Review of Vinland Saga Season 2
The greatest pleb filter since the second half of Full Metal Jacket. Vinland Saga is a masterpiece of a manga, and one of the greatest works I have ever read. Every arc is wonderfully written and full of incredible character development, but even amongst the other highly lauded and acclaimed arcs, the Farmland Arc stands out for its slow burn, maturity, greater focus on characters, and the analysis of the human condition, basically a stark contrast to the brutality and nonstop action from what is essentially a very long prologue. There are still plenty of brutal action scenes in this, but make no mistake, thisseason takes a completely different direction and tone from the first season.
The standout of this anime is obviously Thorfinn, and the growth that he experiences is both profound and progresses at a natural pace, so much so that even having read the manga beforehand, I'm still floored that THIS is the same character from S1 where he was basically a feral brute. Thorfinn states that he was reborn in the final episode and that's the best description possible because at this point he is a completely different character. The other characters are also fantastic additions and feel like genuine, layered characters instead of being forgettable, one-dimensional NPCs. Einar starts off as the foil to Thorfinn, but as Thorfinn begins to change, Einar’s role gradually shifts into becoming a brother to him, and despite being the more optimistic of the two, Einar also has moments of blind rage and recklessness. They complement each other and their bond just felt incredibly genuine and their brotherhood is one of my favorite parts of the series. Canute also returns, and like Thorfinn, is also unrecognizable from the first season, as he goes from a spoiled, cowardly kid into a hardened and pragmatic King who would even target his own family members in a bid for the throne. We see his struggle with his belief that war is the only way to bring peace and that despite his hatred for his father he becomes more like Sweyn every day. He replaces Einar as the foil to Thorfinn and I loved their interaction and their clash of philosophies in life.
The production is also of highest quality; the direction is fantastic, the artstyle is gorgeous, the fight scenes themselves are very fluid and appropriately brutal, the music is incredible (I particularly love River, visually and musically it just hits all the right notes for me, and it’s one of my favorite openings ever at this point), the voice acting is immaculate, and the CGI, while still noticeable, is also handled much better than the first season imo. Overall, S2 is a masterful humanist tale that transcends the excellent S1 in practically all categories, and I really couldn't have asked for a better adaptation. Truly exceptional, inspiring, and emotional, this is the best anime I've watched in years. High hopes for S3.