VINLAND SAGA

CodeBlazeFate

The first arc of Vinland Saga has been touted as one of manga’s greatest prologues. As such, many were curious about how well the anime would fare. While it may seem like a mere revenge story at first, this 24-episode series acts as a GAR infused yet slow-burning meditation on vengeance and war, as well as the thrills and horrors that await. Moreover, it's a character study revolving around the arc's main protagonists: Thorfinn and Askeladd. They make up the tragic backbone of the show, and that backbone is powerful enough to cement this show as one of the best of the year. Visually, this show is both better and worse than one might think. The CG ships and occasional CG humans are enough to set alarm bells off, and their prevalence would help spell the death of lesser productions in terms of quality. Even this show can look terrible at times, since not every episode is as detailed as one another and some make use of awkward CG environments way more than others. Sometimes the animation can really falter, leading to jank frame rate issues like in two critical moments of episode 4, or just a few really terrible sequences. However, director Shuuhei Yabuta has improved significantly from his last full directorial work, Inuyashiki. On top of that, Studio Wit tends to make anime with worthwhile production values, and he’s been their main man when it comes to CG for years. He knows what he’s doing, and it shows more often than not. Some big scenes lack the weight they should, but Vinland is so chock full of them that Yabuta’s given plenty of chances to add a visceral sense of weight and detail into several of the more explosive or otherwise powerful scenes. Seeing Thorfinn’s face in great detail as he huffs in seething rage for the first time or witnessing the sheer impact of Thorkell punching a horse into the air made for some of the craziest moments of the year. Those aren’t even the more tremendous moments he gets to adapt from this arc, either. Some camera movements such as the few first-person perspective 3D sequences are also eye-catching. Even more impressive is the artwork. Most of the time, it’s incredibly detailed, almost on the level of something like the Gundam Origin OVAs or the 1995 Ghost in the Shell movie. The art direction also leads to some stunning environments, like the horizons of Iceland or the golden crops of Vinland. Combined with Shuuhei Yabuta’s direction, some of these sequences that bask in the environments become breathtaking. A lot of the fight scenes have their incredible, weighty moments as well such as the first half of the fight between Askeladd and Thorfinn’s father in episode 4. The show straddles the line between looking amazing and looking terrible disturbingly often, which is a shame since without some of the jarring dips in quality here and there and with superior (or no) CG, the show would be one of the most well-produced anime of the year by far. The music is also a bit complicated. Yukata Yamada does provide a rather decent score for this anime, with a fair number of emotional pieces and early medieval tunes that often serve as highlights from the very beginning. The tracklist does seem a bit limited as evidenced by how the anime likes to make constant use of one singular piano track for most of the emotional scenes in the show. There are multiple piano tracks so some of them might even be used interchangeably. Additionally, a lot of pieces don’t quite feel tailor-made for this show or setting and instead feel like tracks that could have gone to any other dramatic title. The few that do feel perfect for the setting are not only some of the greatest tracks in the show but are unfortunately rarely used outside of the first quarter of the anime. I don’t mean to be too pessimistic with the soundtrack since there are still several nice tracks present, but the show ends up throwing a lot of them by the wayside and the ones the show uses more than a couple times don’t feel like they add a sense of identity to the show like say, Kaguya-sama’s OST did this year or like other fantastic OSTs such as Berserk 1997’s do for their shows. The first opening is honestly no better, feeling like a generic j-rock song with forced and hideous sounding screamo towards the end. It’s my least favorite piece of music in this entire show. The second opening, “Dark Crow” by MAN WITH A MISSION is a far more hype opening, with the wake-up call of the bagpipes at the beginning, and a rockin’ tone throughout. The first ED, “Torches” by Aimer, is a decently calming and pleasant enough piece, though it doesn’t feel as impactful with its chorus as I would have liked. The second ED, “Drown” by Milet, is more emotional and impactful, and it’s probably one of my favorite ending themes of the year. It’s perfect for the explosion of tremendous emotional moments and character development that is the second half of the show. The first few episodes of the show center around how the last stand of Thorfinn’s father, Thors, as well as the different phases of his upbringing before and after that moment, affect Thorfinn. He always had the potential for violence, after all, he and his people practiced war games all the time as they waited for the day they could finally join a war. However, he was still a child at heart, so seeing him turn from that innocent boy to an angsty killing machine is devastating. Few moments hurt quite as bad as the moment he resigns to his fate and accepts how horrible the path he takes is going to be in episode 6. That sigh of resignation seeing someone he hurt who genuinely wanted him to live the life of a boy again, and how that reminded him of the family he’s sure he’ll never see again, is a brilliant capstone to the first quarter of the show. Many have levied criticism of how stagnant he becomes in later episodes, as his single-minded drive to honorably kill Askeladd dominates his character. However, there are a few points worth bringing up to argue against that notion. He still has plenty of moments to be more than just that kind of person, like during his interactions with the then scared and reserved prince Canute, where he teases him halfway into the series. He’s not like Hajime from Arifureta or anything. He also thinks about how far he’s fallen from his father’s ideals, agonizing over how much worse he’s become since the man’s death despite how much he refuses to admit it to anyone else. His dreams and hallucinations are well-crafted reminders of his humanity and folly. These factors, as well as his stagnant nature, also serve as a form of tragedy. Not only is he painfully aware that he could drop this and not continually sully the message of the man he ultimately idolized, but he also serves as a reflection of who his target of hatred, Askeladd, used to be. By the time the halfway mark rolls around, Askeladd becomes the true star of the show. He’s long since grown past the vengeful killer he was as a child and has become a cunning man of ambition. He is the epitome of the glorious side of the show, with his glorious cackles being the cherry on top of each crazy plan that gets executed. He’s a proper magnificent bastard who would honestly be a standout character even if he were just a glorious, over the top schemer with a strong personality. However, he’s far more than just that, both as a foil to Thorfinn and as a person in his own right. Each reveal about why he became the man he is, about his feelings towards everyone around him, and about why he sees something in both Canute and Thorfinn, adds more to his personality and his journey throughout the series. To spoil his journey any further would do you a disservice, but let it be known that he is easily the richest character in the entire show, and my favorite character to have been introduced to the anime landscape this year. There are other noteworthy characters beyond just the main two. The aforementioned Canute has a surprisingly natural and tactile sense of progression when it comes to his development, and even when he’s still in nervous prince mode, he has a few cute interactions courtesy of Thorfinn teasing him. Thorfinn’s father, Thors, leaves a lasting impression for someone who only lasts for 4 episodes and whose death is used as the sole motivator behind Thorfinn’s revenge quest. One might think of him as just this perfect ultra badass dad who’s so good he doesn’t need to kill because that’s just wrong. He’s also a bit of an oaf at times, like when he can’t fix a pot and complains about it being too hard or when he’s too nervous to properly tell his wife to tell his kids that he loves them when he departs. He certainly has this brick shithouse giga chad vibe that the series exploits to great effect in the early episodes, but it’s the little things and how his actions affect the likes of Thorfinn and Askeladd during his final moments that make him surprisingly compelling. Another minor character from the early part, Ylva, is one of the more fun takes on the beleaguered teenage daughter and big sister character. She's one of the more entertaining and comedic characters of the early part along with Leif Erikson. In fact, seeing what she does following the death of her dad and disappearance of her little brother is perhaps the most compelling part of the 5th episode. Leif himself is even more humorous as the sort of adventurous and sarcastic goofball before the fourth episode changes him and steels his resolve for when he reappears later towards the end of the series. There are more characters that get similar levels of detail and charming presentation, including some of Askeladd’s Vikings and the larger than life ax-wielding maniac, Thorkell. There are other characters who get their own powerful emotional moments. However, this review would drag on and risk containing critical spoilers if I continued. The slow-burn narrative is a deeply somber one. Several episodes subject the viewer to horrifying village raids, the most soul-rending of which occurs in episode 14 which features a girl struggling with her faith before watching her entire village get slaughtered. There are many impactful deaths throughout as well starting from the death of Thors. Almost every major death is handled brilliantly. Thorfinn’s character is a miserable one as he laments the death of his father and his deals as Thorfinn kills and kills in a series of raids and wars. Everyone is richly characterized as people, adding further weight to the tragedy of the many deaths of the show and how people cannot simply be described as allies or enemies as if it were a black and white matter. Thors was right, and he died proving that fact and getting his murderer to spare the lives of everyone who accompanied him. There are plenty of glorious moments, like the entirety of episode 7 or some of the major developments characters go through later on. There are several epic battles between GAR as hell Vikings whose feats live up to the kinds of tales that real-life Vikings and villagers from this show’s time period boasted about and wrote into mythological canon. However, even with characters whose might rivals the likes of Beowulf himself, the show never forgets that they are people engulfed in war, and that there are many tragedies and atrocities that come with that kind of territory. Victories are grand but also fleeting, and even the most painfully meticulous and drawn-out plan Askeladd comes up with that lasts the entire third quarter of the show, is filled with sorrows before paying off spectacularly. Are there errors? Sure. Some of the dialogue reeks of words and phrases that could have never existed in the time period the show takes place in. Sometimes water doesn't react to anything moving in it and there are some animation errors. The CGI is pretty terrible. The anime original scenes in the 5th and 6th episodes as well as towards the end aren’t quite as good as most of the adapted material. Thanks to every bit of dialogue being written and spoken in one language, it’s a tad jarring when characters apparently switch languages. The 7th episode should have been the first episode as it loses some of its hype when following up one of the most somber moments in the entire show, and it would have better conveyed what the show was going to be from the beginning than the current first 4 episodes do. However, barring that last one being a potential reason for many being disappointed in Thorfinn’s character and how Vinland puts other ideas and plots above its revenge story plot, none of these are significant issues. How can they be with characters this expertly written and writing this incredibly presented? Even if the audiovisuals are a bit inconsistent and not as great as they could have been, they still support most of the show’s incredible moments. Even if there are lulls here and there, the show’s characters and payoffs more than make up for it. Nothing is going to stop Vinland Saga from being one of 2019’s greatest, not with a core and finale as powerful as this. Written and edited by: CodeBlazeFate Proofread by: Peregrine, who will be retiring after this review. What a wonderful show to send him off with. I wish my friend well.

KaizokuOtaku

Vinland Saga is most definitely one of a kind story and one that really puts your intelligence to the test. It's one of the few I consider a masterpiece in the making as it might be easier to see those qualities more clear if you have read the manga. For now, let's discuss the anime, where studio Wit pulled out all the stops and served an incredibly amount of justice and created a fantastic adaptation. I would go as far as to even call it "perfect." I can imagine that even the manga readers would not have a problem with such a massive statement. It took everyone by storm when it first hit the screens and blew all the expectations out of the water for many. It's no doubt that Vinland Saga is an anime that will keep close to everyone's heart, and it's a prime example of a beautiful adaptation that exceeds the source material. Of course, let's not forget about Attack on Titan, which is another anime done by Wit studio and breathtakingly exceeds the manga in many ways. I have to say this first Vinland Saga is among the most challenging stories to properly describe. There are multiple plot threads, and character that plays a massive role you have to take into account, and it's hard to connect everything together through words. But I'll try my best. I could start off by saying it's an intense and complex character study heavily focused on both Thorfinn and Askeladd. The story starts out simple and straightforward. Vinland Saga could take any number of directions. It's basically a slice of life of this nice and wholesome family in Island, who lives their day to the fullest. That is until one of the most influential and powerful viking groups come knocking to take their pal back with them to war. Our supposed main Thors was in the past, one of the strongest viking warriors to ever live. Until one day he up and left and built a wonderful family, and didn't want anything to do with iron and blood any more. But because of an iron rule, he is pulled back to the one thing he now hates, and ultimately dies at the hands of pirates. His son Thorfinn, who had a sense of adventure and was this naive innocent guy previously. Now is set on killing Askeladd, the guy who more or less set up his dad to get killed cowardly. That's the story in a nutshell if you just look at the outer layer and not deeper into things. But not at all, there is so much more than meets the eye here. Vinland Saga is intricate, deep, and very philosophical, and there are multiple plot threads to take into account, as I have stated earlier. There are so many episodes that ask a tricky question. We had many brilliantly executed episodes that showcase the brutality in this period and are trying to convey something profound and heavy to the audience to boot. Our character is trying to either reach one of those things or stay stuck in the past with wars and pillaging, raping. The story is set in the 10-11th century when the vikings ran wild everywhere. And nations were conspiring to take over other lands by the use of warfare and death till one side achieves their goal entirely. At this time, the previous residents would have forcefully been slaved to work, killed. Maybe even raped since there was no proper system at place to take care of such disgusting acts back then. I feel like Vinland Saga is trying to show us the dirty side of the world. While at the same time building to a better tomorrow through actions of the character. I think it's a realistic depiction of life, acceptance, and of course, growth. It's a story that makes much more sense the further you dive, to put into perspective. Vinland Saga is a massive puzzle piece, and while the first season answered some question through actions and subtlety, not everything might be entirely clear to some, So you might not know the full picture, as you first thought. Not to mention, this whole first season is merely a big prologue. It's about 50 chapters worth of content, the anime adapted, and yes, it sounds crazy. But that's actually the truth, believe or not. Character is one of the key pillars of Vinland Saga, as you can see. They all feel real and important to the overall narrative. But there is one that stands above everyone. Askeladd is such a person, and without going into too many spoilers. He is easily one of the best-written antagonists you will ever see. There are so many things I could throw at you for hating him, but I have tried, and I can't help but appreciate him. Some might succeed, but I have a hard time believing you will hate him till the end. Yes, it's hard to hate such a savage cunning, witty and manipulative mad lad who has so freaking much personality and is an extremely well-written character. I could see Thorfinn not hitting off that well with many. He might come off as annoying at times since his dedication to revenge is extreme, and he might come off as linear and easy to a lot of people. It's not until toward the end, you see his potential of complexity, and once a season two arrives, it will be shown to everyone in full detail. Vinland Saga art-style, it's no doubt a piece of art and is stunning. I can't help but be mesmerized by the beauty and amount of details studio Wit puts into this adaptation. I can't tell you the number of times I had to stop and take a screenshot of a stunning background since I just loved how bright and vividly it was depicted. Wit didn't fail to nail the mood, and each shot represents the vibe perfectly and elevates the emotions. That goes for the character details too, which looks and feels so real. The expressions are distinctive, and the level of detail is just as crazy as the background. There is gore here too, so don't expect heads and limbs flying are not to be fully censored. As for the visuals, the movements don't come off as stiff and feel fluid and dynamic. When it comes to the action scenes, it's nothing short of top-notch either. It will have your eyes glued to the screen, and you might even find yourself replaying a couple of scenes, because of just how immersive and impacting it feels. It was undoubtedly a blessing to have Wit studio adapt Vinland Saga, and they made it an unforgettable, fulfilling and an exhilarating experience without question. Let's also add some love to the soundtrack, which nails every given setting and atmosphere to a teeth. Wit is fully able to utilize art, animation, and soundtrack together to create a sense of balance between them and really nail the emotions and scenery with the gorgeous background. I don't cry easily, and Vinland Saga made me shed tons of waterfall to the point my eyes almost got dry. As for the opening and ending song, every single track is the art of beauty and delightful to listen to. I honestly don't hate any of the tracks and was easily absorbed into the music and visuals. And both endings are beautiful and hits strong and are packed with emotions and lots of symbolism like the openings. Suffice to say, Wit Studio made Makoto cry tears of joy to see his masterwork handled so delicately and with so much care and passion. What's negative about Vinland Saga? I am trying to wrap my brain around it, but I didn't see a thing I felt irked me to no end. There were short moments here and there where the art-style looked scruffy, but it was barely enough to cause a huge commotion. It's totally understandable Wit would have few mishaps here and there. Since they have been adapting with the utmost care and heart since the beginning. So all the animators must have felt exhausted by the end of an episode. It's more surprising they were able to deliver this kind of quality for a whole season. I have really nothing terrible to say about Vinland Saga. It's a solid adaptation in my eyes all around, and you would have to be really picky to find something terrible with it if you ask me. Maybe I could throw out the CGI was not the most pleasant whenever it was in use, but I hardly noticed, so it was never a problem for me personally. Overall I highly recommend Vinland Saga, but I will say this too, it's sadly not for everyone. The more mature audience will enjoy it more, and it's a slow burner, so not everyone will fully appreciate it. It's also important to be aware of that Vinland Saga is profoundly character, philosophical, and historical driven story. So certainly not something you see every day and unquestionably one of a kind story. The best way to know for sure if you will enjoy it or not is to see the first few episodes and see what you think for yourself. Also, the story relies on your brain and Wit, and your interpretation might be different from many. It's not something you can fully grasp in the first watch easily. Anyway, we have more than enough content for a sequel, so let's cross our fingers in anticipation as we wait for one. The ending hints at one. I will say this much tho: its gonna be another unique experience compared to the first part. This was easily one of the best anime of 2019, if not the best, and I urge everyone to give it a shot at some point in your life. Vinland saga might possibly be a story that will stay you with for a lifetime, and it's an incredibly written one at that.

