Arcane ended on Netflix on November 23, 2024. An acclaimed animated series, its universe adapted from League of Legends has continued to expand.
Fans are in mourning: Arcana ended on November 23, 2024, at the end of its second season. Acclaimed for its visual prowess, praised for its plot and its characters, the animated series will have definitely created an event during its three years of broadcast.
Because no, there will be no season 3 ofArcana. This is what the co-creator of the series, Christian Linke, explained last June, explaining that he had concluded the arc of Vi and Jinx. According to information from Variety, Riot Games and Fortiche Studios had the original plan to extend the series over five seasons.
But due to a pharaonic cost linked to labor and budget overruns (estimated at $250 million according to the American media, which would make it the most expensive animated series in history with only 18 episodes), the ambitions had to be lowered.
Three spin-off series in preparation
But if the arc of Vi, Jinx, Jayce and Viktor found a conclusion at the end of this second season, that does not mean that we will not find the universe of League of Legends in an animated series. Christian Linke said thatArcana “is only the beginning of our journey to tell a larger story, and it is only the beginning of our partnership with the wonderful Parisian animation studio Fortiche.” The opportunity to discover new champions, but also to new lands of Runeterra.
Christian Linke confirmed on Twitch that he is working on three spin-off series: these will not take place in Piltover and Zaun, but will reveal the still unknown regions of Noxus, Ionia and Demacia. With characters seen in Arcana back? Only the future will tell us. In the meantime, you can rewatch the two complete seasons ofArcana on Netflix.
serial sheet
Two sisters, Vi and Powder, are taken in after the death of their parents by Vander, the leader of the rebels and mayor of the poor and underground district of Zaun, located not far from the prosperous town of Piltover. Years later, during a heist gone wrong in Piltover, Vi and Powder discover mysterious crystals in an apartment they attempt to rob. The story of the two young girls, but also of several key characters in the city, will then be completely turned upside down.
For American voices:
- Hailee Steinfeld as Vi
- Ella Purnell: Powder / Jinx
- Kevin AlejandroJayce
- Harry Lloyd as Viktor
- Katie Leung: Caitlyn
- Jason Spisak: Silco
- Toks Olagundoye: Mel
- JB White: Vander
- Remy Hii: Marcus
- Reed Shannon as Ekko
For French voices:
- Alice Taurand: Vi
- Adeline Chetail: Powder / Jinx
- Franck Sportis: Jayce
- Cédric Dumont as Victor
- Elsa Davoine as Caitlyn
- Bernard Gabay: Silco
- Géraldine Asselin: Mel
- Boris Rehlinger as Vander
- Jim Redler: Marcus
- Aurélien Raynal: Ekko
Arcane is not broadcast on television and can only be seen in streaming. All you need is a Netflix account to discover the series which has two seasons. Remember that a subscription to the streaming platform is paid, and that the price can vary from 5.99 euros/month (with advertisements) to 19.99 euros/month.
Acclaimed by critics and the public, many describe Arcana of “masterpiece”, when it does not appear in first position of the best Netflix original series of all time. If season 2 didn’t tick all the boxes, we can only advise you to take a look at Arcana if you haven’t already. No need to be familiar with the League of Legends universe, since the writing is precise enough to make the series accessible to newbies, while remaining enjoyable for players.
The immense strong point ofArcanaand what makes it such an acclaimed and qualitative series are its ambitions. The creators of the series are constantly renewing animation and photography, using numerous techniques in the service of their narratives (particularly in season 2, particularly visually rich), to offer a visual punch to each episode. The dubbing as well as the original soundtrack which accompanies each of the sequences live up to the visual ambitions of this animated series for adults. Arcana serves Netflix subscribers a great show in each episode.
On a narrative level, the first season ofArcana was a real feat. It took everyone by surprise by developing head-on the irreconcilable rupture of two sisters who were once accomplices, by reflecting a class struggle between a luxurious city and a poor city. All part of a political game and scientific research that goes beyond their characters. As such, the first season is excellent in making all these intrigues coexist and offering the (very numerous) characters all the dimension they deserve.
On the other hand, season 2 gives more the impression of being rushed. This is mainly due to the drastic reduction in the number of episodes. Too many plots to wrap up in too little time. This is done at the expense of the essential themes of the series (the political reflections on the creation of a police state, the class struggles between the two cities are neglected), the clarity of the plot and a fluid evolution. characters, but never without emotion.
Writing-wise, Season 2 (especially the first three episodes) may not have lived up to stratospheric expectations, but that doesn’t mean it was a dud. Where clarity and thematic ambitions have been lost, emotion has always been there, particularly in the last episodes. Arcana remains a serial gem of which too few are made, always impressive and moving, aiming for excellence in each shot. Despite its flaws at the end, we can’t wait to see what Fortiche and Riot Games have in store for Netflix subscribers in the future.
How is created Arcana ?
The fans understood this with season 1, Arcana is definitely not an animated series like any other and is extremely costly in terms of time and investment, hence the three-year wait between the two seasons. In a conference in the presence of journalists and French animation students in Paris, before the release of season 2, the producers of the series detailed the process of creating the new episodes: “up to a year can pass between writing the script of an episode and its production”, detail Pascal Charrue, founder of Fortiche and co-director of season 2, Bart Maunoury, executive creator, Kianna Manker, producer and Amanda Overton, script editor.
Although the series does not use motion capture at all, the animators film themselves to detail the scenes before animating them, in order to adopt a “semi-realistic” style. “On average, we produce half a second per day per presenter,” they said. And to tease season 2, “in the continuity of the first graphically speaking, but better”. Just that.
However, such ambition entails numerous costs. According to information from the American media Variety, Arcana would have cost more than 250 million dollars for its two seasons (production and promotion, a cost which has however not been confirmed by Riot Games), becoming the most expensive animated series in history with “only” 18 episodes. The English-speaking media, however, assures that the series will not be profitable for the studio, and will allow it, at best, to cover its costs.