Vinland Saga Season 2: Episode 9 Early Access Reaction!
Added 2023-03-07 14:00:04 +0000 UTC**CLIMBING PAST THOSE HEADPHONE WARNINGS**
This season has been about building Thorfinn from the ground up and I am LOVING IT. This episode felt like a culmination of a 35 episodes of Thorfinn struggling to grow, remember, develop...and it took the dream-versions of his two "paternal figures" in Thors and Askeladd to make everything finally "click" for our lad!
Now, with an "oath" to stop seeking violence and only protect...where will it take Thorfinn? I'm SO eager to see what is in store for our now-man!
LINK TO REACTION: https://share.vidyard.com/watch/Phd9VMeKvvPbwavcm6mWC5?
Thank you for watching with me and for all the support!
Comments
YAY! Thank you for commenting! 🙂 I love this season so far and that’s awesome about the storyboard director! It’s good that WIT has some people in with Mappa working on this show to carry over the art direction! This episode was SO GOOD. And ugh, Thors being sad that he couldn’t be there to teach Thorfinn? HEARTBREAKING. And yes, the idea that BOTH Askeladd and Thors have been so instrumental to Thorfinn is such a great point to bring up. Yessss, Askeladd noting how easily Thorfinn came falling down was such a heartbreaking moment. And yes, this series showing how Thorfinn is going to take this road to face his trauma is so inspiring! And Einar wanting to stay my his side, even if he doesn’t understand Thorfinn’s trauma, is so powerful! I LOVE that sentiment from the mangaka that he’s having a hero and protagonist turn away and give up violence and that he’s okay with going against the grain! That’s so beautiful and yes, let the haters and the bandwagon fans go, and let the ones that can appreciate this series for the amazingness that it is keep it! <3 I love that, too! Also, I alway feel pretentious when I bring it up in the reactions…so I’m glad that I’m not the only one, hahahaa! Good to know the manga readers knew what to expect this season! And yesssssss, God, I could praise Thorfinn’s VA ALL DAY. SO GOOD! You said basically all I could say about his voice acting and how perfect it was! I love it and it makes me want to listen over and over again! Thank you for the kind words and comment!
Romaniablack
2023-03-13 04:32:50 +0000 UTCHahaha, I can understand that! Thorfinn has definitely become a relatable character on so many fronts! :D
Romaniablack
2023-03-13 04:15:36 +0000 UTCAs a man that once was deemed a “baby face”. Now that I can finally ONLY grow a goatee; I find more and more of myself in Thorfinn 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Tyler Castline
2023-03-12 23:12:08 +0000 UTCYou are NOT too late! Ooohhh, I love that idea of the Right and Left path and Thorfinn is positioned on the right side of the road as his father? GENIUS! Thank you for the comment and pointing that out! <3
Romaniablack
2023-03-12 20:12:01 +0000 UTCI’m probably super late for this comment; but I feel there is such significance in how Thorfinn sees Thors’ as he picks up Einar. If you notice, Thorfinn has two paths ahead of him; Left, and Right… Thors’ himself is walking on the “right” path. Just something interesting I thought about with our English language and hyperbole’s
Tyler Castline
2023-03-12 01:12:43 +0000 UTCFinally! I’m catching up with your videos and I’m soo thankful that I caught up with this episode in particular because it’s no exaggeration for me to say that this is one best episodes of television that I’ve watched. The source material is already amazing and these chapters are commonly known as some of the best that manga has to offer. And yet they went above and beyond my expectations. Yabuta the head director (same as season 1) put together such an amazing team. Kobayashi returned as storyboarder this episode. The man who did the masterpiece 1x14 and also 1x24 and 2x4 etc. Hasegawa lead the charge this episode as animation producer who quit WIT to remain in their role for season 2, alot of animators and supervisors are all regulars from season 1, and of course Yamada continues to deliver an amazing musical score living up to everything they did in season 1. It’s a pretty unique situation because you initially want to applaud Mappa for their work and I’m sure the studio has contributed a lot too but the fact that it’s basically all the same people from season 1 just shows how passionate they are about this story that they all stayed for season 2 even under a different studio. It doesn’t take a lot for fiction to make me cry but I straight up ugly sobbed through most of this and for a good 5 minutes after the credits finished. The anime team brought absolute masters of their craft all together to make this 25 minute masterpiece. What always struck me about Thorfinn’s father figures in his dream is Thors is portrayed as disappointed not just at Thorfinn but himself. He’s filled with regret and all he can really do is impart the little bit of wisdom he was able to give Thorfinn in their short time together and apologise as he watched his son fall. It’s Askeladd who spurs him on, gives Thorfinn the time to process what he has done, gives Thorfinn time to cry and let his guilt out, saves Thorfinn from his demons trying to shoot him down and gives him the words he needs to hear to get himself out. Both men are important and crucial but it’s always fascinated me how Thorfinn’s subconscious sees them. The similar themes of the wheat field getting destroyed and Thorfinn’s descent into the abyss is stunning. Just like it’s easier to destroy than to create, it’s easier to fall than to climb. To create and to climb takes work. Soo much patience and work. To fill up your emptiness left behind by destruction not just physical but mental you need to be productive and take those first steps into building yourself back up again. Just like Sverkel told him in ‘An Empty Man’ to work and