ngl I find issha to be an uncomfortably manipulative non-character. super adorable, large eyes, overly capable, emotionally grounded, naturally empathetic - and all seemingly purpose created to tug at the viewer's heartstrings down the line and I think the only league champ introduced this season is warwick. totally agree that the green dude and loris (bearded hobo) felt like they *had* to be game characters by virtue of how they were introduced but nah... just a redshirt and a non-speaking shirt apparently
I was so confused why i wasn't crying at all she sacrificed herself at act 2, she is really feels like a non-character as she barely have any traits outside of being a "powder" jinx fan, wish she was characterised more, and link to why she was chased in the first place, or a bit about the mines as Powder and Vi's parents seemingly also work at the mines. The mines could link to something too but will definitely deviate from the exisiting plot.
@@crossovermultiverse3882 same bro i was suprised that i wasnt crying at all at her sceen, (witch is weird cuz i cried at the edits), but i was sad when i was watching it, then i relized that the only reason i felt any sadness at all wasnt bcs of ishas death as a character herself but bcs of how its gonna impact jinx later on. So shes literly a walking plot point so that jinx would be suicidal
i cant believe there are comments saying you're being nitpicky. as a writer i i noticed the same flaws you did. it was so obvious the quality of the writting dropped.
same! i knew from act 1 they were building on shaky foundation. as i watched on and the number of episodes got lower i was like they have absolutely no time to turn this around if they wanted to
Excellent video! It helped me understand why this season is feeling so lacking. As you say at the end, we're all so invested in the show given how amazing season 1 was. Watching season 2 is reminding me of what I felt when watching later seasons of Game of Thrones: odd dialogue and character actions that don't make sense. Plus, instead of seeing character motivations as the show unfolds, I'm seeing WRITER motivations which makes it hard to get lost in the world.
After the adrenaline went away and I started to think logically i realized that i hated season 2. It's BAD. really nonsensical and full of character assassination. It's only entertaining like a marvel movie.
Exactly! The animation, music, score and voice acting is still peak but if Season 1 was comparable to peak Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad, Season 2 definitely felt like watching a string of MCU movies.
Yeah, i wanted to see Vi suffer and agonize more over her decision to join the enforcers. And like, she's just okay with gassing the lanes??? I just don't buy it.
It kills me that not only do people defend Vi's decision but worse still, defend Caitlyn using the Gray in the lanes. Stuff like "She was only using it to break up the hold of the Chembarons and weed out Jinx." We've seen what that stuff does to people. We got a whole montage of Caitlyn studying at slides depicting the horrifying biological effects of the gas from the fissures on the human body. Viktor's terminal disease in Season 1 was summized to have been caused by exposure to the gases from the fissures. The stuff isn't like a rifle. You can't just aim it at someone and expect it not to affect anyone in the vacinity or linger on for hours/days.
Thank you for this video. I was so disappointed by this season. It is evident that creators, who spent more than 9 years on this story, are just rushing to move on, instead of sticking with these characters and giving us a decent closure. I mean don’t get me wrong this show is still much better than any other crap on Netflix, but they set the bar so high with the first season and the second one just…disappointed.
I completely agree with you! I feel like a lot of the story building was left in the dust in S1, and instead, Riot relied too much on visuals. S2 is more visually stunning, but it lacks the great story of S1. And OH MY GOD the dialogue, Jinx's whole "That's me!" felt so forceful, and Isha just felt out of place. There's also Sevika's "You got that look in your eye again, what are you planning?". Act 1 was a major let down and I cannot stand the blind love for it, a lot of people even saying that S2 is better than S1. Recency bias is a hell of a thing. Act 2 of it was leagues better than Act 1 but still nowhere near as good as anything in S1.
I know how difficult it is to critic arcane online so kudos to you, it's brave. And believe me, I share your pain and I agree with most of what you are saying. I'm guessing that act 2 didnt redeem season 2 in your eyes. I have no more hope for act 3.
thank you for this video, more and more people are voicing their disappointment in the show and im glad i wasnt the only one who noticed the stark difference of quality in both season and now after act 2 i am beyond disappointed and teetering on indifference to the once amazing show ofcourse all the stans will come out and defend it no matter what lol but my main issues that hit in the very first episode was the extremely rushed pacing in the show i understand different people watch the show for different reasons, some just like to watch the show for its references, but i am one of the types of viewers that's really invested in a show's emotional arc so to see such monumental tension and build up in the perv season's last episode completely dissolving into a slideshow amv was.... disappointing why didnt we get to see more of Caityln's emotions? how is she processing this ? how is she relating this to Vi? What the hell does Vi think? even the damn scene with Jayce and Cait, I'd expected for there to be some type of emotional catharsis, seeing as Jayce had a previously established connection with Cait and her mother, seeing as they were basically family to them and their bond seems deeper than we realize as established in season 1 but Jayce just uh... flat out ignores Cait to yap about Victor? like ok sure but then after than Cait just info dumps a really bad metaphor at Jayce and... that's it? the scene ends? act 2 has been somehow worse than act 1, because all the tension that was established for act 2 to be impactful had already been dissolved in act 1, so the family reunion bs doesnt hit as hard and they milked the shit out of it for two entire episodes. dont even get me started on Isha , the most useless character of all time. Disappointing. That's exactly how I'd describe this. Disappointing. btw if you made it this far whats ur twitter/x ?
Season 2 did nothing to build off of what Season 1 set up. It went from first season(s) of Game of Thrones in season 1 straight to the MCU in season 2, culminating in an 'Age of Ultron' finale. I do agree the kiss between Cait and Vi in episode 3 did not feel romantic or even appropriate but upon multiple viewings of the season, I've come to the conclusion, if there's any way to defend it at all, is that Caitlyn kisses Vi to reassure Vi that she won't change, even though both Caitlyn and the audience knows she's already changed. It's not out of true love or inability to control her impulses any longer. It's Cait manipulating Vi to keep her doubts in check. What really bothered me though is literally less than 5 minutes later they have their breakup moment. The pacing on this show is beyond frustrating.
how did you word for word take the conversations i was having w my friends following the season and put it in a video, down to the hexcock joke. no seriously love it tho like great video and perfectly encapsulates my frustration with season2
I think this video is a pretty poor criticism of S2 Act 1 overall. Here’s why. Episode 1: Montage: Not a montage? It’s simply a scene transition from the aftermath of the Jinx rocket to Jayce saving Viktor. This is a poor way to identify the scene. Budget cut disguised as artistic music video: I thought it was effective in showing how much this has impacted Caitlyn, which also explains her significant change. The world is now black and white to her. Talking heads: Okay? We can’t have dialogue? Bizarre timeskip: What?????? Talking heads: WE CANT HAVE DIALOGUE?!?! Impactless Character Introduction: This is the ‘show don’t tell’ thing you were talking about, yeah? This character, I think his name is Louis, is clearly designed to look like Vander. He’s a signifier of the path Vi is going down, and whether it’s the right choice or not. When Vi gets left by Cait in episode 3, and Cait gets anointed a martial commander, Louis dips the fuck out. Talking heads: Character dialogue?!?!?!?!?!???!!??!! No background: A DReAMSCAPE?!!!?!?? Talking Heads: This is the same scene… Tell don’t show character introduction: The fuck? What’s being told here??? Montage: You clearly have no idea what a montage even is. Random fight: Wait so you don’t want fights but you also don’t want character dialogue? How did you expect this show to go? Characters surviving via plot armor: I don’t… understand? Talking heads: How do we have a show without people talking? Montage: Not what a montage is. Talking heads: Jfc Mr Crusty Lips: Jfc 3:00: you complain about Vi’s screen time in the intro when 1. She’s the main character and 2. You proceed to justify why she has that screen time. What the actual fuck. 4:00 You have no idea what a sea shanty is Who is writing this section: you have absolutely no idea what a montage is. I disagree. Yes, they have a lot to focus on, but the immediate aftermath is absolutely integral in the next two parts, as it allows for and gives an opportunity for Ambessa, this series’ main antagonist, to make her move. How random would it be if we just HAD ambessa declaring martial law??? It feels chaotic because it’s supposed to? It’s the aftermath of a terrorist attack. 5:00 complains about show don’t tell and then immediately says that they should’ve told us not shown us what happens. This is silly. 5:30 you once again answer your own question by literally showing Jayce looking through Viktor’s notes and realizing the Hexcore might be able to help. 8:30: but it’s also a way for Vi to join Caitlyn to, y’know, move the story forward? Vi didn’t expect Caitlyn to vouch and root for her, much less brag about her. 9:15: “Isha is just thrown in” so is it show don’t tell or tell don’t show? Which one? Jfc 11:15: Only thing I agree with so far. 11:50: I agree with this as well. I thought getting rid of the trio at the end for the 2v2 was rushed and illogical and weird. Didn’t make any sense. 14:00: This is the same exact character flaw Jayce has in season 1? He disregards Viktor’s feelings for himself? I don’t understand the criticism here. Viktor is also entirely justified- Jayce promised him and pushed Viktor’s boundaries with Hextech so much, and he then broke his main promise. Thats a dealbreaker for Viktor, everything has gone too far, so he leaves. 14:30: you misunderstood this scene. Shimmer is highly illegal in Piltover. The implication is that Mel will use it to expose Sallo. They’re not trying to poison him. 15:00: Black Rose is only here to expose Ambessa’s motivations as the main antagonist of this season. Ambessa is being chased by a psycho blood cult and is MUCH weaker than she appears. 15:25: I think that’s the point, isn’t it? I mean they essentially break up right after that kiss. This whole Act Caitlyn has done nothing but prove that she’s changed, and so she’s lying to Vi here- the kiss is supposed to feel a little uncomfortable, no? 16:45: YES! Caitlyn is in the wrong here! Her words are unjustified because she’s lashing out! This conversation goes awry BECAUSE Caitlyn doesn’t give it a chance to move! Oh but if the writers do take time to flesh a conversation out, they’re just ‘talking heads’, yeah? 18:45: yeah whoever said that is stupid- Vi WANTS Jinx to die, she’s made that abundantly clear. I think the fight was good and well-choreographed, I think they tried to match it to the music, and still frames just happened to line up on Vi and Jinx. I liked it, but yeah the still frames were a bit much. 20:35: Jinx was planning on dying. 20:40: Jinx knew about the grey and the ventilation, given her mark and tying up Smeech’s number guy. She prepared that whole thing as a send off to her death. I dunno, I’m overall VERY pleased with this season so far, and I’m not trying to be rude, I think you make some good points here, but I hope you don’t shut this show out, I think it’s genuinely really really good. Is it as good as Season 1’s Act 1? Definitely not, but I think it was a REALLY intelligent and artistic way to handle the aftermath of Season 1. Pacing and stuff is off, sure, but it’s nearly impossible to close every thread while opening new ones simultaneously, and honestly it’s not insanely egregious even not considering that, imo.
i hope you feel vindicated from all these comments, you were exactly right. i knew from act 1 they were building on shaky foundation, it just got worse from there
It's so funny to hear "I assume that theses guys are here because they are in the game" It's even WORSE than that, thoses guys didn't even exist before arcane, not even Ambessa and Mel did 😭😭😭
Actually, none of the new characters are relevant to League. They're as new to League veterans as they are to Arcane-only fans. So they're either setting up for new game characters or they just wanted to add them for some other reason. Which I guess is worse?? EDIT: Turns out the extra enforcers are being added to Teamfight Tactics!
