Anime 49387 Vinland Saga Season 2 Reviews Filter Check 2

If you liked season 1 of Vinland Saga, you better bring some caffeine to season 2 because you will be bored to sleep.

If this was a standalone anime, it wouldn't be half bad. But to go from an amazing, action packed season 1 where you are constantly on the edge of your seat to a boring ass farming simulator is a travesty.

10 episodes in and I cant honestly tell you anything that has happened in that 10 episodes...

You would probably find more enjoyment out of going to a farm near you and watching the farmer toil away in the fields.

EDIT:
Now that I have ... finished the entire second season, I felt it necessary to update my review. While I still dont have it anywhere near the caliber that season 1 was at, season 2 made up for it by the end. The first ~14 episodes can be skimmed through, or watch it while you're preoccupied because I still hold firm that that first half was boring as all hell.

The second half of season 2 had just enough action, intrigue, and philosophy that it made up for the snooze-fest of the first half. With some beautiful action scenes, moral conundrums, and the worst possible way to prove his identity that has ever been devised; I was pleasantly surprised with the last 10 episodes.

Vinland Saga's second season retains the beautiful visuals from the first and still contrasts those with the cruel nature of the world it portrays. However, the tone and overall nature of the show have changed significantly. For most of the season the setting has been changed from the battlefield to just the field. The season has little action and has become much more drama oriented.

While the lack of action may be a turn off for some viewers, my problem with the second season lies elsewhere: I'm old enough to have gotten most youthful idealism out of my system, so I simply dont ... reasonate with the now turned pacifist protagonist. The show goes from amazinly writen to silly as soon as pacifist Thorfinn enters the fray, making the tone oddly inconsistent.

All that being said, the show has good production value and, when not disturbed by Thorfinn's pacifism, can be quite gripping.

In conclusion, if you go into this season expecting action and a "badass" protagonist, you are going to be disapointed. But if you are looking for a gripping drama, and are not put off by the idea of viking Gandhi, this show is for you.

Vinland Saga Stories would probably be a best name for this second season, specifically because it doesn't have much of anything previously established, and mostly build up on top of new stories and events to the point that the original characters look only as special contributor than the main focus of the show, they are they but they don't feel like leading the ship, but only taking a ride along.

Personally i dont mid slow paced stories, if they are written well i will like them, but something in this second season makes it feel inherently bad as a slow paced show, the fact that it's ... tied to an very action based aggressive background creates somewhat of a contradiction to what was shown, with greater weights on their backs, they would've needed to follow a specific path, and unfortunately several things in this season felt for me out of character, out of place, poorly explored and even distracting or time wasting. Maybe it was because of the way the first season was presented, it simply made the second season impossible to be properly adapted in a way it would've given the same feelings and emotions of spectacle as in the first one. People who liked the first one for the action and impact, gore and violence will mostly hate the sequel for this boring slow feeling that it has now.

The first great question i had from the middle to the end of this season was: What was this all about? In the first season you would have easily answered: greed, power, revenge, the price of your actions, how far would you go and what were you willing to do for what you want or believe. But what about this second season? What was this all about? slavery? love? hatred? penance? forgiveness? And even if you could say it had a bit of it all, was it even tied well to everything that was happening? Did it really made things lead up one to the other?

This story isn't about Thorfin or Canute, even if the show tries to portray them as the main protagonists, this story is about Einar, Arnheid, Ketil and all the other supporting characters. You could even at any time remove Thorfin and Canute from the equation and it would've ended with a similar plot, with similar events, and for me at least, this is a significant flaw in the story for a Vinland Saga Season 2. When the two greatest ties to everything that was previously established could so easily be removed and forgotten without changing anything on how things would happen, you have a significant problem on your story's structure

They don't even feel the same, Thorfin doesn't feel like Thorfin, nothing on his struggle makes sense to how he was previously established, i can understand him having internal conflicts because of his meaning of life being stolen from his hands and now none of his misdeeds being justified, but i don't get it how he got from that into vegetative state, and how he somehow got enlighten with his dad's words of peace at the very last most convenient moment, even less how Einar of all things was the Trigger for all that supposed returnal and progression, it alt felt unearned and forced

Canute felt worse, he did already had a very promising possible conflict, with the pre-established bases, ready to be built, would've he followed on the teachings of his adopted father and his concepts about religion, or continue the ruthless lineage of his biological family, and it all was thrown away and replaced with a generic "i will bring chaos because god is unfair", and "the power of the crown corrupts". It was made even worse because not even a single time where the crown thing was used made a single sense, he didn't had any clear reason to engrave this message so hard on his mind, from someone who never gave him any reason to do so, and somehow these generic worlds of power corrupting where what haunted him the most?

