Arcane Season 2 Acts I & II Review: Better Than Ever

Arcane has not skipped a beat with Season 2. When Season 1 of the Netflix animated series released in 2021, I was baffled by how good it was. The thought of a TV series based on League of Legends, or any video game franchise for that matter, being one of the highest quality shows on the entirety of Netflix seemed too good to be true. In the years since, I’ve hoped that Season 2 of Arcane would find a way to keep up this momentum, especially after learning that Season 2 would be the final one that the show would ever receive. Fortunately, after watching the first six episodes of Arcane Season 2, I’m more impressed than ever. 

The first two Acts of Season 2 of Arcane make up arguably the six best episodes of the series so far. I think a large part of this is due to the fact that Arcane has been able to hit the ground running this time around. No longer does Season 2 need to explain the backstories of its vast cast of characters or explain the ongoing strife between Piltover and Zaun. Instead, it picks up within moments of the conclusion of Season 1 and continues as if it never went on a three-year hiatus to begin with.

To that end, much of Act I of Arcane Season 2 is centered around the aftermath of Season 1’s cliffhanger. It serves as a sort of epilogue to Season 1 but also catapults many of the larger stories that are being told across Season 2. While there are fewer surprises during Act I, it’s still the execution of the storytelling that remains top-notch. 

Act II, which represents episodes four through six, is easily my favorite portion of Season 2 to this point. These episodes are where Arcane feels like it’s finally beginning to evolve and weave in new, unexpected twists while also ratcheting up the overall stakes of the show’s primary conflict. And even the twists that are expected, especially to those familiar with the expansive lore of League of Legends, it’s the manner in which these moments then take shape in the series that still left me stunned. One monstrous character’s introduction in Episode 4, in particular, is something that I had been looking forward to for years and the moment in which they first take the screen was cooler than anything I had ever envisioned.

More so than anything that has to do with its story, what really takes Arcane to another level with Season 2 is its animation. This is something that was already stellar with Arcane’s first season, but animation studio Fortiche has gotten even more creative this time around. Rather than stick to its standard look, Arcane Season 2 opts to mix up its animation style and appearance, especially for some of its biggest moments. This approach not only deepens some of the more emotional parts of Arcane, but it keeps things feeling fresh and constantly enjoyable to watch. The only other piece of animation that I think matches Arcane on this front is Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Across the Spider-Verse, both of which are clearly big influences. 

Music also remains a big part of Arcane and is more or less utilized quite well. Music is often paired with some of the aforementioned changes in animation that Arcane does periodically, and I think this is often when it’s at its best. It makes each episode feel like it has its own music video of sorts that is wholly unique and could be viewed on its own outside of the context of the show. That being said, there is quite a bit more music included with Season 2 to the point that it feels a bit overdone at times. Still, it’s hard to complain too much about this when each of these instances is nothing but an audio-visual delight. 

If I do have any concerns or issues with Arcane, it would be tied to Act 3. Season 2 has introduced a lot of new story threads into Arcane, but some of these aspects of the narrative feel like they haven’t been focused on for the majority of the season. As a result, I’m a bit concerned about how Arcane is going to resolve everything in a neat, satisfying manner in these final Act 3 episodes. For a show that has been so character-focused to this point, I worry that its conclusion will feel unsatisfying if certain characters don’t play a large enough role in the series down the stretch. That being said, it’s hard to cast doubt on this series ending in a poor manner given how fantastic everything to this point has been.

Whether you’re a newcomer to Arcane or you’re like me and have been waiting three years for Season 2, it’s hard to be anything other than in awe of what is seen in these first six episodes. Riot and Fortiche had major expectations to meet this time around, and to this point, they’ve surpassed them all. Even if I’m a bit concerned about how Arcane might end, I’m more excited than ever before about what Riot will continue to do in this multimedia space in the years ahead.