My favorite line from Jayce in season 2 is "there is beauty in imperfections" and I feel like that sums up season 2 perfectly. It may be flawed, but its flaws don't stop it from being a beautiful work of art that has made huge strides in animation and storytelling.
@@hawkins347Viktor was only trying that initially tho. The conversation he had with Jayce about human emotions and how eliminating it would eliminate strife and conflict was clearly the focus of the line here
@ yes it is massive. Seriously, take off the rose tinted glasses season one gave you and ignore the (amazing) art and just look at the story itself and how it’s developed. It’s terrible, and especially compared to what it’s following up, but even without that there’s so many problems
i feel like people love episode 7 of season 2 so much because it gives it room to breathe. you’re allowed to just exist in that alternate reality with versions of the characters you love. it almost reinforces that ‘what could have been’ vibe. it’s slowed down (as much as possible), it’s full of emotional beats despite the low stakes, and you can just watch some of your favourite characters interact. all before you have to cut it short and leave and return to the plot going at light speed like ekko has to
When season 2 shines, it shines the brightest. It just has a tiny bit too much going on. I think even 3 more episodes could have massively helped offset that issue. The best episode is 7 and funny enough, it's the breather episode that takes its time.
Shame cos it could have been 10/10 with a few extra minutes here and there to explain the character motivation change and an extra episode to flush out the PvZ conflict so it's resolved more naturally.
Honestly, I think the contents of act 1 to the beginning of act 2 should have been its own season. That way they wrap up the Zaun and piltover story with exploring VI’s depression, Caitlin’s Mussolini arc, Jinx’s mental state and the vacuum Silco left behind as well as setting up the nature of the Arcane. Then s3 you go into Vander, the Glorious revolution, and the generally more high concept stuff. Cuz as it stands, s2 is a miracle for how well it holds together so many plot lines…but it’s still very rushed and there’s no true character moments that blew me away like s1 outside of episode 7 which was actually very fleshed out outside of Heimerdinger’s death.
I agree! By the act 3 I'd actually stopped caring about any of the characters because it was so rushed I could no longer believe the character transitions between season 1 and now. What a waste.
As a devout believer in that S2 is a lot better than people say (for example, I completely disagree with this video when he says that Viktor's switch in ideals/behavior was done too quickly, as we get so many hints and dialogues from the end of episode 6 onwards), having the first 5 episodes of S2 be it's own season would be so damn good. Imagine S2 ending with Jayce coming back and killing Salo, and that cliffhanger would set the stage for S3
@@thegreatfitzgerald2660 people still love it tough, just like me they are bittersweet about the fact that this show had the potential to be great, if not the best series of all time. Its just aching that it wasted that potential cuz they had to explore other lol characters and had limited budget. Btw, I would love season 2 to end as the act 2 ends, would give a whole year of jayce pfp wars on tiktok.
Caitlyn's Mussolini act made me imagine Caitlyn with her head shaven and her chin in the permanent cringe pose of Moussolini and I can't stop laughing.
Season 2 could've used another 3-4 episodes to flesh out these plot lines better. As it stands, it's nothing short of a miracle how good S2 was despite it rushing so many interconnected storylines.
@@thegreyfox2105 for sure, I miss the moments in season 1 where they allowed moments and decisions to breathe. It needed one more act or longer episodes
@@razvantrifu In my very subjective opinion, there were some writing decisions that kinda soured the season for me and they were clearly made because they had to fit in other stuff, like sidelining Vi and making her an extremely passive character, which could work, but you can tell they just wanted to focus on other characters (which is what Christian said). The animation tho? God tier always.
The main problem of this season, to me, is that it relies way too much on "this happened of-screen": Cailtyn gassing the undercity - and all other absolutely horrendous acts she did, the heightened police violence in act 2, etc - is never actually shown with the weight s1 would show it. Caitlyn getting suspicious of Ambessa happen immediately after she and Ambessa team up. Vi and Caitlyn becoming besties again ever tho their last scene together was one of betrayal and heartbreak. Ekko talking Jinx of the ledge and ralying the undercity together happens of-screen. Sevika being convinced to fight for Piltover instead of letting it just perish (which s1 and act 2 Sevika would absolutely have done). Ambessa's reaction to finding out her daughter is kidnapped. I can go on. In season 1, you always knew WHY something was happening: why did. To quote srslylini from Tumblr: "Why did Vi know where to find Vander after Silco took him? well of course because of Ekko who was established in the first few minutes of the first episode to be the character to be on look out. // Why did Viktor help Jayce? Because he didn't want to stand in Heimerdingers shadow as just an assistant anymore. He was sick and knew the problems of the undercity first hand, he wanted to help. Of course he would, if there was a chance hextech could do it. // Why did a shimmer induced Huck help Caitlyn out? Why because as early as the very first episode in Vanders first speaking scene he gets help from Vander and well why wouldn't he then show that help for Vi, knowing he can?" It never relied on the suprise or shock value, which made it such a good tragedy; you knew the horrors and how it could never end well, but the characters didnt. season 2, however, keeps the majority of its cards hidden and then never reveals them in the end. It leaves you with so much questions that you just have to fill in yourself. This isnt "show dont tell", btw, cause half of it isnt even SHOWN.
But it does show it tho? The music video in ep 3 and her gassing the brothel with the grey. Caitlyn motive for turning on ambessa is explained in ep 6, Vi explains that the beast that ambessa is looking for is her father and they might be able to save him. Caitlyn still loves Vi, and she doesn’t want to use the beast she wanted to kill however she doesn’t want to hurt vi, all this is explained in this one episode I’m always so confused as to why people say Caitlyn turned for no reason where it’s legit explained. Tho I do argee that jinx and ekko needed more time in ep9, so Jinx main theme of self creation could of been explored more, and her conclusion would be easier to communicate her journey to destory jinx and powder and creating a new person, that new person needed more set up and showing jinx and ekko more in ep 9 would of be a lot better.
Perfectly explained how I feel too. A major example is Viktor's extremist turn in act 3. His little community is nice and all, but if we had seen more of his efforts to build it, then I would sympathise more with his abandonment of flawed humanity when their conflict causes it to be destroyed. Having Viktor's motivations feel as underdeveloped as they are really diminishes act 3 and his ultimate realisation that sterile perfection is the worst kind of failure.
@@damianwilson7526 youre so so right im gonna add the viktor thing to my og comment too. this man went from "there is always a choice"/"i will not sacrifice his humanity for your cause (war, etc)", to "choice is false" and "we are all of one mind", supposedly just because his partner didnt wanna work together with him anymore?? what?? dont even get me started on the choice to make the character who in s1 was the one most opposed to war and violence and weapons and the one most devoted to his desire to help people in need, turn out to be the one with the highest kill-count of Zaunites specifically and become the Big Bad Boss. having it implied in e9 by jayce that "he always wanted to fix what he thought were imperfections" is also insane in relation to that. those were NEVER viktor's sole motivators, ever. now im supposed to believe the disabled dude turned into a eugenics god bc he was insecure abt his imperfections??? pure rage at how they butchered his whole character by their rushed and sloppy writing.
I guess it was a budget issue because some writers have said that they did have more scenes they just couldn't put them in the episodes and I genuinely don't understand why Netflix didn't give them more time and money. If not a third season or another act simply hour long episodes would have made an incredible difference to the better and they had to know everyone was going to watch this show, like the money would be very well invested in 20 more minutes of animation.
I disagree with you on Ep7 being rushed to a fault. I think A) that’s the episode where they actually gave a plot line A LOT of time, obviously more could have been cool but they gave it an adequate amount of time. B) The rushed feeling in that episode was intentional, it adds something to the story. The quick passage of time is mirrored by ekko’s desire and panic towards getting back home as soon as possible, however when we finally see the scene start to breathe and take it’s time, as the scene literally slows to a crawl (4fps) we see the first time Ekko is truly living in that universe and that’s also the moment when he finally makes those connections he needs to make. That part of the episode was in perfect speed all the time, because ekkos main theme and entire character (in game and in the show) really revolves around time, so I think it was beautiful that the pacing of the show really mirrored his thought process. He was so panicked and ready to go home that he almost skipped the dance and went straight home while the plot was bursting with speed, but he was forced to slow down and live in the moment. TLDR: The pacing in Episode 7 was fast but it worked in context of the episode to make the overall message more impactful
yeah it was so weird because i also think ep7 is the only properly paced episode in the whole season. It gives time for ekko to learn that jinx is still worth saving as well as to let himself enjoy a little bit of life. imagine how good the show could've been if we got the same treatment for vi's lowest point at the fightpits or caitlyn power trip instead of a quirky music video
@@jorgecortes3789I in some ways think it was intentional i think the writers and animators knew the final act would be a crunch to fit all they needed in, so they gave us a little bit of breathing room with Ep7 while also showing us the pace of the rest of the show
I believe Arcane and Spider-Verse are the greatest animated media we’ve experienced in the last decade or two, from its writing to themes and characters, they’re phenomenal and influential, and especially in terms of visuals. If Spider-Verse is a comic book come to life, Arcane is like a grandiose fantasy steampunk painting brought to life
I ain’t wrong haven’t had this feeling like when I finished watching spiderverse nor arcane. Even people that hated animation or superhero films liked arcane and Spiderverse. I’ve seen people that complain about woke movies like Spiderverse. Good storytelling cannot be denied. Both fandoms are extremely passionate about their stories too
As a student in animation, Arcane is my bible. The last feew weeks were full of Arcane. In my art school, everybody talk about it. This is the type of show were you have to analyse frame by frame to see if their is a clue you missed. Arcane is clearly my favorite show of all time. And I can't wait to buy the artbook! love your video!
@solarydays have you watched season 1? Season one is spectacular in every aspect of the word. Season 2 stumbled, but it doesn't detract from the Season 1 story line in the slightest. Anime is good I'm not gonna lie but Arcane is on a completely different level.
@@Loveheart__ animation/art is more advanced in season 2. why wouldn't I have watched s1, you think I just jumped on s2 randomly not knowing anything about it? there is not much logic behind your assumptions. there are plenty of animes that beat arcane by miles with both story and animation, don't even have to go back very far
@solarydays A. That was a rhetorical question. Obviously if you watched season two, you watched season one.I'm not stupid 😐 B. I would genuinely like to hear your examples of Anime that complete floor Arcane in writing
I dont think season 2 is perfect, but I still think it's a 10/10 show. There is nothing that can take away from the amazingness and the beauty of this show for me. It ended on such a perfect note and I loved every second of watching this show. The emotional beats HURT and the animation is perfection. 10/10
Love that you're covering this! Although you might want to use a different image, the one of Jinx holding Vi is AI and Riot's gotten upset at Netflix over using it.
@@officialname9817 I think my other comment got deleted because I included a link. Sorry RUclips. I will say you made me look more into it, and it seems like it's maybe not entirely AI? It's hard to figure out. The Arcane brand lead said it was AI, and some people say it was only extended with AI...wish they would just be clear about it.
@@suchalamb The image itself, the one designed to be used in vertical poster format, isn't IA. But the expanded image, used to put in a widescreen, has its margins expanded upon with IA. Though the central part was certainly made by artists. It's the sides that were added so they could use it for billboards and thumbnails in wide format.
I agree that the only issue I have with this season is pacing. Viktor literally becomes a god in 7 episodes, Vi & Jinx feel like they become background halfway through the season, not to mention Mel is revealed to be a witch in like 2 minutes. A third season would've helped to give some breathing room but I still want to give the writers of this show their flowers because the season was still incredible. Even though we were following 4 different storylines and 15 different characters I still feel like everyone got good enough time. I just wish we had some more, even if the third season was just 3 episodes to wrap things up.
He doesn't become a god. Not even close. The "astral plane" was just a visual representation of what happens in his mind. Real gods of Runterra would dunk on him.
This. Honestly, I don't understand why people are treating this season like garbage. Yeah, it had its flaws which you and FSN put very well into words, but it is nowhere near shows that are actual garbage.
Hot take but i'm gonna say it - we didn't need another full season. I feel like another act of 3 episodes would've given us the time we needed to properly get things addressed - viktor's turn, the aftermath of isha's death, giving mel more focus and exploration of her abilities - hell sevika and the undercity in all things that required them. Not to mention finding a way to bring back the undercity-piltover conflict and address it amongst the viktor-jayce stuff. I feel like another reason would stretch everything out too much, and sure, four acts would look weird, but in my opinion it would solve all the little things that hold this final season back. That being said, there is still so much to love about this season. I just hope the writers and Riot learn from this in future endeavors.
I agree, if anything maybe episode or 2 more, or maybe making some of them little longer but what would they even put in another whole season? It would be milked by then
Each act should have been 4 or 5 episodes to give the story time to breathe. Pretty much every problem people are bringing up is due to the limited screentime.
Unpopular opinion: Season 1 feels like characters move the plot, that’s why it feels so real Season 2 feels like the plot forces the character to do what they’re supposed to do for the sake of this plot Still good but… yeah.
Ekko the Boy Savior and Viktor have risen to my easy picks for my top 5 favorite hero’s and villains of all time, in fact all the characters in this show are peak God this show is incredible now I just need to get my bf to watch this
Fantastic season and ending. The only point i was very disappointed by was the complete omittal of the class theme in the final third of the season- it felt like such an integral point to the world of the show that just gets… forgotten. Idk. Stellar stellar stellar art, characters and music though. Thoroughly enjoyed it
I kind of disagree that Vi has a good story this season. Her fall to rock bottom in act 1 is good. But her lowest point is literally just a 2-minute music video and then she doesn’t really have anything to do for the rest of the season.
Absolutely agree. She doesn’t drive any plot points this entire season, she’s just a passenger. I don’t even get how she forgives Jinx so quickly and tries to get Caitlyn to as well after she, y’know, killed her mother?! It’s so sad because Vi was my absolute favourite character and she got kind of character assassinated this season.
No. She's one of the reasons (if not THE reason) my sweet Pow-Pow became Jinx. I feel for Vi, she's been through so much shit, but that I just can't forgive. Still in shambles after S2, been over a week at this point.
Personally I've never really cared about her, she's just felt kinda meh for me, tbh I have that problem with some other characters, some of them just feel kinda bland. Which is really weird because I've liked shows and games that don't have crazy action and wild characters like Mr robot or breaking bad, Firewatch (a game I'd HIGHLY recommend playing), in all of those things I cared a lot more about the characters and was more invested in them, but in Arcane I just didn't really care about the characters or at least not in season 2, which might just be a me problem but Idk, just wanted to say it. Singed is cool asf though fr
it wouldn't even need one more season, one more act and it would've been the perfect show, either way it is still one of the best things I've ever watched
VIKTOR fan here!! 🙋♀ i was sooooo shattered when i realized he was being taken over and kind of fading away and becoming the villain.... But the redemption arc, in the Viktor realm and *THE ANIMATION IN THIS SCENE* it was so beautiful and emotional. Viktor was such a moving character.