I don't even think they've chosen the right subjects to tie the events of the story well. Why is Snake, Ketil, Sverkel and friends all so underdeveloped and under explored? When they all are the ones mostly tied to the main events of the story, when they all had so much potential with their backstories and past events, it all just to be wasted and replaced by the Arnheid and Gardar's cursed lovers story, something that was simply stretched too long, to the point i could even made the assumption that their story was actually supposed to be the main story to be told, and everything else was just forced to fit along, rolled around to be named as a Vinland Saga

I don have any other problems with anything else shown in this season other than it doesn't fit what was pre-established about Vinland Saga, i would've had even less problems if it wasn't tied or made as an direct sequel to Vinland Saga. The wait it ended up, this was a disappointment for me, a very mid "sequel" to a highly praised show

While the first season was all about the visceral fights and violent atrocities, the second season of Vinland Saga leans heavily on introspection and personal growth. Unfortunately it's frequently a bore-fest with snail pacing and excessive melodrama. There are many moving and memorable scenes, but the context and build-up can feel draining and saturated with cloying sentimentality and depression. There are very few adult anime that can stick to humorless brutal realism mixed with the everyday mundane without being tempted to spice it up by going completely medieval, which it eventually does, but never forgetting it's original vision. That being said, while the acting itself ... is stellar, the dialogue is about as simplistic and as sparse as it gets, almost like there was a word budget of some kind, and they needed to spread it out and milk it for what it's worth, contributing to the very slow pace. I know this is the Viking age, but they might as well be neanderthals chatting about taking a dump. There's some serious questions about the premise of the entire story, of the logic behind the MC's inner drive, and of the McGuffin that is Vinland. It's like listening to five year olds discussing how to achieve world peace. While the moment to moment struggles can be engaging, the overall goals are beyond naive and elicit eyerolls constantly. And it's all the worse when the excellent music tries to accentuate the frivolity of many of the conflicts. Excessively long and repetitive sequences of the MC's inner demons also don't help. This will also irritate many people, but I am firmly in the "this is an ugly anime" camp, seemingly deliberately so, with its thick lines, furrows, wrinkles, scars, and heavyset bodies. It's in the same vein as Attack on Titan's final season, also another MAPPA eyesore, but not as horrible. It's a really mixed bag here, with enough good points and a unique story to make you want to watch, but also forcing you to trudge through lots of mud all the while.

I will try to make a more in depth review later, when I have more time, so for the time being here are my spoiler free thoughts.
The second season tries to take the show in a completely new direction. The fast paced action of season 1 is nowhere to be seen around here, but in its place we get a much slower story about Thorfin struggling with his past and learning to live a peaceful life. As you can imagine, there is some awkwardness to the transition and there are some problems here and there, but its nothing dealbreaking. If the show stayed like that ... it would be an easy recommend from me. Sadly, the second half of the show is not like that. The trouble starts with episode 13, when a jojo character spawns in the woods and uses his stand "Let the bodies hit the floor" to give the entire main cast brain damage, after which they all take a massive shit on everything the first half tried to achieve. I hoped that the last arc could rescue the show, but instead we got one of the stupidest endings I have ever had the displeasure of seeing.

How this season got a better score than season 1 I just don't know.... Must be score bombing or whatever....

The good thiings about this season:
The art was amazing... really beautiful animations and sceneries for that matter.. it was good at capturing certain feelings of the characters and/or envieroment..
However... this is where it ends...

The bad things about the show:
Following a season 1 which captured the Viking culture meeting christianity as well as season 1 being ACTION packed, filled with cool moments, interesting characters, alot of development through the story as well as characters, this season 2 just doesn't deliver AT ALL...
I found myself wondering if ... this was even Vinland Saga I was watching..
The pacing was TERRIBLE compared to season 1 ... slooooow story telling and in every single episode you had 3-5 minutes of seing the scenery, weather, peoples eyes, the wind on the grass, birds in the sky... LItterally all this season did was introduce us to a scenery that was reconfirmed at every single episode.. Heck, I know more about the weather occurances throughot the season than I know the characters....
The thing I loved about Vinland Saga season 1 was the pacing and action as well as those "oh damn" moments... In this season we had zero of those moments...
It's like going from Die Hard to 50 First Dates... It's a complete overhaul of the series...

