Epic In Every Sense Of The Word

The first season of Arcane blew me and pretty much everyone else away back in 2021, which came as a fairly big surprise. Video game adaptations in general tend to be hit or miss and the show’s source material, the wildly popular MOBA League of Legends, is far more known for its often rage-inducing online multiplayer than its plot.

Yet Arcane still managed to take the world and characters from the game and use them to craft a deeply captivating, action-packed, and often heartbreaking story that both longtime fans and newcomers like myself could easily get sucked into. Now, after a three-year wait, does the long-awaited second and final chapter live up to the hype? In my opinion, yes. Though please bear in mind that this only applies to the first three episodes, as that was what was made available to me at time of writing.

What is Arcane Season 2 about?

Season 2 picks up almost immediately after the (literally) explosive ending of Season 1. Survivors of Jinx’s attack must quickly figure out their next move while still grieving their lost loved ones; while those underground battle for control in the wake of Silco’s death. With mysterious magical forces on the horizon and Piltover and Zaun inching closer and closer to all-out war, Vi and Caitlyn are tasked with taking Jinx down and ending this nightmare before anyone else gets hurt.

How is Arcane Season 2?

I know “epic” is a bit of an overused word these days, but it’s hard to think of a better way to describe Arcane Season 2. For starters, the scope of the world feels bigger. On top of the ongoing political machinations, there’s a greater sense of mystery with how the world and its magic works, as well as entirely new sets of characters with their own stories to follow. At first, it can feel a bit overwhelming, especially given a general lack of exposition, but the plot remains relatively easy to follow in spite of its complexities and the new characters quickly endear themselves alongside the returning cast.

Additionally, the animation is as breathtaking as ever. Fluid movement and stylized character designs blended with gorgeous backgrounds and comic book-style visual effects create a wholly unique look that makes even the smallest moments really pop on screen. But obviously, it’s especially impressive during action sequences where the movement combined with the clear weight and impact of hits, the simple yet intricate clicking and clacking of the show’s trademark “HexTech” weapons, and clever use of needle drops create an audio-visual experience so incredible that it could only come from Arcane.

But what makes the show more than just eye candy, and what keeps its more plot mechanic and lore-heavy subplots from feeling too bogged down by minutiae, is the deeply human element at the core of its story. Every major character in Arcane has clear goals, vulnerabilities, and desires. They are given a level of depth, nuance, and personality rarely seen in an ensemble this size and that keeps every subplot compelling and makes the conflict that much more gripping because every side is both sympathetic and worthy of scorn to one degree or another depending on which perspective you’re following at any given time.

This is perhaps best exemplified by the show’s two central relationships: Vi and Jinx and Vi and Caitlyn. Vi and Jinx have both moved on from thinking they can get their sister back. As far as Vi is concerned, Powder is dead and Jinx killed her. And the only way to get justice for Powder and end the conflict is to take Jinx down. And from Jinx’s perspective, Vi has fully betrayed her Zaunite roots by siding with Caitlyn and is now just as bad as the Enforcers that killed their parents.

Yet they are still sisters and on some subconscious level, that familial bond is still there. Which in turn allows both the internal and external conflict to remain consistently engaging and surprising. Special credit must be given to Hailee Steinfeld and Ella Purnell here, who both have to run through the emotional gamut in their vocal performances as Vi and Jinx respectively and do a spectacular job.

As for Vi and Caitlyn, rest assured we’ve moved far beyond the mutual yet unrequited yearning of the first season. They are a full-out couple here and their romance plays a key role in the story while still leaving room for them as individual characters. Vi is struggling with guilt over creating Jinx, Caitlyn is struggling with grief over her mother’s death and her new responsibilities in the wake of that, and while their polar opposite histories create tension between them, it also brings them together. Again, props must be given to Caitlyn’s voice actor, Katie Leung, here, who sells both the aforementioned struggles and guilt as well as her romantic chemistry with Vi in her vocal performance.

Is Arcane Season 2 worth watching?

I went into Arcane Season 1 with no expectations and was utterly floored by how good it was. I went into Arcane Season 2 with extremely high expectations and was still very much floored. The animation is incredible, the characters are compelling, and the story is consistently gripping in spite of, and arguably even because of, its intricate complexities and multiple subplots.

There’s admittedly a lot of unknown elements at this point in the story. How the mystery pays off, what this world’s magic truly is or means, even the heavily advertised arena battle stuff with Vi hasn’t happened yet. But if the rest of the show maintains the quality of these first three episodes, then we are in for one of the all-time greats.

Arcane Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix. Three out of nine episodes reviewed.