@@PhyreSpore as far as characters go, these are some amazing side characters. I would have also been okay with giving Cait and Vi an actual squad made of nameless enforcers, but this actually got me to care for them It's not like they even took up much time in the story, they were introduced concisely, were given personalities, and different strengths. I especially like all their fighting styles and how well they work as a team Although, I'll admit, that's a very swallow reason to like them
@@Pickyfan-wr2eg I actually disagree with you there. Fish-boy, Drunk-man, and Maddie feel so awkwardly shoehorned into the season that it did take me out of it a little. And I'm actually still enamoured by most of what this this season had to offer. But the fact that we only got one of their names but Caitlyn still saw fit to add them to her elite squad was definitely rushed. Isha doesn't bother me as much cause she acts as a cute addition to Jinx's side of the story to both give her someone to care about and to mirror Jinx's relationship with Vander. Being a small orphan child, she's also an easy source of stakes if she's ever in danger. I don't even mind that she's never named in the show. Maddie and Co on the other hand could have been removed from the show and nothing would change. Hopefully that changes in the future without it feeling like an ad for Riot's new LoL/TFT/LoR characters.
I respect your opinion but I do think a lot of your points are nitpick-y, lol. I understand not enjoying the choices made in the story and production, but I don't feel like you presented much of an argument on why they don't work with the narrative or the overarching themes present in season 1 and 2.
@@cake8807The use of music and animation is brilliant, and it does a lot of showing instead of telling. It has some excellent, hard-hitting character moments. The main problems with the season so far is that it feels a tad more rushed than the first season. But that's not a huge problem.
Yeah, I pretty much agree with all of this. The fact that Isha and the Enforcers are not explained at all despite being pushed as important additions to a story that already has a giant ensemble cast just made me frustrated, especially when I realized only one of them was actually named by the dialogue (Maggie). I knew something was off in the first scene when I couldn't follow why Jayce was rushing to the lab with Viktor and why he opted to use the hexcore which... Jayce didn't know about? He had no idea about Viktor's experiments? Yeah maybe he assumed when he looked at what it was doing to him but in order for him to assume that he had to run to the lab in the first place which... why would that be his first instinct? After that it just became a mess. Caitlyn mourning her mom could have been a far more subtle grief that she carries with her instead of the second scene in the whole show. I get that her mother's death is important to the narrative but when you have such a limited runtime to get all your ducks in a row the priority needs to be on establishing character motivations going forward in a way that feels organic and the entire funeral scene was so hamfisted that I couldn't really enjoy it. The lack of a proper time skip and a clear timeline direction did NOT help. The Black Rose subplot came out of nowhere and could have been done far less thoughtlessy. The literal dropping of Isha into the story just to be a plot device with no dialogue and no personality except "small cute girl please don't kill (yet)" infuriated me. Viktor and Jayce's relationship breaking off felt so damn rushed with no explanation-Viktor was out of that cocoon for five seconds and he already made up his mind, it was as if the story couldn't afford to give him and Jayce a proper conversation or argument because they needed to keep pushing for stuff that happens in later episodes. I think the limited runtime of the season is perhaps the biggest pressure for the writers. Season One was in development for eight years and you can tell that they were deliberate in every move that they made in crafting the story. Season Two by comparison (so far) is inelegant and while I can see the potential in it, I think the budget combined with the crunch for time really contributed in making the writing resemble a first draft rather than a finished product.
On your last paragraph: I don't know, I don't think it's that bad I think it's still good, just maybe 'inelegant' compared to season 1 on the rest of your message: so I haven't just sat down and really rewatched the scene but what I do know is when Jayce sees him, Viktors arm and leg are exposed and glowing (something Jayce didn't seem to clock he even had back in season 1, as Viktor was covering them). The hexcore was a project both Viktor and Jayce planned to work on together (and he knows it has some kind of healing properties), it's the whole reason he got Heimerdinger off the counsel Arcane's still doing the visual story telling thing from season 1 (you can apply it to that earlier hexcore scene as well); when Victor walks out of the core he looks back to see it, and he makes a point that Jayce was to destroy it. Then he sees a vision of Sky as he's talking about her with her sitting on the desk next to her book, he approaches said book, and right next to it are the blueprints for the hextech weapons that Jayce just built (which he seems to peep) -which are a no no for Viktor. So Jayce in some fashion has gone back on his word twice (about very important things) - otherwise I think the scene is meant to be a bittersweet breakup, with the reciprocated hugs and passive dialogue my only conceivable problem with that scene is that there's at least a logistical (if I'm even using that word right lol) reason for Viktor to stay put for awhile - he's a liability, they don't know if he's a danger to other's or even himself or not - it makes sense for him to stick around to do some basic tests (at least) even despite their differences at the moment
One element of the Ep3 fight that confused me was how Caitlyn beat Sevika. Her rifle is glitching out and she somehow 'transfers' it to Sevika? How? Sevika's arm isn't using any hextech and she was only briefly exposed to the energy when it blew her arm off and scarred her face. If that was enough to affect her, why didn't it do so when the glitching started? A great alternative would be to have Caitlyn use a knife. It would make sense as Sevika already nearly killed her in close quarters so she'd need something to give her an edge. And more importantly a knife is what Silco used to kill Vander. It'd be some subtle visual storytelling to inform us that Caitlyn is changing for the worse
After watching season 2 I checked UA-cam and I found a lot of videos with people crying (I assume half are fake crying) about emotional bits on this season. I felt nothing this season because new characters were personality placeholders and old ones were ruined. If you want me to care you need to build towards it and this season felt like a checklist of things they want to happen. The writing was abysmal, nothing is explained or allow to naturally grow. I went in wanting an epic conclusion about Vi/Jinx and Piltover/Zaun and what I got is nonsensical arcane mambo jambo where 2 main characters do nothing that influences anything.
Million times yes! Great video. You have pointed out all the details that many people, including me, had problems with. I love the show so much, and I understand how hard it is to make a good show, which Arcane still is, but it feels like a downgrade from season 1. My guess, is that the production of season 2 was absurdly sped up, hence the season having a lot of problems that would probably not have happened if it was basically given a second glance after some time. First season took 8 years, second one just 3. Once again, amazing video. Kudos to you.
You cant have a timeskip in act 1 coz the culprit is still at large. We had to know the aftermath and we had to know the immediate response. This wouldn’t be the time to slow things down like in S1.
- if the kiss felt hollow i’d chalk it up to cait being not there anymore and vi being in denial. I would want the second true kiss later. - yes it doesn’t make sense that they formed a squad only for them to be sidelined at the end. That should’ve ended with the fishman dead, and isha and jinx significantly injured by cait.
I do agree with some of ur points, but calling it the most expensive disappointment in animation is a bit extreme. Youre being extremely nitpicky which is making you find issues in things that aren’t even an issue
girl I love that you spoke your mind. Everything was on point and there is nothing that I disagree with. People don't know what good storytelling is anymore, this is why I am sticking to old tv shows and novels.