I have to say that i get why they spend so much time on certain scenery and reaction shots on characters as well as the slow pacing.. It was just not anything I expected would be so dominant in season 2 after watching season 1... It wasn't this slow paced story telling filled with regrets and heavy feelings that I watched Vinland Saga for..

If you enjoyed season 1 as much as I did, I definetely wouldn't recommend this season at all.. But if you are into a beautiful artstyle with in-depth feelings getting translated visually, then for sure, go ahead and watch it! Cause it is very well made, like very very well made, especially seen from an artistic point of view.. It just wasn't the follow up on season 1 I wanted it to be...

I will try categorizing some of the areas with scores below here..

Visuals/artstyle/animations: 10
Stunning! Absolutely beautiful visiuals where you really feel the love of animations poured onto this show.. Anyone saying otherwise is mad..

Sound: 8
The intro/outo isn't to my likings compared to season 1.. However I do feel like the intro song is well fitted to the theme of the first half of the season atleast..
The sounds otherwise are good.. Not anything amazing, just standard high quality and what you would expect of Mappa..

Pacing: 2
Absolutely horrible pacing... If you took out all of the scenery shots, reaction shots, watching tears falling down, seeing birds in the sky, watching the wind on the grass, the trees etc.. Then you could maybe remove 5 full episodes of content...
I can only compare it to season 1 pacing since that had a really good pacing imo... This season is waaaaaay too slow paced and half the time you feel like nothing is happening..

Story: 3
Again.. the story is actually well written for what it is the story wants to tell the viewer which is why I raise the score to 3, however... the pacing kills it off completely.. It feels like no real progress is being made half the time.. It really tries to capture the mental states of the main characters and it does do that very well.. however the overall story and continuation of season 1 feels lackluster.. It feels rushed in the end and non-existing at the beginning.. Everything is about the mental states of someone...
Heck, you even get to enjoy a full 3 episodes of a side character to a side character and how he's feeling throughout his life, even though he himself is completely irrelevant to Thorfinn.. It was like focusing on the feelings on someone to show the feelings of another one that then moved the feeling os the friend of Thorfinn who is the MC..
Waaay too much screen time for a subside-side character...

Characters: 3
There are so many side characters in this show who are fairly irrelivant to the story as well as the MC.. Some of them are comlpletely irrelevant as well as pretty boring characters..
There are a few interesting characters at first though any real character development is non-exisiting on these, so they kind of fall off in the long run..
Generally there were mostly just boring characters with no real development... Only Thorfinn had some development, but again he is the MC..

Action: 1
There were A FEW good action scenes in the seson, however I think that if you took every fighting scene, all of the action of the series and combined it, it would probably be 1 full episodes worth of action, maybe 1,5...
This is definetly NOTHING like season 1 and don't watch this season to expect any kind of action...
There were no real "oh damn" moments at all except for maybe 1 or 2 times where it looked like it was about to get good, just to get anti climatized by the story itself...

These are just some of the points i have rated my score from.. I know these combined wouldn't even make it 5 in score, but the show still has some promise after all..
But it kind of depends on season 3.. This season could be a good lead-iup to an amazing season 3.. However if season 3 fails to deliver then this season would have been obsolete and would have been a waste of time watching...
If however season 3 becomes really good and the story and characters really develop after such a long journey of season 2, then this season would be amazing for shifting the pace and building up what's to come....

Now all we can do is wait for season 3 and pray...

Is it a good show?
Yes.
Is it an extremely deep and expertly written masterpiece?
nope.

While I liked this season I think it has flaws and I'm not talking about the lack of action. These flaws were also in the first season, but this time they are more noticeable because of the lack of spectacle early on.

