@@StarzyGaming-fg3rk I don't really mind it. The punk hair looks cool, but it's not realistic for the show, you know? But from every cinematic we can see ekko is such a headstrong character, and now we know the motivation behind it. it's great.
Ambessa spent the entire second season searching for the perfect weapon. It was hexteg in act 1. It was Vendor in act 2. It was victor's power in act 3. And in the end she found the perfect weapon against the black rose in her daughter, the wolf. I think this is great arc of Ambessa
She was terrified for her family and that is why she was making such violent decisions to get something to fight off the black rose, she dies seeing that Mel is strong enough
I don’t know if Mel is strong enough cause LB is a beast in lore but she does have magic now so maybe, also LB isn’t all that bad considering she’s kinda keeping freakin Mord from coming out if I remember correctly.
@@fredi9204 not really, her entire thing is she just couldn’t let go of the grudge she had with the Black Rose which got her son killed and now she wanted to get back at them and protect Mel who she thinks is still weak, Victor seemed like a very powerful ally to have so why wouldn’t she let 1 small city (Piltover and Zaun) die if she can gain that power for her troops to combat the BR and LBs mages, no one knows any better on what Victor was about to do including himself so for all she knows she was just gonna get some insanely strong troops and allies and viola she can beat the BR, she died happy cause she finally saw that Mel was strong enough to do what must be done, that she was strong enough to protect herself and if need be avenge her family in coming conflicts.
I think overall Season 2 would have benefited from having several extra episodes just to give breathing room as well as flesh out some of the changes in relations between characters. There were definitely aspects of the season that felt rushed simply because there was a lot going on. Overall it was still great, but the pacing definitely suffered. Also, Ekko is the GOAT!
We live in a world where we need stories to stay 10+ years. I would take the writing being a little bit weaker instead of much weaker production. Especially when the animation is literally the best ever.
Either that or cut the last 2 episodes out completely. There were maybe 15 minutes in the last 2 episodes put together that felt essential. Everything else either needed those extra episodes to build up to, or should have been cut.
@fredi9204 the whole victor/Jayce storyline has been built up for a while. Also the ambessa and Mel storyline. Those need much more than 15 min. When we want more, the answer isn't even less.
The scope of the story became way too big. Instead of focusing on the core characters and their stories, season 2 tried to alot and wasn't better off for it. None of the musicals really hit imo, s1 was entire league above this s2. hextech magic/tech wasn't explained really well and was used a catch all to resolve plot holes, kinda lazy. the best episodes was the middle episodes of 4, 5, 6 and 7. They should either reduced the story or had more episodes, I don't know what black rose was supposed to be. Why did riot tried to shoe horn in new factions in an episode constrained show is beyond me.
I loved this season. I do agree that the pacing suffered a little bit, but I honestly consider it pretty minor compared the grand scheme of things. This season was amazing and I feel like it's going to be even better on a rewatch. I think the timeskips are what is giving us more impressions of things being rushed. They were just focusing the story on the major turning points and long passage of time required to depict such a story. As for character motivations, I didn't feel lost. Viktor's initial commune was pretty cool and it felt like a good thing, but once it's revealed he intended to turn everyone into puppet-like people, you get to see how his perspective of erasing "imperfection" was something he himself viewed was wrong.
It is one of those times where, while less than perfect is not bad by any means, it can feel bad when expecting perfection. I do still have issues with the two montages of vi being an enforcer on the strike team going after the chem barons and the montage of Cait really hammering down on the undercity and them pushing back or "rioting". Those feel like huge points in the story, and felt like consequences of actions they spent actual time really building up just to show a music video to show the result of it.
@@FullMetalB i think may because the money issue here make them have to decide what to put and cut may make it lacking here, every minute of this show could cost a lot here, so they rush and may feel not clear for so many thing in one sence, so im understand them and for the first time making film they may lack experience in balance everything too(money optimise, advertisment, ..) since they are a game company. But for a game company, it worth a rise for them too! have to wait their next spinoff series
@@haesome8613 yeah should said that they has their limit with the budget and has to carry ss1 to the end by just 9 eps to make a start for lol world is kinda a deadline for them. all thing still can be understand if rewatch and noiced more detail still can get the story here, and it's has a safety end, but yeah the conflit between piltover and zaun still not over yet, they just have to forget it to fight with noxus( jinx rally zaun with ekko help). the story is good but just not enough eps to make everything clear and make side character more meaningfull. it's still good and worth watching here
I think it is you familiarity similar types of plotline from other stories doing the heavy lifting for you instead of only the things from the 2nd season itself.
I felt that Ambessa had lost too much by the end and as much as she says, she isn’t driven by revenge (in a scene where she literally wraps the magical stones that belong to her right hand man around her arm) she is actually desperate for power and revenge. One of the lines that stood out to me was when she told Caitlyn that “desperation was the doorway to oblivion.” I found this ironic because Ambessa was very desperate, and her desperation led to her oblivion.
Yeah Ambessa was cornered by the Black Rose, especially after they abducted Mel. She knew that she had no time to be picky, she had to find some kind of weapon to keep her family safe, no matter the consequences. In the end, Mel showed her that she can defend herself against the Black Rose, so she could die satisfied.
i loved Arcane but i believed thet went to far with the cosmic story line of victor, it overshadowed everything in the end in my opinion. i loved how every conflict was grounded and relatable before that
As someone who has played league for many years and know the Victor-Jayce lore, for some reason the cosmic event didn't feel as jarring or strange, especially since we knew something like it was going to happen in lore, even during the first season (Not specifically the cosmic disaster, but Victor's "darker" turn and new purpose/goal). Sometimes I wonder if I would have had a more critical view on how all that was handled, if I didn't already expect it to go that way. To me it seemed inevitable and not at all jarring from season 1. Knowing that we would only get 2 seasons, I am just glad they actually touched on that plotpoint instead of abandoning it. But maybe I am biased idk.
@@helenejakobsen2040 As someone who was already familiar with the lore, I still think it overshadowed the more grounded character/political elements. "Piltover/Zaun get even more bad blood between them until they come together one time in the face of a literal world-ending threat and once that's gone the system is reinstated as it was except now there's a Zaunite representative in the council" was a terrible way to resolve the Piltover/Zaun conflict imo. I would have preferred them to dial back the multiverse/time travel plots in favor of a more grounded resolution to the political/interpersonal issues.
@@chiefpurrfect8389 I do understand that, and it is fair to personally prefer a more zoomed in story, so to speak. I just never expected them to do that in the first place with the way they set up the hexcore being this possible chaotic threat, even in the first season. Resolving the conflict in a more grounded way would possibly sacrifice a lot of hexcore setup from the first season, rendering a lot of that stuff less important or even redconned, compared to what we thought. Like the reveal of who saved jayce when he was a kid. I agree insofar as it being nice to have more development of the two-city conflict and generally just more episodes or even a whole additional season. But since we knew we would only get two seasons, I think they really did what they could, at least without sacrificing any plotpoints. Yes, the pacing and focus suffers a bit, but I don't think it is that detrimental overall nor unexpected.
Yep. You are 1000% right. If they were gonna go that way with Victor they should have tied up all of the character storylines better this season and maybe ended in with a "Victor must fall" movie or something to close things off... this grand finale really left everything else undercooked.
I loved that Mel's magic powers were such a foil to her mother's Ambessa character. Ambessa is all about attacking, aggression, and strength, where Mel's powers are primarily used for defense, to protect the people she loves.
It’s great but it’s not better. Season 1 benefited more from the writers getting to cook longer. This one had all the right ingredients but I think it didn’t get to simmer quite as long.
Season 2 elevated on the animation and score department but it definitely needed another 3-episode Act IV to further flesh out the "rushed" subplots, mainly Viktor being one with the Hex Core and Mel and Ambessa's connection with the Black Rose. An Ambessa-focused episode would've been good as well since her character is so intriguing and the Ekko-Jayce-Heimerdinger timeline jump was so so great it really needed another episode.
i think may because the money issue here make them have to decide what to put and cut may make it lacking here, every minute of this show could cost a lot here, so they rush and may feel not clear for so many thing in one sence, so im understand them and for the first time making film they may lack experience in balance everything too(money optimise, advertisment, ..) since they are a game company. But for a game company, it worth a rise for them too! have to wait their next spinoff series
i agree with you but their budget may cant handle all of that so it may hard choice for them to keep it 2ss though they want it like 3ss. and riot already have a big game so they can risk when ss1 very success but it has it limit that they have to care more about their game too, so the budget may divine even it big. i understand for two side advertise game and making film too
They also apparently cut when Ekko and Jinx would get their new outfits, build her new weapon and the hot air balloon. Its visuals would parallel Powder and Ekko building the Z-drive
One specific aspect I’m noticing, is the side characters and how they’re not as defined as the first season. I mean, compare the depth that Milo and Claggor (and Grayson, and even arguably Benzo) got in one Act, to both Loris (the alcoholic Enforcer who befriended Vi) and Maddie who had a whole season to just… be basically archetypes filling the cast. Compare Marcus to Rictus, and while they both have prominence the former had a lot of depth as much as we loved to hate him; the latter only felt like an extension of Ambessa really. I also feel like there’s so much happening and as a result, compared to its predecessor we don’t get as much time to stop and breathe; many things do, sure, but when they do it comes at sacrifices to others. I was very bummed at how the time skip was used to not let us sit with Caitlyn’s dictator arc, or having Jayce/Heimerdinger/Ekko being absent for multiple episodes… It all felt disjointed, and like they didn’t have a role for them in the plot until they were needed. Frankly, while I sympathise with the difficulties of pacing a series on the whole, I feel like this season could’ve been two whole seasons instead; it would maybe not be as brisk, but would have let us marinade in things a bit longer… Or at least, giving us a third season that was more sn extension of this or something. Like six episodes…? I dunno; I wasn’t there in the writing room, I can’t fully judge. But I wish we’d not dashed to the finish line on the whole, even if I agree with where everybody ends up and the actual conclusion itself.
I feel like I want to believe they are lying about choosing to end the show in season 2 rather than believe they wanted to end the show this quickly. Yes, don't drag it out. But I think it's pretty clear that 3 seasons would have given them the chance to flesh out the character and story arcs and give it the same depth and complexity that season 1 had.
@@FullMetalB I feel like they wanted to rush this season so that they could move on to the next batch of stories and characters in another part of the world, and as a result this season suffered for it. The spin-off-itis
@@borjankosarac3645 As someone who's familiar with the lore and its characters, the creators had plenty of source material to pad out an additional season. The fact that they didn't, hurts my feelings immensely
I wish arcane was allowed 3 seasons so the compressed pacing of the story could allow more characters time to breathe. Thoughout the entirety of the second season I could feel them speedrunning so many moments and character archs. I liked the show overall but it is a shame the studio was not given the budget or time complete the Arcane storyline in a less rushed fashion.
For me this should've been a three season series, specifically a middle buffer season. I mean S1 was about a drug lord taking over a city, a corrupt government that exploited and benefited from the subjegation of 1/2 to 3/4s of their population, and two sisters trying to find each other. Whereas S2 was a psycedelic trip that introduced the multiverse, necromancy, matricide, and AI squashing out human existence. It just feels like we really needed a stepping stone season to get from a rather insular micro story to an existential macro story. Like, side note, Maddie wasn't even a proper character she was this chipper noob used to guilt trip Vi and the audience, she then gets placed in the strike squad for...surviving the memorial battle, next we know she and Caitlyn have hooked up despite them never saying a word to each other on screen, and then we end a left field betrayal that had zero foreshadowing. Maddie was whatever the story needed her to be at the moment.
Remember, for Vi, the time from getting released from jail in Season 1 Act 2 to the end of Season 1 is like, maybe a week at most. The end of Season 2 Act 1, is probably a month at best since her release from jail. I’m not too surprised that her motivations seemed like they swung about wildly, cuz frankly she’s been experiencing non-stop emotional whiplash.
Season 2 definitely felt rushed especially the last two episodes of Act 3. So many things were happening, characters were making strange choices without any explanation and I'm not sure some of those choices will make sense even with an explanation. Vi really fell off for me this season. Ekko, on the other hand, became my favorite character - the boy savior, the man, the myth, the legend. The MVP. Assuming Jinx isn’t dead and the theory is correct, I would really love for them to end up together. I don’t normally ship characters in fiction, but man, I can’t help it , not after watching episode 7, and what a ride episode 7 was. I’ll say it’s the best episode in Arcane, both seasons combined. Maybe it's recency bias, but I don’t care. It’s just so good. The scene where Powder and Ekko are dancing and my first and favorite French song playing in the background, still lives free in my head and it’s been two days.
I think Vi and Jinx both felt off. End of S1 had Jinx committing a terrorist crime and experiencing severe psychosis. Then S2 comes and she's sad but also acts more normal than she ever had.
Season 1 was worse imo. They tried to make it a Shakespearean tragedy with all those unnecessary subplots but all along the structure was a Greek tragedy with only 1 character reaching catharsis (Jinx). The subplots they introduced in season 1 are so larger than life that 9 episodes in season 2 seem not enough. They should've stayed with the Greek style tragedy in Season 1 if they only intended to have one character reach full potential
I personally loved Vi, but I do think it's obvious that her character arc was missing a few beats. And I'd say the same for Caitlyn. I loved that they made up in the end, but it's missing a middle part where there should've been more friction between the two. And I think a lot of that friction was sped through Caitlyn's dictator arc. I also think Vi turned against her sister a little too quickly. There's a character beat missing there. I think I would've loved to see Vi bond with the other enforcers on the strike team, and I would've loved to see Jinx actually harm/kill one of them before Vi decides that Jinx needed to be taken out.
