dudebulge

Einar & Thorfinn

Added 2025-10-08 02:35:22 +0000 UTC

I will admit that when I started watching Vinland Saga, I wasn't sold. It felt like a basic-ass revenge shonen for several episodes and I wasn't feeling it. Luckily, (or unfortunately if you know him, lol) a friend of mine forced me to keep watching, telling me it was gonna get so much better. I resisted for over a year but eventually, I'm sorry to say he wore me down. I relented. I kept watching. So much viking warfare. So much angst. So much walking. Ugh. And then something surprising happened. No, not surprising, downright miraculous. I started giving a shit about these formerly one-dimensional characters. And then the season 1 finale happened, and I fucking cried. I don't know when I got so invested in this series, but I did, and it snuck up on me. And then I watched season 2, and my god, I loved it. This story went places and turned my expectations on their head along the way. It not only wasn't brainless, violent shonen slop anymore, it had a story to tell and lessons to learn. I recommend it a lot, but you do have to stick with it.

These characters are from season 2, well, one of them is. They have a pretty significant relationship and you don't have to squint very hard to think they might be into each other in THAT way. Anyway, if you're looking for a new anime that really isn't like all the other schlock out there, you also might get something unexpected out of Vinland Saga. And if you've already seen it, no spoilers in the comments please!