On September 25, 2021, Netflix released a trailer on every platform. Arcane’s trailer. Intriguing people due to it’s beautiful art and due to the fact that it was from the video game League of Legends, Netflix made them talk about it. Thoughts were divided. Indeed, while many people were intrigued by it, many others were already unhopeful about it, since it is not rare nowadays to have big video games companies making bad movies and series with no real “soul”, for money. They mostly thought it would have no impact, and would simply be forgotten like all the others.
And then, on November 6, 2021, It dropped. And boy, what an impact it had. Indeed, with 120 million hours watched and a top 1 ranking in more than 50 countries, Arcane knew how to make itself seen. But it doesn’t stop there! Arcane is today considered as a masterpiece by many and is the best graded series ever on Netflix.
“BUT HOW ?”, you’re probably thinking. Well, I did the research for you here at The High Arrow. And I will tell you everything. First of all, it’s a League Of Legends series. This may seem like a small factor, but it really is not. Riot Game is a company that has had an impact on video games for a long time now. Indeed, it’s game “League of Legends” has been and stayed one of the most famous video games industry for more than a decade now. More than the gameplay, its lore and characters played a big part in it’s popularity, due to the attachment that the players got. But it does not stop there. Indeed, a few years ago, League of Legends started expanding its universe, starting with music. “Legends Never Die” is today one of their most famous. They then started doing some k-pop (Koeran pop), collaborating with big stars such as Maddison bear for example. The big hype around these products was made easier due to the players, who loved seeing it expanding. This proved the company that was implementing it was the best way to have a real impact in pop culture. It is therefore not surprising that they ended up making a series. A risky bet, seeing how other series/movie adaptations failed at expressing the core idea of the product. But Riot Games went all in for it. And it ended up being a BIG success, notably due to the players who hyped it to a point that everyone wanted to watch it.
Second of all, it is really good ! Having players watching it is a good launch, but it certainly is not enough to get this series to the status it has today. Indeed, even though they’d watch it, players are not blank pages either. They have taste, and expect to be taken on a great, if not amazing, ride when they watch it. And guess what? This is exactly what happened. The enthusiasm of the fans about it brought the world’s interest to it. And it was really worth it. Indeed, as ratings started coming in, we quickly realized that it wasn’t just a good series, it was one of the best people had seen. It is indeed the best graded series ever on Netflix, and it’s script is considered as one of the best of the platform. But the story is not the only thing people realized was great.
The series is beautifully made, really.Indeed, Arcane is a beautiful series in every way possible. The storyline is really good and touchy and it manages to make you care about every single character, who all have a past and goals. But it doesn’t stop there. Indeed, the animation is simply unbelievably beautiful. You can clearly see that the animators cared about it and put love in it, because.. WOW. Some scenes are considered by many “masterpiece” scenes due to the extraordinary imagery, animation, but also music. Yes, you heard me right. The music of Arcane is also exceptional. With a whole playlist dedicated to it, Arcane managed to play with the music in the best ways, which makes scenes unbelievably magical (The end scene is a great example of this).
“Okay, the series is really good, but how does it change the industry?” You’re now thinking. Well, here is your answer :A game changer series.
Arcane might be a game changer for the movie and series industry. Indeed, screen adaptations from video games earned a bad reputation in people’s minds as years went by, as they were almost all considered bad by many people. It was therefore not necessarily good news when Riot Games announced that they were going to make one based on League Of Legends. Yes, players would give it a shot, but if it ended up being bad like the others, it would still quickly be forgotten. But no. Arcane broke records, and is considered as one of the best series on Netflix, it’s an enormous success. But not only a success for Riot games, indeed, having such a great video game adapted series gave the mainstream public a positive idea of these, which opened the door for the next ones to come. To emphasize on the success of Arcane, we can also look at the reaction from Riot Games to it. The company did not give a lot of money to the developer of the series to make it, as they weren’t sure if it would be a success. It therefore took over 6 years for the series to be completely made. It’s after seeing the enormous success that it got that Riot games decided to give way more means to the developers to make a second season.
But what exactly do people think about it ? We asked some IHS students, and the answers were as positive as we expected them to be.
“You’re not ready for the visuals!”, says Andrew Grimm, a 9th grader.
“Fight scenes are amazing”, says Christopher Norton, an 11th grader.
“I had no expectations, but it surprised me”, says Avery Olenchick, a 12th grader.
To conclude, Arcane is a great series, with amazing visuals, music, and storyline. It may define the future of video game- adapted movies/series forever, and we can’t wait to see what happens in season 2, as the production has already started.
