#love all of the non-toxic people in the Vinland Saga fanbase

[4seasonsofart]

Why people love S1 Vinland Saga and hate S2 (A Theory)

There's something special about War Arc Thorfinn for so many people. I've heard a lot of discourse about Season 2 and how it doesn't have enough action. About how Thorfinn is lame now because he's only farming. (etc... etc...) I still think you're a loser and lack media literacy if you hate Season 2 just because it doesn't have 'enough action'. Although, I think there is a deeper reason why the transition between Arcs and Seasons feels so monumental here.

Change, life and death, and the passing of time are all bittersweet things for many people. A lot of people fear these things, and the transition between Season 1 and Season 2 has a lot of them. Thorfinn becomes empty, Canute is now a king, and so many of the major characters that we grew up with are now dead for the sake of Thorfinn's development.

We also have the passing of generational trauma and how our characters deal with it. It felt like Thorfinn was an angry little kitten, and now he is a depressed and then enlightened man. It can cause whiplash. A sense of loss. A sense of sadness within us. Many people regress when faced with such things. Which is why Season 2 can feel jarring to most.

We once had something full of action, and now we have nothing. There are a lot of people on their journey to healing. So many people still have their internalized hatred and emotions within them. Which is why they connect with how broken and conflicted Thorfinn is in Season 1. So many people can relate to him. That anger. That pain. That wanting to hurt everyone who hurt you.

It's relatable. It's healing in a way.

Then we have Thorfinn in Season 2, who is beginning to heal. Who is depressed. Who learns to love and gains a friend. For a lot of people, that causes a conflicting feeling inside. Why am I not there? Why can't that be me? Why does that cause me to feel this way? It can trigger a bad reaction or a need to regress to how things used to be.

People are so used to being broken... that they are scared to heal. The anger and pain is the only thing they've ever known. So they relate and love Season 1 Thorfinn. 'He's so me fr fr.'

It's different, and it hurts to see people (even fictional characters) grow and change so drastically. We also have a sub-culture of anime enthusiasts who just like themeless fighting and large explosions of color. So people who like just seeing dramatic fights and bland storylines won't like this. They are used to the 'main character being angry, then defeating a monster, then winning, and then getting angry again.' This is the cycle that continues through many (in my opinion) poorly written manga and books.

Manga like Vinland Saga, Vagabond, and Berserk (etc...) offer a deeper and more gut-wrenching approach to this. They focus on the characters and the themes more than baseline action and intrigue. That's why treasured pieces of literature have such small fanbases. We live in a society that prioritizes 'fast food' intake of content with little substance or meaning. People just want to see something pretty and not think about it. Which is a side effect of many people's addiction to TikTok.

Which pains me but also makes me happy. I like the Vinland Saga fan base; I like that it's small. I can't help but feel a little protective over fictional characters because this story has meant so much to me and my own personal growth. We've seen what happens when themeless and quite bland animes get really large fan bases. (My Hero Academia, for example.) I don't want the message of this story to be lost because people so easily write it off for not filling their dopamine hits.

So from people's own trauma and connections to Season 1 Thorfinn to substanceless media being popularized, it isn't a surprise that many people just write off Season 2. No, it isn't the same as Season 1, but that isn't a bad thing. Want more Season 1 Thorfinn? Intake fanfiction or art created by fans, or make some of your own. You are not limited to only what is shown on your screen or in the manga. That's the great thing about fan bases and fan-made things. It's your interpretation of the character. It's both the original creators and yours.

Just be decent and try to have some media literacy. To all of the 'Incels', 'beta males', and rage baiters who try to hate on this masterpiece- go back to your fanservice animes with poorly written female characters and unneeded nudity.

I didn't know how to really get my thoughts out correctly while writing this, so I hope everyone who reads it understands what I am trying to say.