Viktor is my fav too❤❤❤❤ Yes.... He really was being taken over by the fused Hexcore, right? Though he somehow remained human somewhere, deep inside. I think the last shreds of humanity disappeared just after he refused Vander being used as a weapon. In that scene at least, he mentioned his humanity.
@@rika6767 I remember when viktor's assistant (Sky) told him that he won't remember her right before he started changing people. So yeah he lost a bit part of himself.
Season 2 felt like I watched several League Cinematics on YT back to back to back. Insane visuals and score that mesh brilliantly but with what felt like scattered storylines of varying severity and consequence that overtake each other. Some overlapping characters and events none of were fleshed out properly. You could tell how rushed this was, I don't doubt that given another season to explore storylines that were essentially compressed into series of music videos this show could have fulfilled its potential.
I agree. I think that's what holds it back from being a great show. It's good, sometimes really good (season 1). But, the lack of letting the story breath and letting the characters actually talk and develop naturally is what holds back season 2 and stops me from saying "this is one of the best shows ever made".
I agree and disagree I feel s2 does do the story well it just happens that people don’t understand the core message isn’t about two sisters or social politics and classes. Still s1 is better than s2 but I still liked and feel s2 is good. It has flaws but that doesn’t take away form the grand message the show is presenting. S2 8/10 s1 10/10 Show as a whole 10/10 for me.
@@ToothofaShark I agree. I can't, in good conscience, enjoy this show as much as everyone else does. I enjoy its moments. There's plenty of moments I enjoy. But as a whole, the show is structurally trash.
@@chrishaven1489 I think saying trash is just because something you wanted didn’t happens or you didn’t understand the core message of the show. I enjoy s1 more than s2 and feel it’s better but saying s2 is trash is stretching.
Imo, the pacing problems is a consequence of the story itself and the scope it could handle. We really went from a show about class conflicts between the two cities and the intertwining of the sisters' tragedy in its fate to... we must band together to fight Viktor Arcane Ultron in what, 4ish episodes? And then all the other plotlines and side characters that got so little time or kinda wasn't needed. Mel and the Black Rose, Warwick, the strike team who you only remember the name of Maddie who was made to be hated, chem barons dying in a music montage, Caitlyn and Noxus Piltover arc condensed in another music montage, Vi's emo arc in another music montage, a sex scene in a cell tonally clashing with a character wanting to blow herself up two scenes before it, Sevika disappearing after episode 4 and reappearing in episode 9 with no dialogue, etc. That really compromises the characters and the overall story just because they wanted to escalate to "world threat" and all of those problems instead of focusing on the cities, personal motivations, and S1's consequences
Its like they went from "parasite" to "avengers infinity war". The use of Cool Scenes this season felt so ...overdone. the scenes were literallt just there to be cool. Had all those mv scenes been fleshed out and avtually shown with the respect the stories they depict deserve, we literally couldve made 3 more episodes out of it!
I have yet to finish, but the way i just JUMPED of joy, thank you so so much for being one the few that recognized Vi HAD an arc, she wasn't just being "tossed around done dirty", she also carried the burden of Vander's words of "protecting Jinx", of him letting her know that she leads and if she leads wrong everyone's done for. Carrying that, alongside the grief of losing the two people she loved most made her crumble, and then forced her to be built back up... I'll finish watching now but the large amount audience missing on the nuances of these arcs has been upsetting to no end. Was this season perfect? no, absolutely not it needed more space to develop a little BUT it was still emotional and wonderfully constructed. I hope people can watch the show from the beginning and see how (despite exec. production limitations) well pieced together all of this story was.
Yees, so well said. I am really dissapointed by how a lot of people just missed the character arcs in the show this season. As FSN said: they were there and they were extremely well thought out, it was just that they needed some more time to fully blossom. Thta said, I still think they worked well with the limitations they had.
Season 2 feels like two really good seasons forcibly melded together when you compare it's start to the end. The weekly structure definitely feels like ducktaping the issue cause bingeing it all in one go would seem to only make it all more obvious. Still some of the best television but as good as it is, it too often forgot to let itself breath.
Season 1 was a season full of unnecessary plotlines and characters. If they did not introduce Ambessa in Season 1, Season 2 would've been better. Extra episodes or even seasons will not fix that issue, it'll only drag the story. The Ambessa character is totally out of place from the vibe of the show Season 1 is overrated
@@CzarsSalad I disagree. As FSN said, Ambessa fills the power vacuum left when most of the council died and instigated even more conflict between Zaun and Piltover, which upped the stakes in a lot of ways. She was a main player this season as well, so I am not quite sure how you got that impression.
Honestly, I can't believe this show got made. It's hard for me to imagine that anything like this - especially to this scale and with this budget and care - is going to get made in the next ten years. But fingers crossed for all those spin-offs!
I think what would have helped Season 2 a lot is there being an extra episode for each of the acts; meaning there would be 12 episodes (4 for each act) rather then 9. I feel like this would complete a lot of my issues with the show. My main one being what one of my friends called "The Slaughter of the Side Characters." To start off with, I really wish they showed more of the Chembarons Civil War rather then just do a music recap (though I love "Sucker" that is my favorite song out of this season). It would have justified all the time we get to seeing these Chembarons despite them never showing up again. Also would help Sevika since after midway of Act 2, she does virtually nothing. I also think that episode would help with showing Caitlyn's Task Force more, as we do not get nearly enough time. Believe it or not, I actually liked Loris and thought he was cool. To bad he only had 8 lines of dialogue in total. Same goes for Steb. Apparently, he is supposed to be mute but that still doesn't make up for the fact we don't see nearly enough of him. As for Act 2, the extra episode would have gone to showing more of the Zaun occupation and Victor's commune growing. I feel like my second biggest annoyance with these season is how they use a music video to recap what should have been at least half a episode. And finally for Act 3... this is where I am more mixed. Episode 7 is fine, that is probably my favorite episode in the entire season. As for the rest of the Act, I feel like there could have been a better build-up and ending to the battle. The battle itself I am fine with for the most part as I think it is very good. I do have an issue with how suddenly it ends. But this comment has gone on for long enough. If someone wants me to, I'll continue the discussion and defend the points I have made.
I love this show. As you said, even with flaws, it's still better than most shows on TV. However I was so looking forward to being emotionally gutted by Piltover and Zaun fighting each other because I know both sides of the conflict. I know names and faces on either end, and I know complications in interaction between them. Season 1 was all about it, it ended on a cliffhanger about it! But their conflict did not get resolved much at all! In the end they have to come together to fight a nameless and faceless army (except for their leader Ambessa), and I can't help but wonder how much more devastated I would be if I knew more people fighting on the side of the Noxians! In the end, Sevika gets to be on the council, but how much will that help if their decisions come to a vote and Zaun only has one representative? (I could be misremembering though)
@@philipdaviddavies9478 thats not really what it all meant. The faceless evil is the arcane and its corrupting power. Instead of a more local story about two opposing sister cities, it turns into Avengers Assemble VS Ambessas army of unknown soldiers, and VS the arcane mannequins.
@@isaw9969 I was making a joke about viktor having a mask… his og status… not the vgu lol… but yeah I guess since I watch necrit videos and shit I don’t view the noxians as much faceless… and we know the origins of victors puppets and the arcane… but I can see how a random crow with 3 eyes would seem weird if you don’t know swain… or the black rose seems random if you don’t know the lore behind it… it’s good for people who know the lore… not really me lol… so I am also kind of like wtf is really going on? Hopefully they fill us in more with the next series… so when you rewatch everything again later it makes a lot more sense…
I utterly LOVE the use of Music songs in Arcane. The songs are not just placed because they sound cool on superficial level. *ALL* the Arcane songs were exquisitely perfect to the allocated scenes not just in its music, beats or flow but also in its contextually fitting lyrics which feed to the story of the scene. It's utterly brilliant which added a richness to the audience immersion and impact!!
Im glad I’m not the only one who thought it could be fleshed out a little more. There was so much happening at once that by the time I got to the end I wondered if it couldve been a little bit slower.
A big part of what made season 1 so good was that it really felt like the characters were naturally driving the story. In season 2 it’s a lot more obvious when the writers are skipping or forcing character decisions in order to take the story where they want it.
Arcane gives me hope for some kind of resurgence of animation in the west, I will say to the end of time that animation is a medium for storytelling not just something to keep the kiddos entertained
suppose it all depends on the writing since something on the caliber of arcane like avatar or gravity falls amphibia(i know techincally amphibia and gravity falls is for kids, id say more accurate to say for family) or bojack horseman (at its peak) theres over 10 others which aint even half as good them
I loved this show so much and my favorite character has always been Jayce he means a lot to me especially since when I was a little girl I was raised to with showing emotions "when its no the right time" resulted in me being screamed at and hit so seeing a man being so openly emotional really helped me Jayce will always mean a lot to me
The rehashing of certain parallels, characters keeping pertinent information to themselves when revealing it would be more beneficial then anything and a big retcon aside, I can see most of the events happening. The problem is that we didn’t see the steps to how we got there. Not to mention the music video aspects of each episode while entertaining, I could tell that it’s there way of showing character development or events transpiring, because they have to keep the story going.
Someone on Twitter suggested this Imagine act 1 of S2 had been S2 in it’s entirety with 6 episodes within those episodes we could see a lot more character/story development such as cait and her desire for revenge against jinx, vi as an enforcer, loris and his relationship with vi, conflict with using the grey on the undercity, ekko and vi reunion and conflict with vi being an enforcer, etc. Then in the last episode we would get a lot of the same cliffhangers the arcane anomaly, caitvi breakup, the black rose taking mel, ambessa making caitlyn commander, etc. And when we get to S3 with 9 episodes the focus on it would be acts 2 and 3 but more fully fleshed out since the vi vs jinx conflict would have already been covered in the previous season
This video marks the first time you and me really disagree on something, Dylan. I'm gonna say it: I thought ARCANE2 was fine. Not bad, but certainly not good, and I have issues with almost everything. My first main beef is with the story, because S1 gave us a story about class struggle mirrored in the relationship between Jinx and VI, which was compelling and the main motive behind most of the character’s actions. S2 totally lost that and put the sisters’ relationship to the side, while the social commentary vanished in favor of a final battle against faceless robots. The story went from a nuanced and thoughtful take on oppression to a classic tale of good vs. evil with explosions, and not only is that boring, but it also throws to the side most of what made the characters compelling to begin with: their moral grey area and what they're willing to do to change the status quo. It also was rushed and the pacing was wack, but I feel like everyone agrees on this. Second main critic is the writing of the characters: Why does Jinx suddenly because a lot more sane? How the fuck does Vi drop all of her core values in the span of a few days when she chooses to become an enforcer? Why was this total shift of her morals done so quickly and without any narrative weight? As for Caitlyn, how does she become such a tyrant so suddenly? And why does she STOP being a tyrant in the span of a few seconds too? Why do Jinx and Vi just... make up, literally a few days after totally giving up and trying to kill each other? All of those relationships and character arcs felt mishandled and toned down, and I don’t feel like we got satisfying closure for most of them because of that. And lastly I'm gonna say some plotlines and characters were just plain unnecessary. Why did we need Isha as a sister figure to Jinx when Vi was right there and their relationship was cast aside? It felt like the core of the show was lost and neglected. Also what did Isha bring as a character? Why did we need Vander to come back for an episode only to die again without any character arc whatsoever? Why did we need a alternate universe only for the purpose of one episode and one character arc? What did it bring? How does that fit in the original scale of the story? What purpose did the Black rose plot line really serve? We still don’t know what they really are but a rushed backstory for why Mel would come and save the day in the finale (after mastering her abilities in two seconds too). All of these could have been replaced by some more build-up on the story that was already there and for which we wanted a proper continuation, but we got a whole new set of arcs and characters taking up a lot of screentime instead. I get that the creators were on a clock and had originally planned for 3 more seasons… but when they got that memo, I don’t get why they chose to cram two or three seasons worth of storylines into one, instead of opting for a more grounded story by simply closing the storylines they already had going on. Also as a side note, I know I'm gonna make enemies here but I felt like there was just too much music sometimes and it didn’t flow as well as in season one. The music video type clips in every episode took away from the immersion and felt cheap, it could have been replaced with more useful storytelling imo… I don't know, I feel like like season 2 went full Marvel, with gorgeous visuals but too much focus on epic action sequences and too less on the characters and the original plot. Still an okay watch, but very disappointing on my part
The fact that "Her story will continue in act 3" Sevika doesnt even get ONE speaking line in the finale is horrible to me. Who decided that we should not be shown how Jinx and Ekko convince Sevika and her following - Sevika, who is clearly 100% against Piltover and is a radical - to fight FOR Piltover? Sevika as we knew her would have stood on Ambessa's side, but no. She's now fighting to defend Piltover cause we Need our epic avenger entrance!
The amount of inconsistent characterization in this season is insane. Season 1 was perfect - we knew exactly what every character was motivated by and how they would react. In season 2....... they may as well have used a magic 8 ball to make all their decisions for them.
@@pierregoyet374 becoming buddy-buddy with Jinx is so far out of left field my head was spinning though. I wonder if she ever finds out that Jinx killed Silco....? It'd be even worse if she did.
@@pierregoyet374 understandable to a certain extent, yes, but they have to SHOW US that decision of hers. I do not believe Sevika immediately went with Ekko and Jinx to help. Like said; she haaated Piltover. There were the options for her to 1) join Ambessa, 2) run to save people, or 3) indeed join Ekko and Jinx. A show cannot just make those pivotal character choices happen of screen
I was looking so SO forward to you (as a trusted RUclipsr of mine, and a Parisian) reviewing this show that was created by a Parisian Studio. And you didn't let me down. You give praise where due but you don't block out the issues. To me personally, Arcane is THE best animated show of all time. In terms of Netflix shows only rivaled by Dark. You see, this show shouldn't even exist. Neither should the game it's based on. Both have a super interesting history. And in terms of being "rushed" ... well ... I think they gave us all the bits we needed. Everything else we can imagine ourselves. I think that's part of the fun. Imagining the scene between Ekko and Jinx, when he kept her from doing the thing and them entering the battle. We got all the intel to imagine that scene ourselves. Being somewhat "rushed" (e.g. incomplete) allows us to use our imagination. No. The show ain't "perfect". For instance: why was the mark not set to four seconds when Ekko got trapped by the robots? The 4 second mark was marked with blood, but that's not where the mark was when he pushed it beyond 4 seconds. Little things like that. Still, Victor says that perfection is basically unattainable but that that shouldn't keep us from striving towards it. One thing I learned is that only the imperfect can offer perfection. For if something were to be perfect, it would be completely und utterly devoid of any life, soul, and relevancy. Because it would be inhuman. Because humans just can't be perfect. So maybe - just maybe - Arcane's perfection might just be residing in its imperfections.
