Disclaimer: This review includes spoilers of Arcane’s Season 2, including episodes 1, 2 and 3.

Somber.

Red.

Melancholy.

Those three words flitted across my head, glued there as I watched the beginning of “Arcane”’s first season.

Season 2? It couldn’t be more different.

“Arcane” was released on Nov. 6, 2021 based on the videogame “League of Legends,” created by Riot Games. The show was produced by Fortishe, a French animation company, collaborating with Riot Games.

Directed by Pascal Charrue, Arnaud Delord and Bart Maunoury, Arcane achieved a rotten tomatoes rating of 100% for both seasons, taking about six years to complete. The show won a total of four Emmy Awards in 2022, one of which including the Outstanding Animated Program. Act One of “Arcane”’s Season 2 premiered on Netflix on Nov. 9 this year.

With pressure on the next season to be bigger and better, Season 2 had a heavy legacy to uphold, and it executed the various parts of the show brilliantly, tearing apart what I thought was true from the first season.

From episodes 1 through 3, the season starts with Silco’s death and the characters have to deal with the aftermath in the following episodes. Silco’s death is pivotal because it creates a power vacuum within Zaun, a large undercity district, which leads to political turmoil and chaos. Piltover is grappling with different power struggles, whereas Zaun has major instability. Now, it lies on the council members to solve the issue.

Vi’s character was one I admired, her ability to push through things others wouldn’t normally be able to, and her strength and stubbornness all contributed to my liking of her. Her hot-tempered personality and protective nature showed how much she cared about people close to her. However, at the same time, these traits made me dislike her as she proved time and time again that she can’t see the bigger picture, she can only see what’s in front of her. For example, when she left Powder, she didn’t consider the long-term impact of abandoning her – Vi only thought about her own survival.

As Season 2 Act 1 progressed, I found Vi questioning her self-identity and struggling an internal battle as well as an external one, relatable while also painful to watch. I didn’t like the rash methods she used to find her identity, ranging from her isolation to sacrificing herself. Caitlyn, a skilled enforcer, added to the struggle of Vi’s identity, wanting Vi to be an enforcer and hunt down Jinx. Her mother, a councillor in Arcane, died due to Jinx’s actions, which was why Caitlyn was determined to hunt her down.

However, the sister that really took the spotlight was Jinx – undoubtedly my favorite character from “Arcane.”

Jinx, who left her former identity of Powder, became a chaotic villain and invoked terror within many people, her name becoming a legend and being seen as a Zaun princess. I found her interesting because she changed from an emotional young child to a crazed adult who became everything she despised. However, despite her outward demeanor, she still had some morals.
The beginning of Episode 2 was by far my favorite episode throughout Seasons 1 and 2, with new characters being introduced, but most notably Isha. Isha is a young orphaned child from the Zaun undercity, first meeting Jinx when escaping from goons. I adored the relationship between the two, and as I continued to watch, I loved how they had a sibling relationship, something Jinx yearned to have with Vi but didn’t really get due to Vi abandoning her.
Isha seemed to resemble Jinx in several different ways;, including getting her defiant and stubborn personality which I found unique. Many people disliked Jinx, and the one of the only ones who did like her was Isha, modeling herself after her. But not only did Isha and Jinx amaze me – Viktor’s Hexcore enhanced state surprised me too. His enhanced state was used to save him from his impending death. He returned from the near-deceased as a figure with magic, and I saw him as godlike with how he rescued people. I never expected him to take on this path, or for him to be like a savior. I thought that it was an interesting addition to “Arcane”’s second season, and very necessary for the continuation of the rest of it as he plays a pivotal role in healing and destroying others for his goals.

In Episode 3, the end of Act 1, Jinx’s mentality continues to go in a downward spiral because of the death of her fatherlike figure, Silco. Shimmer contributed to the deterioration of her mental health as it fueled her delusions and emotional state. She became more obsessed with the relationship she once had with Vi and unpredictable, manipulating her way out of getting caught by the enforcers.

I saw her shift between wanting to be loved and showing affection to hating everyone within a split second. Her personality flipped quite easily depending on her mood. But then, at the end of Episode 3, the fight between Jinx and Vi started as they engaged in a showdown that showed their true, raw and unfiltered relationship. I was captivated by this scene, watching as the seconds passed by as they continued to fight with heavy emotion – this fight wasn’t purely just about the fight, it was about Vi betraying Jinx, and Jinx still learning how to deal with that.

Betrayals weren’t just between Jinx and Vi – Caitlyn abandoning Vi and becoming a new leader recruited by Abessa played a major role in the season’s narrative. When Caitlyn left Vi, it showed her prioritizing Piltover’s future rather than her personal relationships. I personally thought this was bittersweet and thought it signified the end of their relationship. It demonstrated that with leadership comes necessary choices, even if those decisions involve sacrifices. And sacrifices did occur, with Mel, Abessa’s daughter and council member, being kidnapped towards the end of Episode 3, which makes me curious for what would happen in the following episodes.

As Act 1 came to an end, I anticipated the next act with curiosity, eager to know how the fights would draw out and potentially even change the characters. Arcane showed that battles aren’t just physical, they can also be mental too – unpredictable, chaotic, and filled with change.

To be continued in Act 2, Season 2.