Octopus Overlords

disarm wrote: Wed Nov 27, 2024 12:22 am Finished it tonight... satisfying conclusion, but I can't say that season two was as good as the first season. Great character moments are the show's biggest strength, and while S2 continued to have those amazing moments, the main plotline was a little out there and didn't grab me quite as much as the first season. I feel like I need to go back and watch the last few episodes again to better grasp everything that was happening (mostly with a certain character's Hextech evolution and Mel coming into her own). Overall really great show though, and It's disappointing that we won't be getting more.

I finally caught up and finished last night. I loved this show from start to finish. I agree that the 2nd season wasn't as tight--they could have used a few more episodes to let things play out without feeling rushed. But I think S2 stands up to S1 pretty well, and might even have improved in some areas (some of the animation work this season is just lights-out).

It's not perfect, but overall I'm hard-pressed to come up with any show that I've enjoyed more consistently in recent memory. Arcane IMO pushed animation forward more than anything since at least Into the Spider-verse. It's just a delight to watch. The plot rushes a bit near the end and certainly goes a little 'out there,' but remained IMO true to the show's roots--virtually every scene comes back to family, belonging, or prisons we make for ourselves.

8/8 tentacles, will watch again numerous times.

I wonder when we'll hear the first hints of what's next in the Arcane timeline on Netflix.

Great vid by this dude with only 50 subscribers!?

(Spoilers, obviously)



I want more. After sitting with the ending for a few days, I'm satisfied. Can't wait to re-watch the whole thing from the beginning.

Zaxxon wrote: Tue Nov 26, 2024 10:33 pm

Kraken wrote: Tue Nov 26, 2024 10:32 pm I just watched the first episode tonight. I finally finished Scavengers Reign and wanted to watch something else fairly short. I think Arcane will prove to be a good decision.

Come back after ep 3. You’ll know then.

I'm still in. It was certainly a WOW! episode though.

Finished S1 tonight and I agree that it's phenomenal. Even though I don't like the anime character art style as a rule, it's the best animation I've ever seen. Characters and story pull their weight, too. Even the soundtrack isn't bad. I found it a little hard to follow relationships during the middle episodes, after the time jump, but it all gelled again before the end.

Looking forward to watching S2. Wife will be going to FL to take care of her brother for a week over Christmas, so I'll have plenty of me-time on my hands.

Kraken wrote: Fri Dec 13, 2024 9:37 pm Even the soundtrack isn't bad.

I, too, am late to the party and just finished season 1.

Loved it. Superb world-making, characters, writing, and animation. And my wife (who has never really been into animation or game-related culture) adored it too.

We'll probably finish season 2 here during the holiday season.

coopasonic wrote: Sat Dec 14, 2024 9:09 am

Kraken wrote: Fri Dec 13, 2024 9:37 pm Even the soundtrack isn't bad.

I gather it's written and performed by somebody y'all admire. I'll pay more attention to it when I watch S2.

Kraken wrote: Wed Dec 25, 2024 10:49 pm

coopasonic wrote: Sat Dec 14, 2024 9:09 am

Kraken wrote: Fri Dec 13, 2024 9:37 pm Even the soundtrack isn't bad.

I gather it's written and performed by somebody y'all admire. I'll pay more attention to it when I watch S2.

I really don't know who is responsible for the soundtrack, but it really hit me in pretty much every episode (mostly speaking of season 2 as I don't really remember season 1 at this point). I am generally not one to even take note of the soundtrack in a movie or show but it's basically impossible to not notice it in Arcane. It is definitely a more modern style of music than what any of us grew up with so I know it might not hit with everyone but I thought the soundtrack was possibly the best part of the show.

coopasonic wrote: Thu Dec 26, 2024 9:35 am

Kraken wrote: Wed Dec 25, 2024 10:49 pm

coopasonic wrote: Sat Dec 14, 2024 9:09 am

Kraken wrote: Fri Dec 13, 2024 9:37 pm Even the soundtrack isn't bad.

I gather it's written and performed by somebody y'all admire. I'll pay more attention to it when I watch S2.

I really don't know who is responsible for the soundtrack, but it really hit me in pretty much every episode (mostly speaking of season 2 as I don't really remember season 1 at this point). I am generally not one to even take note of the soundtrack in a movie or show but it's basically impossible to not notice it in Arcane. It is definitely a more modern style of music than what any of us grew up with so I know it might not hit with everyone but I thought the soundtrack was possibly the best part of the show.

Yeah, I don't know that it's the best part of show, but agree that it's a core piece of the show. What makes it unique IMO is a mix of things: 1) it's a wide assortment of artists, from folks you've definitely never heard of to bigshots like Sting and Imagine Dragons, across all sorts of genres; 2) it's all written for the show. Arcane's writers go to artists they think fit the bill for a scene's mood/vibes, explain the situation to the artists, and let them cook; and 3) the range of animation styles in the show's numerous vignettes combine with the wide variance in musical styles to make for super-memorable situations.

And they repeat this numerous times across both seasons:




Even the opening credits make great use of the music:


And a bunch more in Season 2--
S2 spoilers:
I could add more but this is a lot of work. .

It strikes me that this is one of the most casually queer-friendly shows I've seen in game-related media.

The gamergate incels must be absolutely seething.

In the second season, it becomes a bit less "casual"...