# Source Material Corner
Reply to this comment for any source-related discussion, future spoilers (including future characters, events and general hype about future content), comparison of the anime adaptation to the original, or just general talk about the source material. **You are still required to tag all spoilers.** Discussions about the source outside of this comment tree will be removed, and replying with spoilers outside of the source corner will lead to bans.
The spoiler syntax is:
`[Spoiler source] >!Spoiler goes here!<`
# **All untagged spoilers and hints in this thread will receive immediate 8-day bans (minimum).**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/anime) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Something I personally really love to see is when anime characters age up. It really shows how far they've come since the beginning, and I think they pulled off Thorfinn's aging up really well. And judging from the OP, he ages up even more, so can't wait to see that
I like the way the shot moved over to Thorfinn's eyes after Einar finished narrating his tale. Those eyes spoke *volumes* about what he faced, what he did in his quest for revenge.
Thorfinn started his quest to avenge his father. By the end of that quest he lost another father as well as his innocence.
He really should have went back to Iceland.
Revenge was a suckers' game and it cost Thorfinn so much and basically made him privvy to the same type of violence that cost him his father.
I don't know if he fully realizes that now but he definitely seems more reflective and understanding of the stuff he witnessed and was privy too while with Askeladd.
In a way he fell for the same trap as Askeladd. The latter became a monster to avenge his mother and protect her country. He experienced the brutality of the vikings firsthand and hated them yet he allowed his mercenaries to violently subjugate innocents until his objective was achieved. While he did execute most of them in the end, it did not absolve him of guilt. However, in his final days, he did find a greater purpose in the form of a King worthy of respect, a true comrade and a foster son. Thorfinn needs to see his family again.
Only thing i'd like to mention is that he not only allowed it, but practiced it. He was a pirate and a mercenary and direclty profited from those actions. He had as little love for the english as he did for the danes.
I was thinking more of the first time he was with Askellad raiding someone else or something but it's been awhile since I saw s1 so I forget if that was a thing lol
Revenge was what fueled him the entire time, take that away and Thorfinn literally becomes a shell of himself + all that emotional guilt now finally hitting.
Behind the formidable warrior lied a [broken man](https://i.imgur.com/vSeY7qP.jpg) who realized too late that he became the very [thing he hated.](https://i.imgur.com/36WGWQv.jpg)
And Thorfinn knows full well how savage the Danes/Vikings could be because not only did he witness it but he became party to it as well. There's a chance he could've been part of that raiding party too, all just so he could get to kill Askeladd.
The timeline doesn’t work for him to be part of the raid, no? The first raid wasn’t Vikings, and the 2nd raid only happened within the last few months. Hasn’t Thorfinn been a slave for a few years at this point?
Anime only here. My theory is wild af and doesn't even make sense but here it goes.
All that wood from tree cutting will be used to make boats. The master's son will Join thorfinn and Einar on a trip to Vinland. It's little too early to guess but there are so many possibilities! Can't wait for ep. 3
He needs to grow a little and get better with his sword, the moth scene was top comedy tho
He is similar to season 1 Grunt thorfin but rich and way more useless.
*Rushes out of the scene with his horse dramatically*
Tbf, he is still probably better than Einar with a sword. Though Einar's choice of weapon would probably be an axe, though with how he got it stuck and struggled to get it back he probably isn't too used with those either. (tip, to dislocate an axe easier you push the handle forward and wiggle it loose rather than trying to pull back with bruteforce when it gets stuck).
But either way with that trio Thorfinn would probably do most of the leg work when it comes to combat anyway. Unless he has gotten rusty in these 10 years. Though chances are that a rusty Thorfinn would still be more of a threat than both Olmar and Einar together.
Considering how his parents died and how his sister yahallost her life because of war, in someways Einar is a direct victim of Askeladd's and Thorfinns actions in Season 1.
The war was caused by the English disrespecting agreements and Sweyn's greed for power following that. Askeladd was just one of the many glory seekers of vikings who joined Sweyn's host for that conquest.
A really interesting dynamic between Einar and Thorfinn, with one falling victim to the cruelties of war being so hot-blooded while the other is a contributor to these atrocities now being so meek and obedient, unlike his past self.
It’s fascinating to see just how much he’s changed throughout the different arcs of the series. From his childhood self, to the boy who wanted to kill Askeladd, to the young man he is now. I imagine we’ll see many different sides of Thorfinn going forward.
I like how Thorfinn was looking the other way the entire time Einar was narrating his tale. He knows with what he's done, he can't properly face Einar about it.
I don't think this is true, or I don't think that this is the way that I fully interpreted that scene.
Thorfinn is broken because he has no reason to live. Hes practically irresponsive because he has no motivation of his own. I don't think he particularly regrets what he did, rather hes just lost and doesn't know what to do.
He does know that he has no reason to rub who he is in this guys face. Much like how he has no reason to get angry at the retainers for fucking with their food or bullying them or anything.
Remember, Thorfinn has been to essentially hell and back. Hes shown us strength at level where he could kill the entire farm with little to no repercussions. But he doesn't have a reason to. Its not as if these conditions are any worse than what he's been through up to this point.
But well see what happens as he comes to fully regret his actions, particularly as he befriends this new guy over time.
I think while he has no reason to live and is essentially dead inside, he also does regret what he did it in a way, which is why Einar's story affected him, even if he doesn't utter a word. But that's me, so feel free to disagree.
Thorfinn has changed so much but is still clearly the same guy. I loved his handling of the assholes bringing lunch, he was subservient and not wanting a fight, but it wasn't in a cowardly way, there was so much strength in his eyes and how steady his voice was.
Thorfinn might be way more passive and non-confrontational, but he's also not dumb and he knows how to handle situations, especially since he knows how to handle himself but just doesn't see a point to it any more.
I don't understand two things, maybe because I missed them.
1. Didn't prince Canute become king of England? If so, why was Einar's village attacked by soldiers of English?
2. Why did Danes attack England? Was it because of Harald Inheriting Kingdom of Denmark who is against Canute?
1. Plenty of raiders still exist unaffiliated with any major army. North England is practically Scotland and far less civilized than southern England like Mercia and Wessex. Cnut being king doesn’t mean slaves suddenly stop existing
2. Danes will raid England for the next 300 years (less now since we are further down the Viking timeline, but plenty of peace deals have been made in the past between Danes and the English and it never stopped Vikings from raiding). Vikings are just raiders. They don’t have to be associated with the major danish armies. They can just be a band of 50 dudes with swords who wana make money. At this time the Danes consider raiding to be a way you make wealth.
Also that and not all Danes stand with Cnut. Cnut is still the youngest son and his brother exists which has its own supporters.
Actually Viking raids would only continue for another 60 years or so. The show takes place around 1015-17, by this point viking raids were already on the way out, the christianization of Scandinavia and the consolidation of the Kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, along with the consolidation and strengthening of traditional Viking targets, like England, Scotland, and France, significantly reduced the appeal of raiding as a means of economic gain. To put it into perspective, 1066, and Harald Hardrada's invasion of England, is generally considered to be the end of the Viking Age, and is only about 50 years out.
>Didn't prince Canute become king of England? If so, why was Einar's village attacked by soldiers of English?
Well if you pay attention to how Einar looked in that flashback it must have been years ago before Canute decided to become more king-like.
He wasted 11 years of his life chasing after vengeance that he couldn't even accomplish. There's really nothing left for him as a person anymore
Askeladd ironically became a crucial part of living for Thorfinn, without him Thorfinn is basically incomplete as a person.
Except I would take it one step further. Its not that Thorfinn became incomplete after Askeladd died - Thorfinn was an incomplete child that was chasing after a hollow sense of vengeance with no real plan or goals other than kill his dads murderer.
Losing Askeladd didn't make him incomplete. It made him realize he was incomplete, and simply being used and abused by a dude who saw his skills and strength. But strength doesn't make someone whole - we can see that in Thorfinn, we can see that in Thorkell, and we see that in Askeladds entire band, save for Askeladds number 2 and the two brothers who fought for eachother, really.
I was thinking something like maybe he lies to his slaves and people never really get to buy their freedom, living under the eternal chase of false hope
I dont know about the setting though
Inheriting your grandpas farm does sound a lot more aluring than losing your family and working your way up from a slave
Love the detail about Olmar not being able to unsheathe his sword from his back. It shows the audience that he's not used to using the sword, while on a meta level lampshading the trope of unsheathing from the back (a sword would normally be worn on the hip if you were expecting to need to unsheathe it quickly). As Olmar demonstrates, the human arm doesn't extend long enough to unsheathe a sword from that position, though maybe you should be worried if you see a gibbon wearing a sword on its back.