I understand a lot of where you're coming from with your criticism, but I think your video neglects to focus on the bigger issue. I strongly disagree that Arcane has downgraded its animation in any way, and some of your critiques could've benefitted from a organized breakdown. I do really appreciate your bravery in posting a critique video though lol. The problem with Act 1 of this season is that the writers are focused on reaching the "destination" without building up the journey. By this, I mean that because the writers know exactly how they want the story to go, they're neglecting some of the necessary build up. The emotional or thematic thread tying the narrative together seemed to be absent. Because of this we had disjointed dialogue, unexplained side characters, and scenes that should've been impactful but lacked the punch they needed. This season was already in a tight spot due to having to deal with the fallout of Season 1. Unfortunately, I think the pacing suffers because of this. Its not the events of the plot that feel oddly structured but the presentation of them. IMO, the montage of the funeral fell flat because it felt like we skipped over the climax of Cait's grief. Being placed in the middle of the funeral didn't hit me like it should have because Cait, our only emotional tie, had already repressed her emotions. I don't know who Caitlyn's mom was to her, other than the obvious, so I didn't care about the death. I love Cait bottling up these feelings, but I think it wouldve had more impact to see some small display of her anger & grief slipping out before she repressed it. Without seeing the true impact of this death on Caitlyn in the moment, the scene felt drawn out and hollow. One thing I felt that was especially rushed was Vi becoming an enforcer. Again, just because things were going fast in the world of the characters doesn't mean the story couldn't pace it better for the viewers. I genuinely don't understand why Vi chose to become an enforcer. This is a symptom of my biggest criticism of Vi's character which is that we dont get enough of her inner thoughts. I find it believable that Vi would eventually join the enforcers, but for that to work we need a very good reason why. Other than Silco, the enforcers are the reason why she practically lost everyone she ever cared about. I think Vi should have pushed back even more against the idea because of the amount of trauma associated with them. How she came to the decision of becoming an enforcer was very vague, which was detrimental to her arc in this first Act. Maddy telling Vi that Caitlyn vouched for her is not enough reason for her to change her mind. I agree that it wouldve been better for Vi to have seen that moment instead of having it be explained to her by a side character. Regardless, the fact that there is no clear answer of "why" to this decision not only hurts Vi's character arc, but also the writing of her relationship with Jinx. Just in the very last episode of Season 1, Vi regards Jinx as her sister, even after she asks her to kill Caitlyn. The only change between last season and this season for Vi's relationship with Jinx is that Jinx bombed the council. ...So my question is, why does Vi hate Jinx? Or rather, is willing to kill her? Vi has no reason to care much about the council, because as far as she knew, they were fine with abandoning Zaun to Silco. I understand her feeling guilt towards the death of Cait's mother, but is that really enough for her to hate Jinx, the self-proclaimed reason she was able to survive her time in prison? Does she really feel more sympathy for the city of Piltover than Jinx and the people of Zaun who'd suffered for years under their neglect and prejudice? Again, what was the tipping point, the reason why Vi could no longer view Jinx as her sister. Vi said herself that she knew they both did what they had to to survive. Last season, she was willing to leave with Jinx, who she'd witnessed kill several enforcers and threaten to kill Caitlyn. Vi is no stranger to death and violence, so I was left quite confused as to this sudden resentment she had of Jinx. Episode 3 was so disappointing to me because I just didn't understand the conflict from Vi's side at all. To Jinx, Vi had become an enforcer, a monster from their childhood. I can understand why she was willing to end Vi's life. But Vi's hatred was unexplained, making this interaction so hollow. And its not like Im mad that Vi is not a perfect character, or that her character is going down a path I dont like. Im dissapopointwd because I have no idea what her motivations were. Did she think Jinx was a monster for killing people? Does think killing Jinx would stop the conflict between Piltover and Zaun? Is it because she feels guilty about her girlfriend's mom dying? Genuinely, if i'm missing some explanation for this please let me know, because its driving me insane. Anyways, the writers needed more time or more focus to really explore the emotional and narrative consequences of last season. Most of your nitpicks were symptoms of the same problem. Arcane has a wonderful story and fantastic characters, but the execution of the story in Act 1 did not meet the standards of last season. And its frustrating because part of what I loved about Arcane seems to have been unraveled in the span of 3 episodes. None of this makes Arcane any less of a wonder of animation and storytelling. However, it stops it from becoming the absolute masterpiece it was last season.
Oh my god. Thank you so much for saying all of this because I have been expressing a lot of the same sentiments myself (even since season 1). Just like you, I think that the show is really good and I really do like it. However, my strongest critique against it is that it's too intense. I'm NOT saying the show has to be light and fun, etc. It just doesn't give you time to breathe. In almost if not every scene, there's always some shit going down. Ironically, this makes the characters less human. It makes it somewhat of a caricature of angst and tragedy rather than a realistic depiction of it. People can't say either that it's not meant to portray realistic thoughts and feelings because of its nature as a cartoon/video game adaptation but I think that's a cheap cop-out. Please don't mind the rest of the comments here hating on your video merely because they don't agree. To be honest, I've felt like I couldn't express my honest opinions about Arcane because its fandom is becoming toxic (in the you either love it 100% or you're not one of us kind of sense). You make a lot of valid points. Hope to see more of your videos!
I think my biggest issue with it is that apparently, it's no longer a self-contained story as Riot claimed for S1, but canon to the games, so now nobody can die nor change drastically, as it would break the canon of the stupid games that not everybody plays. It's basically pinning a crutch on the narrative
I'm fairly sure it is the other way around, whatever happens in Arcane will be league lore. Season 1 showed that they don't NEED to kill characters to make us sympathize with them and even in this act people sure are changing drastically ("the only constant in life" and all that). Aaaactually - biggest game there is.
@Gorrilazzzz apparently not apparently Arcane is gonna follow the canon Which sucks because tbh I did want to see important characters meet their demise
@@my2randomcents Jinx has never been missing a finger. So that's already a divergence from League lore. I don't think Arcane has to follow anything short of these characters surviving. Vi and Caitlyn are SO Far from who they are in League that I can't see any feasible way they'd warp Arcane to fit what exists in League any more than they have already.
I’m so happy that someone else feels like this season has been a mess so far They were just trying to cram way too many things in to set up the conflicts for the rest of the season, passing by some crucial character moments (which were AGONIZING to see brushed past) It feels like the writers were trying to have their cake and eat it too with the “emotional” one liners and such I’m very worried for the rest of the season but I’m trying to hope that with a bunch of exposition out of the way they’ll slow down a bit I tried not to just recap what you said in the video lol but suffice to say I agree with you
Act 1 has problem but none of what u said. The real problem is they r forcing characters into their planned narrative. Cait went from just hating jinx to gassing civilians and becoming dictator in 3 eps. Jayce is now reduced to supporting hextech guy after the writers didnt want him at the spotlight anymore. And Vi is clueless and sad as ever becos they want to do her depressed emo phase.
Excellent video. You deserve way more views on this! Perfectly articulated what I feel a lot of people wanted to say but just couldn't explain. Everyone I talked to about Arcane season 2 just said it felt off but could not place why - thank you!
I disagree with some of your nitpicks but I agree with your general sentiment that the pacing feels rushed. The only two moments that I felt emotional in a good way was the opening in episode 2 (which you disparaged, lol) with Silco, and then during the hexcore stuff in episode 3. Some of the one liners (like from sleazy Meech) were fine, but I didn't like them between Sevika and Jinx and Caitlyn/Vi. I also don't like the fact that they're introducing this black rose stuff... yes it's a game related lore thing but even as someone who understands the context I think it takes away from the narrative. They're going to have to pull off some magic to make it meaningful. Anyway it's still not anywhere near as disappointing as Game of Thrones but it does give me some GoT hate watch vibes.
These comments, man. If yall worked for IGN, you give everything a 10/10. The artistic choices are showing the obvious budget cuts, and the pacing is completely thrown off by the story changes. You can not deny any of this. I understand that it's not the fault of any of the artists or writers involved, I'm sure that they tried their best. But due to the choices of those placed in power of Netflix , we were denied what should have been one of if not the greatest animated series of all time. It's Venture bros all over again.
@ I agree it was a much stronger start. But s2 act 1 was inevitably gonna be a clean up and setup act considering how s1 ended. They had a lot to cover so no wonder it felt rushed
I felt that the kiss between Vi and Caitlyn was extremely rushed. People say it was necessary to “raise the stakes” of their relationship, but I feel like breakup would have been perfect if they hadn’t crossed that line. Viewers would have been even more devastated at the fact that they never made it and broke up. I wanted them to kiss, but not in the way it happened. This entire season feels so cramped, rushed, and full of music videos that waste valuable storytelling time. Thank you for this video, so glad I wasn’t the only person disappointed in this second season. I can only hope it gets better, but I’m not getting my hopes up.
I’m not a very critical person at all, so when I hear expositiony dialogue or something I just keep it pushing. But it is helpful to hear a more detailed critique that voiced a lot of my subtle gripes. I actually enjoy the music videos every episode, excluding the Caitlyn charcoal drawing one, I literally skipped through it. I’m sure it looked nice but I did not see the point. Obviously Caitlyn is grieving, but is such a long scene without much dialogue necessary to convey that? Giving us characters with supposed emotional stakes, only to not give their names is annoying. I should not have to be scouring subtitles to find these names. That just feels like such a large oversight???? Character conflict and motivations are making less sense for everyone excluding Embessa. The throughline between her introduction and now remains consistent. But for the rest of the characters, not really. I genuinely do think that it’s a shortfall of being attached to league. I assume the characters are given quick turnarounds to become who they are in the game. I honestly prefer to believe that over bad writing. Character’s conflicts were easier to follow in the first season, I feel like the conflicts thus far are just for the sake of it. (If I find a better way to articulate this I will) I just don’t see why the audience should care to follow the millionth disagreement. Jinx’s dialogue remains pretty similar I’d say. She had some similar lines within the first season, I think it’s just a quirk of her character. However the “fancy meeting you here”line was just unnecessary?? And the “you could’ve just let me beat it??” I think that line is telling the audience how to feel about Sevika in that moment. Caitvi did fall short for me this season, I wanted to enjoy it but in the present moment I honestly really don’t care about their third breakup. I enjoy toxic yuri just as much as the next gal, but I feel like their relationship ends up doing both their characters a disservice. I feel like they cheapened Vi’s integrity for the sake of Cait. A line that Vi said that gave her turnaround more sense was “I’m tired of blaming myself for your mistakes” this is such a more interesting way to approach Vi’s change. I wish they expanded on it more from that angle. In the first season, the driving force of her character was taking responsibility for those under her wing. When she got out of jail she blamed herself for not being around for Ekko. It would be interesting to see her new arc realizing she can’t solve everything, regardless of her devotion to Cait. I 90% could be projecting on this relationship. I’ll admit the real world connotations are hard for me to ignore. I’d be interested in hearing others thoughts on this. As for Viktor, I think the lack of communication and viktor leaving is because he was possessed by the hexcore for some “greater purpose jesus stuff”. I’d say that’s purposely vague and out of character because that’s no longer the viktor we know. At least that’s how I interpreted it. We’re still in the first act, so I’m still holding out hope on improvements. I enjoy this show a lot, and even if it continues on this path I would still enjoy it. It kinda just pales in comparison to the first season.
That's how I read Viktor's shift as well; As the Hexcore kind of 'dehumanizing him'/ taking over. But others have pointed out that he sees the hextech weapon designs on the desk before he leaves. So that, stacked on top of Jayce not destroying the Hexcore, definitely contribute to his departure as well.
I feel like your rant towards the introduction scene with the council misses the point. The whole sequence was to reflect the introduction scene in the start of the show. And how this reflect the cycle of violence.
Also your sentiment of "This season is reliant on LoL" is so off base because "no" the show isn't relying on "LoL" lore in fact it barely even acknowledges it that much. A lot of the inbetweens with the funeral, Jinx and everything else seems very not necessary because the focus is the aftermath of the rocket and how it affected people.