@@CzarsSalad I loved that season one felt like a Shakespearean tragedy. Jinx launching a missile after the council gave Zaun its independence was my favorite part 😅
I LOVE Sevika, I truly love sleeping on characters and having them show me up in the most meaningful ways. It makes stories so much better, excellent writing on her progression. As a note on her arm that another channel pointed out (I forgot which one), Jynx also knew her well, this wasn’t just a Jynx-esque arm, this was 100% a Sevika-esque arm. Almost every scene where Sevika is introduced before she fights she is gambling! She also spams the gambling slot during her first fight with the arm, she didn’t have to 😂
I think that Arcane somehow managed to balance the world building aspect, the lore aspect and the story aspect pretty well. I don't see any other show doing it this well, and I guess I can excuse a few motivations and stuff being a bit forced. I really like this season and the finale was really perfect. I like that they end it more on an emotional high rather than fumbling in the lore aspect of the show.
While I still liked this season, I'm so disappointed they cut screentime from Ekko again. I wanted to see his plotline with the tree more and how he can build his community but it never happened. I liked the direction of Viktor's character but idk about the whole "I'm disabled and now I'm a villain because of that" trope :( At least it was a little more nuanced than other stories, and at least Jayce ended it with him I guess. So yeah. Worst problems is that many parts were rushed in unfocused. My personal favorite part was pretty much every scene with Jayce, but I guess the pit scene specifically. He went from being one of my least favorite characters to my most favorite. I think he is one of the most, if not the most determined and consistent character in the show. His willpower was amazing, seeing him fix his leg and rock climb and everything. God I love him now EDIT: Hey I'd appreciate it if you guys would stop using the word cr****e, thanks
Viktor didn't become a villian because he is a cripple, he was consumed by new found powers. He just started justifying and motivated himself forward with his original goals. At least to me.
@rltofuiii Actually after thinking it over for a bit, I think after Viktor was shot by Jayce, he became more of the hextech itself, which why Jayce is able to break off his mask in the end. So the whole "villain is a villain because of disability" thing is not too bad here. Also I think your use of cr****e here could be worded differently, it comes off weird.
Yea, as others are saying, he became a villain because he was overwhelmed with magic Jesus powers. He literally wasn't a cripple anymore well before his turn.
I really, really liked the second season. It wasn't as good, straight and direct as the first one, it has it's own flaws, it's rushed, but overall - it's a masterpiece. Visually stunning, perfect voice casting, good music and a great conclusion to everyone's arc. I was really expecting most of these scenarios from season one and I received what I wanted. First season - 10/10 Second season - 9/10 Almost perfection.
I think it was cool that Vi stopped warwick by calling out Vander's name. In some real world folklore, a werewolf can be calmed by someone who truely loved and trusts them saying their name.
I also felt that the scene with Ekko talking Jinx out of suicide was extremely powerful, definitely a high if not peak point of Act 3. The beauty and drama of wanting to talk someone off the edge but not finding the words for it in time and regretting it, and wishing you could turn back time to try again. The sad reality that it's not so easy even if you get to try again to talk someone out of such a dark mental place. The satisfying fantasy of managing to avert the tragedy not with Ekko's words, but by repeating alternate Powder's spoken aloud words, which are probably Jinx's deep, repressed thoughts, pushed deep down by melancholy. Perfection. It could have easily been its own animated short IMO
Animation and show was incredible. Episodes 2-7 were amazing. The end needed more face time with Jinx/Vi/Cait, the strongest part of the show until episode 8. Vi becomes so unnecessary by the end which is unfortunate for what was the best character
I do agree that there is a problem with pacing in season 2 that did not exist in season 1. But I feel that emotional highs were so high for me personally that I was able to overlook it. Maybe unpopular opinion, but I liked season 2 even more than the first one. Just what a beautiful show
Loved season 2 but it needed 3 or 2more episodes to let the characters breathe, Ecko was my highlight this season, the boy savior, Mel character felt weaker to me this season not because of the writing but the fact that her storyline with ambessa didn’t get enough screen time and her reunion with jayce felt rushed, jinx and vi stands out as usual I mean I think those two in particular didn’t suffer from the pacing enough time was given , jinx walking away and vi finally reaching the stability she craved for 😢 this series is the best animated series of all time to me 😢
I agree with almost everything you said. What I realize is that season 1 was SO PERFECT that the bar was set very high and I knew it would be impossible to repeat that feat. haha And even so, if you look at it as a work as a whole, it is still MILES away from everything that is being released. The studio had a lot of credits to burn, so I accepted it happily haha
It was great but it was definitely a downgrade. Having a "bigger scope" compared to S1 more personal struggles and politics definitely hurted the show and would have simply needed more time to build up and pace better.
Yea, Yordles are nonsense magic demons that literally can't die. Heimeindinger being thrown out of a timeline into non-existence very well may be the only possible way to eliminate a Yordle for good.... But probably not. They are spirit creatures that aren't native to the material realm, meaning literally not even our universe. The Celestial's making and throwing stars around can't even kill them, or prevent them from coming into our universe when they want to. They also canonically can not die, or a bit more technically, they can not experience death. "“I know it’s a downer, but the whole point of life… is death.” “Death?” whimpered Uncle Milty. “Yeah. And the worst part of it all? Yordles don’t even get to do that. We just go on forever. Doomed to a stupid, magical, pointless existence.” " Now, mechanically, what does 'they can't die'' actually physically mean? Like when Heimen get turned to red paste by Ekko's time reverser, what would happen if Ekko didn't reverse that and just left him paste? Would he inevitably regenerate? Would he 'die' physically, but his spirit would reform back in the Spirit world and he could travel back later? Would he 'respawn' back on RuneTerra? These are all neat questions, and we simply just don't know. No Yordle has ever been injured badly enough to 'die' in cannon, so we've just never seen the consequences of it. But they believe they can't die, and most have been around for obnoxious amounts of time, literally being older than gods and most even had millennia long lives in the Spirit world before even coming here in the first place. No wonder so many have gone crazy with boredom. Some have also popped into reality here, and have had only short lives so far, but that's a bit beside the point as none of them have died either. So if Arcane Himen is actually gone forever from being popped out of the timeline, he would literally be the very first and only cannon example. He still didn't even technically die, he's just not in this timeline anymore.
@@julio1148 Immortal doesn't mean unkillable. It means they don't die of natural causes. Vampires are immortal unless they go outside during the day or get a stake through the heart for example
@@julio1148 The kind which can be killed. I used the example of vampires but in the case of LoL lore they can be killed by Shen as he is able to travel to both the physical and spirit realms.
I will always and forever be more in favour of those that aim for the stars with little hope of success, than I’d be for the ones who stay within their means and play safe. And so of course, I loved everything about this show. Everything.
I feel like people will like this show more over time. If you rewatch people pointed out how the girl who was mute muted the voices in jinx's head, for example but others call it trash writing that jinx just got over it...she didnt really and they call that out with the glasses statement. Overall i think people miss alot along with haters of anything (the usual crowd that calls everything with diversity you know what.) I see alot who call everything trash this season it's sad.
Hey Merphy, I will be tuning in for your talk with Jay and would like to know a little bit more of your taughts on: The time travel plot; Vi, Jinx and Caitlyn character arc (specially the latter because she got a little too Anakin for me in the middle); The whole Victor mess And what do you think of the overal theme about perfection and imperfection If you could tell us a little bit more about these topics, I would really apreciated! Thanks ❤
Heimerdinger is a yordle, he can't die. In the music video Ambessa went to war pregnan and lost Kino, the black rose probably helped her get Kino back in exchange for the daughter to come (in some ritual they probably tried before but the mothers didn't survived. So yeah, Mel is what she stole from the Black Rose.
I have my frustrations with this season that I could nitpick or rant about all day, but on the other hand it made feel such strong emotions too. I am planning to binge the whole thing again top to bottom. As conflicted as I feel about it, I am confident that it is already a timeless piece that will be talked about for years to come just like the Avatar franchise and some of the most popular Anime out there.
You're spot on with the pacing issues; that was my biggest issue as well. There was absolutely enough material to do another season, and personally I think every act could've been its own season. There were just so many interesting plot points glossed over through (beautiful) montages. And as a result the character motivations and emotions weren't there. You see, but you don't feel. Overall I liked the season, didn't love it, and found it ultimately unsatisfying. They tried to do too much in too little time.
Another season would be another 3 years minimum, more stress on Fortiche to keep going on this same project that they have been for the past 9 years. Plus the creators as a whole want to move on to other stories and other regions of Runeterra. I think they just made the calculus of 'end it now and risk people getting annoyed a bit with the pace or push it and ruin their relationship with a VERY important animation studio, burn out their writers, staff etc.' I also would have liked more but this level of quality is insanely hard to maintain and they have to look at the bigger picure with their roadmap of future projects, studio relationships, budgets and such.
@@gman7497 All valid points. That's where the writing staff really needs to take a look in the mirror and realize they just can't tell the story they want to in a single season, and need to keep the story smaller. Not going to write a book in the comments but if they kept it to a power struggle with Piltover and Zaun and eliminated the black rose, wild rune, and much of the Noxus storylines, we would've had a much better season. And if they get a green light for more or they decide to continue with this part of the world, then they can go ahead with those other plot points in the future.
@ronb2008 at the end of the day, we aren't making the decisions, season 2 however has been a smashing success overall, despite a few flaws. If we kept the story smaller it's hard to say that would have been better, you're judging based on the stuff the S1 set up but who's to say that we would have gotten the same emotional highs if they kept on that track in season 2? Arcane was always a fantasy show and it was always gonna connect to the larger world of Runeterra. It would have been great to have an extra season to delve into the conflict of P&Z in full but there just wasn't enough time. 2 seasons is what they had to work with and they had alot to pay off and set up for future shows, which was their intent from the beginning.
@@gman7497 You're right we aren't making decisions, but as viewers we should be able to point out flaws as we see them. It's part of what makes storytelling better. And I disagree that we don't know if the story would have been better if it were smaller. I think it absolutely would have, and my argument is episode 7. I think most would agree that it's the best of the season, myself included. And yet there's not a single large scale action scene (from what I remember). It was a small, character driven episode all about what could have been. It proves that the writing team can absolutely tell a story that's both small and impactful, and we don't need large scale 'save the world' type plotlines as a climax.
This is where I'm at with it. Especially with regards to the finale. Character after character, my reaction to each conclusion was "oh, okay then," which is simply unusual for a show that has primed me to feel every decision with maximum resonance.
I just binged season 2 and thought it was just as good as season 1. They're on par. There are things I liked more about season 1 than season 2 and vice versa.
I thought the pacing of season 2 was perfect. Except for the last 2 episodes, it feels it had A LOT to cover and a lot of little details you really had to pay close attention to in order to follow what was happening and some stuff got lost for me; I can't really put my finger on it but this is just something I felt while watching the last 2 episodes; but that's just one thing, at the end I was really satisfied with all the resolutions each major character got; Sevika finally transitioning from a follower to powerful people like Silco and then Jynx to being a leader and representative for her people. Ekko learning to forgive and finally really becoming "the boy savior". Heimerdinger becoming more than just an inventor and head of Piltover to actually seeing the struggles and helping the people who needed it, going as far as to leave his fear of magic to use his brilliant mind to help Ekko with it (Heimerdinger's resolution became one of my favorites the more I thought about it). And same with everyone else, I thought the ending was a little rushed but all their arcs were completed to very satisfying endings for me; and season 2 had some of my favorite moments in the whole series, the entirety of act 2 and episode 1 of act 3 are among my favorites of the whole series. So I would say season 2 more than stick the landing, I think it did a very good job in continuing and closing the story and whatever small gripe I have with it really pales in comparison to all the stuff I loved. Love hearing other opinions about it!
Being a longtime fan of the wider League universe, I love seeing the subversions of the characters we've known for so long be explored in different ways. But I will say when Viktor was talking about The Glorious Evolution, I was excited, since that's just his voiceline when you pick Viktor in the game. All the little Easter eggs and teases of other characters, and seeing the locations slated to be visited next in the future shows has me thinking about what the plots could be.
I enjoyed this season but I agree with some things you said. I felt this season was a little bit rushed. I would have liked to see the clashing between the undersite and Piltover and have it more focused in this season. So you could feel the brewing and how the tension where building between them. and then more the battle conclusion in a season 3. It was just so much happening and as you said there was no breathing room between everything so it was hard at times to know how much time has passed, or if time had passed. You also don't always feel that you understand how they got here and what changed between characters. Mostly because it is just such a fast paced story. Still loved it through. Loved the soundtrack. One of the things I missed the most was that after episode 6 there was noo mentioned of Isha and her passing. The only thing was Vi's flashback when she was coming back to contiousness. Also the part that we introduce new characters and we don't really get the same background dive on them as it was in season 1. Leronco (or something similar) The enforcher Vi gets close to. We don't know anything about him or his motivations to do what he did. Same with that amfibian guy that was Maddies partner. I don't think we even got his name. I would have liked to get to know them a little bit more and what made them have this honor as we have seen many enforser not having. Even Maddie we don't know much of her personality. So even if it was an incredible season and I feel fairly satisfied. (Cried like almost every episode) it also feels a little saddening that maybe with just a few more episodes we could have made it fantastic instead of great. But they have made something incredible that will be hard for other animation studios to ever compete with. They manage to capture you and make these relatable characters and a realistic plotline with such few episodes that they really deserve all the praise as they can get. :)
My quick assessment is this: S1: 10/10 S2: 8/10 Overall: 9/10 Pacing was a bit too fast, an extra 20 minutes per episode or episode per act I think would be perfect. An entire extra season feels like it would be pushing it. I think S2 was ALWAYS going to lose some people because the scope exploded, but honestly I can accept that. Not every story is for everyone, the idea of making sure everyone likes something is what leads to the commodification of art and I’d prefer a controversial ending to a universally praised ending if it meant the creatives involved had to surrender their vision or the story they wanted to tell.
Act 3 should've been more Jinx & Vi focussed. While I liked the ekko & Jinx stuff, the romance felt out of nowhere and how ekko was able to convince Jinx should've taken longer. And Jayce & Victor magic stuff was never the most emotional & substantive part of the story, it's good but all that time should've been used to focus on Jinx & Vi's endings and Piltover/Zaun politics. I feel unsatisfied with the final act even though everyone got a pretty satisfactory conclusion.