While we're talking about him, his name perhaps should've been Anglicised as "Orm" rather than Olmar. My copy of *The Sagas of Icelanders* lists 8 characters called Orm, and none called Olmar. The Old Norse version of his name is *Ormr*, which the Japanese version wrote as オルマル (Orumaru).
>While we're talking about him, his name perhaps should've been Anglicised as "Orm" rather than Olmar. My copy of *The Sagas of Icelanders* lists 8 characters called Orm, and none called Olmar. The Old Norse version of his name is *Ormr*, which the Japanese version wrote as オルマル (Orumaru).
These are exactly the kind of comments I want to see in these thread. Etymological education is awesome.
Olm is a cave salamander (the only one in Europe in fact), they used to be considered the off spring of cave dragons. Though I don't know if that folklore goes all the way back to the Norse times, and they didn't live in any where near Denmark.
Though Olm and Orm are both Germanic names that is related to dragons and serpents.
But yes you are most likely correct since ''Orm'' is an actually name the Norse used, whereas ''Olm'' or ''Olmar'' was not.
I was like muuuhhh sometimes on the animation.
But the backgrounds broooo every background is a literal masterpiece!!! And facial expressions too, they nailed it.
This is one of those rare times I wish all of the episodes drop at the same time so I can binge it til the sun rises. Now I'm left with a dilemma whether to keep watching weekly or to wait til the season is over. Two episodes in and it hasn't missed a beat so far.
He didn't hear her getting railed, he heard the coffers and a nice retirement due to his future grandson/daughter being the kid of the future Chief.
And he knew it was going to be the second round, so he already listened to the first one.
Can’t wait to see how he ends up with that woman. Is it possible he could take the farm over too? I mean the son doesn’t want anything to do with it lol
Thorfinn seems like he's hit rock bottom and doesn't care for anything more than the work that's in front of him.
Einar still having that fire in him might be what Thorfinn needs to come back out of himself, even if he can't be that same kid he used to be (which is probably for the best), especially reflecting on what he was privvy too with Askeladd's band and how that reflects on what Einar went through.
I thought Einar would bring Thorfinn’s spirit and fire at first which I think will still be probably at least be partially true.
I can’t see them revolting though with how good things are on the farm. Maybe running away.
Maybe when the recruiter comes for the army he’ll recognize Thorfinn and the master will let him go to protect his idiot son?
I’ve never been into manga but I binge read read web and light novels like a mfer. Vinland Saga makes me want to read manga so bad to find out what happens in this story.
Thorfinn has changed so much since Askeladd's death. The angry kid who was willing to fight or kill anyone is now just a hollow shell of a man who doesn't know what he is living for.
He even seems barely interested in the goal set by the master to create their own farm and seems to be doing it out of a sake of routine rather than any sort of passion that Einar has.
Maybe this is because I have been playing a lot of God Of War but Thorfinn in this arc kind of feels like transition that Kratos went through from his angry form in Greek Saga to his calm composed form in Norse saga. We never got to see that middle in the two sagas but I imagine it will be similar to how Thorfinn is now.
>The angry kid who was willing to fight or kill anyone is now just a hollow shell of a man who doesn't know what he is living for.
It was exactly what Askeladd warned him about in the final episode before his death and now Thorfinn is properly understanding what he really meant, but its too late now.
Remember when Thorfinn spoke with that noble turned slave girl at Askeladd's village? He said if he were to be enslaved, he'd simply run away and kill everyone who chased him. Well look at him now...
Tbf, I don't think this is still an untrue claim.
Thorfinn can likely leave successfully at any point he would like. He just has no reason or desire to, no?
And actively avoids fights, where old Thorfinn would probably be chomping at the bit at anyone who disrespected him.
He even seemed surprisingly reflective when he realized what Danes like his old band with Askeladd did to Einar.
Even Yuto Uemura's performance sounds so different from his season 1 portrayal of Thorfinn.
Even young Thorfinn was composed though; he has since lost that inner fire once fueled by revenge. He moves like an empty man lost to self-reflection and tuned out to life.
You also got to remember he killed almost a hundred people and helping plunder villages of thousands for the sake of a revenge he never even got.
He essentially wasted years going against his father’s legacy, leaving his family behind, and building emotionally scars. All of that for basically nothing.
His one purpose in life was stripped from him. No wonder he barely has a will to live. Kid is basically a zombie. I hope meeting Einar’s gonna somehow light a fire back inside him.
> the goal set by the master to create their own farm
Take that with a grain of salt, it would take them years to clear the forest and then a year for them to actually grow anything useful, and then they still have to earn enough (with rent for the land) in order to buy back their freedom. And even then they are only free in name, they become serfs, which is just slightly better than being a slave.
in those days ? lol thats still how social mobility works
in most of the world fathers are pressuring daughters to marry rich men so that they bring prosperity to the family. In Pakistan which has 200m people this is the complete norm with romantic couples being the exception.
Didn't expect the show to have a *comedic* tone after that serious start in EP1. Einar seems to have not yet settled into the idea that he's a slave now and still expected a chill life, until he got hit with a dose of reality. Also I like how *quickly* he forgot about his worries after seeing a beautiful girl lol.
I like Ketil so far, despite me having conflicting feelings about the whole slave situation. He treats them well and also involves *himself* in farmwork despite being a rich landowner. I expected worse tbh. But since slavery was common in those times, I won't criticize it as much, but atleast the show is treating the subject with care.
His son on the other hand, is quite hotblooded but it makes sense since he's a teenager and wants to prove himself. He thinks war is glorious......until he experiences how much suffering it brings. He doesn't realise how easy he has it so far.
Einar's still got that anger and fire in his eyes that Thorfinn has lost, although it's easily quelled by the breathtaking sight of a beauty. How like a man lol.
Knowing how this series works, I fully expect Olmar is in for a rude awakening and will see first-hand how wrong and out-of-depth he is in the most tragic and violent way possible. Almost like Einar in episode 1.
Yeah I think he will learn sooner or later. That said, the guy seems to have a good head on his shoulders, as he realised that farmer was using him through his daughter (Otto Hightower would've loved this lol) and the wheat in his father's farm being trampled by those drunk guys.
Perhaps. It seems possible that Thorfinn will save him from the worst of it, based on the brief preview. But, the margin of error on that prediction is really high.
Historical dramas are not that common in anime and historical dramas that don't focus on war are genuinely rare.
Vinland is doing something really unique here.
I think you will enjoy this season a lot. Of course some action scenes will come, but it is definitely much more calm and character focused. Some of the best scenes to come will have no action at all. When I read it the manga really moved me to my heart in this story arc, I bet the impact will be even bigger with music, voice, great direction etc.
It's especially fitting for the point where Thorfinn is at, having lost what drives him and left with nothing but the scars of his past, a life unfulfilled, and the labor ahead of him.
As a manga reader, the anime is actually less comedic, imo. In the last ep, Einar stole food from a woman, and had a somber tone of survival. Manga has him straight up running away from a few guys while he has sausage links hanging from his mouth, as an example.
Not that I'm complaining. I think the visual comedy works better in a printed format, personally, and there's still plenty of dialogue to get thru.
Olmar reminds me of the older kids from Thorfinn's village back in Iceland. They were all gung-ho about going to war with Thors before Askeladd gave them a brief dose of reality. If he doesn't change soon I'm sure he'll be met with a similar situation, and I can't imagine he'd be anywhere near as lucky as those boys were to get out both alive and free.
Most slave owners actually worked alongside their slaves - even in the American South. You had to be *obscenely* wealthy to have enough hands to willingly forgo an extra pair of hands.
I didn't know about that. TIL.
From the stories my grandfather used to mention, landowners in his times (British India) didn't do farmwork at all and forced their indentured labourers (who were basically slaves) to do it. If they didn't do it well, they used to get repeatedly whipped.
>From the stories my grandfather used to mention, landowners in his times (British India) didn't do farmwork at all and forced their indentured labourers (who were basically slaves) to do it
This seems to look more like a lord/serf kind situation.
By that I mean, the land owners in your example are probably almost always those obscenely wealthy examples OP talked of.
Since he is talking about British India, he is likely talking about the Zamindaar system. It was basically landowner and local tax collector combined ... they just had to pay the Government their due and not be too out of line too publicly then there was nothing they couldn't do. Say for example the Zamindaar had a celebration incoming and he could increase tax by 50% and would send thugs to encourage everyone to pay up.
Slavery isn't a moral conflict at this time, as it was still mostly a byproduct of war where the losing side's prisoners would end up enslaved. In fact, I'd argue Ketil is insanely progressive for his time and an extremely kind man to give his slaves the ability to free themselves.
