Arcane Season 2 Act 1 Thoughts: Marrow

It’s time for the video game adaptation I’m going to be watching this year! Arcane returns for its second and final season. Let’s be real, I’m probably not going to watch Like A Dragon: Yakuza. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.

Is There Such a Thing as Too Many Insert Songs?

Listen, you just can’t go immediately from the intro to an insert song. I’m saying it’s not allowed. It’s also not allowed that they kept Enemy. Will we never be free? Cool visuals will not earn my forgiveness.

While I’d consider the immediate cuts from the intro to a needle drop in episodes 1 and 2 the most egregious examples, episodes seem to have two insert songs as a rule now. Season 1 had one each episode, with I believe the only exception being episode 7 which had two. None of these songs are necessarily bad! I don’t have refined music taste exactly, so I enjoy them all relatively well. I understand why they’re being used for each scene. It just seems like the sheer number of them robs them of their impact. They don’t feel special. I just start to think, “oh, another song.”

We’ll talk about the general pacing later, but one way this season is attempting to pick up the pace is through the use of montage style storytelling. To make this more interesting, they add a needle drop. I understand the necessity behind this – there’s a lot going on! It is probably the best solution to fitting in everything into nine episodes. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.

I also just think that Arcane has great non-vocal music that can be deployed for impact too! Look no further than the end of episode 2 or 3. Those were just as impactful, if not more, than most of the vocal pieces. Maybe not every fight needs a needle drop? I don’t know, I’m just throwing out thoughts here.

Woodkid Has Done It Again

Now, too many insert songs can’t stop Woodkid. Honestly, for the song for this season, part of that is because it has such powerful non-lyrics-based sections, with the haunting chanting sticking in my mind. The song also got the benefit of being paired with the strongest visual spectacle in the whole show so far.

The fight in the temple, paired with the trippy experience in the Hexgate is probably up there as one of my favorite animated sequences ever. The Vi/Cait vs Jinx/Sevika is so brutal and raw, and it continues even as reality starts to fall apart around them. 

So cool. Can’t really add more than that.

Jayce Stocks Rising???

Caitlin’s too obvious, we all know Cait’s stocks are rising. Other people can talk about Cait. I already thought Cait’s character was cool.

I didn’t really dislike any characters in season 1, because that’s not really how I engage with characters outside of Trails of Cold Steel, but Jayce was probably the one I found the most confusing. He likes to waffle and flip flop, which is at this point just a core tenant of his character (and maybe what his arc will address this season?), but it could make it difficult to connect with him. However, I feel like this season has finally opened up aspects of him that I find really engaging.

He’s not a guy who’s meant to be councilor, obviously. He’s a scientist, and he’s clear and passionate when he’s in his element, even when his personal life is falling apart. We didn’t really get to see him be a scientist in season 1, and it’s more interesting to see his bad scientific decisions come back to bite him rather than his governmental stuff. You know, maybe this is just because they stuck Ekko with him. Ekko’s such a cool guy, he makes everyone around him cool.

Anyway, I think Jayce should write the most unhinged AITA post ever.

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop

So, yeah, there’s ultimately no getting around the fact that season 2 is definitely moving a lot faster than the first. There was already barely any meat on the bones of those first nine episodes, and now they’re sucking out the marrow. As mentioned, part of the solution is “skipping” stuff via music video. Now, I think that’s a perfectly valid way to tell a story. Season 1 did this a bit too. However, season 2 is doing it…a lot.

Ultimately, I think the existing characters from season 1 are fine. They have a base to fall back on, and they all get enough time to carry out their beginning set-up arcs here. What has really been sacrificed is the new characters. I know the girl who has adopted Jinx’s name is Isha from the subtitles and the marketing, but there’s a lot missing considering one of the pivotal moments of episode 3 revolves around her. Of the new enforcer characters, only Maddie has a name. When big guy walks away from Caitlin’s dictator glow-up, what does that really mean to me?

Now it’s totally possible that these characters will get time to shine in the coming episodes, and this is just their brief introduction. A little backstory summary for where they go next. We’ll see.

So, What’s to Come?

I did watch the preview. I still don’t know how the big wolf man is going to play into everything. I’m honestly maybe most excited for whatever’s going on with Jayce, Heimer, and Ekko because I don’t feel like I have much of an inkling as to how that’ll shake out. Mel and Viktor are also exciting for this reason – because they were mostly trying to hide their living-dead status, early trailers showed pretty much none of the plotlines they’ve found themselves in.

I’ve also recently realized that Jayce has become shaggy in the preview for Act 2. The stocks! The stocks are bursting through the ceiling!

My wildest, maybe not wild, prediction is that Vi and Jinx will end up on the same side of this by the time the act is over. Perhaps due to the big wolf man. And I won’t forget Caitlin, of course, and her extremely normal new cape and her BFF Ambessa. I’m sure everything there will be good and fine.

See you next week for episodes 4-6!