Krankastel

~~~ Greetings ladies and gentlemen, I will cut straight to the point. ~~~ Have you ever experienced a work with an intriguing premise capable of appealing to you… being undermined by a plethora of flaws and handled half-heartedly? Vinland Saga is such a case. I do not consider this to be a great anime, let alone the AoTY; for all (or actually, because of) my love of medieval history, I couldn’t resist reviewing this too ambitious-for-its-own-good work. ~~~ Note: this work may contain spoilers, at the final section for the plot. ~~~ --- ~~~ __[1. Starting with the visuals...]__ ~~~ (-) The animation is often simply put, lackluster. And it shows early: at the first episode we are shown a flashback to a naval battle where Thors (the protagonist’s father) participates, based on the Battle of Hjörungavágr. Immediately, we are greeted with ugly CGI. For example, water does not feel natural at all, but rather as some industrial sludge. This gets worse during later parts, for CGI utterly fails to not stand out like a sore thumb at animated sequences. The blending of hand-drawn animation with CGI is poor, with certain sequences having a rather unnatural feel. One of my biggest complaints though has to do with abusing stills and limited animation. Before presenting examples, I want to say this loud and clear: I do NOT look down on any animation techniques, but here the execution is full of eyesores and inexcusable. When decent CGI is featured on Land of the Lustrous or when Kill la Kill uses limited animation to save budget while oozing originality, I find it odd that WIT failed to achieve harmony. The production often screamed sloppiness and cutting down costs rather than presenting something worth its hype. Anyway, at the aforementioned battle we are treated to an aerial view shot of miniature toy soldiers “fighting” on longboats… resembling sequences in some B-grade browser strategy game. With these longboats floating on the aforementioned CGI sludge. Concerning limited animation and stills, they are abused for crowds, the result being jarring and ill-fitting. Mostly in duels, but is rather commonplace for enemies to be frozen in place before getting slaughtered by characters forcibly being established as master fighters. (+) The art is not perfect, and in fact, can feel bland and drained of detail. Examples include longboats, distant crowds, fortifications, armor, etc. They often lack eye candy and polish and the palette feels too “worn out”, despite the fact plain colors can draw the best qualities out of the historical genre. Nonetheless, I include art in the positive aspect for two reasons. First of all, each person depicted has a different build, clothing and facial features, including freckles and scars. The second is the backgrounds. Whether an Icelandic settlement wracked by the elements, the town of York or a mountainous passage in Wales, there is a plethora of gorgeous landscapes that caught my eye. --- ~~~ __[2.About audio...]__ ~~~ I won’t say much, despite valuing sound direction, voice acting and music a lot. I’m mostly content, though I would prefer a more medieval-sounding OST rather than one fitting for a stock shonen. Characters from different peoples were supposed to be unable to communicate, but all lines are in Japanese. I recall the first chapter featuring Franks speaking in (nonetheless modern) French when in the presence of Norsemen, to portray this. An understandable break from reality, given how difficult it would be to include lines in Welsh, Old Norse, etc. But it still seemed odd. --- ~~~ __[3. On to the characters...]__ ~~~ (-) I’m either neutral or dislike most of them. Thorfinn is a flat revenge story protagonist: being obsessed, brooding and resentful are his primary traits. He is static, never takes notice of the surrounding environment to contemplate and thus is easily manipulate, though it would probably be fair to note he is a child soldier whose hated person acts as his raîson d' être. ~~~ img(https://pa1.narvii.com/7538/14ffc7fbdd8b12ae143a7e6c07e0b681ec556d5dr1-498-280_hq.gif) ~~~ Thorkell is mighty and larger than life. Given the setting and his culture, his character somewhat fits but to an extend also ruins the tone; multiple sequences and lines are straight from B-grade action films, one of the worst offenders being his debut at the first episode. Still, the ones that left me with the sourest of impressions are Thors and Canute, enough to include separate explanations at the plot section. (+) Despite my distaste for multiple characters, one fascinated me deeply: Askeladd, the deuteragonist. ~~~ img(https://66.media.tumblr.com/e3ce167c1c37a99718f828a8ce6d3ae0/c29817169d17a5fd-2f/s500x750/e4f7318f6c9d27dc635f46a770ffd14e32693aaf.gifv) ~~~ He is a ruthless and callous commander but also compelling, being calculated and abusing obfuscating blitheness to take advantage of his enemies’ carelessness. But this is only the peak of the iceberg, as we are gradually shown more fascinating facets (e.g. being a “stealth mentor” and a person forged by tragedy). He is also morally myopic and commits multiple atrocities, but this makes him more than a mere villain or anti-hero, he is over half of the show’s magic. Askeladd aside, I believe some side characters served their selected roles well. One of them is King Sweyn, whom I deem fit as an aged and jaded ruler. --- ~~~__ [4.And, let’s conclude with the plot...]__ ~~~ First arc: as you may understand, I am not fond of its start. However, the production is not the sole issue: it’s the presence of Thors. ~~~ >“A true warrior does not need a sword.” – Thors. ~~~ After the naval battle, we are treated to Thors living with his family in Iceland as settlers. Because of a conflict of interest, a landowner and his retainers arrive and we are treated to interesting historical elements: slavery and the workings of a commodity economy. Thors established himself as unlike his peers; he shuns violence and favors negotiations, even for no practical gain and much for the village to lose. The problem is, it makes zero sense to display such morality more in line with modern pacifism. It is simply not convincing in such a warlike honor-based society, and during these turbulent ages. My bewilderment is summed up by the aforementioned phrase. What on earth is its meaning? If you are not willing to take up arms and be cautious, you may end up enslaved, raped, tortured and/or killed. And this is a fact, no presence or enforcement of any form of international law back then. What really ticked me off however was the event that kick started the revenge arc: rather than brush aside his morals to defend nail and tooth his own son and kinsmen, Thors resorts to punching and preaching to a bunch of pirates, whose leader is willing to exploit anything and anyone for the sake of his goals. Everyone could end up dead or worse, if it wasn’t for the leader’s personal morality. The outcome to this clash ends as a disgrace entirely because of the context. It is an insult to my intelligence, and too convenient. The rest of the arc is about the relationship of Thorfinn and Askeladd, as well the Danish invasion on England, following St. Brice's Day massacre, concluding with a battle for London. The point of view is focused on the Norsemen, the Anglo-Saxons being treated as either naïve civilians or soldiers ready to die en masse. One positive aspect is presenting samples of Norse culture, such as whaling and the Laugardagr. I also liked how a siege at France was included in an episode. ~~~ img(https://thumbs.gfycat.com/PoliticalOffbeatFlatfish-size_restricted.gif) ~~~ A negative aspect was the presence of pop and Japanese culture references; a moving Star Wars reference, the protagonist Naruto-running and others, this trend continuing to the second arc, without contributing to anything. Another example is right below. ~~~ > “Battle isn’t the same as Shogi.” – Askeladd. ~~~ Second arc: I prefer this arc by far, yet also has issues of its own. I was mostly content with the plot; a conflict of faiths, legitimate elements of values dissonance, plus insight on the history of the British Isles. There were even clever tactical elements. This arc introduces Canute, based on Cnut the Great, for whom I will not pretend that I know everything. Whatever I judge is according to the anime. After a certain event and a trial of related hardships, Canute needs development, being established as a fragile young man who loathed violence. Disappointingly, this turned into a total disaster: rather than make the process gradual and natural, the creator decides to exploit an outrageous plot device. He dreams, apparently receives enlightenment, is given a Christian lecture on the true meaning of love (i.e. on agape) and makes a 180 degree turn. Why is this outrageous? Because it is a blatantly supernatural asspull, not convincing or realistic and on top of that, preachy. Canute’s transition towards a charismatic and gallant leader is too sudden, and infuriatingly poorly written. Even worse, the same preaching is used to excuse Thors’ morality; on top of him being constantly praised as the best warrior, this bothered me to no end. Negativity aside, the last episodes are amazing. From skullduggery and political intrigue, to one blast of a conclusion, they actually brought a smile to my face. If anything, these episodes are a reason for which I haven’t rated Vinland Saga lower.

Kurome

__What means to be a true warrior? __~~~img(https://66.media.tumblr.com/32477338ed981fd775b648f99332a16c/tumblr_pxvvtiM71r1usc9y9o2_500.gifv)~~~ Vinland Saga is a bloody tale of revenge, in 11th century England, the brutal age of Vikings. Vinland Saga surprisingly has a brilliant adaptation in spite of being a seinen historical epic – a genre cursed for having an anime adaptation reminiscent of titles like berserk and kingdom. You can see the passion and care Yabuta Shuuhei, and the staff has for this adaptation. From the gorgeous background art to an incredible direction, WiT studio deserves every bit of appreciation. Set in the 11th century Europe, Vinland Saga tells a bloody epic in an era where violence, madness, and injustice are inescapable, providing a paradise for the battle-crazed and utter hell for the rest who live in it. Thorfinn is a Viking who witnessed the brutal death of his father by the hands of a mercenary leader, Askeladd. As a young boy, driven by pure hatred and a desire for revenge, he joins the very mercenary group in the hope of killing Askeladd in a one-on-one duel. If this looks like an edgy action fest, then you will be disappointed. Vinland Saga is like an onion because, at the core, it is a much more than revenge; it’s a multifaceted tale, with brilliant characterization, with themes like anti-revenge and pacifism. It tells you a lot about human nature and culture through war and violence. “Everyone is a slave to something. A man, slave to his gold, holds a whip and beats the slave he bought with that gold as if to claim he is the master.” The story itself is reasonably accurate with the events that underwent. Almost every character existed in our history, which makes it even sadder. There is no veil of fantasy to avert your eyes to the atrocities you see – there is no right or wrong, everything was a part of life during that time. There’s a beauty in its storytelling – it’s a son so far off the path that the father desperately tried to teach him, from being an innocent child to being a miserable teenage seeking for vengeance just to be manipulated by his enemy for their personal use. It’s a story about a kind mother shown betrayed for showing love and compassion towards a stranger, and a priest teaching about love to war-loving Vikings. It’s a story that tells you that a true warrior needs no blade, and its true meaning is the beauty of comprehending an art – because it is something that is not explicitly mentioned, but you have to think and discover your conclusions and “truths.” For what I believe – “true warrior” is an unreachable ideal, someone who can solve anything by words alone. While being a story centered about war-loving one-dimensional warriors, Vinland Saga has a rich characterization. Askeladd took the spotlight for me during the War arc of Vinland Saga. He is a murderer, schemer, strategist, manipulator, warrior, and philosopher all at once. He ultimately wants to protect his homeland and searches for his “Artorius,” a leader who can purge the scourge of the Vikings from the world. Basically, during his life, Askeladd goes from waiting for Artorius to actively searching for him, to making an Artorius for himself. Thorfinn, however, feels very bland as a character – which is intentional from the writer’s perspective. His whole character arc over the entire part is an embodiment of the anti-revenge theme of the story. He doesn’t think, has no emotions, got manipulated his whole life by his enemy, and lived a miserable life just for the sake of revenge. The thing is, you are not supposed to root for his character. Canute’s development throughout the series is incredible. His enlightenment made him a fascinating character – when he understood that God never made humans perfect, and we are unable to love everyone without discrimination. Unlike Thorfinn, when he lost his father figure, he took charge of his life and stepped forward with his ideals in hand. The direction for Vinland Saga has been incredible. Still, there were scenes where the anime failed to create tension that the Manga had – a good example would be where Askeladd was desperate to find a solution to protect his people when King Sweyn ordered to attack Wales, where the anime switched between Thorfinn’s filler scenes and Askeladd. The anime, unfortunately, couldn’t get to the level of art that the Manga had, but it’s not a bad thing because the Manga’s art is one of the best you’d find in the medium. The soundtrack has been good, the animation has been consistent, and the background art is visually brilliant. In conclusion, Vinland Saga is the berserk adaptation we deserved. It is a story that will have a deep imprint on anyone who finishes it. Personally speaking, Vinland Saga is refreshing when most anime coming out nowadays are either isekai crap or fetish bait shows. It is a damn enjoyable show with deep and beautiful storytelling.

Lenlo