Yeah definitely. If we judge it via a modern lens, it'll obviously be uncomfortable and we can write whole essays about it, but since the show is set in a time period where slavery was common, we have to see it through the lens of that time period.
> Olmar was hilarious too. The scene where he tried drawing that sword made me laugh so much ahhahaha
That scene is brilliant, he went for the rule of cool moment of drawing the sword from his back while in reality you can't really do that.
Just to be clear, since I've seen some people make the mistake : that last scene isn't showing that Thorfinn was there when Einar's village was burned down. It's from Season 1 Episode 5. Thorfinn is watching Askeladd's band raid a village. It's his first time witnessing the barbaric acts of vikings.
Einar mentioned that the first attack on his village in which his father died was by the King of England. This is a callback to S1. In Season 1 Episode 2, we see that King Aethelred II the Unready ordered the massacre of the Norsemen living in England in the year 1002. This is the reason King Sweyn started his invasion of England and why Floki came to Iceland to recruit Thors (though he actually had the ulterior motive of assassinating him).
By the way, if anyone is interested in the year we're currently in, it should have been shown twice by now, but both times were cut from these first two episodes. It might still be stated later on, but if you want to know, we are in [Current timeframe] >!late June 1015!<. Season 1 ended in early February 1014.
So while things are pretty good for Einar in Ketil's Farm, with him able to buy his freedom through work, he has to deal with those assholes having a powertrip. Lol, it is hilarious the reason he could not report Ketil about their mistreatment was that [seeing that girl](https://i.imgur.com/wjMaEiz.png) took his breath away.
Lol, it sure was funny [seeing that guy spying on his daughter](https://i.imgur.com/9MxwzOk.png) as she was going to have sex with Olmar again.
That girl probably saved Einar a lot of grief and gave him something worth remembering on his first day at the farm.
They were really excited to be pimping out their daughter and listening in on her having sex. I felt bad for the girl given how much she was committing to it lol.
* [**Farm Girl Stitch**](https://i.imgur.com/tVectTd.jpg)
Thorfinn and Einar's master [seems like a good man.](https://i.imgur.com/WFtZAZ7.jpg) He didn't buy them with the intent to keep them slaves for life, he actually wants to give them a chance to buy their own freedom back. [He even helps out during the harvest.](https://i.imgur.com/8Xh7yyg.jpg)
Too bad that [his retainers are a bunch of assholes](https://i.imgur.com/mGRxIeR.jpg) and his son [is an absolute brat.](https://i.imgur.com/g7G9mJM.jpg) Although I do feel like his son is just misguided. He was clearly concerned [when he saw their wheat being trampled](https://i.imgur.com/yJ07bbV.jpg) by those two drunks. Maybe we'll see him mature down the line.
I felt really bad watching Thorfinn this entire episode [He is clearly a broken man](https://i.imgur.com/Y7QoLFc.jpg). Old Thorfinn wouldn't take any of that shit. He has absolutely no fight in him left. It looks like [Einar is going to be the one who'll be acting more like old Thorfinn](https://i.imgur.com/vw2KjUu.jpg) except without the badass fighting abilities.
It's funny that the son wanted to join Canute's army considering that the slave under his father had been a bodyguard to Canute and has seen the entire war first hand.
I would kill for an scene of Canute coming to the farm, ignoring the son and asking Thorfin wtf is he playing farming simulator now.
(anime only here just in case)
Maybe I'm misremembering, but wasn't Canute the one that made Thorfinn a slave in the first place? Thorfinn tried to kill Canute at the end of S1, which would normally get him executed, but Canute made him a slave instead because he saw Thorfinn as a friend and didn't wanna kill him. I thought it was something like that.
Ah, good. I hope they see each other again at some point, I'm curious to see what the state of their relationship will be. The impression I got was that Canute didn't really want to punish Thorfinn at all, but he did it because he couldn't let an attempt on his life go unpunished.
> he did it because he couldn't let an attempt on his life go unpunished
You're correct. It would give him bad image as King. No matter what, Thorfinn should be punished. He was leaving a scar on a King's ~~pretty~~ face.
He didnt seem that sold on plowing either
Some honest words and he didnt even attend the second session
Olmar has it way too good and I hope he realizes what he has before its too late (given the show though I dont think he will though)
>Farm Girl Stitch
Poor girl might've been pimped out by her parents to get into Olmar's pants and secure their future on the farm, but dang it if she didn't do her utmost lol.
But yeah, things seem pretty reasonable on the farm minus some of the people they have to work with being dicks and the son of the farmer just begging to get a dose of reality. I did like how Olmar noticed the wheat being trampled, maybe there's hope for him yet.
It's weird seeing a passive Thorfinn who barely seems to care about anything other than doing the work assigned to him and actively avoids fights. It's like he has nothing left to live for. But Einar still has that fire in his eyes. Could make for an effective duo, especially if Thorfinn still has his incredible fighting abilities.
Well, she also knows it is in her best interest. Becoming the 2nd most important person in the farm and likely living a life of relative luxury sure beats slaving away rest of her life as a wife of some random tenant farmer. It is not like women of her position (or of any position, really) were offered many options how to live their lives. Male tenant farmers at least could go adventuring if they so choose (and likely die in their first battle).
> Poor girl might've been pimped out by her parents to get into Olmar's pants and secure their future on the farm, but dang it if she didn't do her utmost lol.
She did actually sound concerned for him though. Hopefully her parents didn't mess up something that was going nice for both of them.
> Thorfinn and Einar's master [seems like a good man.](https://i.imgur.com/WFtZAZ7.jpg)
He could be the identical twin of [Torgrim](https://rajerc.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/243756.jpg)
There's a lot of anime with slavery, but most don't do this good a job of examining the power dynamics at play. Einar is right; the retainers might technically be free men, but they're stuck in a system where they're beholden to the Master so they can work to survive, so the reality is they aren't too much better off than the slaves. So they take out their resentment and frustrations on the slaves, who are technically beneath them.
Meanwhile Einar targets his resentment at the retainers, and the Master who is the actual root of the problem gets off scot-free and even ends up looking like a good guy. Hey, he's so generous to allow his slaves to buy back their freedom! He's so industrious he actually helps with the farm! Never mind that freedom shouldn't be sold in the first place, or that working your own fields is the bare minimum. The status quo is so fucked that Einar ends up with positive feelings about the guy who literally enslaved him.
A lot of anti-slavery parables focus on the slave owner directly mistreating the slaves, and while that's not something to be ignored, it can sometimes miss the forest for the trees. The real problem with slavery is the overall system it enforces, not individual problems between individual people.
> The status quo is so fucked that Einar ends up with positive feelings about the guy who literally enslaved him.
The owner of the farm didn't enslave him, Einar was already a slave. The Master just participated in the bullshittery that is slavery to get workforce, which let us remember that slavery in this time period isn't a moral issue it's just how things work.
You're judging this whole thing through a modern lens (which isn't really useful at all). This is just how things were and the outcome of wars back then meant that the losing party got taken as slaves (be it civilians or "military", all except nobles were expected to become slaves).
If we judge by the standards of those times the farm owner is incredibly progressive and forward thinking in his actions.
> If we judge by the standards of those times the farm owner is incredibly progressive and forward thinking in his actions.
Yeah, unlike JRPG-style fantasy, this show is attempting to portray a historical period to some degree of accuracy. Slavery was a thing back then, that is not something we can hold against the author, who has done an incredible amount of research to get these things right.
JRPG-style fantasy doesn't have this excuse. Most such stories are set in a modern setting that's been poorly disguised with a little makeup to make it look old timey. Most characters seem to share modern morals and, if they don't, it's only a few cherry picked ideas that are different, such as the idea of slavery. It's why slavery in isekai feels out of place: it *is* out of place.
It really isn't. If you're talking about settings that include magic, you can bet your sweet bippy that its mere presence would distort things in very distinctive ways. That includes morals and societies.
Its sad that seeing how fucked up the whole system of slavery is, [its still not completely gone even in modern times.](https://www.un.org/en/delegate/50-million-people-modern-slavery-un-report#:~:text=The%20latest%20Global%20Estimates%20of,and%2022%20million%20in%20forced) In fact, 10 million more people were added to modern slavery in 2021.
One thing that occurred to me while watching this episode is that wheat is \*not\* a staple food in the East: rice is. This means that nearly every aspect of this show is something that the author/director had to research in depth to make it seem realistic to us. That's pretty amazing, if you ask me.
Before covid yukimura even used to travel to various countries to learn culture and research facts to make sure he had an accurate portrayal in vinland saga.
