Arcane: League of Legends: Season 2, Act 1 - Review

[@dyto2287]

Arcane was not suposed to go for 5 seasons. They planned out story for two seasons from the start. They plan to do next show of a different region of the game and different characters. So Arcane is just story of Piltover & Zaun region that should complete story of these characters with only two seasons. Next show could possible be about Noxus region from where Mel & Ambessa are from. They even introduced Black Rose a bit this first Act.

[@ConClasher3]

Yeah apparently the whole story started with how the writers wanted Jinx’s and Vi’s last scene will be🙈💀

[@fire2box]

I wouldn't mind if they do a "spin-off" that shows what happens during the time skip. How Silco establishes control, how Ekko moves on from losing everything.

[@nadiabairamis3854]

And the reason it took 2 years is because, LOL was busy updating and unifying all their lore and stories across all platforms... and then considering the that level of animation... 2 yrs is actually pretty decent. Now that all the lore is cleaned up and unified they can start exploring the stories from all around Runeterra. So far season 2 has introduced more of the Noxians and the black rose cabal. So maybe next story will be in Noxis. That would be awesome!

[@legorocketraccoon8297]

​@@nadiabairamis3854Maybe they unified the lore behind the scenes but from the outside it really doesn't seem like they have. Over the last few years the amount of lore Riot has put out has lessened. A lot of that lore was disconnected or contradictory and it wasn't even until this year that Arcane officially became canon. I really hope they're able to get it all connected but I am concerned they either won't or will retcon some of the new stuff later since that's something they've seemingly done a lot over the years.

[@trippibethea7599]

GIMME KAI'SA AND THE VOID AS THE NEXT STORY. I BEG YOU PLEASE.

[@chefchrissell]

Truly one of the most complete shows as far as story, eye appeal, music, character development, that I’ve ever seen. Bravo

[@ToppledTurtle834]

Explain character development to me. I didn't understand what was going on. I understood ambessa, mell, ekko, Caitlin father. But what about fangirl junior cop/special forces, non human cop, drunkard with special shield skills. Maybe dispose chembarron 1 2 or 3 who don't seem to have more going on than wanting power. Jinx os random, she wants to??? Not kill vi, kill vi, see everybody die, paint piltover?? Caitlin wants to murder Jinx or wants to brimg vi on a mission so that jinx doesn't return in a bodybag and doesn't trust Vi is ready to kill jinx but she does wabt to and therefore she wants vi to come with her in the mission.

[@ZachBobBob]

Never heard the term "eye appeal" before haha

[@chefchrissell]

@@ZachBobBob really? That’s usually salesman verbiage. Like buying a red new car and telling them it has great eye appeal to the driver

[@chefchrissell]

@@ToppledTurtle834 just her backgrounds and developing how they became who they are now wether through trauma, physical anguish, etc.

[@ZachBobBob]

@@chefchrissell Yeah usually people say aesthetic or art style or visual design/direction or something when talking about movies or visual media. Eye appeal is new to me I just found it curious that's all 😋

[@titanajinurceha2941]

I want to share what makes Arcane so great from a League player. This series gives fans a place to build theories around every detail, even ones that League players might not have noticed. In the scene where Caitlyn misses her shot and Vi calls her out, Caitlyn doesn’t take a breath before shooting like she usually does-that’s why she missed. Vi notices this and sees that something’s different, like Cait isn’t herself anymore, which is why she’s so concerned.

[@mabbash]

Great insight!

[@aviewerman]

Hey Dan! Love this review! Just meant to add that these extra factions added up are meant to tie in into future SHOWS (that are not going to be called Arcane) that will follow these foundations: these new races and enemies are meant to start connecting the other yet unrepresented regions of the League of Legends universe, easing newcomers (and exciting old players) into the lore

[@littlerainy3453]

Yes, it's one of the most expensive animated series ever. But let's look at it's run time. 2 seasons with 30+ min long episodes, 9 episodes each season.....it makes sense And is actually quite impressive if you think of each act as 1 whole movie. 250 mill for that runtime and quality is just incredible.

[@urgottabkiddingme914]

no its one of the cheapest only 100 mil was for animation and voice acting read more than a headline please

[@78konjo]

Also for commentors the amazon prime dig was about RINGS OF POWER and it's insane budget not invincible.

[@julio1148]

Remember that the Hex Core has been acting weird even weirder since it fused with shimmer in S1, this might relate to the healing of the shimmer junkies

[@hassassinator8858]

It might have been Viktor's blood that corrupted it

[@scottvalentine3917]

Really need your act 2 and act 3 reviews

[@Diamond-2828]

I absolutely love arcane, cannot wait for the last two acts. Shout out this soundtrack which is straight fire, the music is kinda of a character in and of itself

[@NinthShinigami]

The soundtrack so far for this season is better than that of Season 1 imo. Wasn’t really too big a fan of the music choices in that season, but the ones here have indeed been 🔥

[@PatrikWesterlund]

Many joke that Riot is a music company that made a game not the other way around. Just because they have done so much music and good music at that with some awesome music videos.