If ExU Calamity ever gets animated, I want it to be done like the visuals of Arcane. The Universe will implode, but it'll be worth it for visuals like these
7:08 and are those complex character arcs in the room with us right now Vi's struggle with alcoholism is only shown in one music video clip and then never adressed again. her being at her lowest is true for aprox. the 4 minutes of said clip. when she meets Jinx again, she's wary, yes, but in no way does it reflect the absolute low she just was in. The idea of "Vi finally letting go of her need to protect others" is just such bullshit. When does she actually fully do that, huh? In act 1 she still protects Cait and Isha, in act 2 she is depressed due to the fact she doesnt have a goal anymore, but she never WORKS IT OUT ON HER OWN. She just meets up with Jinx and Isha again and is, yet again, given the task of protecting someone - Vander. In act 3, we barely see her, and when she lets Jinx go, who clearly wants to end it all, she has a Fun Time Scene with Cait in the same prison her sister was just showing suicid4al ideation in. We never see her actually learn to live for herself - the plot just keeps ripping people away from her. These two things are NOT the same. Jinx's struggle with being (for some reason) the face of Zaunite resistance is covered in 2~ episodes. we see the Jinxers fight while Jinx stays at home as she doesnt want to do all that, and we see her break them out of prison, where they all touch her shoulder. Thats the arc. We do not ACTUALLY see her struggle with it as much as we should have. There is also, imo, no reason for Jinx to be the face of the resistance when Ekko, a boy who dedicated his entire youth to saving the people in Zaun who were in need, was Right There. Jinx being an involuntary figure wouldve been great, were it either 1) expanded upon more, or 2) the people of Zaun realise they mythisized her, and realise the people actually fighting for them (Ekko, but mostly SEVIKA, hello? How did that speech not rouse them) are the ones they should follow. That would also have been a nice contrast to the Caitlyn plot - instead of rallying behind someone who only did their actions for revenge, they rally behind people who want their lives to be better. Isha dying could have been The Thing which would make Vi and Jinx connect. Not only does Vi see her sister is not just the maniac she thinks she is, but Jinx would also maybe come to terms with Vi not wanting Powder to be with them with all jobs - she now knows the stress, the fear that comes with caring someone who is so much smaller and weaker than you and whom you love dearly.
The thing I struggle the most with in this season is how they handled Jinx. She was one of the most compelling, nuanced, morally ambiguous characters in the first season. In this season, they drop a plot device named Isha onto her head literally from the sky and use this to transform her entire character over an off-screen time skip. I wanted to see that transition, especially through her relationships with established characters like Vi, Ekko, Sevika and even Caitlyn, not Isha. They erased the most interesting aspects of the most interesting character just so they could suddenly make her the "big fat hero" of the story while completely ignoring everything that happened before. And we as the audience are just supposed to accept that. I can't believe these are the same writers as season 1. I'm not upset at where she ended up at the last episode. I 100% expected a redemption arc with her. I did not for a second think that they'd hide all the leg work for that arc off screen.
Ekko isn't face of resistance, he offered home to those who were affected by criminal king pins in Zaun but he was never aiming for recolution, just community. He did attack silco's Cargo when it looked like he was expanding and that's that 💀 Other than that, do u need a KitKat?
I disagree with Ekko he was protecting firelights and no one else that's what the whole firelight music video was about the declared war against ANYONE, Jinx kills firelights and enforcers but never in s1 targeted ppl of zaun ever and her direct attack on the government is more than Vander silco or ekko have ever done so it makes sense that they'd rally behind the person who is quite boldly targeting the enemy. Also Isha didn't change jinx, she juts made her happy all of s1 was jinx being traumatized over and over again with the return of Vi, we see her dancing to music in her room before silco lectures her, we see her being affectionate with silco and see her messing with Chuck in the bar so she has a fun wildcard personality we just never saw much of it because s1 was about her trauma and not her being happy
"So much set up" and showing Maddie taking off the mask was chef kiss. I completely missed the tells and thought she was a pointless drama character until I forced myself to rewatch the season. Yes it felt rushed and I wish there was more episodes but that 2nd watch really helped everything click into place
Damn, I didn't realize it until now but when you said Cait had to sacrifice her eye to beat Ambessa it reminded me of how she had taught Cait her definition of strength and its 4 principles vision, might, gyal and sacrifice.
Heimer is actually not dead! Every time one of his race dies, they just return to their home city, which is in a different dimension in the lore. I bet that we will see him again in the spin offs
The fact that he was part of both the Shimmer drug issue and the Messiah Viktor storyline with him making Warwick, leads to him walking away relatively Scott free and he goes on to revive his daughter is crazy.
i think that this season's biggest issue was pacing, but the highs are _so_ goddamn high that i can genuinely overlook it. my absolutely favorite part was jayce and viktor's relationship and the way it gradually changes and evolves, i even think the finale they got is better than vi and jinx's, which is crazy to think about--but what could be above deciding to reject the entire world and literally unite in one being through love, and saving each other again and again, in every timeline and possibility? I'm still in awe their story concluded the way it did. so perfect. "there is beauty in imperfections," "i thought i wanted us to give magic to the world, but now all i want is my partner back," and "through all timelines, through all possibilities, only you can show me this," are probably some of my favorite lines in the entire show. crazy.
I'm completely flabbergasted by how phenomenal this show has been both artistically and in terms of its storytelling, Im so happy I finally caught up watching the show and understood why this show is *PEAK FICTION!* I don't know if I've ever been so enamoured by such a show like Arcane and felt so much for all these fantastic characters l, and this is coming from someone who's never played League of Legends or knows anything about the lore to begin with. I just got into Arcane, and now that it's over, I'm truly saddened to know this is the last season because I desperately want to see more of these characters, and if the games are as good as the show, then I seriously need to check them out. Ekko absolutely was the MVP of this show as he came in clutch when it came to stopping Viktor and truly earned the title of *Boy Saviour!!!* Granted, I do completely agree that this season, while being extremely good, had a few problems and some storylines were told rather quickly with some characters feeling less explored but still ultimately gave a very solid ending to this show despite only being 2 seasons. I do think the common consensus of calling Season 2 a *'flawed masterpiece'* feels right, as no show is perfect. Still, this show manages to reach a level of quality writing, storytelling, animation, voice acting and emotional connection I never knew I could have for a show like this since I have no prior knowledge of League of Legends. Arguably the best-animated series of the year, this show should be examined and celebrated in a masterclass of animation, storytelling and world-building. Generational show
@@Thatdoginme_m3 See this is the problem with discussion media nowadays because people like you exist. Everything is either garbage with only one good part in it, mid, or a masterpiece. No room for interesting discussion when you’re all like “Oh there was only ONE good part in the ENTIRE season”
@@lux4163 This was a hyberbolic joke about a lesbian sex scene. Sn 2 has some good moments but it is still terrible. Learn to take a joke you absolute tool.
I agree with you and I swear if we could have another season just 1 more all the loose ends would fit perfectly. But still, even with the rushed pace this series is definitely my top3 favorites shows.
Damn, I wanted to write 3 or 4 really thoughtful comments here but now, having watched the whole video I was too distracted balling my eyes out (AGAIN!!! THANKS!!) Thank you for so much insight into the writers perspektive and the explanations to why this felt rushed and unsatisfying, but still so soooo well exectued.
Man this show had no business being this good from start to end. I’ve already watched the 1at season 3 times. Now I have the whole thing to watch straight through again to catch all the little details hat ie into the last season.
Isha was referenced on Jinx's balloon ship and outfit with bunny ears, teeth from her helmet, the goggles design. She is referenced just not verbally. Which is funny considering she's mute. The spin offs are unlikely to have arcane characters off the bat for a bit. By spin off's they mean more league shows but that doesn't mean arcane characters YET... Vi and Caitlyn are the least likely with our understanding right now to show up anytime soon since they (and Ekko [Christian linke did say more of his story is to come with Jinx]) are still in Piltover and Zaun at Caitlyn's house and they have no reason to leave since their things seems to be rebuilding and such. They are Piltover's finest after all they are intertwined with the region. Unless they go back to that area or they make the two leave for some reason it will be like 10 years before they would realistically be seen again with how many other regions are to be explored before going back. Jinx may appear since she left on that airship and Ella Purnell made it seem like she's coming back in afterglow some with her body language. But who knows. Jinx is a wildcard in that. Viktor and Jayce may appear in some void related stuff considering Viktor's powers are apparently connected to that. Mel is going to Noxus so I think she certainly will unless Noxus isn't covered since they had representation this series. With Swain at the end I think Noxus will be continued though. He also said Cait and Vi have concepts of their story going forward but then clarified that nothing is set in stone or in production but they have ideas of where to take the characters next. They said that for the majority of known living champions after the show though.
I had a blast watching this with my teenagers. Holy shit we all bonded over talking about this show so hard. My daughter in college would call me to talk about it. I really hope the industry takes notice and wants to achieve higher standards with character development and world building.
Bloody hell! That animation! I am working on the script Bible of an animated Lovecraftian horror show set in 1860s upstate New York: In the Mists of Madness and I want ao much for Fortiche to animate it, it isn't funny. Absolutely beautiful!
S2 felt like Endgame without the build-up of Infinity War. As time had passed, while I've started to appreciate a few of the plotlines, I've grown to dislike S2 (esp Act 3) as a whole. Which makes me sad coz we were this close to having a perfect show.
I don’t believe Heimerdinger is dead-he’s a yordle, after all. Yordles are unique creatures: they don’t age and are essentially immortal. If Arcane stays somewhat true to League of Legends lore, it’s likely that Heimerdinger didn’t actually die. Instead, he may have simply respawned in Bandle City. On a side note, the creators of the show mentioned that the scene between Caitlyn and Vi was originally intended to be longer and more explicit, but the higher-ups decided against it.
I hate Cait She goes full blown facist dictator, gassing people, trying to shoot a CHILD, hitting VI for stopping her And no, her grieving her mother and being influenced by Ambessa are not excuses To clarify, The fact that she went there it’s not what pisses me off,but rather the fact that she did and then faces no concequences whatsoever P.D. I do like jayvick, but the way many of it’s fans have been so racist to Mel kind of ruins it for me
As much as i adore arcane (which, trust me; its a lot. i was dying when s1 dropped and it actually gave me drive to get better), season 2 just felt ... empty. it left me dissapointed, because it simply did not deliver well on any of the things set up in season 1, and leaves more questions than answers - something which a season finale should NOT do.. A few problems i have: > remember when this show was about discrimination, oppression, conflict and corrupt governments? dont worry, the writers didnt remember either! why do they spend whole season 1 setting up the tension and breaking point between Zaun and Piltover, only for season 2 to be like "uhm well akshually Noxus is the big baddie and with the power of friendship we must defeat them!!!" like... thats so fucking lazy. Its borderline insulting how the Zaunites were faced with police aggression from Piltover their whole existence, only to be expected to pick up the enforcer uniform in s2act3 and fight to defend the city which has let them rot. its mindboggling to me that they decided to not go into the conflict between those cities (the CORE OF THE SHOW), and instead end it with Sevika gaining a seat in the council, wildly outnumbered by topsiders and without any hints as to what happened between the cities further. and the Jinx Fan Girlie, who was a super radical freedom fighter suposedly, died while wearing an enforcer unifrom, protecting the city that never gave a shit about her.... fuming. > also remember when it was about conflict between different ideologies? again, dont worry, the writers didnt either! Vi VS Jinx, Mel VS Ambessa, Jayce VS Viktor, Vander VS Silco (dont get me started on how they retconned their backstory lmao). its just a whole bunch of nothingness now. just. complete emptiness. this season has nothing to say. nothing. remember the banger lines in s1 ("in the pursuit of great, we failed to do good", "weapons cant be unmade, and they are always used", and i can go on)... what hardcore, borderline radical lines did we have this season? > the black rose plot. I get they wanted to give Mel a plot, and probably added this as a soft introduction to their next League series, but it was just completely random and a mess if you dont know any of the lore. what is the black rose, really? what is the Actual reason the black rose and Ambessa are fighting? and, with Mel: in episode 8 she was struggling with holding back Viktor's puppet and didnt understand her powers yet, and in e9 she suddenly knows how to create shields and energy blasts? why does she, an empath who can control and change the inner power of others, do these things? > Its, imo, insulting that they reduced Mel, such an interesting character when it comes to politics in this show, to 'magical mage'. like. Her relationship with Ambessa is so so interesting. The show could have reflected more on Mel, in s2, realising that her passive action in the council as a result of the trauma from her mother's aggression in her childhood did not lead to peace like she wished, but that she instead became, albeit unwantedly, complicit in oppression. in s1 we see this only as her smearing Gold over the portrait of Noxus (which was well done btw) and voting for Zaun's independence, but i truly believe they could have done more with that. Make her and Caitlyn mirrors of one another, wherein both are priveleged, but one tries finally to get rid of her family ties for good (medarda), while the other grasps unto them for the power it gives (caitlyn). Instead, Mel became the Powerfull Strong Woman. we see her show little actual uhh idk the english word. softness? vulnerability? that, in s2, while s1 was abt her learning that side of her and not having to be harsh all the time. and when she does try to show softness, Jayce shuts her down (alltho i guess the man was traumatised and Unwell^tm too, but still). and she ends up all alone, having lost her mother, jayce and her seat in piltover, shipped of to the place which does not care for her. yayyy what a happy end!1!!1! > The Viktor and the hexcore jesus plot is just. a MESS. What were the footsteps in episode 2, that led him to the undercity? was the hexcore controlling him, guiding him to a place it knew the arcane was strong? but, if the hexcore was possesing him, why did Jayce in e9 act like it was all Viktor's own deliberate doing? his motivations are all over the place in a bad way. How does he go from "there is always a choice" in s1 to "choice is false" in s2? just bc he and jayce truly fought for the first time? how come Viktor, who cares so much about the lives of the oppressed and is vehemently anti-war in s1... actively engage in a war? why did they make the disabled character the eugenics God? > and, what the FUCK do you mean the mage is Viktor?? Huh?? how does that even WORK?Viktor turns bad in universe A, is like 'i must stop this from happening in other universes' and can just... travel the multiverse i guess. But then, why did he still give Jayce the stone, and not just let Jayce and Ximena die on the plain, resulting in no hextech in Piltover, and so no hexcore that entices Viktor, and so no Arcane Jesus Viktor? Why does he still give Jayce the stone? and who gave Jayce the stone in the original universe wherein Viktor went all Evil? (my theory is; the mage ISNT viktor, but viktor means that, from all universes wherein Jayce gets the stone - one wherein Vi dies > no hextech, one wherein he succeeds with a different ruin > viktor becomes Evil - OUR jayce is the only one that can save OUR viktor) > Viktor has close to no autonomy this season. He finally accept dying > is revived by Jayce > gets lured to the Undercity with highly implied the arcane within the hexcore manipulates him to make sure it spreads itself through Viktor like a virus > gets killed by Jayce > gets made Herald by Singed. > and finally abt Viktor; so its never gonna be confirmed if Sky was an hallucination made up by him to combat loneliness (which, why would she then guide him to corrupt others with arcane? why would Viktor think Sky would want him to do that when he is so guilty abt her death?), if she was an apperation from the hexcore itself (in which case, why does she leave when Viktor fully turns?, or if she was simply also taken into the hexcore when she died?) season 1 would have explained it, and season 2 is like.... ahhh dont worry abt it she was there and now shes gone! > Vi's character arc. I mean, the character arc which simply WASNT THERE. What did she do this season that was driven by her own desires? she just reacts to outside forces, seems to have no particular goals in mind, and loses everything. Her fall into alcoholism was hyped up, only for it to be 1 amv within the show and no further depth to it. it was said she was gonna learn how to not be a protector, but she didnt! she protected Isha in act 1, Jinx and vander in act 2, and whole pitover in act 3. like, ok, good character arc. i can actually rant ages abt how they massacred her character. also, making her say "im the dirt under your nails" as a ROMANTIC LINE is INSANE. who tf wrote that? Hello? LOok this stupid trencher knows she is dirty and disgusting and her Topsider Queen is neever gonna get rid of her :DDD i HATE it. its also just a bad line in general > their treatment of Jinx and her mentall ilnesses. just. she doesnt have them anymore i guess! thats how trauma works, right? it makes ur schrizoprenia go away, right? sure Arcane Writers thats 100% how it works. oh and the suicidal character dies in the end? ground breaking thanks we needed more of that in fiction (and, no, the 'purple glare is actually jinx thing!!', while true, is still stupid. not many people catch that, and, for example, my parents without social media will always have the end be Jinx = dead, because canon doesnt offer us definitive other things). also how Isha was only there to die and then not get mentioned in act 3??? disgusting i can actually go on longer than this, but im too frustrated. IMPORTANT: i do not hate the show. i love arcane, and season 1 will always be one of, if not the best (animated or general) series ever produced in the west. season 2 has its merits; its entertaining, it has drama, etc., but the decline between season 1 and season 2 is difficult not to notice. season 2 really makes you realise: oh, yeah, this is based on League of Legends. its like s1 = arthouse movie, s2 = infinity war.
