THE TRUE MAGIC OF THE ARCANE
In an entertainment industry undermined by hellish deadlines, ultra-tight schedules, crunches and other financial imperatives which often have repercussions on the quality of works (and the mental health of artists), Arcane is an anomaly. Never before have so much time and resources been allocated to an animated series, which has probably been applied to put every penny and second to good use.
In fact, this last season is a pure demonstration of strength and talent, even more accomplished than the first which had already hit hard. Between the mix of 2D and 3D, the hand-painted backgrounds, the complexity of the designs, the richness and variety of the settings or even the work on contrasts and light, there is more cinema and ambition in a single shot taken at random than in many recent blockbusters from Marvel, DC or Disney. Sometimes sin out of pride by showing off technique by opportunity and pride more than by necessity.
But no one will really blame Fortiche for showing off and doing too much given that animation had never had this kind of card gold white available. We therefore forgive the few sequences which resemble pretty music videos (Fortiche being used to the exercise) and the more experimental passages which involuntarily slow down immersion and confuse the rhythm or the readability of the story.
The great success of the season, however, remains the animation and in particular the remarkable expressiveness of the protagonistsso meticulous and mimetic that you would think you were seeing performance capture. Thus, nothing is ever fixed, all the characters have a lively look and reveal their emotions in slight twitching of the pupils, subtle flaring of the nostrils or frowning of the eyebrows. In short, whether we zoom in or out, everything is jaw-droppingly beautiful.
NETFLIX HAS ITS REASONS THAT REASON IGNORES
With Arcanehowever, we go beyond the borders of Piltover, Netflix or animation. After season 1 which took us by surprise, season 2 really established itself as an important popular, artistic and cultural event.
It is therefore for our greatest pleasure, and especially that of the editor of these lines, that the French Woodkid has signed another piece (To Ashes and Blood) and that Stromae made his return alongside the rising artist Pomme for the heady song My Best Enemy. And let's not forget the lovely variation ofHeavy is the Crowninitially chosen to be the official anthem of the World Cup League of Legends of 2024 (and which marked the eventful return of Linkin Park after the death of Chester Bennington). As we said, we go beyond the boundaries of fiction.
So many reasons to keep an eye on the awkwardness of the narration. This unfortunately lacks harmony between its magical, almost metaphysical dimension (which concerns Jayce, Mel and Viktor), and its more human dimension (with Vi, Jinx and Caitlyn). The machine has stalled a little and the story has difficulty juggling these two scales, so much so that the escalation to war seems rushed and the outcome hasty and a little too predictable.
What reminds us that originally, the history ofArcane is nothing very surprising or original (a little sociopolitical knitting here and Shakespearean accents there). On the other hand, what family drama or social tragedy still exists?
But this is also proof of the success of the series: as conventional as the plots are, the emotional impact is not diminishedespecially when the series lets its characters breathe or takes the time to watch them suffocate. Or both, in the case of Ekko, an under-exploited character in the first season who has the right in the last act toone of the most beautiful scenes of the season (if not the series) and with the most heartbreaking and unfair finality of all. Proof that he was always the true hero of Zaun and Piltover.
More generally, the series knows how to embrace feelings and speak accurately about love in its broadest conception (Viktor and Jayce's relationship as the best example). Finally, the idea of leaving a few doors open and therefore certain points free for interpretation works in places (the fate of Jinx or that of Viktor and Jayce), but less so in others. Particularly when the season does not skillfully disperse its marbles with a view to future series drawn from the lore of League of Legendsalready expected as the Messiah.
All three acts (9 episodes) of season 2 of Arcane are available on Netflix.
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