‘Arcane’ Season 2 Review – The Return of Netflix’s ‘League of Legends’ Series Was Worth the Wait

Video game adaptations aren’t what they used to be. After decades of tired and dull attempts to adapt some of the most popular franchises to the screen, it seems like we’re finally in a place where the announcement of a new adaptation isn’t a death sentence. While many will try to cite The Last of Us as the first title to break the curse, that’s not entirely true. In 2021, Netflix launched the ambitious animated series Arcane, set within the world of the highly popular video game League of Legends.

Personally, I wasn’t too familiar with League of Legends at the time and was ready to brush the series off — until several of my closest friends sat me down and showed me the first three episodes. I was instantly transfixed. Not only was the animation unlike anything I’ve seen done on television, but the story, amid all the steampunk gadgets, alt-rock needle-drops, monsters, and explosions, was emotional and even relatable. Now, exactly three years after the premiere of the first season, Arcane has returned for its second and final chapter — but has it been worth the wait?

What Is ‘Arcane’ Season 2 About?

The first season of Arcane introduced us to sisters Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) and Powder (Ella Purnell), whose lives have been plagued by tragedy. The death of their adoptive father Vander (JB Blanc) leads to a rupture between the two young girls, sending them on two polar-opposite paths. Powder is taken in by Silco (Jason Spisak), a crime lord who rules over the undercity of Zaun, as she begins to embrace her dark side, dubbing herself Jinx. After years of imprisonment in the wealthy city of Piltover, Vi is freed by Caitlyn (Katie Leung), a young enforcer, attempting to hunt down Jinx. The season ended with the sister’s bond having shattered, with Jinx launching a deadly terrorist attack on Piltover’s council building.

While we may have needed to wait three years to see what happens next, Season 2 wastes absolutely no time getting back into the action, for better and worse. Unsurprisingly, Jinx’s actions have proved to have deadly consequences as the war between Piltover and Zaun has reached new heights. Vi finds herself conflicted over joining Caitlyn in becoming an enforcer, while Jinx is forced into becoming a leader within Zaun’s criminal underworld, despite still not being fully mature.

Even if you’re not familiar with Arcane, you can take one look at the quality of the series’ animation, and you’ll instantly be able to recognize that it likely takes a hefty amount of time to perfect a series like this. The three-year gap shouldn’t be all too surprising, yet the season opens expecting viewers, both hardcore and casual, to immediately remember everything that transpired in the last season. Sure, that’s something that a short recap can fix fairly quickly, but the density of the narrative is so overwhelming that it may turn away some of the more casual fans of the first season. Thankfully, Season 2 is able to find its footing by the second episode, introducing new and unexpected arcs that the series’ expansive roster of heroes and villains embark on.

‘Arcane’ Season 2 Raises the Stakes Both Physically and Emotionally

The animation style of Arcane initially piqued my interest, but it wasn’t before long that I became attached to both Vi and Jinx. Of course, Season 2 delivers some breathtaking and colorful action setpieces that dare to be even more ambitious than the first season, but it also spends an equal amount of time fleshing out the characters. Vi and Caitlyn’s potential romance is further expanded in Season 2, as the new episodes establish their relationship’s ups and inevitable downs. While the storyline will certainly raise eyebrows while taking some jarring turns, the series never paints their pairing as one-dimensional.

Much like Season 1, Jinx is without a doubt the highlight of this next chapter. While fans of the games know that the blue-haired rebel is an agent of pure chaos driven by only her own self-interests, Arcane doesn’t shy away from revealing her complexities. Season 2 gives her one of the most emotionally challenging arcs, and even while we watch her continue to make some more than questionable decisions, we get a sense of where she’s coming from. She’s far from a hero, but it’s understandable why Vi still cares about her.

While some viewers may initially feel assaulted by the structure of the first episode, the series quickly draws you back into the loop, and you’ll quickly remember what made you fall in love with the series in the first place. It also helps that Steinfeld and Purnell’s voices perfectly suit Vi and Jinx. Purnell’s level of fame has only grown since the first season, especially in the wake of successful series like Fallout and Yellowjackets. Yet, much like Steinfeld in the first season, Purnell’s voice is never too distracting or too familiar — and distinctly different from her portrayals of Lucy and Jackie in the aforementioned shows.

‘Arcane’ Season 2 Is a Feast for the Senses

As new adversaries and worlds are unveiled, Arcane‘s animation style continues to surprise and impress in the new season. There’s never a single dull frame on the screen; you could practically hang any still from the series on your wall. Yes, the battles are tense and thrilling, but the detailed and lush combination of 2D and 3D stylings make even the rarer, quieter moments just as engaging. Arcane‘s soundtrack is another key component, finding ways to seamlessly fit into the series’ narrative. They’re not random music videos dropped into the middle of episodes; they give the viewer a better understanding of the characters. It also helps that the music is pretty damn good. After all, the series’ theme song, “Enemy,” caused me to stop apologizing for still listening to Imagine Dragons.

Unfortunately (and maybe fortunately, to avoid leaks), critics were only sent the first six episodes of Season 2 (or as Netflix dubs them, the first two “acts”), with the final three set to drop later this month. The first season of Arcane was one of the first times that Netflix gave in and released one of their shows in weekly chunks, instead of all at once, and the same will be done for Season 2. However, instead of splitting the season into two parts, something Netflix has been exploring for the past few years, the weekly gap keeps you heavily invested in the series and makes Arcane feel like the event television that it already is. Arcane Season 2 proves that it was worth the long wait, further delivering on everything that made us fall in love with the series in the first place as the first two acts tease a satisfying, albeit devastating, end to the story of Vi and Jinx.

Arcane Season 2 Act 1 is now available to stream on Netflix, with Act 2 releasing on November 16 and Act 3 releasing on November 23.

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