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What are your thoughts on the second season of Vinland Saga?
I’ve really been enjoying Vinland Saga so I’m curious what everyone else thinks about this season.
I’ve really been enjoying Vinland Saga so I’m curious what everyone else thinks about this season.
For a season that revolved around the main characters being a slave, it was as brutal as the last season. Lots of character growth with the characters and a solid standalone ending.
I liked the first one more, but Netflix only came out with a certain amount of dubbed so I'm not caught up yet. I got to episode 12 of season 2.
Same. I'm dying waiting for the second half of the dub.
Eww. Dub?
May I ask why? Do you normally watch dubs? Curious as I thought almost everyone did subs.
I choose dubs over subs in most cases, for a couple of reasons. I don't like that having to read subs takes my attention away from the visuals, especially in shows with very good animation. As long as the dub isn't distractingly bad, I feel I enjoy shows more when I watch them dubbed.
Also my wife and I both have ADHD, which makes it harder to follow what's happening in shows with subs. If we get distracted during a scene, our brains can usually still pick up what's being said and piece things together when we refocus. But with subs, it doesn't work because our brains can't piece together a language we don't understand. I find myself pretty regularly needing to rewind scenes when I'm watching with subs, but almost never so with dubs.
Are there any shows you’ve had to stop due to bad dubs? I’ve tried a few and the dubs were SOOO bad. The one that sticks out as an amazing dub that I do prefer over sub is Full Metal Alchemist.
I like the dubs if the voice acting is good so that I can check my phone sometimes without missing things. Some examples of dubs I enjoyed are Naruto+Shippuden, Full Metal Alchemist, Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell.
Some that are bad, hmm I can't really think of any but I know it has happened. There have been a few times that I switched to sub because of the voice acting. I also switch if there are a lot more seasons in sub vs dub.
Also if I start subbed or dubbed, I find it weird switching to the other. It's like a whole other person to me so once I stick with sub or dub that's it for the whole show.
I think the first season had much more action but I feel like there’s more character growth in this season.
I found the second season really good. Storytelling hits close to home (especially with what is currently happening in the world), and animation and voice acting were top notch. Looking forward to next seasons.
Tangent - what do you (or anyone else) mainly like about Vinland Saga to begin with? I watched the first season after seeing the hype and being pestered by a friend but was fairly apathetic to it. Like, cool to see Vikings and all, but it didn't grip me. I remember seeing manga readers saying it was supposed to get better in season 2 though, so I don't know if I should bother.
There was a lot that hooked me in Season 1. The Viking setting is not common in anime. We’ll packed plot with a solid blend of brutal action and political machinations. I dig the art style and detail. The fights are well choreographed, diverse, and well animated. The characters all have at least some depth and are varying shades of morally grey - we’re rooting for certain characters/factions, but at the end of the day, they’re Vikings, glorifying war, pillaging, and raping of anything in their path of conquest. I’m sure it helped that I started with almost no prior knowledge instead of being (over?)hyped; my old anime buddy would get the first episode of every new series that looks remotely interesting for us to trial each season, and that was how we found this show.
Season 2 has been much more of a slow burn. At least for the first half, the action has been almost entirely traded for internal battles and self reflection. The political landscape is still developing, but it’s more in the background. In many ways, it feels like a different show; if you can’t let your expectations go from season 1, you’re going to have a bad time.
Tbh I don’t really like normal shonen battle anime cuz they get repetitive with arcs with just stronger villains each time but nothing new, I like this one because it feels like a journey with character growth and it’s based on actual events that are cool to learn about.
I'll be surprised if Vinland Saga Season 2 doesn't end up being my anime of the year. What a fantastic ride. Thorfinn surpassed his fathers expectations of becoming a true warrior.
At first the pacing will bother you, but eventually you see its quite intentional. I really liked it honestly, but it might not be for everyone.