Arcane Season 2 Review: Beautiful Conclusion to a Wonderful Journey
Arcane Season 2 Review: Beautiful Conclusion to a Wonderful Journey - Filmyhype
Director: Christian Linke, Alex Yee
Date Created: 2024-11-09 16:52
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Arcane Season 2 Review: Arcane Season 2 is now available for streaming, an animated series on Netflix created by Christian Linke and Alex Yee. The story is set in the League of Legends video game universe and the events narrated represent a prequel to the Riot Games game. This time too, the animation is created by the French studio Fortiche. 3 years is a long time in the series world, especially in the streaming era that has drastically accelerated the timing with which we devour the various productions. And we don’t say this only about the banal fact that why not, a percentage of viewers can rightly forget what happens in a certain season of a series in that period and consequently develop a bit of disaffection (fortunately we tried to lend a hand with a summary of Arcane to arrive very prepared for season 2). But 3 years is also a long time because the market changes, trends change, and what was considered miraculous until the day before yesterday becomes outdated today. Of course, this is not the case with Arcane (here you can find our review of Arcane), which remains today as in 2021 a true work of art and one of the best products churned out by Netflix.
But for Arcane Season 3 years then mean expectations that increase beyond measure, hype that can simply become insurmountable towards a sequel – later revealed to be a conclusion in all respects – that can launch the animated series into the Olympus of the history of the medium or mark its ruinous fall. We had the wonderful opportunity to see 6 episodes in preview, of which the first 3 will debut today on Netflix, and we are here to tell you that Arcane, albeit with some tiny doubts, is confirming itself in a big way. Along with the first Sonic feature film, the animated series produced by the French animation studio Fortiche with the scrupulous supervision of Riot Games has the merit of having inaugurated a trend of adaptations from the world of video games that seems, finally, to have broken with the tradition of the past. A tradition of films or TV series incapable of doing justice to the source material and, above all, unable to go beyond the – albeit large – fringe of enthusiasts.
Arcane Season 2 Review: The Story Plot
The second season picks up the narrative thread immediately after the terrifying finale of the last one: Jinx’s attack on the Piltover Council has had its fruits and we follow the tragic consequences because the life of the city’s elite will never be the same again. On one side then we have a population in mourning, devastated by a tragedy that they did not believe possible and ready to give voice to the worst feelings that live within it, while on the other the so-called nation of Zaun is both celebrating the girl with the blue braids as a heroine and in disarray because the lack of a figure like Silco has thrown the criminal microcosm into chaos. Believe us when we say that adding any detail to this meager and predictable synopsis would represent a rather serious spoiler since Arcane continues to work its magic extraordinarily and to avoid the most obvious plots and developments.
We can certainly tell you that first of all the second season follows, at least on a structural level, the first, in the sense that the debut arc does not want to do anything other than quickly reintroduce the protagonists to the viewer and lay the narrative foundations for what is to come, albeit in a stupendous chaos of events. From this point of view, the plot exploits to the maximum possible power the advantage of no longer being in an introductory position, there is no longer any need to characterize characters or settings from scratch, and there is no longer any need to essentially prepare a background, but rather to make a conflict explode that Jinx’s rocket has only made evident. And so Arcane, from the first episode and after having wisely emphasized the drama of the aftermath of the attack, wonderfully pushes on the accelerator and seems not to want to abandon it.
The season one finale left us hanging, with a cliffhanger worthy of George R.R. Martin. Jinx had now left behind her “old self”, Powder, completely detaching herself from her sister Vi and, in the final scenes of “The Monster You Created”, we saw her attacking from a distance, with a missile powered by a Hextech gem, the Piltover Council Building. Three years have passed since the release of this gripping epilogue, and we can finally discover the tragic effects of the affair, together with the definitive deterioration of any possible reconciliation between the two sisters and between the two factions, that of Piltover and underground Zaun. This is the premise that kicks off the first two acts that we were able to preview and, for now, we must necessarily stop here with the details of the story.
Arcane Season 2 Review and Analysis
The work on Arcane Season 2 continues to be based on the foundations of what we enjoyed in the first season. A mix of 2D and 3D animation that is not used only as a visual embellishment in itself, but as a commentary on the various moments of the story. Action scenes, moments of reflection, flashbacks… the aesthetic approach that the Fortiche artists adopt from time to time is always justified by what is being told at a given moment. It is certainly no coincidence that the fantasy and steampunk world of Arcane has been elected, since 2021, as the new point of reference, together with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, for everything that has to do with what was once almost condescendingly labeled as “cartoons”. These are productions that have been awarded an endless list of incredibly prestigious recognitions, including Oscars, Emmys, and Annie Awards (the prize that, since 1972, has been awarded by the Los Angeles division of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, to the best-animated productions for cinema and television).
A continuation of Arcane Season 2, which is perceptible both in the form and in the substance of the plot twists and, above all, in the emotional experience of the characters we have come to know and love in 2021. The skill of Fortiche and Riot Games lies in having created a story that can be understood, appreciated, and experienced on a more or less visceral level even by that very important segment of people who know nothing about League of Legends, the multiplayer video game in which Arcane is set. And results of this type can only be achieved by building worlds and characters with whom you can enter into a deep relationship. Maybe none of us have found ourselves fighting for the fate of a city or a nation, but who can say they have never had a crisis with a sister, a brother, or a very close friend? There is, certainly, a lot of Game of Thrones in the way the political premises of season 1 are developed in Arcane Season 2, but just like in the never-too-celebrated HBO production brought to TV by David Benioff and DB Weiss, the reasons of the two warring factions, Piltover and Zaun, are almost an excuse to talk about something else.
