I realize that I’m probably the last person on the internet to say this, but I finally watched Arcane. It was recommended to me by many of my friends, including one of the ladies who beta read my book. She thought I would enjoy Arcane because it reminded her of The Reaper, and having now watched Arcane, I consider that to be high praise. All of the elements of this series came together to create a piece of cinema that was worth every bit of praise it has received since its release.

Film: I would absolutely love if the artistic quality of Arcane became the standard for fantasy productions in the future. I was particularly drawn to Arcane in the first place because of its soundtrack, which I had listened to prior to watching the series, but the way that the music was used in the episodes took it to a whole new level. While the characters and plot were outstanding, it was the usage of music, unique animation, and sometimes comic-book-esque film style that turned a great story into a work of art.

Characters: I loved almost all of the characters, and appreciated that even with a huge cast, the writers were still able to give each character their own complexities and motivations. The only characters who I did not feel this way about were Jayce and Caitlyn, whose actions and arcs felt predictable and less compelling. Aside from my conceptual critique of these two, I also simply did not like their characters.

I was drawn to the characters Viktor and Silco, who held a firm grip on my emotions for the entirety of the series. Silco was written in a very similar way to the character Silas from my novel. He is a villain by all accounts, but through the development of his story and relationships, you begin to become attached to his character in spite of his faults. I enjoyed the way that they explored his character through a mix of current events and flashbacks throughout both seasons.

I heard Viktor referred to as “a comfort character who has never received a day of comfort in his life,” and I feel like this is an accurate description of this character. Call me what you want, but I always love the “cinnamon roll” characters and nerdy characters, so it is not surprising that I grew attached to Viktor. From an analytical standpoint, he is an excellent example of a well written character arc, as he develops from a young man with a passion for science, all the way into a celestial being who is crushed by the weight of the failings of humanity. While this could be said of many characters in Arcane, I believe is the finest example of character growth in the series.

Plot: For reasons *completely* unrelated to my own writing, I am partial to plots that are fast paced, chaotic, and dense. While this can be a turn-off for some viewers, I absolutely love when I don’t fully understand each piece of the plot until the very end. While I do love this style, I do think that it was utilized better in the first season than the second. The second season was still incredible, but there were parts of the story that did feel slightly disjointed.

After watching Arcane, I understand why it became so popular over the last few years. It also gave me a spark of hope for the future of my book to know that there is other urban fantasy/crime content that has seen such monumental success in recent years. As a writer, fantasy nerd, and art connoisseur, I think that this is one of the best representations of fantasy in television that has been released. I hope to see more content in this style, and perhaps even see it used for an on-screen adaptation of The Reaper.