By IHS High Arrow Staff The IHS High Arrow Staff would like to thank everyone for a wonderful 2023-2024 reporting season! Take a look at the link below for our “year in review.” See you next school year! High Arrow Year in Review 24-25
By Samantha Aljoe Beloved IHS teacher Mr. Eric Brocious is retiring after teaching for 32 years. Mr. Brocious has been a wonderful educator at IHS. He taught Computer Applications, Personal Finance I, Personal Finance II, and Web Page Design. He also advised the Senior Career Seminar and Future Business Leaders of America. Mr. Brocious strives to make sure his classroom is a safe and helpful place in the school. He is always providing students with constructive criticism. Mr. Brocious was able to see his students grow into wonderful people. After Mr. Brocious retires, he has plans he’s looking forward to. He shares that some of his goals are to “work in my business and travel with my wife, and be an IASD school board member.” He is also looking forward to “having some free time to do stuff that I would like to do.” Mr. Brocious has made many memories
By Ella Mosco and Cheyenne Rayba It is finally time at IHS to spring into the new sports season with Spring sports. The season has just begun and the teams have a great season ahead. The Boys’ Lacrosse team currently holds a record of 5-4. The boys’ team has continued to push forward in their season, trying to obtain a good WPIAL playoff seeding. Junior Domonic Lonetti mentions, “We are about to hit a very tough stretch of games, but we feel confident as a group that if we continue to take it one game at a time and do the little things right, those wins will come.” To accomplish this, the team is putting all of their efforts into practice to tie up any loose ends they may have. The Boys’ and Girls’ track team currently hold a record of 1-4. This year, the team seems to be at
By Emma Buterbaugh Many IHS students made the trip to Hershey, Pennsylvania, this year to compete at the Pennsylvania Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) State Leadership Conference (SLC). They competed for the chance to go to the National Leadership Conference (NLC) in Anaheim, California, in June. FBLA is a national organization that prepares students for careers in business. IHS’s FBLA chapter is the second largest club in the school, behind Key Club. Mr. Eric Brocious and Mr. Brian Schreyer, along with a group of officers, run the club. Students in the club often go above and beyond what is required or expected from them. Rocco Cosentino, a senior and the president of IHS’s FBLA chapter, expressed, “The students that made it to the state conference are often motivated and hard working. They go above and beyond to give effort by taking an objective test or making a presentation.” The
By Gabi Isenberg IHS welcomed a new attendance officer this month, Ms. MarCha Ellis. Ms. Ellis will be the new friendly face students encounter when they walk into the attendance office. Ms. Ellis, an IHS alumni, has joined the staff as the attendance officer, a change from her previous occupation as a direct care worker (DCW)/direct support professional (DSP), a profession in which she assisted people with disabilities. Ms. Ellis shares, “Working with people who are younger, going off into the real world afterward is kind of a career switch for me.” At IHS, Ms. Ellis’s daily duties consist of checking in students who come in late or get dismissed early. Additionally, she emails the coaches of student-athletes to inform them whether their athletes are in school for the day. She also commented, “The main purpose of this job is to keep track of kids’ attendance and find ways to
By Cheyenne Rayba IHS is welcoming Mrs. Stephenie Armstrong as the new administrative assistant in the main office. Armstrong joins the staff at the beginning of February and is excited to be part of our school community. Mrs. Armstrong grew up not far from Indiana, in Homer City. She graduated from Homer Center in 1996. After high school, Armstrong attended IUP where she graduated in the class of 2007, with a degree in art education. Prior to working here at IHS, Armstrong worked at REA Electric as a front office manager. Outside of IHS, Armstrong spends most of her time with her two sons and husband. Currently, Armstrong is working to train the family dog to become a bird dog for her sons. She also enjoys skiing in her free time with her family. Previously, she also ran and owned a sugar cookie business. Armstrong hopes to be able to
By IHS High Arrow Staff The IHS High Arrow Staff would like to thank everyone for a wonderful 2023-2024 reporting season! Take a look at the link below for our “year in review.” See you next school year! High Arrow Year in Review 24-25
By Samantha Aljoe Beloved IHS teacher Mr. Eric Brocious is retiring after teaching for 32 years. Mr. Brocious has been a wonderful educator at IHS. He taught Computer Applications, Personal Finance I, Personal Finance II, and Web Page Design. He also advised the Senior Career Seminar and Future Business Leaders
By Ella Mosco and Cheyenne Rayba It is finally time at IHS to spring into the new sports season with Spring sports. The season has just begun and the teams have a great season ahead. The Boys’ Lacrosse team currently holds a record of 5-4. The boys’ team has continued
By Emma Buterbaugh Many IHS students made the trip to Hershey, Pennsylvania, this year to compete at the Pennsylvania Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) State Leadership Conference (SLC). They competed for the chance to go to the National Leadership Conference (NLC) in Anaheim, California, in June. FBLA is a
By Gabi Isenberg IHS welcomed a new attendance officer this month, Ms. MarCha Ellis. Ms. Ellis will be the new friendly face students encounter when they walk into the attendance office. Ms. Ellis, an IHS alumni, has joined the staff as the attendance officer, a change from her previous occupation
By Cheyenne Rayba IHS is welcoming Mrs. Stephenie Armstrong as the new administrative assistant in the main office. Armstrong joins the staff at the beginning of February and is excited to be part of our school community. Mrs. Armstrong grew up not far from Indiana, in Homer City. She graduated