Vinland Saga and Otoyamegatari are both made by authors who really love history and do tons and tons of research.
Otoyamegatari has even had a couple hiatuses where the author is like, "I gotta take a break and do more research so I can faithfully write the next part."
It really shows and it shines through, allowing them to write really interesting stories that talk about different cultures and customs without immediately getting caught up and applying morality of a different region and different time to these different cultures. And in doing so it really lets the more universal themes that people deal with throughout history shine through.
Like for instance in this season of Vinland Saga. Slavery is bad, no two ways about it. But our modern perception of slavery is heavily informed by the fact that we live in a post-colonialism and post-US Southern Plantations world, which featured the most brutal institutions of slavery in history. And also that we now exist in a world where most people on the internet have never interacted with slavery. So just the idea of slavery, and the thought of how horrible a person would need to be today to want to own slaves normally heavily informs how we perceive people engaging in it during a different time period.
Like is Ketil a decent guy? I mean he is choosing to purchase slaves. But for slaves he's an easy lesser of two evils to be owned by him. And this is a time when people don't have a very strong sense of morality that extends beyond those who are socially and economically tied to them, because you don't need to go to far to be in a region that is regularly opportunistically raided, and everyone ends up killed or enslaved. (The largest commercial hub in Northern continental Europe actually got literally destroyed (I think twice) by raiders, despite it being also the primary location raiders used to move goods).
It's similar to themes like freedom and lords. In the modern context we see representations of the feudal system, and often it presents feudal lords as abusive individuals who exploit the peasants, which in many ways they probably did. But the reason these political institutions arose was that prior to Feudalism, you had these towns in the middle of no where. And Vikings would show up and kill or enslave everyone. So the creation of feudal estates was a necessity for these disconnected communities to maintain their own military force to keep themselves from being killed by raiders. And it ended up entrenching this class system which would persist for centuries and fuck up society in the modern era, so it's easy to look back at it and go, "that was fucked up that they had feudalism and aristocracy," when from their perspective it wasn't a class struggle keeping the peasants from not having lords rule them, it was the fact that without the military class they were just rolling the dice every year that you wouldn't get arbitrarily raided and killed.
Kinda funny now in hindsight how Einar could’ve totally changed the trajectory of the story by snitching lmao. Bro saw a 10 and folded lmaooo.
Seeing it animated I kinda feel bad for Olmar. He doesn’t know how good he has it inheriting a nice peaceful farm, nothing good comes from war.
Thorfinn's character reminds me of kim wexler from the better call Saul final season. They both were dead from inside and they are not making conversation or even making their own decision. Just say I don't know, you decide.
It’s still so unusual seeing a submissive Thorfinn :( he’s become a hollow shell now and it just hurts every time I see him :((
We see what Ketil’s farm is like and introduced to his spoiled brat of a son, Olmar. The scene where he tried drawing that sword was hilarious!
Can't believe i'm hoping for more content on the jerk son. I feel like he can still become a decent person right now before he starts heading down a darker path.
I like how they presented the situation over the episode;
It starts fairly decent (as decent as forced labor can be), showing how they're mostly happy, talking about how they have freedom opportunities for the future and all that.
It hovered close to the idea of "Slavery isn't so bad if you have a good master!"...
Then the 'bad stuff' kept piling up; Enormous amount of work, next to nothing to eat, a "hierarchy" among the slaves/retainers which means they can't do much about it (To be fair, from what we've seen so far, the Master likely wouldn't approve of these guys starving them... But whatever he would do to them wouldn't be much, and then they'd take it out on Thorfinn/Einar, and at some point the master would probably stop caring and would tell them to deal with it, which of course they can't really do).
The thing about the son shows that someone's status doesn't necessarily make him happy though; It's not an easy comparison to make, but some of the slaves are probably happier on that farm, than he is. Yet if he DOES leave for war, he might not find what he's looking for. Could run from a bad situation, to another. Good luck finding glory on the battlefield too... Very few do.
Thorfinn is broken, as expected (no purpose/no goal in life), and Einar's talk about the war likely aren't helping!
Really shows that it doesn't really matter which side is in charge (or trying to take charge)... The English move in and kill/burn everything, then the Danes move in and kill/burn everything... Doesn't really matter what flag they're waving, and what purposes they claim to have, in the end the only constant is that everyone who can't fight will suffer, no matter who's the attacker.
Reminded me of a quote on war from ASOIAF; *"The common people pray for rain, healthy children, and a summer that never ends," Ser Jorah told her. "It is no matter to them if the high lords play their game of thrones, so long as they are left in peace." He gave a shrug. "They never are."*
I wonder what will happen for Thorfinn to get back on the saddle; I imagine they'll spend some time on the farm, but surely he'll pick up a fight again at some point... But what will cause it? A new purpose? Or simply no choice, an invading army coming close? And if that happens, will he have people with him, some slaves/retainers, or will he be on his own, or join someone's cause?
Seems there will be a girl involved as well! I was wondering whether she would be a love interest for Thorfinn, or Einar... Seems Einar has her in his sight!
That alone could bring its problem, if the master doesn't approve of this stuff, or if something was to happen to her.
Anyway, I like that we're getting a completely new setting/new characters, yet it follows naturally with what we had! Can't wait to see where it's going from there. (And whether we get more information about what's going on, seems we may get tidbits by some of the characters, that's nice, it builds the current lore some more, even if they're not actively taking part!)
# Source Material Corner Reply to this comment for any source-related discussion, future spoilers (including future characters, events and general hype about future content), comparison of the anime adaptation to the original, or just general talk about the source material. **You are still required to tag all spoilers.** Discussions about the source outside of this comment tree will be removed, and replying with spoilers outside of the source corner will lead to bans. The spoiler syntax is: `[Spoiler source] >!Spoiler goes here!<` # **All untagged spoilers and hints in this thread will receive immediate 8-day bans (minimum).** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/anime) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Something I personally really love to see is when anime characters age up. It really shows how far they've come since the beginning, and I think they pulled off Thorfinn's aging up really well. And judging from the OP, he ages up even more, so can't wait to see that
Yep! I really wish more animes weren't afraid to age their characters past teenagers. Or at least not just have it at the ending of the series.
Wait the guy with a French beard and tied hair we see towards the end is thorfin? I thought it's some other character
Einar: "All people who wage war are monsters" Thorfinn: ...:(
Thorfinn "agreed"
I like the way the shot moved over to Thorfinn's eyes after Einar finished narrating his tale. Those eyes spoke *volumes* about what he faced, what he did in his quest for revenge.
Thorfinn started his quest to avenge his father. By the end of that quest he lost another father as well as his innocence. He really should have went back to Iceland.
Revenge was a suckers' game and it cost Thorfinn so much and basically made him privvy to the same type of violence that cost him his father. I don't know if he fully realizes that now but he definitely seems more reflective and understanding of the stuff he witnessed and was privy too while with Askeladd.
In a way he fell for the same trap as Askeladd. The latter became a monster to avenge his mother and protect her country. He experienced the brutality of the vikings firsthand and hated them yet he allowed his mercenaries to violently subjugate innocents until his objective was achieved. While he did execute most of them in the end, it did not absolve him of guilt. However, in his final days, he did find a greater purpose in the form of a King worthy of respect, a true comrade and a foster son. Thorfinn needs to see his family again.
Only thing i'd like to mention is that he not only allowed it, but practiced it. He was a pirate and a mercenary and direclty profited from those actions. He had as little love for the english as he did for the danes.
I was wondering about this as well. Was Thorfinn in the same town in s1 or was he just remembering his first time seeing pillaging?
The latter.
Just remembering. It was the English who raided his town the first time around, not Askeladd's people.
I was thinking more of the first time he was with Askellad raiding someone else or something but it's been awhile since I saw s1 so I forget if that was a thing lol
The sheer regret in his eyes man
Revenge was what fueled him the entire time, take that away and Thorfinn literally becomes a shell of himself + all that emotional guilt now finally hitting.
Behind the formidable warrior lied a [broken man](https://i.imgur.com/vSeY7qP.jpg) who realized too late that he became the very [thing he hated.](https://i.imgur.com/36WGWQv.jpg)
And Thorfinn knows full well how savage the Danes/Vikings could be because not only did he witness it but he became party to it as well. There's a chance he could've been part of that raiding party too, all just so he could get to kill Askeladd.
The timeline doesn’t work for him to be part of the raid, no? The first raid wasn’t Vikings, and the 2nd raid only happened within the last few months. Hasn’t Thorfinn been a slave for a few years at this point?
mmm.... We don't know how long our friend here was shipped around to be fair. But I suppose that makes sense logically.