[@gsquared1997]

I agree on many of the points you've made so far. I think maybe not as strong overall as the first arc of season one but im optimistic for arcs 2 and 3. I do just hope they can find some quiet character moments and focus like in season one

[@Pentaholic88]

This has been one of my most anticipated things ever. Season 1 is a masterpiece and the wait for this has been brutal. So far I love it. The animation has somehow been better, the action is edge of your seat jaw dropping, the character dynamics are engaging, the story has been interesting, the music has been stellar. I’m very excited and very sad to see how it will end

[@janaviselva2476]

This show is more expensive than both spider-verse films combined Edit: I just wanted to say I'm only comparing the budget of Arcane both spiderverse just emphasize that a show like Arcane has a bigger budget compared to both animated film both spiderverse and Arcane are good in their own respective right. There is nothing wrong with a show like Arcane having a high budget.

[@FatedVillain555]

well it is also longer

[@78konjo]

Again shows you can make amazing animation at a lower cost! Applaud sony for that work but also know Arcane's $250 reported budget does include $60 of advertising. Still I love any pro talk we can have of spiderverse

[@OnMyFingerTips]

And it was 100% worth it!

[@anpan_sparking]

Erm this one is a series, both are great tho and takes animation to the next level

[@_Amit_Sunil]

Secret Wars was as expensive as most major MCU movies

[@gigaman6]

Really want to hear Dan's thoughts on the finale and S2 on the whole. I suspect he'll be lukewarm on it given the rushed nature of the last 3 episodes.

[@QaHh224]

Never been this early for a review. Just want to say Dan I love your enthusiasm for cinema and can feel it come across in your reviews! Best reviewer on KZbin by a mile

[@IsaiahWayne2104]

Season 1: Ekko was ready to kill Jinx, but he wasn't ready to kill Powder. Season 2: Cait was ready to kill Jinx, but was stopped by VI. Who agreed that Powder was gone.

[@VietDang-yk1yt]

Vi just wanted an excuse not to end Jinx

[@JOZZYmusic]

No more Powder, only Jinx. Just like no more Cupcake, only Cait.

[@Jaemy_art]

​@@VietDang-yk1ytand caitlyn cant kill people too. When she shot jinx finger ,jinx head is clearly open for a clean shot with vi ducking under jinx.

[@thatgermanview5721]

@@Jaemy_art even the best adc does miss sometimes. Also Cait could have been aiming for the hand instead of the face out of habit, since she used to not want to kill people

[@gugugugu1300]

@@Jaemy_artThat's not what happened, Cait just got out from the fight with Sevika barely able to stand , took the first shot she could at Jinx's head but Vi pushes Jinx down enough by tackling her that the shot ended up taking Jinx's finger.

[@anomalyg]

As someone who doesn't play the games. This show is EXCEPTIONAL!! STUNNING VISUALS AND STORY TELLING!! 🔥🔥

[@taydestiny38]

Am I missing something? People keep saying VI has to make a decision and that she’s not willing to kill her sister. Did you watch episode 3? Not only did she give Caitlyn the go ahead to take the shot, which turned out to be a reflection. She also was about to end her with the gauntlet punch, until the kid jumped in between. The only reason she jumped in between Jinkx and Caitlyn was because she didn’t want the little kid getting hurt. I don’t know….maybe we’re seeing two different shows or something!!

[@yasminc7827]

Maybe the child was not the only reason though, and a bit of an excuse? Vi previously didn’t really care when Jayce killed a child, and had more of an end justifies the means attitude.

[@ethanhand8425]

@@yasminc7827I agree with this take I believe she would have killed jinx but she really took her time at the end and took the first excuse she could find. I’m sure she could have easily separated them with her gauntlets and let Caitlyn take the shot.