Sky was supposed to be Viktor's last vestige of humanity. His capacity for compassion. Ambessa and the Black Rose are fighting because Noxus has its own class struggles. Noxus is supposed to be a place that encourages socio-economic mobility based on merit alone. Ambessa rose up the power structure because of her strength, intelligence and sheer will power alone. But the Black Rose resemble an elite class that perpetuates the status quo of noble families. She discusses it with Mel in the scene after Mel returns. I'm not defending it. I very much share most of the same opinions as you do. Vi had an arc. It was just missing a lot of beats. Her character arc went from point A to point Z with fkall regard to the rest of the alphabet
This comment is everything. You need to make a video. You are one of the few people that see the issue with Mel. So many people like her this season because she has cool powers and think she got a good ending even though they removed most of her characteristics and she lost everything she cared about. 😫
@@chrishaven1489 Okay, but when is, WITHIN THE SHOW ITSELF, made clear that Sky is Viktor's humanity? And, if that's the case, why is is Sky that almost lures Viktor to the undercity, that encourages him to turn his followers into empty husks? The 'Sky = humanity" thing can be seen as implied in the 'the line' scene, but her earlier appearances paint her more 'sinister'. Someone who does not follow interviews with creators of shows should be able to know what something in a show means. Again, with the Black Rose thing. Nothing in your comment explaining it was explained within the show - or at least not well enough to defend it having a whole plot in a show which does not resolve around it. it was only present to make Mel a mage (and thus a league champion) and to be a soft pilot to the Noxus region. The Black Rose is shown as this magical society, consisting of people who have, well, magic. The 'deceiver' thing is impossible to understand if you havent read league lore or know Leblanc. Season 1 was easy to follow without league lore, but this whole plot required you to know it. Agree with the Vi thing you said. She had an arc in the sense that her character changed, but an arc is composed of the PROGRESSION from point A to Z. Without the progression, it cannot imo be called an arc. its just a change in that case. I dont use capital letters to denote anger btw i just use it instead of italics on youtube lmaooo my reply is in no way meant as aggresive
@@brendajameson5093 LMAOO ty. Honestly the amount of blind praise s2 is getting from creators i previously thought of as very critical is lowkey making me consider doing just that. Its insane to me how a big spectacle will just completely blind people to objective glaring issues within the show! Mel this season was just horrible, in the sense that they absolutely butchered everything that made her great and unique. Here you have this extremely savy, politically influential figure, a direct opposite of the environment she grew up in and a possible mirror to Caitlyn in terms of how they use their birth-privelege.... and then they turn her into a magical girl so they can make her a champion and so she can join the Big Fight. Its infuriating!
I'm a league player and a lore enthusiast and have a few things to add. It's been announced that the next part will be taking place in Noxus, Ambessa and Mel's homeland. The Black Rose is HUGE there, so the reason that was really unresolved is it's coming next. I don't want to spoil too much here, but keep them and the three eye'd crow in mind that showed up for a moment at the end. Plus the boats heading back to Noxus + Mel's absence from the council chamber leads me to believe Mel is coming home to pursue them. She's gonna need a lot of luck with that one. Interestingly, Mel is NOT a league champion, I'm not sure if she'll be added, but it leaves a huge space for her continued story since we don't know the trajectory of that. Also they released a book! It's a prequel of Ambessa's history.
I absolutely loved the video, just one observation: the thumbnail is actually an AI that was heavily criticized by the creators and animators of the show, netflix even banned it
Season pissed me off when it abandoned the complex and nuanced class struggle for spectacle based robot fights. My head almost exploded when one of the creators said that Zaun vs Piltover was like a 2 party system "failing to communicate". I'm so over liberals treating oppression like all that needs to be done is "talking it out".
Yes, I thought it was very unfortunate they way they dropped the class struggle. However, the politics in the show were always kind of flimsy from S1, so I expected them to not deliver. Didn't think they'd completely abandon it in the last Act, but oh well
You’ll get hate for this but I clocked out when the whole multiverse stuff and monster stuff took place.., Season 1 was building to a class war **NOT** that BS with Vic and the robots
I really liked season 1, but felt like season 2 was super jumpy, scatteted and the story didn't pull me in the same way, that being said you can clearly see that they have a lot of experience in making fun, fast paced fights with a good soundtrack
You had me at the half when you faked out dissing the finale. I don't think my blood has pumped that hard watching anything (except maybe the final race in Speed Racer).
I'm still baffled by the choice of dedicating half an ep and a Funeral MV to Cait's mom, and then absolutely nothing for Isha, Jayce, Viktor, Heimerdinger (he dead right?) and Jinx (at least from Vi)
So it’s understandable that non league players don’t know. But heimerdinger isn’t dead. He can’t. Yordles simply can’t die. That’s also why he wasn’t worried and didn’t really say goodbye. He might not see them again. But he’s actually fine. He’s back in handle city where all yordles are from. They respawn there when they die.
i get why they dint do it for jinx (mostly cuz its very implied that shes still alive) but also cuz it just ments to be end of a cycle, giving focus to it would kinda miss the point of her "death"
Cait's mom funeral is extremly important for the character development of Caitlyn. It makes us understand the emotional impact that her mom's death had on her and how she completly changes from the optimistic girl that was trying to help Vi to explain to Piltover that Zaun's people are not all bad to a woman that absolutly hates Zaun and Jinx for what the y did to her mother. Eventually this character change even makes her go away from Vi and be in completly oposite sides. Its a huge change that was very well made and developed and the viewer can understand it. The funeral scene and Caitlyn's reaction is extremely important because of this. PS: It also brings up a themes in the show that are super interesting: Sometimes pain can lead to revenge but is revenge worth it? And how far are you willing to go for that revenge? How many people are you willing to hurt or loose? Killing just brings more killing, it is a cycle. But can you forgive someone that killed your mom?
@@SH1NK1R01I'm assuming Ekko also isn't a league player, knowing that lore tidbit. So at the very least it would've been nice to see him adding heimer to that mural of people they've lost.
It's weird that it had a kind of rushed ending because apparently thier doing spin off's......They most likely rushed it because Netflix has a thing of cancelling really good animated shows after a couple of seasons(besides some exceptions)
The thing with "The Black Rose," is that I think, while definitely rushed during this, it is meant to serve as an appetizer for the next storyline moving towards Noxus, the home of Ambessa and Mel, since we see a particular crow spying on the events towards the end, before leaving with the ships going home to Noxus, feels like a hint that we're moving towards that.
This show really needed another two episodes or two extra hours, but they really loved their 3 Act structure to their own detriment. That being said, still a 8.9/10 for me
We're used to the phrase "victim of their success", but I think Arcane was in a sense victim of its quality. When the creators revealed that there would only be two seasons, they were largely applauded for their artistic integrity, but the truth is a show as expensive as this one (the most expensive animated show in the history of humanity) doesn't come cheap and it couldn't go on forever, so they most likely had to make some cuts in the scenario they had already planned and it was more a budget constraint they had to adapt to rather than an artistic decision. In a sense it was still them deciding not to sacrifice the visuals and musical ambiance, but the narration and character development were the ones to take the hit. It's still a very strong story, but it needed more time to develop, some crucial scenes to make things click properly, an entire act even. And to be perfectly honest, the problem was already here in season 1, just to a far smaller degree. Don't take me wrong, I don't say the show is bad. I'm saying it's 9.9/10 and it had the potential to be 29.9. That being said, I think we have to be the Viktors of this story and learn to accept imperfection because there's beauty in it as well.
22:00 Same! I had went to bed after starting the first few mins of the last episode and they were in the war room talking. When I came back to the episode the next day, I thought I must've fallen asleep for some of it and missed half an episode. I went back to the last episode and rewatched the last 15 mins like, nope I remember all this. When I started the last one again with that quick transition to the war, I really said to myself "oh wow, so we're just jumping right into battle..." Lots of time jumps. I thought it was just me.
I agree with almost everything you said :v Loved the season, but could definitely have seen it expanded into 2 seasons, or at least an extra arc to this season.
And what do you put in the extra seasons when the main characters' arcs are already complete... Especially that of Jinx... You want extra seasons full of fillers and cringe writing? Whoever thinks extra seasons would help are retarded
I couldn’t quite articulate why this season missed for me, but I think the pacing explains it. A lot of emotional beats I recognized, but didn’t really feel, and think it’s because, like you said, they didn’t get a chance to breathe. It was a whole lot of “now what?”
I love arcane I love people talking about arcane I love the inspiration arcane brings to artists I love Rebel heart, Ashes and blood, Cocktail molotov, Dirty little animals, Our love, Dysnaties & dystopia
Haven't even watched the video yet but holy shit. I've been watching this channel since the first Emily in Paris video and never dreamed he would cover Arcane because it's animated
My favorite line from Jayce in season 2 is "there is beauty in imperfections" and I feel like that sums up season 2 perfectly. It may be flawed, but its flaws don't stop it from being a beautiful work of art that has made huge strides in animation and storytelling.
That line is absolutely stupid given that Viktor was never trying to cure his imperfections but his very real terminal illness.
Animation, yes. Storytelling? No, the story is a massive step back
It’s a step back but it’s not MASSIVE let’s not lie to ourselves here because of expectations from season 1
@@hawkins347Viktor was only trying that initially tho. The conversation he had with Jayce about human emotions and how eliminating it would eliminate strife and conflict was clearly the focus of the line here
@ yes it is massive. Seriously, take off the rose tinted glasses season one gave you and ignore the (amazing) art and just look at the story itself and how it’s developed. It’s terrible, and especially compared to what it’s following up, but even without that there’s so many problems
i feel like people love episode 7 of season 2 so much because it gives it room to breathe. you’re allowed to just exist in that alternate reality with versions of the characters you love. it almost reinforces that ‘what could have been’ vibe. it’s slowed down (as much as possible), it’s full of emotional beats despite the low stakes, and you can just watch some of your favourite characters interact. all before you have to cut it short and leave and return to the plot going at light speed like ekko has to
Season One is a flawless masterpiece. Season Two is a flawed masterpiece. But Season Two has that dance...
That dance (and the song) is everything to me 😞
When season 2 shines, it shines the brightest.
It just has a tiny bit too much going on. I think even 3 more episodes could have massively helped offset that issue. The best episode is 7 and funny enough, it's the breather episode that takes its time.
Season 1 has flawed storylines with unnecessary characters (esp. Ambessa)
Season 2 tried to fix season one's issues
@@Canadishepisode 7 is the best episode because we don't have to see unnecessary characters
Shame cos it could have been 10/10 with a few extra minutes here and there to explain the character motivation change and an extra episode to flush out the PvZ conflict so it's resolved more naturally.
Honestly, I think the contents of act 1 to the beginning of act 2 should have been its own season. That way they wrap up the Zaun and piltover story with exploring VI’s depression, Caitlin’s Mussolini arc, Jinx’s mental state and the vacuum Silco left behind as well as setting up the nature of the Arcane. Then s3 you go into Vander, the Glorious revolution, and the generally more high concept stuff. Cuz as it stands, s2 is a miracle for how well it holds together so many plot lines…but it’s still very rushed and there’s no true character moments that blew me away like s1 outside of episode 7 which was actually very fleshed out outside of Heimerdinger’s death.
I agree! By the act 3 I'd actually stopped caring about any of the characters because it was so rushed I could no longer believe the character transitions between season 1 and now. What a waste.
@@Golmov_the_Wretchedthe last two episodes had me disconnected from everything on screen
As a devout believer in that S2 is a lot better than people say (for example, I completely disagree with this video when he says that Viktor's switch in ideals/behavior was done too quickly, as we get so many hints and dialogues from the end of episode 6 onwards), having the first 5 episodes of S2 be it's own season would be so damn good.
Imagine S2 ending with Jayce coming back and killing Salo, and that cliffhanger would set the stage for S3
@@thegreatfitzgerald2660 people still love it tough, just like me they are bittersweet about the fact that this show had the potential to be great, if not the best series of all time. Its just aching that it wasted that potential cuz they had to explore other lol characters and had limited budget. Btw, I would love season 2 to end as the act 2 ends, would give a whole year of jayce pfp wars on tiktok.
Caitlyn's Mussolini act made me imagine Caitlyn with her head shaven and her chin in the permanent cringe pose of Moussolini and I can't stop laughing.
Viktor having the 2 most beautiful lines in the whole show, 1 for each season is just incredible.