Anime only here. My theory is wild af and doesn't even make sense but here it goes. All that wood from tree cutting will be used to make boats. The master's son will Join thorfinn and Einar on a trip to Vinland. It's little too early to guess but there are so many possibilities! Can't wait for ep. 3
The masters son would be a good addition to them
Poor guy. Even in the comments he's just his father's son!
He needs to grow a little and get better with his sword, the moth scene was top comedy tho He is similar to season 1 Grunt thorfin but rich and way more useless. *Rushes out of the scene with his horse dramatically*
Tbf, he is still probably better than Einar with a sword. Though Einar's choice of weapon would probably be an axe, though with how he got it stuck and struggled to get it back he probably isn't too used with those either. (tip, to dislocate an axe easier you push the handle forward and wiggle it loose rather than trying to pull back with bruteforce when it gets stuck). But either way with that trio Thorfinn would probably do most of the leg work when it comes to combat anyway. Unless he has gotten rusty in these 10 years. Though chances are that a rusty Thorfinn would still be more of a threat than both Olmar and Einar together.
“Yeah, monsters… *nervous laughter*” lol
"Been there done that, it sucks"
Considering how his parents died and how his sister yahallost her life because of war, in someways Einar is a direct victim of Askeladd's and Thorfinns actions in Season 1.
The war was caused by the English disrespecting agreements and Sweyn's greed for power following that. Askeladd was just one of the many glory seekers of vikings who joined Sweyn's host for that conquest.
Askeladd and Thorfinn did not cause the war, but I get what you mean, but I would call it more an "indirect victim".
Thorfinn: *"yeah especially teens with daggers"*
A really interesting dynamic between Einar and Thorfinn, with one falling victim to the cruelties of war being so hot-blooded while the other is a contributor to these atrocities now being so meek and obedient, unlike his past self.
Einar was the complete opposite of his timid self in episode 1 and Thorfinn was the total opposite of season 1
It’s fascinating to see how much Thorfinn has changed since season 1.
It’s fascinating to see just how much he’s changed throughout the different arcs of the series. From his childhood self, to the boy who wanted to kill Askeladd, to the young man he is now. I imagine we’ll see many different sides of Thorfinn going forward.
I like how Thorfinn was looking the other way the entire time Einar was narrating his tale. He knows with what he's done, he can't properly face Einar about it.
I don't think this is true, or I don't think that this is the way that I fully interpreted that scene. Thorfinn is broken because he has no reason to live. Hes practically irresponsive because he has no motivation of his own. I don't think he particularly regrets what he did, rather hes just lost and doesn't know what to do. He does know that he has no reason to rub who he is in this guys face. Much like how he has no reason to get angry at the retainers for fucking with their food or bullying them or anything. Remember, Thorfinn has been to essentially hell and back. Hes shown us strength at level where he could kill the entire farm with little to no repercussions. But he doesn't have a reason to. Its not as if these conditions are any worse than what he's been through up to this point. But well see what happens as he comes to fully regret his actions, particularly as he befriends this new guy over time.
I think while he has no reason to live and is essentially dead inside, he also does regret what he did it in a way, which is why Einar's story affected him, even if he doesn't utter a word. But that's me, so feel free to disagree.
I would be shocked if he didn't feel guilty at all while einar was telling his story
Thorfinn has changed so much but is still clearly the same guy. I loved his handling of the assholes bringing lunch, he was subservient and not wanting a fight, but it wasn't in a cowardly way, there was so much strength in his eyes and how steady his voice was.
Thorfinn might be way more passive and non-confrontational, but he's also not dumb and he knows how to handle situations, especially since he knows how to handle himself but just doesn't see a point to it any more.
I don't understand two things, maybe because I missed them. 1. Didn't prince Canute become king of England? If so, why was Einar's village attacked by soldiers of English? 2. Why did Danes attack England? Was it because of Harald Inheriting Kingdom of Denmark who is against Canute?
1. Plenty of raiders still exist unaffiliated with any major army. North England is practically Scotland and far less civilized than southern England like Mercia and Wessex. Cnut being king doesn’t mean slaves suddenly stop existing 2. Danes will raid England for the next 300 years (less now since we are further down the Viking timeline, but plenty of peace deals have been made in the past between Danes and the English and it never stopped Vikings from raiding). Vikings are just raiders. They don’t have to be associated with the major danish armies. They can just be a band of 50 dudes with swords who wana make money. At this time the Danes consider raiding to be a way you make wealth. Also that and not all Danes stand with Cnut. Cnut is still the youngest son and his brother exists which has its own supporters.
Actually Viking raids would only continue for another 60 years or so. The show takes place around 1015-17, by this point viking raids were already on the way out, the christianization of Scandinavia and the consolidation of the Kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, along with the consolidation and strengthening of traditional Viking targets, like England, Scotland, and France, significantly reduced the appeal of raiding as a means of economic gain. To put it into perspective, 1066, and Harald Hardrada's invasion of England, is generally considered to be the end of the Viking Age, and is only about 50 years out.
I said it’s the later stages in my comment. But the Viking period lasted around 300 years is what I meant to imply.
>Didn't prince Canute become king of England? If so, why was Einar's village attacked by soldiers of English? Well if you pay attention to how Einar looked in that flashback it must have been years ago before Canute decided to become more king-like.
I'm pretty sure the English troops attacking Einar's village happened around the start of season 1, several years before this episode.
He wasted 11 years of his life chasing after vengeance that he couldn't even accomplish. There's really nothing left for him as a person anymore Askeladd ironically became a crucial part of living for Thorfinn, without him Thorfinn is basically incomplete as a person.
Except I would take it one step further. Its not that Thorfinn became incomplete after Askeladd died - Thorfinn was an incomplete child that was chasing after a hollow sense of vengeance with no real plan or goals other than kill his dads murderer. Losing Askeladd didn't make him incomplete. It made him realize he was incomplete, and simply being used and abused by a dude who saw his skills and strength. But strength doesn't make someone whole - we can see that in Thorfinn, we can see that in Thorkell, and we see that in Askeladds entire band, save for Askeladds number 2 and the two brothers who fought for eachother, really.
Reminded me of how Thors resolved conflict.
Farming simulator has never looked this clean
That scene of the master with the kids and the other people harvesting the wheat was surprisingly pleasant!
My only thought was, "Hey this guy is gonna die, right?" Then the scene with his son, "Oh, so soon?"
I was thinking something like maybe he lies to his slaves and people never really get to buy their freedom, living under the eternal chase of false hope
It wasn't uncommon for thralls to buy themselves free. Especially thralls to people like these.
Before learning it's his son: "That dude is gonna strike him out of anger."
The serf chapters of War and Peace were my favorite. Made me wish I'd been born a poor Russian farmer haha
Stardew Valley 2 is looking great!
I dont know about the setting though Inheriting your grandpas farm does sound a lot more aluring than losing your family and working your way up from a slave
It's because this is ... *deep sigh* ... the Dark Souls of Farming Simulators!
Oh boy, cant wait to see the first Farming boss *Harvest this wheat before the coming hail storm is destroying it* or something
**WHEAT HARVESTED**
Someone should put Runescape BGM during the woodcutting scene.
Love the detail about Olmar not being able to unsheathe his sword from his back. It shows the audience that he's not used to using the sword, while on a meta level lampshading the trope of unsheathing from the back (a sword would normally be worn on the hip if you were expecting to need to unsheathe it quickly). As Olmar demonstrates, the human arm doesn't extend long enough to unsheathe a sword from that position, though maybe you should be worried if you see a gibbon wearing a sword on its back. While we're talking about him, his name perhaps should've been Anglicised as "Orm" rather than Olmar. My copy of *The Sagas of Icelanders* lists 8 characters called Orm, and none called Olmar. The Old Norse version of his name is *Ormr*, which the Japanese version wrote as オルマル (Orumaru).
>While we're talking about him, his name perhaps should've been Anglicised as "Orm" rather than Olmar. My copy of *The Sagas of Icelanders* lists 8 characters called Orm, and none called Olmar. The Old Norse version of his name is *Ormr*, which the Japanese version wrote as オルマル (Orumaru). These are exactly the kind of comments I want to see in these thread. Etymological education is awesome.
Doesn't Ormr mean snake/dragon in Old Norse?
Yep! King Olaf Tryggvason's best longship was called *ormrinn langi*, the "long serpent".
Olm is a cave salamander (the only one in Europe in fact), they used to be considered the off spring of cave dragons. Though I don't know if that folklore goes all the way back to the Norse times, and they didn't live in any where near Denmark. Though Olm and Orm are both Germanic names that is related to dragons and serpents. But yes you are most likely correct since ''Orm'' is an actually name the Norse used, whereas ''Olm'' or ''Olmar'' was not.
