In my last post, I dared to suggest that Survivor was, in fact, not garbage. Today, I’m here to talk about another underappreciated TV masterpiece: Studio Fortiche and Riot Games’ brilliant Netflix show, Arcane.
Sci-fi/fantasy? Check. Based on a video game? Check. Animated? Check. At a glance, the show is practically on its hands and knees begging boring people not to take it seriously. But unlike with Survivor, I don’t actually need to defend Arcane’s quality because every real human being who’s watched the show understands it to be phenomenal.
Instead, I want to talk about why, despite Arcane’s irrefutable greatness, the show isn’t as popular as it deserves to be. Arcane should have been the next Game of Thrones; a lot of people who actually watched it even favorably compared the two. Both impeccably written shows feature a mature ensemble cast and tell a sprawling, political narrative set in a violent fantasy world. Analogous genres aside, there are of course differences between the two shows, but I refuse to believe that the massive disparity in popularity between the two is because GoT happens to have more naked people; I think it’s more likely because Arcane happens to be animated.
Animation is still in such a weird place because- in a lot of ways- it’s treated like a genre, not a medium. Despite the fact that people have been making mature, animated works for decades, the medium seems perpetually relegated to G-rated status in the eyes of not only the general public but many critics as well. It’s common knowledge that any animated feature that doesn’t look, smell, and taste like a Disney or Pixar film is doomed once the awards season rolls around. Source: The Wind Rises losing to Frozen at the 2013 Oscars (kill me). And things aren’t much better in the realm of TV animation. Beyond programming targeted at kids, adult comedy is really the only other genre with an established place in the mainstream.
Case in point, when Arcane deservedly won the award for “Outstanding Animated Program” at the 2022 Emmys, it did so by beating The Simpsons, Rick & Morty, and Bob’s Burgers. Now I’m not here to pass judgment on the depth or quality of the other nominees, but it shouldn’t have taken an entire panel of judges to recognize that one of those things was not like the others. There are exceptions, but the point is that the vast majority of popular animated television shows are defined by a consistent, limited set of generic terms- not to mention comparably similar, 2D animation styles. As creators, consumers, and critics we have collectively divined a self-fulfilling prophecy that restricts the types of stories allowed to be told through animation. Which is a shame, because as Arcane convincingly proves, the medium is capable of so much more.
Arcane is a gem but that almost doesn’t matter because it currently sits at a medium/genre crossroads that frankly doesn’t exist yet; the show is masterfully pushing too many envelopes for its own good. I say almost, though, because I have faith that things will change. In the years since Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse dropped there’s been an uptick in mature animated films with unique art styles finding commercial success. Even if Arcane didn’t originally release to Marvel levels of cacophonous fanfare, I truly believe that it has the potential to become a similarly trailblazing piece of media. People just need to spot the damn flame.
Even having set such a high bar for itself, I’m optimistic that future installments of Arcane will be incredible. And if the show continues to deliver, hopefully more people will start to take notice. Speaking of which, with the second season slated to drop later this year, there has never been a better time to check out Arcane. So if a violent, sci-fi/fantasy, political drama that happens to be animated sounds like your special stew, then give the show a try. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Although here’s hoping that won’t be the case forever.