[@ericvaldovinos278]

@@yasminc7827 Yea i think and probably was trying to draw the parallel between vi and ekko they both know deep down thats shes just to far gone. But when it comes time to pull the trigger they hesitate. There is another thig i thought of that this show has done brilliantly is cait is now vi from ep 1-2 of s1. Shes been radicalized and saying the same things vi was saying to vander but this time, Vi acting as vander in this situation isnt enough to pull her back from the edge of war

[@a_agadir3964]

To add on, Vi obviously sees The little kid likes Jinx and is hugging her Brutally Killing a kids idol, infront of them, yea not a good look

[@calebealmeida4632]

Introducing the Black Rose now is insane to me. I think it's just going to be a glorified easter egg idk. Maybe they're trying to prepare us for future stuff like other shows or something, but getting into Black Rose shenanigans would involve SO MUCH STUFF, would be like bringing in a whole new show in the final season of your show

[@ri3121]

You're only thinking like that because you know all the lore behind the black rose. They dont need to show that in Arcane. For casual viewers, it's quite simple, witches from afar that are the reason Ambessa is in piltover are trying to settle some debt, and that is Ambessas motivation to act so rash. They really dont need to go ALL in

[@TassiloVolk]

I believe, the black rose will be the vehicle for multiple media. So I guess, in Arcane, the interaction with it will be more subtle

[@LadyShiver]

They said they're going to make more shows, just not more seasons of Arcane. So who knows!

[@eyesofthefox]

Dan, a little secret: the game itself doesn't really have lore in it. All the lore exists outside the game for the most part. Be it in other games, music videos, comic books, the website. The main game itself only references that lore and then only sometimes with newer champions~ So all of the lore this show establishes is new to a lot of us, even one's that have played the game for years. While some of the story is known, the actions that take place and how they take place in this show are all new. Even some things we thought we knew have been retconned for this show.

[@ftuT]

This time I completely agree with everyhing you said. Also not a fan of LOL, though I'm familiar with some of its lore. I love this show, the intro by itself still gives me goosebumps, but I completely agree on the unfocused story and forced arch of Caitlin. But as you say, I'm optimistic. They're really good at writing, so they might know what they're doing.

[@shadow82701]

When, or if, we do get a review for the rest of the series, I would love to hear your thoughts, specifically episode 7. Mild spoiler, but having recontextualized Ekko and Jinx’s dynamic here really blew me away. Love the work, Dan!

[@cesartolentino2817]

I would like to get Dan's opinion on "Blue Eye Samurai".

[@alrizo1115]

For me, the second season didn't really hit that hard. Maybe the pacing was too fast? It maintained the animation and style but the story and presentation didn't really sink in for me to care.

[@Lesbean_Burrito]

It's definitely plot-driven over character-driven. I feel the same way.

[@obizhot]

I am blissfully unaware of the Lore connected to Arcane and have LOVED the series from episode 1. Truly remarkable work and you used the same description I shared when discussing it: Jaw-dropping. It most reminds me of being in the theater seeing "Across The Spider-verse" for the first time

[@MADCHELLO]

Vander. The warewolf is Vander.

[@PenguinWithAGuitar]

This review was so remarkably well written and spoken. Cheers from Greece, Dan 🍻

[@inoba5891]

Very exciting to see another Greek fan of Dan's! Γειά σου φίλε 🎉

[@KMReviews]

My only issue is I liked the focus of season 1 and this feels like it has so much going on that there needs to be more seasons. So I’m just hook hoping they can actually wrap up. If they can then it won’t be an issue. I’m definitely enjoying what I’m seeing just worried.

[@radicaltitan]

Finally real character development 🔥

[@blazenfate]

One of the most overused and lazy terms ever. Every show has character development, difference is some shows have little and others have too dam much. Right now, this is feeling like the latter, especially when they are starting to go in circles.

[@rubyrubacus9787]

​@@blazenfateI don't think you keep with arcane updates. Let me tell you, the creators already said that this season has going to be the season of opposites.

[@Sjsharksfan88]

After watching the first three episodes of season 2, I feel like the third episode I'm losing the plot a little bit. The action scenes with the music are great, don't get me wrong, but I'm a little confused about what is going on in Zaun, and if Jinx is the leader or there are multiple leaders or what. I feel like not knowing LOL I'm starting to lose a little bit of the world building. I still like it and will watch the rest of the episodes, but maybe they could do a tad more telling and plot cohesiveness. Here is a spoiler free example, hopefully. You have the enforcers go in after putting gas in the room hunting for Jinx in episode 2. Then in episode 3 they are fighting her again (And I thought it was supposed to take place before the Gas scene). Then you have the jump from the undercity to the very end of the episode and I feel like I missed several scenes in between.

[@kristinafitcher6522]

I read somewhere that the entire funeral for Cait's mother was done in charcoal...completely mindblown.

[@scirrhia_kruden]

I've seen that rumor that it had been planned for more seasons, which is weird because Riot have repeatedly said in multiple places including their official Season 1 documentary that it was always a 2 season arc. I think people are just thrown off by how snappy the pacing is, but I'd heard similar complaints about Season 1 feeling rushed. Arcane is all about economy and efficiency of storytelling, and Fortiche was a brand new TV studio in Season 1, as it were, after having hired hundreds of people from an initial count of 15. They were figuring out everything for the very first time; their production pipelines, expanding and developing the studio culture across all those people, learning to work together and find their groove. Season 1 was during their growing pains, as it were. With Season 2, they'd found their footing. I really think that's literally all it is.

