By Gianna Mulvey
After three antagonizing long years of waiting, Netflix’s immensely popular animated series “Arcane” makes its season two debut. The show, based on the popular video game “League of Legends,” follows an ensemble of characters from two cities, the rich and powerful Piltover and its grimy, drug-infested counterpart, the Undercity, as each area vies for control over the other.
For a quick recap, season one focuses on orphaned sisters Vi and Powder from the Undercity as they struggle to survive amidst the growing tensions between the two cities. Their adopted father, Vander, offers himself up to be imprisoned to secure some semblance of peace between Piltover and the Undercity. Vi catches wind of this and brings along two other boys who were adopted by Vander, setting off to rescue him. Before leaving, she orders Powder to stay put. Powder ignores Vi’s order and follows them anyway. Vi’s rescue plan is cut short when Powder crafts a makeshift bomb in an attempt to help her sister rescue Vander. The bomb kills the two boys and inadvertently kills Vander. Vi calls Powder a “jinx” before running off in anger and gets herself arrested by enforcers (or police) from Piltover. Powder, now alone with no family left and distraught at the result of her actions, is adopted by Vander’s evil counterpart, Silco, who renames her Jinx. Thus sets off the conflict between “good” and “evil” between Vi and Jinx.
After this dramatic introduction, the show picks up years later, with tensions ever-rising between the two cities. The show introduces characters such as Jayce, a naive and idealistic inventor; Caitlyn, an enforcer who wants to solve the growing problems between the two cities; and Viktor, Jayce’s lab partner whose experiments may not always be ethical.
Each of these characters and their goals melds together in an unforgettable conclusion in season one, when Jinx shoots a missile into Piltover, causing widespread panic and talks of all-out war between Piltover and the Undercity.
Season two starts right where season one ends. The audience watches as Jayce and a handful of other characters regain consciousness in the rubble of the rocket’s crash site. The show wastes no time throwing beloved characters into the heat of the moment, challenging their core beliefs and ideologies, whether for better or worse.
Although only the first three episodes of season two have been released (as of the time of writing this), the show feels so much more confident and comfortable taking risks for the sake of forging a stronger narrative, despite some of the hate and backlash the showrunners have already received from vocal fans on the internet.
The art style/ animation, music, visual and narrative framing, and voice acting are all stronger than ever after three years of the team behind the show honing their skills.
The animation studio, Fortiche, has evolved and expanded its art style, making the show more vivid and striking than ever—truly a feast for the eyes. Every frame is a masterpiece, with delicate and purposeful strokes in character movement and expressions. The subtlest expressions give the audience a peek into the hearts of the characters that could very easily be missed by one who isn’t paying close attention.
The soundtrack, with a massive list of popular artists, includes bands such as Imagine Dragons, Twenty One Pilots, and Tom Morello. The music, compared to the first season, feels much more fitting in terms of the characters and their character arcs, as well as helping to establish the mood of each scene. For example, the track “Heavy Is The Crown” by Mike Shinoda and Emily Armstrong is a perfect encapsulation of Caitlyn’s character arc and her fall from honor and integrity to a violent and malicious determination to see this war conclude.
The best example of the show’s use of visual and narrative framing actually comes from the opening credits. Set to the song “Enemy” by Imagine Dragons, each frame gives room for the major characters to express their vulnerability and fears, which will be explored in later episodes of the season.
Using Caitlyn as an example again, her first major shot within the opening focuses on her confidence and determination in leading Piltover in their war against the Undercity. Only her side profile can be seen as she is hidden behind shadows, concealing her real self behind the mask of a strained smile, obviously intended to console the fearful citizens of the city.
Her second major shot focuses more on her romantic relationship with Vi. The two characters are pulled together and quickly thrown apart, followed by a shot of Caitlyn gripping her face. The shadow cast behind her resembles a crown, and her fingers are stained red in light, mimicking how her hands will be stained with blood. Through these few frames and shots alone, a whole whirlwind of emotion and internal conflict can be interpreted, and this analysis is just for a single character; there is so much more to see for the rest of the characters as well.
The first season had a stellar cast with phenomenal performances, and season two’s performances only got better. Hailee Steinfeld (Vi), Elle Purnell (Jinx), Katie Leung (Caitlyn), and the rest of the cast bring their heart and soul into voicing these characters, and the emotion and subtext of their words do not fall on deaf ears. Desperation, love, fear, anger, and pain are all emotions captured through these performances without the script explicitly stating them.
From the first three episodes alone, I can tell that the show is not holding back any punches. I’m excited to watch my favorite characters lose themselves in grief and hatred, only to break free from their self-imposed prisons and find themselves again. “Arcane” has proven time and time again that it knows how to handle the complexity of its narrative and characters, which alleviates many of my fears for the conclusion of this masterpiece of a show.
The team behind “Arcane” has stated that season two will be the final season of the show, meaning that on November 23rd, the last batch of episodes will conclude this epic tale of love and heartbreak. Although I’ll be sad to see it go, I’m excited and looking forward to watching how each character concludes their arcs and how the war between Piltover and the Undercity will end.