My biggest problem is that the character development in Vinland saga feels cheap and unnatural.
Lets take season 1 Canute as an example. instead of gradually becoming more of a leader and taking small steps to get over his fear, it's like a switch is turned on in his head. suddenly his fear ... is completely gone and he's not even flinching when Thorkell throws a punch at his face.
yes it's a cool moment, and yes he had a revelation that changes him, but Canute's development goes from A to G instead of the more realistic and slower A B C D E F G. (Like with Zuko and Walter white)
When we see Canute in season 2 he is changed even more, poisoning his own brother, becoming a killer for the greater good.
He is a completely different person from the weak girly coward. This extreme character development sounds great on paper but the rushed execution ruins its potential. Instead of him talking to the goofy head of his death father, we could have had a scene of him breaking down, crying, thinking to himself ''What have I done? I killed my own brother!'' Also how much more interesting would it have been if he was forced to kill his own brother because of some kind of circumstance. instead he just does it because his brother could become a problem later on. (this made him really unlikable to me)
Vinland saga doesn't need more action, it needs higher stakes and most of all it needs to test it's characters more on their morals. they should have to make extremely hard choices. choices that change them as people. this is how good character development is done. (again think about Zuko or Walter white as good examples)
Having characters change because of a dream or some kind of hallucination is cheap and takes a lot less skill to write.
And this is what happens to Thorfinn in this season. Yes He realized he want's to live because of instinctively dodging snake as well as him feeling guild for killing people because he spoke to Einar. But the big moment that changes him is a cheap hallucination where he talks with Askeladd in the underworld. instead it would have worked better if his big moment was relevant to the bigger story. (not just punching some bozo side character and getting knocked out from behind) A moment where he was forced to kill someone, but decided not to. This choice could have had negative consequences(other people getting killed because he didn't kill one person) testing his new morals.
Imagine if Einar got killed by Canute at the end of the season. That would have really tested Thorfinns new morals. He would have had to just walk away with Einars body in his arms, accepting he fucked up, not letting his anger take over. But of course something like that didn't happen because Thorfinn activates his talk no jutsu and for some kind of reason Canute finds it hilarious and is like 'fuck the shit I planned. Lets take this huge risk by removing most of my soldiers from England.' and of course this works without any consequences. Even tho he killed their 2 former kings with poison.(which makes him look weak) rumors about him killing with poison would have definitely spread around England. why would everyone accept him as the new king?
Thorfinns "I have no enemies" bullshit only works because he isn't properly tested. He doesn't have to make any hard choices. Everything is just handed to him. he was never a real slave. his master was nice to him and gave him freedom. Thorfinn throughout his whole live was almost never in any real danger that he didn't choose to be in himself. I'm all for pacifism but Thorfinns pacifism is just annoyingly naive and unrealistic. Thorfinn indeed never had any real enemies. neither had his dad. because they had the privilege of never being oppressed by someone stronger than them. The reason Thorfinns live sucked was by his own choice. And the only reason he can follow his new pacifism beliefs without being a big brain strategist is because he killed so many people, which made him a strong fighter even without a weapon. The show might seem extremely deep if you compare it to basic shonen for 12 year olds. But If you look at it a bit more critically it's a good show, but far from "peak fiction"

7/10

6/10

Vinland Saga season 2 is alright but noticeably worse than its predecessor. While I enjoyed the overall plot and story, I found that the show moved way too slowly, was full of pointless scenes, and could have been shrunken down to maybe 12-15 eps (in which case is could of been an 8).

I loved the overall plot of the story, with Thorfinn rediscovering who he truly is and finding an identity of his own. It’s full of great characters like Einar, snake, and old master who are all great well-developed characters. On the other side, we followed Cannute’s development which was also interesting to see, ... who like Thorfinn, is also trying to forge his new identity after losing his father. While there were way fewer fight scenes, the few left were pretty good.

Unfortunately, this show is really hindered by mini-arcs and terribly slow pacing. Thorfinn’s whole PTSD issues were very boring and lasted about 10 episodes, I think there was one episode dedicated to it entirely where he has a dream with Askelad which I almost skipped. Armheid's subplot with her husband returning was also way too long. The overall thing going on where they show how his insane rage destroyed him was pretty good, but the flashbacks that lasted half the episode were so pointless. This show is riddled with all sorts of boring and pointless dialogue that I wish they just took out. The cheesy dialogue between him and Einar wasn’t helping either. They constantly edge us out with some cliffhanger, and it's to the point where if something interesting happens I almost expect there to be filler-tier content for the next 20min. Very predictable.

I’m sad they made this show 24 eps instead of something shorter, as I feel a lot of people lost interest, so we might not get a third season. Could have easily been solved. I’d say if you enjoyed the first season this is still worth watching, just be ready to have your finger on the right arrow key.

I'll just get this out of the way: this Vinland Saga season is either so intellectually crafted that my pea brain could not understand its perfection, or it is really just overrated by the community.

I get the point that Thorfinn develops in a fascinating way, reaching a conclusion that most people are afraid of facing, but I felt like it was a bit forced. Yes, the events of the first season (especially the ending) are impactful in many ways, both to Thorfinn and to the reader, and the fact that Thorfinn's father was how he was has influenced his mentality. But it just feels ... unrealistic to me. It would be great if people actually came to realize what he did, but that just does not happen, because we are human. Besides, even though I really liked Einar, I do not really see how he is worthy of having that much screen time. He is not important enough to the plot's progression nor to Thorfinn's development that the amount of him we see is reasonable. But again, I really do like his character.