[@xiuxiu1108]

1:31 Hey Dan, it's actually good that you know nothing of the game's lore. League lore is nothing short of a mess due to the various ret-con, re-retconning, and re-re-retconning that has taken place over the course of the game's lifetime. Originally, the show was supposed to be set in an alternate reality Runeterra (this is what Middle Earth is to LoTR in the LoL universe). Riot games saw the reception that Arcane S1 got and is now in the process of retconning (yes, again) the lore and characters of the game to match that of the show. TL;DR Arcane's lore is one step ahead of LoL's lore

[@moonlitmortician6694]

13:07: If I may become that overly obsessed fan for a moment *ahem* It’s almost certainly a werewolf character called Warwick. He’s even got the same cylinder thing on his back. Fans like myself have speculated Vander was going to be turned into him, but it just looks like Singed is using his corpse as a base for whatever demon he’s creating.

[@Kesshou126]

Netflix is only a platform for Arcane. Riot & Fortiche are the actual ones who made the show. They never planned for 5 seasons. Where did you hear that from? It was planned for 2 seasons since the beginning. Knowing how huge runeterra is, they gonna explore other regions instead of staying confined in Zaun/Piltover.

[@matthewbertram4312]

Warwick (the massive werewolf creature) is going to be an example of taking existing lore and mixing it with the created mythology of the show. I'm pretty excited for what it means, although with 6 episodes left I am slightly concerned it won't be given its due if it's just little vignettes each episode for any longer.

[@jalcome4201]

Jinx and Vis relationship will prob end with both accepting a sort of distant status quo. They occelate so much on both sides towards both extremes, in an attempt to prime us into accepting the perfect middle ground

[@AlexssandroMeneses]

I believe the introduction of the "black rose" may be a link to the other projects that'll follow up Arcane. They may be ploting an introduction of the other factions and natios in Runeterra

[@MrBopper2888]

I low-key feel like your take on Jinx is gonna age like milk. We’re already seeing signs that she’s becoming the underground hero of Zaun both in eps and the trailers for the rest of the season, and it def seems like they’re setting her up for some kind of a redemption arc.

[@randomguy2402]

2:10 shots fired at invincible!

[@DanMurrellMovies]

I haven't seen Invincible. I was thinking of a different show.

[@ygkemosabi8280]

@@DanMurrellMovies so were we all....

[@randomguy2402]

@@DanMurrellMovies oh well, just know your statement can still be applied to it lol

[@JorgeLRojas-95]

Nah. Invincible is really good and looks fine. He's definitely talking about Rings of Power

[@JorgeLRojas-95]

@@DanMurrellMovies you should watch Invincible!! It's really really good

[@sum1rllyspecial]

Maybe it’s because I have sisters, but I always really emotionally connected to the story of Arcane. I know nothing of LoL lore, but I still really enjoy this story. Can’t air to see where this season goes.

[@ronb2008]

I've actually found the start to season 2 mildly disappointing. There just isn't the emotion that we saw in season 1. Remember what a gut punch we all had at the end of The Base Violence Necessary for Change? Or The Monster You Created? Even the middle act last season brought some great moments like Vi and Powder/Jinx finally reuniting. I just feel like they're trying to do too much, and it's coming across as messy. Still good, just not great like season 1.

[@BeefyChud]

If only Dan knew what Viktor needs to end up being.

[@SuperTrippygamer]

Like broooo I was looking at my wife like you have NO CLUE

[@almogdov]

Welcome to the Glorious Evolution

[@firstimpression7529]

I agree. But I’m excited for him to see what/who the wolf monster is. He will lose his mind!

[@BeefyChud]

Rengar season 3 please

[@firstimpression7529]

@@BeefyChud Bilgewater or Demacia. With Noxus being the end game threat looming in the background.

[@renehoyvik]

Best thing about this show is the characters. They are the core to the narrative, the conflicts, everything. I've been quite against Hollywood's refusal to create "Good" and "Bad" characters in an effort to make everyone somewhat relatable as it has generally reduced my impulse to root for anyone. But this show really shows the power of that sort of storytelling when it is DONE RIGHT. I was genuinely mournful when the Silco died, in season 1. Not because i though SIlco was a good guy, but because what it did do Jinx. And she isn't a "good" character either, but damn you see where she is coming from so you can't help but sympathise..

[@incoma6628]

I’m not sure how to feel about Act 1... The first episode was a bit sluggish, and though we got some action at the end, certain choices felt odd. A chainsaw? It’s like a guide on how not to assassinate or surprise-attack someone! XD Also, the ending of Episode 3 didn’t sit right with me. Vi seemed so sure that Powder was gone and that she would kill Jinx, only to pull back with a last-minute excuse. And that kid? Pure plot armor to avoid ending the season after just three episodes. Plus, the over-the-top emotional outbursts are starting to get on my nerves.

