I will be honest, I have very low standards for animated shows. When I think of animated entertainment, I think âfunnyâ, âfor kidsâ, âmaybe Iâm just really bored and have nothing else to watchâ. This was what was going on in my head when I watched Arcane for the first time, which was in 2022 I think. Arcane, for those who donât know, is an animated show based on the characters from a video game known as âLeague of Legendsâ. But for those who donât play the game, the show follows multiple storylines about characters from two different societies- âPiltoverâ, the higher class city, and âZaunâ, the âundercityâ. These storylines, though independent at first, are all interwoven and impact the other which you will see if you choose to watch the show. But why did I watch it? Well, it was a year after Arcane had been released and I concluded that watching âF.R.I.E.N.D.Sâ again for the 10th time was grounds for seeking therapy, So I thought âwhy not?â and I clicked play.
The only way to describe my emotions after watching this masterpiece would be to compare it to cavemen discovering fire for the first time.
Arcane is a piece of art that I really do believe should be analysed in classrooms. Letâs break this down.
History majors:Â
This show perfectly encapsulates the build-up of simultaneous events in contrasting circumstances that lead to a climactic explosion of life-changing outcomes. Okay, this sounds like an academic essay, so let me try again. Letâs look at the Russian Revolution (I am in no way saying that Arcane is like the Russian Revolution, but just hear me out for a second). The Russian Revolution had a great divide: the upper class and the working class. The same can be said for the two major societies in Arcane- Piltover and Zaun. In the Russian Revolution, the working class fostered great hatred for the upper class because of how they were treated. The people of Zaun are treated like vermin by Piltover. Civil war in Russia. Civil war in Arcane. As a history major myself, I couldnât help but commend the accuracy in which the build-up of tensions is written. Neither Piltover nor Zaun are written as the bad or good guys, and the entire circumstance in which the civil war occurs is not black and white. The same goes for history. It is all about perspective, and Arcane gives detailed perspectives of the turmoil that both sides face and in turn, causes the viewers to be ambiguous with who they actually side with. It is work that I know people interested in History would appreciate.
Politics Majors:
This is really not that hard to explain. The structure and forms of government that you see on a day-to-day basis around the world are also seen in Arcane. The structures of government in both Piltover and Zaun are also fascinating. Piltover has a more democratic and systematic form of government, with an elected council of 8 members who convene and discuss to come to certain decisions. Zaun on the other hand, has more of a libertarian government where there is no real structure but rather groups, gangs and factions that try to secure their own interests and territories. On paper, it seems like Piltover would be more organised than Zaun, but thatâs the cool thing about politics. Any politics enthusiast would know that it doesnât matter if a certain form of government is more structured than the other; they both have an equal chance of erupting into chaos. And that is what Arcane demonstrates. Piltover is just as corrupt and disfigured as Zaun, the only difference is that Piltover pretends that they are not and likes to hide behind the existence of established laws. Sounds familiar?Â
Literature majors:
I think lit majors are the ones who would appreciate this show the most. The writing of Arcane is something that should be studied as there is so much to learn from its storytelling. For starters the characters. Each character has so much depth to them that makes you love them and hate them simultaneously. You feel connected with them yet conflicted when they act in ways that arenât stereotypically âgoodâ of a main character. Thatâs what I love about this show. The realism. It is ironic that an animated show that is also dystopian and falls under the fantasy genre portrays what it is to be human in a much more accurate way than most live-action films and TV shows. But back to literature, the plot line. You never know what to expect when you watch this show, and that is why I love it. It doesnât have the classic âheroâ or âvillainâ trope but instead plays out like how most stories in life would play out. There is a lack of satisfaction with most endings of the show because, like in real life, not everyone ends up pleased. I donât believe that this kind of effect is easily achievable, and thatâs why Arcaneâs writing deserves to be admired.
I think thatâs all I can say about Arcane right now, because otherwise, this article would turn into a book. WATCH THE SHOW!