Fuck. I think I’ve watched Arcane five or six times now (seven?) and every time, every fucking time, I cry at the end. I feel too deeply for these characters. Everything’s just so damn plausible with regard to their interpersonal relationships. It’s one of the few shows that I keep returning to for its depth of characters. And the conditions under which the show closes?
A family member who works in animation was explaining to me the sheer amount of money that was poured into each episode. He claimed a million per episode, which is, apparently, insanely high for an animated series. Upon looking it up, however, I learned that the costs of production were closer to 10 million per episode.
Holy fuck.
Riot Games spared no expense, wanting to create an experience that would wow both long time League of Legends players and newcomers alike, and they fucking succeeded. In its debut, Arcane jumped to number one on Netflix, netting them over one billion USD as of the last estimates in profitability. Now, cost alone cannot determine a successful series. Though coupled with the six years it took to bring this series to life, the potential was high that this series would turn out to be a success.
You know what else took six years in production? Dune. Frank Herbert spent six years in writing and researching before the completed version of the first book in the Dune Chronicles ever surfaced, ready to be published. Almost 60 years later, this work is hailed as one of the most important pieces of literature in science fiction, and political scholars continue to return to the series as its themes remain relevant despite a constantly changing political landscape.
I’m not saying that Arcane is on par with Dune. I am saying that six years of focused effort can produce something absolutely magical, as exemplified in these two pieces of media. In any case, I’m a huge fan of both and hold a deep appreciation for the stories they tell and styles in which they are told.
Anyway, here’s a poster of @eveel and @pisces from their set You’re Hot, Cupcake, a nod to the show and the only Arcane-related set I was able to find that didn’t center on Jinx. Mind you, Jinx is one of my favorite characters of all time, but I already created a Jinx-oriented poster in Arcane, Again, so I wanted to highlight a different character. This works though, as Caitlyn and Vi are my second and third favorite characters from the show, respectively.