Anyways, I can agree that the visuals and soundtrack are amazing, and like the first season (even though I do prefer the first season by a mile), it is splendid. I am anxious to see how the story will unfold from now on.

I always felt that Thorfinn was the weakest and least interesting part of Vinland Saga.
That wasn't an issue in S1, because despite him being the protagonist, he wasn't really the focus of the story most of the time. A vibrant cast of interesting side characters carried the plot, which was entertaining in itself with all its political machinations, philosophical debates and grey moralities.

But none of that is in S2. The entire cast has been stripped away, the plot has been stripped away, and instead we're stuck watching Thorfinn spiraling internally while nothing happens around him. That wouldn't be an issue if he had any ... depth as a character, but just like how S1 Thorfinn was a one-note, blind 100% kill for vengeance, S2 Thorfinn is a blind 100% no violence EVER under ANY circumstances, and you don't need to be a prophet to figure out that that's probably not gonna work out too well either.
Some people might rejoice at this "deep" and "mature" character development moving at the speed of a glacier, but I simply don't think there is a need to waste 48 episodes worth of watchtime on a protagonist figuring out that "violence = bad, but a bit is necessary to protect what you care for", when other shows can deliver the same message in 3 episodes.

Also, and this hurts me to admit as a MAPPA fan, but - it's visually a downgrade from the first season. Not a big one, but it's very noticeable how long the show holds on stills compared to S1. Sometimes it's surely done on purpose - to let something sink in for the viewer or signify the weight of a certain moment - but it happens all the time, every single episode, and seemingly at random, regardless of the mood the scene is trying to convey. The animation is beautiful when it's there, but it still feels like corners were cut to some degree, by extending the amount of time they don't have to animate anything. Sadly, that means an already very slow-paced show feels even slower, because you're just staring at an unmoving straw of wheat, cloud or unblinking eyeball for 20 seconds every other minute.

Oh, and to adress the elephant in the room:
Personally I was glad the gruesome violence has been toned down a lot to the point where some people would say it is entirely absent (it isn't, but there is noticably less), but of course if that was a big draw for someone in S1, this new season is bound to disappoint in that regard.

So, overall this season has been a tedious lesson in patience so far, with a weak, uninteresting cast of side characters that just can't live up to the footprints of their predecessors and can't pick up the slack of their underwhelming protagonist. But if you think Thorfinn taking two seasons to learn the most basic lesson in human decency is interesting, then by all means, knock yourself out. At least you'll get to enjoy nice visuals and music and the occasional cameo reminding you of the interesting cast this show USED to have ;)

Brazilian portuguese:
Diferente da primeira temporada que foi espetacular, a segunda temporada reforçou ainda mais o problema de enrolação para a historia se desenvolver, faltando muita ação que o tornou muito melancólico, claro que para quem gosta a segunda temporada acabou se tornando boa, para mim faltou muitos elementos da primeira temporada nao agradando ao meu senso de animes, sendo assim parei no episódio 6 da segunda temporada, anime 5/10 seria melhor se eles elaborassem mais na 2°temp

English:
Unlike the first season which was spectacular, the second season further reinforced the problem of stalling for the story to develop, lacking a lot of action that made it ... very melancholic, of course for those who like the second season ended up becoming good, for me it lacked many elements of the first season not pleasing my sense of anime, so I stopped at episode 6 of the second season, anime 5/10 would be better if they elaborated more in the 2nd season

Pacing problems, pacing problems, pacing problems. This season should have been 15 episodes or so. In the pursuit of a 24 episode season they stretched the content to the point of breaking.

If you were the list the sequence of events, it would be a very good story. It IS a good story; we have the manga right there as proof. But so many sequences were repetitive, establishing information we already had. It became exhausting.

It’s definitely better to watch this season now that all the episodes have been released, since you can actually power through to the plot lines—simple arcs take 3 or more ... episodes to resolve through circuitous, repetitive story telling. Being able to go from one episode to the next helps some of the pacing issues. There is gold here, but you’re sifting for it.

The animation is gorgeous, fortunately. There is a slight stylistic change between the two seasons (even with their close relationship, WITS and MAPPA are different in style) which makes it somehow even grittier than the first season. Everyone has rough, scarred hands with chipped finger nails. Things are a little dirtier and muddier. But the light is more beautiful and the character design rides the line of realism and anime well.