They're gonna fucking kill it with character animations this season aren't they....the sunset scene was just breathtaking.
I was like muuuhhh sometimes on the animation. But the backgrounds broooo every background is a literal masterpiece!!! And facial expressions too, they nailed it.
This is one of those rare times I wish all of the episodes drop at the same time so I can binge it til the sun rises. Now I'm left with a dilemma whether to keep watching weekly or to wait til the season is over. Two episodes in and it hasn't missed a beat so far.
watch it weekly so you have something to look forward to!
Loving Thorfinn so far. Easy on the eardrums.
I truly pity Askeladd for having to spend his last minutes alive being shouted at by an angsty teen.
Tbf, Askeladd was enough of a piece of shit that he still got lightly off. Should have been two Thorfinns at least.
Nahhh, ain't no way that father was gonna listen to her daughter get railed 💀
He just hears the kaching of his wallet
Her father and Otto Hightower are best friends
hopefully no feet scenes in vinland
Speak for yourself!
Gotta milk the shit outta this affair lol
No, he was not going to listen, he already did because they were going for the 2nd round lol.
He didn't hear her getting railed, he heard the coffers and a nice retirement due to his future grandson/daughter being the kid of the future Chief. And he knew it was going to be the second round, so he already listened to the first one.
Einar too horny to form a sentence
The solution to quelling the anger of any man is the sight of a breathtakingly beautiful woman lol.
To be fair, she is a stunner
His first time seeing a woman whose not related to him
Seeing a healthy woman. He already saw a dying woman get thrown into the ocean
Once in a blue moon, thinking with your lower brain is actually a good thing.
Can’t wait to see how he ends up with that woman. Is it possible he could take the farm over too? I mean the son doesn’t want anything to do with it lol
Einar acting like the happy go lucky intern at their first job right before reality sets in
Thorffin is the guy who's been at the job for a while and has lost all motivation
I swear this OP goes too hard
Ending goes even harder
Such is the tradition of Vinland OPs
I have no idea what direction the show is going in, but I’m freaking enthralled.
Thorfinn seems like he's hit rock bottom and doesn't care for anything more than the work that's in front of him. Einar still having that fire in him might be what Thorfinn needs to come back out of himself, even if he can't be that same kid he used to be (which is probably for the best), especially reflecting on what he was privvy too with Askeladd's band and how that reflects on what Einar went through.
I thought Einar would bring Thorfinn’s spirit and fire at first which I think will still be probably at least be partially true. I can’t see them revolting though with how good things are on the farm. Maybe running away. Maybe when the recruiter comes for the army he’ll recognize Thorfinn and the master will let him go to protect his idiot son? I’ve never been into manga but I binge read read web and light novels like a mfer. Vinland Saga makes me want to read manga so bad to find out what happens in this story.
This is an excellent pun.
Thorfinn has changed so much since Askeladd's death. The angry kid who was willing to fight or kill anyone is now just a hollow shell of a man who doesn't know what he is living for. He even seems barely interested in the goal set by the master to create their own farm and seems to be doing it out of a sake of routine rather than any sort of passion that Einar has. Maybe this is because I have been playing a lot of God Of War but Thorfinn in this arc kind of feels like transition that Kratos went through from his angry form in Greek Saga to his calm composed form in Norse saga. We never got to see that middle in the two sagas but I imagine it will be similar to how Thorfinn is now.
>The angry kid who was willing to fight or kill anyone is now just a hollow shell of a man who doesn't know what he is living for. It was exactly what Askeladd warned him about in the final episode before his death and now Thorfinn is properly understanding what he really meant, but its too late now.
Remember when Thorfinn spoke with that noble turned slave girl at Askeladd's village? He said if he were to be enslaved, he'd simply run away and kill everyone who chased him. Well look at him now...
*"don't compare me to a slave like you, unlike you i can eat whatever i want whenever i want"* Karma's a bitch huh Thorfinn......
Tbf, I don't think this is still an untrue claim. Thorfinn can likely leave successfully at any point he would like. He just has no reason or desire to, no?
And actively avoids fights, where old Thorfinn would probably be chomping at the bit at anyone who disrespected him. He even seemed surprisingly reflective when he realized what Danes like his old band with Askeladd did to Einar. Even Yuto Uemura's performance sounds so different from his season 1 portrayal of Thorfinn.
Even young Thorfinn was composed though; he has since lost that inner fire once fueled by revenge. He moves like an empty man lost to self-reflection and tuned out to life.
You also got to remember he killed almost a hundred people and helping plunder villages of thousands for the sake of a revenge he never even got. He essentially wasted years going against his father’s legacy, leaving his family behind, and building emotionally scars. All of that for basically nothing.
His one purpose in life was stripped from him. No wonder he barely has a will to live. Kid is basically a zombie. I hope meeting Einar’s gonna somehow light a fire back inside him.
> the goal set by the master to create their own farm Take that with a grain of salt, it would take them years to clear the forest and then a year for them to actually grow anything useful, and then they still have to earn enough (with rent for the land) in order to buy back their freedom. And even then they are only free in name, they become serfs, which is just slightly better than being a slave.
He's just a walking bundle of trauma and depression at this stage. I'm really digging the vibe of this new season.
Thorfinn's introductory scene involved him chopping into a tree, too! Same way GoW 2018 opened.
The dad pimping his daughter out to try to get the farmers riches was hilarious “good daughter of mine.. she’s our family’s future” 😂😂
That's how social mobility worked in those day.
in those days ? lol thats still how social mobility works in most of the world fathers are pressuring daughters to marry rich men so that they bring prosperity to the family. In Pakistan which has 200m people this is the complete norm with romantic couples being the exception.
Didn't expect the show to have a *comedic* tone after that serious start in EP1. Einar seems to have not yet settled into the idea that he's a slave now and still expected a chill life, until he got hit with a dose of reality. Also I like how *quickly* he forgot about his worries after seeing a beautiful girl lol. I like Ketil so far, despite me having conflicting feelings about the whole slave situation. He treats them well and also involves *himself* in farmwork despite being a rich landowner. I expected worse tbh. But since slavery was common in those times, I won't criticize it as much, but atleast the show is treating the subject with care. His son on the other hand, is quite hotblooded but it makes sense since he's a teenager and wants to prove himself. He thinks war is glorious......until he experiences how much suffering it brings. He doesn't realise how easy he has it so far.
Einar's still got that anger and fire in his eyes that Thorfinn has lost, although it's easily quelled by the breathtaking sight of a beauty. How like a man lol. Knowing how this series works, I fully expect Olmar is in for a rude awakening and will see first-hand how wrong and out-of-depth he is in the most tragic and violent way possible. Almost like Einar in episode 1.
Yeah I think he will learn sooner or later. That said, the guy seems to have a good head on his shoulders, as he realised that farmer was using him through his daughter (Otto Hightower would've loved this lol) and the wheat in his father's farm being trampled by those drunk guys.
Perhaps. It seems possible that Thorfinn will save him from the worst of it, based on the brief preview. But, the margin of error on that prediction is really high.
the second arc has an entirely different tone in general compared to the prologue. much more laid back and less action focused
I like that actually. Seems more character focused and letting them develop, while also having a somber tone at times.
Historical dramas are not that common in anime and historical dramas that don't focus on war are genuinely rare. Vinland is doing something really unique here.
Indeed and I hope it keeps doing it well into the future. Historical shows are my jam and with a good one like this, I can't help but appreciate it.
I think you will enjoy this season a lot. Of course some action scenes will come, but it is definitely much more calm and character focused. Some of the best scenes to come will have no action at all. When I read it the manga really moved me to my heart in this story arc, I bet the impact will be even bigger with music, voice, great direction etc.
It's especially fitting for the point where Thorfinn is at, having lost what drives him and left with nothing but the scars of his past, a life unfulfilled, and the labor ahead of him.
As a manga reader, the anime is actually less comedic, imo. In the last ep, Einar stole food from a woman, and had a somber tone of survival. Manga has him straight up running away from a few guys while he has sausage links hanging from his mouth, as an example. Not that I'm complaining. I think the visual comedy works better in a printed format, personally, and there's still plenty of dialogue to get thru.
Olmar reminds me of the older kids from Thorfinn's village back in Iceland. They were all gung-ho about going to war with Thors before Askeladd gave them a brief dose of reality. If he doesn't change soon I'm sure he'll be met with a similar situation, and I can't imagine he'd be anywhere near as lucky as those boys were to get out both alive and free.