in ‘Oath’ Askeladd told him to keep climbing. To recover from trauma, from ptsd, to atone this is road that Thorfinn must take. Thorfinn faced his worst fears and now he is on the literal road with Einar by his side to improve himself. Yukimura you are a god among men and I adore you! Manga readers knew that this was the season that would break off the people who just came into this thinking this was ‘Vikings the anime’. While I think there are some dumb as hell takes out there of people thinking this is slow, boring, no action and just want Thorfinn to be a lil edgy badass again, I also know that some people just genuinely seem to not appreciate where the story seems to be going. Even though I don’t know how they watched 24 episodes of the prologue and didn’t understand the main themes of the story. And I do try to not sound like a pretentious twat because I understand people go into fiction and into anime for different reasons. They want ‘hype’ and that’s on them. Some people want to stay in their shonen boxes and want the next thrill and that’s totally fine. But without all that being said I am seeing far more praise anyway. Yukimura said in twitter on Monday that when he wrote his hero saying that he will give up violence he had people around him asking him if he was serious. But he replied back then that “there were plenty of battle manga in the world so it’s okay”. What a beautiful sentiment. Also lastly I really do believe that while the visuals, the directon, the music etc was stunning the real MVP for me this episode was Uemura Yuuto. His portrayal of Thorfinn has already been amazing but this episode he went through the absolute ringer. His voice sounding so bright at the beginning, then desperation and sorrow, then genuine fear as he fell, then absolute pain and heartbreak, then that roar of sheer determination and lastly how alive he sounded as he came back to reality. That’s such a dream as an actor to have an episode like this and he really truly is the perfect Thorfinn.
Sacha
2023-03-10 17:34:26 +0000 UTCAhhh, ahahaha, Luffy and Goku -- I forgot about those theories as well! That's great! And yessss, Einar has #datfarmerstrength and I love it! I have loved following Thorfinn on this journey of self-discovery and moving forward! I really am looking forward to seeing where his journey takes him now! :) Thank for the comment!
Romaniablack
2023-03-10 03:02:45 +0000 UTCMirroring a lot of real life friends! I love it! :)
Romaniablack
2023-03-10 02:58:33 +0000 UTCSame! They're both so different and yet they're still great friends. I love it!
Anita Meyer
2023-03-08 15:22:28 +0000 UTCI LOVE this episode so much -- you're so right, there's so much to say but it really does speak for itself. <3 And oooooh, that's a good point there -- that this is Thorfinn's dream; so him being shot at is like he is accepting punishment for the deaths he's caused...and yet he doesn't want to fall back into that pit again. It's so brilliant! Thank you for the comments!
Romaniablack
2023-03-08 05:03:45 +0000 UTCI'm SO happy he's moving forward! It felt so good this episode!
Romaniablack
2023-03-08 05:02:24 +0000 UTCThe contrast of the struggles between these two, right?! They really are from different worlds, but I love that they're going through this together.
Romaniablack
2023-03-08 05:02:08 +0000 UTCThis episode was SO. GOOD. I am rooting for Thorfinn as well, but it's really going to be an uphill battle...but I'm eager to see how he takes off from here! Thanks for the comment!
Romaniablack
2023-03-07 20:20:12 +0000 UTCOh my goodness, I loved this episode so freakin much !!! Honestly, I am rooting for Thorfinn's non-violence/no killing oath, but I'm afraid for what's to come because I know it will be very difficult for him. For as much as I'm looking forward to a reunion w/ Canute, he will clearly be a huge issue now...
brianna a
2023-03-07 20:07:43 +0000 UTCTotally understandable that this is a top tier episode, Thorfinn finally gets a massive breakthrough in his character and personal growth to finally try and start moving forward.
OKA
2023-03-07 16:22:05 +0000 UTCEverything has been a dream so far and he can join Ash and his theory lol you can add Goku (falling off a cliff as a baby and hitting his head), Tsubasa Ozora (getting run over as a baby and losing his legs so no soocer for him) and Luffy (almost dying after almost drowning on the first episode) to that list lol. That farmer strength showing it self again, Einar not going down on a 1v5 fight. Is so nice when the real main character of the show grace us with his presence for almost a complete episode, love Azkeladd, buddy needed a break after that one injury at the end of season 1. Now that Thorfinn got help from Azkeladd in a dream and has finally made an oath we shall see him move past his depression faster, more dedicated to his work to try and free him self and Einar and change for the better, to become a true warrior like his dad.
OKA
2023-03-07 16:01:43 +0000 UTCAlso I love that Einar's priority upon waking up and seeing Thorfinn is just being like "Hey, guess what, we won!! :D" Meanwhile Thorfinn just spent the majority of the episode climbing his way out of a dark place because he started the fight Einar's so proud of winning.
Anita Meyer
2023-03-07 15:53:51 +0000 UTCThis episode is honestly in my personal top 3 for this season so far. It's weird (at least for me) that there is so much to say about this episode and yet I feel like the episode really speaks for itself. One thing I think is kind of sad about Thorfinn hanging over hell (I mean, don't get me wrong, that whole sequence is amazing and I love everything about it) is that moment where he's crying over the people he killed, and suddenly he's getting shot at. It's like he's subconsciously thinking that he deserves some kind of pain as compensation. D:
Anita Meyer
2023-03-07 15:44:48 +0000 UTC