It's hinted Vander barely managed to overpower the beast at the last moment for a second. When he's falling with Jinx before the explosion we got a flashback of him as her dad in the past, during this flashback Powder was asleep so it cannot have been her memory. Then during the explosion there's a single purple streak of light that doesn't fit the color of the blast, that's Jinx getting away. At the final moment when looking at the eyes of his daughter right before the grenade went off Vander regained control for a moment and then as he blew out the candle his life was snuffed by the explosion and that small detail that you will miss if you blink makes that scene a masterpiece for me. Arcane s1 felt a lot easier to understand, s2 is full of hidden details and things you will miss during your first time watching it but once you catch those small details they change everything so I think it will age a lot better over time as we either discover more of the small things or we get more context from other stuff in the future.
I absolutely loved this show to the end. Just the emotional investment that this show was able to pull from me in such a short time is remarkable. I felt a hole in my heart after finishing it and I couldn't stop thinking about it well afrer it ended, making scenarios, explanations, head canons etc. My main problem was Vi and Cait's relationship didn't get enough time to end where it did. Which is a wild thing to say because they have been "will they won't they" since act 2 of season 1. Since then I've heard a lot of people give details on how Cait redeemed herself from the things that she did in Act 1. I just wished it was more pronounced than subtle. At first it just left a bad taste in my mouth but eventually I've come to like how it ended. Their trust and love for each other is very understated and that is how they forgive each other at the end. I just wished that the show had time to slow down and explore it in detail rather than hiding these really important themes in subtext.
We needed the regular 3 act structure plus a dedicated episode for the final. A complete 4th act would have been amazing, but just one more episode to further develop and close off all of the different plot threads would make justice on the greatness that season 1 left us.
I do love season 2 as much as I love season 1. It's without a doubt one of the best TV shows of all time for me. And I agree, episode 7 was truly a highlight and the french song when Powder and Ekko danced will be in my heart forever 💔 It was beautiful, but short, I wish we had more seasons.
I overall enjoyed watching Season 2. This was a far better experience than most things (with some notable exceptions) TV and cinema have been offering us throughout the last 10-15 years. Still, there was Season 1 before... And I'm afraid Season 2 wasn't just a minor deterioration. It was massive, especially from episode 4 onward. I know that technically, we had a couple of parallel stories in Season 1 too. And the title is Arcane. But for me, Season 1 was all about Vi and Powder. I especially fell in love with Powder - I mean as a character. And I have a feeling, that Season 2 somewhat butchered this character. I mean, we were left at the end of Season 1 with Jinx triumphing and Powder 'dead'. But I barely saw the consequences of this in Season 2. Again, this complaint goes mainly from episode 4 onward. And yes, I'm aware that what we see is surely Isha's influence. But from a viewer's perspective, this happened as a snap of a finger. We can recall from Season 1 who Jinx is. Yes, she might be somewhat childish at times, but she is also sociopathic, taking joy in killing people and blowing things up. Do you remember her laughter when she was blowing up the tent full of enforces in Season 1, while she was going to steal the hexgem? No one could really feel safe when she was around. Even when she was joking. Like the bartender in the Last Drop (still Season 1). He was obviously scarred and had good reasons. She could snap at any moment. We had that feeling of insecurity almost in every scene with Jinx, including her first reunion with Vi. Of course, there was that internal conflict in there. There was still Powder, that little girl who wanted love and acceptance. But, after all, we deal here with a highly disturbed mind. And I don't have anything against Powder being healed, being brought back into society and reuniting with her sister. That wish accompanied me throughout Season 1. This was a touching, tragic story. Jinx was a villain, but there were reasons for that. And now, in S2E4 we suddenly have an almost normal girl. I expected that the Season 2 story would expand, but I was sure this still would be the story of Vi and Powder. This is of course quite a subjective expectation. But I think that Jinx's transformation should take a whole season, and in reality, it didn't take a single minute of screen time. All of it happened between Act 1 and 2 behind the scenes. For me, Powder being 'healed' should be a culmination moment of the whole show, though I think it still should be a tragic one to be true to the narration established in S1. If you add to this ill-placed humour (in my opinion), like with Jinx's pants, and making her actual hero (mid-season), I simply feel that writers robbed her of her tragic story and seriousness. Jinx/Powder character development is the weakest part of the S2 for me, but there are other inconsequences or simply writing choices I don't really like. In opposition to most, I disliked the E7. I can buy Jayce's part. Ekko's and Powder's trope, less so. Fortunately, it wasn't completely disconnected from the whole story and served its purpose, but still. I felt it like a 'cheap' move, known to me already from many other TV series - that special episode 'What if'. And what's worse, it made me feel as if I were watching some 'high-school 'show for teenagers (like the Twilight, or something), and I wasn't looking at Arcane as such till that point. Why does Savika help and work with Jinx? How could she even show up under Vander's statue - she was the one who helped to kill him, after all. How does she transform from a gangster to a patriot? The 'he was killed, but he escaped' trope with Vander (well, kind of). How did Cateline change her colours in a few seconds in that canyon, after encountering Vi? Those are my main complaints. But there were of course things I did like. Isha is the best of them. I fell in love with her the same way as I did with Powder in Season 1. Please remember, that I compare just to Season 1. As I mentioned at the beginning, I enjoyed the Season 2. But compared to Season 1 it was pathetic to me.
If you liked arcane you should really get into the league lore, they have a universe website with all of their stories available for free it is a grand breathing world with tons of moving parts and interesting characters
I absolutely loved it. My only issue is the lack of a longer wrap up for the characters that stayed alive until the end. For example, I was hoping for a scene where Mel was grieving Jayce and a Sevika looking out for Zaun. But yeah, in the end, Season 1 was more character driven, whereas Season 2 was more plot driven.
Episode seven was a highlight for me, not only was it a fun story but there was so much that was excellent on a technical level that I just found myself smiling.
I wanted more from Loris. For whatever reason, he looked like Vander and cared for Vi, but we don't know anything about his motives or past. Reading into it, Loris seems to have suffered loss by his asking of Vi if she lost someone in the attack, has a sense of justice for joining the police but then leaving when they were escalating to a military dictatorship, lastly, Loris continued to look after Vi in Zaun as she spiraled. There's just enough information for him to be more intriguing than Maddie or her Fishman partner, but there's no payoff, no reveals, for who this man was.
Just about anything flawed about the characters or writing in Season 2, I blame it on the fact that Riot Games saw more money in it. I've been a fan of the League of Legends IP for over 10 years and even though I barely play their games anymore, I still keep up with new updates. Each time I saw a character with a new outfit in Season 2, it SCREAMED new skins to sell for the characters in-game. It turns out I was right. I think the most egregious example is Vi's appearance in the fighting arena. She changed her whole look for that 1 music video montage, and that fighting arena was never mentioned ever again. Sure, Vi looked way more emo and depressed to reflect her mental state, but this part of her life was glossed over so quickly as soon as Jinx showed up to lead Vi to Vander. Jayce's Arcane Survivor appearance was also revealed as a skin BEFORE Season 2 Act 2 was released, which pretty much spoiled a lot of people of his sudden change in appearance after disappearing alongside Ekko and Heimerdinger at the end of Act 1. Viktor received the biggest in-game visual update to match his new look in Arcane, but it's getting mixed reception. Viktor used to look like a man in a suit of metal who held a staff and had a metal arm on his shoulder that could fire lasers. Now he just looks like a skinny blue alien that casts magic like a mage would, instead of an inventor.
I liked season 1's structure better. It was packaged neatly and the ending was stellar despite being a giant cliff hanger. Season 2, I enjoyed but it missed several beats I was hoping to see. Warwick was amazing at the reveal but as the story progressed, I felt like Vander/Warwick was being used too much as a plot device instead of a character. I also wanted to see Victor portrayed differently. In what way, I'm not sure, but I just felt like his character arc was lackluster. The ending also wasn't satisfying to me as well due to feeling so rushed. Overall I enjoyed Season 2, but I just feel like it wasn't as perfect as Season 1. But the theme touched on by Jace sorta justified it in a way. “There is no prize to perfection… only an end to pursuit.” - Victor. I'm sort of happy it isn't perfect in an odd way.
I'm on the same page: The only real complaint for me was exactly that, some somewhat rushed plotlines. I told my friends in chat afterwards the same, 60min per EP and it would be nearly as perfect as S1. The only other minor things for me: The stll great music was even greater in S1 and some character motivation switcheroo were a littel bit to hollywood, just for the in scene surprice factor. But overall still the best show ever made.
17:53 There's actually another piece of evidence that supports the idea of Jinx still being alive: Remember that moment from episode 1, where Powder says that she would like to fly in a blimp one day? At the end of Arcane, one of the last scenes shows a blimp flying off into the distance. Jinx MUST BE on that blimp!
Season 1 was a 10/10 for me. Season 2 felt definitely weaker than the first one mainly because of the pacing. At times the plot was a all over the place and characters interacting with each other felt weird because of how fast things were happening. I feel like act 1 and 2 of this season could've been spread over 9 episodes while the entirety of act 3 could've been the third final season but they really wanted to end the Piltover/Zaun story arc with this one. I also believe that some subplots like Vi's and Caitlyn's love drama and the whole Warwick situation could've been handled better but that's just my personal opinion. Background characters like Loris, Maddie and the fish guy could've been fleshed out more but the sheer amount of content they crammed into this season didn't allow it. Overall I'd give this season a 7.5/10. Still good but not perfect.
I think it's totally valid to be confused about Ambessa's motivations. I think I only picked it up after watching S2 a second time. Ambessa is growing increasingly desperate throughout the entirety of the season and looking for a weapon to fight against the Black Rose which is rapidly closing in on her (and her daughter.) All of her schemes and plots are done at a faster schedule than she initially wanted to. Her line to Caitlyn saying "desperation is the doorway to oblivion" is ironic because Ambessa is the one who is desperate as well.
That Maddie betrayal….. knew Merphy was about it because even I gasped! And then I thought back to every “protect Maddie” post/meme….. damn they got us! And I agree.. episode 7 was my favorite.. some of the best animation and the STORY… my god.. best “what if” episode IMO… ever.
I just finish the anime naruto . Question i wanna start hunter x hunter but such it’s a long manga I have no idea where to start. Also do you think I could skip a few arcs. Please reply when you you have time.
Season 2 felt like a roller-coaster ride, but one that I don't regret. The pace was insane, the amount of artwork, art styles and ideas crammed into 9 episodes completely insane, but it did have the same effect on me as season one - it made me fall in love with the characters again.
Okay, I just finished your video. Great analysis, as always, but I need to know. Do you have beef with Vi and not Caitlyn? You said you'd elaborate in the podcast, but I want your viewpoint on Vi. Even though I know she was running headfirst without much thought or direction, the events in season one are a good foundation for why she felt so lost here. Based on what season two shows us about Vi and Cait's relationship, I'm willing to argue Caitlyn took advantage of Vi's lost state to seek self-righteous revenge while claiming it was for justice.
Something small that I loved was when Jinx was at her lowest, she says “There is no good version of me,” which juxtaposes perfectly with us seeing a good version of her in the previous episode. Also, something that was true but they completely hammer in is one of Vi’s biggest character flaws is her inability to accept loss, despite losing a lot. Jinx points it out in the same scene I mentioned above. It’s a tragically static part of her character. That said, this season, it felt like Vi’s arc was over as she did a lot of changing in season 1, and not really much in season 2.
I posted this on another video, but I just learned that a key writer was absent from S2. Ash Brannon, who also wrote and co-directed Toy Story 2, was apparently quite involved with the writing process and helped nail down the story for over a year. He was given writing credit for all 9 episodes in season 1 but was unavailable this time around due to other projects. There's no way to know for sure how much of an effect this had, but I wouldn't be surprised if Brannon's absence played a role in the rushed storyline that many felt.
The only thing I didn't like about this Season was how Vi treated Jinx in the last act, specifically around the jail scene. Jinx is sitting in a corner, hair a mess, fingers bloody, two trays of uneaten food near her, she just lost her father and adopted sister/daughter and all she can talk about is how there's no good version of herself, how Vi won't have to worry about her anymore and how she'll "end the cycle". Does Vi care about ANY of that? Nope. When Vi gets stuck in the cell is she worried about her clearly in distress sister? Nope. When Vi gets free does she show ANY concern for Jinx at all? Nah of course not. Vi's only concern in that moment is that she couldn't use her sister as a weapon against Viktor and the Noxians, and of course on having sexy time with Caitlyn. Before that Vi cares about Jinx, after that she acts like she cares about Jinx, but at her darkest moment when Jinx needed Vi the most, she just couldn't be bothered. That broke my immersion because it felt like they wanted that scene in the cell between Caitlyn and Vi so badly (and in interviews talked how it was originally even longer), that they were willing to compromise Vi's character to get it.
Beyond that though I thought S2 was pretty good. They probably could have split it into two seasons and fleshed stuff out more, but I like lore and build up so maybe I'm biased in that regard. Definitely have nothing against shows that grab your attention and run with it, and Arcane certainly kept me interested every act.
The pacing was worse, but man... the music, the emotions, the freaking animation! I had to keep pinching myself, I couldn't believe I was really watching something this beautiful
Act 3 shouldve been 4 episodes honestly. The pacing for act 1 and 2 was great for me, although it was faster than season 1 it made sense thematicly at least for me. But act 3 feels like they rushed some stuff, especially with ambessa like you mentioned. Up to that point she was such a great character and all her motivations made sense, but why she chose to just follow through with viktors plan just because she was powerhungry even though it was never going to work out well for her felt so wrong for such a smart person. Viktors leap from helping people into making the conclusion that the only way to do so was to incorporate them into a feelingless hivemind was not explained very well, as well as him (in another timeline?) kickstarting hextech in the first place was kinda confusing on my first watch. Vander/warwick also suffered at the same as ambessa/viktor for me, his whole transformation into the hivemind felt kind of wrong. The war itself was great but the setup was lacking, piltover and zaun has been in a conflict for 5 acts only for them to manage to teamup in a minute of screentime. And why did viktor "need" ambesssa in the first place as his army basicly won the war by themself the moment they entered it. Overall I loved the season, but the last 2 episodes shouldve been 3, as im 100% certain most if not all of these issues i have would be resolved given more runtime. Even only making the last episode 90 minutes long would be so much better. For me act 1 and 2 is a 9.5/10 while act 3 is "only" a 8.5
I'm going to be honest, I don't care at all if is better or not. Is a freaking good continuation to a freaking good season, which overall make it a freaking good show. I don't have the need to put both seasons to compete when I know that I really liked the story as a whole.