[@AutumnTeaParty]

Act 1 season 2 isn’t great 7/10 it really poked a lot of holes in season 1 what they did in act 1. Episode 2 was the best episode and I’m enjoying the story direction but the pacing and storyline/timeline was confusion. Too many music numbers without context to what we are experiencing and a lot of flash and awe and action but not the greatest start.

[@timogul]

They should start releasing Arcane in theaters as three episode chunks. People would pay good money for that.

[@billyrod1980]

Season 1 was masterful and so far enjoying Season 2 but I do agree that the Jinx and Vy drama needs to conclude.

[@ygkemosabi8280]

it will when the season ends and they decide to move to another location...

[@marvelousscrummaster9410]

When dan says he's excited, you know it's good

[@vagandoporelmundo]

This is one of the greatest shows of all time.

[@aplantilla]

Really happy with the show thus far. I could see the montages being a bit shorter.

[@almogdov]

I kinda feel like they added a bit too much in those first 3 episodes without closing anything. I believe they got it all mapped out but I hope it will be satisfactory. only 6 episodes left and adding another faction in the Black Rose might be excessive. Even though the animation is amazing, they probably spent too much money on it, look at X-Men 97', cheaper animation but the story is amazing. 250mil for 2 seasons of animation is ridiculous, League got so much lore and fantastic characters that deserve their own seasons and I hope that spending so much money on these 2 seasons of arcane won't stop them from making more.

[@merdufer]

I think they're doing too much for this being the final season. If they had three seasons, I would be hyped about seeing how all the storylines play out. With two seasons I'm worried it would end up feeling rushed or unresolved.

[@Poweranimals]

Aw man. I was expecting charts to drop today!

[@simontitcombe7550]

I know nothing of the video game but maaaaaan I love this show. Is so good. The music seems to have been paid attention too , it just all goes with whatever is on screen. This is also a show I can sit down with my daughter with and watch so double thumbs up from me.

[@Rocktaku]

Hi Dan, league player here, and yes the Singed creation is a well know character in the game, but no spoilers, grat review, I love Arcane and im happy that the animation and quiality of season 2 is equal or better that season 1, no all the shows with a great seson 1 can matain that standar for the rest fo the seasons.

[@opiniononion]

Show is okay, but it didn't grip me as much as first season. There's just too many storylines going at the same time it just seems sporadic. I think they could have focused more on one story in each act.

[@me45116]

I remember watching it in the hospital before the birth of my daughter. She is turning 3 in a few weeks

[@tubeo94]

I dont even play the game and learn the lore of lol.i only know kaisa is the daughter of morderkaiser. but i can follow the story pretty well, although they have multiple characters and a fast paced story.

[@FeLiX13sLaVe]

lol what? Kai'sa is not the daughter of Mordekaiser.

[@tubeo94]

@ i mean kassadin

[@untitledproject1642]

The only thing that I would touch on so far having just and I mean literally JUST finished watching the first three episodes is that there seems to be a bit more songs than I remember either overlaying or proceeding and action set piece I have yet to see a moment or at least remember a moment where there was a tentative slow character building type of moment I mean that's not to say that I don't remember where the story left off from season 1 but it was just rather odd It's almost similar to what they're saying about JOKER FAD just random musicals

[@EverydayCanadianMan]

I'll be back once I've viewed the episodes 4:26 start of spoilers

[@dennisjennings1944]

Ya, so ***SPOILERS*** My only criticism of s2 is the pacing. Knowing about the reported compression from 5 seasons to 2, you can feel it in a few storylines. Rushed is far too strong a word, but some things needed a liitle more time in the oven. Or as Dan said, more connective tissue. Sevika and jinx teaming up after 2 conversations. Viktor waking up and immediately telling jayce 'peace out' and going full-on wandering monk. The entire enforcer unit rallying behind cait when just a few days(weeks?) ago they were laughing at the rich girl pretending to be a cop. The scene where vi gets drunk with vander's cousin worked to explain why she changed her mind about joining up. I imagine there are a number of scenes like that on the cutting room floor. Unfortunately the show suffers ever so slightly for it. Only enough to say that its not quite the masterpiece s1 is, at least not yet.

