Arcane: League of Legends Season 2, Act I Review

Notice! This review contains spoilers for Arcane Season 2, Act I.

Arcane Season 2 was one of my most anticipated TV shows of 2024, purely due to how good its predecessor was. Although I was as disappointed as anyone to find out Arcane season two would be the show’s last, I was excited to see how these creators would conclude the story. ArcaneThe cast of characters returns in Season 2, Act I, beginning a three-part story that continues everything about the series I loved: stunning animation, epic fight sequences, compelling characters, brilliant voice cast, and biting social commentary.

Arcane The season 2 story begins where one might expect. Jinx destroyed Piltover’s council tower and sent the wealthy nation into an uproar. Arcane The season 1 finale depicted these events, as the series reveals who survived and who didn’t. At the center are Vi and Caitlyn, who vow to venture to Zaun and bring Jinx to justice as the class war between the underground city and their wealthy Piltover counterpart escalates. Happily, Arcane Season 2, Act I doesn’t miss a beat in delivering what we all loved about Season 1.

Arcane’s animation remains as perfect as ever

Animation is at the forefront of Arcane’s best aspects

It would be impossible to initiate any review Arcane with everything but the quality of the show’s animation. In all honesty, I’m having a hard time figuring out what to write to praise the animation displayed in Act I – it’s simply stunning. Each frame appears to have been carefully created over decades, with no stone left unturned and no aspect forgotten. The fact that this was achieved in just three years since Arcane The first season’s release is stunning, with the animation good enough to be any studio’s masterpiece.

Some standout moments from Act I include the stunning way in which the animation studio – Fortiche Production SAS – provides introductions for each episode. The mourning of ArcaneThe characters from Season 2, Episode 1 are visualized with black and white graphite sketches, with only characters like Vi and Caitlyn depicted in color. Episode 2 then uses comic book-inspired panels to show the power vacuum left by Silco before episode 3 focuses on Vi and Caitlyn’s task force infiltrating Zaun. These views are remarkable, not to mention the smaller scenes and moments.

As I mentioned, it would simply be impossible for me to get excited about the animation shown in Arcane as I would like. Everything from the character designs to small details like shadow, light, blood, sweat, tears, fire, and dust is accomplished expertly. Just for your animation, Arcane could be considered one of Netflix’s best TV shows, and I can’t wait to see the creative ways the studio continues to portray this story in Acts II and III.

Arcane Season 2, Act I continues the show’s compelling story and characters

Going beyond the animation, the story that Act I portrays is equally excellent. Guaranteed, Arcane Season 1 does a lot of the heavy lifting here: if you didn’t like it, your mind probably won’t change until Season 2. The class war between Zaun and Piltover remains at the heart of the series, fueling the motivations of characters like Vi, Jinx and Caitlyn. On the other hand are Jayce and Mel, trying to smooth over the rifts while Mel’s mother, Ambessa, tries to take control of Piltover for her own ulterior motives.

All of these threads are intertwined perfectly, with events in each impacting the others despite being so different. For example, the way the story integrates the Hextech investigation led by Jayce, Heimerdinger, and Ekko with the fight between Caitlyn, Vi, and Jinx in Arcane Season 2, Episode 3 is masterfully done. This simultaneously ArcaneThe story is difficult to predict, but equally difficult to stop watching.

Carrying this story are Arcanethere are many League of Legends characters. They all remain incredibly compelling, from their difficulty in overcoming the complex political landscape they face to the equally complex family connections facing others. Each character is matched only by their voice actors, with the standouts of Season 2 so far being Hailee Steinfeld as Vi, Ella Purnell as Jinx, and Katie Leung as Caitlyn.

Arcane’s action sequences are fantastic

Another facet ArcaneThe animation of is how she portrays the fight sequences. From the black and white flashes as punches land to the expert choreography being animated on the characters, it’s a testament to Arcane how easy it is to follow each fight scene, despite them being overly complex to create. The fight at the end of the Season 2 premiere highlights these animation techniques, while the showdown between Vi and Jinx in Episode 3 combines great choreography with emotional weight. As the show continues, these fights will likely only grow in scale and therefore in entertainment value.

Arcane Season 2, Act I is great – but leaves a lot to explore

Acts II and III have their work cut out for them

If I had to pick any negatives with Arcane Season 2, Act I – and believe me, it was incredibly difficult to do this – would be a little slower paced than I expected. With Arcane Season 2 confirmed as the show’s last, I expected the story to be a little faster. Still, I can’t criticize the producers too much for having Act I focus more on the consequences of the 1st season. This part of the story is as necessary as any other, and it will only make the big moments of Acts II and III hit everyone harder.

That said, Act I leaves its successors having to cover a lot due to this pacing. Not only will the mysterious question surrounding the Hectech Core need to be answered, but the war between Piltover and Zaun will also continue. Additionally, there are Singed’s teases featuring the League of Legends Warwick’s character and the subplot involving Ambessa Medarda and evil witches who wish her death. I have the greatest faith that Arcane will hit the spot, but Act I left me more worried than I initially was, if only by a tiny margin.

Arcane season 2 – Act 1 is now streaming on Netflix. Act I consists of three episodes.