It’s been almost three months since the final season of Arcane aired on Netflix as a top hit, leaving me and other watchers across the country devastated, in awe, and reeling. It’s crazy how time flies, three months and while the world has moved on to new movies and shows, I’m still stuck rewatching season two, episode seven on repeat.Â
While the world theorizes, demands, and eagerly awaits a new spin-off, I’m left behind learning French, to understand the masterpiece that is Ma Meilleure Ennemie. While I can’t say that I am not excited by the possibility of expansion into my favorite characters’ lives, I feel like we aren’t appreciating just how beautiful the first two seasons of Arcane are. How much time, effort, and creativity went into its creation, execution, and overall messages.Â
The budget alone on the production was around $250M per season, constituting as one of the highest budgets for an animated show ever. In my opinion: money well spent. I think the creators did a fantastic job capturing the complexity of human emotions, which can sometimes be difficult in animations. The scenes felt personal and real— I sympathized, I cried, I laughed, and most importantly, I loved.Â
The relationships within the show featured many different aspects of human connection, ranging from grief, pain, betrayal, and love. Who is good? Who is evil? Can people be both? The show provides complex, relatable characters who we loved at times and hated at others. Ones who, I don’t mind watching over and over again on a loop via TikTok edits.
Every breakdown, review, and analysis I see on the show just further draws me in, and reminds me that there are more aspects and details waiting to be discovered. With every detail, frame, and action being deliberate, no single piece is irrelevant. It’s an intricate story constructed. How can we move on? How can we chase the next best thing, when arguably one of the best shows on Netflix is waiting to be rewatched, understood, and reflected on.Â
While I miss all my fictional characters, I don’t want to rush their story. I have recently noticed noticed shows is that sometimes, when the audience demands for immediate stories, we don’t get as many detailed and fleshed out productions to meet this demand. They feel rushed, unfamiliar, and lacking the care that we loved in the first place. It’s important to enjoy and reflect on just how amazing the show was in the first place. Admire the music, love the characters, criticize their actions, cry over their storylines, and just delight in their existence. While most people have moved on, or are indifferent, I think a part of me will always be thinking about Arcane.