Viktor: *has beautiful lines* also viktor, while breaking into Heimerdinger's lab: "Wait a minute... this isn't my bedroom!?"
Season 2 could've used another 3-4 episodes to flesh out these plot lines better. As it stands, it's nothing short of a miracle how good S2 was despite it rushing so many interconnected storylines.
@@ThwipThwipBoomAgreed. Season 2 is still a masterpiece, just not flawless like season 1 is.
S1 Viktor: In our pursuit of greatness, we failed to do good
S2 Viktor: There is no prize to perfection, only an end to pursuit
Wouldve been a god tier show with 3 seasons
Yeah, I also believe just 1 more act could have been enough
@@thegreyfox2105 for sure, I miss the moments in season 1 where they allowed moments and decisions to breathe. It needed one more act or longer episodes
I'd argue it's still a god tier show despite the pacing.
@@razvantrifu In my very subjective opinion, there were some writing decisions that kinda soured the season for me and they were clearly made because they had to fit in other stuff, like sidelining Vi and making her an extremely passive character, which could work, but you can tell they just wanted to focus on other characters (which is what Christian said). The animation tho? God tier always.
No I hate waiting. At least I know it's not coming.
The main problem of this season, to me, is that it relies way too much on "this happened of-screen": Cailtyn gassing the undercity - and all other absolutely horrendous acts she did, the heightened police violence in act 2, etc - is never actually shown with the weight s1 would show it. Caitlyn getting suspicious of Ambessa happen immediately after she and Ambessa team up. Vi and Caitlyn becoming besties again ever tho their last scene together was one of betrayal and heartbreak. Ekko talking Jinx of the ledge and ralying the undercity together happens of-screen. Sevika being convinced to fight for Piltover instead of letting it just perish (which s1 and act 2 Sevika would absolutely have done). Ambessa's reaction to finding out her daughter is kidnapped. I can go on.
In season 1, you always knew WHY something was happening: why did. To quote srslylini from Tumblr:
"Why did Vi know where to find Vander after Silco took him? well of course because of Ekko who was established in the first few minutes of the first episode to be the character to be on look out. // Why did Viktor help Jayce? Because he didn't want to stand in Heimerdingers shadow as just an assistant anymore. He was sick and knew the problems of the undercity first hand, he wanted to help. Of course he would, if there was a chance hextech could do it. // Why did a shimmer induced Huck help Caitlyn out? Why because as early as the very first episode in Vanders first speaking scene he gets help from Vander and well why wouldn't he then show that help for Vi, knowing he can?"
It never relied on the suprise or shock value, which made it such a good tragedy; you knew the horrors and how it could never end well, but the characters didnt. season 2, however, keeps the majority of its cards hidden and then never reveals them in the end. It leaves you with so much questions that you just have to fill in yourself. This isnt "show dont tell", btw, cause half of it isnt even SHOWN.
yeah honestly. the neither showing nor telling really ruined the season. or at least contributed to its ruin
But it does show it tho? The music video in ep 3 and her gassing the brothel with the grey. Caitlyn motive for turning on ambessa is explained in ep 6, Vi explains that the beast that ambessa is looking for is her father and they might be able to save him. Caitlyn still loves Vi, and she doesn’t want to use the beast she wanted to kill however she doesn’t want to hurt vi, all this is explained in this one episode I’m always so confused as to why people say Caitlyn turned for no reason where it’s legit explained. Tho I do argee that jinx and ekko needed more time in ep9, so Jinx main theme of self creation could of been explored more, and her conclusion would be easier to communicate her journey to destory jinx and powder and creating a new person, that new person needed more set up and showing jinx and ekko more in ep 9 would of be a lot better.
Perfectly explained how I feel too. A major example is Viktor's extremist turn in act 3. His little community is nice and all, but if we had seen more of his efforts to build it, then I would sympathise more with his abandonment of flawed humanity when their conflict causes it to be destroyed. Having Viktor's motivations feel as underdeveloped as they are really diminishes act 3 and his ultimate realisation that sterile perfection is the worst kind of failure.
@@damianwilson7526
youre so so right im gonna add the viktor thing to my og comment too. this man went from "there is always a choice"/"i will not sacrifice his humanity for your cause (war, etc)", to "choice is false" and "we are all of one mind", supposedly just because his partner didnt wanna work together with him anymore?? what??
dont even get me started on the choice to make the character who in s1 was the one most opposed to war and violence and weapons and the one most devoted to his desire to help people in need, turn out to be the one with the highest kill-count of Zaunites specifically and become the Big Bad Boss.
having it implied in e9 by jayce that "he always wanted to fix what he thought were imperfections" is also insane in relation to that. those were NEVER viktor's sole motivators, ever. now im supposed to believe the disabled dude turned into a eugenics god bc he was insecure abt his imperfections??? pure rage at how they butchered his whole character by their rushed and sloppy writing.
I guess it was a budget issue because some writers have said that they did have more scenes they just couldn't put them in the episodes and I genuinely don't understand why Netflix didn't give them more time and money. If not a third season or another act simply hour long episodes would have made an incredible difference to the better and they had to know everyone was going to watch this show, like the money would be very well invested in 20 more minutes of animation.
I disagree with you on Ep7 being rushed to a fault. I think
A) that’s the episode where they actually gave a plot line A LOT of time, obviously more could have been cool but they gave it an adequate amount of time.
B) The rushed feeling in that episode was intentional, it adds something to the story. The quick passage of time is mirrored by ekko’s desire and panic towards getting back home as soon as possible, however when we finally see the scene start to breathe and take it’s time, as the scene literally slows to a crawl (4fps) we see the first time Ekko is truly living in that universe and that’s also the moment when he finally makes those connections he needs to make. That part of the episode was in perfect speed all the time, because ekkos main theme and entire character (in game and in the show) really revolves around time, so I think it was beautiful that the pacing of the show really mirrored his thought process. He was so panicked and ready to go home that he almost skipped the dance and went straight home while the plot was bursting with speed, but he was forced to slow down and live in the moment.
TLDR: The pacing in Episode 7 was fast but it worked in context of the episode to make the overall message more impactful
Well said. I agree with you.
yeah it was so weird because i also think ep7 is the only properly paced episode in the whole season. It gives time for ekko to learn that jinx is still worth saving as well as to let himself enjoy a little bit of life. imagine how good the show could've been if we got the same treatment for vi's lowest point at the fightpits or caitlyn power trip instead of a quirky music video
@@jorgecortes3789I in some ways think it was intentional i think the writers and animators knew the final act would be a crunch to fit all they needed in, so they gave us a little bit of breathing room with Ep7 while also showing us the pace of the rest of the show
i love this!!!!
I believe Arcane and Spider-Verse are the greatest animated media we’ve experienced in the last decade or two, from its writing to themes and characters, they’re phenomenal and influential, and especially in terms of visuals. If Spider-Verse is a comic book come to life, Arcane is like a grandiose fantasy steampunk painting brought to life
And they are both so different and original animation wise. They are going to be so influential in animation for the next decades.
It's game, lol universe, come to life
I ain’t wrong haven’t had this feeling like when I finished watching spiderverse nor arcane.
Even people that hated animation or superhero films liked arcane and Spiderverse. I’ve seen people that complain about woke movies like Spiderverse. Good storytelling cannot be denied.
Both fandoms are extremely passionate about their stories too
Blue eye samurai is a solid third!
Arcane is the best animated series of all time, hands down.
As a student in animation, Arcane is my bible. The last feew weeks were full of Arcane. In my art school, everybody talk about it. This is the type of show were you have to analyse frame by frame to see if their is a clue you missed. Arcane is clearly my favorite show of all time. And I can't wait to buy the artbook!
love your video!
One of the most iconic shows to ever be produced
Period!✨🔥❤️☺️
idk watch some anime. while on a technical level arcane is def outstanding, there are even better stuff and story wise it's very mid
@solarydays
have you watched season 1? Season one is spectacular in every aspect of the word. Season 2 stumbled, but it doesn't detract from the Season 1 story line in the slightest. Anime is good I'm not gonna lie but Arcane is on a completely different level.
@@Loveheart__ animation/art is more advanced in season 2. why wouldn't I have watched s1, you think I just jumped on s2 randomly not knowing anything about it? there is not much logic behind your assumptions.
there are plenty of animes that beat arcane by miles with both story and animation, don't even have to go back very far
@solarydays A. That was a rhetorical question. Obviously if you watched season two, you watched season one.I'm not stupid 😐 B. I would genuinely like to hear your examples of Anime that complete floor Arcane in writing
I dont think season 2 is perfect, but I still think it's a 10/10 show. There is nothing that can take away from the amazingness and the beauty of this show for me. It ended on such a perfect note and I loved every second of watching this show. The emotional beats HURT and the animation is perfection. 10/10
Love that you're covering this! Although you might want to use a different image, the one of Jinx holding Vi is AI and Riot's gotten upset at Netflix over using it.
Commenting to boost this
It's not AI it's two different versions of the same image Jinx's fingers aren't fucked up in the thumbnail
@@officialname9817 I think my other comment got deleted because I included a link. Sorry RUclips. I will say you made me look more into it, and it seems like it's maybe not entirely AI? It's hard to figure out. The Arcane brand lead said it was AI, and some people say it was only extended with AI...wish they would just be clear about it.
@@suchalamb The image itself, the one designed to be used in vertical poster format, isn't IA. But the expanded image, used to put in a widescreen, has its margins expanded upon with IA. Though the central part was certainly made by artists. It's the sides that were added so they could use it for billboards and thumbnails in wide format.
I agree that the only issue I have with this season is pacing. Viktor literally becomes a god in 7 episodes, Vi & Jinx feel like they become background halfway through the season, not to mention Mel is revealed to be a witch in like 2 minutes. A third season would've helped to give some breathing room but I still want to give the writers of this show their flowers because the season was still incredible. Even though we were following 4 different storylines and 15 different characters I still feel like everyone got good enough time. I just wish we had some more, even if the third season was just 3 episodes to wrap things up.
He doesn't become a god. Not even close. The "astral plane" was just a visual representation of what happens in his mind. Real gods of Runterra would dunk on him.
@@itsgonnabeokay9341ig ppl who don't know the lore just don't get it
you should give flowers to the writers who did season 1 and set everything, not the ones who hijacked season 2
This. Honestly, I don't understand why people are treating this season like garbage. Yeah, it had its flaws which you and FSN put very well into words, but it is nowhere near shows that are actual garbage.
@@solarydaysfuck you mean hijacked I'm pretty damn sure the writers are the same
Hot take but i'm gonna say it - we didn't need another full season. I feel like another act of 3 episodes would've given us the time we needed to properly get things addressed - viktor's turn, the aftermath of isha's death, giving mel more focus and exploration of her abilities - hell sevika and the undercity in all things that required them. Not to mention finding a way to bring back the undercity-piltover conflict and address it amongst the viktor-jayce stuff. I feel like another reason would stretch everything out too much, and sure, four acts would look weird, but in my opinion it would solve all the little things that hold this final season back.
That being said, there is still so much to love about this season. I just hope the writers and Riot learn from this in future endeavors.
No, we needed another season
I agree, if anything maybe episode or 2 more, or maybe making some of them little longer but what would they even put in another whole season? It would be milked by then
Each act should have been 4 or 5 episodes to give the story time to breathe. Pretty much every problem people are bringing up is due to the limited screentime.
@@ratedr7845and what are you gonna put in the 3rd season? Fillers?
100% this is the only right answer
Unpopular opinion:
Season 1 feels like characters move the plot, that’s why it feels so real
Season 2 feels like the plot forces the character to do what they’re supposed to do for the sake of this plot
Still good but… yeah.
Agreed
A very *accurate* opinion I think.
Agreed. And the characters suffer from that a lot imo, they’re just not as deep as they used to
I heavily disagree. All characters and their actions are completely understandable if you think about it. The issue is, people rarely think nowdays.
@@mariannestrgzr9374 Wdym "used to"? They are the same characters.
Ekko the Boy Savior and Viktor have risen to my easy picks for my top 5 favorite hero’s and villains of all time, in fact all the characters in this show are peak
God this show is incredible now I just need to get my bf to watch this
Fantastic season and ending. The only point i was very disappointed by was the complete omittal of the class theme in the final third of the season- it felt like such an integral point to the world of the show that just gets… forgotten. Idk.
Stellar stellar stellar art, characters and music though. Thoroughly enjoyed it
Me: Ok, I really need to focus on my work.
FSN: Here's a video about Arcane.
... I guess I'll go back to work later.
I kind of disagree that Vi has a good story this season. Her fall to rock bottom in act 1 is good. But her lowest point is literally just a 2-minute music video and then she doesn’t really have anything to do for the rest of the season.
Absolutely agree. She doesn’t drive any plot points this entire season, she’s just a passenger. I don’t even get how she forgives Jinx so quickly and tries to get Caitlyn to as well after she, y’know, killed her mother?!
It’s so sad because Vi was my absolute favourite character and she got kind of character assassinated this season.
I agree. She's my fave character and I feel as though she didn't really feel like the same character at her core this season :(
@@MazDance so what if Vi is your favorite character? Jinx has been and always will be the S-Tier character of the show
I love Vi, she's such a great likeable and relatable character
Meh
No. She's one of the reasons (if not THE reason) my sweet Pow-Pow became Jinx.
I feel for Vi, she's been through so much shit, but that I just can't forgive.
Still in shambles after S2, been over a week at this point.
@@Geeeezmo Good job just completely ignoring VI’s POV 👍
@pjdixon6199 I said I feel for her, but not as much as I do for Jinx
Personally I've never really cared about her, she's just felt kinda meh for me, tbh I have that problem with some other characters, some of them just feel kinda bland. Which is really weird because I've liked shows and games that don't have crazy action and wild characters like Mr robot or breaking bad, Firewatch (a game I'd HIGHLY recommend playing), in all of those things I cared a lot more about the characters and was more invested in them, but in Arcane I just didn't really care about the characters or at least not in season 2, which might just be a me problem but Idk, just wanted to say it.
Singed is cool asf though fr
I've been waiting for this video since season 1
it wouldn't even need one more season, one more act and it would've been the perfect show, either way it is still one of the best things I've ever watched
VIKTOR fan here!! 🙋♀ i was sooooo shattered when i realized he was being taken over and kind of fading away and becoming the villain.... But the redemption arc, in the Viktor realm and *THE ANIMATION IN THIS SCENE* it was so beautiful and emotional. Viktor was such a moving character.
Viktor is my fav too❤❤❤❤
Yes.... He really was being taken over by the fused Hexcore, right? Though he somehow remained human somewhere, deep inside. I think the last shreds of humanity disappeared just after he refused Vander being used as a weapon. In that scene at least, he mentioned his humanity.
@@rika6767 I remember when viktor's assistant (Sky) told him that he won't remember her right before he started changing people. So yeah he lost a bit part of himself.