There is definitely a portion of the audience that is dissatisfied with the pacifist turn of this anime from the first season. Thorfinn’s absolute domination in battle was a large part of the appeal of season one. To see a character like that completely avoid fighting can make you feel like Thorkell, begging for a fight—any fight!—but this is the character growth arc that fits Thorfinn on his journey to understanding what it means to be a “true warrior” and why his father lived the way he did.

If the action was the only thing that drew you to Vinland Saga, season 2 will definitely be a disappointment. If a third season is made, try coming back then: there is a bit more action and little less angst in the events that follow the end of this arc.

However, overall this was still an excellent season of anime. It was beautiful, dramatic, and cohesive. However, you will be forgiven for fast forwarding.

Minor note: I feel that some of the humor of the manga is turned down/removed in the interest of creating crisper drama. I hope that is an adaptational strategy they abandon if more seasons are made. It makes the world feel slightly emptier.

With a strong finale, viewers might be inclined to believe at first glance that this piece of media is up to par with the biggest legends of anime history. After all, the elements for a strong, emotional, and impactful narrative are there.

However, as soon as you start analyzing just a tiny bit of what you are presented with, you begin to realize the shallow and non-committal depth of the themes and their depictions in this season. Therefore, very basic questioning of actions or situations can lead to a feeling of confusion and even annoyance due to their lack of proper development and logical or emotional ... construction.
Many key scenes in this season are ungraciously interrupted by something or someone. As if the direction of this season was severely afraid of being depicted as "boring" or "not fun enough" to watch.
Humor is also used in a very crude and out-of-place way, almost insulting the viewer as someone who can't dwell on meaningful or difficult feelings.
But the biggest issue lies in the basically nonexistent and logic-averse character development. This makes the choices and emotions our main characters experience look impossibly perfect, at times stupid, detached from reality, and very disconnected from this season's hellish setting. Not only are these choices never challenged or questioned by anyone or anything in the story, but the story itself seems to bend to accommodate such decisions to make them work.

That being said, there are still plenty of things you may enjoy, like the direction of certain episodes, the visuals, the soundtrack, and the overall message this story tries to convey. If you are willing to ignore the inelegant writing, abysmal character development, and clear lack of direction for a lot of the 24 episodes, you may still find an enjoyable yet flawed experience watching this season.

It was good... Unlike the first season this was near ungodly slow and honestly a bit dull at times. A show that wasn't lacking in quality but is more suited toward a mature audience and not just an 17+ adult one. The previous season was fast paced, and violent. No one really had to pay attention the plot to get hyped for Thorfinn to beat the odds and survive. This whole second season was introspective, a mature adults slice of life from a different era and culture just up until the end. I was fully involved with every minute of the episodes up until the ... halfway point, the show never stopped being good but it was clear that action wasn't going to be the mainstage at this point, and after the dozenth minute plus crying scene I was ready to begin skipping ahead in episodes. It's dark, sad, and has a philosophic/near idealist outlook. A great season bogged down by it's own heavy emotional weight. I will probably never re-watch this season, unlike the first one, not that that's entirely a bad thing, the thrill factor was just hardly noticeable in this season. It's officially left shonen levels of simplicity and violence, and is now the Seinen anime that I think long time manga fans were waiting for.
(I watched 23 episodes in one binge, yesterday, and the final ep today.)

Vinland Saga Season 2: A Hilariously Tragic Tale of Viking Farm Life (and Not Much Else)

Remember those epic battles, the blood-soaked revenge quests, and the brooding introspection from season 1? Yeah, toss those out the window, because Vinland Saga season 2 is here to replace them with...well, let's just say it's about as exciting as watching paint dry on a fjord.

Brace yourselves for:

The story meanders slower than a sloth on Ambien. One minute you're watching Thorfinn contemplate the meaning of life while staring at a potato, the next you're treated to a thrilling political debate about...land taxes? Don't worry, the excitement doesn't stop there. We ... also get to witness the nail-biting drama of...building a house. Riveting, I tell you.

Thorfinn: From Bloodthirsty Berserker to Whiny Farmhand: Dude traded in his axe for a hoe and his rage for existential angst. Now, his biggest enemy is boredom, and his most thrilling adventure is finding the perfect manure pile. Prepare for endless monologues about the meaning of life delivered with all the enthusiasm of a soggy potato.

Leif Erikson: The World's Most Confused Explorer: This dude's navigational skills make a drunk squirrel with a compass look like Magellan. He spends more time getting lost than Vikings spend raiding, somehow managing to miss entire continents despite having the wind and the stars on his side. Buckle up for hilarious detours to Narnia and Atlantis, all while he mumbles about Vinland like a lost puppy.

