REVIEW: ‘Vinland Saga’ Season 2 Episode 4 – “Awakening”

Vinland Saga is an action-adventure drama anime based on Makoto Yukimura’s historical award-winning manga series. It is animated by Studio MAPPA and directed by Shuuhei Yabuta (Attack on Titan). The voice cast of Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 4 includes Shunsuke Takeuchi as Einar, Yuuto Uemura as Thorfinn, Mayumi Sako as Arnheid, and Kensho Ono as Canute. 

Following the aftermath of Fox and his fellow guards tormenting Thorfinn and Einar, Snake, the guards’ leader, puts an end to everything. As Thorfinn’s wounds are treated, Snake reprimands his men for picking on the enslaved people. Thorfinn’s warrior spirit is awakens when Snake attacks him out of nowhere. Thorfinn has seemingly regained a will to live and questions himself about what he wants to live for.

Finally, Season 2 is starting to kick things up a notch! The brief skirmish between Thorfinn and Snake in Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 4 gave this show the dose of excitement it has needed since the season premiere. Although I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the story unfold this season, the overarching plot for Season 2 is sometimes going at a tortuously slow pace. This is compared to last season, where it felt like the story had a clear direction. 

So far, Season 2 has felt like the main characters and story need to figure out where they are going. Therefore, we do not know either. Perhaps that is intentional, given Thorfinn’s current state of mind, status in life, and lack of motivation since he failed to kill his father’s murderer.

Nonetheless, Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 4 felt like the pivotal moment for Thorfinn. For example, this episode gave us a glimpse at the old Thorfinn. Thorfinn regains the will to live when he reacts instinctually to Snake’s attack. This is a different response from the Thorfinn we saw previously in Episode 3. 

Thankfully Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 4  does give me some hope that the story is starting to take shape. In Episode 4, Thorfinn faces off against his past and even reveals it to others. I was surprised to see Thorfinn tell Einar the truth about his past life pillaging villages and killing innocent people for the Danes. The same people killed Einar’s family and destroyed his village.

Since Einar and Thorfinn’s relationship dynamic is still so new, this reveal has rocked the foundation of their budding friendship. I look forward to seeing how they, specifically Einar, will be able to move forward after these revelations.

The animation in this season continues to impress me with every episode. Studio MAPPA truly knows how to capture the tiniest details and raw beauty in every scene, from the character designs to the dynamic background illustrations. I especially enjoyed how the animation during the action scenes captured the intensity of the characters’ movements and facial expressions. 

Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 4 finally gives a glimpse of the old Thorfinn, bringing a much-needed dose of excitement to this season. The sins of his past come back to haunt him while he seeks a reason to live. Aside from a brief moment of action, the overarching story in Episode 4 is a slow burn. The story is finding its shape and picking up the pace. 

Vinland Saga Season 2 streams weekly on Netflix and Crunchyroll.