Warning! This review contains spoilers for Arcane season 2, Act I.

Arcane's cast of characters returns in season 2, Act I, beginning a three-part story that continues everything about the show I loved to begin with: stunning animation, epic fight sequences, compelling characters, brilliant voice cast, and biting social commentary.

Arcane season 1's ending depicted these events, as the show reveals who survived and who did not. At the center are Vi and Caitlyn, who vow to venture into Zaun and bring Jinx to justice as the class war between the undercity and its wealthy peer of Piltover escalates. Thankfully, Arcane season 2, Act I does not miss a beat in providing what we all loved about season 1.

Arcane’s Animation Remains As Perfect As Ever

Animation Is At The Forefront Of Arcane's Best Aspects

It would be impossible to begin any review of Arcane with anything but the quality of the show's animation. In all honesty, I am having a difficult time figuring out what to write in order to praise the animation on display in Act I — it is simply that stunning. Every single frame looks like it has been carefully created over decades, with no stone left unturned and no aspect forgotten. The fact that this was achieved in only three years since Arcane season 1's release is staggering, with the animation good enough to be any studio’s magnum opus.

Arcane season 1 took the studio six years to produce, proving the incredibly high standard that animation is held up to.

Some standout moments from Act I include the breathtaking ways the animation studio — Fortiche Production SAS — provides introductions to each episode. The mourning of Arcane's characters in season 2, episode 1 is visualized with black and white graphite sketches, with only the likes of Vi and Caitlyn depicted in color. Episode 2 then uses comic-book-inspired s to show the power vacuum left by Silco before episode 3 focuses on Vi and Caitlyn's task force infiltrating Zaun. These visualizations are remarkable, and that is without mentioning the smaller scenes and moments.

Arcane season 2, Acts II and III will be released on Netflix on November 16 and November 23 respectively.

As I alluded to, it would simply be impossible for me to gush over the animation on display in Arcane as I would like to. Everything, from the character designs to small details like shadow, light, blood, sweat, tears, fire, and dust, is expertly realized. For its animation alone, Arcane can be counted among the very best TV shows on Netflix, and I cannot wait to see the inventive ways the studio continues to depict this story in Acts II and III.

Arcane Season 2, Act I Continues The Show’s Compelling Story & Characters

Moving beyond the animation, the story Act I depicts is just as excellent. Granted, Arcane season 1 does a lot of the heavy lifting here: if you did not like it, your mind will probably not be changed by season 2. The class war between Zaun and Piltover remains at the heart of the show, feeding into the motivations of characters like Vi, Jinx, and Caitlyn. On the flip side, there are Jayce and Mel, attempting to smooth over the cracks as Mel's mother, Ambessa, tries to take control of Piltover for her own ulterior motives.

All of these stroylines are woven together flawlessly, with events in each one impacting another despite being so different. For example, the way the story integrates the investigation of Hextech conducted by Jayce, Heimerdinger, and Ekko with the fight between Caitlyn, Vi, and Jinx in Arcane season 2, episode 3 is masterfully done. This simultaneously makes Arcane's story difficult to predict but equally difficult to stop watching.

Carrying this story are Arcane's many League of Legends characters. All of them remain incredibly compelling, from their difficulty in overcoming the complex political landscape facing them to the similarly complex familial connections facing others. Each character is only matched by their voice actors, with the standouts of season 2 thus far being Hailee Steinfeld as Vi, Ella Purnell as Jinx, and Katie Leung as Caitlyn.

Arcane’s Action Sequences Are Fantastic

Another facet of Arcane's animation is how it depicts fight sequences. From the flashes of black and white as punches land to the expert choreography being animated into the characters, it is a testament to Arcane how easy each fight scene is to follow despite how overly intricate they are to craft. The fight at the end of the season 2 premiere highlights these animation techniques, while the showdown between Vi and Jinx in episode 3 combines great choreography with emotional weight. As the show continues, these fights will likely only grow in scale and, thus, entertainment value.

Arcane Season 2, Act I Is Great - But Leaves A Lot Left To Explore

Acts II & III Have Their Work Cut Out For Them

If I had to pick out any negatives with Arcane season 2, Act I — and believe me, it was incredibly difficult to do so — it would be the somewhat slower pacing than I was expecting. With Arcane season 2 confirmed as the show's last, I was expecting the story to move slightly quicker. Even so, I cannot criticize the showrunners too much for having Act I focus more on the aftermath of season 1. This part of the story is just as necessary as any other, and will only make the big moments of Acts II and III hit all the harder.

That said, Act I leaves its successors to have to cover a lot due to this pacing. Not only will the mysterious question around the Hectech Core need to be answered, but the war between Piltover and Zaun will continue too. Beyond that, there are the teases of Singed introducing the League of Legends character of Warwick and the subplot involving Ambessa Medarda and evil witches who wish her dead. I have the utmost faith that Arcane will stick the landing, but Act I has left me more worried than I initially was, if only by a minuscule margin.

Arcane season 2 - Act 1 is now streaming on Netflix. Act I consists of three episodes.