~~~img(https://i0.wp.com/starcrossedanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Vinland-Banner.png?resize=685%2C1028)~~~ There are only a handful of manga out there that I believe to be masterpieces. Works such as _Berserk_, _Vagabond_ and _Monster_. That come to define a time in manga history, such as _Berserk_. That are perfect in their execution like _Monster_, or are a work of art in every panel like _Vagabond_. Fewer still are the manga that get anime adaptations worthy of their legacy. We need look no further than the recent Berserk anime adaptations for evidence of that. However, I believe that _Vinland Saga_, written by [Makoto Yukimura](https://anilist.co/staff/97034/Makoto-Yukimura) of _Planetes_ fame and adapted by __Wit Studio__ has gotten, just that. An adaptation that captures the beauty and story of the original peace. That not only adapts it faithfully, but also designed specifically for an anime’s format. Changing what needs to be changed for the new medium, without losing much of the original work. So onward friends, for honor and glory! The review awaits! __(_Disclaimer_: This review contains spoilers for _Vinland Saga_. I am also working to make 50 the new "average". 70 is not an average score people. 70 is above average. You can also find individual episode write ups and comment on this review on my [blog here](http://starcrossedanime.com/vinland-saga-anime-review-90-100/ ). Carry on.)__ ~~~img(https://i0.wp.com/starcrossedanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Vinland-21.9.png?resize=685%2C385)~~~ # __~~~Art/Animation~~~__ As always, the place to start with an animated series like _Vinland Saga_ is it’s production. Here is where it will no doubt face the most dispute, as _Vinland Saga_ is being attacked on multiple fronts. From viewers who love the Sakuga strewn throughout, to those who detest the CGI, to manga readers never satisfied with the art. The attacks never stop, and in a way, each of them is justified. The sakuga lovers need only point to the fantastic action sequences of [Arifumi Imai](https://anilist.co/staff/126915/Arifumi-Imai) or [Shunsuke Aoki](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=135235), or perhaps the character acting of [Masumi Hattori](https://anilist.co/staff/132092/Masumi-Hattori). Each is a joy to behold and you can find numerous examples strewn throughout, making for many memorable moments. Combined with the fantastic direction of [Shuuhei Yabuta](https://anilist.co/staff/120824/Shuuhei-Yabuta), which we will get to, and the various animation directors, _Vinland Saga_ looks beautiful when it wants to. However just as prevalent in _Vinland Saga_ is the CGI. Boats to waves, soldiers to horses, the CGI is difficult to ignore. You can see this most clearly early on in the series, when it’s primarily on the water. Often boats and random background soldiers will draw the eye or interrupt a scene visually. However, in it’s defense, I do believe that the CGI does occasionally bring something good and unique from the series. For instance there are a number of first person angles, as character move through the environment. Or how sleds and horses are grounded in the 3D and touched up with 2D animation to better fit into the scene. Here we can see the CG director [Mayu Takehana](https://anilist.co/staff/142739/Mayu-Takehana) doing their best with the technology they have. And for as ambitious a project as Vinland is, I can forgive the occasional blemish. For the last group, there is simply no pleasing them. However I will do my best to try, for a short while. Now to me, attempting to replicate the detailed artstyle of a monthly series in a weekly anime format is absurd. And so is expecting Wit to do that in the first place. However, I do think Wit made a damn fine attempt, primarily through their use of stills, effects and linework. Just above, you can see the face of Askeladd, a leading character. His beard lacks the detail and depth of later manga pages, yet the most important parts in his eyes and facial structure catch the viewer’s eye. Combined with the previously mentioned great direction, I feel this more than satisfies me as a manga reader. Besides, we all know the opening few dozen chapters art had its fair share of problems in the manga. And of course before I go, it would be an extreme failure to not mention stellar background art. Art Director [Yusuke Takeda](https://anilist.co/staff/103102/Yusuke-Takeda), along with Art Designers [Yukie Inose](https://anilist.co/staff/122863/Yukie-Inose) and [Yoshinori Shiozawa](https://anilist.co/staff/119826/Yoshinori-Shiozawa) did beautiful work on _Vinland Saga_. You can find these pieces strewn throughout _Vinland Saga_, with at least one appearing almost every episode. Each one worthy of a desktop wallpaper, or perhaps poster on your wall. These, more than anything else, help sell _Vinland Saga_ I feel. As they give a beautiful backdrop to the multitude of quiet or dialogue driven scenes. Giving the viewer something beautiful to take in while the characters discuss philosophy, religion or maybe just why they pick up a sword each morning. It won’t Imai’s stellar cuts or Takehana’s character acting that I remember for. No, that production honor goes to the background art found in every scene. ~~~img(https://i0.wp.com/starcrossedanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Vinland-10.6-Full-Size.png?resize=685%2C385)~~~ #~~~__Direction__~~~ Next we can get to the aforementioned Direction, by previously named director Shuuhei Yabuta. This is actually a difficult section to cover in a way, as a lot of the heavy lifting was done by the author Yukimura. Do you give credit for adapting the work to animation, and fitting these scenes organically together? Or do you give it all to the original author and the storyboarding his manga provided? Luckily, I am not here to portion out credit on _Vinland Saga's_ production. Merely to rate how much I enjoyed it, and explain why. And oh boy did I enjoy it. I loved how it used depth to play with size, lighting for a character’s mental state and most of all the focus on the eyes. Throughout the series, the eyes become a window into a characters state of mind, just as they were in the original manga. It would be very easy for me to sit here and gush over scene after scene in this series. From Askeladd’s philosophy that everyone is a slave to something, how it includes both himself and Thorfinn in that description. Or perhaps Canute’s revelation and the depiction of nature and how it eventually reclaims all things. There are a number of scenes, ranging all the way up to the final moments with the finale, that do more than simply mimic Yukimura’s art. Making it clear that Yabuta considered each scenes context within the story, and what was present in the scene. It’s a difficult topic to talk about without explicit spoilers, so the best I can say is this. There is a scene at the end of the finale that was completely and utterly superior to the original manga. And if that isn’t high praise, I don’t know what is. ~~~img(https://i0.wp.com/starcrossedanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Vinland-21.1.png?resize=685%2C385)~~~ #~~~__Setting/Story__~~~ As if the previous 2 section’s weren’t reason enough to watch _Vinland Saga_, the setting and story are even better. In case it wasn’t obvious, _Vinland Saga_ is a historical fiction. Based in 11th Century, during the Danish invasion of England by King Sweyn Forkbeard, historical figures abound. Yukimura clearly did his research, as almost every major character can be found either in legend or history. So much so that it’s possible to spoil yourself just by reading up on Danish history. From Canute (Cnut) and Thorkell, to Thorfinn and Leif, these were all real people. Yes, of course there is artistic liberty taken with each character. Whether to make them fit their legend, in Thorkell’s case, or to craft a compelling story from generally dull fiction in Canute’s. However they are all grounded in reality in some form or another. And to me, that gives them something special. Yukimura also manages to tie in various cultural and religious aspects of the time as well. Depicting the conflict between Norse religion and Christianity, of how the two sides view and treat each other. How the two religions spread and compete in the region. An example of this being one of Askeladd’s soldiers who we see grow more and more interested in Christianity as the season goes on. There are some aspects of this that fall short of course. For instance having every character speak Japanese, when some are speaking Danish or English to each other can get confusing. Or hearing various proper English/Danish names pronounced with a heavy Japanese accent. However these moments come less and less frequently as the story goes on, eventually disappearing all together. Either that or I just got used to them. Regardless, there was a sense of reality all through _Vinland Saga_. Of course, this sense of reality is a big help to the story, which is also loosely historical. For the most part, _Vinland Saga's_ core story is pretty straightforward. Kid goes on journey with his father, father is killed by a mercenary, kid hunts mercenary for revenge. Along the way they get embroiled in a succession dispute for the Throne of Denmark and England, and hijinks ensue. While the story is never particularly complex however, it does act as a great vehicle for the stories of its characters. Putting them in situations where they must grow and change to survive, or die trying. _Vinland Saga_ constantly puts obstacles in the characters ways, revealing more and more about them as the story goes on. Until by the end you are left with a cast of characters completely different from the start. Simply put, while simple, _Vinland Saga_ wields its story expertly. ~~~img(https://i0.wp.com/starcrossedanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Vinland-21.6.png?resize=685%2C385)~~~ #~~~__Characters__~~~ Speaking of the characters, this is perhaps tied for my favorite section of this review. Now normally here I would split this into a sort of “Protagonists” and “Antagonists” analysis. I would view each side, how they compete with and support each other as a cast. However I can’t really do that with _Vinland Saga_, because few characters fit cleanly in to any such basket. The cast is filled, not with characters who are morally grey as few are, but rather with ones that are complex and nuanced. Each one deeper and more closely tied to the shows themes than many Main Characters of other series. Meanwhile the relationships between the characters themselves are beautifully written to all eventually reflect back on our own Protagonist, Thorfinn. Thorfinn is very interesting as a character, not because of his actual growth, but his place in the story. He is one of the few characters to remain truly static throughout the story. Not changing much after his initial introduction, and actually taking back seat to most of the rest of the cast. Letting their growth, their relationships, reflect on and comment on him by comparison. Meanwhile Thorfinn himself is presented as a largely tragic, pitiful character. One who doesn’t grow, who doesn’t learn, who is still that same kid who 10 years ago lost his father. And who doesn’t really start to move forward from that until the climactic events of the finale, and another loss. While I can understand why some dismiss Thorfinn as an “edgelord” type of character, to me that ignores his place in the story. _Vinland Saga_ doesn’t glorify him. It pities him. One such example of a character constantly used in comparison to Thorfinn, is Thorkell. Huge, strong and with a love of battle, Thorkell is the Viking Ideal. His life is violent, he lives for simple pleasures and he does it all believe Valhalla awaits him at the end. Yet in his quietest moments, _Vinland Saga_ shows him to be incomplete. Just like Thorfinn, he is empty inside, yet unlike Thorfinn he is aware of it and seeks to fix it. Thorkell is a beast, trying to be something more. Ruled by instinct, loved and admired by those around him because they want to be like him. _Vinland Saga_ uses him to show how flawed the Viking Ideal is. How even though he has everything his culture considers valuable, he is still lacking something that makes life worth living. A final example, and the best written character of the year, is Askeladd. While Thorfinn is the Protagonist, Askeladd is without a doubt its lead. At least for this season anyway. His charisma takes over the screen, his story is engaging, and the way he ties himself to every character is stellar. If Thorfinn is the center of the wheel all characters turn around, Askeladd is the one driving that wheel. Its difficult to talk about him without spoiling anything really, so the best I can give you is this. His story is one of the best of the year, hands down. He pushes every character forward, and drives them to new heights. All the while never giving up the spotlight. He is a shining example of what _Vinland Saga's_ cast has to offer. And I haven’t even mentioned Canute, Thors or even half of the main cast. ~~~img(https://i0.wp.com/starcrossedanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Vinland-Saga-19.3.png?resize=685%2C385)~~~ #~~~__OST/Sound Design__~~~ Sadly, not everything can be perfect, though it could be far far worse. The best thing I can say about _Vinland Saga's_ OST is that it did its job. It never overpowered or took away from a scene, only ever enhancing them. Examples of this include “My Only Friend” which captures well the melancholy of the scene. Or “Askeladd”, a fitting theme for such a character. (Normally I would link to these, however sadly the OST is as of yet unreleased). However, neither of these tracks nor any others ever truly stuck with me, not on their own. They never made me want to buy the OST or listen to them on their own. Instead they conjured images of their associated scenes, they made me want to rewatch the anime where they appeared. So while it isn’t a memorable OST, I did find it to be an evocative one. The actual sound design however, the foley and effects work, was all around pretty good. From snow crunching underfoot to steel clashing against steel, it was rare for _Vinland Saga's_ sounds to take me out of a scene. Oh occasionally we got a spear or rock thrown to the sound of a cannon, or an odd scream or something along those lines. But for the most part, Sound Director [Shouji Hata](https://anilist.co/staff/120066/Shouji-Hata) did a fine job. I have very few complaints, and they tend to be overridden by the positives. Well done. ~~~img(https://i1.wp.com/starcrossedanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Vinland-Saga-22.8.png?resize=685%2C385)~~~ #~~~__Themes/Message__~~~ And finally, we get to my favorite and the most personal of these sections, _Vinland Saga's_ themes. Bear with me for a bit, because this is going to be a long one. The greatest factor in my enjoyment of _Vinland Saga_ came down to it’s themes. The condemnation of war and violence that permeates every aspect of the series. One which it tackles from a variety of angles, with every conflict in the story centering around it, regardless of scale. From the personal in Thorfinn’s pitiful quest for revenge colliding with Thorkell’s quest for thrill. To the more political and grander scale, in a competition for the throne and Askeladd’s leadership of his men. All stemming from different views on violence and war. Meanwhile in the background Christian and Norse beliefs conflict in much the same way. Each of these is given a stage and each depicts the message differently. Of these various stages, whether it be personal or political, my favorite is actually the religious. Now I myself am not a religious man, but then _Vinland Saga_ doesn’t really try to convert you either. For throughout the series, _Vinland Saga_ presents both religions as mistaken, as both lead their people to ruin. The Valkyries of Norse Myth are used as justification for the Norse warriors actions, yet is juxtaposed with the bloody nature of war. Taking their goal and exposing it as the terrible thing it is rather than some beautiful religious dedication. Meanwhile for Christianity you can see a criticism of Original Sin and an advocation for the concept of Atonement and Agape. That a single failing is not the end, that man can be better if they so choose to be better. So long as you stand up and continue to move forward, you are not lost. Yet even within these criticisms, no single character is ever presented as wholly “correct”. All of them come to their own conclusions, their own philosophies, yet _Vinland Saga_ endorses none of them. Take for example the diatribe of the priest, Willibald, and his argument against filial love. How that is nothing more than discrimination, because they do not love all equally. How only in death, can a person find true love, because they give equally to all things. Yet he falls short of the ideal of Agape, because he fails to understand the selfless part of it. How a corpse does not give willingly, it has no choice, and so is not as selfless nor universal as he believes. Even Thors, a character put on a pedestal by the entire cast, is shown to be flawed in his beliefs. We see this man who has found Agape, who personifies it. Yet _Vinland Saga_ makes it clear that such a love cannot exist in our world as it currently is. Because not all men share the same love, because it is incompatible with the societies that surround it. Agape, as a concept, is figuratively killed in the first 3 episodes, and Thors is the metaphorical representation of it that Thorfinn is chasing for the rest of the season. The condemnation, consideration and themes of _Vinland Saga_ are so thick and permeate so much of the series, you could cut them with a knife. And I love it. The presentation is so complete, so well realized through its story and characters, that you can’t help but pick up on it. And even if you don’t agree with _Vinland Saga_, you will at least have an opinion on it by the end. ~~~img(https://i0.wp.com/starcrossedanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Vinland-24.8.png?resize=685%2C385)~~~ #~~~__Conclusion__~~~ So, all in all, how was _Vinland Saga_? To me, it was one of the stand out series of the year. There is little else quite like it, not just in 2019, but across anime. And I believe that there is value in it regardless of what you like in anime. Because there are themes and ideas, messages that resonate simply with being human. That whether or not you agree with the final message of _Vinland Saga_, it will make you think on and form your own opinion on it by the end. So, while it suffers from the occasional production misstep, and the story is as of yet incomplete, I can’t help but recommend it. And I can’t think of a better anime to have ended this year with than _Vinland Saga_. Thank you for reading.

MiNiSoTaN

# __~~~MiNiSoTaN's Vinland Saga Review~~~__ ~~~img220(https://i.imgur.com/ULUvavG.jpg)~~~ ~~~__Introduction:__~~~Hello. My name is Neill or "MiNi." This will be my in depth review of Vinland Saga, the 2019 adaption of Makoto Yukimura's renowned manga series. With all my reviews I will score the anime discussed based upon 5 categories that include: Story, Characters, Art, Music, and Personal Enjoyment. Each category will be given a score between 0 and 10. The ending score will be what I determine the show deserves overall. Keep in mind I will be talking about spoilers that occurred during the anime along with possible spoilers of the manga. Now, without further ado, let's get into this. ~~~ __STORY (5/10):__~~~ ~~~img220(https://i.imgur.com/MHHat3q.jpg) ~~~ While watching the first episode of Vinland Saga it paints itself as a coming of age story that will focus on a young Thorfinn learning from his father Thors, a legendary Viking warrior. It keeps this facade up for the first few episodes but then throws you through a loop by killing off Thors. This necessarily isn't a bad idea because it does two things by executing this concept. It introduces the main "villain" of the the story while simultaneously giving Thorfinn an initial goal/purpose for the series. Once episode 4 ended I was extremely excited for the rest of the series. It seemed like we were going to get a great revenge tale of Thorfinn chasing after the man who killed his father. The problem with the story is that Thorfinn, the character who they want you to believe is the main protagonist, has his character arc completed by episode 8. We are 1/3 of the way through the series and the entire story of Thorfinn is written. Nothing else of significance happens to Thorfinn to change and develop him as a character until the final episode. This is my main gripe with the story overall of Vinland Saga. It doesn't have any clear direction or motive to make Thorfinn change. His entire personality, motivation, and life in general is complete within the first few episodes. The real story comes with Askeladd, the real protagonist of the series. He is better written, better developed, and better enjoyed than Thorfinn. Unlike his younger counterpart, Askeladd has his story developed throughout the entire season. From the moment he is introduced to the moment he is killed off we are constantly learning more about him and how the story revolves around him. Askeladd has relationships, emotions, and development. Thorfinn has none of this. I enjoyed the arc of Askeladd way more than Thorfinn. One of the other elements that I wasn't really on board with was the direction of the story. I'm not saying that and anime needs to hold your hand and tell you what the goal/endpoint is for the story from the first episode, but I believe there should be some sort of idea of where the characters are going/what they want to accomplish by the first arc. Vinland saga doesn't do this. There's so much jumping around in terms of plot points that at some points I really didn't understand what was going on. We go from Thorfinn going to war with his father, to Thorfinn wanting to kill Askeladd, to Askeladd sacking cities, to Askeladd running away from Thorkell, to Askeladd picking up the prince of England, to Askeladd joining Thorkell, to Askeladd killing the king and dying. The story shifts in so many different directions it really doesn't show you what they want to have happen until the final arc or so. To some this may not be an issue, but for me personally it was trying to be ambitious and it didn't pay off. ~~~ __Characters (6/10):__~~~ ~~~img220(https://i.imgur.com/iMWUiKp.jpg)~~~ __Thorfinn:__ A one dimensional write off character. Seriously. I did not like Thorfinn. I did at first though. I thought he was going to have a great arc of trying to avenge his father, but they committed character assassination to bring Askeladd to the limelight. I don't know if that was their intention or not, but judging by the main promo image I doubt it. Thorfinn is shown TWICE in the image. Askeladd, the character with more development than anymore is shown off the the side in a SMALLER scale compared to Thors who dies after episode 4. Thorfinn seriously had a lot of potential but he was put aside and given an edgy personality with a Naruto running. His only trait is that he wants to duel Askeladd, nothing else. Really disappointed by the direction they gave him. __Askeladd:__ As I explained in the previous section, Askeladd is much better written than Thorfinn. The story of Vinland Saga isn't about Thorfinn, it's about Askeladd. They may want you to think it's about Thorfinn judging by all the promo material, but they seriously missed a prime opportunity to promote a "follow the bad guy" kind of story line. He's one half of the only good written characters in this anime. Regardless, Askeladd is shown to be harboring the secret that he's actually only half Norse and he is actually native to Whales. This is something that completely flips the story on its head. He keeps the secret away from everyone because he is really proud and pompous of his Whales heritage and showing that off would get him killed. I loved everything they did with Askeladd which is great because he picks up the slack of Thorfinn. __Thorkell:__ The second half of the good characters written for Vinland Saga, Thorkell is introduced during the 2/3 of the story but he's someone whos personality sticks with you through the whole series. He has a sort of "goofball" type of charisma, but when he want to he can be extremely serious and intimating. Never before have I seen a character as likable as Thorkell. He's diffidently a breath of fresh air in the shonen anime genre and a saving grace for this show. __Canute:__ My initial theory with Canute was that he was actually a she and that Thorfinn was going to save her and they'd fall in love. That didn't happen. Canute is't written exceptionally well, but much better than the treatment Thorfinn received. The cataclysmic event that made him change from a scared and timid boy into a man of authority came down to the death of Ragnar. After that, he became decisive and commanding, which was pretty cool to witness. Although I don't think it was executed exceptionally well, it did it's job to move the story along and I can respect that. All other characters in the show are pretty much meaningless. There are quite a few introduced including: Helga, Ylva, Floki, Leif, Willibald, Bjorn, and a few others. All of them I believe had potential to have some great arcs but sadly the anime decided to solely focus on Thorfinn and Askeladd's escapades. Overall Askeladd and Thorkell are the ones saving the character department. ~~~ __Art (8/10):__~~~ ~~~img220(https://i.imgur.com/xdUJ3BU.jpg)~~~ The art is overall great. The battles are gruesome and do a great job portraying what they need to. There isn't a needless amount of CGI involved which always helps as well. There are a few wallpaper shots you could grab, but overall, no complaints in the art or animation department. I believe Wit Studio created a show up to the standards of modern anime. They didn't reinvent the wheel here, but they used it properly. Nothing much more to say than that, the art isn't where the show has its faults. ~~~ __Music (7/10):__~~~ ~~~img220(https://i.imgur.com/CEHG3iL.jpg)~~~ The two different OPs and EDs are enjoyable. I (for the most part) never skipped the intro. MUKANJYO by Survive Said the Prophet is the one I found to be the most enjoyable. I loved the transition from subtle guitar picking to an explosion of a chorus. The screaming ending was also incredible, actually gave me chills. The music during the battle sequences are great as well. Never once did I feel like the atmosphere of a scene was ruined by the music which is always a plus. Overall, I think the music is great and did its job well, no complaints here. ~~~ __Personal Enjoyment (6/10):__~~~ ~~~img320(https://i.imgur.com/22Z6ngW.jpg)~~~ If you really read my review you can tell I wasn't the biggest fan of this show. Don't get me wrong, I've seen a lot worse anime, but this one in particular just didn't stick with me. If you read my gripes with really the characters and story you'll understand why. I fell like my frustrations are justified, but you may not. In the end you don't have to agree with me. If you believe the show is a 10/10 masterpiece you're totally in your right to believe that. I'm not in that same mindset, but in the end it doesn't really matter. My main concerns came from the characters and story and unfortunately those are the two biggest parts of the show. You can have an amazing soundtrack and incredible visuals, but if your story and characters aren't up to par, it isn't going to feel right. That's the experience I had with Vinland Saga. It was great in some areas, but struggled in others. The only reason I'm giving it a 6/10 is because Askeladd almost solely carries the show. It's good, but could've been much better. Hopefully season 2 will impress me more. ~~~ __Final Thoughts and Score:__~~~Thank you all for reading, make sure to follow my page for more anime reviews! __Favorite Episodes__ Ep 1. _Somewhere Not Here_ Ep 4. _A True Warrior_ Ep 5. _The Troll's Son_ Ep 7. _Normanni_ Ep 11. _A Gamble_ Ep 12. _The Land on The Far Bank_ Ep 18. _Out of The Cradle_ Ep 24. _End of the Prologue_ __Official Scores__ Story: (5/10) Characters: (6/10) Art: (8/10) Music: (7/10) Personal Enjoyment: (6/10) # __~~~FINAL SCORE: (6/10) OK~~~__ @MiNiSoTaN ~~~Did you really read the review, or are you just looking at the score?~~~

