Arcane (2024)
[Arcane: League of Legends]
Season 2
Director: Arnaud Delord, Bart Maunoury, Pascal Charrue, Etienne Mattera, Marietta Ren, Christelle Abgrall
Studio: Fortiche Production
Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Ella Purnell, Kevin Alejandro
Episodes: 9
Synopsis:
To avenge Jinx's attack on the Council, Piltover debates a full-scale invasion of Vaun.
Impressions:
The first season went over quite well with a lot of people, myself included, so there was ample reason for optimism regarding the continuation, unless you're clued into the meta and are aware of how series tend to degrade as they go on; in which case, that optimism would be much more guarded if present at all. The real question is how deeply you're invested in the characters and their stories. The casual viewer will probably notice a dropoff in the writing quality, but if you view things with a more critical eye, you'll pick up significant gaps and holes in the plot and outright character derailment that will dismay and disappoint, potentially to the point where the merits don't do much for you. And what are the merits, you ask? Well, I can happily say that the production values are still first-rate with an innovative blend of animation styles. A visual treat par excellence. If only the same level of care and craft went into the writing. There are some good elements, to be sure, and some of the payoffs are nice, but it's the process of getting there that comes up short and the time isn't always used to the best effect. More on the merits of the animation, I'll still narrowly recommend this for a watch, but if you're more than a casual viewer, brace yourself for some frustration.
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