The Enforcers aren't even related to the game at all. They are just newly made characters for the series. Same with Isha is also an original character.
so true. i've watched so far 25 mins of the S2E1 and couldn't figure out what the conflict or story is supposed to be about. everything feels like fanfiction. however, fanfiction, regardless of how poor it is written, enjoys wide popularity (fifty shades of grey, for example). so i think the majority of viewers will be dumb enough not to notice the difference between S1 and S2 quality.
Funny thing you assume that the new characters introduced this season are shoehorned in because video game lore, they are actually original to the show, all of them. And yes, they are not very good. This season is a downgrade so far, though that was to be expected if you think about it. S1 was unusually good for a show in general. Edit: Also RIP Victor's lore, it was sooo good in the game. Now it's only some boring Jesus heal the lepers plot. I don't even feel like he has any agency over his actions.
1:40 The “budget cut” you mention here was confirmed to have been hand-drawn in charcoal. It’s insane how people can’t recognize a stylistic choice that likely didn’t cost less. Also at 1:47 you mention a tell don’t show character introduction but, while they are literally introducing themselves, the point is to distract the viewer from the situation (where vi “randomly” meets an enforcer who gets drunk with her and a nice impressionable young woman “randomly” walk up and start praising vi to get her to join the enforcers). They leave the clues but obviously not everyone notices them. I agree that arcane may have leveled up and people who could notice what was being shown before now only see surface level.
i agree with most of what you said in the video. expecially with the weird clash of 2d-3d, it was hevily overused and didnt fit most of the scenes it was in. the task force should have included existing enforcers rather than introducing 3 charcators we have no reason to care for, then to get rid of them as fast as they were added in the first place. my inital watch also had me questioning why the lab was the first place jayce brought victor seeing his condtion. i was really hoping s2 would be more promising, but i dont think they will be able to turn this around. it is so crammed with information that doesnt take priority. no scene has enough time to be meaningful. ill still watch the show and enjoy its first watch (aslong as you dont think at all about whats happening) but im very disappointed
I agree that season 2 has been a huge disappointment, but I do think your argument is bog down by a lot of nitpicks. For example the dialogue between Vi and Caitlyn after the attack on the memorial, sure they do talk a bit past eachother but it makes sense considering the characters. Caitlyn is clearly distressed and Vi try to relate to her by speaking of her own experience, but she can't really, because their life are too different. Overall tho I do agree withvthe sentiment, part 1 fell way too rushed, with too much explosion dumb, and new characters that seriously lack depth or just proper introductions. That said IMO act 1 was still okay, the writing was vastly inferior to season 1 but still acceptable. Act 2 however is just bad, and I'm really not optimistic for act 3. Also, the guy in the Cait's taskforce are nobodies to LoL players too. Afaik they were just background characters in some artworks of what was until now a non canon skin line.
There us definitely a lot wrong with this video but there are definitely a lot of issues with part 1 people are not talking about, especially talking about it in contrast with s1. If you wana make it better imo: Fights need to get clear. Every fight in S2 so far has been incomprehensible. In S1 I could tell you every single punch that was thrown and when. Now the spaces the fights happen in are huge and abstract, the fights are messy and unclear with no real cohesion and structure, and just feel off. Episode 2 probably could have been entirely restructured to better integrate the point of the gang wars in Zaun. S1 was so much better than explaining away an entire gang war in a 2 min music video sequence. It did it subtly and skillfully. Oh and Sevikas arm needs to go. Its a horrible weapon that makes no sense and even the writers abandoned trying to make it work in episode 3 because they knew it was so horribly made it would ruin the fight if she kept using the gambling gimmick. I would say the best way to describe S2 so far is a fairly good season that is clearly missing some of the elements that made season 1 a 100% for critics and audiences. It does do an incredible job of making their poorer choices very well, but they still are functionally poor choices. I think you can give it an 8 or 8.5 fairly but I really dont know about giving it higher than a 9
It really feels like it went from a mature show aimed towards like, 17 and above, to a dumbed down show for tweens and teens. Everything reads and comes across like the intended veiwer is meant to be like, 12-14. I found myself like, struggling to like the first act here and feeling guilty about it because it's Arcane! I love Arcane! it must just be a me issue, I'm just not understanding properly. The kiss between Vi and Cait just felt like a "Ooouuuhhhh"! moment in a disney show then anything more serious or character driven. I'm hoping 🙏 maybe 🙏this whole first act is just a little rough because there's a lot to cover, but I dunno.................
Yeah i felt kind of the same, like a bunch of league character videos stitch together, nothing feels as meaningful or conected as the previous season, even ignoring season one's fist arc, it feels less coherent than the transition between arc two and three of season one. Any way i will still fawn all over season two because pretty drawings, i am basic like that
♪There's an old tradition A game we all can play You start by getting liqueur up and sharpening your blade You take the shot of whiskey And gran your knife and pray And spread apart your fingers and this is what you say! Oh, I have all my fingers The knife goes chop chop chop If I miss the spaces in between My fingers will come off And if I hit my fingers, blood will soon come out But all the same I play this game, cause that's what's it's all about! No you can't use a pencil, cannot you use a pen The only way is with a knife when danger is your friend And some may call it stupid, some may call it dumb But all the same we play this game cause it's so damn fun! Oh! I have all my fingers The knife goes chop chop chop If I miss the spaces in between My fingers will come off And if I hit my fingers, blood will soon come out But all the same I play this game, cause that's what it's all about! Oh! Chop! Chop! Chop! Chop! Chop! Chop! Chop! I'm picking up the speed And if I hit my finger Then my hand will start to bleed! ♪
I don't understand what the vi cait and jinx fight even does narratively. Was it supposed to just be there so she can send the smoke up to piltover? That fight had no stakes and it's kind of pointless. Everyone knew the fight would have no consequences so why did they even waste time on it?
Vi's and Cait's relationship completely falling apart is not a consequence? We even got character development for Isha and Jinx. Calling this pointless is just delusional.
@itsgonnabeokay9341 the whole fight sequence was unnecessary it tries to be emotional and epic with all the overused slow mo and cliche action poses. There are so many other ways to do those things which would have been much better rather than a cringe music video.
@@xTHEDWTA61x Ok, that's a good way to lose all credibility. You did nothing to refute my points. You said there are many other better ways to present the scene, without giving any examples of those better ways. And then you just call the fight scene "cringe" - ignoring the fact that it's a very childish word to criticize anything - without doing ANYTHING to support it. If knew I was speaking with a toddler, I wouldn't respond in the first place.
To be fair the first act of season 1, in my opinion, was pretty mediocre. For season two I strongly believe that they're just laying down the plot and that the next to acts will be 100% better.
The first act of season 1 was slow, this act is the opposite. Too fast! What makes it a shame is that there's some potential juicy bits here that got brushed over and won't be re-visited. I do still think they're likely to revisit how Mel and Jayce got out without a scratch.. I don't think it was just luck
These comments are very polite, but we all know this video is dogwater and a poor attempt at making your personal preferences sound like legitimate critic coming from someone who actually knows what they're talking about. But at least you'll get views for going against the grain.
@@Kekekekenn Dude I read classics, what do you mean lack of literary comprehension? I could easily write a better script myself. If you consider Arcane season 2 to be peak then we are doomed as a society. You are like these people who think that postmodern art is deep and misunderstood.
@eliasaboujaoude2465 I bet you think that you're some sort of intellectual and that everyone is beneath you because you read old books. Go write a better script, can't wait to see your hit show on Netflix in the future.
@@Kekekekenn The script was shit. I've seen people in my classes who use AI write better stuff. You're just blinded by your love of S1, and as a fan of S1 myself, I'm disappointed in what we have so far in S2.
ngl I find issha to be an uncomfortably manipulative non-character. super adorable, large eyes, overly capable, emotionally grounded, naturally empathetic - and all seemingly purpose created to tug at the viewer's heartstrings down the line
and I think the only league champ introduced this season is warwick. totally agree that the green dude and loris (bearded hobo) felt like they *had* to be game characters by virtue of how they were introduced but nah... just a redshirt and a non-speaking shirt apparently
You are absolutely correct
I was so confused why i wasn't crying at all she sacrificed herself at act 2, she is really feels like a non-character as she barely have any traits outside of being a "powder" jinx fan, wish she was characterised more, and link to why she was chased in the first place, or a bit about the mines as Powder and Vi's parents seemingly also work at the mines. The mines could link to something too but will definitely deviate from the exisiting plot.
@@crossovermultiverse3882 same bro i was suprised that i wasnt crying at all at her sceen, (witch is weird cuz i cried at the edits), but i was sad when i was watching it, then i relized that the only reason i felt any sadness at all wasnt bcs of ishas death as a character herself but bcs of how its gonna impact jinx later on. So shes literly a walking plot point so that jinx would be suicidal
By the finale, I didn't even know what was happening. I have no idea what happened to this show.
i cant believe there are comments saying you're being nitpicky. as a writer i i noticed the same flaws you did. it was so obvious the quality of the writting dropped.
same! i knew from act 1 they were building on shaky foundation. as i watched on and the number of episodes got lower i was like they have absolutely no time to turn this around if they wanted to
Excellent video! It helped me understand why this season is feeling so lacking. As you say at the end, we're all so invested in the show given how amazing season 1 was. Watching season 2 is reminding me of what I felt when watching later seasons of Game of Thrones: odd dialogue and character actions that don't make sense. Plus, instead of seeing character motivations as the show unfolds, I'm seeing WRITER motivations which makes it hard to get lost in the world.
The writers pulled a “Game of Thrones” and destroyed my beloved Arcane. It freakin hurts.
After the adrenaline went away and I started to think logically i realized that i hated season 2. It's BAD. really nonsensical and full of character assassination. It's only entertaining like a marvel movie.
Exactly!
The animation, music, score and voice acting is still peak but if Season 1 was comparable to peak Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad, Season 2 definitely felt like watching a string of MCU movies.
Yeah, i wanted to see Vi suffer and agonize more over her decision to join the enforcers. And like, she's just okay with gassing the lanes??? I just don't buy it.