Pachirisu

Por muito tempo, dormi no ponto e me recusei a assistir a adaptação do mangá VINLAND SAGA. Os vídeos promocionais, em minha opinião, não convencem muito e não dizem realmente muito sobre a série. Eu não conhecia nada da saga, então me pareceu apenas mais uma estorinha mediana sobre viquingues. Visual legal, som legal, animação interessante, mas nada que realmente me atraísse. Só consegui pensar que não teria um bom enredo nem um bom desenvolvimento de personagens. Normalmente, animações e séries de TV sobre viquingues deixam muito a desejar e como internacionalista amante de historiografia europeia, tenho traumas diversos. Mas céus... COMO EU ESTAVA ERRADO! Vou dividir esta resenha em quatro pontos: aspecto histórico e contextualização geopolítica, roteiro e trama próprios, desenvolvimento de personagens e arte. 1 - Histórica e politicamente falando, a série é absolutamente precisa em todos os eventos relevantes que conta. Repito: TODOS OS EVENTOS RELEVANTES. Eventos menores como histórias criadas de personagens não-históricos (isto é, que não são baseados em pessoas que realmente existiram e participaram por exemplo das guerras e dos descobrimentos contados na saga) mantém todo o charme de um anime bem feito que tem o público adulto como alvo mas sabe que todo adulto já foi adolescente e gosta de uns bons exageros. Não quero dar muitos spoilers aqui, mas resumidamente, temos dois personagens importantíssimos na série que até onde se sabe não são baseados em pessoas reais: Thors, pai do protagonista, e Askeladd, o antagonista principal da trama. Eles são os únicos realmente relevantes que foram "inventados", por assim dizer. Porém, ambos (e falarei melhor no terceiro ponto) têm histórias magnificamente bem escritas, dirigidas e executadas. Retomando o tema deste ponto, vemos na saga uma série de eventos que se passaram séculos atrás como as guerras viquingues entre noruegueses e dinamarqueses, a invasão dos normandos à Bretanha, a derrocada dos Francos, o cerco a Londres e a ascensão do rei danês da Inglaterra Cnute, O Grande. É certo que algumas situações menos importantes ocorridas na saga, que são elementos menores dessas histórias reais, não são historicamente precisas sobretudo por envolver personagens que não existiram; mas, repito: o resultado final é o que os livros que estudamos nas faculdades de História, Ciência Política e Relações Internacionais nos contam. Sendo assim, a precisão foi justa. Essas situações "extras" tem a função de nos ambientar e fazer entender melhor a tensão do jogo político e das tomadas de decisão bélicas em cada combate ou embargo diplomático - e fazem isso muitíssimo bem; 2 - O roteiro é brilhante. A história começa em um momento em que vemos uma sucessão de combates que deram moral aos principais exércitos viquingues a serviço do rei Sweyn e potencializaram sua escalada conquistadora até chegar ao ápice do poderio hegemônico dos viquingues na Europa: a conquista da Inglaterra e a coroação de Canute, O Grande. Por vermos a roda começar a girar onze anos antes da invasão a Londres, podemos acompanhar o protagonista Thorfinn (este, sim, baseado em um explorador escandinavo real) vivendo o inferno de ser criado pelo homem que matou seu pai - tudo porque quer estar próximo dele e consumar sua vingança. Ao acompanhar o bando de piratas de Askeladd, Thorfinn cresce como um hábil guerreiro e por isso participa de eventos históricos importantíssimos (todos os citados no ponto anterior). Acabamos, então, não apenas assistindo a episódios reais da história da humanidade sendo contados em um anime, mas também nos deliciando com uma história paralela que nos traz todos os tipos de emoções possíveis e cria um apego a mais à trama. Não queremos apenas ver se Londres vai cair. Não queremos apenas ver se os francos serão derrotados. Queremos saber se Thorfinn conseguirá vencer seu nêmesis. Queremos saber mais sobre esse antagonista tão astuto e carismático. Queremos saber mais sobre Thors, Thorkell e Floki. Queremos saber mais sobre as terras da Vinlândia (que existem e estão no Canadá!). Queremos sempre mais. A alternância entre as histórias paralelas e as reais torna a série muito mais apelativa que seria caso fora exclusivamente um relato histórico; 3 - Os personagens são... reais. Não estou me referindo ao fato de alguns deles terem sido baseados em personalidades icônicas da história humana, mas a todos serem reconhecíveis. Mesmo os personagens menores são tão bem escritos e desenvolvidos que tudo o que consigo dizer sobre eles é que parecem reais. Thorfinn vive uma relação extremamente abusiva com aqueles com quem compartilha sua infância e adolescência longe de casa. Enquanto protagonista, acompanhamos não só seu desenvolvimento como guerreiro, mas sua luta interna contra o seu verdadeiro e maior inimigo: seu subconsciente humano. Crescendo como uma máquina de matar com um solo objetivo que é o de desafiar seu chefe a um duelo e matá-lo para vingar seu pai, a emoção, a empatia e a humanidade acabam adormecidas. Toda vez que se vê confrontado com dilemas que não se resolvem na força bruta, o rapaz sofre mais para sequer entender a situação que sofreria para enfrentar um gigante de dois metros e meio com potência física suficiente para arremessar rochas de 400 kg em navios alheios. A história criada para seu pai e sua família pode parecer até um pouco clichê (um comandante de um exército que nunca temeu sua própria segurança enquanto trabalha percebe que agora a teme por ter uma família e decide fugir do campo de batalha), mas é o evento que realmente guia todo o desenrolar da série e cria as oportunidades para o surgimento do protagonista e, sobretudo, do antagonista mais incrível que vi em anos. Askeladd é, como define o amigo que me recomendou a série, o único "agente independente" de toda a trama. E é ele quem dá as cartas. Sempre. Sua habilidade intuitiva de ler pessoas com um simples olhar e sua inteligência fora do comum o permitem planejar cada uma de suas ações como se jogasse xadrez contra criancinhas. Se há um trabalho que lhe dará dinheiro e fama, ele estará lá e matará não importa quem porque negócios são negócios. Se seu exército está cercado e com números bem menores que o do adversário, sempre há uma estratégia para virar a mesa. E se a mesa não vira, basta passar para o outro lado dela. Ele joga com comandantes, príncipes, reis e mesmo lendas vivas dos contos viquingues (Thorkell, por exemplo). E não importa quem seja o indivíduo: Askeladd sempre consegue utilizá-lo ao seu favor para roubar suas riquezas, matá-lo ou tê-lo ao seu lado como companheiro de guerra. "Todo homem é escravo de alguma coisa, e escravos sempre obedecem" - é assim que ensina Thorfinn sobre como manipular uma pessoa, uma aldeia ou mesmo um país. E claro, facilmente pôde manipular nosso protagonista durante mais de uma década. Nutrido de ódio, Thorfinn faria qualquer coisa que ordenado por seu agora chefe e talvez até pai adotivo desde que fosse mais tarde recompensado com um duelo de honra até a morte - isto é, até a morte caso ele vença, pois Askeladd sempre prefere mantê-lo vivo para continuar usando sua força. O último episódio revela que tudo o que críamos sobre este antagonista estava errado. Em vez de alguém disposto a tudo para lograr seus objetivos e tornar realidade seu sonho último, agindo com toda a mesquinhez do mundo sempre que necessário, Askeladd é alguém de alma nobre e está na verdade de prontidão para sacrificar até a si mesmo em prol de uma aposta de grande valor que envolve a continuidade da subjugação de vários povos ou a possibilidade de um novo tipo de reinado que daria ao mundo inteiro uma vida mais... humana. Acabamos por ver Thorfinn reconhecendo - sem admitir, claro - que acabara tendo nele um espelho e um exemplo, não só um inimigo a ser derrotado. E acabamos por ver ambos mostrando mais uma vez que esta série tem personagens humanos e reais. Pessoas como cada um de nós; 4 - Enfim, visualmente e sonoramente falando dessa vez, temos um trabalho praticamente impecável. O estilo, o traço, a coloração, a animação, a fluidez, os efeitos computadorizados, tudo é um banquete para os olhos. Cada quadro, cada movimento, cada pixel é uma obra de arte. Do simples cair da neve em uma noite clara ao soprar de uma tempestade, do bater de duas lâminas ao conflito generalizado de uma guerra que envolve milhares de soldados simultaneamente, cada cena possui a mesma dedicação e o mesmo nível de trabalho empregado. Os elementos sonoros e a trilha musical encaixam-se perfeitamente e acompanham cada batalha ou cena emotiva como em uma orquestra. Isso para não falar das aberturas e encerramentos que possuem também toda essa sintonia sincronizada e orquestrada para nos trazer o spoiler de toda a emoção que o arco em que estamos da série irá nos contar. Se há algo relativamente negativo para apontar é o conflito linguístico da série. Há, neste momento em que escrevo, apenas a dublagem original em japonês disponível. Em alguns momentos, vemos personagens falando línguas diferentes - ou veríamos, se na verdade todos não estivessem falando apenas em japonês. Por exemplo, Thorfinn dialoga em nórdico com francos que não entendem nada. Estes por sua vez replicam em francês vulgar ao protagonista que também não faz ideia do que está sendo dito. Porém, todos eles falam em... japonês. Fica um pouco menos vívido e tira um pouco da precisão tão aclamada mesmo por mim nessa resenha. Mas não é algo que manche o trabalho. Só podia ter sido melhor executado. Bom, nada que uma redublagem não possa corrigir. Ou, pelo menos, uma legendagem descritiva que informe ao espectador que os personagens alternam entre línguas nórdicas, inglês médio e francês vulgar em alguns momentos. Ver todos falando em japonês e ao mesmo tempo dizendo "o que é que ele disse?" - "não sei, não falo essa língua" é estranho apesar de compreensível. Em minha humilde opinião, o produto final de tudo isso é uma obra-prima atemporal que entrará para a história dos animes. Vale a pena cada um dos 450 minutos. E como escrevo logo após assistir durante esta quarentena devido à pandemia de corona vírus, acredito ser excelente tempo para todos os curiosos darem uma chance. A resposta para a pergunta "Vinland Saga é tão bom assim?" é o título do meu texto. SIM, MEUS AMIGOS! É GENIAL!

AkiFosu

Vinland Saga presents itself as a European story in a medieval setting, based around wars between Vikings, Danes, and people from Britain. That's what it wants us to think. But in reality, under the skin, it's a Japanese story, with Japanese characters, Japanese pathos, Japanese ethos, and Japanese warriors with a European skin. That the characters often also look Japanese is the cherry on the cake. The creators take Western religion, philosophy, culture, and history, and replace them with their Japanese equivalents. Every dialog, scene, conflict, and outcome could be transplanted to a Japanese feudal setting and it would work perfectly. The creators failed to understand the essence of the topics they tried to portray and what was supposed to be profound and convincing turned into a bizarre and unintentional comedy. The main character has no morals. His antagonist is often the good guy, but still much worse than the main character. Then the story has a twist and they join forces with someone who is even more evil, to defeat someone who is portrayed as evil without giving any reasons why that person is evil, outside of being the king. When the main antagonist kills an entire village to feed his men, our main character doesn't even care about it. Yet the story tells us that he loves his father, but his father gave his entire wealth to free a single slave who was a stranger. Things don't add up. One gets the feeling that evil things are being done for the sake of evil things to happen. And no one cares. No one stands up and fights against those evil things, they just keep happening, and our main character is only occupied with revenge, despite everything that is going on around him. A travesty. The main character shows in over 20 something episodes almost zero development. He was full of rage and seeking revenge a few episodes in and he is still full of rage and seeking revenge 15 episodes later. Are we supposed to sympathize with someone who is being shown mercy countless times by his enemies but continues to hate them? Something's missing here, and it will never be found. The character of the prince is another such mystery. He was introduced as a key figure that would force a change in the story, maybe even a major character development of our main character, but nothing of that sort happened. The tone of his introduction was one that promised a character that is different to the bloodthirsty, evil, and immoral characters that make up most of the cast, including the one-dimensional main character. The hope was that the prince would trigger a positive development for the main character and the story overall, but when the prince has his moment of growth he turns out to be the most evil, immoral, and unethical of them all. And we are supposed to root for him. These are not all the issues, there are many issues with plot and characters, but these are the most striking that cannot be ignored.