I agree completely with Murphy here about nearly everything. My largest plot point gripe is that Himerdinger got robbed at the end. His selfless sacrifice was done far too quickly for me to feel any emotion from it.
I agree this season felt rushed. They had too much ground to cover and not enough time. Every episode felt like the last episode of an arc on season 1. I understand the reason and still really enjoyed. As for Ambessa, what bothers me is not her motivation. She made a deal with Victor, where she would get him into the hexcore in exchange for an army. She needs the army to fight the Black Rose. What bothers me, is that she didn't need to fight Mel. She already distracted the city enough for Victor to sneak in. That fight regardless of who won or not, was inconsequential. Similar to Vi's and Jinx's fight with Warick. It was 3 separate fights, with only Victor's and Jayce's having any true impact.
I don't think Ambessa had an affair with someone from Black Rose. They mention Basilisch as the village where she met her husband, who was a mage. And that's why Black Rose want Mel, because she has mage's blood. To answer your question. Ambessa was moved purely by the revenge at the end, she wanted to get back at Caitlyn no matter what. Also, Viktor is AMAZING. Try to find some explanations that explains his subtleties. What's done with him in S2 through subtext is amazing.
love the analysis, my biggest gripe was I wish the sister storyline had a more satisfying conclusion. I didn't like the open-endedness of the ending of her fate. Overall loved it of course though
15:37 Apparently Noxus is this giant dictatorship where everyone is a warlord and uses various forms of magic to conquer other countries. They came to Piltover to find technology to fight the other magic factions like the Black Rose faction. She doesn't care if the arcane destroy the city as long as she can use it as a weapon against her other enemies.
They confirmed that Arcane is actaully explicitly canon to League this season. So none of the playable heroes are actually gone. Viktor is different from his in game incarnation because they're doing a big rework of him this, game, season and wanted the show to reveal it first. So Arcane retcons The Machine Herald. Heimer is a Yordle who is a literal mote of magic made real so I can see him being either sucked back into the main timeline or some such. Warwick lives, I'm sure Singed will see to it and we'll get the full wolf version of him. Jace gets sucked into the ingeuinty rune and it does the glitch effect like it did with the hexcore so I assume he's elsewhere, Jinx'll have survived the fall. Also Singed daughter, Orianna, we catch a glimpse of in her clockwork form at the end. I believe Arcane is also in the furthest part of the timeline so aside from House Madarda being dishonered(and it's ballsy of Ambessa to think she could amend the tenants of Noxus with a new one, sacrifice) she still wants to secure Piltover and the Hextech for Noxus(her house at the very least). They're still clashing with Damacia over the inland part of the continent and the tech would be a big boon. Also I think Thresh is headed to Noxus following the huge last Harrowing that would have taken place a good few years before the start of the series? So that's a problem. S2 was SUPER SUPER GOOD, I think the first one is better however S2 was great! There were a LOT more tie ins with the game though and I think if you aren't at least passingly familiar you do get less out of it. We should also see Mel as playable in League hopefully! Her interactions with LeBlanc(and actually LeBlanc in general) were so damn cool! I suspect the next series like this will be set in either Bligewater because Pirates and crazy cool cast. Maybe ancient Shurima(Egypt sort of), but the story beats may be similar except with brothers fighting each other(Nassus and Renekton) a long side a society in decline or maybe Ionia for that fantasy asian theme
Most likely death of the Ricktus (her right hand man who was a great support for Ambessa and calm down her rush decisions) force Ambessa in her desperation to cross the line. In a way it was another choice to protect Mel (she saw that Mel is not ready to face the Black Rose. So Ambessa did not want to put her last child at risk, refuse Mel offer and bring alternative solution)
I Binged both seasons within a week. I enjoyed it all the way through. Breathtaking animation/art style, music and character driven storytelling. S1 was engaging all the way through but s2 it did kinda lose me towards the end. Personally didn't find myself caring too much about the 'arcane' itself or the politics. I was interested in the stories of the main characters and s2 did mostly deliver on that for me.
And extra episode per act, a whole 4th act or an entire new season. Whatever is the right choice, this season needed more time to deliver everything. Act 3 really dropped the ball.
I think had they just expanded it to 4 acts instead of 3, it would have been a trifling better. Though with the creators already stating that they have stories waiting to develop in different places, i imagine the stories of these characters are not close to done just yet. After all, we never got to see any of them truly die. The closest being warwick, but jinx, jayce, viktor, heimerdinger and what is assumedly Leblanc (the shadowy figure of the black rose), will probably all make their returns in some shape or form.
I loved it. Better than Season 1? Hard to say. But it did have more to do, as far as wrapping stories up, introducing more characters, and giving each character from Season 1 an Arc too. Could they have spent more time on Victor/Jayce or Ambessa/Mel? Maybe. But I kind of love that they didn't, because it gave us more time to spend with Ekko in his alternate reality episode, and also bought us more time for the Singed/Warwick story and expecially the Jinx/Isha story, since they spent an entire act on that relationship--time well spent imo. They definitely cut some corners, but wherever they omitted stories or trimmed things they added storylines in their place that were superior imo and had more of an emotional payoff. And ultimately that's what this show is; it lives and dies by how much emotion they can pack into each act and Season....and if we're judging by that metric, Season 2 was significantly more emotional than Season 1, which is no small feat.
Season 2 could have been better if they did not introduce the Medarda (and Noxus) subplot in Season 1. People overlooked that shit. The Noxus subplot in Season 1 was an unnecessary waste of storyline in Season 1. That's why I give Season 2 it's flowers cause they really tried their best in fixing that shit. And not to mention the forced (rushed) fan service Vi-Caitlyn relationship (?) in Season 1. I know the writers just want to satisfy the lore followers but cmon. It was a mess back then, and it was a mess they can barely fix in Season 2
I just… don’t care for them as a couple, honestly. Probably because neither one is my favorite character, so I couldn’t get invested. They also choose their moment weird, like… a sewer and a prison cell? Really?
I liked Jinx's "terrorism" as essentially like the Joker as she will literally change the colors of the environment to her various colors. This series made me think of an old George Lucas quote: "A special effect is a tool, a means of telling a story. A special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing."
Come on. Without a story is just too much. People have swinged way too much. If you don't think the story is at least good, I don't know what to say to you.
@@nazimbelaidi6486 Oh no no, I meant this in a good way. GL did too. This show does have a good story and characters to go along with that amazing animation. I should have elaborated more clearly.
@ratedr7845 what did I say exactly that made you think that. I'm having a discussion. If you think the show is good but have some problems. I will discuss with you. But if you just think it's trash, then I don't hate you, I just won't waste time with you because we're going in two different directions
All I know is I can't wait for the new series. I don't think it'll be called "Arcane" because we're done with that story. The new series will take place in Noxus and be centered around Mel and the black rose. Characters I suspect we'll see returning for the new series are Mel = Lead, LaBlanc = Co-antagonist, Swain = Co-antagonist, Mordekaiser = Co-antagonist, Vi, Jinx, cait = Supporting roles, and Teen Powder from the happy Zaun timeline. She has her own blue stones and has all the notes and paperwork. Something bad is going to happen in her happy timeline, and she's going to try and find Ekko from the main universe for help...
I think the pacing issue could have been alleviated a bit if there weren't roughly a dozen music videos sprinkled throughout. I feel like the hype about the animation on season 1 caused more focus to be put on the animation in season 2. It's great. I love it. But it feels like the storytelling took a hit as a result.
This might get lost with the rest of the comments but, I wanted you to know that Riot is making an Ambessa novel. Since you liked the character so much, you might enjoy that and maybe cover it on the book channel
One specific aspect I’m noticing, is the side characters and how they’re not as defined as the first season. I mean, compare the depth that Milo and Claggor (and Grayson, and even arguably Benzo) got in one Act, to both Loris (the alcoholic Enforcer who befriended Vi) and Maddie who had a whole season to just… be basically archetypes filling the cast. Compare Marcus to Rictus, and while they both have prominence the former had a lot of depth as much as we loved to hate him; the latter only felt like an extension of Ambessa really. I also feel like there’s so much happening and as a result, compared to its predecessor we don’t get as much time to stop and breathe; many things do, sure, but when they do it comes at sacrifices to others. I was very bummed at how the time skip was used to not let us sit with Caitlyn’s dictator arc, or having Jayce/Heimerdinger/Ekko being absent for multiple episodes… It all felt disjointed, and like they didn’t have a role for them in the plot until they were needed. Frankly, while I sympathise with the difficulties of pacing a series on the whole, I feel like this season could’ve been two whole seasons instead; it would maybe not be as brisk, but would have let us marinade in things a bit longer… Or at least, giving us a third season that was more sn extension of this or something. Like six episodes…? I dunno; I wasn’t there in the writing room, I can’t fully judge. But I wish we’d not dashed to the finish line on the whole, even if I agree with where everybody ends up and the actual conclusion itself.
For me, season 2 was more fun (unexpected duels/teams up and situation) and visually impressive (tone of colours, varying art styles, characters changing their outfits multiple time, etc...) but was indeed weaker than season one overall in term of narrative and pacing. This came especially evident during the 3 last episodes were the plot really wasn't given enough time. For instance, episode 7 was amazing on its own but really took too much time out of the main timeline so close to the ending. One more episode would have helped a lot I think, something like : - episode 7 : don't change. - episode 8 : rallying troups / prep for the battle / characters reaffirm their motivations - episode 9 : focus on the desperation, piltover seems losing - episode 10 : grand finale Warwick shouldn't had comeback as a mindless, unfeeling robot in my opinion (didn't had anything to the character and didn't top the desperation we felt at the end of ep 6). Because of it, I found Jinx/Vi/ww part quite bland during ep 9. Would have prefer they focus on other characters like Sevika for example who kinda disappear after ep 3 and did nothing of consequence after that. Also, Jinx already tried to die in the beginning of the season so her wanting to suicide again (despite the scene with ekko being amazing) feels like her character development was thrown out the window kinda. I would have hoped Isha's death would finally push her to accept Isha/Silco legacy to lead Zaun in the final fight (instead of refusing it once more just like she did after Silco's death). Anyway, it was still an amazing serie overall and it gave me a lot of hope for a future serie in Noxus. Sadly, I doubt it would be made by Fortiche studio again.
I do prefer act 1. Act 2 stepped it up artistically but I do think it could have done with an extra episode at least. Then it would have been absolutely perfect, though I still think it’s an 8.5/9 out of 10
Season 2 was still great, but didn't hit the note of perfection that season 1 had. The storytelling in S1 was fine tuned to the plot and all the choices made sense. I don't envy the writers though. The show is based off an *ongoing* video game that they decided to marry the lore to the show. So all the character endings had to be shrouded enough to support the continued game universe while also completing story arcs.
If you want to see REALLY, ABSURDLY in-depth analyses of Arcane, you need to watch the work of a RUclipsr called "Schnee." He breaks down scenes, themes, and writing techniques so well that it's almost scary.
No one talking about the writers making Maddie "secretly" an enemy spy so we can look past/justifying Caitlyn cheating on her with Vi... Though I must admit I already know they are going to do it since they obviously need to find a way to make Vi and Cait get back together, but my guess was that Maddie was a member of the Black Rose, still I called it tho that she's going to turn out as one of the antagonist.
Shows up. Literally ruins everything. Gets all his wishes. Refuses to elaborate. Leaves.
Common Singed W.
The only character that was consistent from s1 to s2.
@@АнатолийКнязьков-р6я you mean the only one unwilling to change?
He’s respectable. Gotta respect a man willing to do anything to save his daughter.
Ah yes Classic Merphy either misnaming or switching character names. Never change Merphy, never change.
Lols, yeah ... I was so confused multiple times during video 😅
Didn't know em anyways because they were so forgettable lol. I enjoyed it 😂
It gives that "I've only read these names and not heard them out loud" vibe you get from discussing books, so I love it, haha.
Specifically Viktor and Vander seemed to fall victim to this a lot, being called by each other's names.
Love you Murphy but I had to turn it off when I started hearing mistakes like this.
Why Ekko goes back to his original timeline; Powder said it beautifully, "I've never seen you give up on anything, Ekko."
THAT'S WHY HE'S THE GOAAAAAAASAT
@@rodvincetolosa9386 he's my main. T-T I can die happy now.
@@DreadFool Lmao. On an unrelated note. How do you feel about his hair change? I personally don't like it.
@@StarzyGaming-fg3rk I don't really mind it. The punk hair looks cool, but it's not realistic for the show, you know? But from every cinematic we can see ekko is such a headstrong character, and now we know the motivation behind it. it's great.
@@StarzyGaming-fg3rk wtf it's look good but may your taste diffrent here
ok merphy at this point you are trolling us with the names lmaaaooo. VECTOR????
She gets it right later on, too…!
At least vector is an actual word lol. Could easily be a nickname lol.
Haven’t watched the video yet, was that in reference to Viktor or Vander? lol
@@MrBahkishe used it for warwick in between xD
Committing crimes with DIRECTION and MAGNITUDE
Ambessa spent the entire second season searching for the perfect weapon. It was hexteg in act 1. It was Vendor in act 2. It was victor's power in act 3. And in the end she found the perfect weapon against the black rose in her daughter, the wolf. I think this is great arc of Ambessa
Ambessa was a great antagonist, reminded me of Tywin Lannister
She was terrified for her family and that is why she was making such violent decisions to get something to fight off the black rose, she dies seeing that Mel is strong enough
I don’t know if Mel is strong enough cause LB is a beast in lore but she does have magic now so maybe, also LB isn’t all that bad considering she’s kinda keeping freakin Mord from coming out if I remember correctly.
