Vinland Saga’s second season premiered to much anticipation from fans, who have been eager to see the fate of Thorfinn since the end of the first season. However, instead of diving straight into Thorfinn’s story, the premiere episode takes a different approach, focusing on the life of an English farmer named Einar and his family. The episode starts off by depicting their idyllic life, but it quickly turns brutal as Einar’s village is invaded by vikings, and he is forced into slavery.
The episode is devoted to showing Einar’s gradual acceptance of his new reality and the brutality of slavery. He tries to escape, but is recaptured and brutally beaten. By the end of the episode, he has accepted that there is no escape from his situation and hopes for a relatively kind master. Thorfinn only appears at the end of the episode, also a slave and working at the same farm as Einar.
This move to shift focus away from Thorfinn is a bold one, but it ultimately makes the premiere episode much better. It serves to both make the viewer invested in Einar, who seems to be an important new character this season, and to show in brutal detail the horrors and inhumanity of slavery. This also helps to build mystique around Thorfinn and leaves fans wanting more.
If the premiere episode is any indication, Vinland Saga’s second season may be even better than its first. Despite the change in studios, the series is still as good and devastating as ever, and by shifting focus away from Thorfinn, it has already staked its claim as one of the best anime of the season.
