The premiere of Vinland Saga is now streaming on Netflix and Crunchyroll, with new episodes weekly.
Vinland Saga is back after what feels like forever, and it is like it never left. Despite a dreaded studio change, the new season feels just like the Vinland Saga you’re used to, with a strong premiere that poses this as the show to beat this season.
Now that the prologue is over, the true story of Vinland Saga is finally about to start, and it does so by… completely changing settings and characters? In some ways, the Season 2 premiere feels a lot like the Season 4 premiere of Attack on Titan. For one, that episode also marked the start of Studio MAPPA taking over producing duties from WIT Studio, and it felt vastly different from the rest of the show up to that point. Both series are following tremendous and bloody cliffhangers with premieres that introduce an entirely new cast of characters in a different setting, with a slowed-down pace and tone that takes a while before we even get a hint of anyone from the main cast returning.
And just like Attack on Titan Season 4, Vinland Saga returns by introducing us to a character that would have been an enemy to the main cast: a north English farmer named Einar, whose entire life is destroyed by Norse raiders like the ones Thorfinn fought alongside in Season 1. The parallels between Einar and Thorfinn are striking, with the way both men lost their loved ones to violence, and how differently they react to it. Einar is a fascinating character, one that is instantly compelling even if we hardly know him.
Now, the big question going into Season 2 of Vinland Saga was whether the change from WIT to MAPPA would create the same change in aesthetic as Attack on Titan, or worse, the huge drop in quality that plagued One Punch Man. Let me just say, you have nothing to worry about because the show looks as good as ever. This is thanks to the majority of the production staff remaining the same even in the new studio. Character designs are still blocky, detailed, and rough around the edges, the landscapes and backgrounds retain the same aesthetic. The animation itself feels just as fluid and with the same attention to detail in smaller movements and in facial expressions. Even Yutaka Yamada returns to compose the score, and it is as haunting as ever.
Alongside the characters and their arcs, one thing that helped Vinland Saga stand out was its attention to historical detail and verisimilitude, and the very opening of Season 2 proves that is not changing anytime soon. The episode opens with a passage from an old Norse poem, and it is read fully in Icelandic, with the credits revealing that the production consulted the Embassy of Iceland in Japan to help with the narration. It’s a small detail, but one that helps this story feel real and grounded in history — even fake history.
One thing that feels different, due to the change in perspective, is Vinland Saga’s approach to violence. The first season struggled a bit with the same thing shows like Attack on Titan and even Gundam do: portraying violence as horrific while being aware that it does look thrilling on screen. The first season took pains to make sure the audience understood that the Vikings were not cool, that this time period isn’t exciting to those experiencing it, and that the fights were not something to look forward to. And still, as much cruelty and pointless savagery as there was onscreen, the fights did look exhilarating and we were hyped for the next battle.
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This season, at least the premiere, seems to be doing things differently by changing perspective to someone who thinks they can be a warrior, but doesn’t really have the resolve to be one. Einar is not Thorfinn; he hasn’t fully sold his soul and become a ruthless killer. The violence here, while on a smaller scale, is pointless, unnecessary, and brutal. Most importantly, it is shown as mundane and matter-of-factly, which only adds to its horror and its inevitability. Likewise, the show’s portrayal of slavery as something normalized at the time strikes a contrast with the vast majority of anime shows, even this very season, with their soft and almost comedic approach.
Vinland Saga has never been a cool show about a world you’d want to inhabit, or characters you think can accomplish their dreams or make their world better. Instead, it is a story about survival, and about hoping your favorite character can live just one more day before their cruel world takes them. It is not a series about a grand plot or covering the biggest historical moments, but about showing us the people who lived on the sidelines of those big historical moments. So far, Season 2 is doing a great job of reminding us of that. If you were worried this season would feel different, rest assured it is still the Vinland Saga you know. And if you’re not familiar, welcome, because it is just getting started.