Did you watch the finale? Ambessa was butchered as a character and I don't mean her dying.
@@fredi9204 not really, her entire thing is she just couldn’t let go of the grudge she had with the Black Rose which got her son killed and now she wanted to get back at them and protect Mel who she thinks is still weak, Victor seemed like a very powerful ally to have so why wouldn’t she let 1 small city (Piltover and Zaun) die if she can gain that power for her troops to combat the BR and LBs mages, no one knows any better on what Victor was about to do including himself so for all she knows she was just gonna get some insanely strong troops and allies and viola she can beat the BR, she died happy cause she finally saw that Mel was strong enough to do what must be done, that she was strong enough to protect herself and if need be avenge her family in coming conflicts.
I think overall Season 2 would have benefited from having several extra episodes just to give breathing room as well as flesh out some of the changes in relations between characters. There were definitely aspects of the season that felt rushed simply because there was a lot going on. Overall it was still great, but the pacing definitely suffered.
Also, Ekko is the GOAT!
We live in a world where we need stories to stay 10+ years. I would take the writing being a little bit weaker instead of much weaker production. Especially when the animation is literally the best ever.
@@jasonhastings5607 I'm here for the Ekko love!
Either that or cut the last 2 episodes out completely. There were maybe 15 minutes in the last 2 episodes put together that felt essential. Everything else either needed those extra episodes to build up to, or should have been cut.
@fredi9204 the whole victor/Jayce storyline has been built up for a while. Also the ambessa and Mel storyline. Those need much more than 15 min. When we want more, the answer isn't even less.
The scope of the story became way too big. Instead of focusing on the core characters and their stories, season 2 tried to alot and wasn't better off for it. None of the musicals really hit imo, s1 was entire league above this s2. hextech magic/tech wasn't explained really well and was used a catch all to resolve plot holes, kinda lazy. the best episodes was the middle episodes of 4, 5, 6 and 7. They should either reduced the story or had more episodes, I don't know what black rose was supposed to be. Why did riot tried to shoe horn in new factions in an episode constrained show is beyond me.
Singed: I'm gonna do what's called a Pro Gamer Move
I loved this season. I do agree that the pacing suffered a little bit, but I honestly consider it pretty minor compared the grand scheme of things. This season was amazing and I feel like it's going to be even better on a rewatch.
I think the timeskips are what is giving us more impressions of things being rushed. They were just focusing the story on the major turning points and long passage of time required to depict such a story.
As for character motivations, I didn't feel lost. Viktor's initial commune was pretty cool and it felt like a good thing, but once it's revealed he intended to turn everyone into puppet-like people, you get to see how his perspective of erasing "imperfection" was something he himself viewed was wrong.
It is one of those times where, while less than perfect is not bad by any means, it can feel bad when expecting perfection. I do still have issues with the two montages of vi being an enforcer on the strike team going after the chem barons and the montage of Cait really hammering down on the undercity and them pushing back or "rioting". Those feel like huge points in the story, and felt like consequences of actions they spent actual time really building up just to show a music video to show the result of it.
@@FullMetalB i think may because the money issue here make them have to decide what to put and cut may make it lacking here, every minute of this show could cost a lot here, so they rush and may feel not clear for so many thing in one sence, so im understand them and for the first time making film they may lack experience in balance everything too(money optimise, advertisment, ..) since they are a game company. But for a game company, it worth a rise for them too! have to wait their next spinoff series
I wouldn't say "rushed" the pacing was good, its was just really fast
@@haesome8613 yeah should said that they has their limit with the budget and has to carry ss1 to the end by just 9 eps to make a start for lol world is kinda a deadline for them. all thing still can be understand if rewatch and noiced more detail still can get the story here, and it's has a safety end, but yeah the conflit between piltover and zaun still not over yet, they just have to forget it to fight with noxus( jinx rally zaun with ekko help). the story is good but just not enough eps to make everything clear and make side character more meaningfull. it's still good and worth watching here
I think it is you familiarity similar types of plotline from other stories doing the heavy lifting for you instead of only the things from the 2nd season itself.
I felt that Ambessa had lost too much by the end and as much as she says, she isn’t driven by revenge (in a scene where she literally wraps the magical stones that belong to her right hand man around her arm) she is actually desperate for power and revenge.
One of the lines that stood out to me was when she told Caitlyn that “desperation was the doorway to oblivion.” I found this ironic because Ambessa was very desperate, and her desperation led to her oblivion.
Yeah Ambessa was cornered by the Black Rose, especially after they abducted Mel. She knew that she had no time to be picky, she had to find some kind of weapon to keep her family safe, no matter the consequences. In the end, Mel showed her that she can defend herself against the Black Rose, so she could die satisfied.
@@Fabiocean2000Exactly!
i loved Arcane
but i believed thet went to far with the cosmic story line of victor, it overshadowed everything in the end in my opinion.
i loved how every conflict was grounded and relatable before that
As someone who has played league for many years and know the Victor-Jayce lore, for some reason the cosmic event didn't feel as jarring or strange, especially since we knew something like it was going to happen in lore, even during the first season (Not specifically the cosmic disaster, but Victor's "darker" turn and new purpose/goal). Sometimes I wonder if I would have had a more critical view on how all that was handled, if I didn't already expect it to go that way. To me it seemed inevitable and not at all jarring from season 1. Knowing that we would only get 2 seasons, I am just glad they actually touched on that plotpoint instead of abandoning it. But maybe I am biased idk.
I don't know how you think Arcane was grounded in the first place, it's literally mentioned in Season 1 all about Hexcore and it opens up the arcane
@@helenejakobsen2040 As someone who was already familiar with the lore, I still think it overshadowed the more grounded character/political elements. "Piltover/Zaun get even more bad blood between them until they come together one time in the face of a literal world-ending threat and once that's gone the system is reinstated as it was except now there's a Zaunite representative in the council" was a terrible way to resolve the Piltover/Zaun conflict imo. I would have preferred them to dial back the multiverse/time travel plots in favor of a more grounded resolution to the political/interpersonal issues.
@@chiefpurrfect8389 I do understand that, and it is fair to personally prefer a more zoomed in story, so to speak. I just never expected them to do that in the first place with the way they set up the hexcore being this possible chaotic threat, even in the first season. Resolving the conflict in a more grounded way would possibly sacrifice a lot of hexcore setup from the first season, rendering a lot of that stuff less important or even redconned, compared to what we thought. Like the reveal of who saved jayce when he was a kid. I agree insofar as it being nice to have more development of the two-city conflict and generally just more episodes or even a whole additional season. But since we knew we would only get two seasons, I think they really did what they could, at least without sacrificing any plotpoints. Yes, the pacing and focus suffers a bit, but I don't think it is that detrimental overall nor unexpected.
Yep. You are 1000% right. If they were gonna go that way with Victor they should have tied up all of the character storylines better this season and maybe ended in with a "Victor must fall" movie or something to close things off... this grand finale really left everything else undercooked.
I loved that Mel's magic powers were such a foil to her mother's Ambessa character.
Ambessa is all about attacking, aggression, and strength, where Mel's powers are primarily used for defense, to protect the people she loves.
It’s great but it’s not better. Season 1 benefited more from the writers getting to cook longer. This one had all the right ingredients but I think it didn’t get to simmer quite as long.
Disagree completely with you , the writers wrote the dialogue, they chose to use the words they did , trash season 2
@@crackbane1330when someone only talk in extremes. Their opinion will rightfully be often dismissed.
@@crackbane1330The writing doesn’t get anywhere near trash to me, but it did feel a bit sloppy and loose
@@crackbane1330 Trash opinion
@@crackbane1330 crawl back into ur hole, ty
Season 2 elevated on the animation and score department but it definitely needed another 3-episode Act IV to further flesh out the "rushed" subplots, mainly Viktor being one with the Hex Core and Mel and Ambessa's connection with the Black Rose.
An Ambessa-focused episode would've been good as well since her character is so intriguing and the Ekko-Jayce-Heimerdinger timeline jump was so so great it really needed another episode.
i think may because the money issue here make them have to decide what to put and cut may make it lacking here, every minute of this show could cost a lot here, so they rush and may feel not clear for so many thing in one sence, so im understand them and for the first time making film they may lack experience in balance everything too(money optimise, advertisment, ..) since they are a game company. But for a game company, it worth a rise for them too! have to wait their next spinoff series
i agree with you but their budget may cant handle all of that so it may hard choice for them to keep it 2ss though they want it like 3ss. and riot already have a big game so they can risk when ss1 very success but it has it limit that they have to care more about their game too, so the budget may divine even it big. i understand for two side advertise game and making film too
Agreed, it was a great season but it should've been at least 10 episodes, specially since it was supposed to be final one.
They also apparently cut when Ekko and Jinx would get their new outfits, build her new weapon and the hot air balloon. Its visuals would parallel Powder and Ekko building the Z-drive
felt like season 2 and 3 got smushed together
One specific aspect I’m noticing, is the side characters and how they’re not as defined as the first season. I mean, compare the depth that Milo and Claggor (and Grayson, and even arguably Benzo) got in one Act, to both Loris (the alcoholic Enforcer who befriended Vi) and Maddie who had a whole season to just… be basically archetypes filling the cast.
Compare Marcus to Rictus, and while they both have prominence the former had a lot of depth as much as we loved to hate him; the latter only felt like an extension of Ambessa really.
I also feel like there’s so much happening and as a result, compared to its predecessor we don’t get as much time to stop and breathe; many things do, sure, but when they do it comes at sacrifices to others. I was very bummed at how the time skip was used to not let us sit with Caitlyn’s dictator arc, or having Jayce/Heimerdinger/Ekko being absent for multiple episodes… It all felt disjointed, and like they didn’t have a role for them in the plot until they were needed.
Frankly, while I sympathise with the difficulties of pacing a series on the whole, I feel like this season could’ve been two whole seasons instead; it would maybe not be as brisk, but would have let us marinade in things a bit longer…
Or at least, giving us a third season that was more sn extension of this or something. Like six episodes…? I dunno; I wasn’t there in the writing room, I can’t fully judge. But I wish we’d not dashed to the finish line on the whole, even if I agree with where everybody ends up and the actual conclusion itself.
I feel like I want to believe they are lying about choosing to end the show in season 2 rather than believe they wanted to end the show this quickly. Yes, don't drag it out. But I think it's pretty clear that 3 seasons would have given them the chance to flesh out the character and story arcs and give it the same depth and complexity that season 1 had.
@@FullMetalB I feel like they wanted to rush this season so that they could move on to the next batch of stories and characters in another part of the world, and as a result this season suffered for it. The spin-off-itis
@@borjankosarac3645 As someone who's familiar with the lore and its characters, the creators had plenty of source material to pad out an additional season. The fact that they didn't, hurts my feelings immensely
@@borjankosarac3645Imagine the end of act 2 as a season finale and the whole third act as a second season
I wish arcane was allowed 3 seasons so the compressed pacing of the story could allow more characters time to breathe. Thoughout the entirety of the second season I could feel them speedrunning so many moments and character archs. I liked the show overall but it is a shame the studio was not given the budget or time complete the Arcane storyline in a less rushed fashion.
For me this should've been a three season series, specifically a middle buffer season. I mean S1 was about a drug lord taking over a city, a corrupt government that exploited and benefited from the subjegation of 1/2 to 3/4s of their population, and two sisters trying to find each other. Whereas S2 was a psycedelic trip that introduced the multiverse, necromancy, matricide, and AI squashing out human existence. It just feels like we really needed a stepping stone season to get from a rather insular micro story to an existential macro story.
Like, side note, Maddie wasn't even a proper character she was this chipper noob used to guilt trip Vi and the audience, she then gets placed in the strike squad for...surviving the memorial battle, next we know she and Caitlyn have hooked up despite them never saying a word to each other on screen, and then we end a left field betrayal that had zero foreshadowing. Maddie was whatever the story needed her to be at the moment.
Remember, for Vi, the time from getting released from jail in Season 1 Act 2 to the end of Season 1 is like, maybe a week at most. The end of Season 2 Act 1, is probably a month at best since her release from jail. I’m not too surprised that her motivations seemed like they swung about wildly, cuz frankly she’s been experiencing non-stop emotional whiplash.
Season 2 definitely felt rushed especially the last two episodes of Act 3. So many things were happening, characters were making strange choices without any explanation and I'm not sure some of those choices will make sense even with an explanation. Vi really fell off for me this season. Ekko, on the other hand, became my favorite character - the boy savior, the man, the myth, the legend. The MVP. Assuming Jinx isn’t dead and the theory is correct, I would really love for them to end up together. I don’t normally ship characters in fiction, but man, I can’t help it , not after watching episode 7, and what a ride episode 7 was. I’ll say it’s the best episode in Arcane, both seasons combined. Maybe it's recency bias, but I don’t care. It’s just so good. The scene where Powder and Ekko are dancing and my first and favorite French song playing in the background, still lives free in my head and it’s been two days.
I think Vi and Jinx both felt off. End of S1 had Jinx committing a terrorist crime and experiencing severe psychosis. Then S2 comes and she's sad but also acts more normal than she ever had.
Season 1 was worse imo. They tried to make it a Shakespearean tragedy with all those unnecessary subplots but all along the structure was a Greek tragedy with only 1 character reaching catharsis (Jinx).
The subplots they introduced in season 1 are so larger than life that 9 episodes in season 2 seem not enough.
They should've stayed with the Greek style tragedy in Season 1 if they only intended to have one character reach full potential
I personally loved Vi, but I do think it's obvious that her character arc was missing a few beats. And I'd say the same for Caitlyn. I loved that they made up in the end, but it's missing a middle part where there should've been more friction between the two. And I think a lot of that friction was sped through Caitlyn's dictator arc. I also think Vi turned against her sister a little too quickly. There's a character beat missing there. I think I would've loved to see Vi bond with the other enforcers on the strike team, and I would've loved to see Jinx actually harm/kill one of them before Vi decides that Jinx needed to be taken out.