Farm Simulator 2023: Viking Edition: Remember all those epic clashes and political intrigue? Gone, replaced by the thrilling drama of planting turnips and milking cows. Witness the nail-biting tension as Thorfinn contemplates the ethical dilemma of using fertilizer. Feel the adrenaline rush as Einar debates the best way to compost. It's more relaxing than a spa day, but about as exciting.

New Characters: A Rogues' Gallery of Blandness: Meet a bunch of forgettable faces with all the depth of a puddle. There's the grumpy old farmer, the annoyingly chipper farmhand, and the generic villain who's about as threatening as a wet noodle. They're like the bargain bin version of the season 1 cast, offering all the charisma of a sack of potatoes.

Pacing That Makes a Snail Look Usain Bolt: This season is slower than a one-legged sloth on a tranquilizer bender. Episodes crawl by like a wounded walrus, leaving you wondering if you've accidentally hit the pause button. Just when you think things might pick up, they slam on the brakes harder than a Viking trying to avoid a tax collector.

But wait, there's more!

Enjoy the animation that occasionally dips into "early 2000s flash game" territory.
Savor the soundtrack that's about as exciting as elevator music on mute.
Revel in the dialogue that's so profound it makes fortune cookie messages sound like Shakespeare.
So, who should watch this glorious mess?

Masochists who enjoy watching their favorite characters get lobotomized.
People who think farm chores are the peak of human drama.
Anyone who needs a cure for insomnia.

Final Verdict:

Vinland Saga season 2 is the anime equivalent of a lukewarm bowl of gruel. It's not offensive, but it's spectacularly uninspired. If you're looking for epic Viking adventures, look elsewhere. But if you need a good laugh (or a nap), this might be the unintentional comedy you've been searching for. Just don't say I didn't warn you.

P.S. If you see any tomatoes flying your way after reading this, it's probably from angry Vinland Saga fans. Just run. Don't say I didn't warn you twice.

This review will not contain any spoilers for what happens in the show or any of the characters, but for my review to make sense I must convey that there are more points of view this time around. Long story short, this season is slow, and I don't mean that it lacks action, a lot of shows can have a pretty fast pace with little to no action, and season 1 of Vinland saga had plenty of low-action episodes that weren't all that slow.

Story - 6/10
The 6/10 is a gross over simplification, it feels a lot more like several different shows that would probably be ... 8/10 on their own, but this season just seems afraid to progress the story. Whenever it seems like something is about to happen (once again, not necessarily action) the focus shifts to something else completely for a while before swapping again before anything truly substantial happens.

Art - 9/10
Really solidly drawn, great cinematography.

Sound - 8/10
The voice acting is good, but the soundtrack feels a lot flatter than season 1.

Character - 9/10
I actually really like how Thorfinn is handled in this season, and the new characters generally hold up well.

Enjoyment - 4/10
Here is where it falls flat. The fact that the show just staggers and staggers drives me insane, everything is just way too slow.

Overall - 6/10
If this season had been 8 episodes that were an hour long instead I'm pretty sure this wouldn't have been an issue, but the story they are telling really doesn't feel like its working with episodes this short.

For the life of me I don’t understand how this has an average score of 8. Thorfinn, while he needed to grow and evolve as a character, did not need to convert into a monk/priest to become a good man. He just becomes a boring character not worth watching or investing in. After season one I was excited to watch this next season. After watching this last season I couldn’t care less about the next one. The only positive note I can give is that at least the animation itself was quite nice. Mappa always does a great job as usual.

"Best Wheat Farming Documentary and Training guide ever created by mankind." - Steve from Minecraft [Steve did not watch Vinalnd saga season 1]

Anyways, Jokes aside Lads,
Welcome, my fellow anime voyagers, to the saga that is Vinland Saga Season 2. It's like a Viking longboat, not the fancy kind with the dragon head, but the workhorse kind that gets you from point A to point B without losing a single crew member to sea monsters. It's definitely not a 9, to the dismay of many, but it's a sturdy, reliable 8. It's like the porridge of the anime world - not the most exciting dish on ... the menu, but it fills you up and keeps you going.

The story is a whirlwind of Viking emulating shenanigans with a now sheepish Thorfinn, with enough twists and turns to make maybe only a baby sailor seasick. The characters used to be as complex as a Norse knot, each with their own tangled web of motivations, desires, and fears. But this season, you could easily read any character except one or two. Thankfully though the animation is still like a Viking tapestry, not the most detailed or vibrant, but it tells and suits this story right, and that makes it worth paying attention to. The sound is like the rhythmic rowing of oars, not particularly melodious, but it sets the pace and keeps things moving.