[@TassiloVolk]

I believe you misread some things. Sevika didn't really like Jinx and is in desperation. Already in the first season, she took on a more neutral stance to Jinx, when Silco wants to look for her. Viktor going away suddenly makes sense because he seems to have lost human connection and is driven by some hidden power, hinted by the footsteps. The enforcers who laughed at Cait weren't the same like the "enlightened" ones, who bounded by the attack

[@Benji567891]

''The scene where vi gets drunk with vander's cousin worked to explain why she changed her mind about joining up'' That's not what i got at all, it was the attack that cemented her joining up. ''Viktor waking up and immediately telling jayce 'peace out' and going full-on wandering monk'' Him going his own way has been built up in the seasons before. him and jayce were drifnting apart through the entire first season. ''Sevika and jinx teaming up after 2 conversations'' They know each other, it's not just after two convos, and it's exactly in line for sevikas character. ''ago they were laughing at the rich girl pretending to be a cop'' They were laughing at her because she was in passive nepotistic roles, she is now taking action and fighting for the city.

[@dennisjennings1944]

Listen I'll freely admit I'm reaching for the smallest of nitpicks, but that's my point. The most criticism I can level at the show is thats its not firing on all cylinders the way s1 is. I'm not even remotely suggesting anything is out of character. I'm certainly reserving judgement until the full season is out, but with just the first 3, it's moving a little too quickly. The last time savika saw jinx she had her drugged and tied up in silco's office. Obviously they put that aside long enough to plan out their ambush, just all of that happened off screen. I'd be just as interested in finding out what they still don't see eye to eye on. It isn't one singular event that changed vi's mind after rejecting cait's original offer, it's the progression of first getting some respect from other enforcers and hearing how Cait stood up for her that started the turn. Heimerdinger asked where is Viktor, and we immediately get an answer to that question. We don't get anything of Jayce explaining how his BFF ghosted him after merging with the hexcore, and possibly more importantly, we don't get an ‘I told you so’ from Heimer. I also can't believe Mel had nothing relevant to say about Jayce resigning from the council, especially since she is trying to prevent weaponization and getting out voted 2 to 1. It's certainly possible some of this gets fleshed out in the coming episodes, but i get the impression it was a decision to cut some of these things out at the storyboard point. I think they hit the bullseye dead on in s1. Unfortunately for me, thus far in s2 the arrow is touching the line for 9pts and it's sticking in my mind like the splinter morpheus mentioned in the matrix.

[@TassiloVolk]

@@dennisjennings1944 you can critizie the pacing now ;) btw. in my opinion, they would've needed one more episode to establish caitlyns mistrust of ambessa and how much she is wavering, instead of 2 dialouges

[@shawnpolluch3510]

To me arcane had a lot of similarities to the penguin. We all know penguin becomes the kingpin of Gotham but now we get an eagle eye. Jew of how it happened. Anyone who played the game knows Caitlyn and vi are are cop buddies and jinx is the thorn in their side. We all know who sing is and what he is creating. We all know who is behind the black rose witches. We all know who victor becomes. But seeing this deep dive into the details, the chess moves is extremely epic even for someone who plays the game.

[@luckytosha4594]

Ooof, Leblanc incoming :) damn I hope next series is about invasion of Ionia by Noxus

[@reidentski]

lol love the stray bullet to that Amazon Prime show

[@juliusayo5049]

Which show was he making fun of? Lol

[@NinthShinigami]

@@juliusayo5049 Invincible I’m pretty sure

[@DanMurrellMovies]

@NinthShinigami No, I haven't seen Invincible

[@ygkemosabi8280]

@@NinthShinigami a certain show with a 1,000,000,000 budget....probly

[@abraaomitichon7868]

​@@ygkemosabi8280 If it is Rings of Power then it makes no sense. as Visual wise it is amazing, at least the first season.

[@bj_]

My only criticism of the show so far: it fades to black and holds on it between EVERY SCENE!

[@anuarzh4646]

Really liked Season 1 - well-paced, with multiple developed character arcs and gorgeous animation, especially in later episodes. So far, in first three episodes, animation is even better, plot lines are intriguing, but it feels rushed. They use music video montages much more often here and it's hit and miss. I understand what they are trying to do - visually deliver exposition and tell part of a story with it, but it feels like it is cutting corners. Funeral and Zaun gangs introduction montages worked for me, Kiraman family history and Cait's task force Zaun missions didn't. Both could have benefited from "acted" scenes, especially, task force. Heimedinger just arrived to Zaun in the end of last season, and he is already back in Piltover in his second scene, yet implies that he has teacher-pupil relationship with Ekko (would've loved to see it, but well...) Cait's character switch from episode 1 to episode 3 feels a little sudden. Overall, at the end of act 1 I felt that it is good, but would've been even better, if what we saw, were developed and "acted out" over one season. Still, highly-rewatchable and well-presented.