@@haimeur4773 good point!
Every league player that plays Viktor knows that he will be a villain..... League players got spoiled
"He is your dad too" makes me cry every time
Horrible clunky dialogue. What happened. Fuck season 2
Season 2 felt like I watched several League Cinematics on YT back to back to back. Insane visuals and score that mesh brilliantly but with what felt like scattered storylines of varying severity and consequence that overtake each other. Some overlapping characters and events none of were fleshed out properly. You could tell how rushed this was, I don't doubt that given another season to explore storylines that were essentially compressed into series of music videos this show could have fulfilled its potential.
I agree. I think that's what holds it back from being a great show. It's good, sometimes really good (season 1). But, the lack of letting the story breath and letting the characters actually talk and develop naturally is what holds back season 2 and stops me from saying "this is one of the best shows ever made".
I agree and disagree I feel s2 does do the story well it just happens that people don’t understand the core message isn’t about two sisters or social politics and classes. Still s1 is better than s2 but I still liked and feel s2 is good. It has flaws but that doesn’t take away form the grand message the show is presenting. S2 8/10 s1 10/10
Show as a whole 10/10 for me.
For real, S2 was a mess writing wise. Art, visuals and animations were on point though.
@@ToothofaShark I agree. I can't, in good conscience, enjoy this show as much as everyone else does. I enjoy its moments. There's plenty of moments I enjoy. But as a whole, the show is structurally trash.
@@chrishaven1489 I think saying trash is just because something you wanted didn’t happens or you didn’t understand the core message of the show. I enjoy s1 more than s2 and feel it’s better but saying s2 is trash is stretching.
Imo, the pacing problems is a consequence of the story itself and the scope it could handle.
We really went from a show about class conflicts between the two cities and the intertwining of the sisters' tragedy in its fate to... we must band together to fight Viktor Arcane Ultron in what, 4ish episodes? And then all the other plotlines and side characters that got so little time or kinda wasn't needed. Mel and the Black Rose, Warwick, the strike team who you only remember the name of Maddie who was made to be hated, chem barons dying in a music montage, Caitlyn and Noxus Piltover arc condensed in another music montage, Vi's emo arc in another music montage, a sex scene in a cell tonally clashing with a character wanting to blow herself up two scenes before it, Sevika disappearing after episode 4 and reappearing in episode 9 with no dialogue, etc.
That really compromises the characters and the overall story just because they wanted to escalate to "world threat" and all of those problems instead of focusing on the cities, personal motivations, and S1's consequences
100%
@@helixranger2625 AGREED. I feel like they really lost the core of the story this time around and focused more on music montages and epic battles
Its like they went from "parasite" to "avengers infinity war". The use of Cool Scenes this season felt so ...overdone. the scenes were literallt just there to be cool.
Had all those mv scenes been fleshed out and avtually shown with the respect the stories they depict deserve, we literally couldve made 3 more episodes out of it!
I have yet to finish, but the way i just JUMPED of joy, thank you so so much for being one the few that recognized Vi HAD an arc, she wasn't just being "tossed around done dirty", she also carried the burden of Vander's words of "protecting Jinx", of him letting her know that she leads and if she leads wrong everyone's done for. Carrying that, alongside the grief of losing the two people she loved most made her crumble, and then forced her to be built back up... I'll finish watching now but the large amount audience missing on the nuances of these arcs has been upsetting to no end. Was this season perfect? no, absolutely not it needed more space to develop a little BUT it was still emotional and wonderfully constructed. I hope people can watch the show from the beginning and see how (despite exec. production limitations) well pieced together all of this story was.
Yees, so well said. I am really dissapointed by how a lot of people just missed the character arcs in the show this season. As FSN said: they were there and they were extremely well thought out, it was just that they needed some more time to fully blossom. Thta said, I still think they worked well with the limitations they had.
Season 2 feels like two really good seasons forcibly melded together when you compare it's start to the end. The weekly structure definitely feels like ducktaping the issue cause bingeing it all in one go would seem to only make it all more obvious. Still some of the best television but as good as it is, it too often forgot to let itself breath.
This!!
Season 1 was a season full of unnecessary plotlines and characters. If they did not introduce Ambessa in Season 1, Season 2 would've been better. Extra episodes or even seasons will not fix that issue, it'll only drag the story. The Ambessa character is totally out of place from the vibe of the show
Season 1 is overrated
@@CzarsSalad I disagree. As FSN said, Ambessa fills the power vacuum left when most of the council died and instigated even more conflict between Zaun and Piltover, which upped the stakes in a lot of ways. She was a main player this season as well, so I am not quite sure how you got that impression.
Honestly, I can't believe this show got made. It's hard for me to imagine that anything like this - especially to this scale and with this budget and care - is going to get made in the next ten years. But fingers crossed for all those spin-offs!
I think what would have helped Season 2 a lot is there being an extra episode for each of the acts; meaning there would be 12 episodes (4 for each act) rather then 9. I feel like this would complete a lot of my issues with the show. My main one being what one of my friends called "The Slaughter of the Side Characters." To start off with, I really wish they showed more of the Chembarons Civil War rather then just do a music recap (though I love "Sucker" that is my favorite song out of this season). It would have justified all the time we get to seeing these Chembarons despite them never showing up again. Also would help Sevika since after midway of Act 2, she does virtually nothing. I also think that episode would help with showing Caitlyn's Task Force more, as we do not get nearly enough time. Believe it or not, I actually liked Loris and thought he was cool. To bad he only had 8 lines of dialogue in total. Same goes for Steb. Apparently, he is supposed to be mute but that still doesn't make up for the fact we don't see nearly enough of him.
As for Act 2, the extra episode would have gone to showing more of the Zaun occupation and Victor's commune growing. I feel like my second biggest annoyance with these season is how they use a music video to recap what should have been at least half a episode.
And finally for Act 3... this is where I am more mixed. Episode 7 is fine, that is probably my favorite episode in the entire season. As for the rest of the Act, I feel like there could have been a better build-up and ending to the battle. The battle itself I am fine with for the most part as I think it is very good. I do have an issue with how suddenly it ends. But this comment has gone on for long enough. If someone wants me to, I'll continue the discussion and defend the points I have made.
I was just saying this. One episode per act would've helped the pacing a bit more. I was curious about some of the storylines, especially Mel's.
@chanmarr8118 I wanted more Smeech. He was funny
I love this show. As you said, even with flaws, it's still better than most shows on TV.
However
I was so looking forward to being emotionally gutted by Piltover and Zaun fighting each other because I know both sides of the conflict. I know names and faces on either end, and I know complications in interaction between them. Season 1 was all about it, it ended on a cliffhanger about it!
But their conflict did not get resolved much at all! In the end they have to come together to fight a nameless and faceless army (except for their leader Ambessa), and I can't help but wonder how much more devastated I would be if I knew more people fighting on the side of the Noxians! In the end, Sevika gets to be on the council, but how much will that help if their decisions come to a vote and Zaun only has one representative? (I could be misremembering though)
@@higgy0789 Agreed!!! A classic tale of good vs. faceless evil is just not what I signed up for and was emotionally invested in.
@@mariannestrgzr9374how was victor a faceless evil? There was a face under there lol
@@philipdaviddavies9478 I am talking about the robots
@@philipdaviddavies9478 thats not really what it all meant. The faceless evil is the arcane and its corrupting power. Instead of a more local story about two opposing sister cities, it turns into Avengers Assemble VS Ambessas army of unknown soldiers, and VS the arcane mannequins.
@@isaw9969 I was making a joke about viktor having a mask… his og status… not the vgu lol… but yeah I guess since I watch necrit videos and shit I don’t view the noxians as much faceless… and we know the origins of victors puppets and the arcane… but I can see how a random crow with 3 eyes would seem weird if you don’t know swain… or the black rose seems random if you don’t know the lore behind it… it’s good for people who know the lore… not really me lol… so I am also kind of like wtf is really going on? Hopefully they fill us in more with the next series… so when you rewatch everything again later it makes a lot more sense…
I utterly LOVE the use of Music songs in Arcane. The songs are not just placed because they sound cool on superficial level. *ALL* the Arcane songs were exquisitely perfect to the allocated scenes not just in its music, beats or flow but also in its contextually fitting lyrics which feed to the story of the scene. It's utterly brilliant which added a richness to the audience immersion and impact!!
Im glad I’m not the only one who thought it could be fleshed out a little more. There was so much happening at once that by the time I got to the end I wondered if it couldve been a little bit slower.
A big part of what made season 1 so good was that it really felt like the characters were naturally driving the story. In season 2 it’s a lot more obvious when the writers are skipping or forcing character decisions in order to take the story where they want it.
One of the best shows ever made
Arcane gives me hope for some kind of resurgence of animation in the west, I will say to the end of time that animation is a medium for storytelling not just something to keep the kiddos entertained
suppose it all depends on the writing since something on the caliber of arcane like avatar or gravity falls amphibia(i know techincally amphibia and gravity falls is for kids, id say more accurate to say for family) or bojack horseman (at its peak) theres over 10 others which aint even half as good them
I loved this show so much and my favorite character has always been Jayce he means a lot to me especially since when I was a little girl I was raised to with showing emotions "when its no the right time" resulted in me being screamed at and hit so seeing a man being so openly emotional really helped me Jayce will always mean a lot to me
The rehashing of certain parallels, characters keeping pertinent information to themselves when revealing it would be more beneficial then anything and a big retcon aside, I can see most of the events happening.
The problem is that we didn’t see the steps to how we got there.
Not to mention the music video aspects of each episode while entertaining, I could tell that it’s there way of showing character development or events transpiring, because they have to keep the story going.
I think this show took the words "Every frame a painting, Every painting a story" quite literally.
it's animation... otherwise they should have gone full live action. grow up
Someone on Twitter suggested this
Imagine act 1 of S2 had been S2 in it’s entirety with 6 episodes
within those episodes we could see a lot more character/story development such as cait and her desire for revenge against jinx, vi as an enforcer, loris and his relationship with vi, conflict with using the grey on the undercity, ekko and vi reunion and conflict with vi being an enforcer, etc.
Then in the last episode we would get a lot of the same cliffhangers
the arcane anomaly, caitvi breakup, the black rose taking mel, ambessa making caitlyn commander, etc.
And when we get to S3 with 9 episodes the focus on it would be acts 2 and 3 but more fully fleshed out since the vi vs jinx conflict would have already been covered in the previous season
This video marks the first time you and me really disagree on something, Dylan. I'm gonna say it: I thought ARCANE2 was fine. Not bad, but certainly not good, and I have issues with almost everything.
My first main beef is with the story, because S1 gave us a story about class struggle mirrored in the relationship between Jinx and VI, which was compelling and the main motive behind most of the character’s actions. S2 totally lost that and put the sisters’ relationship to the side, while the social commentary vanished in favor of a final battle against faceless robots. The story went from a nuanced and thoughtful take on oppression to a classic tale of good vs. evil with explosions, and not only is that boring, but it also throws to the side most of what made the characters compelling to begin with: their moral grey area and what they're willing to do to change the status quo. It also was rushed and the pacing was wack, but I feel like everyone agrees on this.
Second main critic is the writing of the characters: Why does Jinx suddenly because a lot more sane? How the fuck does Vi drop all of her core values in the span of a few days when she chooses to become an enforcer? Why was this total shift of her morals done so quickly and without any narrative weight? As for Caitlyn, how does she become such a tyrant so suddenly? And why does she STOP being a tyrant in the span of a few seconds too? Why do Jinx and Vi just... make up, literally a few days after totally giving up and trying to kill each other? All of those relationships and character arcs felt mishandled and toned down, and I don’t feel like we got satisfying closure for most of them because of that.
And lastly I'm gonna say some plotlines and characters were just plain unnecessary. Why did we need Isha as a sister figure to Jinx when Vi was right there and their relationship was cast aside? It felt like the core of the show was lost and neglected. Also what did Isha bring as a character? Why did we need Vander to come back for an episode only to die again without any character arc whatsoever? Why did we need a alternate universe only for the purpose of one episode and one character arc? What did it bring? How does that fit in the original scale of the story? What purpose did the Black rose plot line really serve? We still don’t know what they really are but a rushed backstory for why Mel would come and save the day in the finale (after mastering her abilities in two seconds too).
All of these could have been replaced by some more build-up on the story that was already there and for which we wanted a proper continuation, but we got a whole new set of arcs and characters taking up a lot of screentime instead.
I get that the creators were on a clock and had originally planned for 3 more seasons… but when they got that memo, I don’t get why they chose to cram two or three seasons worth of storylines into one, instead of opting for a more grounded story by simply closing the storylines they already had going on.
Also as a side note, I know I'm gonna make enemies here but I felt like there was just too much music sometimes and it didn’t flow as well as in season one. The music video type clips in every episode took away from the immersion and felt cheap, it could have been replaced with more useful storytelling imo…
I don't know, I feel like like season 2 went full Marvel, with gorgeous visuals but too much focus on epic action sequences and too less on the characters and the original plot. Still an okay watch, but very disappointing on my part
The fact that "Her story will continue in act 3" Sevika doesnt even get ONE speaking line in the finale is horrible to me. Who decided that we should not be shown how Jinx and Ekko convince Sevika and her following - Sevika, who is clearly 100% against Piltover and is a radical - to fight FOR Piltover? Sevika as we knew her would have stood on Ambessa's side, but no. She's now fighting to defend Piltover cause we Need our epic avenger entrance!
The amount of inconsistent characterization in this season is insane. Season 1 was perfect - we knew exactly what every character was motivated by and how they would react. In season 2....... they may as well have used a magic 8 ball to make all their decisions for them.
Sevika doesn't fight for Piltover, she fight for Zaun. If Victor wins, everybody die, so it's not illogical that she fight in the final battle.
@@pierregoyet374 becoming buddy-buddy with Jinx is so far out of left field my head was spinning though. I wonder if she ever finds out that Jinx killed Silco....? It'd be even worse if she did.
