at that, is insane, but at least it's good to know that some of all that money they've pried from 10 year olds is going to stuff like this.
Rated 15 Dec 2021
85
72nd
great art and directing. this show nails the emotional bits, but the larger narrative and character writing feels so arbitrary. the characters' choices don't really make sense, and it gives the vibe that sad shit happening just because.
Rated 30 Nov 2021
90
97th
I'm not a player of LOL, I hate that kind of games in general but this tv series left me speechless for a number of reasons: 1) the animation technique which is seriously jawdropping 2) one of the best directions that I've ever seen in my life 3) deep characters that cannot be framed as 'good' or 'bad', instead they live in a wide shade of greys 4) the storytelling is engaging and full of epic moments
Rated 21 Nov 2021
90
93rd
As a lifelong player of MOBAs, this was everything I hoped it to be. This thing overflows with creativity and screams passion project with every immaculately detailed frame. Visually, I think this raises the bar not only for all of animation, but fantasy shows in general. Such craftmanship alone would make this a marvel but it backs it up with rock solid storytelling and clear, engaging character work. When it doesn't play it stylistically safe, it can be hit or miss but the hits are magnificent
Rated 21 Nov 2021
80
87th
Arcane has up the ante on storytelling in not just the animation genre but the whole of complacent, unoriginal and increasingly boring mainstream filmmaking. Infectiously stylish with its richly layered writing. Arcane is an almost perfect blend of style and substance, a rare feet few acheive.
Rated 21 Mar 2025
91
81st
First season was great, attached to every character, always on the edge of my seat, and fucking awesome action scenes. Season two was all of that and even better, with perhaps my favorite episode of any show ever (ep. 7; 9.8/10), but the last episode was rushed. Would have been much better if they'd have slowed it down and spread it into two parts. I couldn't appreciate all the victories without being invested in each one.
Rated 20 Jan 2025
90
93rd
Always solid. At times phenomenal. A breath of creative fresh air on par with the Spiderverse movies.
Rated 10 Jan 2024
61
39th
Believe It or Not by Joe Scarbury, theme to The Greatest American Hero, is a significantly better opening theme than Enemy by Imagine Dragons. Imaging draggin these nuts (Joe Scarbury's) across your (Imagine Dragon's) forehead. Also a mom has her child get drugged up to be a mech supersoldier defending a drug factory and then gets mad at the drug kingpin when the cops come bust shit up and the kid dies. HOW FUCKIN DUMB ARE YOU LADY? ITS YOUR FAULT! Long way to say this show stumbles at the end.
Rated 05 Dec 2023
42
19th
Looks pretty good, though the character design is mostly modern generic video games. The lead character is a female that's actually a man, which has become a tedious trope over the course of the last few years. S01 was OK, but by s02 the writing took a turn turned to boring, sketchy and predictable. Writers are using plot devices that are by this point so overused and tired that the exercise of watching this is akin to staring at a distance: you realize you've stopped paying attention.
Rated 24 Jan 2022
95
93rd
How is this so great? HOW? It's based on the gaming equivalent of a nicotine-addiction, yet the visuals, the movements, the action, the voice acting, the character-building, everything is STUNNINGLY good. The only nitpicks I can come up with, are a certain heel-turn could've used more build-up, and that it makes me want to reinstall that damned game just to experience more of the world. I can even appreciate the Imagine Dragons title track, imagine that!
Rated 27 Dec 2021
75
83rd
The main storyline about the sisters is phenomenal. The other storylines are fine, and grew on me with a rewatch. While there is one predictable thing that happens at the end of the first arc, it then goes in a direction that I never would’ve guessed, so I’m happy I’m not too familiar with the game for this reason. Animation is interesting, action and voice acting are great, surprisingly dark. Could be a good starting point for adults unfamiliar with animated shows.
Rated 26 Dec 2021
83
82nd
some of the best animation ive ever seen, especially in a series as opposed to a feature film or short. the last one to impress me this much with both aesthetic and richness of movement much was Ping Pong. the characters are strong in part because of quality voice acting, the story is engaging with high stakes and emotional gut punches, and the world is pretty cool. to be fair, with animation this good i might overlook any other flaws, so take that as you will.
Rated 12 Dec 2021
98
99th
