How can I possibly be the first to comment on the board of this superlative feast for the eyes? I'm loving the visuals, they're slightly reminiscent of "Suits" and "The Tall Grass" from seasons 1 and 2 of Love, Death & Robots. I've only just finished episode 2 so maybe it's too early to heap praise on it, but so far this is one of the best animated experiences I've had this year. Bravo.
shareAddendum: I'm now on episode 5 (never been much of a binge-watcher) and this is the first time I've ever been impressed by boxing. The fight scenes are a true spectacle. My post above still stands: this is THE animation experience of the year.
shareI'm 4 episodes in, and I must say, I'm also shocked at the lack of post regarding this show. It's damn amazing. I'm gonna reserve comments until I watch the whole show. But so far, the story and this incredible animation is Top Shelf stuff.
shareIt really is remarkable, isn't it? The artwork, the world building, the fleshed out characters, the strange blend of steampunk and fantasy, the music, the stunning fight scenes (Violet sure can throw a punch!) Trust me, it gets better. I have finished all nine episodes and this series gets a solid 9/10 from me, which is unusual because I'm a casual viewer who has never even heard of the video game that it is based on.
Really, this show has been out for three weeks now and has received nothing but acclaim from critics and audiences. You'd think that by now there would at the very least be trolls whining about too many women or black characters or whatever. It's puzzling how quiet this board is.
Oh, really, this is by far better than Love, Death & Robots? I'm looking forward to this now.
shareSomething's wrong with this website. This show has been released for three weeks. It has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and audience reviews (both fans of the game its based on and casual viewers) are exceedingly positive. I've never heard of the video game and can confidently say I enjoyed it as much as a hardcore fan would. From the reviews out there even parents who are unfamiliar with League of Legends are enjoying it. Think Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse.
shareErm? No, it's not. Not when compared with season 1 of LDR. Even the 2 really good episodes from LDR season 2 are above Arcane in my opinion. Even if just because LDR is more mature in themes and the stories are short and can pack some serious punch.
But still Arcane is good, very good. Loved the Powder/Jinx character.
They're hard to compare because they're not trying to do the same thing. Arcane has to pull a large story with dozens of moving parts together, Love Death & Robots needs quick, punchy material - often with a plot twist, like sci-fi psychotic O. Henry.
I do probably prefer LDR, though.
I'm with you for Jinx - great character.
I'm curious which are your favourite Season 2 episodes, though, partly because I really liked Season 2 overall, and while I have my favourites (Pop Squad, The Drowned Giant), I'd be curious to hear which two you thought were superior.
Jinx is Harley Quinn done right!
shareOK then, I'll take the opportunity to be the first to say: this show is overrated.
I like it, don't get me wrong, a solid 8/10 for me, and I could praise it for all the reasons you already listed in the thread: world building, setting, animation, visual style, I even like the title song and the music throughout. But that's the thing. I like it, I don't love it, I don't consider it to be a particularly brilliant animated series. It's very good, but not the second coming of Christ.
The IMDb rating of 9.3 is waaay too high. Howeve it started from 9.8, and it's declining steadily, so it should settle in a few months somewhere between a well deserved 8.8 and 8.5. The Rotten Tomatoes 100% rating is downright insanity!
I probably understnd why it is getting so much praise. In the vast sea of mediocre / bad content, it indeed stands out, and this generates a sudden "wow, this is great!" feeling at first. But it won't last, as the show is not that good IMO.
For the record, here are 3 titles I consider to be better animated series than Arcane:
Cowboy Bebop (1998)
The Animatrix (2003)
Elfen Lied (2004)
Now, these are 9/10s in my book, and note that even these are not 10/10 for me. I have not yet seen an animated series that hit the 10/10 mark on my rating scale. Maybe Elfen Lied got the closest to 10/10, but I need to rewatch that anyway. And a Cowboy Bebop rewatch is due because of the live action show on Netflix.
Your assessment is fair. I don't expect anyone to rate this show anything less than a 7/10, which means watching the show isn't a waste of one's time. Of the three titles you mention I'm familiar only with The Animatrix (which I personally think is slightly inferior to Arcane), so thank you for giving me something to add to m watch list.l
Perhaps, as you say, it's because there are so many mediocre shows and movies out there that Arcane stands out. As someone who's only experience with steampunk is the godawful Wild Wild West and the somewhat better Mortal Engines, yeah, this series is kinda the second coming of Christ for me lol. But maybe after a re-watch in a couple of months the novelty might wear off and my rating might drop to an 8/10. But for now, seeing Violet boxing like a world heavyweight champion is pure candy for the eyes.
Yes, you should watch CB and EL, and please don't watch the live action CB before you finished the animated series!
Perhaps another reason why I'm not super into Arcane is that I'm not that fond of the steampunk setting itself - but I can understand that as a factor for someone who particularly likes the steampunk aesthetic, the visuals could be rated a notch higher, and that's fair enough.
As I said I'm not a fan of steampunk, but come to think of it, outside of video games I have never seen a competent depiction of it in movies or series indeed. Maybe you should try the Bioshock series and some other games from this list:
https://steampunk.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Steampunk_Video_Games
I only played Bioshock Infinite, but I liked the visuals and the story of that game, so I can recommend it.
Also, maybe His Dark Materials has a slight steampunk vibe - although steampunk technology is not prominent in that series, it's worth cheking it out, not a bad show.
I am on 4th episode and..... Most of the characters are dead - lol
Not a good start, with 6 more episodes to go.
The visuals are quite impressive - drawn characters but in 3D - pretty neat. In fact, the visuals are the best thing about this series and I can see how it might pave way for a new type of animation. When I'm done watching the other 6 episodes, I'll post a review, but I have a suspicion I'll be disappointed with the story.
As far as Anime is concerned, CB is good, I agree. I also liked Berserk (the original - not the remake). In terms of maturity/story/philosophy, I liked Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Grave of the fireflies (the animated film) is up there as well.
I'm not a big animation fan, but, yes, I do like the visuals for this a lot. The voicework is top notch too.
For whatever reason though I can't get into this world, or the story.
The music is jarring too. It really doesn't mesh with the fantasy elements here and I think it will date this series pretty quickly.
I may try a couple of more eps to give it a chance to click.
Another fair assessment. You aren't griping just for the sake of being contrarian. I can appreciate that.
shareIt truly is a fantastic show. Visually superb, and emotionally engaging.
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Never believe. Always question. Rebuke belief, a.k.a. bias, a.k.a. groupthink, a.k.a. ideology, the bane of skeptical, logical reason.
agreed it was great even started playing LoL again now that am I familiar with the lore
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