Arcane: Season One – 4K & Blu-Ray Review

[tabs slidertype=”top tabs”] [tabcontainer] [tabtext]Synopsis[/tabtext] [tabtext]Distribution & Release[/tabtext] [tabtext]Directors & Writers[/tabtext] [tabtext]Cast[/tabtext] [tabtext]Cinematography, Editing & Music[/tabtext] [/tabcontainer] [tabcontent] [tab]Based on champions and lore from the League of Legends universe, Arcane follows the story of two orphaned sisters, Vi and Powder, as they fight to make a name for themselves in the derelict, underground alleyways of Zaun. Dreaming of a day when they can experience some of the wealth and opulence of the city of Piltover just above them, Vi, Powder, and friends undertake a seemingly simple heist that, unbeknownst to them, will forever alter their destinies and the fate of both cities. Arcane assembles a powerful cast of characters in a thrilling clash of power and politics as they grapple with magical forces beyond their understanding. Riot Games and Fortiche Productions bring the world of League of Legends to life with heart-wrenching storytelling and an animation style all its own in this Emmy-winning series.[/tab] [tab]Format: 4K & Blu-Ray

Distributed By: Sugoi

Where To Purchase: 4K SteelBook (JB Hi-Fi, Sugoi), Blu-Ray (JB Hi-Fi, Sugoi), Collector’s Edition (JB Hi-Fi, Sugoi) [/tab] [tab]Directors: Pascal Charrue, Arnaud Delord

Writers: Christian Linke, Alex Yee, Nick Luddington, Ash Brannon, David Dunne, Amanda Overton, Ben St. John, Mollie St. John[/tab] [tab]Hailee Steinfeld, Ella Purnell, Kevin Alejandro, Katie Leung, Jason Spisak, Toks Olagundoye, Harry Lloyd, JB Blanc, Reed Shannon, Mick Wingert, Amirah Vann, Ellen Thomas, Brett Tucker[/tab] [tab]Animation Studio: Fortiche

Theme Music: Imagine Dragons[/tab] [/tabcontent] [/tabs]

Arcane, based on the League of Legends video game from Riot Games, was a surprise hit in November 2021. It was a fantastic video game adaption with plenty for fans to enjoy and one of the best new series and animated projects of the year. We loved it here at Explosion Network and included Arcane in our list of the Best TV shows of 2021. Ahead of the release of Season Two, about three years later, the first season has finally been released on Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray, and it’s the best way to watch the show, guarantee you’ll own it forever, and be able to check out some new special features you can’t find on Netflix.

If you haven’t seen Arcane before, you’re in for a treat and shouldn’t let its MOBA video game basis be any sort of turn-off. Arcane is top to bottom, full of deep characters and an intriguing world; you’ll be glad you don’t have to wait years to watch more.

The series puts characters Vi and Powder (who will become Jinx), orphaned sisters who are just trying to survive in the underground city of Zaun, but end up as part of a powder-keg when a revolution begins to as those left to make ends meet in the slums barely begin to want to tear into those living in luxury above.

@explosionnetwork Arcane: Season One is out next week and we’re checking out the blu-ray right now! @riotgames #arcane #leagueoflegends #jinx #riotgames #cosplay #leagueoflegendsfanart #fanart #leagueoflegendsmemes #leagueoflegendscosplay #jinxarcane #arcanefanart #netflix #caitlyn #arcanecosplay #riot #viarcane #jinxcosplay #akali #ahri #arcanejinx #lolmemes #wildrift #lolfanart #league #digitalart #anime ♬ Enemy – from the series Arcane League of Legends – Imagine Dragons & JID & Arcane & League Of Legends

The animation from French studio Fortiche and Riot Games was a relationship forged in music videos for League of Legends, but this series solidified them as a animation powerful. Their mix of 2D and 3D animation makes for some of the most vibrant and visually engaging of 2021, and still in 2024, being nothing short of spectacular.

Not many Netflix series or movies get physical media releases, so it’s almost a sign of respect to how good Arcane is that it received one. And it wasn’t just chucked out into a Blu-ray Disc and onto the shelves of JB Hi-Fi either; it was released with three different editions, multiple discs, and most importantly, 4K with Dolby Vision.

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When Arcane was released, it was put onto Netflix at just 1080p, and although stunning animation makes for a phenomenal-looking series, there are also a lot of moments in the night or dark areas that look so much better on this 4K release. The contrast here is much better, especially watching this with 4K/Dolby Vision, where the colours pop like nothing else, and the 2D animated sequences shine like they never did before, with the artwork genuinely getting to see its day how it should be appreciated. If you’re looking for a new “demo disc” to show off your TV, Arcane is a great new addition to that catalogue.

The voice work from Hailee Steinfeld and Ella Purnell is the heart of the series here, and the soundtrack is one-of-a-kind with original songs, most famously from Imagine Dragons. All of these sound better here, as streaming channels just eat up the bitrate of audio files. But there’s a missed opportunity here to offer an Atmos mix, especially given the amount of time, and this wasn’t a rushed release.

The special features here are insightful dives into the series’ creation, from the story choices to the animation decisions. Four screen breakdowns are unique to this physical release. However, Bridging the Rift: The Making of Arcane, which is spread across multiple parts and hasn’t been put into one longer feature here, was released on YouTube. Given the amount of time between the release of this Blu-ray, I would have loved some more on the discs here. That said, if you haven’t seen Bridging The Rift before, it is a great behind-the-scenes look at the series.

Arcane – Season 1 in Australia was released in three different formats, all from Sugoi. A Blu-ray disc set, a 4K Steelbook and a Collector’s Edition with both 4K and Blu-ray discs. Sugoi supplied me with the Blu-ray to review, but I decided to go out and pick-up the Collector’s Edition as well so I could check out the 4K discs. As long as you have a 4K player, the Collector’s Edition or the Steelbook with the 4K discs is the way to go — it looks substantially better on 4K with the colours mentioned above, contrast and high resolution, of course.

@explosionnetwork 6-discs, a cloth, dice and more in the Collectors Edition of Arcane make it a must-own for fans! #Arcane, #ArcaneNetflix, #LeagueOfLegends, #LoLArcane, #ArcaneFanArt, #ArcaneEdit, #JinxArcane, #ViArcane, #ArcaneCosplay, #ArcaneSeries, #ArcaneMemes, #ZaunAndPiltover, #Runeterra, #ArcaneReactions, #ArcaneSeason2 ♬ RISE – League of Legends & Mako & The Word Alive

(The Blu-Ray was provided to Explosion Network for our review.
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