With beautiful animation and complexly written characters, I found Arcane to be a standout among 2021 TV. I have literally never played even one game of League of Legends, but now I kind of want to. I have a few sisters, so seeing Vi and Powder's relationship change and morph into something dark and sad was incredibly enthralling and I was entirely invested from the first episode. I also really liked the side characters like Caitlyn and her relationship with Vi. I give 9 lesbians out of 10.
Rated 26 Nov 2021
71
53rd
Quite hit and miss. The animation is superb, and it's all very well produced and competently voice acted. Some scenes are really awesome and there's quite a bit of potential. But generally I feel the writing and storytelling just don't cut it and drag the show down by a lot. The final episode of season 1 in particular felt like a huge anticlimax, with clumsy storytelling and unbelievable writing. A shame, because it really could've been a lot more. I won't be watching future seasons.
Rated 25 Nov 2021
3
65th
Good voice acting, gorgeous animation and (mostly) effective storytelling. Liked it a lot when I watched, but afterwards I started to think about it and it made much less sense then. I do applaud the studio for going all-in on a character-driven story filled with hardship and trauma, and it is certainly better than most American action-adventure series of the past few years. But it still falls to cliches, has serious plot-holes, and lacks originality in its story.
Rated 20 Nov 2021
90
71st
This one had no right to be that good.
Rated 12 Nov 2021
90
73rd
It limited itself on the character development that could have happened. A lot happened in the timeskip that wasn't further explored. || Update: Beware of tears in S02E07
Rated 11 Nov 2021
11
10th
Dropped the ball on S2 hard. Thoroughly enjoyed S1 but its strengths are thrown out the window for unmediated random plot points with no sense of direction. This is justified through incessant music montages desperately trying to suck any possible emotion out of you at every turn. Free my boy catharsis, they're killing him.
Rated 24 Jun 2025
99
96th
Genuinely how the fuck did the best animated show of all time end up being because of LEAGUE of goddamn LEGENDS. Gave it a 99 just because that pisses me off.
Rated 25 Apr 2025
88
93rd
loved s1, havent watched s2
Rated 21 Apr 2025
75
63rd
1. sezon 80, 2. sezon 70.
Rated 07 Apr 2025
95
85th
This animated series is made to enjoy as a one bite, so season 1 and season 2 together, because of huge cliffhanger at the end of season two. I also hate teh lesbian naratives, and the forced sex scenes that litteraly had no place in a show like arcane, witch is made for pg13.
Rated 09 Mar 2025
75
44th
Removing points because I just can't see past the shower animation being used for effects on the smoother cgi. It's a distinct artistic choice, but one I wouldn't make. That said, this is a show that puts the general power of animation as a medium on display.
Rated 06 Mar 2025
95
82nd
First season much better than the last
Rated 15 Dec 2024
55
57th
Seen 8 episodes so far.
Rated 06 Dec 2024
92
63rd
Lo único bueno que a echo Riot.
Rated 02 Dec 2024
80
0th
victor nation how we feelin
Rated 24 Nov 2024
100
97th
Just amazing! Incredible character creation/developement, fascinating world building, great story and thought provoking ideals. Gave me so much entertainment and emotions, wouldn't change a thing.
Rated 16 Nov 2024
75
69th
S01: 75 S02: 75
Rated 30 Jul 2024
84
86th
This show has terrible pacing issues, other than that the animation quality is 10/10
Rated 23 Jun 2024
99
96th
One of my favorite series of the last 10 years. Great characters, plot, soundtrack, photography and filmography.
Rated 07 Apr 2024
98
85th
Graphics are immaculate, the story is gripping, starts generic and then completely surprises you at the end. And man, the music was fantastic.
Rated 11 Mar 2024
95
96th
A must watch for fans of animation and visually intense shows. This show is truly iconic.
Rated 10 Mar 2024
95
88th
Beautiful, from top to bottom
Rated 25 Feb 2024
65
36th
Wimin stronk! Good only for those who like to be subliminally emasculated while being entertained by great visuals and art design
Rated 27 Aug 2023
85
89th
S1: 85 - S2: 85
Rated 25 Jul 2023
92
92nd
You usually expect video game adaptations to be garbage, but this knocked me (and all of my friends) off their feet. It suffers sometimes because of the ensemble cast (lots of characters to cover) but it does justice to most, if not all of them. A great story that I look forward to seeing progress.
Rated 23 Jul 2023
89
90th
Rating up to s1 ep 3, will update as I watch on. Actually so good & impactful you don’t necessarily want to binge watch. I am fully traumatized. But it’s so good.
Rated 10 Jul 2023
100
78th
Favorite animated show!
Rated 14 Apr 2023
70
70th
Deserves praise for its animation alone.
Rated 23 Mar 2023
88
67th
