Arcane: Season 2 (Netflix)
* WARNING, This article contains spoilers for the Arcane series.
Catherine Choi: What is humanity? This is the question posed by the Netflix animation series based off of the game “League of Legends” universe Arcane. Season 1 showed us how the conflict between the underground world Zaun and the rich city of Piltover broke seemingly unbreakable family ties and friendships. The magic crystal bomb that young Powder set off to protect her family led to the death of Vander, who was like a father to them, causing the once close sisters Violet (“Vi”) and Powder to part ways. Powder is taken in by Silco, who was once Vander's close colleague but is now his enemy and is transformed into “Jinx.” Jinx fires a rocket towards the Piltover Council building at the very moment when Zaun's independence is approved by the Piltover Council through the efforts of many people. However, even in this bloody-stained tragedy, the last thread of humanity is not easily broken. Vi cannot easily give up hope that Jinx will return to being Powder, and Ekko, who is Vi’s childhood friend, hesitates to deliver the final blow to Jinx despite having the opportunity to kill her. Even Silco, who dies because of Jinx despite having loved her like a daughter comforts her until his last breath. Arcane Season 1 was a story about how social tragedy destroys humanity and severs connections, yet humanity still manages to prevail.

Season 2 expands on Season 1’s theme of contemplating humanity to a societal level. The conflict between Zaun and Piltover leads to debates on whether violence should be tamed with violence to prevent more sacrifices, or whether violence should be minimized, nonetheless. After Jinx's terrorist attack on Piltover, her blue hair becomes a symbol of revolution in Zaun. Meanwhile, Vi becomes an enforcer in Piltover like her lover Caitlyn and tries to mend her relationship with her sister by pursuing Jinx. Ambessa, the lord of Noxus, intentionally worsens Piltover's situation in order to intervene with Noxus forces and solve the problem. Ambessa’s daughter Mel, who is a member of the Piltover council, stands against her mother even though she loves her. Viktor, a scientist who once thought that the Hexcore, which merged with himself should be destroyed, dreams of a peaceful community by helping the poor with the core's power. However, he experiences physical death at the hands of his former colleague Jayce, who is concerned over the side effects of magical technology. Viktor concludes that, "What leads us to the greatest good is also the source of our greatest evil," and mechanizes himself and his core-connected followers, which becomes another cause of war. All characters in Arcane try to preserve humanity according to their own values, but ironically, they often end up destroying it in the process. No one is entirely good or entirely evil. Love can be turned around and become powerful hatred. Why must we continue to grapple with humanity, which is complex, and leads to so many conflicts? This is the question that Arcane Season 2 poses.

If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die by Auri Hirao
Baek Seolhee (Writer, Columnist): It's been well over 20 years since I became fan of the Japanese girl group Morning Musume (モーニング娘。). Morning Musume has been running on a rotational system since its formation in 1997, where the members periodically “graduate” from the group and are replaced by new members. Ayumi Ishida, who was the main dancer for about 13 years, or exactly 4,818 days, will graduate from Morning Musume on December 6. And the tenth volume of My Favorite Idol Will Perform at Budokan, I Would Die ("My Favorite Idol”) was published on November 11. This volume highlights the graduation of the group Charm Jam’s undisputed leader, Leo.

My Favorite Idol started as a story about Maina Ichii, who was the least popular member in the group, and Eripyo, the only fan who supported Maina. However, as the series progressed, it seemed to have slowly evolved into capturing the nuanced realities of Japanese girl groups. Japanese idols often graduate from their groups at the age of 25 and seek new career paths. This reality is depicted through the leader Leo, who has been constantly fixed to her being 25 years old from the first volume, foreshadowing her inevitable graduation.

This was an unbearably harsh narrative for a long-time fan of older group members. Yet, I couldn't help but turn the pages even while tears endlessly streamed down my face. When members ask why they didn't stop Leo's decision to graduate, the group's CEO answers, "Because we can't be responsible for someone else's life." And that's true. Fans cannot be responsible for an idol's life. They cannot stay the same forever. Both idols and fans move forward. Morning Musume will continue with their endeavors even after Ayumi Ishida's graduation, as they always have been. The same goes for Charm Jam. The remaining members will continue to race towards their ultimate goal of performing at Budokan even after Leo graduates. But still, as a fan who loved their celebrity so deeply, I would like to say one thing. In a world where nothing is eternal, I want to ask the people I loved, just once, to stay where they are forever. Because that is the wish of a fan, of a die-hard enthusiast.