In our modern day, it has grown increasingly common to come across the same kinds of movies and tv shows in media over and over, especially with the increasing trend of studios launching remakes and sequels. However, one phenomenal show has recently ended with a second and final season, and is catching the attention of many viewers, especially teenagers, through its art and incredible storytelling. This very show is titled “Arcane.”

This show is based off of the famous video game, League of Legends, however has an incredible storyline and characters which do not require the viewer to know any information about the game. The story mainly focuses on dualities; with two cities, one poor and one rich, and two sisters who end up on diverging paths due to an incident in their youth.

Back when the first season was released, Arcane had already received a lot of praise for the incredible work of art it became, winning all nine categories it was nominated for at the 49th Annual Annie Awards in 2022. However, with the second season’s recent release, the show’s popularity has revived, and with it more appeal to a teenage audience that keeps looking for shows such as this one that provide nuance and individuality that most current media does not.

For many students of Woodbridge High like Maggie Chadwick who feel frustrated with the current media being produced and how formulaic and repetitive it all feels, Arcane is a wonderful and breathtaking change of pace. “I’ve never seen this art style before and like it’s like possibly the first series ever to have this art style and they’ve already
like perfected it,” Chadwick stated.

Not only is the artstyle vastly different from most animated media of our modern day, but the storyline, the writing and the art in general is something that feels entirely new and almost revolutionary. With the release of season two, this art piece as a whole is only elevated, as stated by multiple students of Woodbridge High.

For instance, senior Yasmine Shaker stated that the music especially “was greatly elevated” since its first season and is not only pleasant in the series but is used in a way that enhances the storytelling in itself. Chadwick also pointed out that the animation seemed to have gotten miraculously better from its already strong base in the first season.

While these aspects of the show continue to prove that it not only started off as a masterpiece but did not disappoint the public with its sequel, parts of the storytelling continue to appeal to a younger audience. For instance, senior Alex Westbrook stated that they greatly appreciated finally seeing such an amazing show that was able to beautifully portray LGBTQ+ characters in a natural and authentic way that didn’t force the entire plot onto exploring this area of their storytelling. Westbrook said, “It was treated the exact same as they treated the heterosexual relationship beforehand. Like the exact same, which is perfect.”

However, just as all pieces of media, Arcane does have its lows. Shaker pointed out that, “season one was near perfect” while season two felt like the viewer “was not given any fresh air.”

Chadwick also pointed this out as they stated that “the second season had a lot less breathing room, than like the first season.”

Most viewers do point out after watching the second season that the writing did feel rushed and that they would have preferred to see another season to give it the same breathing room the audience was given in the first season. However, Westbrook pointed out that it was smart of them to cut the series off so that it did not fall into a “Naruto Syndrome where it just goes on forever and loses the plot.”

On top of that, Shaker also pointed out that she enjoyed the second season specifically because it allowed her to appreciate the first season more, and that without it she did not see its beauty as much as she did afterwards. Overall, the series functions as a single art piece to be appreciated at once, and is very much worth every second the viewer is willing to give it.

With such a revolutionary new series returning to us with brilliant art and storytelling, many young people such as those of Woodbridge High School may be interested in learning more about it. However, as many interviewees have pointed out, they only ended up watching Arcane once someone told them about it. So this is your sign to go watch a series filled with incredible creative work for you to discover and enjoy in the midst of a period filled with formulaic media.