After three years of waiting, Arcane Season 2 is finally here. With the first Act of the final season now on Netflix, does the series maintain the grit, charm, and stellar animation that made the first season so great? Thankfully, it does, but not without some bumps along the way.
Before other series, such as The Last of Us or Fallout, which garnered praise for ending the “Video Game Adaptation Curse,” Arcane Season 1 defied expectations with its creative approach to League of Legends lore years earlier. The three-act structure and weekly release of the nine-episode first season helped to tell an incredibly engaging story with breathtaking animation from Studio Fortiche. Moreover, Arcane Season 1 did something very few adaptations with extensive lore manage to do: be a series that newcomers unfamiliar with League of Legends can enjoy, as well as diehard fans with extensive knowledge of the lore of the video game.
The cliffhanger at the end of the first season left fans clamoring for more, and thankfully, Arcane Season 2 picks up right where the last episode left off, in the wake of Jinx’s (Ella Purnell) terrorist attack on the Piltover Council. After the dust settles, tensions between Piltover and Zaun are higher than ever, with Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) intent on finally bringing her sister down once and for all. Along for the ride is Caitlyn (Katie Leung), whose mother tragically died in Jinx’s attack in the season 1 finale.
Things feel bleaker at the start of Arcane Season 2, and the series wastes no time setting its characters up for emotionally cathartic encounters. However, some structural problems in the series, especially in its montages and needle drops, make some story beats not feel as impactful as the world-building and character development in the first season. Despite such woes, Studio Fortiche doesn’t miss a beat with its absolutely gorgeous animation.
The soundtrack can sometimes feel overwhelming, with the licensed music and new original songs almost drowning out the chaos on screen. It all feels in service to the steampunk aesthetic of the series and its origins in a video game upheld by countless music video promotions. Thankfully, it doesn’t take away from the magic Studio Fortiche is concocting on our screen with the vivid and detailed animation. It isn’t just in the fights, either—the expressions and feelings of the characters are immaculately put to the screen and do justice to the emotional performances of the voice actors.
The mix of 2D and 3D animation with hand-drawn or painted backgrounds makes the world of League of Legends pop out even more. The visceral action that was so beloved in the first season returns here, with each character having a unique weight and movement to their fights, making every experience in each episode feel fresh and exciting. Arcane Season 2 cleverly weaves in 2D smoke and other fighting effects to give a surreal look to the conflict and manages to stay colorful and pop on the screen despite its darker subject matter and themes.
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The continuing themes of class division, war, and corruption are more prevalent than ever in the second season, with the initial episodes exploring the consequences of the all-out war that’s ignited between Piltover and Zaun. Arcane proves that it isn’t just about its flashy fights but can also explore the political maneuvering and varying motives of its wide array of characters. Other series, no matter the medium, often struggle to balance the amount of character that Arcane has, making this second season and the series as a whole incredibly ambitious in its narrative.
Besides Vi and Caitlyn’s hunt for Jinx, there’s also the plot of Jayce’s (Kevin Alejandro) and Victor’s (Harry Lloyd) experimentation with the Hexcore and Hextech. Following the attack on the council, Vicotr merges with the Hexcore and transforms into something else entirely. Jayce continues his reckoning with the technological developments he made and even reunites with his old mentor, Heimerdinger, along with Ekko, to investigate an unknown dark consequence of his innovations in the series.
Jayce’s plotline is a prime example of the exposition that can sometimes feel overwhelming but always serves the story. One of the best examples of the plotlines intersecting is in the third episode of the series, with Jayce’s story indirectly affecting an intense and climactic battle between Vi and Jinx. It’s in scenes like these that everything that makes Arcane great shines: creative editing that highlights the raw choreography of the fights and the emotional story they tell, and, of course, a clever needle drop that speaks to both story arcs simultaneously.
Arcane Season 2 is a perfect example of the power of the animation medium. Paired with impressive writing, the series takes the scattered and all-encompassing lore of League of Legends and transforms it into an incredibly engaging narrative about the Revolutionary War and the cost of progress. Vi and Jinx’s story has evolved the characters so dramatically throughout two seasons you can’t help but feel invested in where their story goes. The worlds of Piltover and Vaun are so impressively developed that each one feels so distinct and helps to make the war between them feel authentic in the most tragic way possible.
It remains to be seen if Arcane Season 2 will stick the landing with its final batch of episodes on November 23rd. However, with their impressive track record thus far in the series, it’s hard to see Studio Fortiche and all the talented writers and directors dropping the ball. Despite a somewhat crowded narrative and unnecessary musical montages, Arcane Season 2 is an ambitious work of art, with every frame of its animation feeling like a chaotic and beautiful painting.
Arcane Season 2 Act I is Now Streaming on Netflix, with Act II Streaming on November 16 and Act III on November 23
Published: Nov 10, 2024 08:00 pm