It kills me that not only do people defend Vi's decision but worse still, defend Caitlyn using the Gray in the lanes. Stuff like "She was only using it to break up the hold of the Chembarons and weed out Jinx."
We've seen what that stuff does to people. We got a whole montage of Caitlyn studying at slides depicting the horrifying biological effects of the gas from the fissures on the human body. Viktor's terminal disease in Season 1 was summized to have been caused by exposure to the gases from the fissures. The stuff isn't like a rifle. You can't just aim it at someone and expect it not to affect anyone in the vacinity or linger on for hours/days.
Arcane`s Season 2 is like beautifully packed present box with no present inside :(
fitting
Thank you for this video. I was so disappointed by this season. It is evident that creators, who spent more than 9 years on this story, are just rushing to move on, instead of sticking with these characters and giving us a decent closure.
I mean don’t get me wrong this show is still much better than any other crap on Netflix, but they set the bar so high with the first season and the second one just…disappointed.
I completely agree with you! I feel like a lot of the story building was left in the dust in S1, and instead, Riot relied too much on visuals. S2 is more visually stunning, but it lacks the great story of S1. And OH MY GOD the dialogue, Jinx's whole "That's me!" felt so forceful, and Isha just felt out of place. There's also Sevika's "You got that look in your eye again, what are you planning?". Act 1 was a major let down and I cannot stand the blind love for it, a lot of people even saying that S2 is better than S1. Recency bias is a hell of a thing. Act 2 of it was leagues better than Act 1 but still nowhere near as good as anything in S1.
S2 has no story to tell.
the sad thing is..this means anything they produce in the future has to be skipped..theyre arent reliable now
@@Spazzfrom.1989lol
I know how difficult it is to critic arcane online so kudos to you, it's brave. And believe me, I share your pain and I agree with most of what you are saying. I'm guessing that act 2 didnt redeem season 2 in your eyes. I have no more hope for act 3.
thank you for this video, more and more people are voicing their disappointment in the show and im glad i wasnt the only one who noticed the stark difference of quality in both season
and now after act 2 i am beyond disappointed and teetering on indifference to the once amazing show
ofcourse all the stans will come out and defend it no matter what lol
but my main issues that hit in the very first episode was the extremely rushed pacing in the show
i understand different people watch the show for different reasons, some just like to watch the show for its references, but i am one of the types of viewers that's really invested in a show's emotional arc
so to see such monumental tension and build up in the perv season's last episode completely dissolving into a slideshow amv was.... disappointing
why didnt we get to see more of Caityln's emotions? how is she processing this ? how is she relating this to Vi? What the hell does Vi think?
even the damn scene with Jayce and Cait, I'd expected for there to be some type of emotional catharsis, seeing as Jayce had a previously established connection with Cait and her mother, seeing as they were basically family to them and their bond seems deeper than we realize as established in season 1
but Jayce just uh... flat out ignores Cait to yap about Victor? like ok sure but then after than Cait just info dumps a really bad metaphor at Jayce and... that's it? the scene ends?
act 2 has been somehow worse than act 1, because all the tension that was established for act 2 to be impactful had already been dissolved in act 1, so the family reunion bs doesnt hit as hard and they milked the shit out of it for two entire episodes. dont even get me started on Isha , the most useless character of all time.
Disappointing. That's exactly how I'd describe this. Disappointing.
btw if you made it this far whats ur twitter/x ?
if you have rants about this on there, id absolutely love to read them, i feel like i’m going crazy with how many ppl are calling this a masterpiece
It's so much worse and it's sad seing people defending it.
Low quality bait
I do think the quality dropped, but I don't think it's that *that* worse
Season 2 did nothing to build off of what Season 1 set up. It went from first season(s) of Game of Thrones in season 1 straight to the MCU in season 2, culminating in an 'Age of Ultron' finale.
I do agree the kiss between Cait and Vi in episode 3 did not feel romantic or even appropriate but upon multiple viewings of the season, I've come to the conclusion, if there's any way to defend it at all, is that Caitlyn kisses Vi to reassure Vi that she won't change, even though both Caitlyn and the audience knows she's already changed. It's not out of true love or inability to control her impulses any longer. It's Cait manipulating Vi to keep her doubts in check. What really bothered me though is literally less than 5 minutes later they have their breakup moment. The pacing on this show is beyond frustrating.
how did you word for word take the conversations i was having w my friends following the season and put it in a video, down to the hexcock joke. no seriously love it tho like great video and perfectly encapsulates my frustration with season2
The entire comments section seem to disagree
What are you yapping about
I think this video is a pretty poor criticism of S2 Act 1 overall. Here’s why.
Episode 1:
Montage: Not a montage? It’s simply a scene transition from the aftermath of the Jinx rocket to Jayce saving Viktor. This is a poor way to identify the scene.
Budget cut disguised as artistic music video: I thought it was effective in showing how much this has impacted Caitlyn, which also explains her significant change. The world is now black and white to her.
Talking heads: Okay? We can’t have dialogue?
Bizarre timeskip: What??????
Talking heads: WE CANT HAVE DIALOGUE?!?!
Impactless Character Introduction: This is the ‘show don’t tell’ thing you were talking about, yeah? This character, I think his name is Louis, is clearly designed to look like Vander. He’s a signifier of the path Vi is going down, and whether it’s the right choice or not. When Vi gets left by Cait in episode 3, and Cait gets anointed a martial commander, Louis dips the fuck out.
Talking heads: Character dialogue?!?!?!?!?!???!!??!!
No background: A DReAMSCAPE?!!!?!??
Talking Heads: This is the same scene…
Tell don’t show character introduction: The fuck? What’s being told here???
Montage: You clearly have no idea what a montage even is.
Random fight: Wait so you don’t want fights but you also don’t want character dialogue? How did you expect this show to go?
Characters surviving via plot armor: I don’t… understand?
Talking heads: How do we have a show without people talking?
Montage: Not what a montage is.
Talking heads: Jfc
Mr Crusty Lips: Jfc
3:00: you complain about Vi’s screen time in the intro when 1. She’s the main character and 2. You proceed to justify why she has that screen time. What the actual fuck.
4:00 You have no idea what a sea shanty is
Who is writing this section: you have absolutely no idea what a montage is.
I disagree. Yes, they have a lot to focus on, but the immediate aftermath is absolutely integral in the next two parts, as it allows for and gives an opportunity for Ambessa, this series’ main antagonist, to make her move. How random would it be if we just HAD ambessa declaring martial law??? It feels chaotic because it’s supposed to? It’s the aftermath of a terrorist attack.
5:00 complains about show don’t tell and then immediately says that they should’ve told us not shown us what happens. This is silly.
5:30 you once again answer your own question by literally showing Jayce looking through Viktor’s notes and realizing the Hexcore might be able to help.
8:30: but it’s also a way for Vi to join Caitlyn to, y’know, move the story forward? Vi didn’t expect Caitlyn to vouch and root for her, much less brag about her.
9:15: “Isha is just thrown in” so is it show don’t tell or tell don’t show? Which one? Jfc
11:15: Only thing I agree with so far.
11:50: I agree with this as well. I thought getting rid of the trio at the end for the 2v2 was rushed and illogical and weird. Didn’t make any sense.
14:00: This is the same exact character flaw Jayce has in season 1? He disregards Viktor’s feelings for himself? I don’t understand the criticism here. Viktor is also entirely justified- Jayce promised him and pushed Viktor’s boundaries with Hextech so much, and he then broke his main promise. Thats a dealbreaker for Viktor, everything has gone too far, so he leaves.
14:30: you misunderstood this scene. Shimmer is highly illegal in Piltover. The implication is that Mel will use it to expose Sallo. They’re not trying to poison him.
15:00: Black Rose is only here to expose Ambessa’s motivations as the main antagonist of this season. Ambessa is being chased by a psycho blood cult and is MUCH weaker than she appears.
15:25: I think that’s the point, isn’t it? I mean they essentially break up right after that kiss. This whole Act Caitlyn has done nothing but prove that she’s changed, and so she’s lying to Vi here- the kiss is supposed to feel a little uncomfortable, no?
16:45: YES! Caitlyn is in the wrong here! Her words are unjustified because she’s lashing out! This conversation goes awry BECAUSE Caitlyn doesn’t give it a chance to move!
Oh but if the writers do take time to flesh a conversation out, they’re just ‘talking heads’, yeah?
18:45: yeah whoever said that is stupid- Vi WANTS Jinx to die, she’s made that abundantly clear. I think the fight was good and well-choreographed, I think they tried to match it to the music, and still frames just happened to line up on Vi and Jinx. I liked it, but yeah the still frames were a bit much.
20:35: Jinx was planning on dying.
20:40: Jinx knew about the grey and the ventilation, given her mark and tying up Smeech’s number guy. She prepared that whole thing as a send off to her death.
I dunno, I’m overall VERY pleased with this season so far, and I’m not trying to be rude, I think you make some good points here, but I hope you don’t shut this show out, I think it’s genuinely really really good. Is it as good as Season 1’s Act 1? Definitely not, but I think it was a REALLY intelligent and artistic way to handle the aftermath of Season 1. Pacing and stuff is off, sure, but it’s nearly impossible to close every thread while opening new ones simultaneously, and honestly it’s not insanely egregious even not considering that, imo.
Lol well done
this video got ratio'ed just by this single comment. well done
your comment aged poorly after act 2 bro
@@eliasaboujaoude2465 how do you mean? If you mean act 2 was better than act 1 then yes I completely agree, act 2 was absolutely beautiful
@@sedentaryscorpion no I meant that act 2 was worse than act 1 and did not make the story more coherent whatsoever.
i hope you feel vindicated from all these comments, you were exactly right. i knew from act 1 they were building on shaky foundation, it just got worse from there
Completely agree about the fights. I even posted a reddit thread about how I didn't like the fights as much as season one even by this point.
It's so funny to hear "I assume that theses guys are here because they are in the game" It's even WORSE than that, thoses guys didn't even exist before arcane, not even Ambessa and Mel did 😭😭😭
Actually, none of the new characters are relevant to League. They're as new to League veterans as they are to Arcane-only fans. So they're either setting up for new game characters or they just wanted to add them for some other reason. Which I guess is worse??
