Arcane

I often like the idea of anime and adult animation much more than I actually enjoy it when I dive in. Many times I started a so called classic of the artform, like Ghost In The Shell or Akira, only to find I couldn’t stay engaged with it to the end. So when I heard this new Netflix show, based on an immersive online gaming world, was getting rave reviews… I admit I was tentative.

In fact, due to trying to watch it late at night, it did take me 3 attempts to properly make it through the first episode. Even though I found the animation style and quality amongst some of the best I’d ever seen, I couldn’t quite concentrate on who these new characters were, at first. However, once I settled in to it during daylight hours on a day off work, then I was hooked. The adult, unpatronising tone was unusual and welcome. It seemed this show wasn’t interested in needless exposition and patronising tell-not-show tactics. Instead it favoured a patient set up and some proper ploting and characterisation.

Instantly we are drawn to the character of Jinx. Who begins life under a different name until events lead her to a destiny that makes this entire story interesting and worthwhile. Her story arc alone makes Arcane worth watching. It is a truly brilliant character! But it isn’t only about her, as this cyberpunk dystopia is populated by many fascinating creations that bear close scrutiny in terms of depth and meaning. Nearly all of them have a tragic back story or raison d’etre tinged with sadness, bitterness or angst – which makes the drama of their interactions compelling.

There are polical themes, moral themes, cultural themes and some very humanitarian concepts intertwined throughout the journey. Loyalty, betrayal, dependency, honour, etc. Big themes multi-layed to create a rich whole that never, ever feels superficial. And this has been the secret of the best gaming worlds for a while. Invest the characters and situations with real emotion and depth and the play is more satisfying. Of course, here we are not interacting in any way other than intellectually. But still, it almost feels like we are a part of it, so immersive is the experience.

Not to mention the animation is mind blowing at times! Verging on 3D without being, and ultra HD in every background detail. It is a work of incredible skill, rich with care and attention. At no point do you feel we are being fobbed off with something low grade simply to pull in the crowd that would watch it because of the name and association to the game alone.

In conclusion: impressed. And very welcoming of a second season if standards could be maintained. The production and creative team (with a lot of French links) has much to be proud of and build on even further if they can stay together for another round. And with the critical success on Netflix and an astonishing IMdB rating of 9.0, why wouldn’t they? Big shout out also to the increasingly impressive Haillee Steinfeld for voicing Vi so perfectly – another perfectly pitched female protagonist, laced with genuine emotions a lesser actor might have missed. Fully recommended for anyone, not just anime fans.

9.0/10