@@CzarsSalad I loved that season one felt like a Shakespearean tragedy. Jinx launching a missile after the council gave Zaun its independence was my favorite part 😅
Heimerdinger especially got shafted
I LOVE Sevika, I truly love sleeping on characters and having them show me up in the most meaningful ways. It makes stories so much better, excellent writing on her progression.
As a note on her arm that another channel pointed out (I forgot which one), Jynx also knew her well, this wasn’t just a Jynx-esque arm, this was 100% a Sevika-esque arm. Almost every scene where Sevika is introduced before she fights she is gambling! She also spams the gambling slot during her first fight with the arm, she didn’t have to 😂
I think that Arcane somehow managed to balance the world building aspect, the lore aspect and the story aspect pretty well. I don't see any other show doing it this well, and I guess I can excuse a few motivations and stuff being a bit forced. I really like this season and the finale was really perfect. I like that they end it more on an emotional high rather than fumbling in the lore aspect of the show.
While I still liked this season, I'm so disappointed they cut screentime from Ekko again. I wanted to see his plotline with the tree more and how he can build his community but it never happened. I liked the direction of Viktor's character but idk about the whole "I'm disabled and now I'm a villain because of that" trope :( At least it was a little more nuanced than other stories, and at least Jayce ended it with him I guess.
So yeah. Worst problems is that many parts were rushed in unfocused. My personal favorite part was pretty much every scene with Jayce, but I guess the pit scene specifically. He went from being one of my least favorite characters to my most favorite. I think he is one of the most, if not the most determined and consistent character in the show. His willpower was amazing, seeing him fix his leg and rock climb and everything. God I love him now
EDIT: Hey I'd appreciate it if you guys would stop using the word cr****e, thanks
Viktor didn't become a villian because he is a cripple, he was consumed by new found powers. He just started justifying and motivated himself forward with his original goals. At least to me.
@rltofuiii Actually after thinking it over for a bit, I think after Viktor was shot by Jayce, he became more of the hextech itself, which why Jayce is able to break off his mask in the end. So the whole "villain is a villain because of disability" thing is not too bad here.
Also I think your use of cr****e here could be worded differently, it comes off weird.
Yea, as others are saying, he became a villain because he was overwhelmed with magic Jesus powers. He literally wasn't a cripple anymore well before his turn.
You going to cry because peoole are using the word cripple?💀 you kids are ridiculous
I thank god the directors never listen to people like you who are never satisfied with anything because they'd drive themselves crazy
I really, really liked the second season. It wasn't as good, straight and direct as the first one, it has it's own flaws, it's rushed, but overall - it's a masterpiece. Visually stunning, perfect voice casting, good music and a great conclusion to everyone's arc. I was really expecting most of these scenarios from season one and I received what I wanted.
First season - 10/10
Second season - 9/10
Almost perfection.
I think it was cool that Vi stopped warwick by calling out Vander's name. In some real world folklore, a werewolf can be calmed by someone who truely loved and trusts them saying their name.
I also felt that the scene with Ekko talking Jinx out of suicide was extremely powerful, definitely a high if not peak point of Act 3. The beauty and drama of wanting to talk someone off the edge but not finding the words for it in time and regretting it, and wishing you could turn back time to try again. The sad reality that it's not so easy even if you get to try again to talk someone out of such a dark mental place. The satisfying fantasy of managing to avert the tragedy not with Ekko's words, but by repeating alternate Powder's spoken aloud words, which are probably Jinx's deep, repressed thoughts, pushed deep down by melancholy. Perfection. It could have easily been its own animated short IMO
Animation and show was incredible. Episodes 2-7 were amazing. The end needed more face time with Jinx/Vi/Cait, the strongest part of the show until episode 8. Vi becomes so unnecessary by the end which is unfortunate for what was the best character
I do agree that there is a problem with pacing in season 2 that did not exist in season 1. But I feel that emotional highs were so high for me personally that I was able to overlook it. Maybe unpopular opinion, but I liked season 2 even more than the first one. Just what a beautiful show
Loved season 2 but it needed 3 or 2more episodes to let the characters breathe, Ecko was my highlight this season, the boy savior, Mel character felt weaker to me this season not because of the writing but the fact that her storyline with ambessa didn’t get enough screen time and her reunion with jayce felt rushed, jinx and vi stands out as usual I mean I think those two in particular didn’t suffer from the pacing enough time was given , jinx walking away and vi finally reaching the stability she craved for 😢 this series is the best animated series of all time to me 😢
I agree with almost everything you said.
What I realize is that season 1 was SO PERFECT that the bar was set very high and I knew it would be impossible to repeat that feat. haha
And even so, if you look at it as a work as a whole, it is still MILES away from everything that is being released.
The studio had a lot of credits to burn, so I accepted it happily haha
It was great but it was definitely a downgrade. Having a "bigger scope" compared to S1 more personal struggles and politics definitely hurted the show and would have simply needed more time to build up and pace better.
to me, the scope isn't the problem, it's getting there, this season was too rushed
I thank god the directors never listen to people like you who are never satisfied with anything because they'd drive themselves crazy
Call it deny but I refuse to believe Heimeindinger is dead. He’s in another dimension living his best life.
Yordles are immortal
Yea, Yordles are nonsense magic demons that literally can't die. Heimeindinger being thrown out of a timeline into non-existence very well may be the only possible way to eliminate a Yordle for good.... But probably not. They are spirit creatures that aren't native to the material realm, meaning literally not even our universe. The Celestial's making and throwing stars around can't even kill them, or prevent them from coming into our universe when they want to. They also canonically can not die, or a bit more technically, they can not experience death.
"“I know it’s a downer, but the whole point of life… is death.”
“Death?” whimpered Uncle Milty.
“Yeah. And the worst part of it all? Yordles don’t even get to do that. We just go on forever. Doomed to a stupid, magical, pointless existence.” "
Now, mechanically, what does 'they can't die'' actually physically mean? Like when Heimen get turned to red paste by Ekko's time reverser, what would happen if Ekko didn't reverse that and just left him paste? Would he inevitably regenerate? Would he 'die' physically, but his spirit would reform back in the Spirit world and he could travel back later? Would he 'respawn' back on RuneTerra?
These are all neat questions, and we simply just don't know. No Yordle has ever been injured badly enough to 'die' in cannon, so we've just never seen the consequences of it. But they believe they can't die, and most have been around for obnoxious amounts of time, literally being older than gods and most even had millennia long lives in the Spirit world before even coming here in the first place. No wonder so many have gone crazy with boredom.
Some have also popped into reality here, and have had only short lives so far, but that's a bit beside the point as none of them have died either.
So if Arcane Himen is actually gone forever from being popped out of the timeline, he would literally be the very first and only cannon example. He still didn't even technically die, he's just not in this timeline anymore.
@@julio1148 Immortal doesn't mean unkillable. It means they don't die of natural causes. Vampires are immortal unless they go outside during the day or get a stake through the heart for example
@@ethanhandel1001 then why dont you learn the kind of immortal yordles are?
@@julio1148 The kind which can be killed. I used the example of vampires but in the case of LoL lore they can be killed by Shen as he is able to travel to both the physical and spirit realms.
I will always and forever be more in favour of those that aim for the stars with little hope of success, than I’d be for the ones who stay within their means and play safe. And so of course, I loved everything about this show. Everything.
I feel like people will like this show more over time. If you rewatch people pointed out how the girl who was mute muted the voices in jinx's head, for example but others call it trash writing that jinx just got over it...she didnt really and they call that out with the glasses statement. Overall i think people miss alot along with haters of anything (the usual crowd that calls everything with diversity you know what.) I see alot who call everything trash this season it's sad.
Caitlyn knows what Singed did.
Hey Merphy, I will be tuning in for your talk with Jay and would like to know a little bit more of your taughts on:
The time travel plot;
Vi, Jinx and Caitlyn character arc (specially the latter because she got a little too Anakin for me in the middle);
The whole Victor mess
And what do you think of the overal theme about perfection and imperfection
If you could tell us a little bit more about these topics, I would really apreciated! Thanks ❤
Heimerdinger is a yordle, he can't die. In the music video Ambessa went to war pregnan and lost Kino, the black rose probably helped her get Kino back in exchange for the daughter to come (in some ritual they probably tried before but the mothers didn't survived. So yeah, Mel is what she stole from the Black Rose.
I have my frustrations with this season that I could nitpick or rant about all day, but on the other hand it made feel such strong emotions too. I am planning to binge the whole thing again top to bottom.
As conflicted as I feel about it, I am confident that it is already a timeless piece that will be talked about for years to come just like the Avatar franchise and some of the most popular Anime out there.
You're spot on with the pacing issues; that was my biggest issue as well. There was absolutely enough material to do another season, and personally I think every act could've been its own season. There were just so many interesting plot points glossed over through (beautiful) montages. And as a result the character motivations and emotions weren't there. You see, but you don't feel. Overall I liked the season, didn't love it, and found it ultimately unsatisfying. They tried to do too much in too little time.
Another season would be another 3 years minimum, more stress on Fortiche to keep going on this same project that they have been for the past 9 years. Plus the creators as a whole want to move on to other stories and other regions of Runeterra. I think they just made the calculus of 'end it now and risk people getting annoyed a bit with the pace or push it and ruin their relationship with a VERY important animation studio, burn out their writers, staff etc.'
I also would have liked more but this level of quality is insanely hard to maintain and they have to look at the bigger picure with their roadmap of future projects, studio relationships, budgets and such.
@@gman7497 All valid points. That's where the writing staff really needs to take a look in the mirror and realize they just can't tell the story they want to in a single season, and need to keep the story smaller. Not going to write a book in the comments but if they kept it to a power struggle with Piltover and Zaun and eliminated the black rose, wild rune, and much of the Noxus storylines, we would've had a much better season. And if they get a green light for more or they decide to continue with this part of the world, then they can go ahead with those other plot points in the future.
@ronb2008 at the end of the day, we aren't making the decisions, season 2 however has been a smashing success overall, despite a few flaws. If we kept the story smaller it's hard to say that would have been better, you're judging based on the stuff the S1 set up but who's to say that we would have gotten the same emotional highs if they kept on that track in season 2?
Arcane was always a fantasy show and it was always gonna connect to the larger world of Runeterra. It would have been great to have an extra season to delve into the conflict of P&Z in full but there just wasn't enough time. 2 seasons is what they had to work with and they had alot to pay off and set up for future shows, which was their intent from the beginning.
@@gman7497 You're right we aren't making decisions, but as viewers we should be able to point out flaws as we see them. It's part of what makes storytelling better. And I disagree that we don't know if the story would have been better if it were smaller. I think it absolutely would have, and my argument is episode 7. I think most would agree that it's the best of the season, myself included. And yet there's not a single large scale action scene (from what I remember). It was a small, character driven episode all about what could have been. It proves that the writing team can absolutely tell a story that's both small and impactful, and we don't need large scale 'save the world' type plotlines as a climax.
This is where I'm at with it. Especially with regards to the finale. Character after character, my reaction to each conclusion was "oh, okay then," which is simply unusual for a show that has primed me to feel every decision with maximum resonance.
I just binged season 2 and thought it was just as good as season 1. They're on par. There are things I liked more about season 1 than season 2 and vice versa.
I thought the pacing of season 2 was perfect. Except for the last 2 episodes, it feels it had A LOT to cover and a lot of little details you really had to pay close attention to in order to follow what was happening and some stuff got lost for me; I can't really put my finger on it but this is just something I felt while watching the last 2 episodes; but that's just one thing, at the end I was really satisfied with all the resolutions each major character got; Sevika finally transitioning from a follower to powerful people like Silco and then Jynx to being a leader and representative for her people. Ekko learning to forgive and finally really becoming "the boy savior". Heimerdinger becoming more than just an inventor and head of Piltover to actually seeing the struggles and helping the people who needed it, going as far as to leave his fear of magic to use his brilliant mind to help Ekko with it (Heimerdinger's resolution became one of my favorites the more I thought about it). And same with everyone else, I thought the ending was a little rushed but all their arcs were completed to very satisfying endings for me; and season 2 had some of my favorite moments in the whole series, the entirety of act 2 and episode 1 of act 3 are among my favorites of the whole series. So I would say season 2 more than stick the landing, I think it did a very good job in continuing and closing the story and whatever small gripe I have with it really pales in comparison to all the stuff I loved. Love hearing other opinions about it!
Being a longtime fan of the wider League universe, I love seeing the subversions of the characters we've known for so long be explored in different ways. But I will say when Viktor was talking about The Glorious Evolution, I was excited, since that's just his voiceline when you pick Viktor in the game. All the little Easter eggs and teases of other characters, and seeing the locations slated to be visited next in the future shows has me thinking about what the plots could be.
I enjoyed this season but I agree with some things you said. I felt this season was a little bit rushed. I would have liked to see the clashing between the undersite and Piltover and have it more focused in this season. So you could feel the brewing and how the tension where building between them. and then more the battle conclusion in a season 3. It was just so much happening and as you said there was no breathing room between everything so it was hard at times to know how much time has passed, or if time had passed. You also don't always feel that you understand how they got here and what changed between characters. Mostly because it is just such a fast paced story.
Still loved it through. Loved the soundtrack. One of the things I missed the most was that after episode 6 there was noo mentioned of Isha and her passing. The only thing was Vi's flashback when she was coming back to contiousness. Also the part that we introduce new characters and we don't really get the same background dive on them as it was in season 1. Leronco (or something similar) The enforcher Vi gets close to. We don't know anything about him or his motivations to do what he did. Same with that amfibian guy that was Maddies partner. I don't think we even got his name. I would have liked to get to know them a little bit more and what made them have this honor as we have seen many enforser not having. Even Maddie we don't know much of her personality. So even if it was an incredible season and I feel fairly satisfied. (Cried like almost every episode) it also feels a little saddening that maybe with just a few more episodes we could have made it fantastic instead of great.