EDIT: Turns out the extra enforcers are being added to Teamfight Tactics!
I honestly thought the point of the Caitlyn’s squad was to fridge them to give Vi motivation to become the enforcer that she is in the game.
@@PhyreSpore as far as characters go, these are some amazing side characters.
I would have also been okay with giving Cait and Vi an actual squad made of nameless enforcers, but this actually got me to care for them
It's not like they even took up much time in the story, they were introduced concisely, were given personalities, and different strengths. I especially like all their fighting styles and how well they work as a team
Although, I'll admit, that's a very swallow reason to like them
@@Pickyfan-wr2eg
I actually disagree with you there. Fish-boy, Drunk-man, and Maddie feel so awkwardly shoehorned into the season that it did take me out of it a little. And I'm actually still enamoured by most of what this this season had to offer. But the fact that we only got one of their names but Caitlyn still saw fit to add them to her elite squad was definitely rushed.
Isha doesn't bother me as much cause she acts as a cute addition to Jinx's side of the story to both give her someone to care about and to mirror Jinx's relationship with Vander. Being a small orphan child, she's also an easy source of stakes if she's ever in danger. I don't even mind that she's never named in the show.
Maddie and Co on the other hand could have been removed from the show and nothing would change. Hopefully that changes in the future without it feeling like an ad for Riot's new LoL/TFT/LoR characters.
Maddie in the game runterra
@@aryaargarin223
Is she? I couldn't find her on any of the cards.
I respect your opinion but I do think a lot of your points are nitpick-y, lol. I understand not enjoying the choices made in the story and production, but I don't feel like you presented much of an argument on why they don't work with the narrative or the overarching themes present in season 1 and 2.
Yeah it sounds so nitpicky and made everything look so broad
I don't agree with any of your points at all. But also don't blame you for having them
Explain how act I has been good.
@@akirataifu8470 they just like it?
@@cake8807The use of music and animation is brilliant, and it does a lot of showing instead of telling. It has some excellent, hard-hitting character moments. The main problems with the season so far is that it feels a tad more rushed than the first season. But that's not a huge problem.
@@akirataifu8470 it just was for me
Yeah, I pretty much agree with all of this. The fact that Isha and the Enforcers are not explained at all despite being pushed as important additions to a story that already has a giant ensemble cast just made me frustrated, especially when I realized only one of them was actually named by the dialogue (Maggie). I knew something was off in the first scene when I couldn't follow why Jayce was rushing to the lab with Viktor and why he opted to use the hexcore which... Jayce didn't know about? He had no idea about Viktor's experiments? Yeah maybe he assumed when he looked at what it was doing to him but in order for him to assume that he had to run to the lab in the first place which... why would that be his first instinct?
After that it just became a mess. Caitlyn mourning her mom could have been a far more subtle grief that she carries with her instead of the second scene in the whole show. I get that her mother's death is important to the narrative but when you have such a limited runtime to get all your ducks in a row the priority needs to be on establishing character motivations going forward in a way that feels organic and the entire funeral scene was so hamfisted that I couldn't really enjoy it. The lack of a proper time skip and a clear timeline direction did NOT help.
The Black Rose subplot came out of nowhere and could have been done far less thoughtlessy. The literal dropping of Isha into the story just to be a plot device with no dialogue and no personality except "small cute girl please don't kill (yet)" infuriated me. Viktor and Jayce's relationship breaking off felt so damn rushed with no explanation-Viktor was out of that cocoon for five seconds and he already made up his mind, it was as if the story couldn't afford to give him and Jayce a proper conversation or argument because they needed to keep pushing for stuff that happens in later episodes.
I think the limited runtime of the season is perhaps the biggest pressure for the writers. Season One was in development for eight years and you can tell that they were deliberate in every move that they made in crafting the story. Season Two by comparison (so far) is inelegant and while I can see the potential in it, I think the budget combined with the crunch for time really contributed in making the writing resemble a first draft rather than a finished product.
On your last paragraph: I don't know, I don't think it's that bad I think it's still good, just maybe 'inelegant' compared to season 1
on the rest of your message: so I haven't just sat down and really rewatched the scene but what I do know is when Jayce sees him, Viktors arm and leg are exposed and glowing (something Jayce didn't seem to clock he even had back in season 1, as Viktor was covering them).
The hexcore was a project both Viktor and Jayce planned to work on together (and he knows it has some kind of healing properties), it's the whole reason he got Heimerdinger off the counsel
Arcane's still doing the visual story telling thing from season 1 (you can apply it to that earlier hexcore scene as well); when Victor walks out of the core he looks back to see it, and he makes a point that Jayce was to destroy it. Then he sees a vision of Sky as he's talking about her with her sitting on the desk next to her book, he approaches said book, and right next to it are the blueprints for the hextech weapons that Jayce just built (which he seems to peep) -which are a no no for Viktor. So Jayce in some fashion has gone back on his word twice (about very important things) - otherwise I think the scene is meant to be a bittersweet breakup, with the reciprocated hugs and passive dialogue
my only conceivable problem with that scene is that there's at least a logistical (if I'm even using that word right lol) reason for Viktor to stay put for awhile - he's a liability, they don't know if he's a danger to other's or even himself or not - it makes sense for him to stick around to do some basic tests (at least) even despite their differences at the moment
One element of the Ep3 fight that confused me was how Caitlyn beat Sevika.
Her rifle is glitching out and she somehow 'transfers' it to Sevika? How? Sevika's arm isn't using any hextech and she was only briefly exposed to the energy when it blew her arm off and scarred her face. If that was enough to affect her, why didn't it do so when the glitching started?
A great alternative would be to have Caitlyn use a knife. It would make sense as Sevika already nearly killed her in close quarters so she'd need something to give her an edge.
And more importantly a knife is what Silco used to kill Vander. It'd be some subtle visual storytelling to inform us that Caitlyn is changing for the worse
After watching season 2 I checked UA-cam and I found a lot of videos with people crying (I assume half are fake crying) about emotional bits on this season. I felt nothing this season because new characters were personality placeholders and old ones were ruined. If you want me to care you need to build towards it and this season felt like a checklist of things they want to happen. The writing was abysmal, nothing is explained or allow to naturally grow. I went in wanting an epic conclusion about Vi/Jinx and Piltover/Zaun and what I got is nonsensical arcane mambo jambo where 2 main characters do nothing that influences anything.
Million times yes! Great video. You have pointed out all the details that many people, including me, had problems with. I love the show so much, and I understand how hard it is to make a good show, which Arcane still is, but it feels like a downgrade from season 1. My guess, is that the production of season 2 was absurdly sped up, hence the season having a lot of problems that would probably not have happened if it was basically given a second glance after some time. First season took 8 years, second one just 3.
Once again, amazing video. Kudos to you.
You cant have a timeskip in act 1 coz the culprit is still at large. We had to know the aftermath and we had to know the immediate response. This wouldn’t be the time to slow things down like in S1.
- if the kiss felt hollow i’d chalk it up to cait being not there anymore and vi being in denial. I would want the second true kiss later.
- yes it doesn’t make sense that they formed a squad only for them to be sidelined at the end. That should’ve ended with the fishman dead, and isha and jinx significantly injured by cait.
I do agree with some of ur points, but calling it the most expensive disappointment in animation is a bit extreme. Youre being extremely nitpicky which is making you find issues in things that aren’t even an issue
I disagree Gary, I disagree.
Thank you for making this. Because no one is talking about this
amen
tbh you could condense these issues into the fact that act 1's pacing is just WAYYY too fast for how much they need to cover.
girl I love that you spoke your mind. Everything was on point and there is nothing that I disagree with. People don't know what good storytelling is anymore, this is why I am sticking to old tv shows and novels.
I understand a lot of where you're coming from with your criticism, but I think your video neglects to focus on the bigger issue. I strongly disagree that Arcane has downgraded its animation in any way, and some of your critiques could've benefitted from a organized breakdown. I do really appreciate your bravery in posting a critique video though lol.
The problem with Act 1 of this season is that the writers are focused on reaching the "destination" without building up the journey. By this, I mean that because the writers know exactly how they want the story to go, they're neglecting some of the necessary build up. The emotional or thematic thread tying the narrative together seemed to be absent. Because of this we had disjointed dialogue, unexplained side characters, and scenes that should've been impactful but lacked the punch they needed. This season was already in a tight spot due to having to deal with the fallout of Season 1. Unfortunately, I think the pacing suffers because of this. Its not the events of the plot that feel oddly structured but the presentation of them.
IMO, the montage of the funeral fell flat because it felt like we skipped over the climax of Cait's grief. Being placed in the middle of the funeral didn't hit me like it should have because Cait, our only emotional tie, had already repressed her emotions. I don't know who Caitlyn's mom was to her, other than the obvious, so I didn't care about the death. I love Cait bottling up these feelings, but I think it wouldve had more impact to see some small display of her anger & grief slipping out before she repressed it. Without seeing the true impact of this death on Caitlyn in the moment, the scene felt drawn out and hollow.
One thing I felt that was especially rushed was Vi becoming an enforcer. Again, just because things were going fast in the world of the characters doesn't mean the story couldn't pace it better for the viewers. I genuinely don't understand why Vi chose to become an enforcer. This is a symptom of my biggest criticism of Vi's character which is that we dont get enough of her inner thoughts. I find it believable that Vi would eventually join the enforcers, but for that to work we need a very good reason why. Other than Silco, the enforcers are the reason why she practically lost everyone she ever cared about. I think Vi should have pushed back even more against the idea because of the amount of trauma associated with them. How she came to the decision of becoming an enforcer was very vague, which was detrimental to her arc in this first Act. Maddy telling Vi that Caitlyn vouched for her is not enough reason for her to change her mind. I agree that it wouldve been better for Vi to have seen that moment instead of having it be explained to her by a side character. Regardless, the fact that there is no clear answer of "why" to this decision not only hurts Vi's character arc, but also the writing of her relationship with Jinx.
Just in the very last episode of Season 1, Vi regards Jinx as her sister, even after she asks her to kill Caitlyn. The only change between last season and this season for Vi's relationship with Jinx is that Jinx bombed the council.
