Netflix’s Arcane series, based on the video game League of Legends, is proving to be a huge hit.
The steampunk-style show focuses on the tension between two cities, one for the rich and one poorer, and features League of Legends characters Jinx, Caitylyn, Viktor, Jayce, and Vi. Viewers have flocked to social media to share their appreciation for the series – and not all of them were already fans of the game.
“Before this show I literally couldn’t care less about League lore. Thought it was boring and trash. This is one of the best animated shows I’ve ever seen. Absolute brilliance. Maybe the best thing Riot has ever done,” said writer Tyler Erzberger (opens in new tab) on Twitter.
“I know nothing about League of Legends but holy cow Arcane is fun to watch! Stylized, non-photo real, painterly CGI. Cinematic action. Likeable characters. And just ridiculously good hand drawn 2d FX animation as the cherry on top,” wrote Brock Gallagher (opens in new tab) of Warner Bros. Animation.
“The first episode of Arcane was insanely good, cannot wait to watch the rest. Blew all expectations I had tbh,” said another viewer (opens in new tab).
“Batch one of Arcane was so good, can’t wait for next week,” commented another watcher (opens in new tab) – Arcane is being released weekly in three episode installments, with the next episodes dropping November 13, and the final three landing on November 20.
Meanwhile, over on Reddit (opens in new tab), one user posted: “I just watched the first 3 episodes with my friend, and we were both left absolutely speechless. My friend has never played a game of league in his life, yet the show hit him just as hard as me.” (H/T Forbes (opens in new tab))
“So, thank you everyone who got this post in my Reddit feed. I don’t know anything about league of legends. The animation, music, voice acting, and story so far are just fantastic,” one user (opens in new tab) replied.
“100 per cent agree, I got bored last night and decided to give it a go, knowing nothing about League of Legends I ended up watching the entire 3 episodes in one sitting,” another answered (opens in new tab).
The star-studded voice cast for Arcane features Hawkeye’s Hailee Steinfeld, Army of the Dead‘s Ella Purnell, Harry Potter’s Katie Leung, and Game of Thrones’ Harry Lloyd.
You can watch the first three episodes on Netflix now – and if you’re all caught up, check out our guide to the best Netflix shows to fill out your watchlist.