REVIEW: ‘Arcane: Bridging the Rift,’ Part 2 – “Persistence (Or Knowing When Your Best Sucks)”

Arcane: Bridging the Rift is a documentary series from Riot Games exploring the creation of their hit Netflix Animated series Arcane. With production halted at the pilot, the task of developing Arcane rapidly changed from monumental to insurmountable. So what could save this struggling idea? Maybe some fresh eyes and experienced guidance could right the production’s ship in Arcane: Bridging the Rift Part 2?

This episode opens with the Arcane staff looking into just how deep the pit they had fallen into mentally and emotionally was at this point. With no one involved ever having produced a complete animated series before, everyone from the top down was struggling to find a way forward. With their initial attempts to bring in new eyes for the project proving difficult, they can finally get the injection of talent they needed to get their ship back on course.

The bulk of Arcane: Bridging the Rift Part 2 focuses on the new faces that come in to help Riot get their burgeoning animation production back on track. Writers and producers with loads of experience get the show back on track.

While the opening of this entry falls into the depressing side of things, the tone lifts very quickly as the fresh energy and outlook of the show’s new contributors come into play. It is always a wonderful thing to see a floundering project that so many have put so much into getting back on track. After all, who doesn’t love a comeback story? This one definitely hits all the right notes as the crew moves to get Arcane rolling again.

Another remarkable aspect of the series that looks at the folks who helped bring the show back from the brink is the prevalence of female faces. For a company with a history of struggling with its workplace culture like Riot Games has, it was nice to see such a strong focus given to some fantastic female creatives. Hopefully a sign of the mindset shifting at the studio.

While the focus of Arcane: Bridging the Rift Part 2 is on acquiring new talent and how it brought the project back from the brink, there is another story I absolutely loved learning about involving one of my favorite musical acts, KDA.

It turns out that, while the production on Arcane was stalled, Riot went looking for something they could keep their animation partners, Fortiche, working on. This led to the studio providing their services on the “Rise” video for League of Legends as well as KDA’s debut video, “Pop Stars.”

The massive reception to KDA’s arrival on the k-pop scene was, in no small way, influenced by the mind-blowing visuals the music video brought along with the fantastic song itself. Learning that Arcane setbacks helped launch KDA into stardom is a positive note to emerge from the team’s struggles.

When all is said and done, Arcane: Bridging the Rift Part 2 continues to reveal the interesting and multifaceted struggle that was creating Riot Games’ hit phenomenon of a television series.

Arcane: Bridging the Rift Part 2 is streaming now on YouTube.