...So my question is, why does Vi hate Jinx? Or rather, is willing to kill her? Vi has no reason to care much about the council, because as far as she knew, they were fine with abandoning Zaun to Silco. I understand her feeling guilt towards the death of Cait's mother, but is that really enough for her to hate Jinx, the self-proclaimed reason she was able to survive her time in prison? Does she really feel more sympathy for the city of Piltover than Jinx and the people of Zaun who'd suffered for years under their neglect and prejudice? Again, what was the tipping point, the reason why Vi could no longer view Jinx as her sister. Vi said herself that she knew they both did what they had to to survive. Last season, she was willing to leave with Jinx, who she'd witnessed kill several enforcers and threaten to kill Caitlyn. Vi is no stranger to death and violence, so I was left quite confused as to this sudden resentment she had of Jinx.
Episode 3 was so disappointing to me because I just didn't understand the conflict from Vi's side at all. To Jinx, Vi had become an enforcer, a monster from their childhood. I can understand why she was willing to end Vi's life. But Vi's hatred was unexplained, making this interaction so hollow. And its not like Im mad that Vi is not a perfect character, or that her character is going down a path I dont like. Im dissapopointwd because I have no idea what her motivations were. Did she think Jinx was a monster for killing people? Does think killing Jinx would stop the conflict between Piltover and Zaun? Is it because she feels guilty about her girlfriend's mom dying? Genuinely, if i'm missing some explanation for this please let me know, because its driving me insane.
Anyways, the writers needed more time or more focus to really explore the emotional and narrative consequences of last season. Most of your nitpicks were symptoms of the same problem. Arcane has a wonderful story and fantastic characters, but the execution of the story in Act 1 did not meet the standards of last season. And its frustrating because part of what I loved about Arcane seems to have been unraveled in the span of 3 episodes. None of this makes Arcane any less of a wonder of animation and storytelling. However, it stops it from becoming the absolute masterpiece it was last season.
Oh my god. Thank you so much for saying all of this because I have been expressing a lot of the same sentiments myself (even since season 1). Just like you, I think that the show is really good and I really do like it. However, my strongest critique against it is that it's too intense. I'm NOT saying the show has to be light and fun, etc. It just doesn't give you time to breathe. In almost if not every scene, there's always some shit going down. Ironically, this makes the characters less human. It makes it somewhat of a caricature of angst and tragedy rather than a realistic depiction of it. People can't say either that it's not meant to portray realistic thoughts and feelings because of its nature as a cartoon/video game adaptation but I think that's a cheap cop-out.
Please don't mind the rest of the comments here hating on your video merely because they don't agree. To be honest, I've felt like I couldn't express my honest opinions about Arcane because its fandom is becoming toxic (in the you either love it 100% or you're not one of us kind of sense). You make a lot of valid points. Hope to see more of your videos!
I think my biggest issue with it is that apparently, it's no longer a self-contained story as Riot claimed for S1, but canon to the games, so now nobody can die nor change drastically, as it would break the canon of the stupid games that not everybody plays.
It's basically pinning a crutch on the narrative
I'm fairly sure it is the other way around, whatever happens in Arcane will be league lore. Season 1 showed that they don't NEED to kill characters to make us sympathize with them and even in this act people sure are changing drastically ("the only constant in life" and all that). Aaaactually - biggest game there is.
@Gorrilazzzz apparently not
apparently Arcane is gonna follow the canon
Which sucks because tbh I did want to see important characters meet their demise
@@my2randomcents
Jinx has never been missing a finger. So that's already a divergence from League lore. I don't think Arcane has to follow anything short of these characters surviving. Vi and Caitlyn are SO Far from who they are in League that I can't see any feasible way they'd warp Arcane to fit what exists in League any more than they have already.
True. Season 2 is a disappointment from plot`s standpoint.
I’m so happy that someone else feels like this season has been a mess so far
They were just trying to cram way too many things in to set up the conflicts for the rest of the season, passing by some crucial character moments (which were AGONIZING to see brushed past)
It feels like the writers were trying to have their cake and eat it too with the “emotional” one liners and such
I’m very worried for the rest of the season but I’m trying to hope that with a bunch of exposition out of the way they’ll slow down a bit
I tried not to just recap what you said in the video lol but suffice to say I agree with you
Loris, Maddie, and Steb (the Enforcers) aren’t actually League characters, same with Isha. They’re OCs
Act 1 has problem but none of what u said. The real problem is they r forcing characters into their planned narrative. Cait went from just hating jinx to gassing civilians and becoming dictator in 3 eps. Jayce is now reduced to supporting hextech guy after the writers didnt want him at the spotlight anymore. And Vi is clueless and sad as ever becos they want to do her depressed emo phase.
Excellent video. You deserve way more views on this! Perfectly articulated what I feel a lot of people wanted to say but just couldn't explain. Everyone I talked to about Arcane season 2 just said it felt off but could not place why - thank you!
Those character are going to be explored in the next acts
Dawg wtf the animation is so good and the story is still good what you yapping about
Story was dogshit cope
I disagree with some of your nitpicks but I agree with your general sentiment that the pacing feels rushed. The only two moments that I felt emotional in a good way was the opening in episode 2 (which you disparaged, lol) with Silco, and then during the hexcore stuff in episode 3. Some of the one liners (like from sleazy Meech) were fine, but I didn't like them between Sevika and Jinx and Caitlyn/Vi.
I also don't like the fact that they're introducing this black rose stuff... yes it's a game related lore thing but even as someone who understands the context I think it takes away from the narrative. They're going to have to pull off some magic to make it meaningful.
Anyway it's still not anywhere near as disappointing as Game of Thrones but it does give me some GoT hate watch vibes.
I prefer the season 1, but I think we don't think enough the amount of work that may have been discarded
You managed to say everything i couldn't say cuz i was not having the patience to put it in words 😭 This first act felt so innorganic and rushed...
These comments, man. If yall worked for IGN, you give everything a 10/10. The artistic choices are showing the obvious budget cuts, and the pacing is completely thrown off by the story changes. You can not deny any of this. I understand that it's not the fault of any of the artists or writers involved, I'm sure that they tried their best. But due to the choices of those placed in power of Netflix , we were denied what should have been one of if not the greatest animated series of all time. It's Venture bros all over again.
I mean to be fair it’s only the first act
Do you remember the 1st Act of Season 1?
@ Yeah, why?
@@MirinM8it was leaps better, and it was about 5 kids in a slum trying to survive
@ I agree it was a much stronger start. But s2 act 1 was inevitably gonna be a clean up and setup act considering how s1 ended. They had a lot to cover so no wonder it felt rushed
@@MirinM8 I guess we get what we deserve, a shitshow
I felt that the kiss between Vi and Caitlyn was extremely rushed. People say it was necessary to “raise the stakes” of their relationship, but I feel like breakup would have been perfect if they hadn’t crossed that line. Viewers would have been even more devastated at the fact that they never made it and broke up. I wanted them to kiss, but not in the way it happened. This entire season feels so cramped, rushed, and full of music videos that waste valuable storytelling time.
Thank you for this video, so glad I wasn’t the only person disappointed in this second season. I can only hope it gets better, but I’m not getting my hopes up.
I’m not a very critical person at all, so when I hear expositiony dialogue or something I just keep it pushing. But it is helpful to hear a more detailed critique that voiced a lot of my subtle gripes.
I actually enjoy the music videos every episode, excluding the Caitlyn charcoal drawing one, I literally skipped through it. I’m sure it looked nice but I did not see the point. Obviously Caitlyn is grieving, but is such a long scene without much dialogue necessary to convey that?
Giving us characters with supposed emotional stakes, only to not give their names is annoying. I should not have to be scouring subtitles to find these names. That just feels like such a large oversight????
Character conflict and motivations are making less sense for everyone excluding Embessa. The throughline between her introduction and now remains consistent. But for the rest of the characters, not really. I genuinely do think that it’s a shortfall of being attached to league. I assume the characters are given quick turnarounds to become who they are in the game. I honestly prefer to believe that over bad writing.
Character’s conflicts were easier to follow in the first season, I feel like the conflicts thus far are just for the sake of it. (If I find a better way to articulate this I will) I just don’t see why the audience should care to follow the millionth disagreement.
Jinx’s dialogue remains pretty similar I’d say. She had some similar lines within the first season, I think it’s just a quirk of her character. However the “fancy meeting you here”line was just unnecessary?? And the “you could’ve just let me beat it??” I think that line is telling the audience how to feel about Sevika in that moment.
Caitvi did fall short for me this season, I wanted to enjoy it but in the present moment I honestly really don’t care about their third breakup. I enjoy toxic yuri just as much as the next gal, but I feel like their relationship ends up doing both their characters a disservice. I feel like they cheapened Vi’s integrity for the sake of Cait. A line that Vi said that gave her turnaround more sense was “I’m tired of blaming myself for your mistakes” this is such a more interesting way to approach Vi’s change. I wish they expanded on it more from that angle. In the first season, the driving force of her character was taking responsibility for those under her wing. When she got out of jail she blamed herself for not being around for Ekko. It would be interesting to see her new arc realizing she can’t solve everything, regardless of her devotion to Cait.
I 90% could be projecting on this relationship. I’ll admit the real world connotations are hard for me to ignore. I’d be interested in hearing others thoughts on this.
As for Viktor, I think the lack of communication and viktor leaving is because he was possessed by the hexcore for some “greater purpose jesus stuff”. I’d say that’s purposely vague and out of character because that’s no longer the viktor we know. At least that’s how I interpreted it.
We’re still in the first act, so I’m still holding out hope on improvements. I enjoy this show a lot, and even if it continues on this path I would still enjoy it. It kinda just pales in comparison to the first season.
That's how I read Viktor's shift as well; As the Hexcore kind of 'dehumanizing him'/ taking over. But others have pointed out that he sees the hextech weapon designs on the desk before he leaves.
So that, stacked on top of Jayce not destroying the Hexcore, definitely contribute to his departure as well.
8:02 it's okay, league of legends players don't know who they are either 😂
I feel like your rant towards the introduction scene with the council misses the point. The whole sequence was to reflect the introduction scene in the start of the show. And how this reflect the cycle of violence.
