This animated series is set in the twin cities of Piltover and Zaun. The former is a utopian city where citizens have an easy life with access to all the latest technology; the latter is a dystopian, squalid underground city whose inhabitants struggle to survive. As the series opens we are introduced to a group of youngsters, from Zaun, led by a girl named Violet who enter Piltover and steal from a house belonging to scientist Jayce Talis. Violet's little Sister, Powder, takes several glowing blue crystals... as they flee the scene she drops one and it explodes destroying the building. The group are now hunted, and following her loss of other items Powder is considered a Jinx. In what follows we are introduced to more key characters; an underworld crime lord named Silco; Caitlyn Kiramman, the daughter of a city councillor who later joins the Enforcers (Piltover Police) and Viktor; a young man who works with Jayce in his investigation of finding practical uses for magic. Over the course of the series there will be changes in characters as events impact on them and dynamics change.
I must admit I know nothing of the games on which this series is based so can't say how it compares... however I can say, based on the first season, as a standalone piece of entertainment it is pretty amazing if you are a fan of the genre. The opening episode got me gripped with its amazingly realised world and interesting characters. Events in the third episode leads to major changes for our protagonists; several years pass before the next episode and when we return things are more intense... the loss of certain characters makes one wonder if anybody is safe. Some characters are clearly our heroes and others are set up as villains but morally they are more shades of grey rather than black and white. The animation is fantastic; in crowd scenes everybody seems to be moving naturally. The character designs are good; they have a slight anime feel, although that might be down to Violet and Powder having pink and blue hair respectively. The voice acting is also impressive; it never felt cartoony. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to anybody who enjoys sci-fi with a steampunk aesthetic; even if you aren't usually a fan of animation I'd recommend giving it a go... I can't wait for season two!
I must admit I know nothing of the games on which this series is based so can't say how it compares... however I can say, based on the first season, as a standalone piece of entertainment it is pretty amazing if you are a fan of the genre. The opening episode got me gripped with its amazingly realised world and interesting characters. Events in the third episode leads to major changes for our protagonists; several years pass before the next episode and when we return things are more intense... the loss of certain characters makes one wonder if anybody is safe. Some characters are clearly our heroes and others are set up as villains but morally they are more shades of grey rather than black and white. The animation is fantastic; in crowd scenes everybody seems to be moving naturally. The character designs are good; they have a slight anime feel, although that might be down to Violet and Powder having pink and blue hair respectively. The voice acting is also impressive; it never felt cartoony. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to anybody who enjoys sci-fi with a steampunk aesthetic; even if you aren't usually a fan of animation I'd recommend giving it a go... I can't wait for season two!