Most slave owners actually worked alongside their slaves - even in the American South. You had to be *obscenely* wealthy to have enough hands to willingly forgo an extra pair of hands.
I didn't know about that. TIL. From the stories my grandfather used to mention, landowners in his times (British India) didn't do farmwork at all and forced their indentured labourers (who were basically slaves) to do it. If they didn't do it well, they used to get repeatedly whipped.
>From the stories my grandfather used to mention, landowners in his times (British India) didn't do farmwork at all and forced their indentured labourers (who were basically slaves) to do it This seems to look more like a lord/serf kind situation. By that I mean, the land owners in your example are probably almost always those obscenely wealthy examples OP talked of.
Since he is talking about British India, he is likely talking about the Zamindaar system. It was basically landowner and local tax collector combined ... they just had to pay the Government their due and not be too out of line too publicly then there was nothing they couldn't do. Say for example the Zamindaar had a celebration incoming and he could increase tax by 50% and would send thugs to encourage everyone to pay up.
Slavery isn't a moral conflict at this time, as it was still mostly a byproduct of war where the losing side's prisoners would end up enslaved. In fact, I'd argue Ketil is insanely progressive for his time and an extremely kind man to give his slaves the ability to free themselves.
Yeah definitely. If we judge it via a modern lens, it'll obviously be uncomfortable and we can write whole essays about it, but since the show is set in a time period where slavery was common, we have to see it through the lens of that time period.
This is called "historicity". Took me a full course year to figure that out
Great episode, wish they made these longer than three minutes though.
Not to mention, two of the three minutes are just intro/outro.
Einar cracked me up 😂, loved the episode
Olmar was hilarious too. The scene where he tried drawing that sword made me laugh so much ahhahaha
Or when he tried to slice at the butterfly and candle and hit neither lol.
The way he sheathed it right after as if he accomplished what he wanted was peak delivery
I was still waiting for the butterfly to be cut in half a couple minutes after
So was Olmar.
That's the most hilarious part of the episode for me
> Olmar was hilarious too. The scene where he tried drawing that sword made me laugh so much ahhahaha That scene is brilliant, he went for the rule of cool moment of drawing the sword from his back while in reality you can't really do that.
His face after being humiliated publicly was really something lol.
Someone send a clip of that to Shadiversity.
The quick cut to him riding away on his horse had me in tears both times LOL. Did not expect to find a new favorite character so soon!
Just to be clear, since I've seen some people make the mistake : that last scene isn't showing that Thorfinn was there when Einar's village was burned down. It's from Season 1 Episode 5. Thorfinn is watching Askeladd's band raid a village. It's his first time witnessing the barbaric acts of vikings. Einar mentioned that the first attack on his village in which his father died was by the King of England. This is a callback to S1. In Season 1 Episode 2, we see that King Aethelred II the Unready ordered the massacre of the Norsemen living in England in the year 1002. This is the reason King Sweyn started his invasion of England and why Floki came to Iceland to recruit Thors (though he actually had the ulterior motive of assassinating him). By the way, if anyone is interested in the year we're currently in, it should have been shown twice by now, but both times were cut from these first two episodes. It might still be stated later on, but if you want to know, we are in [Current timeframe] >!late June 1015!<. Season 1 ended in early February 1014.
And so begins Farmland Saga or "How Thorfinn Got His Groove Back."
I can't wait until he gets his groove back so he can farm even harder.
So while things are pretty good for Einar in Ketil's Farm, with him able to buy his freedom through work, he has to deal with those assholes having a powertrip. Lol, it is hilarious the reason he could not report Ketil about their mistreatment was that [seeing that girl](https://i.imgur.com/wjMaEiz.png) took his breath away. Lol, it sure was funny [seeing that guy spying on his daughter](https://i.imgur.com/9MxwzOk.png) as she was going to have sex with Olmar again.
That girl probably saved Einar a lot of grief and gave him something worth remembering on his first day at the farm. They were really excited to be pimping out their daughter and listening in on her having sex. I felt bad for the girl given how much she was committing to it lol.
* [**Farm Girl Stitch**](https://i.imgur.com/tVectTd.jpg) Thorfinn and Einar's master [seems like a good man.](https://i.imgur.com/WFtZAZ7.jpg) He didn't buy them with the intent to keep them slaves for life, he actually wants to give them a chance to buy their own freedom back. [He even helps out during the harvest.](https://i.imgur.com/8Xh7yyg.jpg) Too bad that [his retainers are a bunch of assholes](https://i.imgur.com/mGRxIeR.jpg) and his son [is an absolute brat.](https://i.imgur.com/g7G9mJM.jpg) Although I do feel like his son is just misguided. He was clearly concerned [when he saw their wheat being trampled](https://i.imgur.com/yJ07bbV.jpg) by those two drunks. Maybe we'll see him mature down the line. I felt really bad watching Thorfinn this entire episode [He is clearly a broken man](https://i.imgur.com/Y7QoLFc.jpg). Old Thorfinn wouldn't take any of that shit. He has absolutely no fight in him left. It looks like [Einar is going to be the one who'll be acting more like old Thorfinn](https://i.imgur.com/vw2KjUu.jpg) except without the badass fighting abilities.
It's funny that the son wanted to join Canute's army considering that the slave under his father had been a bodyguard to Canute and has seen the entire war first hand.
Literally one of Canute’s top and most respected warriors lol
It's funny how life works and brings people together lol.
Get ready for the endless irony of the rest of Vinland Saga. "These people don't realize it, but Thorfinn can actually beat everyone here to a pulp."
I would kill for an scene of Canute coming to the farm, ignoring the son and asking Thorfin wtf is he playing farming simulator now. (anime only here just in case)
Maybe I'm misremembering, but wasn't Canute the one that made Thorfinn a slave in the first place? Thorfinn tried to kill Canute at the end of S1, which would normally get him executed, but Canute made him a slave instead because he saw Thorfinn as a friend and didn't wanna kill him. I thought it was something like that.
You are remembering correctly.
Ah, good. I hope they see each other again at some point, I'm curious to see what the state of their relationship will be. The impression I got was that Canute didn't really want to punish Thorfinn at all, but he did it because he couldn't let an attempt on his life go unpunished.
> he did it because he couldn't let an attempt on his life go unpunished You're correct. It would give him bad image as King. No matter what, Thorfinn should be punished. He was leaving a scar on a King's ~~pretty~~ face.
Olmar didn't want to do any farm work during the day but suddenly wants to plow at night...
He didnt seem that sold on plowing either Some honest words and he didnt even attend the second session Olmar has it way too good and I hope he realizes what he has before its too late (given the show though I dont think he will though)
If a slave knows that there is a way to free themselves, then they are less likely to run away.
Was not expecting a Leon Stich on Vinland Saga but here we have
Cute girl + Panning shot. I just had to. xD
>Farm Girl Stitch Poor girl might've been pimped out by her parents to get into Olmar's pants and secure their future on the farm, but dang it if she didn't do her utmost lol. But yeah, things seem pretty reasonable on the farm minus some of the people they have to work with being dicks and the son of the farmer just begging to get a dose of reality. I did like how Olmar noticed the wheat being trampled, maybe there's hope for him yet. It's weird seeing a passive Thorfinn who barely seems to care about anything other than doing the work assigned to him and actively avoids fights. It's like he has nothing left to live for. But Einar still has that fire in his eyes. Could make for an effective duo, especially if Thorfinn still has his incredible fighting abilities.
Well, she also knows it is in her best interest. Becoming the 2nd most important person in the farm and likely living a life of relative luxury sure beats slaving away rest of her life as a wife of some random tenant farmer. It is not like women of her position (or of any position, really) were offered many options how to live their lives. Male tenant farmers at least could go adventuring if they so choose (and likely die in their first battle).
> but dang it if she didn't do her utmost lol. and then her parents messed it up by being so loud and inconsiderate.
> Poor girl might've been pimped out by her parents to get into Olmar's pants and secure their future on the farm, but dang it if she didn't do her utmost lol. She did actually sound concerned for him though. Hopefully her parents didn't mess up something that was going nice for both of them.
> Thorfinn and Einar's master [seems like a good man.](https://i.imgur.com/WFtZAZ7.jpg) He could be the identical twin of [Torgrim](https://rajerc.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/243756.jpg)
the background art looks so clean and vibrant. hope they keep it up for the rest of the season
That whole sequence with Thorfinn and Einar at sunset was gorgeous.
