Vinland Saga Season 2

Episode 24

Vinland Saga already provided a perfect conclusion to its second season last week. So, when you reach the score at the bottom, understand that "Home" isn't even really trying to be a five-star ending to this incredible run of episodes. Instead, it serves as a lighthearted epilogue that contrasts with the very heavy events that preceded it. It also marks the beginning of an entirely new adventure. While it won't go down as the single best half-hour of the series, "Home" gives us exactly what we need after experiencing so much alongside our heroes: a moment to rest and a glimpse of all the wonderful things to come.

If you need a sure sign that Vinland Saga is nothing short of masterful, in how it handles its balance of tone and characterization, then look no further than "Home" for a reminder. After months of exploring some of the most painful depths of human suffering and sorrow imaginable, Vinland Saga has no trouble shifting into straight-up comedy territory without a second thought. The series flirted with its more vaudevillian instincts back when Ketil and his sons landed in Canute's territory back in Episode 11, but it cuts loose here, as Thorfinn has to deal with all of the anxieties, misunderstandings, and doubts that would naturally come from arriving home after sixteen years of being presumed dead to a family that is now mostly composed of strangers.

This is doubly so when you have a sister like Ylva, who manages to steal the entire episode with her scant amount of screen time. Normally, the extremely wacky, slapstick approach to her very violent reunion with her long-lost brother is the kind of shtick that might rub me the wrong way in an otherwise serious tale like this, but I couldn't help but laugh at our poor hero's misfortune since the episode makes sure to contrast Ylva's rash distrust of her brother with Thorfinn's genuinely tender meeting with his mother, who unsurprisingly recognizes her son almost instantly. It's a potent reminder of who Thorfinn was, all those years ago, and how he has finally managed to grow into the kind of man his father would genuinely respect and be proud of. I'm getting misty-eyed just remembering this moment as I write these words down, which is just more proof of how strong and moving Vinland Saga's writing has been all season.

Also, if you'll allow me a brief digression, I was howling with laughter when Thorfinn was knocked unconscious with a single blow from his angry sister. Not only is this legitimately good slapstick, but it also somehow manages to reverse-engineer a full setup-and-payoff cycle out of one of the season's most iconic dramatic moments. It was only a couple of weeks ago that Thorfinn's growth as a character was cemented in his ability to peacefully withstand a hundred strikes from one of the King's strongest warriors, yet Ylva knocks her little brother off his feet without so much as breaking a sweat It's a perfect example of comedic contrast, and it also confirms that Ylva might very literally be the single strongest human on the planet.

As nice as the reunion with his family is, though, Thorfinn knows that this place is not where he's meant to be. As the episode draws to its emotional close, we witness a clean-shaven Thorfinn gathering up his friends and taking his very first steps on his quest to find and settle a peaceful land in Vinland. After all these years, we have come to the proper beginning of the Vinland Saga. How incredible is it, then, that this show has managed to produce some of the most dramatically compelling anime I have ever seen, and we've only just started to scratch the surface of the story from which this series derives its namesake? It makes me so incredibly excited to see what lies ahead for Thorfinn, Einar, Leif, Bug-Eyes, and all the other characters we're bound to meet as our heroes set sail. I can only hope that we will have the chance to encounter them all again before too long.

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Vinland Saga Season 2 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about anime and other pop-culture, which can also be found on Twitter, his blog, and his podcast.