But let's not ignore the sea monsters in the room. Yes, my dear reader, even the mightiest Viking saga has its flaws. There were times when the pacing felt as slow as a longboat caught in the doldrums. Those farming days at the start still chokes me full of wheat in my nostrils and throat somedays, but we have survived. There were moments when the plot was as predictable as the tides in Switzerland, now those who do not know basic geography, Switzerland is a landlocked nation. But these are mere barnacles on the hull of an otherwise sturdy ship.

So, should you watch Vinland Saga 2? Well, if you're a fan of epic Viking sagas, complex characters, and battle scenes that make you want to shout "For Odin!", then the answer is a resounding HELL NAW. But if you're looking for a light-hearted, easy-to-digest anime, then you might be surprised STILL HELL NOOO. This is not a pleasure cruise, youll have to till, plant, water, ohh sorry my farming disease from watching this show was acting up again, cause if you were to watch I promise you, you will be able to plant a farm yourself with the amount of farmning they showed us.So only watch,, if you are truly a fan of vinland saga, tread forth carefully anime viewer, take those preceeding words seriously, or reklse, you cannot blame me!!

In the end, Vinland Saga 2 is a very conflicting show. It's not the most glamorous journey, but it's definitely one that will leave you with tales to tell and sagas to sing. It's not perfect, but it's a damn good anime. And in the grand scheme of things, isn't that what truly matters?

So, strap on your helmet, grab your shield, and join the crew of Vinland Saga 2. And remember, it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. See you on the other side, fellow Viking.

Thanks for reading, you beautiful berserker. Until next time, stay awesome.

Vinland Saga Season 1 was good, but not just for its flashy action, its charismatic characters, or for it's commentary on war, but also for the small things. The color palette is bright and full of contrast, the music fresh and inspiring, hitting its highs and lows right alongside the story. But unfortunately, I'm not sure if it's just a MAPPA thing, but they suck at all of that. You have great characters, a highly nuanced and subtle story, but what gives such a story heart is the small things.

From the opening, I immediately felt like the studio was going in the wrong direction. ... The song, the mirror effect, the hallucination-like splitting of the scar, I knew that this was the direction this season was going, and unfortunately, I was right. They say that good writers show and don't tell. It is the same here - hallucinations, the inner voice, all of that is lazy telling, calling out the PTSD from years of war with words rather than reactions to similar events, calling out the difficulties of being a benevolent leader with a talking head instead of touring the kingdom to demonstrate how everything just tends to go wrong. This is what the show could have done with their creative license, but instead it drags on through whole episodes of mediocre hallucinations in an attempt to draw out meaning. When I say mediocre, it truly is mid. The backgrounds are bland, the music is uncoordinated, there is nothing like that scene in season 1 where the girl loses her faith in god under a devastatingly beautiful night sky. The only reprieve comes in the form of Askeladd - who in his brief two minutes of screen time, manages to wrap up Thorfinn's feelings far better than five minutes of falling into the abyss and talking with Thors did. "You don't want to be down here."

There is nothing fundamentally wrong with MAPPA's production, but there is always something to be desired. The art style and color palette fails to convey the peace and simple beauty of farm life, rather than leaning into more saturated colors, it tends towards gray and drab. The work scenes concentrate on clearing the forest, but hardly ever shows the minute details of planting and tending to their crops, which should be their pride. In short, MAPPA lacks the vision that WIT had, they are more so in the business of adapting a book for the masses than creating anything with heart. It's the same as the last Bond movie - their stunt work and set design are bog standard, while John Wick 4 blows all of those elements out of the water with their dynamic lighting and passionate stunt people and fight choreographers.

First thing I have to say, Einar is UNBEARABLE, man, what an insufferable person. Thorfinn has to act like a babysitter for him, seriously, he gets all worked up all the time and wants to pick fights with anyone in front of him, even though it's obvious he's going to lose. I don't know if he's just too childish or too dumb, but either way, it really annoys me about this work. Another thing, the anime is very slow-paced. There's a fight scene here and there, but right after those scenes, there's a 5-minute moral lesson. The characters evolve, the story is deep and all ... that, it deals with heavy subjects, but it's not something enjoyable to watch. It's more like something to stop and reflect on the subject, and that's not what I want. I like exciting and cool stories, not dark and depressing ones. But if you're into that kind of thing, Vinland Saga Season 2 is for you!