A solidly good show, if a bit cliché in the story. There are a few times where I personally felt they were trying way too hard to be "artsy" with it to where it detracted from the experience, but the scenes in question didn't last long enough to be truly grating.
Rated 30 Jan 2023
91
87th
Exceptionally fantastic visuals and music combined with awesome actions. Beautiful story telling and character development. Only if they didn't "Netflix" it so much with current political woke movements, would've given more
Rated 11 Dec 2022
81
84th
It's kind of hard to follow along at first but it quickly gets you hooked.
Rated 29 Oct 2022
75
66th
Fantastic animation. Maybe a little too long and everyone being an amazing fighter - even a counselor - seems far fetched but I guess who cares? It's fun and well-done.
Rated 22 Oct 2022
90
0th
Fucking amazing art and animations, gripping story and great 3 episode per act structure that worked amazingly on release. Just wish there was a little less of the modern cringe music in some scenes which feels completely out of place
Rated 18 Jul 2022
53
49th
Amazing production quality is not personally enough to want to watch this. This show is style over substance, with overly emotional characters and fantasy setup allowing creators to come up with any nonsense anytime however they see fit. till: S2E3
Rated 19 May 2022
100
0th
Grafikleri ve müzikleri tek kelimeyle harika. Orijinal karakter tasarımlarını da geçmemek gerek. Olaylar hızlı ama akıcı geçiyor, süreyi uzatıp izleyiciyi sıkmıyor.
Rated 11 Mar 2022
90
99th
Second series upgraded this rating significantly!
Rated 26 Feb 2022
73
85th
worried this would be all wizardy, but its more crustpunk beat-em-up with stratified society/world building. peaks a bit early with the sense of space created with the mise/sound design in the atmospheric first sequence. (I suppse this is what I'd hoped Alita would be)
Rated 29 Jan 2022
40
97th
There's things to nitpick for sure, but honestly it just feels weird to criticise something that is this much better than everything else in its space. Considering its massive budget and long production time, I'm just glad someone was willing to make something like this at all.
Rated 19 Jan 2022
1
8th
Rated 28 Dec 2021
96
98th
Animation is by far the best I've seen for any TV show. Storyline and characters very well done. The action and drama also consistent and well done. Can't fault it.
Rated 27 Dec 2021
90
94th
Interesting and nuanced view on technological progress, fascinating depiction of mental trauma, social commentary on an unjust world and whether violence should be used to right it, etc. There is a lot to like in this unexpectedly deep video game spin-off
Rated 23 Dec 2021
90
96th
Terrific. Gorgeous animation and a well drawn story, with striking characters and a detail packed world. I knew nothing about the game, I don't think it matters. Please see and support this.
Rated 21 Dec 2021
80
84th
EP 1 : 70, EP 2 : 75, EP 3 : 80, EP 4 : 80, EP 5 : 80, EP 6 : 80, EP 7 : 85, EP 8 : 80, EP 9 : 90,
Rated 16 Dec 2021
96
96th
S1-100 S2-92
Rated 09 Dec 2021
89
86th
The story is a bit basic (typical bipolar Rich vs Poor story) with a few obvious plot-twists ; but the characters are complex and make the story work. What really made it great is the art direction ! The character designs are flawless, the backgrounds are rich and gorgeous, the framing and editing are perfect. Thank you "studio fortiche" for this !
Rated 09 Dec 2021
78
89th
wasko
Rated 21 Nov 2021
82
91st
It's astonishing this is as good as it is considering Riot has struggled to get anyone to care about their lore for over a decade. But while the writing of this show can be ham-fisted and sloppy, it elevates itself with incredible visual storytelling and strong characterization that makes its plot beats work. The way the show conveys Jinx's tragedy and mental trauma is the most visually interesting I've seen in any medium while somehow respecting the trauma enough to lift the narrative.
Rated 19 Nov 2021
80
85th
I know nothing about this franchise and I don't understand why it's so highly rated on IMDb. Maybe fans flooded it with biased votes or a ton of bots were made. The voice acting and animation elevates this. I've always liked mixed 2D and 3D but in the days of Titan A.E. it was hated. This is constant art and the technology has come a long way so public opinion seems to have changed. I can't get over Powder looking like someone's scrawny steampunk manic pixie dream girl with too much sideboob.
Arcane - Season 1
Season 1 - Set in utopian Piltover and the oppressed underground of Zaun, the story follows the origins of two iconic League champions - and the power that will tear them apart.
Arcane - Season 2
Season 2 - Set in utopian Piltover and the oppressed underground of Zaun, the story follows the origins of two iconic League champions - and the power that will tear them apart.