hamzafezzaz12

This review contains spoilers!!!!! When I first saw the trailer of Vinland saga I knew it is going to be good, I even predicted it would enter my top 10, but this anime exceeded all my expectations and ended up being one of the very few shows I consider to be a masterpiece. from the realistic and well thought setting the writer chose to tell the story, to the amazing development the characters went through, to the amount of emotions you can feel while watching this show, to that unbelievable climax this season had, Vinland saga will always be remembered as one of the most well written stories that ever came out. Writing a review about Vinland saga is not an easy task as there is so much to talk but I will not be able to go in depth in every detail in order not to miss the purpose of a review. So to make it simple, I will cover the most interesting parts of an anime (of course in my opinion) : __the story and plot__, __the characters and their development__, __the themes__, __the adaptation__ (visuals, Ost, voice acting...), __my personal impression__ ( enjoyment, emotions, reaction...). __1. story and plot:__ Vinland saga follows the life of Thorfin, a child from Iceland who saw his father getting killed by a certain mercenary called Askellad. At first sight, it seems like a usual revenge story, but this is only a small part of the what Vinland saga is about. This show is about a man (Thors) who, after years of killing people in battlefields, finally understood what a true warrior is, but failed to pass his experience to his son. It is about a young man (Thorfin) who wasted about 10 years of his life going after a revenge he will never achieve. It is about a man (Thorkell) who knows how to live only in battlefields, but still unable to find the meaning of a true warrior. It is about a prince (Canute) who never wanted to be born in the royal family, but whose destiny in life is to make of it a means to begin his rebellion against god. It is about a man (Askellad) who was tired of waiting the messiah and thus decided to create one himself. It is about a land called Vinland, where there is no war nor slavery, a place for those who have nowhere to belong, a place that still no one knows if it really exists or it’s only the result of people’s imagination to appease their suffering and escape from the cruel reality. Vinland saga managed to connect all these stories and more in one single season also known as the prologue of the saga. this says a lot about the quality of the plot in this show as it is not easy to create such connections between all the characters in the first arc. The first episodes established on one hand the peaceful life Thorfin and his family had in Iceland, and on the other hand the life of Vikings mercenary, plundering villages and killing without mercy. The cruelty of the world in that time led to the assassination of Thors, Thorfin’s father by the hands of Askellad, the leader of a mercenary group of Vikings. Thorfin, still young and naïve made the oath of killing Askellad in a duel in order to avenge his father, the man who taught him that he shouldn’t kill people as “a true warrior doesn’t need a sword”. The anime then shows how the Thorfin’s life drastically changed when he joined Askellad’s group in order to get a chance for his revenge, he becomes the very opposite of what his father wanted: a killer blinded by revenge and a slave to Askellad who knew how to use Torfin to the fullest. Years after, Denmark started a war to conquer England, and Askellad’s group were a part of the army. This is the point of the story where the true plot of this arc begins and when the focus is no longer on Thorfin as Askellad will be the “main character” till the end of the season. the appearance of Canute, seemingly a shy and useless prince, revived in Askellad the dream he always wanted to achieve, the dream of serving a good and true king and saving his homeland “Wales” from any harm. To make it simple, Askellad was kind of a double agent for Wales seemingly working for Denmark’s sake. With the use of strategy and tricks, he will be able to awake Canute’s potential of a king and will plan to take down King Sweyn from the throne. One remarkable thing about Vinland saga’s plot is that it was thickening with every episode, taking advantage of the historical setting, and using politics, religion, culture and philosophy to tell the story that culminated in that amazing final episode, where Askellad killed king Sweyn and gave up on his life for the sake of Canute and Wales leaving Thorfin with one of the most impactful and emotional last words in anime history, words that Thorfin still doesnt understand for the moment as he was in total despair after seeing Askellad getting killed in front of him. __2. the characters and their development: __ The characters in Vinland saga are amazing as Yukimura (the original creator) is a master of character writing. Canute, Thors, Thorkell, Thorfin, the priest, king Sweyn, Bjorn…. Were all interesting characters, but __Askellad__ was without a doubt the best character of the show, a contender for character of the decade and one of the most well written characters in the medium. He played the role of the villain in the first part of the story, then became kind of an anti-hero, and finally stole the title of the protagonist from Thorfin at the end and went out as hero and a legend. He was a unique character with no pair in any other anime or manga. He was ruthless and caring, cunning and tricky, strategist and tactical, a man of honor and a mercenary, a carefree and a dreamer, a despicable and a lovable person, in short he is a very complex character that really needs a separate breakdown to talk about him with details. Another brilliant character that shined in this arc is prince __Canute__, although he was presented as a shy and weak person, that wasn’t his true nature as he was acting like that to avoid contact and problems with others and this point was one of the most important hints to his character development that a lot of people missed and thus failed to understand his personality change in ep 18. I’ve made a complete breakdown about Canute’s character development in MAL, so I’ll put the link if someone wants to check it out: https://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=1844034 Although the story of Vinland saga is following the life __Thorfin__, he didn’t have an important character development in this first arc, as the whole point of his character in the prologue is to portray the consequences of being blind by revenge, he wasted 10 years trying to kill Askellad without learning anything useful in life. Thorfin was meant to be a miserable and annoying character as long as Askellad is alive and only now that Askellad is dead by the end of the season, we can hope to see some real development in his character. But one thing was important in this arc concerning the relationship between Thorfin and Askellad: despite the fact that Thorfin hates Askellad ,he also cared about him and saw him as a father figure, and Askellad did really care about thorfin as well. This subtle relationship was clear in the finale when Askellad was dying, those last words can only come out of the mouth of someone who truly cares about Thorfin. The other characters were also interesting, __Thors__ will always be a legend, he was an amazing character in the first 4 episodes, and he was present in the story after his death with his ideals of __“a true warrior doesn't need a sword”__ and __“no one has enemies”__, he was always present in Thorfin’s subconscious, in Thorkel’s memory, and in Willibald’s philosophy. __The priest__ was a super interesting character, his philosophy gave a lot of depth to the story and had a lot of impact on Canute as a character, Willibald was such an underrated character. __Thorkel__ was cool and badass, he really gave another dimension to the show, __Bjorn__ was the loyal servant who looked up to Askellad, and even though he didn’t have enough screen time, his death was emotional and played a role in Askellad’s development. And finally, __King Sweyn__ was a tough opponent for the main characters, his idea about “the curse of the crown” was interesting and will be useful later in the manga. __3. the themes:__ This is one of the best parts of Vinland saga and probably the part that makes it clear that this piece or art is a masterpiece. The amount of themes Vinland saga contains and their compatibility with how the story is written within the setting of the Vikings era are to be praised. The most obvious themes in Vinland saga are __violence__, __war__ and __slavery__. Throughout the whole arc the writer portrayed a world full of violence, killing and plundering, a world where warriors are considered as the top of society, a world where slaves are everywhere. But unlike other animes that use these themes for the sake of shock value, Vinland saga uses them in order to show the importance of a world __without violence__, a word of __peace__ where there is no war nor slavery. The contrast between these themes is so obvious in most of the parts of the series: first, Thors is the incarnation of this contrast as he used to live a life of violence and war, but finally understood the importance of living peacefully without hurting others, his words : “a true warrior doesn’t need a sword” and “ no one has enemies” highlights this contrast. Second the idea of “Vinland” that warm and fertile land faraway in the west is constructed by opposition to a place where there is war and slavery. Later, the theme of __slavery__ took a bigger meaning, Askellad once said that “everyone is a slave to something”. It was in the context of his uncle whipping one of his slaves, but askellad’s words were general and could be applied to other characters : Thorfin is a slave to __vengeance__, king Sweyn is a slave to __the crown__, Askellad is a slave to the legend of Artorious, Canute is a slave to his paradise, and even Thors was a slave to his ideals. As the story progresses, the writer discusses the themes of __love__, __discrimination__,and __religion__. The philosophical approach the show used to talk about love, which is a “generic” topic that a lot of animes take for granted, was just fascinating. What the priest was talking about is the unconditional love, the love that is given to everyone in opposition of the common idea of love which he defined as discrimination. this story of love is connected to the idea of a true warrior, and the parallel was obvious in the direction of ep 18 where they shifted between the priest’s speech about love and the talk between Thorfin and Thorkel about __true warrior__. Furthermore, this whole idea of unconditional love is inspired from __Christianity__ which is another important theme that Vinland saga used to tell the story and develop some characters (Canute and the priest). The idea of achieving peace raises the question the way to do it, and with this comes the theme of __power__ and again the theme of __war__. Do you need power to be able to establish peace? Is peace the result of understanding or the end of a war? Vinland saga still doesn’t give the final answer to these questions, but we already have some buildup with the way Canute chose to create a paradise in earth, he believes it’s necessary to detain power to be able to reach a world of peace and he is already involved in the game of the crown and the path of blood. But as King Sweyn said, the crown curses and corrupts his bearer, so will Canute be able to overcome __the curse of the crown__? The last theme I’ll discuss in this review is the theme of __the fairy tale__. The idea of Vinland being a land where there is no war nor slavery is so ideal that there is no proof it really exists. All we know is that Leaf Erikson has discovered a fertile land (America nowadays) and named it Vinland, we don’t know if it’s really a place of peace with no slaves and no potential conflicts, which make it seems like a fairy tale for the moment, a __utopia__ people believe in to appease their suffering and escape reality, the same way Askellad believed in the return of Artorious to save his people until he finally realized that it was no more than fairytale. __4. the adaptation:__ Announcing an anime adaptation of Vinland saga was a good surprise for the fans but with a lot of worries as the manga is so detailed and hard to adapt. People were afraid it will turn out like berserk 2016 or kingdom, but once the trailer was out it was obvious that wit studio didn’t pick up the manga to get the hate of people. Before talking about the visuals, I would prefer to discuss the choices of Director Yabuta Shuuhei and the other staff in terms of rearranging some events and adding some original content. First, the studio chose to tell the story in the chronological order, and it is absolutely a good idea because the story felt more natural and Thors death was more impactful as in the manga this part was done in a flashback. Second, adding one episode and a half (ep 5 -6) of original content was also a fantastic idea as it showed clearly how Thorfin ended up in Askellad’s group and also how he evolved from a weak child to a teenager experienced in battlefields. Third, the adjustment near the end of the season where they switched the order of chapter 46-47 (ep 22) and chapters 48-49 (ep 21), and this was also a wise decision as it was more accurate and natural that Askellad will have no more missions for Thorfin after their last fight and after what he told him in the end of ep 22. Finally, there were some original content of Thorfin and Leif in ep 23, it wasn’t necessary to add them but at the same time it didn’t do any harm to the story. Now talking about the visuals, __the animation__ felt fluid for most of the parts, the big moments were animated perfectly such as Thors VS Askellad, Thorfin VS Thorkel , Thorfin VS Askellad… there were some ups and downs in the quality throughout the whole season, but overall, the animation was so good. __The backgrounds__ were gorgeous and overall better than the manga, the details were maintained and the colors made it feel more beautiful: img720(https://i.imgur.com/lW8oNUT.png) img720(https://i.imgur.com/GkVCLe0.png) img720(https://i.imgur.com/g7cVstl.png) img720(https://i.imgur.com/qqJT8Oi.png) img720(https://i.imgur.com/0W2wO4J.png) img720(https://i.imgur.com/I7TTjkb.png) In terms of __character design__, young Thorfin is better in the anime: img720(https://i.imgur.com/R8iAIQ5.png) img720(https://i.imgur.com/BkQ9PJc.png) But later he is better in the manga: img720(https://i.imgur.com/oArrvqr.png) img720(https://i.imgur.com/WqGclJU.png) Askeallad’s design is better in the anime: img720(https://i.imgur.com/jZHDniC.png) img720(https://i.imgur.com/81b0GhL.png) But in the end of the arc the anime and manga are even, maybe better in the manga because of the details. Ylva and Helga are also slightly better in the anime: img720(https://i.imgur.com/tBBZ9Js.png) img720(https://i.imgur.com/vobrd7d.png) Overall, the character design is better in the anime. The details of the manga were present in most of the parst of the anime, but the manga remains better overall. Some shots were way better in the manga: img720(https://i.imgur.com/3F4qf1m.png) img720(https://i.imgur.com/cDe8bPG.png) img720(https://i.imgur.com/Hpkvcsc.png) img720(https://i.imgur.com/BAi2fgH.png) Some shots were better in the anime: img720(https://i.imgur.com/bqYO0aX.png) img720(https://i.imgur.com/RRGXmJO.png) img720(https://i.imgur.com/WePKsiN.png) img720(https://i.imgur.com/msVAaTS.png) Some shots in the anime were as good as in the manga: img720(https://i.imgur.com/CZFxY2V.png) img720(https://i.imgur.com/OuWzLgB.png) img720(https://i.imgur.com/o7ODdGo.png) img720(https://i.imgur.com/q4xMVN3.png) __The soundtrack__ of Vinland saga is amazing, Yuataka Yamada managed to create a unique atmosphere that fits the story, the piano tracks were powerful especially in the big moments. __The voice acting__ was great, Askellad’s Voice actor was the star of the show, Uchida Naoya was the perfect voice actor. The performance of Thorfin’s voice actor was also good, Ono Kensho did a great job as Canute’s voice actor, and Oostuka Akio just nailed the role of Thorkel. __The direction__ was overall consistent, the studio followed the manga in most of the parts, but what was brilliant is that they improved in the best parts of the series. The direction of ep 14 was perfect and made the episode superior to the manga, in ep 18 they create a beautiful parallel between the priest and the Canute on one hand and Thorfin and Thorkel on the other hand, which was absent in the manga. Askellad’s flashback was better in the anime and ep 21 was also better. The finale was as good as the manga. So overall, the anime did a fantastic job adapting the manga, there were times when the manga was above and times where the anime was better, but overall, I can say that they were on the same level, and this was the best adaptation that can be made. __5. my personal impression:__ Vinland saga managed to amaze me from the first episodes, the quality of the writing and the story telling left me speechless and I was always looking forward to next week to see the next episode. There was not a single episode that I felt was weak, every episode felt natural and well structured, I loved the slow burn of the first part, I loved the buildup before ep 17, and the climax in the end of the season just blew me away. I barely had any complains about the show, apart from Thorkel’s power being unrealistic sometimes, I didn’t find any problem or plot hole. This was easily anime of the year for me and deserved a spot I my top 3 anime of all times. This is how much I loved Vinland saga, I couldn’t stop myself from reading the manga and now I can’t wait to see the next arc animated. __Conclusion:__ To finish this review, I would say that Vinland saga is simply a masterpiece, a piece of art that everyone should see, it had one of the greatest character development of the medium, one of the best characters ever written (Askellad), a story about life and human condition without any use of superpowers, a fantastic historical setting and real references, great visuals and OST, incredible moments including 4 major deaths with Askellad’s death being one of the greatest in anime/manga history, and finally it had one of the craziest and most memorable climaxes that will leave the watcher speechless.

ReyLuz

Una vez entendiendo el contexto de la historia principal es hora de hablar del estudio WIT quien estuvo a cargo de este proyecto y es conocido por animar el popular manga de Shingeki no Kyojin, la serie de culto Koutetsujou no Kabaneri y una de las mejores obras de fantasía oscura, Owari no Seraph sin mencionar que es subsidiaria de Production I.G, uno de los imperios japoneses más importantes. Hablar de la calidad que ofrece el estudio WIT podría ser absurdo considerando sus trabajos anteriores pero debo decirles que aun así lograron superarse a sí mismos de la forma más inesperada posible: la hostilidad. La razón por la que Vinland Saga es considerado un seinen ya no solo radica en su contexto histórico que será mejor comprendido por personas maduras sino las incontables escenas violentas en cada capítulo que iban desde amputaciones, cortadas profundas, huesos rotos y sugerencias de agresión sexual que es necesario apartar de personas sensibles y menores de edad. Si bien la plataforma de Amazon Prime Video pone un aviso de contenido es mi obligación mencionarles que no hay censura alguna, por un lado fue increíble que recibiera la misma brutalidad que la obra original pero por el otro me hizo apartar la vista y arrugar la cara casi siempre, ténganlo a consideración. Ahora, el arte usado tanto en el anime como en el manga proviene del autor, el señor Makoto Yukimura quien no ha dejado de perfeccionar sus diseños por 3 años siendo su principal característica las expresiones faciales toscas, sombreadas y apreciables en un primer plano por lo que la atribución más grande de WIT fue darle un coloreado apropiado, panoramas y fotografía hechos a mano, armamento y vestimenta en formato CG y CGI junto a una fluidez de movimiento espectacular que podría equipararse e incluso rebasar la vista en Shingeki no Kyojin, tal es así que ganó un puesto a Las Mejores Peleas del Año en uno de sus capítulos. LAS DIFICULTADES DE LA HISTORIA Una de las cosas que fueron discutidas entre la crítica especializada y los donadores de opinión fue acerca de su recomendación pues las promesas de que habrá violencia al por mayor o que tenga detrás a un estudio de animación de renombre muchas veces no son suficientes para que la gente se quede a ver el resto de la historia por 2 simples cosas: el género y los primeros capítulos. La primera barda con la que nos topamos fue su difícil recomendación porque cualquier producto que tenga el género histórico generalmente es desplazado por aquellos espectadores que entrecierran los ojos pensando que es aburrido lo cual en Vinland Saga no sucede pero sus primeros capítulos dan una impresión diferente, les explico: En su debido tiempo Vinland Saga transmitió de golpe sus 3 primeros capítulos, mismo número de semanas que descansó y luego volvió para la cuarta emisión, sin embargo, en ese lapso de ausencia las críticas de que fue extremadamente predecible solo iban en aumento y los pocos lectores del manga no daban abasto para defender la obra. A pesar de ello la fe de la gente fue firme hasta que poco antes de la mitad del anime, la trama y el argumento dieron un vuelco extraordinario e hizo regresar a más de los que se fueron. Fue por esa razón que damos por hecho en nuestras reseñas, críticas y análisis que la historia del anime es contada de menos a más, en otras palabras, se pone más interesante mientras más la veas debido a que cada personaje, incluido el protagonista, tienen muchos secretos que revelar y que agregan pese a su desarrollo, no por nada Thorfinn fue la mejor personalidad masculina de su Temporada superando al protagonista de Dr. Stone, Senku Ishigami.

Togentokyo

img520(https://technoinfoplus.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/download-60-1.jpg) No spoilers. ~!First review of mine.!~ ____ **Story**: 8.5/10 _Vinland saga_ is the tale of a young boy named Thorfinn Karlsefni who goes on a hunt for revenge after recently witnessing the death of his father in order to take down a man named Askeladd. Now I know what you might be thinking and no, the series never becomes an edgy gore-fest but it isn't afraid to show us the true horrors of this world from the constant looting, pillaging and occasional raping that takes place which is necessary in order to set the mood for the entire series. The story of Vinland saga does have a few pacing issues during the mid-way point of the series as if there're too many characters to be taken care of such as the excess we find from the mercenary band and to the newly introduced English vikings whilst also never being too long that it bores the reader completely. Secondly, each plot point (with the exception of a few) is done very well be because and opens up room for some solid characterization for all characters that last long enough to earn it, a very good moment would be Canute's moment throughout that mid-way point (I won't spoil you). Something like this is present in a lot of series but it's hardly ever done right because of the long fights to the weak character writing prior but Vinland doesn't fall into any of those traps and even triumphs all of them just to show what a masterpiece this story is. Thirdly, there are some moments in the series that just feel odd and don't belong anywhere as if they're only made for one specific character and that's something that makes the series truly special. The plot also is intricately crafted from the various levels of history layered onto it as this is a historical story, one I personally adore at that. There are many references to olden times and even certain people which added a very fun touch to the series as if these characters really existed. There is an attention to detail regarding this series and a good one at that. NOTE: Most of the characters existed in real life but the story is not based on real-life, just loosely connected. Lastly, the ending of _Vinland Saga_ is almost perfect in any sense of the word almost as if something amazing has happened in the medium of anime in general. The entire story up to this point builds up to the finale which is purely magnificent and it concludes in a way that subverts the expectations of the viewer almost entirely with the constant yet important layering of the story until it's ready to release all of it in pure brilliance. This is one of the best finales I've seen in a while almost rivalling that of code geass and there is no way in hell I will spoil any of these deaths. The finale is furthermore, incredibly touching in a a way the cruel world of _Vinland saga_ never explores which I personally found to be magnificent. ____ **Art**: 8/10 The art of _Vinland Saga_ is really good to the well executed backgrounds to the detailed faces. The layering and composition of shots were also very well made but obviously there are some bad parts. The mid-way point of the series almost had a shift in layering using only lighter colours while being much more funky in the design as if it retaliated against the brutally bold manga art, fortunately this doesn't last very long so It's all good. There are some beautiful scenes in the anime that transcend their manga counterparts like the finale or certain scenes from the opening acts~! (when Thors dies)!~. The art of Vinland saga maintains and actively improves it's high standard almost rivalling the manga and on some occasions, even beating it. Lot's of pros and cons exist but there isn't a need to worry with the art. ____ **Charcters**: 8/10 The characters of _Vinland Saga_ are a gem of their own while also being a hinderance to the series. Firstly, the main characters of the series are solid with the exception of Thorkell as he's just a badass in every sense of the word. Thorfinn, Askeladd and Canute in specific share a lot of characterization while also being amazing characters after each of their respective character arcs. I won't talk about them individually as this is a spoiler free review and trust me, they are amazing. Secondly, the small interactions with certain characters such as the one between Thorfinn and Askeladd on top of a small hill really allowed us to connect with the psyche of Askeladd as small it may be. The exchange I loved by far was between the drunk pastor and Canute because it allowed us to connect with Canute and how his values of salvation and compassion are so different from the blood thirsty vikings due to Canute's horrific upbringing. That was very interesting and plays a very large role in Canute's character development which was well done while also being rushed to some extent. Lastly, the characters all impact Thorfinn to some extent on what it means to be a true warrior and how to cope with the cruel world and they are one of the core pillars that make the series what it is for me. Now the cons, the largest con of characters is the sheer amount of them as this is a series that doesn't need more than a few characters just to be relevant and it introduces a large chunk of the cast just for them to have one or two roles before they fade into obscurity or die. There were characters who I looked forward to and just...felt disappointed by due their boringness and 1 dimensional personality of which was Bjorn. Now I don't hate Bjorn as a characters but it's more so because of how he was handled which felt cheap to me. There was a lot for Bjorn to do in the series but he never does anything and his ~!death!~ felt incredibly forced from Askeladd. That was a hinderance on the story. Fortunately though, Bjorn's boring nature gets completely forgotten due to the chadness of askeladd and his complex character that becomes such an integral part of the story doing the final act., In conclusion, the characters of _Vinland Saga_ have some very good moments of development and realism attached to them, there are a _few_ hinderances that weigh the series down altogether. ____ **World-building**: 9/10 The world building of Vinland saga is so realistic and amazing that it actually feels like this series was a majestic, 2d documentary of these characters but that's sadly not true. It takes place in the 11th century during the Viking conquests of England and the downfall of the Celtic people while also during the discovery of Vinland, a new land which is most likely the eastern coast of Canada. Most of the characters with the exception off askeladd were real and lived around that time frame. I loved the involvement Leif Erickson in the story as it felt like a good way to start everything. There isn't much originality in the world-building of Vinland Saga but that isn't a bad thing as this is a historical fantasy so it needs to capture a realistic image of the world and well, it does...very well. ____ **Enjoyment**: 10/10 This will be a short segment but _Vinland Saga_ is a lot of fun to it's likeable main cast to it's highly layered detail to even it's smooth story. ____ # **Verdict** Overall, Vinland saga is an epic tale that can appeal to anyone looking for a masterful story. ____ I hope you enjoyed the review, this was my first one.

akasinan

I feel like I should preface this review by saying that Makoto Yukimura’s Vinland Saga is one of my favorite manga I have ever read. Perhaps, Vinland Saga being one of my favorite manga of all time gave me some unreasonable expectations or made me view it under a more critical lens than I would have if I had been watching the show blind. But, I cannot help but speak my mind in this situation regardless.  The process of watching Vinland Saga was coupled with a pretty sad experience for me, the realization that I was watching an inferior adaptation of one of my favorite manga. Vinland Saga falls to one of the common trappings of anime adaptations which is botched pacing. Some people call the show a slow burn. Whether or not that enhances the experience for a viewer is definitely something that varies according to a person’s taste. Personally, as someone who has read the source material and is caught up, I thought the anime could have benefited a lot from a faster pace, not every anime has to be 24 episodes, and the prologue arc to Vinland Saga is an arc that in my opinion is better suited to a less common length of 18 to 20-ish episodes, maybe shorter. The pacing leads to a number of episodes where not a lot happens and the anime original filler content doesn’t contribute much in terms of developing characters or the plot. In the case of the penultimate episode of the anime, the filler content actually detracts from the original text.  That being said, the writing itself of the show does a semi-decent job of adapting the source material in the script minus the filler and in spite of the overly slow pacing. Though honestly, I'm not sure if it was the script or the subtitlers' fault, but the script feels very dumbed down in comparison to the manga; with poetic and interesting sections of prose whittled down to the bare minimum needed to get the point across. The script is also not the best at getting the relationship between Thorfinn and Askeladd as characters. There is a lot of subtext between the characters in the manga that the show isn't really able to get across. I believe that two of the filler episodes might have tried to rectify this but fell flat since they just felt like more padding for an already bloated show. The animation is fine for the most part, though there is a steady decline in animation quality towards the end which detracts from how nice the first few episodes and the finale look. The soundtrack is fine though it isn’t very noteworthy. I wanted to love the Vinland Saga anime despite its shortcomings but I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Ironically enough, while it’s my love of the source material that led me to feeling disappointed about the anime, it’s also my love of the source material that prevents me from rating this series lower. While I love Vinland Saga, the manga, the anime is not where I would advise a newcomer to begin with unless they were particularly averse to reading.

