Winter 2023 Impressions: The Fire Hunter, Vinland Saga Season 2, Kaina and the Great Snow Sea

The Fire Hunter

Short Synopsis: In a dystopia where people can burn at the slightest touch of fire, a young girl sets out to the capital to return a Fire Hunter’s dog and weapon.

Mario: I sort of see the criticism for The Fire Hunter’s filter that makes it deliberately looks hand-painted and old-schooled than it actually is, but the strength of the rest of the episode is just a step above other Winter season shows. The Fire Hunter places strong emphasis on worldbuilding – to the point sometimes it does overwhelm the characters, but because of that the setting and its customs are well-realized and believable. The central set-up: about the “mythic” fire and how it affects humanity in a profound way can open up to many interesting developments in the future. And for me the production is top-notch. Certainly the cream of the crop here.
Potential: 75%

Lenlo: And so Fire Hunter rises to be my 2nd favorite premier of the season. There’s something beautiful about this world and its characters, their soft spokenness and how light is made to stand out with how dangerous it is. Not much really happened in this first episode, as we spend it largely learning about the world and its inhabitants, but it was presented so effectively that I can’t help but be drawn into it. These expectations could be betrayed, sure. But for now at least, Fire Hunter has excited me.
Potential: 80%

Vinland Saga Season 2

Short Synopsis: Season 2 of Vinland Saga

Lenlo: FARMLAND HYYYYYPE. I’m ready. I’ll admit, it starts very slowly. In fact the majority of the season is going to be slow. If you’re here for viking action, you aren’t going to get a lot of it. If you hadn’t already guessed, this entire season is focused on picking up the pieces after a conflict, and the obvious “War is bad”. What with the whole thing set on a farm, that means there won’t be much action and more of a lot of inner reflection. There’s some! It’s near the end, but it exists. But it won’t be the focus. That said if you’re looking for a deeply emotional character piece about broken people, Vinland Saga S2 is probably going to be the best thing this season. Plus, it actually looks pretty good too. I was concerned a bit after the studio switch, but so far it looks great. Very picturesque.
Potential: 90%

Mario: Well, the change in the studio doesn’t seem to affect the production one bit. It is brave to feature a narrative away from Thorfinn, but having Thorfinn emerging at the end is nothing short of rewarding. In Einar’s story, the show still touches on its usual theme of slavery, revenge, brutality and man’s path choice that even though it has a brand new narrative, the feel is pretty much Vinland Saga-esque. A man who tripped off of his own homeland, of the family he loves, of his own status… there’s certainly a parallel between him and Thorfinn. And the fact that it was the Viking (Thorfinn’s gang) that killed his family will open up more juicy conflicts. I’m certainly keen on its central moral ambiguity: is thriving to survive at all cost, even at the pain of losing everything, worth it?
Potential: 70%

Kaina of the Great Snow Sea

Short Synopsis: A young boy and a princess explore a strange world where a translucent canopy hangs between the branches of grand trees and a sea of snow between their roots.

Lenlo: Kaina has the unlucky predicament of competing with 2 major shows in my mind. The first is Trigun Stampede, the premier CGI show of the season. When put side by side, it’s pretty clear that Kaina simply isn’t as polished. While its backgrounds are stunning and beautiful, the CGI characters are stiff and lack detail, suffering from the kind of stilted animation and acting most CGI anime do. Simply put, I don’t expect Kaina to “wow”, or to even be “good”, in the animation department. For the second, that’s Made in Abyss, where it has to compete in regards to its setting and world design. Here, I actually think Kaina has a shot. The Yggdrasil-like trees with their translucent webbings, people living inside its branches eating large bugs as the world dies around them, the great Snow Sea slowly building higher and higher as none of the snow melts off. It’s beautiful, in a dangerous, fantastical sort of way. As for the story? I’m… curious. More entranced by the world then the “Save my country” plot, but that’s at least enough to get me to watch a few more. Hopefully Kaina is able to come up with a story as engaging as it’s world, because I want to bask in these backgrounds for as long as possible.
Potential: 60%

Mario: I’m always curious about Polygon Pictures studio. It’s a second-tier CG anime studio that was behind Ajin (which I dropped due to the visual) and Kuutei Dragon (which I love). At this point, I consider them having their own brand. It doesn’t look well-polished but you can tell from miles from looking at the arts that this is their stuff. And it brings me to Kaina. The show’s visuals actually look great for their standard, with many striking images: like the one where the titular character walks on the ice/ snow surface. You can credit it for the well-realized background arts and the world-buildings, which for me remains the best asset of the show so far. Moreover, the duo narrative works out in this episode as we see a large contrast in the two worlds, both in how they look and the politics behind it. The premise is strong so far, now we have Kaina the character explores the world underneath and helps the Princess in the process. It might not be the hit shows but if you look for more under-the-radar stuff, Kaina is a great alternative.
Potential: 50%