Also your sentiment of "This season is reliant on LoL" is so off base because "no" the show isn't relying on "LoL" lore in fact it barely even acknowledges it that much. A lot of the inbetweens with the funeral, Jinx and everything else seems very not necessary because the focus is the aftermath of the rocket and how it affected people.
The Enforcers aren't even related to the game at all. They are just newly made characters for the series. Same with Isha is also an original character.
Great video!!
so true. i've watched so far 25 mins of the S2E1 and couldn't figure out what the conflict or story is supposed to be about.
everything feels like fanfiction. however, fanfiction, regardless of how poor it is written, enjoys wide popularity (fifty shades of grey, for example). so i think the majority of viewers will be dumb enough not to notice the difference between S1 and S2 quality.
My disappointment in season 2 is immense. All style no substance, no build up no payoffs.
Funny thing you assume that the new characters introduced this season are shoehorned in because video game lore, they are actually original to the show, all of them. And yes, they are not very good.
This season is a downgrade so far, though that was to be expected if you think about it. S1 was unusually good for a show in general.
Edit: Also RIP Victor's lore, it was sooo good in the game. Now it's only some boring Jesus heal the lepers plot. I don't even feel like he has any agency over his actions.
1:40 The “budget cut” you mention here was confirmed to have been hand-drawn in charcoal. It’s insane how people can’t recognize a stylistic choice that likely didn’t cost less.
Also at 1:47 you mention a tell don’t show character introduction but, while they are literally introducing themselves, the point is to distract the viewer from the situation (where vi “randomly” meets an enforcer who gets drunk with her and a nice impressionable young woman “randomly” walk up and start praising vi to get her to join the enforcers). They leave the clues but obviously not everyone notices them. I agree that arcane may have leveled up and people who could notice what was being shown before now only see surface level.
One of your critiques is that they opened the show where they left it at the end of season 1? Really?
ok i’m glad i’m not the only one who thinks this 😭 we are only on episode 3 so hopefully it gets better
It won’t….
i agree with most of what you said in the video. expecially with the weird clash of 2d-3d, it was hevily overused and didnt fit most of the scenes it was in. the task force should have included existing enforcers rather than introducing 3 charcators we have no reason to care for, then to get rid of them as fast as they were added in the first place. my inital watch also had me questioning why the lab was the first place jayce brought victor seeing his condtion. i was really hoping s2 would be more promising, but i dont think they will be able to turn this around. it is so crammed with information that doesnt take priority. no scene has enough time to be meaningful. ill still watch the show and enjoy its first watch (aslong as you dont think at all about whats happening) but im very disappointed
I agree that season 2 has been a huge disappointment, but I do think your argument is bog down by a lot of nitpicks.
For example the dialogue between Vi and Caitlyn after the attack on the memorial, sure they do talk a bit past eachother but it makes sense considering the characters. Caitlyn is clearly distressed and Vi try to relate to her by speaking of her own experience, but she can't really, because their life are too different.
Overall tho I do agree withvthe sentiment, part 1 fell way too rushed, with too much explosion dumb, and new characters that seriously lack depth or just proper introductions.
That said IMO act 1 was still okay, the writing was vastly inferior to season 1 but still acceptable. Act 2 however is just bad, and I'm really not optimistic for act 3.
Also, the guy in the Cait's taskforce are nobodies to LoL players too. Afaik they were just background characters in some artworks of what was until now a non canon skin line.
I had never use the thumb down before but wtf are you talking about, this first act already clears season 1 for me
There us definitely a lot wrong with this video but there are definitely a lot of issues with part 1 people are not talking about, especially talking about it in contrast with s1. If you wana make it better imo:
Fights need to get clear. Every fight in S2 so far has been incomprehensible. In S1 I could tell you every single punch that was thrown and when. Now the spaces the fights happen in are huge and abstract, the fights are messy and unclear with no real cohesion and structure, and just feel off.
Episode 2 probably could have been entirely restructured to better integrate the point of the gang wars in Zaun. S1 was so much better than explaining away an entire gang war in a 2 min music video sequence. It did it subtly and skillfully.
Oh and Sevikas arm needs to go. Its a horrible weapon that makes no sense and even the writers abandoned trying to make it work in episode 3 because they knew it was so horribly made it would ruin the fight if she kept using the gambling gimmick.
I would say the best way to describe S2 so far is a fairly good season that is clearly missing some of the elements that made season 1 a 100% for critics and audiences. It does do an incredible job of making their poorer choices very well, but they still are functionally poor choices.
I think you can give it an 8 or 8.5 fairly but I really dont know about giving it higher than a 9
It really feels like it went from a mature show aimed towards like, 17 and above, to a dumbed down show for tweens and teens. Everything reads and comes across like the intended veiwer is meant to be like, 12-14. I found myself like, struggling to like the first act here and feeling guilty about it because it's Arcane! I love Arcane! it must just be a me issue, I'm just not understanding properly. The kiss between Vi and Cait just felt like a "Ooouuuhhhh"! moment in a disney show then anything more serious or character driven.
I'm hoping 🙏 maybe 🙏this whole first act is just a little rough because there's a lot to cover, but I dunno.................
Yeah i felt kind of the same, like a bunch of league character videos stitch together, nothing feels as meaningful or conected as the previous season, even ignoring season one's fist arc, it feels less coherent than the transition between arc two and three of season one. Any way i will still fawn all over season two because pretty drawings, i am basic like that
♪There's an old tradition
A game we all can play
You start by getting liqueur up and sharpening your blade
You take the shot of whiskey
And gran your knife and pray
And spread apart your fingers and this is what you say!
Oh, I have all my fingers
The knife goes chop chop chop
If I miss the spaces in between
My fingers will come off
And if I hit my fingers, blood will soon come out
But all the same I play this game, cause that's what's it's all about!
No you can't use a pencil, cannot you use a pen
The only way is with a knife when danger is your friend
And some may call it stupid, some may call it dumb
But all the same we play this game cause it's so damn fun!
Oh! I have all my fingers
The knife goes chop chop chop
If I miss the spaces in between
My fingers will come off
And if I hit my fingers, blood will soon come out
But all the same I play this game, cause that's what it's all about!
Oh! Chop! Chop! Chop! Chop! Chop! Chop! Chop!
I'm picking up the speed
And if I hit my finger
Then my hand will start to bleed! ♪
Most of the characters introduced are also not relevant in the game
You;'ve being downvoted for telling a painful truth :(
I don't understand what the vi cait and jinx fight even does narratively. Was it supposed to just be there so she can send the smoke up to piltover? That fight had no stakes and it's kind of pointless. Everyone knew the fight would have no consequences so why did they even waste time on it?
Vi's and Cait's relationship completely falling apart is not a consequence? We even got character development for Isha and Jinx. Calling this pointless is just delusional.
@itsgonnabeokay9341 the whole fight sequence was unnecessary it tries to be emotional and epic with all the overused slow mo and cliche action poses. There are so many other ways to do those things which would have been much better rather than a cringe music video.
@@xTHEDWTA61x Ok, that's a good way to lose all credibility. You did nothing to refute my points. You said there are many other better ways to present the scene, without giving any examples of those better ways. And then you just call the fight scene "cringe" - ignoring the fact that it's a very childish word to criticize anything - without doing ANYTHING to support it. If knew I was speaking with a toddler, I wouldn't respond in the first place.
Poor video
Personally, I’m loving season two 🔥Sorry to hear that it’s just not for you
I agree. This season feels rushed
doesn't help that the episodes are only 30min long either
the first arc is peak
Na in 2 minutes you made this video invalid. Talking about directive choice and artistic vision as budget cuts.
????????????
Why does this sound AI generated?
Reveal your like/dislike ratio, I dare you.
UA-cam is the one that hid the bar. You have to install a plugin in Firefox (and probably Chrome) that brings back the like/dislike bar.
I think you're more on the minority on this
Even if we are doesn't mean we are wrong. Truths don't care about numbers. 🤷♂️
@@eliasaboujaoude2465The thing is you’re both wrong and there are like 5 of you
@@afanas4635 Yeah we are wrong for not criticizing the latest season enough.
@@eliasaboujaoude2465 Cope in your echochamber
@@eliasaboujaoude2465 sure, but who are you to say that you're the one saying the objective truth?
To be fair the first act of season 1, in my opinion, was pretty mediocre. For season two I strongly believe that they're just laying down the plot and that the next to acts will be 100% better.
The first act of season 1 was slow, this act is the opposite. Too fast! What makes it a shame is that there's some potential juicy bits here that got brushed over and won't be re-visited.
I do still think they're likely to revisit how Mel and Jayce got out without a scratch.. I don't think it was just luck
Bait use to be believable😢
Holy grail of not understanding anything
These comments are very polite, but we all know this video is dogwater and a poor attempt at making your personal preferences sound like legitimate critic coming from someone who actually knows what they're talking about. But at least you'll get views for going against the grain.
I disrespectfully disagree
L takes
Nah, it was great.
Holy nitpick and whine
Good view farming technique, low literary comprehension
@@Kekekekenn Dude I read classics, what do you mean lack of literary comprehension? I could easily write a better script myself. If you consider Arcane season 2 to be peak then we are doomed as a society. You are like these people who think that postmodern art is deep and misunderstood.
@eliasaboujaoude2465 I bet you think that you're some sort of intellectual and that everyone is beneath you because you read old books. Go write a better script, can't wait to see your hit show on Netflix in the future.
@@Kekekekenn I don't care about Netflix. It is a garbage streaming service. I am actually writing my own novel thank you 😁.
@@eliasaboujaoude2465 awesome, send it to me when you're done so I can finally read good writing 🙏
@@Kekekekenn The script was shit. I've seen people in my classes who use AI write better stuff. You're just blinded by your love of S1, and as a fan of S1 myself, I'm disappointed in what we have so far in S2.
an epic downgrade? lmao...
I don't respect your opinion or your criticisms.
Well some ppl have garbage opinion, its their opinion. Ignore and move on.
low quality bait
So dumb
the way nobody agrees with you lmao
NGL you got some Shit takes bruh
CAN YOU DO BETTER ? ...., I'LL WAIT