But they have made something incredible that will be hard for other animation studios to ever compete with. They manage to capture you and make these relatable characters and a realistic plotline with such few episodes that they really deserve all the praise as they can get. :)
you nailed everything I had a problem with S2. also Ekko and Heimer were my heroes of S2.
My quick assessment is this:
S1: 10/10
S2: 8/10
Overall: 9/10
Pacing was a bit too fast, an extra 20 minutes per episode or episode per act I think would be perfect. An entire extra season feels like it would be pushing it.
I think S2 was ALWAYS going to lose some people because the scope exploded, but honestly I can accept that. Not every story is for everyone, the idea of making sure everyone likes something is what leads to the commodification of art and I’d prefer a controversial ending to a universally praised ending if it meant the creatives involved had to surrender their vision or the story they wanted to tell.
Act 3 should've been more Jinx & Vi focussed.
While I liked the ekko & Jinx stuff, the romance felt out of nowhere and how ekko was able to convince Jinx should've taken longer. And Jayce & Victor magic stuff was never the most emotional & substantive part of the story, it's good but all that time should've been used to focus on Jinx & Vi's endings and Piltover/Zaun politics. I feel unsatisfied with the final act even though everyone got a pretty satisfactory conclusion.
Giving Singed a happy ending was crazy work 😭 Bro started Runeterra’s WW1 💀
It's hinted Vander barely managed to overpower the beast at the last moment for a second. When he's falling with Jinx before the explosion we got a flashback of him as her dad in the past, during this flashback Powder was asleep so it cannot have been her memory. Then during the explosion there's a single purple streak of light that doesn't fit the color of the blast, that's Jinx getting away. At the final moment when looking at the eyes of his daughter right before the grenade went off Vander regained control for a moment and then as he blew out the candle his life was snuffed by the explosion and that small detail that you will miss if you blink makes that scene a masterpiece for me. Arcane s1 felt a lot easier to understand, s2 is full of hidden details and things you will miss during your first time watching it but once you catch those small details they change everything so I think it will age a lot better over time as we either discover more of the small things or we get more context from other stuff in the future.
I absolutely loved this show to the end. Just the emotional investment that this show was able to pull from me in such a short time is remarkable. I felt a hole in my heart after finishing it and I couldn't stop thinking about it well afrer it ended, making scenarios, explanations, head canons etc. My main problem was Vi and Cait's relationship didn't get enough time to end where it did. Which is a wild thing to say because they have been "will they won't they" since act 2 of season 1. Since then I've heard a lot of people give details on how Cait redeemed herself from the things that she did in Act 1. I just wished it was more pronounced than subtle. At first it just left a bad taste in my mouth but eventually I've come to like how it ended. Their trust and love for each other is very understated and that is how they forgive each other at the end. I just wished that the show had time to slow down and explore it in detail rather than hiding these really important themes in subtext.
We needed the regular 3 act structure plus a dedicated episode for the final. A complete 4th act would have been amazing, but just one more episode to further develop and close off all of the different plot threads would make justice on the greatness that season 1 left us.
I do love season 2 as much as I love season 1. It's without a doubt one of the best TV shows of all time for me. And I agree, episode 7 was truly a highlight and the french song when Powder and Ekko danced will be in my heart forever 💔 It was beautiful, but short, I wish we had more seasons.
I overall enjoyed watching Season 2. This was a far better experience than most things (with some notable exceptions) TV and cinema have been offering us throughout the last 10-15 years. Still, there was Season 1 before... And I'm afraid Season 2 wasn't just a minor deterioration. It was massive, especially from episode 4 onward. I know that technically, we had a couple of parallel stories in Season 1 too. And the title is Arcane. But for me, Season 1 was all about Vi and Powder. I especially fell in love with Powder - I mean as a character. And I have a feeling, that Season 2 somewhat butchered this character. I mean, we were left at the end of Season 1 with Jinx triumphing and Powder 'dead'. But I barely saw the consequences of this in Season 2. Again, this complaint goes mainly from episode 4 onward. And yes, I'm aware that what we see is surely Isha's influence. But from a viewer's perspective, this happened as a snap of a finger. We can recall from Season 1 who Jinx is. Yes, she might be somewhat childish at times, but she is also sociopathic, taking joy in killing people and blowing things up. Do you remember her laughter when she was blowing up the tent full of enforces in Season 1, while she was going to steal the hexgem? No one could really feel safe when she was around. Even when she was joking. Like the bartender in the Last Drop (still Season 1). He was obviously scarred and had good reasons. She could snap at any moment. We had that feeling of insecurity almost in every scene with Jinx, including her first reunion with Vi. Of course, there was that internal conflict in there. There was still Powder, that little girl who wanted love and acceptance. But, after all, we deal here with a highly disturbed mind. And I don't have anything against Powder being healed, being brought back into society and reuniting with her sister. That wish accompanied me throughout Season 1. This was a touching, tragic story. Jinx was a villain, but there were reasons for that. And now, in S2E4 we suddenly have an almost normal girl. I expected that the Season 2 story would expand, but I was sure this still would be the story of Vi and Powder. This is of course quite a subjective expectation. But I think that Jinx's transformation should take a whole season, and in reality, it didn't take a single minute of screen time. All of it happened between Act 1 and 2 behind the scenes. For me, Powder being 'healed' should be a culmination moment of the whole show, though I think it still should be a tragic one to be true to the narration established in S1. If you add to this ill-placed humour (in my opinion), like with Jinx's pants, and making her actual hero (mid-season), I simply feel that writers robbed her of her tragic story and seriousness. Jinx/Powder character development is the weakest part of the S2 for me, but there are other inconsequences or simply writing choices I don't really like. In opposition to most, I disliked the E7. I can buy Jayce's part. Ekko's and Powder's trope, less so. Fortunately, it wasn't completely disconnected from the whole story and served its purpose, but still. I felt it like a 'cheap' move, known to me already from many other TV series - that special episode 'What if'. And what's worse, it made me feel as if I were watching some 'high-school 'show for teenagers (like the Twilight, or something), and I wasn't looking at Arcane as such till that point. Why does Savika help and work with Jinx? How could she even show up under Vander's statue - she was the one who helped to kill him, after all. How does she transform from a gangster to a patriot? The 'he was killed, but he escaped' trope with Vander (well, kind of). How did Cateline change her colours in a few seconds in that canyon, after encountering Vi? Those are my main complaints. But there were of course things I did like. Isha is the best of them. I fell in love with her the same way as I did with Powder in Season 1. Please remember, that I compare just to Season 1. As I mentioned at the beginning, I enjoyed the Season 2. But compared to Season 1 it was pathetic to me.
If you liked arcane you should really get into the league lore, they have a universe website with all of their stories available for free it is a grand breathing world with tons of moving parts and interesting characters
I absolutely loved it. My only issue is the lack of a longer wrap up for the characters that stayed alive until the end. For example, I was hoping for a scene where Mel was grieving Jayce and a Sevika looking out for Zaun.
But yeah, in the end, Season 1 was more character driven, whereas Season 2 was more plot driven.
It was great, truly art and hearttugging.
Episode seven was a highlight for me, not only was it a fun story but there was so much that was excellent on a technical level that I just found myself smiling.
I wanted more from Loris. For whatever reason, he looked like Vander and cared for Vi, but we don't know anything about his motives or past. Reading into it, Loris seems to have suffered loss by his asking of Vi if she lost someone in the attack, has a sense of justice for joining the police but then leaving when they were escalating to a military dictatorship, lastly, Loris continued to look after Vi in Zaun as she spiraled. There's just enough information for him to be more intriguing than Maddie or her Fishman partner, but there's no payoff, no reveals, for who this man was.
Just about anything flawed about the characters or writing in Season 2, I blame it on the fact that Riot Games saw more money in it. I've been a fan of the League of Legends IP for over 10 years and even though I barely play their games anymore, I still keep up with new updates. Each time I saw a character with a new outfit in Season 2, it SCREAMED new skins to sell for the characters in-game. It turns out I was right.
I think the most egregious example is Vi's appearance in the fighting arena. She changed her whole look for that 1 music video montage, and that fighting arena was never mentioned ever again. Sure, Vi looked way more emo and depressed to reflect her mental state, but this part of her life was glossed over so quickly as soon as Jinx showed up to lead Vi to Vander.
Jayce's Arcane Survivor appearance was also revealed as a skin BEFORE Season 2 Act 2 was released, which pretty much spoiled a lot of people of his sudden change in appearance after disappearing alongside Ekko and Heimerdinger at the end of Act 1.
Viktor received the biggest in-game visual update to match his new look in Arcane, but it's getting mixed reception. Viktor used to look like a man in a suit of metal who held a staff and had a metal arm on his shoulder that could fire lasers. Now he just looks like a skinny blue alien that casts magic like a mage would, instead of an inventor.
it definitely could've used longer or a couple more episodes but in the time they had, they absolutely nailed it
I liked season 1's structure better. It was packaged neatly and the ending was stellar despite being a giant cliff hanger. Season 2, I enjoyed but it missed several beats I was hoping to see. Warwick was amazing at the reveal but as the story progressed, I felt like Vander/Warwick was being used too much as a plot device instead of a character.
I also wanted to see Victor portrayed differently. In what way, I'm not sure, but I just felt like his character arc was lackluster. The ending also wasn't satisfying to me as well due to feeling so rushed. Overall I enjoyed Season 2, but I just feel like it wasn't as perfect as Season 1. But the theme touched on by Jace sorta justified it in a way.
“There is no prize to perfection… only an end to pursuit.” - Victor. I'm sort of happy it isn't perfect in an odd way.
I'm on the same page: The only real complaint for me was exactly that, some somewhat rushed plotlines. I told my friends in chat afterwards the same, 60min per EP and it would be nearly as perfect as S1. The only other minor things for me: The stll great music was even greater in S1 and some character motivation switcheroo were a littel bit to hollywood, just for the in scene surprice factor. But overall still the best show ever made.
The soundtrack this season!!!! One improvement I didn't see coming.
17:53 There's actually another piece of evidence that supports the idea of Jinx still being alive: Remember that moment from episode 1, where Powder says that she would like to fly in a blimp one day? At the end of Arcane, one of the last scenes shows a blimp flying off into the distance.
Jinx MUST BE on that blimp!
Season 1 was a 10/10 for me. Season 2 felt definitely weaker than the first one mainly because of the pacing. At times the plot was a all over the place and characters interacting with each other felt weird because of how fast things were happening. I feel like act 1 and 2 of this season could've been spread over 9 episodes while the entirety of act 3 could've been the third final season but they really wanted to end the Piltover/Zaun story arc with this one. I also believe that some subplots like Vi's and Caitlyn's love drama and the whole Warwick situation could've been handled better but that's just my personal opinion. Background characters like Loris, Maddie and the fish guy could've been fleshed out more but the sheer amount of content they crammed into this season didn't allow it. Overall I'd give this season a 7.5/10. Still good but not perfect.
I think it's totally valid to be confused about Ambessa's motivations. I think I only picked it up after watching S2 a second time. Ambessa is growing increasingly desperate throughout the entirety of the season and looking for a weapon to fight against the Black Rose which is rapidly closing in on her (and her daughter.) All of her schemes and plots are done at a faster schedule than she initially wanted to. Her line to Caitlyn saying "desperation is the doorway to oblivion" is ironic because Ambessa is the one who is desperate as well.
That Maddie betrayal….. knew Merphy was about it because even I gasped! And then I thought back to every “protect Maddie” post/meme….. damn they got us!
And I agree.. episode 7 was my favorite.. some of the best animation and the STORY… my god.. best “what if” episode IMO… ever.
I just finish the anime naruto . Question i wanna start hunter x hunter but such it’s a long manga I have no idea where to start. Also do you think I could skip a few arcs. Please reply when you you have time.
Season 2 felt like a roller-coaster ride, but one that I don't regret. The pace was insane, the amount of artwork, art styles and ideas crammed into 9 episodes completely insane, but it did have the same effect on me as season one - it made me fall in love with the characters again.
Okay, I just finished your video. Great analysis, as always, but I need to know. Do you have beef with Vi and not Caitlyn? You said you'd elaborate in the podcast, but I want your viewpoint on Vi. Even though I know she was running headfirst without much thought or direction, the events in season one are a good foundation for why she felt so lost here. Based on what season two shows us about Vi and Cait's relationship, I'm willing to argue Caitlyn took advantage of Vi's lost state to seek self-righteous revenge while claiming it was for justice.
Something small that I loved was when Jinx was at her lowest, she says “There is no good version of me,” which juxtaposes perfectly with us seeing a good version of her in the previous episode.
Also, something that was true but they completely hammer in is one of Vi’s biggest character flaws is her inability to accept loss, despite losing a lot. Jinx points it out in the same scene I mentioned above. It’s a tragically static part of her character. That said, this season, it felt like Vi’s arc was over as she did a lot of changing in season 1, and not really much in season 2.
I posted this on another video, but I just learned that a key writer was absent from S2. Ash Brannon, who also wrote and co-directed Toy Story 2, was apparently quite involved with the writing process and helped nail down the story for over a year. He was given writing credit for all 9 episodes in season 1 but was unavailable this time around due to other projects. There's no way to know for sure how much of an effect this had, but I wouldn't be surprised if Brannon's absence played a role in the rushed storyline that many felt.
Just gonna say, if you love Singed now, you'll love Singed and his... "shenanigans" in the next series featuring the Noxians and Ionians.
The only thing I didn't like about this Season was how Vi treated Jinx in the last act, specifically around the jail scene. Jinx is sitting in a corner, hair a mess, fingers bloody, two trays of uneaten food near her, she just lost her father and adopted sister/daughter and all she can talk about is how there's no good version of herself, how Vi won't have to worry about her anymore and how she'll "end the cycle". Does Vi care about ANY of that? Nope. When Vi gets stuck in the cell is she worried about her clearly in distress sister? Nope. When Vi gets free does she show ANY concern for Jinx at all? Nah of course not. Vi's only concern in that moment is that she couldn't use her sister as a weapon against Viktor and the Noxians, and of course on having sexy time with Caitlyn.
