Vinland Saga Season 2

Two anime set in Europe during medieval times (barring the difference between Northern and Eastern Europe, and about 450 years). Grounded, mostly realistic, with lots of tension and drama, and humane characters with actual struggles and similar backgrounds and motivations. They both portray a really good representation of medieval times in many aspects, and their visuals are fantastic. 

Both sequels switch from an action focused season 1 to a far slower paced season 2 about coming to terms with past actions & mistakes. Focusing far more on the individual characters instead.  

Both of the series are similar because the main character wants to quit fighting and live a peaceful life. While Vinland Saga is more serious and based on a farm for most of season 2, Violet Evergarden is emotional and romantic. The animation in both are amazing and very detailed. 

their approaches couldn't be more different but both have an underlying and recurring theme of creating utopias and i found both of their approaches thought provoking 

The peaceful path of a former bloodthirsty warrior. Fight his inner demons that torment him throughout his life. 

Both main characters suffer at a young age which leads to them walking upon a path of vengeance. Both series have a similar production value & bring out emotions in the very same way. 

Both have protagonists who follow charismatic, exceptionally flawed leaders. Lots of violence, but balanced with equally great storylines. 

Mob and Thorfin wanted to contain their power despite being strongest, having character development after giving up to use their power for everytime.  

restoration of humanity 

Similar stories for a real figher, in a group of mercenaries, who want to become stronger, and get to the moment he is unbeatable. A lot of blood and nice fighting scenes are just part of the plot, in both animes, there is a nice story of a human's life. 

Both deal with trauma, guilt, PTSD in interesting ways. And both Thorfinn and Joe have some of the best character development in all of fiction. 

If you liked slime's peaceful vibes and civilization-building aspects, Vinland Saga Season 2 is for you! Vinland Saga is a better-written and expansive version of Slime's that addresses the challenges of building a nation/civilization and its implications in a more grounded story.  

Agricultural activities, such as farming, plays an important role in both shows. They are not pivotal, but rather successfully support general messages that these both animes try to convey. Said activities are presented with high quality art and animation, and in realistic way, offering quite soothing experience to viewers. However, one needs to keep in mind that in general those both shows, if we exclude similarities mentioned above, differ a lot from each other. Especially when it comes to the depiction of more drastic scenes (in example, Vinland Saga is way more graphic in this aspect than Wolf Children, which is - on the contrary - more timid).  read more 

Both MC is sold into slavery and then finds themselves under a kind master. They both make a new friend and form a strong brotherly bond. Romeo and Thorifnn both grow as a strong character and learn about the many complexities in life. Both story is set in Europe with excellent slice of life elements, drama, and a sense of adventure. While Vinland is more set in the Danish countryside around 11th century, Romeo no Aoi Sora is set in 19th century Italy.  

Hatred, strife, death, destruction, despair, regret, and sadness. What can a soldier do to make up for the guilt and shame buried inside himself? What is a warrior to do when he is taken out of his life knowing only war? Can he still hold up when the fighting comes back to him? The Farm Arc of Vinland Saga and Cucuruz Doan's Island answer these questions for you. In VS, deuteragonist Einar wounds up a slave on a farm where he meets protagonist and former warrior Thorfinn. Having killed many he is tortured by his dreams every night. Though he manages to adapt to life on the farm, his past is not kept away as King Canute, whom he once served comes to take the farm by force. In CDI, protagonist Amuro goes AWOL during a mop-up operation on Alegranza and his captor, the titular Doan, is a deserter raising war orphans, living and farming crops on the island. With memories of the sins he committed with his unit haunting him, Doan makes it an obligation to prevent further conflict as the island holds a dark secret that could turn the tide of the war. read more 

Both anime focus on the protagonists journey to finding meaning in life, and to lead a fulfilling life Both anime are action/adventure with many characters Both anime are serious in nature, with the occasional comic relief Both MCs become depressed in some parts of their life Both anime gradually covers the protagonists entire life, from child to adulthood (seeing characters age and wide scale events unfold) Both anime have a focus on family values, and not just about being a ruthless killer or a battle hungry warrior 

Both have a blond main character who are incredibly skilled at fighting but do their absolute best to avoid killing anybody even in the most threatening moments, and addresses the idea of grudges and revenge. This "radical" moral belief of no killing leads them to clash with other foil characters, and revealing the underlying philosophy of the story. Through that, we witness suffering and the death of tons of innocent people, but we also learn through our main character the concept of never-ending hope towards life and it's beauties. Additionally, christianity is mentioned in a few moments. At one point the main character meets someone who despite questioning each other's beliefs and behaviors, become best friends. There are also other more secondary characters who have emotional stories, and further reveals qualities about not only the MC but also the large world around them. read more 

Both feature characters that don't have enemies and abandon their seek for vengeance. 

Both are shows about the ugliness and futility of war, and about scared people trying to survive in a world torn by it. While Vinland is more historical, and 86 is more Sci-fi, both shows are grounded in universal themes of war, the value of life, and freedom. They also feel pretty similar in tone, both dealing with heavy themes and yet with a mostly piano-based Soundtrack, which makes it feel both peaceful and tragic at the same time. If you like one, you owe it to yourself to watch the other 

The 2nd season of Vinland Saga is very different from it's first installment. S2 focuses of Thorfinn character development which he lacked throughout S1, an empty man finally find the purpose of his life. If you are interested in expressing something very similar to Vinland Saga S2 I highly recommend you to watch Welcome to NHK which also tell us the story of a broken man finding the purpose to live. Welcome to NHK is an underappreciated beautiful coming of age story. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to watch something meaningful and powerful enough to change your life for the better.