Cast & Info

Directed by:

Pascal Charrue
Pascal-Charrue
1 total credit
Pascal Charrue has just 1 credit at Criticker: Arcane, Welcome to the Playground, The Monster You Created, The Base Violence Necessary for Change and Happy Progress Day!
,
Arnaud Delord
Arnaud-Delord
1 total credit
Arnaud Delord has just 1 credit at Criticker: Arcane, Welcome to the Playground, The Monster You Created, The Base Violence Necessary for Change and Happy Progress Day!

Writers:

Ash Brannon
Ash-Brannon
6 total credits
Ash Brannon has 6 credits at Criticker, including: Toy Story 2, Surf's Up, Arcane and Rock Dog
,
Christian Linke
Christian-Linke
2 total credits
Christian Linke has 2 credits at Criticker, including: Arcane, The Dirt Under Your Nails, Heavy is the Crown and Watch It All Burn
,
Alex Yee
Alex-Yee
2 total credits
Alex Yee has 2 credits at Criticker, including: Arcane, The Dirt Under Your Nails, Heavy is the Crown and Watch It All Burn
,
Amanda Overton
Amanda-Overton
4 total credits
Amanda Overton has 4 credits at Criticker, including: Arcane, Hide and Seek, Heavy is the Crown and Pretend Like It's the First Time

Starring:

JB Blanc
JB-Blanc
22 total credits
JB Blanc has 22 credits at Criticker, including: The Count of Monte Cristo, War Dogs, Arcane, Tristan & Isolde and Justice League Dark
,
Shohreh Aghdashloo
Shohreh-Aghdashloo
32 total credits
Shohreh Aghdashloo has 32 credits at Criticker, including: The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Lake House, Star Trek Beyond, House of Sand and Fog and The Expanse
,
Josh Keaton
Josh-Keaton
25 total credits
Josh Keaton has 25 credits at Criticker, including: Hercules, Arcane, What If...?, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths and Doctor Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme
,
Kevin Alejandro
Kevin-Alejandro
23 total credits
Kevin Michael Alejandro is an American actor and film director. He is known for his roles as Nate Moretta in the crime drama Southland, Forklift Mike in Parenthood, Jesús Velázquez in the supernatural thriller True Blood, Sebastian Blood / Brother Blood in the superhero series Arrow, and as Daniel Espinoza in the comedy-crime drama Lucifer.
,
Hailee Steinfeld
Hailee-Steinfeld
21 total credits
Hailee Steinfeld is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. Her breakthrough role was as Mattie Ross in the drama western film True Grit, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Thereafter, Steinfeld gained further prominence for roles in Ender's Game, Romeo & Juliet, Begin Again, and 3 Days to Kill. She appeared as Emily Junk in the Pitch Perfect film series, and received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Mu
,
Harry Lloyd
Harry-Lloyd
22 total credits
Harry Lloyd has 22 credits at Criticker, including: The Theory of Everything, The Iron Lady, Arcane, Anthropoid and The Wife
,
Jason Spisak
Jason-Spisak
9 total credits
Jason Spisak has 9 credits at Criticker, including: Arcane, Time Lapse, Batman: Hush, Young Justice and Green Lantern: The Animated Series
,
Miles Brown
Miles-Brown
2 total credits
Miles Brown has 2 credits at Criticker, including: Arcane, Black-ish, The Word, Rock, Paper, Scissors, Gun and Dr. Hell No
,
Remy Hii
Remy-Hii
11 total credits
Remy Hii has 11 credits at Criticker, including: Spider-Man: Far from Home, Crazy Rich Asians, Arcane, Marco Polo and 2:22
,
Mia Sinclair Jenness
Mia-Sinclair-Jenness
4 total credits
Mia Sinclair Jenness has 4 credits at Criticker, including: Arcane, 10 Things We Should Do Before We Break Up, The Boy Savior, Finally Got the Name Right and Paint the Town Blue

Genres:

Sci-fi, Action, Animation

AKA:

Arcane: League of Legends

Country:

USA

Language:

English
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