Before that Vi cares about Jinx, after that she acts like she cares about Jinx, but at her darkest moment when Jinx needed Vi the most, she just couldn't be bothered. That broke my immersion because it felt like they wanted that scene in the cell between Caitlyn and Vi so badly (and in interviews talked how it was originally even longer), that they were willing to compromise Vi's character to get it.
Beyond that though I thought S2 was pretty good. They probably could have split it into two seasons and fleshed stuff out more, but I like lore and build up so maybe I'm biased in that regard. Definitely have nothing against shows that grab your attention and run with it, and Arcane certainly kept me interested every act.
The show definitely needed another season to tell its story properly
I agree with everything you said.
The pacing was worse, but man... the music, the emotions, the freaking animation!
I had to keep pinching myself, I couldn't believe I was really watching something this beautiful
Act 3 shouldve been 4 episodes honestly. The pacing for act 1 and 2 was great for me, although it was faster than season 1 it made sense thematicly at least for me. But act 3 feels like they rushed some stuff, especially with ambessa like you mentioned. Up to that point she was such a great character and all her motivations made sense, but why she chose to just follow through with viktors plan just because she was powerhungry even though it was never going to work out well for her felt so wrong for such a smart person. Viktors leap from helping people into making the conclusion that the only way to do so was to incorporate them into a feelingless hivemind was not explained very well, as well as him (in another timeline?) kickstarting hextech in the first place was kinda confusing on my first watch.
Vander/warwick also suffered at the same as ambessa/viktor for me, his whole transformation into the hivemind felt kind of wrong. The war itself was great but the setup was lacking, piltover and zaun has been in a conflict for 5 acts only for them to manage to teamup in a minute of screentime. And why did viktor "need" ambesssa in the first place as his army basicly won the war by themself the moment they entered it.
Overall I loved the season, but the last 2 episodes shouldve been 3, as im 100% certain most if not all of these issues i have would be resolved given more runtime. Even only making the last episode 90 minutes long would be so much better. For me act 1 and 2 is a 9.5/10 while act 3 is "only" a 8.5
I'm going to be honest, I don't care at all if is better or not.
Is a freaking good continuation to a freaking good season, which overall make it a freaking good show.
I don't have the need to put both seasons to compete when I know that I really liked the story as a whole.
I agree completely with Murphy here about nearly everything.
My largest plot point gripe is that Himerdinger got robbed at the end. His selfless sacrifice was done far too quickly for me to feel any emotion from it.
I agree this season felt rushed. They had too much ground to cover and not enough time. Every episode felt like the last episode of an arc on season 1. I understand the reason and still really enjoyed.
As for Ambessa, what bothers me is not her motivation. She made a deal with Victor, where she would get him into the hexcore in exchange for an army. She needs the army to fight the Black Rose. What bothers me, is that she didn't need to fight Mel. She already distracted the city enough for Victor to sneak in. That fight regardless of who won or not, was inconsequential.
Similar to Vi's and Jinx's fight with Warick.
It was 3 separate fights, with only Victor's and Jayce's having any true impact.
I don't think Ambessa had an affair with someone from Black Rose. They mention Basilisch as the village where she met her husband, who was a mage. And that's why Black Rose want Mel, because she has mage's blood. To answer your question. Ambessa was moved purely by the revenge at the end, she wanted to get back at Caitlyn no matter what. Also, Viktor is AMAZING. Try to find some explanations that explains his subtleties. What's done with him in S2 through subtext is amazing.
love the analysis, my biggest gripe was I wish the sister storyline had a more satisfying conclusion. I didn't like the open-endedness of the ending of her fate. Overall loved it of course though
For me, this season and series is unmatched. Hitting me real hard
15:37 Apparently Noxus is this giant dictatorship where everyone is a warlord and uses various forms of magic to conquer other countries. They came to Piltover to find technology to fight the other magic factions like the Black Rose faction. She doesn't care if the arcane destroy the city as long as she can use it as a weapon against her other enemies.
They confirmed that Arcane is actaully explicitly canon to League this season. So none of the playable heroes are actually gone. Viktor is different from his in game incarnation because they're doing a big rework of him this, game, season and wanted the show to reveal it first. So Arcane retcons The Machine Herald. Heimer is a Yordle who is a literal mote of magic made real so I can see him being either sucked back into the main timeline or some such. Warwick lives, I'm sure Singed will see to it and we'll get the full wolf version of him. Jace gets sucked into the ingeuinty rune and it does the glitch effect like it did with the hexcore so I assume he's elsewhere, Jinx'll have survived the fall. Also Singed daughter, Orianna, we catch a glimpse of in her clockwork form at the end.
I believe Arcane is also in the furthest part of the timeline so aside from House Madarda being dishonered(and it's ballsy of Ambessa to think she could amend the tenants of Noxus with a new one, sacrifice) she still wants to secure Piltover and the Hextech for Noxus(her house at the very least). They're still clashing with Damacia over the inland part of the continent and the tech would be a big boon. Also I think Thresh is headed to Noxus following the huge last Harrowing that would have taken place a good few years before the start of the series? So that's a problem.
S2 was SUPER SUPER GOOD, I think the first one is better however S2 was great! There were a LOT more tie ins with the game though and I think if you aren't at least passingly familiar you do get less out of it.
We should also see Mel as playable in League hopefully! Her interactions with LeBlanc(and actually LeBlanc in general) were so damn cool!
I suspect the next series like this will be set in either Bligewater because Pirates and crazy cool cast. Maybe ancient Shurima(Egypt sort of), but the story beats may be similar except with brothers fighting each other(Nassus and Renekton) a long side a society in decline or maybe Ionia for that fantasy asian theme
Most likely death of the Ricktus (her right hand man who was a great support for Ambessa and calm down her rush decisions) force Ambessa in her desperation to cross the line. In a way it was another choice to protect Mel (she saw that Mel is not ready to face the Black Rose. So Ambessa did not want to put her last child at risk, refuse Mel offer and bring alternative solution)
I Binged both seasons within a week.
I enjoyed it all the way through. Breathtaking animation/art style, music and character driven storytelling.
S1 was engaging all the way through but s2 it did kinda lose me towards the end.
Personally didn't find myself caring too much about the 'arcane' itself or the politics. I was interested in the stories of the main characters and s2 did mostly deliver on that for me.
And extra episode per act, a whole 4th act or an entire new season. Whatever is the right choice, this season needed more time to deliver everything. Act 3 really dropped the ball.
I think had they just expanded it to 4 acts instead of 3, it would have been a trifling better. Though with the creators already stating that they have stories waiting to develop in different places, i imagine the stories of these characters are not close to done just yet. After all, we never got to see any of them truly die. The closest being warwick, but jinx, jayce, viktor, heimerdinger and what is assumedly Leblanc (the shadowy figure of the black rose), will probably all make their returns in some shape or form.
Ty for trying to name them correctly ❤
I loved it. Better than Season 1? Hard to say. But it did have more to do, as far as wrapping stories up, introducing more characters, and giving each character from Season 1 an Arc too. Could they have spent more time on Victor/Jayce or Ambessa/Mel? Maybe. But I kind of love that they didn't, because it gave us more time to spend with Ekko in his alternate reality episode, and also bought us more time for the Singed/Warwick story and expecially the Jinx/Isha story, since they spent an entire act on that relationship--time well spent imo. They definitely cut some corners, but wherever they omitted stories or trimmed things they added storylines in their place that were superior imo and had more of an emotional payoff. And ultimately that's what this show is; it lives and dies by how much emotion they can pack into each act and Season....and if we're judging by that metric, Season 2 was significantly more emotional than Season 1, which is no small feat.
Season 2 could have been better if they did not introduce the Medarda (and Noxus) subplot in Season 1.
People overlooked that shit. The Noxus subplot in Season 1 was an unnecessary waste of storyline in Season 1.
That's why I give Season 2 it's flowers cause they really tried their best in fixing that shit.
And not to mention the forced (rushed) fan service Vi-Caitlyn relationship (?) in Season 1. I know the writers just want to satisfy the lore followers but cmon. It was a mess back then, and it was a mess they can barely fix in Season 2
I just… don’t care for them as a couple, honestly. Probably because neither one is my favorite character, so I couldn’t get invested.
They also choose their moment weird, like… a sewer and a prison cell? Really?
@@FlyingFocs the mistakes of season 1 were unbearable for the writers to resolve in season 2
I liked Jinx's "terrorism" as essentially like the Joker as she will literally change the colors of the environment to her various colors. This series made me think of an old George Lucas quote: "A special effect is a tool, a means of telling a story. A special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing."
Come on. Without a story is just too much. People have swinged way too much. If you don't think the story is at least good, I don't know what to say to you.
@@nazimbelaidi6486 Oh no no, I meant this in a good way. GL did too. This show does have a good story and characters to go along with that amazing animation. I should have elaborated more clearly.
@Montie-Adkins ah OK. My bad. I thought you're one of the guys who say the writing this season is trash.
@@nazimbelaidi6486 you seem like those people that hate when others have a different opinion of you
@ratedr7845 what did I say exactly that made you think that. I'm having a discussion. If you think the show is good but have some problems. I will discuss with you. But if you just think it's trash, then I don't hate you, I just won't waste time with you because we're going in two different directions
All I know is I can't wait for the new series. I don't think it'll be called "Arcane" because we're done with that story. The new series will take place in Noxus and be centered around Mel and the black rose. Characters I suspect we'll see returning for the new series are Mel = Lead, LaBlanc = Co-antagonist, Swain = Co-antagonist, Mordekaiser = Co-antagonist, Vi, Jinx, cait = Supporting roles, and Teen Powder from the happy Zaun timeline. She has her own blue stones and has all the notes and paperwork. Something bad is going to happen in her happy timeline, and she's going to try and find Ekko from the main universe for help...
Fun fact about the ending, the 3 eye raven at the end belong to Swain, one of three leader of Noxus, also in the old lore Singed next job is in Noxus.
I think the pacing issue could have been alleviated a bit if there weren't roughly a dozen music videos sprinkled throughout. I feel like the hype about the animation on season 1 caused more focus to be put on the animation in season 2. It's great. I love it. But it feels like the storytelling took a hit as a result.
This might get lost with the rest of the comments but, I wanted you to know that Riot is making an Ambessa novel. Since you liked the character so much, you might enjoy that and maybe cover it on the book channel
I think your video title is pretty much the question everyone’s asking.
One specific aspect I’m noticing, is the side characters and how they’re not as defined as the first season. I mean, compare the depth that Milo and Claggor (and Grayson, and even arguably Benzo) got in one Act, to both Loris (the alcoholic Enforcer who befriended Vi) and Maddie who had a whole season to just… be basically archetypes filling the cast.
Compare Marcus to Rictus, and while they both have prominence the former had a lot of depth as much as we loved to hate him; the latter only felt like an extension of Ambessa really.
I also feel like there’s so much happening and as a result, compared to its predecessor we don’t get as much time to stop and breathe; many things do, sure, but when they do it comes at sacrifices to others. I was very bummed at how the time skip was used to not let us sit with Caitlyn’s dictator arc, or having Jayce/Heimerdinger/Ekko being absent for multiple episodes… It all felt disjointed, and like they didn’t have a role for them in the plot until they were needed.
Frankly, while I sympathise with the difficulties of pacing a series on the whole, I feel like this season could’ve been two whole seasons instead; it would maybe not be as brisk, but would have let us marinade in things a bit longer…
Or at least, giving us a third season that was more sn extension of this or something. Like six episodes…? I dunno; I wasn’t there in the writing room, I can’t fully judge. But I wish we’d not dashed to the finish line on the whole, even if I agree with where everybody ends up and the actual conclusion itself.
For me, season 2 was more fun (unexpected duels/teams up and situation) and visually impressive (tone of colours, varying art styles, characters changing their outfits multiple time, etc...) but was indeed weaker than season one overall in term of narrative and pacing.
This came especially evident during the 3 last episodes were the plot really wasn't given enough time.
For instance, episode 7 was amazing on its own but really took too much time out of the main timeline so close to the ending.
One more episode would have helped a lot I think, something like :
- episode 7 : don't change.
- episode 8 : rallying troups / prep for the battle / characters reaffirm their motivations
- episode 9 : focus on the desperation, piltover seems losing
- episode 10 : grand finale
Warwick shouldn't had comeback as a mindless, unfeeling robot in my opinion (didn't had anything to the character and didn't top the desperation we felt at the end of ep 6). Because of it, I found Jinx/Vi/ww part quite bland during ep 9.
Would have prefer they focus on other characters like Sevika for example who kinda disappear after ep 3 and did nothing of consequence after that.
Also, Jinx already tried to die in the beginning of the season so her wanting to suicide again (despite the scene with ekko being amazing) feels like her character development was thrown out the window kinda. I would have hoped Isha's death would finally push her to accept Isha/Silco legacy to lead Zaun in the final fight (instead of refusing it once more just like she did after Silco's death).
Anyway, it was still an amazing serie overall and it gave me a lot of hope for a future serie in Noxus. Sadly, I doubt it would be made by Fortiche studio again.
I do prefer act 1. Act 2 stepped it up artistically but I do think it could have done with an extra episode at least. Then it would have been absolutely perfect, though I still think it’s an 8.5/9 out of 10
Season 2 was still great, but didn't hit the note of perfection that season 1 had. The storytelling in S1 was fine tuned to the plot and all the choices made sense.
I don't envy the writers though. The show is based off an *ongoing* video game that they decided to marry the lore to the show.
So all the character endings had to be shrouded enough to support the continued game universe while also completing story arcs.
If you want to see REALLY, ABSURDLY in-depth analyses of Arcane, you need to watch the work of a RUclipsr called "Schnee." He breaks down scenes, themes, and writing techniques so well that it's almost scary.
No one talking about the writers making Maddie "secretly" an enemy spy so we can look past/justifying Caitlyn cheating on her with Vi... Though I must admit I already know they are going to do it since they obviously need to find a way to make Vi and Cait get back together, but my guess was that Maddie was a member of the Black Rose, still I called it tho that she's going to turn out as one of the antagonist.