Exploding onto the scene

Arcane Cover 1

Photo: Netflix "Arcane" Season 2 Poster

Netflix "Arcane" Season 2 Poster

“Arcane: League of Legends” is a Netflix animated TV series based on the League of Legends video games. Over the past three years, the show has built up a reputation as one of the best-animated TV series of its time, and the first season received high praise from both critics and audiences alike. From the art style to the soundtrack to the amazing performances, “Arcane” has set a standard for amazing storytelling that has been hard to replicate. 

The first season displays a complex story of politics, magic, innovation, morality, and manipulation. It highlights the duality of life and how our backgrounds and perspectives shape our behaviors. To tell a compelling story, blurs the lines between good and bad, tradition versus progress, and safety versus danger.

The show’s creators were faced with a difficult task with season two of “Arcane;” create another season that not only lives up to the first season but also strongly closes out the series. After three years of anticipation, fans of “Arcane” are ready and excited for the new season.

Episode One: Heavy Is the Crown

On Saturday, Nov. 9 the first act of “Arcane” season two was released. The first act consisted of three episodes: “Heavy Is the Crown,” “Watch It All Burn,” and “Finally Got The Name Right.”

The first episode, “Heavy Is the Crown” picks up immediately after the events of the last season. Season one left off with a big cliffhanger, with people unsure who survived the final attack.

Junior Imogen Talmadge talked about the emotions and intensity she felt from the first scenes in “Heavy is the Crown.” “I felt like we got so many emotions from all of the characters, music, and scenery,” Talmadge says, “you could see how the events of season one were hard on everyone, it’s soul-crushing.”

Just like in season one, the animators of Arcane experimented with the art style, especially for certain scenes and moments in the show. For example, in “Heavy Is the Crown,” the funeral scene has a more stripped-down, bare, and monotone vibe, which differs from the show's usual vibrant visual aesthetic. This, along with the song “I Can’t Hear It Now” by Freya Ridings, creates a hauntingly beautiful scene displaying isolation, grief, and the impact of loss.

Along with the slow beautiful scenes, “Heavy Is the Crown” also includes a considerable amount of action, raising the stakes for the rest of the season. Overall, this first episode served as a slow transition from the chaos of season one to the harsh reality of season two, and I would give it a 9/10.

Episode Two: Watch It All Burn

Episode two opens by reintroducing us to the infamous character Jinx and by proxy the state of the Undercity (Zaun) after the events of season one. The undercity is in a state of chaos with many different groups fighting for dominance. As a result, the undercity has become more dangerous.

Junior Juliet Craige describes her favorite scene from episode two and its unique visual style. “When it started off in like a comic book style it was really cool, the song for that scene, ‘Sucker’ was so good, it really fit the vibe,” Craige says.

Jinx in season two is more apathetic and resigned, however, throughout the episode, we see her change and adapt to the new influences in her life: Sevika and a young girl named Isha. A highlight from this episode is Sevika’s fight with her new arm as it shows off the ability of the animators and their near effortless blend of 2D and 3D animation.

Additionally, Viktor’s condition, regarding him and the hexcore is revealed in this episode, and the results are shocking. Being led by a hauntingly similar voice, Viktor sets out to help the people in the undercity.

“Watch It All Burn” continues to establish the new reality of the Arcane universe post-season one, and although it has a slower pace than episode one, it makes up for it with iconic character moments, especially from Jinx. The second episode of season two is solid with the soundtrack adding to the overall feel of this season, I’d give this episode an 8.7/10.

Episode Three: Finally Got The Name Right

Episode three “Finally Got The Name Right,” is the most eventful episode of the season so far. A lot of information is given to the audience, both good and bad. The episode was an emotional rollercoaster of events with various character moments. Juliet Craige explains her conflicting emotions when it comes to the character Caitlyn Kiramman. “Caitlyn has made decisions that I do not like,” Craige says, “I get the arc and where the writers are going but I’m personally really mad about it.”

The most impactful part of this episode has to be the dual Jinx and VI fight and Jayce, Ekko, and Heimerdinger's exploration scene. The stunning and innovative animation leaves you on the edge of your seat anticipating what comes next. The episode is action-packed, but that might be to its detriment. Imogen Talmadge expresses her feelings about the overall pacing. “I felt like it was going fast, but also not fast enough,” Talmadge says.

Despite the fast pacing “Finally Got The Name Right” is one of the strongest episodes in Act One, and has the most emotional impact on the audience. It’s nowhere near the devastating whirlwind that was episode three of season one, but that’s not necessarily a negative since the show is slowly shifting its tone. I would give this episode a 9.2/10, the show is setting up for something big and I can’t wait to see what happens.

The second season of Arcane is very intriguing, and I’m curious as to how certain things will develop, so I’d rate this first act a 9/10. Make sure to check out Arcane on Netflix to check out more!