[@enoch6024]

I fully agree on your thoughts about the strike team and kiraman history. The strike team needed some more screen time in order to flesh out the new members as well as convey how long they’d been searching for Jinx. As far as jinxes plan in episode 3 and l the whole “grey” thing with the kiraman history I didn’t understand anything until the third rewatch, needed better exposition. Overall I agree on it feeling rushed and the intro cinematics would have been better spent on a couple more minutes fleshing out these aspects. Either way I’ve got a feeling that they wanted to set all these new elements up quickly so that they could slow down for act 2 in order to flesh them out

[@gugugugu1300]

@@enoch6024 They could have fleshed out the team a little bit more, but they may do so in the remaining episodes. Regarding the awesome montages, the Grey and Jinx's plan, if you didn't get it the first time, it's on you. Everything is hinted at, shown and then spelled out, they could have not shown the montage of the team in the tunnels and Zaun, it would still have made complete sense. By the way, 90% of the time, montages are utilised as a way to show that a lot amount of time passed in a short sequence.

[@enoch6024]

@@gugugugu1300 that’s a good way to look at it I, I’ll try and think about it that way when I inevitably rewatch the series before next weekend. I stand by the exposition being rushed though, we need more time with each new element being introduced to fully take them in

[@ZachBobBob]

Cannot believe it's been three whole years.

[@awkwardaquamarine19]

Hey, Dan. If I may, kindly review _The Legend of Vox Machina_ . Aside from Invincible, this is my fave animated series by far. It hasn't really been reviewed by the "mainstream" critics here on YT. Most of the reviews I've seen so far came from smaller channels. TLoVM is a really good show (got renewed for season 4) and needs more eyeballs other than hard-core Critters. Thanks. Really love your reviews. You and Jeremy Jahns are doing great work. Cheers!

[@joeldipops]

On that opening comment, I say "Mate, let 'em cook"

[@mitevstojan4296]

The show put me to sleep quicker than school

[@brianegendorf2023]

I think as the show goes on, we're gonna get to a point where we realize that Jynx might be crazy as can be...but is still, actually right. She has her sights set on the right enemy. But I also think that a new enemy is gonna show up, and in the end, the current conflicts will get swept to the side to have everyone finally unite and take on the real villain of the show.

[@twincast2005]

1:10 Arcane is inspired by LoL lore. There are lots of irreconcilable differences. But due to Arcane's mainstream success, they've decided to retcon the games' lore accordingly. Highly annoying, particularly for me in regards to Ekko - the Arcane version is great, the original is better -, but it's basically their third major retcon/reboot, so it is what it is. (I never cared for LoL itself, but the spin-offs they were doing for the last few years were phenomenal, so that's why I know.)

[@twincast2005]

People know what Singed is working on, what Victor's goals will be (albeit with wildly different means), what the Black Rose is, and what gadget Ekko will end up building (components acquired in some different way), but that's pretty much it.

[@mike_ere]

Arcane S1 is underrated, even now. If the 2nd season keeps the quality till the end, this will be in my top 10 series list ever.

[@NinthShinigami]

UNDERRATED? My boy, I respect any and all takes. But that is simply wrong 😂 damn near everyone everywhere considers this to be one of the greatest works ever conceived by the human mind 🤣

[@TristanYurty]

You mean overrated. Right? There’s no actual way in hell you mean underrated. There’s just no way. You’re not serious.

[@Zombieberry27]

Underrated? It was like the most popular show when first season came out. High in ratings and viewership.

[@mugen9147]

I don’t think you know what underrated means. Or you lived under a rock when the first season came out.

[@OliWatts1979]

Incredible story driven action that really tracks through the scenes and effectively female led. Amazing

[@78konjo]

As a fan who loves dan content and has been around League of Legends for over a decade I echo almost all what Dan says. In terms of it's probably best blind and some of the potential critiques of Act I of season 2. What's nice as someone from the background of knowing the world of the game the only half spoiler is knowing what singed is working on but we don't know any details on Ambessa's run in with The Black Rose or really anything else besides one other character I will not name.

[@thuc753951]

love the review

[@hallowedground4101]

I don't mind waiting, when the result is quality

[@drewmcgill5290]

No act 2 review or is it still coming? I personally like this season more. I didn’t start it until this season dropped though.

[@RustyRagesRegularly]

The line at the beginning got me to pop!

[@hentacletentai2160]

Seems like the Black Rose plot is them trying to ease viewers that don't play the game into the magic and other parts of Runeterra, because the players are already used to all the bullshit in the lore. So when Arcane ended, they can transition to making series about other regions without alienating the Arcane fans too much. I assume they are going to do Noxus after, then maybe Shurima since that's next to Noxus.

