As a manga reader, I already knew how awesome this season was going to be. The only underlying worry with the change in studios was MAPPA giving it a proper adaptation. Needless to say, they have done a pretty decent job at it.

What is it that first comes to our minds when we think of the Golden Age of the Vikings? Surely it is Norse Gods, bloody raids across Europe, pagan rituals, voyages in longships and so on. The daily lives of slaves and farmers or the effect of raids on the lives of the victims are hardly among those, since the former appears more appealing compared to the latter. But regardless of the entertainment value, both of them were integral parts of society then. If the first season explored the former, the second season explores the latter. Surely there is a shift in tone accompanied by this change, but rather than treating them as two completely different things, we should see them as the two sides of the same coin.

The first season of Vinland Saga, although a wonderful season in terms of both narrative and technical aspects, lacked something huge. The portrayal of what should have been the very heart of the show, Thorfinn, left a large portion of the viewers annoyed, detached and not being able to like the character. But this was largely due to the constraints of adapting an anime from the source material, rather than being a flaw of the storyline itself. Regardless, everything changed for the better in this season as Thorfinn undergoes one of the greatest character developments to become the most lovable character of the show, perhaps even more than the show stealer Askeladd himself. The mass introduction of new characters is something that I'm not really a huge fan of. There are several shows that does this that has left a bad taste in my mouth. But sometimes the storyline demands it and it's very hard to pull off successfully. Needless to say, Yukimura has done a great job at introducing the new characters for they are all very likeable and interesting, even though some of them being absolute pieces of shit. There have also been several instances of anime original scenes in the show. Even the very first scene of this season was an original scene, but all of them have only enhanced the source material even more.

However, two of the biggest drawbacks of this season seemed to be related to the animation quality and shift in tone compared to the first season. There certainly has been a slight dip in the animation quality compared to the first season. There are instances of choppy animation, not big enough to ruin your experience but enough to notice them. Instances where facial features are not completely visible upon viewing from afar and moments with juxtaposition of characters with backgrounds are also present. The lack of action compared to the first season might also be underwhelming for many fans who have been following this anime just because it's bloody aspects and cannot find the themes explored by this season interesting, adding salt to the wound, the slow pace of the storyline.

In conclusion, as a huge fan of Vinland Saga, the Farmland Saga was everything I could have ever hoped for. Of course, there are certain aspects which could have been improved, but overall, it has been a satisfying journey. And don't forget, You Don't Have Any Enemies!