@@pierregoyet374 understandable to a certain extent, yes, but they have to SHOW US that decision of hers. I do not believe Sevika immediately went with Ekko and Jinx to help. Like said; she haaated Piltover. There were the options for her to 1) join Ambessa, 2) run to save people, or 3) indeed join Ekko and Jinx. A show cannot just make those pivotal character choices happen of screen
@@Golmov_the_Wretched u r reaching like crazy, this vid just explained to u their motivations
I was looking so SO forward to you (as a trusted RUclipsr of mine, and a Parisian) reviewing this show that was created by a Parisian Studio. And you didn't let me down. You give praise where due but you don't block out the issues. To me personally, Arcane is THE best animated show of all time. In terms of Netflix shows only rivaled by Dark. You see, this show shouldn't even exist. Neither should the game it's based on. Both have a super interesting history. And in terms of being "rushed" ... well ... I think they gave us all the bits we needed. Everything else we can imagine ourselves. I think that's part of the fun. Imagining the scene between Ekko and Jinx, when he kept her from doing the thing and them entering the battle. We got all the intel to imagine that scene ourselves. Being somewhat "rushed" (e.g. incomplete) allows us to use our imagination. No. The show ain't "perfect". For instance: why was the mark not set to four seconds when Ekko got trapped by the robots? The 4 second mark was marked with blood, but that's not where the mark was when he pushed it beyond 4 seconds. Little things like that. Still, Victor says that perfection is basically unattainable but that that shouldn't keep us from striving towards it. One thing I learned is that only the imperfect can offer perfection. For if something were to be perfect, it would be completely und utterly devoid of any life, soul, and relevancy. Because it would be inhuman. Because humans just can't be perfect. So maybe - just maybe - Arcane's perfection might just be residing in its imperfections.
Not to be that guy but arcane is not “from Netflix”. It’s just streamed on Netflix. I just want Fortiche to get the credit they very much deserve.
If ExU Calamity ever gets animated, I want it to be done like the visuals of Arcane. The Universe will implode, but it'll be worth it for visuals like these
7:08 and are those complex character arcs in the room with us right now
Vi's struggle with alcoholism is only shown in one music video clip and then never adressed again. her being at her lowest is true for aprox. the 4 minutes of said clip. when she meets Jinx again, she's wary, yes, but in no way does it reflect the absolute low she just was in. The idea of "Vi finally letting go of her need to protect others" is just such bullshit. When does she actually fully do that, huh? In act 1 she still protects Cait and Isha, in act 2 she is depressed due to the fact she doesnt have a goal anymore, but she never WORKS IT OUT ON HER OWN. She just meets up with Jinx and Isha again and is, yet again, given the task of protecting someone - Vander. In act 3, we barely see her, and when she lets Jinx go, who clearly wants to end it all, she has a Fun Time Scene with Cait in the same prison her sister was just showing suicid4al ideation in. We never see her actually learn to live for herself - the plot just keeps ripping people away from her. These two things are NOT the same.
Jinx's struggle with being (for some reason) the face of Zaunite resistance is covered in 2~ episodes. we see the Jinxers fight while Jinx stays at home as she doesnt want to do all that, and we see her break them out of prison, where they all touch her shoulder. Thats the arc. We do not ACTUALLY see her struggle with it as much as we should have. There is also, imo, no reason for Jinx to be the face of the resistance when Ekko, a boy who dedicated his entire youth to saving the people in Zaun who were in need, was Right There. Jinx being an involuntary figure wouldve been great, were it either 1) expanded upon more, or 2) the people of Zaun realise they mythisized her, and realise the people actually fighting for them (Ekko, but mostly SEVIKA, hello? How did that speech not rouse them) are the ones they should follow. That would also have been a nice contrast to the Caitlyn plot - instead of rallying behind someone who only did their actions for revenge, they rally behind people who want their lives to be better.
Isha dying could have been The Thing which would make Vi and Jinx connect. Not only does Vi see her sister is not just the maniac she thinks she is, but Jinx would also maybe come to terms with Vi not wanting Powder to be with them with all jobs - she now knows the stress, the fear that comes with caring someone who is so much smaller and weaker than you and whom you love dearly.
The thing I struggle the most with in this season is how they handled Jinx. She was one of the most compelling, nuanced, morally ambiguous characters in the first season. In this season, they drop a plot device named Isha onto her head literally from the sky and use this to transform her entire character over an off-screen time skip. I wanted to see that transition, especially through her relationships with established characters like Vi, Ekko, Sevika and even Caitlyn, not Isha. They erased the most interesting aspects of the most interesting character just so they could suddenly make her the "big fat hero" of the story while completely ignoring everything that happened before. And we as the audience are just supposed to accept that. I can't believe these are the same writers as season 1.
I'm not upset at where she ended up at the last episode. I 100% expected a redemption arc with her. I did not for a second think that they'd hide all the leg work for that arc off screen.
Ekko isn't face of resistance, he offered home to those who were affected by criminal king pins in Zaun but he was never aiming for recolution, just community. He did attack silco's Cargo when it looked like he was expanding and that's that 💀
Other than that, do u need a KitKat?
@@KingCarbthat transition wouldn't have happened bc literally none of the characters u have named cared ab her at that point, least of All cait
I disagree with Ekko he was protecting firelights and no one else that's what the whole firelight music video was about the declared war against ANYONE, Jinx kills firelights and enforcers but never in s1 targeted ppl of zaun ever and her direct attack on the government is more than Vander silco or ekko have ever done so it makes sense that they'd rally behind the person who is quite boldly targeting the enemy.
Also Isha didn't change jinx, she juts made her happy all of s1 was jinx being traumatized over and over again with the return of Vi, we see her dancing to music in her room before silco lectures her, we see her being affectionate with silco and see her messing with Chuck in the bar so she has a fun wildcard personality we just never saw much of it because s1 was about her trauma and not her being happy
"So much set up" and showing Maddie taking off the mask was chef kiss. I completely missed the tells and thought she was a pointless drama character until I forced myself to rewatch the season. Yes it felt rushed and I wish there was more episodes but that 2nd watch really helped everything click into place
Finally the definitive Arcane opinion
Na, a lot of glazing for season 2
Damn, I didn't realize it until now but when you said Cait had to sacrifice her eye to beat Ambessa it reminded me of how she had taught Cait her definition of strength and its 4 principles vision, might, gyal and sacrifice.
Heimer is actually not dead! Every time one of his race dies, they just return to their home city, which is in a different dimension in the lore. I bet that we will see him again in the spin offs
Watching this video makes me want to rewatch season 2 just so I can soak in everything
damn, didn't even mention the GOAT Singed
Singed is gonna play important role in noxus series
@lavenderbambi3501 I hope so
The fact that he was part of both the Shimmer drug issue and the Messiah Viktor storyline with him making Warwick, leads to him walking away relatively Scott free and he goes on to revive his daughter is crazy.
i think that this season's biggest issue was pacing, but the highs are _so_ goddamn high that i can genuinely overlook it. my absolutely favorite part was jayce and viktor's relationship and the way it gradually changes and evolves, i even think the finale they got is better than vi and jinx's, which is crazy to think about--but what could be above deciding to reject the entire world and literally unite in one being through love, and saving each other again and again, in every timeline and possibility? I'm still in awe their story concluded the way it did. so perfect. "there is beauty in imperfections," "i thought i wanted us to give magic to the world, but now all i want is my partner back," and "through all timelines, through all possibilities, only you can show me this," are probably some of my favorite lines in the entire show. crazy.
I'm completely flabbergasted by how phenomenal this show has been both artistically and in terms of its storytelling, Im so happy I finally caught up watching the show and understood why this show is *PEAK FICTION!*
I don't know if I've ever been so enamoured by such a show like Arcane and felt so much for all these fantastic characters l, and this is coming from someone who's never played League of Legends or knows anything about the lore to begin with. I just got into Arcane, and now that it's over, I'm truly saddened to know this is the last season because I desperately want to see more of these characters, and if the games are as good as the show, then I seriously need to check them out.
Ekko absolutely was the MVP of this show as he came in clutch when it came to stopping Viktor and truly earned the title of *Boy Saviour!!!*
Granted, I do completely agree that this season, while being extremely good, had a few problems and some storylines were told rather quickly with some characters feeling less explored but still ultimately gave a very solid ending to this show despite only being 2 seasons. I do think the common consensus of calling Season 2 a *'flawed masterpiece'* feels right, as no show is perfect. Still, this show manages to reach a level of quality writing, storytelling, animation, voice acting and emotional connection I never knew I could have for a show like this since I have no prior knowledge of League of Legends.
Arguably the best-animated series of the year, this show should be examined and celebrated in a masterclass of animation, storytelling and world-building. Generational show
I love that season 2 has an actual lesbian sex scene, and its still not as Gay as whatever the hell Jacye and Victor had goin on. What a power move
The only good thing about the season and even that was toned down.
To be fair, the showrunner pointed out that Jayce and Victor are very close friends. Unlike Caitlyn anc Vi, there are no romantic feelings here.
@@Thatdoginme_m3 See this is the problem with discussion media nowadays because people like you exist. Everything is either garbage with only one good part in it, mid, or a masterpiece.
No room for interesting discussion when you’re all like “Oh there was only ONE good part in the ENTIRE season”
@@lux4163 This was a hyberbolic joke about a lesbian sex scene. Sn 2 has some good moments but it is still terrible. Learn to take a joke you absolute tool.
I agree with you and I swear if we could have another season just 1 more all the loose ends would fit perfectly. But still, even with the rushed pace this series is definitely my top3 favorites shows.
Damn, I wanted to write 3 or 4 really thoughtful comments here but now, having watched the whole video I was too distracted balling my eyes out (AGAIN!!! THANKS!!)
Thank you for so much insight into the writers perspektive and the explanations to why this felt rushed and unsatisfying, but still so soooo well exectued.
Man this show had no business being this good from start to end. I’ve already watched the 1at season 3 times. Now I have the whole thing to watch straight through again to catch all the little details hat ie into the last season.
Completely agree.
It was an amazing show but had its faults.
It could have been perfect if there was a few more episodes, or another season.
Isha was referenced on Jinx's balloon ship and outfit with bunny ears, teeth from her helmet, the goggles design. She is referenced just not verbally. Which is funny considering she's mute.
The spin offs are unlikely to have arcane characters off the bat for a bit. By spin off's they mean more league shows but that doesn't mean arcane characters YET... Vi and Caitlyn are the least likely with our understanding right now to show up anytime soon since they (and Ekko [Christian linke did say more of his story is to come with Jinx]) are still in Piltover and Zaun at Caitlyn's house and they have no reason to leave since their things seems to be rebuilding and such. They are Piltover's finest after all they are intertwined with the region. Unless they go back to that area or they make the two leave for some reason it will be like 10 years before they would realistically be seen again with how many other regions are to be explored before going back.
Jinx may appear since she left on that airship and Ella Purnell made it seem like she's coming back in afterglow some with her body language. But who knows. Jinx is a wildcard in that. Viktor and Jayce may appear in some void related stuff considering Viktor's powers are apparently connected to that. Mel is going to Noxus so I think she certainly will unless Noxus isn't covered since they had representation this series. With Swain at the end I think Noxus will be continued though.
He also said Cait and Vi have concepts of their story going forward but then clarified that nothing is set in stone or in production but they have ideas of where to take the characters next. They said that for the majority of known living champions after the show though.
I had a blast watching this with my teenagers. Holy shit we all bonded over talking about this show so hard. My daughter in college would call me to talk about it. I really hope the industry takes notice and wants to achieve higher standards with character development and world building.
Bloody hell! That animation! I am working on the script Bible of an animated Lovecraftian horror show set in 1860s upstate New York: In the Mists of Madness and I want ao much for Fortiche to animate it, it isn't funny. Absolutely beautiful!
S2 felt like Endgame without the build-up of Infinity War. As time had passed, while I've started to appreciate a few of the plotlines, I've grown to dislike S2 (esp Act 3) as a whole. Which makes me sad coz we were this close to having a perfect show.
I don’t believe Heimerdinger is dead-he’s a yordle, after all. Yordles are unique creatures: they don’t age and are essentially immortal. If Arcane stays somewhat true to League of Legends lore, it’s likely that Heimerdinger didn’t actually die. Instead, he may have simply respawned in Bandle City. On a side note, the creators of the show mentioned that the scene between Caitlyn and Vi was originally intended to be longer and more explicit, but the higher-ups decided against it.
I hate Cait
She goes full blown facist dictator, gassing people, trying to shoot a CHILD, hitting VI for stopping her
And no, her grieving her mother and being influenced by Ambessa are not excuses
To clarify, The fact that she went there it’s not what pisses me off,but rather the fact that she did and then faces no concequences whatsoever
P.D.
I do like jayvick, but the way many of it’s fans have been so racist to Mel kind of ruins it for me
As much as i adore arcane (which, trust me; its a lot. i was dying when s1 dropped and it actually gave me drive to get better), season 2 just felt ... empty. it left me dissapointed, because it simply did not deliver well on any of the things set up in season 1, and leaves more questions than answers - something which a season finale should NOT do..
A few problems i have:
> remember when this show was about discrimination, oppression, conflict and corrupt governments? dont worry, the writers didnt remember either! why do they spend whole season 1 setting up the tension and breaking point between Zaun and Piltover, only for season 2 to be like "uhm well akshually Noxus is the big baddie and with the power of friendship we must defeat them!!!" like... thats so fucking lazy. Its borderline insulting how the Zaunites were faced with police aggression from Piltover their whole existence, only to be expected to pick up the enforcer uniform in s2act3 and fight to defend the city which has let them rot. its mindboggling to me that they decided to not go into the conflict between those cities (the CORE OF THE SHOW), and instead end it with Sevika gaining a seat in the council, wildly outnumbered by topsiders and without any hints as to what happened between the cities further. and the Jinx Fan Girlie, who was a super radical freedom fighter suposedly, died while wearing an enforcer unifrom, protecting the city that never gave a shit about her.... fuming.
> also remember when it was about conflict between different ideologies? again, dont worry, the writers didnt either! Vi VS Jinx, Mel VS Ambessa, Jayce VS Viktor, Vander VS Silco (dont get me started on how they retconned their backstory lmao). its just a whole bunch of nothingness now. just. complete emptiness. this season has nothing to say. nothing. remember the banger lines in s1 ("in the pursuit of great, we failed to do good", "weapons cant be unmade, and they are always used", and i can go on)... what hardcore, borderline radical lines did we have this season?
> the black rose plot. I get they wanted to give Mel a plot, and probably added this as a soft introduction to their next League series, but it was just completely random and a mess if you dont know any of the lore. what is the black rose, really? what is the Actual reason the black rose and Ambessa are fighting? and, with Mel: in episode 8 she was struggling with holding back Viktor's puppet and didnt understand her powers yet, and in e9 she suddenly knows how to create shields and energy blasts? why does she, an empath who can control and change the inner power of others, do these things?
> Its, imo, insulting that they reduced Mel, such an interesting character when it comes to politics in this show, to 'magical mage'. like. Her relationship with Ambessa is so so interesting. The show could have reflected more on Mel, in s2, realising that her passive action in the council as a result of the trauma from her mother's aggression in her childhood did not lead to peace like she wished, but that she instead became, albeit unwantedly, complicit in oppression. in s1 we see this only as her smearing Gold over the portrait of Noxus (which was well done btw) and voting for Zaun's independence, but i truly believe they could have done more with that. Make her and Caitlyn mirrors of one another, wherein both are priveleged, but one tries finally to get rid of her family ties for good (medarda), while the other grasps unto them for the power it gives (caitlyn). Instead, Mel became the Powerfull Strong Woman. we see her show little actual uhh idk the english word. softness? vulnerability? that, in s2, while s1 was abt her learning that side of her and not having to be harsh all the time. and when she does try to show softness, Jayce shuts her down (alltho i guess the man was traumatised and Unwell^tm too, but still). and she ends up all alone, having lost her mother, jayce and her seat in piltover, shipped of to the place which does not care for her. yayyy what a happy end!1!!1!