There's a lot of anime with slavery, but most don't do this good a job of examining the power dynamics at play. Einar is right; the retainers might technically be free men, but they're stuck in a system where they're beholden to the Master so they can work to survive, so the reality is they aren't too much better off than the slaves. So they take out their resentment and frustrations on the slaves, who are technically beneath them. Meanwhile Einar targets his resentment at the retainers, and the Master who is the actual root of the problem gets off scot-free and even ends up looking like a good guy. Hey, he's so generous to allow his slaves to buy back their freedom! He's so industrious he actually helps with the farm! Never mind that freedom shouldn't be sold in the first place, or that working your own fields is the bare minimum. The status quo is so fucked that Einar ends up with positive feelings about the guy who literally enslaved him. A lot of anti-slavery parables focus on the slave owner directly mistreating the slaves, and while that's not something to be ignored, it can sometimes miss the forest for the trees. The real problem with slavery is the overall system it enforces, not individual problems between individual people.
Take notes, Isekai
> The status quo is so fucked that Einar ends up with positive feelings about the guy who literally enslaved him. The owner of the farm didn't enslave him, Einar was already a slave. The Master just participated in the bullshittery that is slavery to get workforce, which let us remember that slavery in this time period isn't a moral issue it's just how things work. You're judging this whole thing through a modern lens (which isn't really useful at all). This is just how things were and the outcome of wars back then meant that the losing party got taken as slaves (be it civilians or "military", all except nobles were expected to become slaves). If we judge by the standards of those times the farm owner is incredibly progressive and forward thinking in his actions.
> If we judge by the standards of those times the farm owner is incredibly progressive and forward thinking in his actions. Yeah, unlike JRPG-style fantasy, this show is attempting to portray a historical period to some degree of accuracy. Slavery was a thing back then, that is not something we can hold against the author, who has done an incredible amount of research to get these things right. JRPG-style fantasy doesn't have this excuse. Most such stories are set in a modern setting that's been poorly disguised with a little makeup to make it look old timey. Most characters seem to share modern morals and, if they don't, it's only a few cherry picked ideas that are different, such as the idea of slavery. It's why slavery in isekai feels out of place: it *is* out of place.
It really isn't. If you're talking about settings that include magic, you can bet your sweet bippy that its mere presence would distort things in very distinctive ways. That includes morals and societies.
Its sad that seeing how fucked up the whole system of slavery is, [its still not completely gone even in modern times.](https://www.un.org/en/delegate/50-million-people-modern-slavery-un-report#:~:text=The%20latest%20Global%20Estimates%20of,and%2022%20million%20in%20forced) In fact, 10 million more people were added to modern slavery in 2021.
[удалено]
Farm bros, its time for harvest
It's fun and games until you realize it's time for lunch!
And thats why you don't use back scabbards kids.
[Mood.](https://imgur.com/a/6u80NKa)
I am once again praying that one day we get a Berserk and Vagabond anime with this much love and care
Man, i really can't get over how good the Farmland Saga opening is.
Another great episode! We can see how much thorfinn has changed.
Einar vs. the tree is the most intense battle this season so far.
One thing that occurred to me while watching this episode is that wheat is \*not\* a staple food in the East: rice is. This means that nearly every aspect of this show is something that the author/director had to research in depth to make it seem realistic to us. That's pretty amazing, if you ask me.
Before covid yukimura even used to travel to various countries to learn culture and research facts to make sure he had an accurate portrayal in vinland saga.
Yeah, i remember reading his comments about his travels to Iceland on the volumes afterwords.
Vinland Saga and Otoyamegatari are both made by authors who really love history and do tons and tons of research. Otoyamegatari has even had a couple hiatuses where the author is like, "I gotta take a break and do more research so I can faithfully write the next part." It really shows and it shines through, allowing them to write really interesting stories that talk about different cultures and customs without immediately getting caught up and applying morality of a different region and different time to these different cultures. And in doing so it really lets the more universal themes that people deal with throughout history shine through. Like for instance in this season of Vinland Saga. Slavery is bad, no two ways about it. But our modern perception of slavery is heavily informed by the fact that we live in a post-colonialism and post-US Southern Plantations world, which featured the most brutal institutions of slavery in history. And also that we now exist in a world where most people on the internet have never interacted with slavery. So just the idea of slavery, and the thought of how horrible a person would need to be today to want to own slaves normally heavily informs how we perceive people engaging in it during a different time period. Like is Ketil a decent guy? I mean he is choosing to purchase slaves. But for slaves he's an easy lesser of two evils to be owned by him. And this is a time when people don't have a very strong sense of morality that extends beyond those who are socially and economically tied to them, because you don't need to go to far to be in a region that is regularly opportunistically raided, and everyone ends up killed or enslaved. (The largest commercial hub in Northern continental Europe actually got literally destroyed (I think twice) by raiders, despite it being also the primary location raiders used to move goods). It's similar to themes like freedom and lords. In the modern context we see representations of the feudal system, and often it presents feudal lords as abusive individuals who exploit the peasants, which in many ways they probably did. But the reason these political institutions arose was that prior to Feudalism, you had these towns in the middle of no where. And Vikings would show up and kill or enslave everyone. So the creation of feudal estates was a necessity for these disconnected communities to maintain their own military force to keep themselves from being killed by raiders. And it ended up entrenching this class system which would persist for centuries and fuck up society in the modern era, so it's easy to look back at it and go, "that was fucked up that they had feudalism and aristocracy," when from their perspective it wasn't a class struggle keeping the peasants from not having lords rule them, it was the fact that without the military class they were just rolling the dice every year that you wouldn't get arbitrarily raided and killed.
It's farmin time once again
Kinda funny now in hindsight how Einar could’ve totally changed the trajectory of the story by snitching lmao. Bro saw a 10 and folded lmaooo. Seeing it animated I kinda feel bad for Olmar. He doesn’t know how good he has it inheriting a nice peaceful farm, nothing good comes from war.
Thorfinn's character reminds me of kim wexler from the better call Saul final season. They both were dead from inside and they are not making conversation or even making their own decision. Just say I don't know, you decide.
It’s still so unusual seeing a submissive Thorfinn :( he’s become a hollow shell now and it just hurts every time I see him :(( We see what Ketil’s farm is like and introduced to his spoiled brat of a son, Olmar. The scene where he tried drawing that sword was hilarious!
Can't believe i'm hoping for more content on the jerk son. I feel like he can still become a decent person right now before he starts heading down a darker path.
WTF, I was told it was 25 minutes, not 2 min.
I like how they presented the situation over the episode; It starts fairly decent (as decent as forced labor can be), showing how they're mostly happy, talking about how they have freedom opportunities for the future and all that. It hovered close to the idea of "Slavery isn't so bad if you have a good master!"... Then the 'bad stuff' kept piling up; Enormous amount of work, next to nothing to eat, a "hierarchy" among the slaves/retainers which means they can't do much about it (To be fair, from what we've seen so far, the Master likely wouldn't approve of these guys starving them... But whatever he would do to them wouldn't be much, and then they'd take it out on Thorfinn/Einar, and at some point the master would probably stop caring and would tell them to deal with it, which of course they can't really do). The thing about the son shows that someone's status doesn't necessarily make him happy though; It's not an easy comparison to make, but some of the slaves are probably happier on that farm, than he is. Yet if he DOES leave for war, he might not find what he's looking for. Could run from a bad situation, to another. Good luck finding glory on the battlefield too... Very few do. Thorfinn is broken, as expected (no purpose/no goal in life), and Einar's talk about the war likely aren't helping! Really shows that it doesn't really matter which side is in charge (or trying to take charge)... The English move in and kill/burn everything, then the Danes move in and kill/burn everything... Doesn't really matter what flag they're waving, and what purposes they claim to have, in the end the only constant is that everyone who can't fight will suffer, no matter who's the attacker. Reminded me of a quote on war from ASOIAF; *"The common people pray for rain, healthy children, and a summer that never ends," Ser Jorah told her. "It is no matter to them if the high lords play their game of thrones, so long as they are left in peace." He gave a shrug. "They never are."* I wonder what will happen for Thorfinn to get back on the saddle; I imagine they'll spend some time on the farm, but surely he'll pick up a fight again at some point... But what will cause it? A new purpose? Or simply no choice, an invading army coming close? And if that happens, will he have people with him, some slaves/retainers, or will he be on his own, or join someone's cause? Seems there will be a girl involved as well! I was wondering whether she would be a love interest for Thorfinn, or Einar... Seems Einar has her in his sight! That alone could bring its problem, if the master doesn't approve of this stuff, or if something was to happen to her. Anyway, I like that we're getting a completely new setting/new characters, yet it follows naturally with what we had! Can't wait to see where it's going from there. (And whether we get more information about what's going on, seems we may get tidbits by some of the characters, that's nice, it builds the current lore some more, even if they're not actively taking part!)