Review of Vinland Saga Season 2
The second season of Vinland Saga takes a different direction from the previous season. Many people are upset about it. Some of my fellow anime-watching friends even criticized the show for being slow-paced and lacking all the mouthwatering actions of season one. For me, it was a beautiful experience watching the new season after rewatching season 1. It feels like taking off the heavy burden of Viking absurdity and relaxing the mind to dive into a philosophical abyss that the author was slowly forming underneath. The anime incorporates many philosophical concepts, blending them to create something where the story becomes less significant and what youabsorb from it for your life, in the end, becomes monumental. Yet it has amazing story arcs with striking visuals and transcendental background score.
The anime was heavily influenced by Tolstoyan thoughts of non-violence and Aristotelian ethics regarding the good life. Tolstoyan ideas of non-violence mean that true strength is in peace and forgiveness. Tolstoyan ideas rejected all forms of violence, including war, state coercion, and even personal self-defense, believing that they contradict love and forgiveness. On the other side, Aristotelian ideals of Eudaimonia, or the good life, Aristotle believed that a good life is led by reason, which means developing virtues. Thorfinn's journey in season two illustrates a change from a life driven by vengeance and violence to one striving for peace and morality—a new life aligned with both Tolstoyan ideas and Aristotelian ethics. The utopia "Vinland" itself is a blend of humanistic ideals and stoicism.
Thorfinn's struggle with meaning, purpose, and revenge-driven nature also echoes Sartre's existential themes. Later in the story, Thorfinn tries to create his essence of life through his actions. When he starts to ditch his central motive, vengeance, he slowly embraces his redundant existence. His actions question the conventional morals that exist in society. The show also creates a heavy tension between fate and the choices one makes, continuing its concentration on stoic thoughts.
Vinland Saga examines freedom, the human condition, and the absurdity of life in a violent, indifferent world by combining all the philosophical lenses. It leaves a drought within our man-made morals, our absurdly functioning society, and what purpose we seek in the void. In my opinion, the second season concluded the series well overall. Didn't read the manga and got to know that there are two more arcs yet to be adapted. Anticipating how they will conclude this wonderful tale.