> The Viktor and the hexcore jesus plot is just. a MESS. What were the footsteps in episode 2, that led him to the undercity? was the hexcore controlling him, guiding him to a place it knew the arcane was strong? but, if the hexcore was possesing him, why did Jayce in e9 act like it was all Viktor's own deliberate doing? his motivations are all over the place in a bad way. How does he go from "there is always a choice" in s1 to "choice is false" in s2? just bc he and jayce truly fought for the first time? how come Viktor, who cares so much about the lives of the oppressed and is vehemently anti-war in s1... actively engage in a war? why did they make the disabled character the eugenics God?
> and, what the FUCK do you mean the mage is Viktor?? Huh?? how does that even WORK?Viktor turns bad in universe A, is like 'i must stop this from happening in other universes' and can just... travel the multiverse i guess. But then, why did he still give Jayce the stone, and not just let Jayce and Ximena die on the plain, resulting in no hextech in Piltover, and so no hexcore that entices Viktor, and so no Arcane Jesus Viktor? Why does he still give Jayce the stone? and who gave Jayce the stone in the original universe wherein Viktor went all Evil? (my theory is; the mage ISNT viktor, but viktor means that, from all universes wherein Jayce gets the stone - one wherein Vi dies > no hextech, one wherein he succeeds with a different ruin > viktor becomes Evil - OUR jayce is the only one that can save OUR viktor)
> Viktor has close to no autonomy this season. He finally accept dying > is revived by Jayce > gets lured to the Undercity with highly implied the arcane within the hexcore manipulates him to make sure it spreads itself through Viktor like a virus > gets killed by Jayce > gets made Herald by Singed.
> and finally abt Viktor; so its never gonna be confirmed if Sky was an hallucination made up by him to combat loneliness (which, why would she then guide him to corrupt others with arcane? why would Viktor think Sky would want him to do that when he is so guilty abt her death?), if she was an apperation from the hexcore itself (in which case, why does she leave when Viktor fully turns?, or if she was simply also taken into the hexcore when she died?) season 1 would have explained it, and season 2 is like.... ahhh dont worry abt it she was there and now shes gone!
> Vi's character arc. I mean, the character arc which simply WASNT THERE. What did she do this season that was driven by her own desires? she just reacts to outside forces, seems to have no particular goals in mind, and loses everything. Her fall into alcoholism was hyped up, only for it to be 1 amv within the show and no further depth to it. it was said she was gonna learn how to not be a protector, but she didnt! she protected Isha in act 1, Jinx and vander in act 2, and whole pitover in act 3. like, ok, good character arc. i can actually rant ages abt how they massacred her character. also, making her say "im the dirt under your nails" as a ROMANTIC LINE is INSANE. who tf wrote that? Hello? LOok this stupid trencher knows she is dirty and disgusting and her Topsider Queen is neever gonna get rid of her :DDD i HATE it. its also just a bad line in general
> their treatment of Jinx and her mentall ilnesses. just. she doesnt have them anymore i guess! thats how trauma works, right? it makes ur schrizoprenia go away, right? sure Arcane Writers thats 100% how it works. oh and the suicidal character dies in the end? ground breaking thanks we needed more of that in fiction (and, no, the 'purple glare is actually jinx thing!!', while true, is still stupid. not many people catch that, and, for example, my parents without social media will always have the end be Jinx = dead, because canon doesnt offer us definitive other things). also how Isha was only there to die and then not get mentioned in act 3??? disgusting
i can actually go on longer than this, but im too frustrated. IMPORTANT: i do not hate the show. i love arcane, and season 1 will always be one of, if not the best (animated or general) series ever produced in the west. season 2 has its merits; its entertaining, it has drama, etc., but the decline between season 1 and season 2 is difficult not to notice. season 2 really makes you realise: oh, yeah, this is based on League of Legends. its like s1 = arthouse movie, s2 = infinity war.
Sky was supposed to be Viktor's last vestige of humanity. His capacity for compassion.
Ambessa and the Black Rose are fighting because Noxus has its own class struggles. Noxus is supposed to be a place that encourages socio-economic mobility based on merit alone. Ambessa rose up the power structure because of her strength, intelligence and sheer will power alone. But the Black Rose resemble an elite class that perpetuates the status quo of noble families. She discusses it with Mel in the scene after Mel returns.
I'm not defending it. I very much share most of the same opinions as you do.
Vi had an arc. It was just missing a lot of beats. Her character arc went from point A to point Z with fkall regard to the rest of the alphabet
THANK YOU, I was going to comment basically the same thing cuz this video was not it
This comment is everything. You need to make a video. You are one of the few people that see the issue with Mel. So many people like her this season because she has cool powers and think she got a good ending even though they removed most of her characteristics and she lost everything she cared about. 😫
@@chrishaven1489
Okay, but when is, WITHIN THE SHOW ITSELF, made clear that Sky is Viktor's humanity? And, if that's the case, why is is Sky that almost lures Viktor to the undercity, that encourages him to turn his followers into empty husks? The 'Sky = humanity" thing can be seen as implied in the 'the line' scene, but her earlier appearances paint her more 'sinister'. Someone who does not follow interviews with creators of shows should be able to know what something in a show means.
Again, with the Black Rose thing. Nothing in your comment explaining it was explained within the show - or at least not well enough to defend it having a whole plot in a show which does not resolve around it. it was only present to make Mel a mage (and thus a league champion) and to be a soft pilot to the Noxus region. The Black Rose is shown as this magical society, consisting of people who have, well, magic. The 'deceiver' thing is impossible to understand if you havent read league lore or know Leblanc. Season 1 was easy to follow without league lore, but this whole plot required you to know it.
Agree with the Vi thing you said. She had an arc in the sense that her character changed, but an arc is composed of the PROGRESSION from point A to Z. Without the progression, it cannot imo be called an arc. its just a change in that case.
I dont use capital letters to denote anger btw i just use it instead of italics on youtube lmaooo my reply is in no way meant as aggresive
@@brendajameson5093 LMAOO ty. Honestly the amount of blind praise s2 is getting from creators i previously thought of as very critical is lowkey making me consider doing just that. Its insane to me how a big spectacle will just completely blind people to objective glaring issues within the show!
Mel this season was just horrible, in the sense that they absolutely butchered everything that made her great and unique. Here you have this extremely savy, politically influential figure, a direct opposite of the environment she grew up in and a possible mirror to Caitlyn in terms of how they use their birth-privelege.... and then they turn her into a magical girl so they can make her a champion and so she can join the Big Fight. Its infuriating!
I'm a league player and a lore enthusiast and have a few things to add. It's been announced that the next part will be taking place in Noxus, Ambessa and Mel's homeland. The Black Rose is HUGE there, so the reason that was really unresolved is it's coming next. I don't want to spoil too much here, but keep them and the three eye'd crow in mind that showed up for a moment at the end. Plus the boats heading back to Noxus + Mel's absence from the council chamber leads me to believe Mel is coming home to pursue them. She's gonna need a lot of luck with that one. Interestingly, Mel is NOT a league champion, I'm not sure if she'll be added, but it leaves a huge space for her continued story since we don't know the trajectory of that. Also they released a book! It's a prequel of Ambessa's history.
I absolutely loved the video, just one observation: the thumbnail is actually an AI that was heavily criticized by the creators and animators of the show, netflix even banned it
Season pissed me off when it abandoned the complex and nuanced class struggle for spectacle based robot fights. My head almost exploded when one of the creators said that Zaun vs Piltover was like a 2 party system "failing to communicate". I'm so over liberals treating oppression like all that needs to be done is "talking it out".
robot fights? Like only two of the robots were ever fought?
@@masonzeo801 Whatever those things were, I already tapped out by then
Yes, I thought it was very unfortunate they way they dropped the class struggle. However, the politics in the show were always kind of flimsy from S1, so I expected them to not deliver. Didn't think they'd completely abandon it in the last Act, but oh well
Sevika joining with her oppressors is what confused me the most,the way it kinda just happend without any thought
You’ll get hate for this but I clocked out when the whole multiverse stuff and monster stuff took place.., Season 1 was building to a class war **NOT** that BS with Vic and the robots
Nah the cutting to the middle of the battle threw me off too !!! I was like did I miss something
Man, I wish they did something like a Director's Cut for the second season. Feels like this show had so much more to offer.
Absolutely fantastic show. Thanks for the video, FSN!
FSN talking about Arcane, this is one of the best days of my life
This video deserves an award!
Bot
I really liked season 1, but felt like season 2 was super jumpy, scatteted and the story didn't pull me in the same way, that being said you can clearly see that they have a lot of experience in making fun, fast paced fights with a good soundtrack
the fact that riot studios didn't use any kind of motion capture for the characters either, everything is HAND ANIMATED actually blows me away
You had me at the half when you faked out dissing the finale. I don't think my blood has pumped that hard watching anything (except maybe the final race in Speed Racer).
I'm still baffled by the choice of dedicating half an ep and a Funeral MV to Cait's mom, and then absolutely nothing for Isha, Jayce, Viktor, Heimerdinger (he dead right?) and Jinx (at least from Vi)
So it’s understandable that non league players don’t know. But heimerdinger isn’t dead. He can’t. Yordles simply can’t die. That’s also why he wasn’t worried and didn’t really say goodbye. He might not see them again. But he’s actually fine. He’s back in handle city where all yordles are from. They respawn there when they die.
i get why they dint do it for jinx (mostly cuz its very implied that shes still alive) but also cuz it just ments to be end of a cycle, giving focus to it would kinda miss the point of her "death"
That scene is not so much about Cait's mom but about Cait and Vis grief. It makes sense to include imho
Cait's mom funeral is extremly important for the character development of Caitlyn. It makes us understand the emotional impact that her mom's death had on her and how she completly changes from the optimistic girl that was trying to help Vi to explain to Piltover that Zaun's people are not all bad to a woman that absolutly hates Zaun and Jinx for what the y did to her mother. Eventually this character change even makes her go away from Vi and be in completly oposite sides. Its a huge change that was very well made and developed and the viewer can understand it. The funeral scene and Caitlyn's reaction is extremely important because of this.
PS: It also brings up a themes in the show that are super interesting: Sometimes pain can lead to revenge but is revenge worth it? And how far are you willing to go for that revenge? How many people are you willing to hurt or loose? Killing just brings more killing, it is a cycle. But can you forgive someone that killed your mom?
@@SH1NK1R01I'm assuming Ekko also isn't a league player, knowing that lore tidbit. So at the very least it would've been nice to see him adding heimer to that mural of people they've lost.
It's weird that it had a kind of rushed ending because apparently thier doing spin off's......They most likely rushed it because Netflix has a thing of cancelling really good animated shows after a couple of seasons(besides some exceptions)
The thing with "The Black Rose," is that I think, while definitely rushed during this, it is meant to serve as an appetizer for the next storyline moving towards Noxus, the home of Ambessa and Mel, since we see a particular crow spying on the events towards the end, before leaving with the ships going home to Noxus, feels like a hint that we're moving towards that.
The crow theme was implemented in season 1
We're gonna EXPLODE THINGS WITH THIS ONE 💥💥💥💥
Can't wait for the next one!
This show really needed another two episodes or two extra hours, but they really loved their 3 Act structure to their own detriment. That being said, still a 8.9/10 for me
I’m glad to see I’m not the only one with these issues. So many people were glazing I thought I was going crazy
We're used to the phrase "victim of their success", but I think Arcane was in a sense victim of its quality. When the creators revealed that there would only be two seasons, they were largely applauded for their artistic integrity, but the truth is a show as expensive as this one (the most expensive animated show in the history of humanity) doesn't come cheap and it couldn't go on forever, so they most likely had to make some cuts in the scenario they had already planned and it was more a budget constraint they had to adapt to rather than an artistic decision. In a sense it was still them deciding not to sacrifice the visuals and musical ambiance, but the narration and character development were the ones to take the hit. It's still a very strong story, but it needed more time to develop, some crucial scenes to make things click properly, an entire act even. And to be perfectly honest, the problem was already here in season 1, just to a far smaller degree.
Don't take me wrong, I don't say the show is bad. I'm saying it's 9.9/10 and it had the potential to be 29.9. That being said, I think we have to be the Viktors of this story and learn to accept imperfection because there's beauty in it as well.
22:00 Same! I had went to bed after starting the first few mins of the last episode and they were in the war room talking. When I came back to the episode the next day, I thought I must've fallen asleep for some of it and missed half an episode. I went back to the last episode and rewatched the last 15 mins like, nope I remember all this. When I started the last one again with that quick transition to the war, I really said to myself "oh wow, so we're just jumping right into battle..." Lots of time jumps. I thought it was just me.
Perfection! "Pretend Like It's the First Time" (Arcane s02e07) = "The Constant" (Lost s04e05) = "Far Beyond the Stars" (DS9 s06e13)
I agree with almost everything you said :v
Loved the season, but could definitely have seen it expanded into 2 seasons, or at least an extra arc to this season.
And what do you put in the extra seasons when the main characters' arcs are already complete... Especially that of Jinx...
You want extra seasons full of fillers and cringe writing?
Whoever thinks extra seasons would help are retarded
Just watching the first seconds, some of your music would fit perfectly into arcane in my opinion lol
Didnt expect you to be such a glazer for someone who is normally very good at critically assesing shows and their political undertones.
I was waiting for this one. I just KNEW FSN would be covering Arcane after season 2
Another FSN video?? About Arcane?? It’s a goooood day.
Here’s hoping for a Penguin review.
I couldn’t quite articulate why this season missed for me, but I think the pacing explains it. A lot of emotional beats I recognized, but didn’t really feel, and think it’s because, like you said, they didn’t get a chance to breathe. It was a whole lot of “now what?”
I have been so impressed how many movies are so much more artistic than it’s been in the last decade ❤
OMG OMG OMG ARCANE VIDEO ARCANE VIDEO
I know their overall roles were important in the season, but man, did they do Ekko and Heimerdinger dirty with how little screentime they got
I love arcane
I love people talking about arcane
I love the inspiration arcane brings to artists
I love Rebel heart, Ashes and blood, Cocktail molotov, Dirty little animals, Our love, Dysnaties & dystopia
Haven't even watched the video yet but holy shit. I've been watching this channel since the first Emily in Paris video and never dreamed he would cover Arcane because it's animated
Thank you friendly space ninja now I don't have to kms anymore