Arcane and Edgerunners
While on my vacation a few weeks ago, away from my PC, I finally found the time to watch both Arcane (e.g. the League of Legends-based show) and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Here are my thoughts:
Arcane: Season 1
An amazingly compelling and nuanced show that is better than it really has any right to be. Arcane is at a quality level that it makes you start thinking that Riot created League of Legends as a means to fund the development of Arcane, the thing that they wanted to make all along.
The overall show follows the life of Vi and Powder, two sisters growing up in the undercity slums, and how they try to survive amidst gang wars and oppression from enforcers from the city proper. A series of unfortunate events breaks them apart, and their differing paths through the developing tension between the upper and lower cities forms the backbone of the plot.
I really don’t know what else to say about Arcane. I have never played League of Legends nor have delved into any character lore to see if anything in the show is “accurate.” None it really matters, as the show stands on its own. In fact, outside of a few moments late in the series where there is clearly some “ultimate ability fan service,” you probably wouldn’t ever know it was based on a game.
In any case, whether or not you choose to invest the time in watching Arcane for yourself, I highly recommend at least listening to What Could Have Been and Goodbye. The overall soundtrack is next-level, with a wide range of genres and tempo, but those two in particular elevate the experience.
I am eagerly awaiting the release of Season 2, which is coming out soon.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is a Japanese anime based within the Cyberpunk 2077 game world. It follows the life of David Martinez, a teenager who is thrust onto the merciless streets of Night City after a senseless tragedy. Mirroring the base game themes, we see how David tries to make a life for himself despite being surrounded by violence and corruption and cyberpsychosis at every turn.
I watched Edgerunners with the English dub, and that is something I recommend too – the quality is excellent, but the real treat was hearing the same sort of Cyberpunk slang (choom, gonk, flatlined, etc) that you do in-game. Indeed, seeing as how I watched the anime after having played the game in which they added Edgerunner gear as bonus items, it felt as if I were literally watching an in-game show.
Overall, I enjoyed the kinetic, violent affair, but recognize that it might not be for everyone (especially the squeamish). If you liked playing Cyberpunk 2077, you owe it to yourself to watch the show. If you didn’t, but enjoy the cyberpunk genre and are okay with over-the-top gore, then go for it. There is a ton of drama, tragedy, and an impeccable soundtrack (some of which come direct from the game radio).
Posted on August 14, 2024, in Impressions and tagged Anime, Arcane, Cyberpunk 2077, League of Legends, Riot Games, Soundtrack. Bookmark the permalink. 4 Comments.
In An Age 
Arcane is indeed amazing. As someone who plays the game, there is a good bit of fan service with a lot of the characters and some of the action scenes, but as you note, it’s not done in a way that breaks up the story flow. A bit sad season 2 is the last one.
LikeLike
I loved Edgerunners. So much so that I’m sitting here wearing a T-shirt with Rebecca’s face on as I type.
I passed on Arcane because I thought it would be for fans of the game only (Not sure why I made that assumption when I didn’t think the same about Edgerunners but there you go…) I’ll add it to the list now I know there’s no special game knowledge needed.
LikeLike
You may have avoided making this point quite intentionally, apologies if so, but I’m curious if you’ve come away with a favourite or preferred of the two.
It became something of a debate in my friend-group shortly after both had finished airing. Our views were certainly mixed, although acknowledging beyond the fact they were both animated stories loosely based on a game property that released at roughly similar times, there were still shooting for different enough story telling styles that personal preference played a large factor in our decisions.
For myself, it was Arcane, without even a question — despite the fact I very much enjoyed Edgerunners as well — but I also can’t quite help but to shake the feeling this might’ve been due to some extent with more familiarity with the game it was based on than I was with CP/Edgerunners.
LikeLike
Of the two, Arcane is a clear winner.
With Edgerunners, it was good, and it definitely fit into the Cyberpunk 2077 narrative like a glove. But… that’s exactly my problem with it. I didn’t like 2077’s ending and by association I didn’t like Edgerunners’ ending for the same reasons. When I ask myself “what actually happened at the end of this show?” it’s hard to answer. Night City grinding people into dust is a theme of the setting, and that’s fine. But that doesn’t mean I enjoy the grinding and the dust.
The spectacle? Fantastic. The fights? Entertaining. The dialog? Pretty amusing. The journey was fine. The destination… not so much. And while Arcane has a certain level of bleakness and tragedy to its own conclusion, at least things are changing. Night City never changes.
LikeLiked by 1 person