To develop the traumas and interpersonal relationships between the characters, old and new, that populate Arcane. It is this quality that makes this series so noteworthy, it is the development and credible growth of the characters and their baggage of internal conflicts and not to keep us glued to the TV (or tablet). If to cite the most striking and obvious case, the story between Vi and Jinx was not structured and proposed in such an engaging way in its cyclical conflict, Arcane Season 2 would be just a beautiful, finely decorated container with nothing inside. We would have found ourselves watching a “Tale of Two Cities” as beautiful to look at as it is emotionally sterile, lost in the obvious battle between “who is above” and “who is below”. But, fortunately, this is not the case, also thanks to the vocal performances which, in the original, once again see the very talented Hailee Steinfeld (Vi) and Ella Purnell (Jinx) stand out.
The question then arises spontaneously: given that the news that the second season would be the last to come a bit like a bolt from the blue, is pushing on the accelerator synonymous with a mad rush toward the finale? To give a definitive answer we would first need to have the complete picture in front of us, but for now, the feeling is that yes, there is a lot to tell, but that we are following a path structured with great attention and care – logical leaps, summarized through dialogues or images of even rather large events and time skips were also present in the first season. For now, apart from a single storyline that still seems too disconnected from the rest, everything is presented in a practically sublime and cohesive framework, with the exceptional characters like the icing on the cake and constantly forced to make impossible choices or even to understand what to do in life – we repeat, Arcane never takes the easiest and most unnecessarily spectacular path.
However, to truly establish whether every piece is in its place, we will have to wait for the finale on November 23. And of course, to crown such a spectacle there is the aesthetic realization, which represents a masterpiece in its own right – perhaps even more detailed and fluid than in 2021 – to which an additional dose of virtuosity must be added, as many episodes open or close with sequences in various styles that do nothing but enhance an impressive technical showcase. Several subplots are developed around the clash between Vi and Jinx; two, in particular, capture the attention: the power struggle within the Council, involving the historic families of Piltover plus new figures who appeared for the first time in this second season; the exploitation of hextech (and shimmer) to conquer – and preserve – power. In the first case, the scene is captured by the powerful Ambess Medarda, ready to lead Piltover and use her influence to subjugate her opponents. In the second, the Man of Progress, Jayce, must deal with the consequences of his partner Viktor’s research and resolve some issues with his former master, Heimerdinger, and his new ally Ekko, leader of the Firelights.
In physics, this term indicates the limit stress beyond which, in a solid body, an abrupt solution of continuity occurs due to violent external forces. All the protagonists of this story have reached this point. We must gather what remains and decide what to do: give in to pain, and anger. Seek revenge? Or try to gather one’s energies and try to find a solution that does not involve further bloodshed? Questions to which Vi, Jinx, Caitlyn, and Jayce – above all – are called to give decisive answers for the future of Runeterra. As we were saying, therefore, under the impressive demands brought by Jinx, the Chemical Barons, and the city of Zaun, the secular balance has collapsed, pushing everyone beyond their limits. In this particular condition, the viewer finds himself in front of a fresco of great impact, in which to recognize the wide range of emotions that characterize human existence.
In extreme situations, the true nature of each of us comes out; when desperation guides us, then we should not expect rational behavior but only powerful vehemence, passion, and improvisation. And that is exactly what you will find in this first act: the pace becomes frenetic, it does not let us breathe for a moment while we witness very close battles, Machiavellian machinations, and many twists. The impressive narrative architecture is enhanced by the excellent work of the Fortiche studio, capable of further raising the bar of quality with this new season. In particular, greater attention is paid to the expressiveness of the characters: this improvement gives more emphasis to the phases in which the acting is fundamental for the success of the scene. And considering how primary it is to highlight the humanity of the protagonists; we cannot help but give a heartfelt round of applause to the French animation studio for this step forward.
In general, however, the entire work done is more impactful: everything appears more fluid, vivid, and excessive, to characterize the various phases of the narration. As previously said, Arcane is a series that plays on the contrasts of its characters; even the palette used is no exception, alternating the bright and airy atmospheres of Piltover with the dark and claustrophobic ones of Zaun, in a functional and expressive contrast. The first act of the second season of Arcane lays the foundation for the development of a series destined to mark the history of animation. The court intrigues, worthy heirs to the atmospheres of Game of Thrones, are tinged with steampunk veins to guide us through three tight, powerful episodes, steeped in the desperate epic. Little else to add, you absolutely must not miss this series. Also, because Arcane is waking up.
Arcane Season 2 Review: The Last Words
And, after having seen the first six episodes, we can do nothing but await with extreme trepidation the Final Act of a television production that has deservedly carved out its own space in the history of animation. As to how big it is, it is not yet possible to determine, since we will have to wait for the grand finale and find out if every piece has been carefully scattered or if something has been lost along the way. But for now, we can only be enthusiastic about what we have seen, about power, a drama, and, why not, also about a wickedness that is rarely found in productions of this kind and not. If we then add to these characters already perfectly characterized who are pushed to their limits at every opportunity and a mammoth technical realization – and even more virtuous and creative than 3 years ago – the game is done. Of course, there are still some doubts, because to understand the scope of this story you need to have the complete picture in front of you and because in any case one storyline in particular seems too disconnected from the rest, but for now the feelings are euphemistically positive.
Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, Katie Leung, Ella Purnell, Brett Tucker
Creators: Christian Linke, Alex Yee
Streaming Platform: Netflix
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 4/5 (four stars)