TheIkari

Vinland Saga fue un anime que llamo la atención por su temática de vikingos y de venganza, pero que lamentablemente unas semanas más tarde, perdería el interés de la audiencia, cosa que es lamentable, porque esta serie tiene bastante que ofrecer como historia. Así que como no he visto una reseña con la que me quede satisfecho, decidí hacer la mía. Dividiéndola entre el apartado de personajes, la historia, el apartado técnico y al final un pequeño comentario con la conclusión. El anti desarrollo de Thorfin se va dando de manera gradual por las etapas de su vida, desde que era un niño con ambiciones de obtener algo en el campo de batalla hasta un adolecente frio y sin piedad, más que este anti desarrollo es entendible por el tipo de vida que vivió. También pese a ser alguien frio, se le ve demás etapas como interfieren con su objetivo, nombran a su padre o el capítulo de la mujer inglesa ayudándolo, viendo más facetas como el enojo o reflexión, y hablando de reflexión, este personaje durante toda la serie va reflexionando sobre su camino ya que este contradice las enseñanzas de su padre por caer en el deseo de la venganza, volviéndolo un protagonista bastante humano, aunque lamentablemente se ve un poco opacado por el deuteragonista Y hablando del deuteragonista. Askeladd cuenta con un objetivo claro, que es matar a Sweyn para llevar la paz a Gales, cosa respaldada con su trasfondo con su padre, un danés, cosa que también justificaría su posterior odio hacia estos mismos, así creando un paralelismo con Thorfinn, ya que si lo vemos bien, ambos están en las mismas situaciones. Askeladd es un personaje sumamente carismático por su actitud y el cómo trata a su gente, pero teniendo una gran inteligencia a la vez, la cual varias veces se le ve en buenos o en malos momentos, como cuando toma el fuerte llevándose un gran botín o cuando es perseguido por Thorkell en donde se ve tomando acciones desesperadas. Pero lo más interesante de Askeladd es su filosofía de ser un guerrero, lo que implica ser un líder, el campo de batalla y su habilidad de saber qué tipo de persona es alguien con sólo mirarlo. Terminando ser un personaje bastante completo en cualquier aspecto y sin lugar a dudas, mi favorito de la serie. Canute es mi principal y único problema de Vinland, la verdad inició bien, sobre todo con la muerte de Ragnar, haciendo que este tenga que madurar y su charla con Willibald sobre qué es el amor y la religión, pero este personaje simplemente termina siendo reescrito ya que este pasa a ser una persona completamente diferente en 30 segundos, al menos puedo decir que no se convierte en un gary stu. Thors es el personaje que da inicio a todo. Este personaje antes era una de las personas mas fuertes del mundo, teniendo grandes logros, pero este decide abandonar todo esto ¿porque? y aquí es cuando viene lo interesante del personaje, y es su filosofía del ser un guerrero, el verdadero guerrero par Thor es aquel el que rechaza el salvajismo e irracionalidad, así evitando muertes innecesarias, ya que Thors había desarrollado un aprecio a la vida con sus años estando en los Jomvikings. Thors como dije es el que da inicio a todo, ya que es su muerte la que desencadena todos lo sucesos que conforman la obra, y además siendo su muerte también importante para el cambio que desarrolla el personaje de Thorfinn. Me extendería más con otros personajes como Thorkell o Ragnar, pero no tendría nada increíble que decir a diferencia de los otros cuatro, no digo que sean malos personajes, más bien que no tengo nada sustancioso que decir de ellos. Algo que destacar de la serie es el uso de la muerte en la serie, ya que la muerte de los personajes sirven para algo, ejemplo la muerte de Raganar y Thors las cuales sirven para el desarrollo y anti desarrollo de Thorfinn y Canute, o la muerte de Bjorn para representar que Askeladd perdió todo. + Los temas que abarca Vinland son algo variados como la religión, el amor y el ser un guerrero, apoyan al World Building y a la reflexión y desarrollo de los personajes más que estos temas llegan a una conclusión. El world building es fantástico al representar bastante bien al tiempo y lugar donde está ambientada la obra, como que los Vikingos pelen para llegar al Valhalla y como los cristianos esperan pacientemente el día del juicio final, o demás cosas como la escasez de hambre o la esclavitud, más acompañado a los temas, dota a la serie de un tono más realista y serio que aporta aún más a los temas. Como verán, Vinland logra una armonía entre en world building, tono y temas, y por consiguiente también personajes de una manera increíble, haciendo que todos estos elementos aporten a los demás, esto acompañado al ritmo de la serie que hace que la obra no vaya ni lento ni rápido. Logra desarrollar cada uno de estos elementos. Otra cosa que quería hablar, es el como la obra habla de los vikingos, ya que no los idealiza como en las historias antiguas y tampoco los demoniza, y en vez de esas dos opciones los trata como guerreros que no tienen miedo de hacer lo que sea para sobrevivir, demostrando que no hay ni negros ni blancos, cosa que también se ve con Sweyn al mandar a Canute al campo de batalla para que muera, para así evitar un conflicto en el reino para el próximo rey. Una cosa que también me gusta es la tensión, ya que al ser una guerrera la serie muestra que incluso gente como Thors pueden morir, también la serie es algo impredecible cosa que añade a la tensión, y lo mejor es que lo que pasa siempre tiene sentido ya que la serie lo había anticipado anteriormente. También las batallas destacan, no solo por las coreografías y lo entretenidas que son, si no también por las estrategias que emplean los personajes para ganar y que algunas llegan a ser psicológicas como la batalla contra Thorkell o los duelos de Askeladd y Throfinn. La animación está bien, desde el uso de colores y el dibujo muy bien hecho, pero usan el CGI, creó que no es secreto decir que el CGI de Wit Studio (animadores de Vinland) es malo, pero al menos no abusan muchísimo de este, en cuanto la música, es buena, pero no cuadra en varias escenas. Con todo esto pensaran que a Vinland le daré una nota casi perfecta, pero no, ya que no solo Canute y lo opacado que es Thorfinn mas el final abierto de la serie son los únicos problemas de la serie, sino que también está su falta de trascendencia en cuanto a su temática, no niego que son temas interesantes, pero no son merecedores de una calificación mayor Conclusión Vinalnd Saga pese sus inconvenientes, es una anime muy destacable y sólido, tendrá sus problemas, pero sus aspectos positivos aplastan fácilmente a los negativos, y sin lugar a dudas lo declaro como el mejor anime del 2019 (Fuck Kimetsu). 8/10

Santt

__1. Introdução: __ Após muitos anos do lançamento do mangá, Vinland Saga recebeu sua tão aguardada adaptação para anime em 2019 pelo Wit Studio. Um projeto ambicioso que conta a história de Thorfinn sobre o que é ser um "verdadeiro guerreiro" e o caminho que leva aqueles que trilham perante a vingança e o ódio. Nesta análise irei abordar alguns tópicos que considero mais relevantes. Você pode simplesmente pular para a conclusão, lá eu vou basicamente resumir tudo o que falei em cada tópico e ainda dar as considerações finais. __2. Enredo: __ O enredo é bem completinho. Poucos momentos deixam a desejar, e quando deixam, não é algo que faça ter uma experiência ruim. Ele não aborda só os conflitos que acontecem, ele também trata de questões como onde a vingança e o ódio podem levar um individuo. A mensagem do que é ser um "verdadeiro guerreiro" sempre vem à tona, e isso é tratado de uma forma condizente com os ideias das pessoas, remetendo também ao nosso mundo atual. O anime possui um dos melhores finais que já vi, tudo o que foi mostrado é colocado à tona com uma simples, porém, excelente representação das memorias construídas ao longo dos episódios. Também há uma boa mensagem sobre as crenças e da religião, pelo que as pessoas são movidas e qual o sentido para tudo aquilo. __2.1. Representação histórica:__ Excelente representação histórica da época em que se passa a trama. Muitos detalhes ricos em informações que não deixam a desejar, fazendo o telespectador mais imerso naquele tempo. Eles deram atenção a cada detalhe, seja pelos costumes do _Vikings_, o que eles vestem, sua cultura, o modo de vida, como eram feito as navegações e como funcionava uma cidade / vila. __3. Personagens:__ A forma como os personagens agem é extremamente bem feita, além de ter detalhes sobre o modo de vida de cada um, eles tem sua própria personalidade condizente com as coisas da época. Há personagens marcantes e carismáticos mesmo a obra sendo o que é. O protagonista acaba sendo um pouco ofuscado em alguns momentos, ele acaba sendo deixa de lado em algumas ocasiões, mas não é como se desse a impressão dele ser esquecido. __3.1. Desenvolvimento dos personagens:__ A construção de alguns personagens não foi muito bem escrita, deixando a impressão de que em algum momento ele tenha se desenvolvido de forma conveniente para a trama e rápida demais. __4. Ação:__ Como uma boa obra que trata de conflitos envolvendo os _Vokings_, o anime é excelente quando se trata de ação e lutas. Por sua boa produção, há lutas que são extremamente bem feitas mesmo com as diversas dificuldades que a produção enfrentou. __5. Produção / Animação:__ Produzido pelo excelente Wit Studio, Vinland Saga recebeu um bom tratamento durante todos os 24 episódios. Mesmo com os designs de personagens extremamente detalhados a equipe conseguiu lidar com eles muito bem, tanto em momentos mais movimentados quanto em momentos tranquilos, não passando a impressão de ser algo estático. Os cenários são belos e bem ambientados para a época em que se passa a historia, isso também tem relação com a boa direção de arte do projeto. A trilha sonora é boa, a equipe utilizou de efeitos sonoros que os próprios Vikings usavam quando ainda estavam em atividade para dar um ar mais satisfatório e imersivo. __6. Conclusão:__ Vinland Saga entrega uma ótima representação histórica e várias mensagens importantes para o mundo atual. Possui boas lutas sejam elas por serem marcantes devido ao momento ou por causa da boa coreográfica / animação. Em alguns momentos me senti um pouco perdido com o andamento da historia, principalmente na questão da rota em que os personagens estão tomando, se houvesse um mapa explicando de onde eles saíram e para onde vão isso ficaria mais fácil, porém isso não está presente no anime (entendi melhor quando li o mangá, já que lá ele possui um mapa informado a rota de cada grupo ou personagem). Há personagens marcantes e carismáticos, seja por sua personalidade ou feitos. Alguns dos personagens são melhores aproveitados, já outros quando tem um momento de desenvolvimento acaba passando a impressão de ser algo conveniente e rápido. O protagonista é um pouco ofuscado, na maior parte do tempo ele nem aparenta ser o personagem principal, isso está mais atrelado a sua personalidade do que um erro no roteiro, ele acaba não sendo tão carismático (como um bom leitor do mangá, eu digo que tudo isso faz sentido mais pra frente). A produção / animação é boa. Mesmo com todas as dificuldades enfrentadas a equipe de produção conseguiu entregar um excelente projeto ambicioso em vários sentidos. No geral, o anime é excelente em vários aspectos. Possui uma boa história e fornece uma excelente experiência à quem assiste. Aqui e ali ele têm suas falhas, mas não é algo que, ao meu ver, não vá fazer com que a boa experiência seja manchada.

BluBilly

__Note; This review is spoiler-free.__ Vinland Saga is a beautiful tale about the effects of war on the people, how rage affects your thinking, what it truly means to be a warrior and so much more. Plot-lines to keep you interested which connectly beautifully at the end, awesome side-characters to keep you going for the whole ride, a rich world that has alot of lore by making use of its setting which is 11th Century Europe,__ Vinland Saga is truly a great example on what makes us a slave to something.__ ___ ___Why should you watch this show?___ One of the main reasons anyone should give this a try is because it tackles humanitys ugliest side; war. Not many medias like showing the effects of war, as its used to be "badass", but its not the case here. Very clearly is it shown how messed up the vikings were, and why war is the amalgamation of everything us humans dislike; Fear, hatred, anger, greed. It gets even more clear once we get into the relationship between Thorfinn and Askeladd, where our main character, Thorfinn, is blinded by rage and vengeance to kill Askeladd. As this relationship begins developing early in the series from being enemies to warriors, it gets more abundantely clear the story doesn't take its time to stay there. Many other plot-lines get introduced which makes the whole package even more enjoyable to watch. Ranging from army, the holy church, the life of a warrior, the life of a slave; You get all of these and more, wrapped up beautifully which makes the story feel very complex. If you expect a very typical "angry good teenager goes through a journey to kill someone evil", this is not the show you are looking for. img(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/627869101867401239/863523599590752276/EL7S5QUXkAE-2gh.png?width=491&height=676) ___ ___Another great thing that Vinland Saga is applauded for is its characters.___ The main star of the show as everyone is bringing up; Askeladd. Even though Thorfinn is technically the protagonist, Askeladd truly outshines everyone in the cast where he is the one that moves the story forward. Without him, many of the plot-lines would go unresolved, with his cunning and smartness. He doesn't shy away from using peoples own disadvantages, which makes him a bit of a cunt, but he isn't a robot that does evil deeds because he is evil; there is reasons for it, one i cannot go into further detail without spoiling. His adaptive nature to the situation at hand, the consequences that might be at his throat for not reaching his goal, the motivation for his acts; it all feels believable and real. The legend of his character arc will not be forgotten, both by the characters in the show and by us viewers. God, what a great character. Initially a shy character, Canute develops as someone who plays a big role in the whole storyline in Vinland Saga. His role at first seems to be a plot-device, but there is merit to the way he acts; one about surpassing your father. His shy nature is in response to his backstory, which makes him out to be incredibly smart. Its initially really subtle at first, but it all goes back to Askeladd's character that is able to see through people. After an event, Canute changes quite alot, and evolves into a character with conviction and one about faith, which is underlying theme in this show aswell. Albeit not exactly developed to his fullest in this season, Thorfinn is a really great protagonist shows what effect war has on people. The reasoning for his character is supposed to be one that exemplifies the rage of how one would feel if someone important to them died. Hatred, rage and vengeance for Askeladd is the only thing fueling him to keep pushing, but it is shown to be something bad, as his fathers words remind him; he doesn't have enemies. There is not too much to say here, as i think his character works, but i can definetly see why people would dislike him a little bit. I think his character truly shines in the manga and the upcoming Season 2, so i'd rather hold your expecations for his character if you're new to the series. img(https://mangahub.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/askeladd.png) ___ ___The themes that make Vinland Saga about what it truly is___ The themes play a big role here, especially the one about importance of peace. An important thing about making a story about war is to show the ugly side; the poor villagers or the slaves that have to endure all the pain that comes along with it. The best example i can give is probably Thorfinn's character during Season 1 and how his hatred was sprung out of war with nothing to do but be angry, but also the whole idea of Vinland; a land without war, suffering and peace. It feels very warm and comforting, which is the point of it all, especially when we take a look at Thors' backstory which makes the point even more important. Another theme that is important is the one about slavery and freedom. The slaves shown in the show express the importance of a utopia, and it becomes more clear what would happen if Thorfinn wasn't a slave to vengeance, Canute was a slave to faith, Askeladd was a slave to his destiny etc. Without slavery, you can express love and peace but at what cost? In what way can peace be achieved? Is peace the result of the end of a war? There are many questions, and little answered which makes you ponder. In Vinland Saga's case, i would say it works in its favor! img(https://64.media.tumblr.com/25b584f03720bf610671ed56407b060c/24bae7c84d2865c2-ec/s1280x1920/76a68d2757845333271170c98a7a85cd834af1d5.jpg) ___ __Music and animation;__ The animation quality is very good, albeit it dips alot in the later half, which is a shame. It didn't impact my enjoyment of the show, so i personally didn't care much about it. Music however....oh my god. Its truly amazing what Yutaka Yamada has managed to create, as i truly get immersed in the soundtrack created here. From the chilling tension of the "Troll", the melancholic sadness of "Dagger," all the way to the amazing and warm OST of the last episode, the music is truly just extraordinary. Soundtracks like these are the reason i fucking love anime, and the reason i use soundtracks to read their respective manga. My absolute favorite track in the whole anime is easily this one; youtube(https://youtu.be/lCXbTAPwlxY) ___ __Verdict;__ Vinland Saga is truly a landmark in anime. With its gorgeous art, amazing characters that are complex in each of their own way, music to take you through the whole journey and finally, a story with one of the best conclusions in anime, it serves as an example on how good anime should be. It is truly, without a doubt, one of my absolute all-time favorite shows to date, as this reminds me alot about Berserk's themes and war against humanity, but also how real both Guts and Thorfinn feel. Its beautiful, warm, melancholic and most of all; feels humane. __Believe the hype people are talking about when it comes to Vinland Saga, because its all real. Thank you Makoto Yukimura for creating this amazing story, and thank you Wit Studio for creating this absolute thrilling piece of fiction that is going to stay with me until the day i die.__