[@Panthror]

Don't worry about not knowing anything of the lore/mythology of League Of Legends, going forward the game's lore will be based on the show's lore. With new heroes and skins having been introduced into the game over the years the lore had become a bit of a mess, so the show is meant to explain backgrounds of characters and the reason behind the different skins (for example: Vi in her street clothes vs. Vi in an enforcer uniform like we saw happen in these episodes). So if you want to know the lore: watch the show; in game the lore doesn't really matter anyway, last time I played you could have characters, that hate each other's guts in the show, on the same team.

[@vegas_party_animal7737]

I remember seeing an article on MSN about 3 shows coming out on Netflix 2 to watch and 1 to skip and they said skip Arcane 😂

[@muimotion]

Honestly I love Arcane, from the concept, to the art direction to the cinematography to it's overall visual appeal. I think they really set the benchmark for how GOOD 3D animation can look and feel, and they did with in a TV show format at that! I think where it lacks for me is its story. When the only characters I really care about are Jinx and Vi and their heartbreaking relationship, then I feel the overall story has been a miss. I remember in season 1, that I just got so lost in whatever was happening in Piltover, (more specifically between the scientists and all the political figures and intrigues) that my brain just switched right off whenever their scenes came up. I felt the pacing slowed down and there was so much dialogue that it really made me want to switch the show off. Season 2 i got to say has been a little miss for me too (at times). I feel they pulled back on Jinx and Vys screentime and made space for more characters (some I don't even recognize because it took them 3 years to make the show). It's still a technical and visual marvel, and I hope the show gets its flowers during award season! However I feel the story is a bit hard for me to follow and I wish they focused more on the sisters relationship and make that arc really flow like it did in season 1.

[@Lesbean_Burrito]

Act 1 feels chaotically paced. I'm hoping the other episodes allow breathing room for character moments.

[@nickp3065]

No one knows the lore actually. We have knowledge of previous League lore but it is not 100% guaranteed it will be the same and they said that Arcane is the new canon so even we can be surprised sometimes.

[@juicewick]

There is so much lore and you dont need to know any of it. This show is amazing.Noxus is gonna be intense. The animation is some of the best ever, spiderman into/across the spiderverse kinda level. If they play it safe where all the playable league of legends characters live ill be a little upset,someone has to die eventually right?

[@EE-bg1de]

1 of 1. Nothing quite like it, so good.

[@kardrasa]

Arcane season 2 writing is very mid. I've been on some copium for a while, trying to justify it, but it's becoming clear to me that they've changed the Krabby Patty formula for the worse. I don't know if it's too many cooks in the kitchen or if the writers/producers have changed, but there's a noticeable difference in quality when looking back at Season 1.

[@7SUNZz]

I think the season 2 feels more like a show more for LOL fans and the characters adapt to the plot, season 1 was more to tell the story and the story was shaped by the characters and their choices. Thus it felt more serious and real.

[@patronusnatio7401]

It feels like there's too much, all happening at once. More action and less character nuance

[@mattt.edwards]

I completely agree. I've been looking forward to the show all year because I hoped they'd recapture that same S1 formula, but this felt so overstuffed with new ideas that confused me. I don't play LOL. So introducing the girl with rabbit/cat ears talking to Mel? And then the black rose, no idea what that is, while also introducing the Arcane as a plot concept...and then Warwick stuff at the end of each episode when we're not learning the motivations for why...it's all a lot. It's still breathtaking, and I hope it all comes together but right now, i'm overwhelmed.

[@ceno10101]

I didn't know this was the final season, that is good and bad. I want more, but waiting 3 more years for another season is tiring.

[@Zeyga]

This season was the biggest fumble since Game of Thrones. Sure the visuals were amazing as always, Fortiche is the pinnacle of animation imo. But the pacing, plot lines, MASSIVE contrivances, character assassinations, even the dialogue, have all plummeted in quality. I see people defending this season by writing scenes for the show that never happened. I have no idea how we went from season 1 to this.

[@joshelderkin9592]

P and z are gonna have to unite against noxus im thinking is where thats going

[@zaqxswcdelpmko]

kzbin.info5BDmuG9YOjc Christian Linke (Co-creator of Arcane) talking about their plans after season 2

[@gimmibox]

Remember people, no matter how good Arcane is, do not start playing League of Legends

[@codemanthe2nd343]

Hyped.

[@ConClasher3]

Be careful Dan, episodes were leaked so some people might try spoil online

[@ahmedtanvir346]

and netflix has nothing to do with arcane they are just distributors thats it ...riot decides what happens with it and fortiche does the animation and good things take time ...

[@casualfanatic4217]

Arcane: want to see me make a religious experience?… Want to see me do it again?

[@joeracicot4093]

Please review penguin full series

[@blazenfate]

The back and forth between the sisters is the only thing i dont like so far. Its leading to a very predictable ending.

[@juju-ts8cf]

Money well spend it's Beautiful