Arcane Series (Arcane: League of Legends) is a 2021 French-American animated streaming television series.
Netflix released the second act of Arcane Series early instead of in the evening like they had done for Act One. I’m excited to dive into more of this series. Let’s go.
Arcane Series Review
We pick up the story several years after the end of Act One or episode three. Jayce and Viktor have been making a lot of advancements for the pilot over, thanks to the Hectic.
Silco is more damaged after the battle with Vander, and most importantly, we see what has become of Powder after she accidentally caused all of that damage at the end of episode three.
Now, I don’t think this is a spoiler, but Powder grows up to take on the name Jinx, which is what her sister Vi called her at the end of Act One.
I love how Jinx is a little like Harley Quinn. She’s brilliant but completely unhinged. I mean, she is the scariest kind of crazy. The imagery the show uses to put us into Jinx’s mindset allows us to really see if she does.
She’s haunted by the past, and the animation uses these small-time glitches to show how her mind is fractured.
The screen will glitch through her movements and also will show sketchy, hand-drawn outlines of characters giving us true insight into the horrors that are within her head.
Now, despite the craziness that we see within her, there’s still a damaged and hurt little girl at the core, which I think makes Jinx very sympathetic. Even when she’s blowing all kinds of crap up.
I wouldn’t classify her as a villain, but not a hero either, and I’m not even sure I’d paint her as an antihero at this point. I mean, what mainly comes through is that she’s a victim.
There’s this creepy relationship between her and Silco. He’s taken this hurting young girl and manipulated her into his weapon. It’s gross and saddening, but also sets up an arc that I think could be explosive.
I enjoyed how we’re getting a much larger insight into the political workings of the world. There is a ton of internal treachery that takes place as moves and counter moves are executed patiently and subtly.
In this area of the story already has some good depth to it, and I think if the show wanted, it could branch off and just show us those dealings.
And it would be wildly interesting as we see how factions scheme and plan to benefit their own desires.
Now I’m also digging the fact that we’re learning more about the Hextec, as well as getting some more insight into both Jayce and  Viktor.
And while we follow more of Jayce’s present, we get a good look, at least initially into Viktor’s backstory, which of course is shaping his current motivations.
The political leanings work their way into this storyline also. But I really want to see the effects of Viktor’s discovery within the Hex deck and what it could mean for him.
It is teased a bit, but I think there are some very exciting and maybe even dangerous story arcs that are on the horizon.
If you’re a fan of Vi, we do get to see her kick more buttons as well as get to enjoy her sarcasm and wit. I’m still surprised at the amount of heart and emotion that the show carries throughout the episodes.
Even though we have so much going on in different arenas of the plot, the driving force still remains the bond between Vi and Jinx.
It’s wildly fractured at this point, but the search and longing that affects each of them is still pretty powerful.
There’s a wonderful exchange at the end of the second act that helps to propel us into a climactic situation that should be pretty exciting for the finale.
So one thing that I’ve personally not cared too much about or really even for is the imagine Dragon’s theme for the show. I mean, it’s fine, but it’s not something that sucks me in.
But there’s a point within this where I’m pretty sure we see the band animated as they play their instruments and break into the intro of a song, and it felt a little cheap and even self-serving in a bad way.
Now I’m less annoyed that they used another imagined Dragon song in the episode than by showcasing the band in an animated form.
And speaking of music, there’s a point towards the climax of episode six, where we have a conflict between Vi and Silco.
Now the song was decent, but I don’t think that it fit the building intensity and excitement of the scene, so it felt a little bit misplaced.
But then that sequence did lead to a moment with Jinx that had a lot of emotional weight, and I loved how powerful the scene became, even if the song choice wasn’t as powerful.
Now I’m loving the show so far, but I’m very curious about where they’re going to go. With only three episodes left.
From what I understand, there could be a ton of seasons with this because the lore and the universe are just so expansive.
I just don’t know if this is going to lead to a massive cliffhanger or if there will be a climax for this storyline that will then open the door for other arcs to be explored.
Either way, I am on board because the world is incredibly immersive and the characters are wonderfully crafted.
Then you couple that with the exquisite animation style, and we’ve got something that’s hard not to want to continue with.
Now, while I held off on giving a score for the first Act, I am going to give a preliminary score right now for these six episodes, and then next week I’m going to give you my final rating as a season one as a whole. There’s sex, no nudity, some profanity, and a ton of violence.
So I am going to give Arcane Series a B -Plus.
 so what do you think will be in the finale of this? Have you been enjoying the show so far? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Guys thank you so much as always for reading the review of Arcane Series. See you next time.
Arcane Series Trailer
Check out the trailer of the new Animation Action Adventure Netflix Series; Arcane Series 2021.
