The Netflix series Arcane, a collaboration between Riot Games and Studio Fortiche, is an animated show based on the popular computer game League of Legends. Science fiction author Zach Chapman loved Arcane, despite having never played League of Legends.
“You don’t have to have any knowledge of the game,” Chapman says in Episode 536 of the Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast. “In fact, less knowledge of the game is even better. It doesn’t need any of that. It just works really great as a standalone show.”
Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy host David Barr Kirtley was blown away by the show’s visual style, a distinctive blend of 2D and 3D elements. “I’m looking forward to seeing more of this art style,” he says. “You can freeze any frame, and it looks like a really good illustration from a Dungeons & Dragons manual. So I think it’s super cool.”
Fantasy author Lara Elena Donnelly was excited to see an animated series that contains complex characters and adult themes. “There are parts of it that almost feel like you’re watching a Scorsese cop movie where no one is good,” she says. “Everyone has their own agenda, everyone thinks their way is the best way, and they’re all trying to play each other. It has a lot of sophisticated power dynamics that are very surprising in an animated video game adaptation.”
Fantasy author Erin Lindsey also enjoyed Arcane, but warns that the show doesn’t really hit its stride until Episode 3. “I think the first couple of episodes can lull you into a sense that you’ve seen these plot beats before and that you’ve seen this story before,” she says. “You haven’t. It will surprise you again and again.”
Listen to the complete interview with Zach Chapman, Lara Elena Donnelly, and Erin Lindsey in Episode 536 of Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy. And check out some highlights from the discussion below.
