Arcane Season 2 Review:

Arcane season 2 cements itself as one of the greatest animated series of all time, but while entertaining it lost part of what made it so intriguing in the first place

Credit: Fortiche Studios

Last week, Netflix finished airing the second season of its highly anticipated show Arcane: League of Legends. Like season 1, this season was released in three acts, with Act l premiering on November 9th and Act lll premiering on November 23rd. In my opinion, Arcane Season 2 is a great season for television but this season didn’t tie the bow on the series as well as I wanted to. Before we begin the review, allow me to add some context

Arcane is based on the infamous video game League of Legends. It follows two sisters, Vi and Jinx, as they are caught in escalating tensions between two opposing cities: the wealthy and innovative Piltover and the oppressed underground of Zaun. After a devastating event leaves the two separated, the two sisters must find a way to reunite-but after all that’s happened can the two really be sisters again?

Arcane Season 1 surprised me in so many ways. Video game adaptations have a history of being very hit-or-miss. It’s hard translating a story across different storytelling mediums; even great video games such as Borderlands and Uncharted have disappointing adaptations. When I heard of another video game adaptation being released, let alone one based on League of Legends of all things, to say I was pessimistic would be an understatement

Having seen it I can confirm that any doubts I had about the season were wrong.Its animation is nothing short of breathtaking. Each frame is so meticulously crafted and the attention to detail is insane. The animation is complemented by a talented voice cast including talent Hailee Steinfeld as Vi, Ella Purnell as Jinx and Katie Leung as Caitlyn Kirammen. But in my opinion, the best thing about Arcane was its characters. Arcane has this ability to create such flawed yet deeply sympathetic characters, each interesting in their own way

The show has not left my mind since I watched it for the first time around 3 years ago. I was hyped about season 2 and having now seen it I feel..disappointed. This isn’t to say that Arcane Season 2 is bad I had a good time with it, but so many of the things that made Arcane Season 1 so great have been lost along the way here. The show set a high standard for itself; unfortunately, I don’t think it lived up to it. But alas, let’s get into the review

Spoilers for Arcane Season 2

Credit: Fortiche Studios

At the end of Season 1, Jinx launches a missile attack towards the council. Season 2 picks up right where the last one left off and we see the attack's aftermath. Councillors Irius Bolbok, Torman Hoskel, & Cassandra Kirammen die in the attack, Victor ends up in an unconscious state and Mel and Jayce leave the attack unscathed. This attack happened right before the council made a unanimous decision for there to be peace between Zaun and Piltover. I think the universal assumption was that after this attack there was going to be some war between the opposing cities, and for a while, the season seemed to be setting this up as well but then it never happens

This speaks to how poorly the conflict between Zaun and Piltover is handled. The conflict between the two cities was one of the most interesting aspects of season 1; in season 2, it’s practically non-existent. What’s even more frustrating about this is how it’s resolved. The cities end up coming together to defeat Victor and Ambessa and suddenly they live in peace with Sevika(Ammirah Vann) being given a place in the council. This ending is disappointing for so many reasons. Firstly, the two cities didn’t have time to work out their differences and come up with a solution going forward. Sevika being put on the council is not only sudden but also would make no difference. The council is still filled with counsellors who do not care for the people of the undercity and Sevika’s presence will not change that. Secondly giving the two a common enemy to resolve their differences is the cheapest way to end this storyline.

Another problem that Arcane suffers from is its pacing. Arcane has so many ideas to get through and as a result, it speedruns through all of them. Plot points that should have been given more time i.e. Caitlyn's dictatorship arc, Vi’s pit fighter arc and the civil war in Zaun are dropped almost as soon as they are introduced or given very little time to develop properly, leaving the arcs to feel incomplete and incoherent. The show feels like it’s rushing towards something but I’m not sure what it’s rushing to.

But in my opinion, the most disappointing thing about Arcane season 2 was its characters. The characters were such an integral part of what made the first season good and it is disappointing to see them not be handled with as much care as they were first season. A large part of the cast including Jayce, Mel, Ekko and Heimerdinger are sent away from the central conflict for a large majority of this season. It comes off as if the writers didn’t know how to fit them into the overall narrative so they just opted not to. They're given very little screentime and in the little screentime they are given the storylines are treated like an afterthought of this season. Mel is the biggest perpetrator of this. She’s shipped off for the black rose storyline which is not only the weakest one of the season but is such a waste for her character. Mel was one of my favourite characters in season 1, and it’s partly due to her relationship with her mother and her involvement in the political scene within Piltover. To see her play such a minimal role in Season 2 was a little disappointing, although it was cool to see her and her newfound abilities.

For the characters that do stay in the central narrative, the majority of them are still compelling but their storylines again needed some more time to feel truly impactful. Take Vi and Jinx’s relationship for example. They spend the first act of the season attempting to kill each and 2 episodes later they become sisters again. This shift in the relationship feels sudden and unearned. The rapid change in relationships can be seen throughout many characters in Arcane and while I understand why it happens, the pacing makes it feel like it doesn’t happen organically but because the plot requires it too

Credit: Fortiche studios

However, this isn’t to say that I dislike Arcane Season 2

The animation in this season continues to be absolutely stunning and at times manages to surpass the quality of Season 1. It’s filled with breathtaking stills(such as the ones featured in this post) that I need to be plastered around my bedroom walls. As always the voice acting is incredible with each VA fully immersing themselves in the role. The soundtrack and score are on point. I have several tracks on my daily rotation and while I may not listen to the other they complement the scenes they are in really well. The fight scenes are equally as impressive

Despite my earlier critiques of the characters, I still think the majority of them are well-written. Ambessa(Ella Thomas) is one of my favourite villains in recent memory. Everything from her design to her voice screams strong and threatening. While she doesn’t quite fill the hole that Silco left she still is a formidable force this season. Viktor and Jayce’s storylines this season are equally as interesting. While I think it could’ve been executed better it is still an interesting exploration of humanity's faults and a cautionary tale on unchecked ambition. Caitlyn’s arc this season was very interesting to play out

My favourite part of this Season however is its unrelenting sense of tragedy. There are so many gut-wrenchingly emotional moments throughout this season that hit every desired heartstring. Episode 7, “Pretend like it’s the first time” is the best example of this. In this episode we see Ekko and Heimerdinger trapped in an alternate reality where the Zaun and Piltover are at peace, hextech was never invented and Powder never became Jinx. It’s a moment of catharsis for both Ekko and the audience, allowing them to imagine what could have been and giving them closure. The Inventors competition dance scene is bittersweet knowing that it cannot last forever

Credit: Fortiche studios

As a whole, Arcane remains one of my favourite pieces of media of all time. It is one of the most stylistically unique pieces of animation to come out in recent years, and it is so beautiful and inspiring to see animation be used to its fullest extent. While Season 2 may not have lived up to the expectations of Season 1 it’s still one of the better seasons of television that I’ve experienced. Arcane creators Christian Link and Alex Yee has stated that they plan on making more projects in the Arcane/league of Legends universe and I for one cannot wait to see their next instalments

Rating: 82.75100

But what did you think of Arcane season 2, feel free to share in the comments down below