Destrother

Vinland saga was one solid ride its not one of those anime that I truly enjoyed with all my heart but it was a different feeling all together. The writing was amazing the characters were so fleshed and the only word I can use to describe the voice acting is POG. Plot 8/10 Okay, so cliche story little boys dad gets killed he wants vengeance and tries to kill the bad guy. Vinland saga takes this basic plot and really brings it to its full potential. Thorfinn (MC) lives with Askeladd (bad guy) basically and works for him because there would be nothing else he could do with his life. Since Thorfinns was so young when Thors was killed he didnt think about if what he was doing was wrong so when he grew he had put so much dedication in to killing Askeladd he couldn't go back. It might seem stupid to some that Thorfinn never thought of his actions but he basically decided the rest of his life as a child and couldn't do anything about it once he matured. I don't know if im getting my point across but thats the plot. ~~~img(https://i.imgur.com/UDq0MU5.gif)~~~ Characters 9.5/10 The character's were so incredibly well done it felt like a real story the way they interacted the dialogue everything. Askeladd especially was done well since he was such a horrible person but you still couldn't hate him because of his charisma (at least i couldn't). Thorfinns action could be justified if your really think about it and Thors is just badass. Then theres the voice acting Thorfinn had some insane screaming moments and Askeladd's voice just conveyed his character in so many ways. ~~~img5000(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FL2CstqPo-Q/XS5BdEEzXbI/AAAAAAAAKIw/Ua9cGCvDlbkD4mcYB4BGfQP612GqBJXCwCLcBGAs/s1600/Thors%2BBattle.gif)~~~ Animation 7.5/10 The animation was some solid WIT studio animation and it really was great when they tried. The artwork was what really amazed me the character's had some of the best facial expression I've ever seen in any anime. ~~~img(https://pa1.narvii.com/7384/81ec0394a431cd488b39c0bef55bbc81cdbc8916r1-540-303_hq.gif)~~~ Music 8/10 The music wasn't anything special the ops and eds werent that great but some of the osts really helped the mood. ~~~img(https://data.whicdn.com/images/335659547/original.gif)~~~ Overall 8.3/10 With everything counted the anime gets a solid 8.3 it really was an amazing journey and you feel like your part of it. Even though it took me a while to finish it felt like a week it sucked me in and is one of the better anime I've seen with ,personally speaking, a small amount of flaws. Personal enjoyment 9/10 For me this was one great anime all together I got really invested while watching it the tactical fighting and action was well balanced and everything just seemed to really work. just watch it it's good. ~~~img(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f7/5e/ee/f75eeebe2ddb94dc1ec1b6825a27fc59.gif)~~~ ~!Sorry for any typos!~

Minulf

I try to keep this review spoiler free after episode 10 or so. So this actually is a rewatch, the first time I binged it when it came out. However, while I did like it a lot back then I didn't really uncover and peel back all the layers that constitute this absolutely fantastic, more or less perfect tale. __ Story & Plot 10/10__ The story, at first, is a simple revenge story. After the first few episodes, Thorfinn (the main character) loses his father to Askeladd, a mercenary leader who is in service to the Danes during their quest to conquer England for their king. The core of the story, even with all the intrigue, political aspects, plot twists and turns and all the apeshit stuff that comes during the course of the show, is a.lways the revenge story - Thorfinn wants to, needs to really, defeat Askeladd in a fair one vs one duel to avenge his father. To that end, Thorfinn tags along with Askeladd and his gang while they do their thing, being kept on a leash by Askeladd who promises him a fair duel as long as he keeps earning cred. And so begins their incredibly bizarre, co-dependent story that's soon peppered by the arrival of Prince Canute and the complications that brings with it. The __story__ itself is pretty basic, it needs to be said, HOWEVER, the _execution and narration_ as well as the depths of insight we get into the characters is amazing. There really is not one episode I felt is filler or doesn't contribute anything to the story. You can only imagine how happy I am that S1 is a 24 episodes affair and not a 12-episode rush. The plot takes its sweet time to establish things and it fits, as the following arcs are epic in scale. Vinland Saga is, despite the action it packs, NOT a popcorn action romp, it's a deep, profound character story on things like what war does to people, how far one would go to protect the ones they love, and what love even is, revenge, father figures and so on and so forth. __Characters 11/10 __ I'm not trying to be funny or anything, but I need to say, out of all the anime I watched so far, there's no show I've yet seen with better characters. Nearly all named characters that have an impact on the story range from very well-crafted basic ideas (Ragnar, Thors, Thorkell (who is SO MUCH FUN)) to amazing characters with lots of layers (Thorfinn, Canute, Thorkell) to absolute god-tier (Askeladd). Shit you not, Askeladd is THE antagonist of anime that came out in 2010 and I'll die fighting that notion. Nothing comes close to how ... torn, contradictory, twisted and just overall fantastically written he is. I never excepted him to become one of my favourite characters ever. I said that I want to keep this review spoiler-free post episode 10, so I will here, but there's nothing that prepared me for the sheer amount of character development they went through (besides Thors cause, you know, he's dead within the first few episodes). Granted, as I wrote, this is a rewatch and thusly, I already knew most of these things, but also now with a bit more years into my life and a new perspective on MANY things, I was really... surprised by how much I missed the first time I watched Vinland Saga. What impact certain lines had, what made characters do what they do and so on and so forth. Like I said above, the show is a character study on many of the same topics through different lenses, but it's also a fantastic drama. The reason the most important section of this review is the shortest is, cause it's spoiler free. __Technical stuff 10/10 __ Trust WIT to forge something fantastic. Attack on Titan, Vivy, Ousama Ranking, Great Pretender... I really haven't seen any show that, didn't get me hyped and that floored me with its execution, small miss-ups with CGI and off-model characters notwithstanding. And it's much the same here. The obvious standout is the very well-animated fight scenes, dripping with swag, great choreography and flair. Additionally, the overall animation quality was while not terribly great (ofc, Sakuga was there in the big fights) very consistent which is worth a ton. Then there's the overall aesthetic of the show, very rich in subtle, not desperately popping colours EXCEPT when necessary to make someone stick out. For example How Canute runs around in a bright red cloak amidst raiders in somewhat washed-out earth tones. Or Askeladd's trademark black-and-gold body armour that clashes with the bright blond of his hair and beard. Or how Torkell's outfit consists of weirdly mashed up colours with a bright red-and-orange bandana. An interesting inverse to the "use colours to make important characters pop" thingy is Thorfinn himself who wears mostly brown that doesn't stick out and that somewhat matches his hair. I mean it fits as he's essentially an assassin and they don't wanna stick out, but I guess you get where I'm coming from. But what really sticks out to me personally is how insanely expressive WIT's facial expressions are, and doubly so the eyes. There are lots of closeups of characters' faces contorted in pained, joyous, triumphant, furious or smug expressions and it just works. As for the way the eyes are expressive, they add a whole ton of emphasis and importance to what a character goes through or what they decided to do. Be it becoming a badass, remaining calm and composed in the face of danger, expressing how much of an empty shell someone had become etc. etc. Speaking of pain, joy, triumph etc, the voice actors are abso-fucking-lutely amazing. It's got one of my favourite VAs in there, Akio Otsuka, who is as bombastic and fantastic as ever, with his voice matching Thorkell's insanity but the insistence on a fair fight and the layers he has to a __T__. Then we have Canute who has a dream, and Kensho Ono managed to make Canute's character development progressively audible in a subtle but noticeable difference. While watching, I constantly wondered how Shizuka Ishigami and Yuto Uemura, who voiced Thorfinn, had a voice left after all the rage-filled but unironically terrifying screaming coming out of the young man. Still, especially Yuto did a fantastic job of not only conveying Thorfinn's rage and hatred but also his more or less complete disinterest in anything BUT that. And then we finally have Naoya Uchida, who, at age 66 when Vinland Saga was being shot, gives an incredibly stellar performance, adding yet another layer to Askeladd, impeccably driving home just how mysterious, troubled and dangerous his role really is. --- Overall, I could go on and on about how insanely good Vinland Saga is, but I'm sure you guys are busy and so am I. It's just.... wow. If you haven't seen it and/or don't think you will like it cause you have no interest in Vikings, history, revenge, drama, political intrigue or what have you, I still beseech you to give it at least 3, ideally a 6 episode grace period (as it's a 2-cours season). If you're not hooked by then you probably won't be after. I for one have hardly ever been more excited for the second season of something to drop. 10/10

Lukasu

Vinland Saga is one of those underrated epics that go under the radar, so it's good that more and more people are watching it or reading this amazing story. Story: 10/10 This is one of the most beautiful stories I have ever experienced, and I loved the writing, the world building, everything. This anime is one that is special, and it tells an amazing tale about grief, violence, revenge, and overall the horrors of war and destruction. This anime never made me bored even during parts that I would normally find boring since they always make it interesting whenever you see characters interact, and they showcase more the world. Since this is a history heavy anime, you end up seeing familiar places and what they were like a thousand years ago, and I find that really cool and interesting since they also have real life historical events showcased in the show. Even if some of these things happened in our history, you still get surprised and engaged during tense scenes. The story got better halfway through the show even thought the first half was already amazing, so expect to see more during the second half. This is a brilliant story and I can't wait to see it continued. Art: 9/10 These big historical seinen manga usually miss when it comes to animation like it's a curse, but the art in this show is amazing, and the fight scenes are epic, although my only problem was the CGI since it was way too obvious, but it was not too bad I just wish it was better. The backgrounds are stunning, though, and the character designs are amazing. In the last few episodes everything was amazing looking from the lighting to the characters, to the detail on their skin, everything looked amazing when it was supposed to. Great art, but not yet perfect. Sound: 10/10 One of my favorite parts of Vinland Saga is its OST since it always sets the tone and is amazing whenever I hear it. The Openings are bangers (although I preferred the first one) and both EDs are amazing, and I love them both. The music in this show is just epic. The voice acting though is amazing and some of the best I have seen. You feel each character's emotion very well through their voice, and they pick the perfect choices for each voice. Askeladd's voice was my favorite since you could understand what type of character he is when he talks, and he is amazing during drama heavy scenes. Overall great sounds in this show. Character: 10/10 The best part of this show hands down is the characters, since it has some of the most well written characters in all the anime I have seen. Every character feels human and has their flaws and own beliefs. Some characters start out as horrible people then you end up liking them, then later they remind you about how horrible they are. Some characters spit out dialogue that may seem useless and random, but have huge meaning later in the story. Side characters who may seem irrelevant end up being interesting characters later on, and you end up liking them. And did I not mention that everyone is not good nor bad and everyone feels human. Some characters are also based on real people and some may seem unrealistic turns out feel more human than me while I am writing this review. What I'm just saying is that every character is perfectly written. 100000/10 for character also, this show has one of the best antagonists in all of fiction. Enjoyment 10/10 I loved this anime and I thought it wouldn't be anything special, but it proved me wrong. I love this show, I love its characters, I love its music, I love its characters, and I love is story about loss and growing up. Thank You, Vinland Saga, 9/10 since the animation still was not perfect.

charl0

#__CHARACTER WRITING__ ##_score:_ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ In general, the characters in Vinland Saga are some of the best that I have encountered in any piece of media, let alone in anime. Yukimura Makoto manages to capture the highs and lows of humanity in a way that I would doubt even the most acclaimed authors of the world could begin to describe. Children are children, and their environment shapes who they are and who they will become. Yukimura captures this in a way that felt as though I was being ran through the chest, but in a way that felt less painful than it did revealing. I was shown something that I will consider for a decently long time. Additionally, Askeladd is the single-most complex villain for an anime, or indeed, once again, any piece of media that I have ever had the displeasure/pleasure of watching interact in the world. He is human in a way that many villains aren't, with all of the complexities that come alongside it. I want him to succeed, even when I don't. He is a character that I believe personifies the philosophy that those who would look on criminals as evil or despicable have had the luxury of not needing to scrape survival from the dirt. #__PLOT__ ##_score:_ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ⯪ Vinland Saga hypothesises about the histories spanning the early 11th century. While we don't have many details, the anime masterfully paints a portrait of Thorfinn Karlsefni's early life, as well as the Canute the Great's rise to power over England, Wales, and Denmark. The details and events portrayed by Vinland Saga feel just as though I were reading excerpts from the Graelendinga Saga -- grounded in reality, while revelling in the embellishments and just slightly larger-than-life ability of historical, legendary men. The only criticisms I have for Vinland Saga in this regard is that the pacing feels just a bit on the slow part, and there is an extreme lack of women with agency in this portion of the story. #__VISUAL EFFECTS & QUALITY__ ##_score:_ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ To some regard, I was left satisfied, if unimpressed, with the majority of the visual language used by the series. I admit that there are some breathtaking moments, and there was never truly a time where I felt as though any poor visuals as a whole even existed. #__ANIMATION__ ##_score:_ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ⯪ ☆ ☆ ☆ And, here, is where Vinland Saga did very little to impress me in terms of skill or groundbreaking. The animation is passable, if not gently above average, for the industry. The background work is decent enough, but the amount of movement from moment to moment, as well as how that movement is executed, is lackluster, and even borders on stiff at times. #__SOUND DESIGN__ ##_score:_ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ The use of sound throughout Vinland Saga is nothing beyond impeccable. A score where it truly counts, and impactful use of sound effects play as masterful accents to the talent that each voice actor lends with impressively emotional delivery. (I am referring specifically to the Japanese voice actors, as that was the version of Vinland Saga that I watched.) #__ENJOYMENT__ ##_score:_ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ I believe I've made it abundantly clear that I thoroughly enjoyed my time watching Vinland Saga. I watched it for the first time in a Discord server of a streamer that I watch from time-to-time (@mirakurutaimu) on her insistence that it was worth my time. I hopped in at 1:00 p.m. on a Wednesday, and I did not stop watching with the others until around 11:42 p.m. For those who have trouble with arithmetic, I spent 11 hours of a Wednesday just to sit and watch this series because I was hooked from the moment I started. While it may have been on a whim, I am incredibly pleased with my experience watching this series. #___OVERALL SCORE:___ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ The experience I had while watching Vinland Saga is unlike a grand majority of anime that I've consumed over my lifetime. It is truly an example of storytelling unlike any other, and the characters have more emotion and personality than some folk I've called neighbour. If you had any lingering doubt about watching Vinland Saga, wipe it away. Watch it. If you can watch it now, watch it now. It is well worth your time.``

