After its first season’s release in 2021, Arcane received critical acclaim and was praised for its animation, story, worldbuilding, action sequences, characters, and more. It also turned out to be a hit for viewers who had never played Riot Games’ League of Legends, on which it is based, becoming the highest-rated series on Netflix just a week after its premiere. It was even dubbed one of the best video game adaptations ever made. That said, this shouldn’t come as a surprise after its producer, studio Fortiche, revealed classic anime and manga that inspired the hit series.
In an interview with Crunchyroll at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2024 to promote Fortiche’s new project, Penelope of Sparta, the studio’s co-founder Pascal Charrue discussed the influences that helped Arcane become a smash hit. The company per se draws inspiration from the anime and manga worlds as it “offers unparalleled narrative and visual richness.”
“With characters like Jinx, it’s natural to think of masters like Satoshi Kon (Paprika, Perfect Blue),” he said. “Kon explores complex themes such as paranoia and identity loss, and he creates animated films that are aimed at adult audiences, which aligns perfectly with Fortiche's ambitions.”
The director also revealed that they were influenced by the Yawara!, Monster, and 20th Century Boys mangaka Naoki Urasawa, who gave his secondary characters the same approach as his main characters. It was the same thing that Fortiche was trying to do, giving every character the same depth and importance to enrich the world of their stories.
In addition, the 1995 anthology movie Memories by the creators Kon, Koji Morimoto, and Katsuhiro Otomo also significantly influenced Arcane. Charrue learned that these three admired the renowned director Stanley Kubrick and other globally famous live-action filmmakers in a documentary. From there, he found that the intersection of live-action sensibilities and animated storytelling deeply resonated with Fortiche.
“We aim to blend these elements to create something truly unique.”
Pascal Charrue Discusses How Fortiche Scales Up Its Production for Arcane Seasons 1 and 2
Fortiche initially focused on producing advertisements, music videos, and other gaming cinematics until it became big and produced Arcane Seasons 1 and 2. After going through several transformation phases, it eventually scaled up its production, which started with a Gorillaz music video that showed its ability to meet international creative standards.
“Our turning point came when Christian Linke, Arcane's showrunner, was captivated by the creative direction and overall aesthetic we developed in the La Gaviota music video,” he said.
This collaboration led to their partnership, including the flagship Get Jinxed in 2013. This significantly impacted their dynamics, influencing them to scale up to meet the demands of Riot Games’ projects. From there, they started building a team of talented people that ultimately paved the way for their expansion.
“With Arcane Season 1 and 2, we embraced organic growth, building a team of talented and dedicated individuals who formed solid departments across the board,” he continued.
Nobody could have imagined that Arcane would become as big as it is today. As many are now eagerly awaiting its upcoming second season, it may experience the same level of success as the first, if not surpass it.
Arcane Season 2 is set to release in November on Netflix.