RebelPanda

There is a profound feeling to Vinland Saga. Whether or not the events depicted are entirely accurate, you are watching monumental history unfold. Although it is frustrating at times, it's gripping in the end. Warrior's pride, loss of innocence, betrayal, and the quest for the biggest bounty: This is what it means to be a Viking in Vinland Saga. In the beginning, our hero Thorfinn was just a kid, and his immaturity is prevalent throughout the series. Slowly—and frustratingly—he grows into a man. His father, the great Viking general, Thors, raised him to be a compassionate person until his untimely death. Stay away from the path of a Viking, never kill, take care of your family. These were the values Thors taught him. When Thors was murdered right before Thorfinn's innocent eyes, none of these values mattered. Instead of growing up, Thorfinn survived his childhood by learning to kill. Years passed, and he became an angst-ridden killing machine. Enduring the bitter frost of northern Europe was the least of his problems; he needed to prove himself on the battlefield for a chance at revenge. The power that drives him is a hunger to seek revenge against the mercenary leader, Askeladd—this is where Thorfinn shines. His perseverance in the face of impossible odds shows he has real motivation anyone can believe. Thorfinn's frustrating immaturity is intentional, but what kept me caring about his journey was his slow evolution. I told myself that even if he doesn't grow up this season, it will come. His arc is a slow one, but I don't doubt he will improve in later seasons. Thorfinn's immaturity extends to his duels with Askeladd too. He makes the same mistakes over and over. He is desperate to win, yet his anger gets the best of him. Once Thorfinn loses his temper, he waves his sword like a maniac and gives up strategy. As Askeladd points out, he is predictable. Even so, the fights are still very entertaining. Askeladd critiques his fighting techniques and gives him a purpose in life. To grow and one day murder him. Over time, Askeladd becomes the closest thing Thorfinn has to a father. Witnessing their complicated duality throughout the show is genuinely intriguing. I'll admit it was quite frustrating to see Thorfinn try to kill Askeladd in duels, yet he was always eager to save his life during battles. It allowed their relationship to be dragged on for as long as possible, hindering Thorfinn's growth. Thankfully, Askeladd more of a protagonist of this season. He is the best character by far. He leads his army of mercenaries, but there's more to him than meets the eye. He is the wild card of the cast. He has the most in-depth backstory; throughout the show, his motivations become profoundly nuanced as we learn about him. The strategies he concocts are exciting to see play out—He's a villain, but a clever one. Like Askeladd, the entire cast is from different European countries. Despite this, all of the dialogue gets voiced in Japanese. Usually, I wouldn't be bothered by this at all. It's done in movies/TV all the time. You should expect to suspend your disbelief. It would be unrealistic to expect a TV anime to use multiple languages, but it led to problems. Occasionally people need to translate different languages to form allegiances or communicate with enemies. But they're all speaking Japanese, so it comes off as awkward. A language barrier is an integral part of war stories between different cultures. The lack of understanding for each other fuels prejudices, which sparks hatred between either side of the battlefield. Vinland Saga misses this entirely—which is hardly a knock against its high-quality production. I wish they would have hired some actors who spoke a little bit of the languages. Norsk, English, Danish, Icelandic, all absent. The script addresses this somewhat by using different Japanese dialects and honorifics between social classes. A better fix would have been to fix mix in certain words or phrases from the existing languages. The language barrier could quickly fix this minor flaw with an English dub. There are times the violence gets so unrealistic you might mistake it as an ultraviolent schlockfest. It's far more believable than WIT Studio's other blood-soaked action anime like Attack on Titan and less ridiculous than Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress. Dozens of people get chopped in half, decapitated, and dismembered throughout the show. Some of the gore bends the fabric of reality with how absurd it gets. You shouldn't be shocked by it. Instead, you get placed in the bloodthirsty mindsets of the savage killers. Violence is commonplace to Vinland Saga. It's just as thrilling for the Vikings as it is for the audience. When the giant warrior Thorkell the Tall decapitates five people AND takes down a ship mast with a throw of an axe, I laughed along with him. This anime is aware of how unbelievably violent Vikings were, and it leans into it—and I love it. However, it's not all fun and games. Once you realize that the hands of evil psychos carried out the action you've been enjoying—you start to question your morality too. In stark comparison to the entertaining battles is the real shock factor. Men, women, and children get mercilessly slaughtered in droves. To show a loving family for five minutes only to kill them all right after is horrible, senseless, but yet it is part of the world. At first, it seemed like shock factor, and then I realized it is true to the historical setting. The mass murders were part of history, and Vinland never shies from the truth. It's never afraid to be nihilistic—like in one instance where a sole survivor of a murdered family is left behind to hear the sounds of their kin getting slaughtered. The camera hovers around them until their final moments. Full of despair. You will remember the real lives the Vikings brutally stole. It's horrible being on the side of villains like these. Most of the screen time in Vinland Saga is either fights, arguments, or dialogue. Politics of power struggles, contemplating morality in war, and conjuring witty strategies. When the script integrates real background information into the story, it shines. In one scene, Askeladd tortures a man while arguing that both sides of the war are savages by detailing their land's history. To prevent the plot from seeming predictable, they use plenty of paranoia-inducing foreshadowing. The script suffers from a common anime adaptation issue where characters over-explain what we can see for ourselves. Manga often describes movement with text; unfortunately, they left these lines in the adaptation. There were many times when fights would be interrupted by cross-cutting to people talking, halting the pace. Rather than always focusing on the main characters, the script often follows various mercenaries; they discuss their past and future battles and share their opinions on other people. The slow pacing made room for a well-written script, but also for it to meander. Men would banter about heaps of money and women being the meaning of their lives. While a drunken priest would mumble about ale being his only God now. It fit the show so well; none of them had meaning in their lives other than drinking, killing, fucking, then dying a warrior's death. Then Canute entered the show. Rejected by his father, the king, he is sent to war to grow into a man or die trying. His arc writes itself, yet he's one of the most compelling characters. The Vikings mock his firm Christian values. With an earnest dream of creating world peace—spurred by his religion—I found myself rooting for him. The themes are pro-religion; the devils are the Vikings because they've forsaken God, and every Christain is innocent. Compared to the devils, the Christians get led like lambs to a slaughter. We see the story from the devils' perspective; they reject God's path and forsake him for letting horrors happen. Instead, they choose to pave their way in blood. Over time, the themes get discussed by Canute and the priest. They feel more like mouthpieces than well-rounded characters, despite their relevance to the plot. The discussions of morality in Vinland might come off as pretentious and convoluted to some viewers. The art carries much of the weight in making these ankle-deep philosophies feel profound. There are moments the art looks manga quality—close-ups drawn with incredible detail to emphasize severity. Deep shadows beneath wrinkles and strained muscles, showing the weathered souls of the characters. Those are the faces you will remember. There are several imaginative storyboards used to convey the conflicting motives between characters. Boundaries separate them, and trees divide them in the frame to symbolize their unspoken hatred. The radiant light of hope shines emanating from behind the compassionate people shines down on the tormented savages below; on the nose perhaps, but powerful nonetheless. The artists drew the backgrounds beautifully. Always the sky is shrouded with clouds, which is why the lighting has a cool hue. Warm red sunsets radiate beautifully just beyond the horizon through white skies, contrasted against the horrible blood splattered across the snow-covered forests redder than ripe tomatoes. Harsh snowstorms whip across the screen; gorgeous, but sometimes distracting because the CGI weather feels disconnected from the picture. Speaking of which, Vinland's egregious use of CGI is quite unfortunate. The animators rendered cannon fodder soldiers and ships at a low framerate. It is reminiscent of the ugly art used in the schlockfest Inuyashiki—the director's previous adaptation. The use of CGI is not in vain, however. It allowed for 3D dynamic camera movements during fight scenes. Yet, the camera lingers too close to the eyes-searing CGI and for way too long. As for the music, it's okay. Nothing I would seek out on my own, even though it fits the show well. The opening songs are both light metal, closer to metalcore. I love it when anime try something different with their theme songs. As metal songs, they are fine. For WIT Studio's standards, this anime isn't entirely on the level of Attack on Titan or Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress. Thankfully, it has a stronger narrative than both. After a full season, Vinland Saga has only just begun. If this represents what's to come, I'm thrilled to see where this story goes from here. Perhaps it moved too slowly for a lengthy prologue; nevertheless, it was engaging. With beautifully drawn artwork, a well-realized setting, and creative writing, this adaptation is impressive in many aspects. With this merely being a prologue, a sequel will be promising if it mends this season's flaws. It gets weighed down by reality-bending action sequences, a frustrating main character, cliched plotting, and redundant themes. Although it struggles along the way, it sticks the landing with a fantastic finale. Vinland Saga rises above its flaws to become an authentic piece of Eleventh Century historical fiction.

Underscore

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#~~~⬢⬡⬢__| _`Vinland Saga`_ |__⬢⬡⬢~~~

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~~~img100%(https://i.imgur.com/SOlsAgJ.png)~~~ ~~~Life is tough during the viking age; war, death, and pillaging are all a part of everyday life. Beneath its action packed exterior, *Vinland Saga* conveys a profound message about the cyclical nature of violence and the human desire for peace while also questioning the costs of warfare and the possibility of breaking free from the chains of vengeance. ~~~

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__Overview:__ - Story: A young boy sets out to avenge his pacifist father, everyone is a slave to something *(9/10)*
- Characters: Every character is so well written and deeply human, especially the main antagonist *(9/10)*
- Visuals: Smooth fight scenes, nice static shots, CGI usage not bad *(8.2/10)*
- Audio: Great OST and ED and background music is good *(8/10)*
- Bingeable/Hype: Went in with high expectations and it delivered more than I anticipated *(8/10)*
- Enjoyment: It had my attention and then my intrigue; a top ten *(8.8/10)*
~~~ ###⬡ __Overall: *(8.5/10)*__ ⬡~~~

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##~~~⬢⬡| __Plot__ |⬡⬢~~~ ##~~~*(9/10)*~~~ The story revolves around the young warrior Thorfinn, who seeks vengeance against the mercenary Askeladd for reasons that are spoilers. Thorfinn becomes entangled in the violent world of Viking warfare seemingly only focused on killing him. However, as other key figures appear, the story starts questioning his purpose and a longing for a life free from the cycle of bloodshed. It skillfully balances intense action with character development. It's fairly realistic with reasonable suspension of disbelief, which only adds to the realness of the characters and gruesomeness of war. #####~~~\* The real message of Vinland Saga \*~~~ ~~~ ~! __*Vinland Saga* isn't about not having enemies.__
It seems like war bad, peace good, but it's not so simple as that. At the beginning of the show we hear the famous quote, "you have no enemies." So, the whole time I was watching, I was waiting for Thorfinn to give up on revenge, put an end to the endless bloodshed, and everyone has a happy ending. Instead he does the opposite, becoming even more fixated on revenge. All our characters become numb to killing. Instead of the focus being on pacifism, it's actually on the idea that we are all slaves to something.
Thors said that there are no enemies because no one deserves to be hurt. In fact, that's what got him killed. He was willing to die so nobody else had to. So we think of him as this guy who never has to kill anyone , but that's not true. Remember why he was lead into that ambush in the first place. He was sailing to war. *Vinland Saga* portrays this perfectly, the conflict between idealism and realism. No matter how much you don't want to fight, sometimes you have to. Sometimes other people who don't share the same ideals drag you into conflict you cannot avoid. But, Thors managed to not kill anyone even after he was trapped. Yes, but one man still died, him. And what do you think he would have done if Askeladd had not guaranteed to safety of his crew? He certainly tried to exhaust every nonviolent option available, but that doesn't mean he wasn't willing to kill if he had to. He was already sailing to a war to kill other for the sake of protecting his family and village, these pirates would have just been the first casualties. In the end he was still just a slave to his ideals.
img40%(https://i.imgur.com/sUh31Bz.gif) img40%(https://i.imgur.com/uB0KLWX.png)
This is what the priest would call discrimination, killing people to save others, but if you do not fight, wouldn't that be the same as killing your loved ones for the sake of the killers? That episode with his dialogue and the prince's character development cemented the show as a favorite, and despite that altruistic message, showed that we all still are slaves to something. Prince Canute, seeing the love of God around him in nature, but not in the hearts of men, steels him to pursue making Heaven on earth, a place where there is no hate. But he becomes a slave to God then. But wasn't he a slave to God when he was a devout Christian? Yes, but now he's a slave because he wants to spite God. He speaks of loving all people, but still harbors hatred in his heart for his father and those who would make wars opposed to his ideal kingdom. He's a slave to this dream,willing to do anything to achieve his goals, even killing innocents, all in the name of peace. His character development was crazy, but it showed him going from a meek idealistic boy, to a confident and cynical man.
img40%(https://i.imgur.com/wqDtrOA.gif) img40%(https://i.imgur.com/2ZkahW3.gif)
I don't think much explaining needs to be done to show how Thorfinn is a slave to revenge. In one scene, he talks to a slave girl on a boat and says how he doesn't understand how anyone can remain a slave under somebody, which is ironic. When Askeladd dies, Thorfinn's life as a slave could have ended. Canute tells him he can go wherever he wants now, he's free. But because he was a slave to his revenge he can't accept this, and lashes out at Canute. Whether this is because he redirected all his feelings of resentment from his father's killer to his killer, or because the prince took away the only thing he had been living for I don't know. But now that his old master Revenge is gone, he becomes a slave to Rage and Despair.
I could go more in depth about Askeladd and Thorkell, but we can easily see that Askeladd is a slave to his past and Wales, even choosing to die for it. Thorkell, the epitome of a viking is a slave to war and violence. But the point is, everyone, not just them, are slaves to something. Initially, you would think this is bad, but look at Thors, regarded as a hero and a true warrior by everyone even after his death. Thors was a true warrior, and every warrior has to fight. A true warrior is someone who only fights when the absolutely must, and only for the most worthy of reasons, refusing to kill even if it kills them.
I think that is what the show is trying to say, that you should be as idealistic as possible, but that reality is all around. Wars, fighting, plundering, all of this was just part of life, but you should still see the best parts of it. You can't be as idealistic as to hope one day the world will be free of pain and slavery and fighting, and you can't just try to put all of that in the past because there is no such thing an end of history. But you should still keep living so no one has to get hurt. If you're going to be a slave to something, it better be a good master. !~ ~~~ ~~~img40%(https://i.imgur.com/6t1bJzX.gif) img40%(https://i.imgur.com/iWHs04Q.gif)~~~

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##~~~⬢⬡| __Characters__ |⬡⬢~~~ ##~~~*(9/10)*~~~ Deeply human, these characters are multifaceted and you find yourself immersed in their story. Thorfinn serves as the central protagonist, driven by his thirst for revenge. But despite being the main character, the antagonist Askeladd takes the spot light. You want to hate him but can't. He's an irredeemable character who plunders and kills entire villages. He's cunning and cruel. Being the object of Thorfinn's revenge, the two have a unique dynamic. Thorfinn is so focused on killing him that he'll do anything, killing others and even saving his life just so he can be the one to kill him. A few other key figures are introduced, mainly Thorkell, a viking among vikings, and the peaceful prince Canute. Despite the setting of medieval war, the story mostly focuses on these men's character development. ~~~img40%(https://i.imgur.com/PL9Uj4f.gif) img40%(https://i.imgur.com/o7NdDza.gif)~~~

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##~~~⬢⬡| __Visuals__ |⬡⬢~~~ ##~~~*(8.2/10)*~~~ The visuals do a good job capturing the brutal and gritty nature of Viking battles while also showcasing some of the most beautiful landscapes. The attention to detail in character designs, armor, and settings do not go unnoticed, with every warrior looking different. The action sequences are fluid and sometimes incorporate the use of CGI, which I personally didn't think was bad. One thing I noticed was that sometimes the animation went from dynamic action sequence, to a moving static and I'm not sure whether this was intention styling or a budget constraint, but either way it wasn't that big of a deal. ~~~ img40%(https://i.imgur.com/YGsUMSE.gif) img40%(https://i.imgur.com/Oyye6pT.gif)~~~

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##~~~⬢⬡| __Audio__ |⬡⬢~~~ ##~~~*(8/10)*~~~ The OST for the first part and ED for the second were phenomenal. The audio design was only there to complement the visuals. The atmospheric soundtrack really enhanced the emotional impact of the series, whether during intense battle sequences or quiet character moments. Voice acting is something I always have to mention and in this anime it was solid in both sub and dub. Overall, everything was pretty good. ~~~img40%(https://i.imgur.com/oCuBk1r.png) img40%(https://i.imgur.com/CCQwN3b.png)~~~

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##~~~⬢⬡| __Bingeability/Hype__ |⬡⬢~~~ ##~~~*(8/10)*~~~ In conclusion, "Vinland Saga" Season 1 is a must-watch for fans of historical epics and those seeking a captivating and emotionally charged anime. With its gripping story, well-developed characters, stunning visuals, powerful audio, and profound message, the series offers an immersive and thought-provoking experience. It left a lasting impression, igniting a desire for more. I think a lot of times, you could end a series on season one and still be satisfied because it leaves on a solid milestone, or there's a goal the characters achieved, and season two feels like a second story that just happens to be a continuation. But the ending of this anime felt almost the opposite, and it really makes me wanting more. #####~~~\* Brief thoughts on the finale \*~~~ ~~~ ~!img40%(https://i.imgur.com/k9J7emb.png) img40%(https://i.imgur.com/fYED4UV.gif)
What an emotionally charged ending. I was absolutely blown away. Askeladd's death seemed so unexpected and yet was so foreshadowed by him losing his troupe, and Bjorn, all his attachments to the world. And it seemed at first so out of character for him to sacrifice himself for the prince, but really it was for Wales. The reason I feel like it was not a proper ending was because it didn't feel like it could ever end there. The very thing Thorfinn had been wanting for so long, the thing he had killed countless people for, was gone. It was like the show was begging to continue so that he could finally find out for himself what having no enemies means. It really feels like just the prologue to the real story. And when Askeladd told him his life was his, because they're "enemies right?", oof man. It really drove home the profoundness and meaning of the show. And then he drops his dagger that he's had his whole life, that his father gave him, the only thing left from his past? It was almost like saying he needed to move on. Honestly, everything about that last episode was just beautiful.
!~ ~~~ ~~~img40%(https://i.imgur.com/pRP3aGY.png) img40%(https://i.imgur.com/OEgTUdJ.png)~~~

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##~~~⬢⬡| __Enjoyment__ |⬡⬢~~~ ##~~~*(8.8/10)*~~~ It didn't take a while to get going, but it did take a while for me to love it as much as I do. Everything was perfectly set up to deliver in the last episodes and the dialogue and things people did left an impact on me. It asks a profound question that you have to answer, and it did a brilliant job of asking it. The entire anime is a showcase of human nature, both good, bad, and in between. Everything went well together to deliver the message in a beautiful way. *Vinland Saga* has been cemented into my list of favorites where it will stay. ~~~img40%(https://i.imgur.com/hitFQ3z.gif) img40%(https://i.imgur.com/Pf7D5gA.gif)~~~

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ArielAnime

~~~[Season 1 Spoilers]~~~ ~~~__Vinland Saga__ Will Make You Cry.~~~ ~~~img350(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/70/b0/40/70b040cdc3356cfb8c15dfad0650a24e.gif)~~~ ~~~A Tale You Would Never Forget.~~~ --- # __~~~Story:~~~__ The story takes place in the 11th century in Northern Europe; Thorfinn from a young age always dreamed about becoming a strong warrior so he would be able to enter the place called "Valhalla". Once Thorfinn tried to get his hands on a sword and he was confronted by his father Thors; Who told him that a true warrior doesn't need a sword. ~~~youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjlmKlmak48)~~~ Thors Is later killed by Askeladd in order to protect his village and his son. Thorfinn Asked Himself: "Why did he let go of his sword; how could he say a warrior doesn't need a sword?" Thorfinn decided to do the opposite of what his father said in order to get his revenge on the man who killed his father. The thing about Vinland Saga is that they want to tell you that the cycle of life continue but it will eventually stop; and the one who will stop it in this story is Thorfinn. The moment he decided to not kill Askeladd while he was asleep was the moment he broke the cycle. # __~~~Characters:~~~__ The characters in Vinland Saga are a type of characters you usually don't see in most other anime; you can feel their emotions and their pain. Thorfinn is a character who is filled with hate, with one purpose; killing the man who killed his father. Askeladd is a character who only care about money. the thing is there are no heroes in the story, everyone acts like real humans, and everyone hurt someone or will get hurt by someone else. ~~~img350(https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/852/303/7d2.gif)~~~ # __~~~Animation & Audio:~~~__ There is not much to say about the animation other than that the backgrounds are nice, and its clean... i mean, it is wit studio they never miss. ~~~img350(https://64.media.tumblr.com/7117d23e1da46ae84504a460b905c830/dafb0688ededdf37-50/s540x810/eba4cb13800d35fdcf3ed356531379d68de4bc7e.gif)~~~ When we talk about the audio there is not much that i remember; But there was one which made me have goosebumps which was Thorfinn letting go of his sword; making us enter a new page in his life which would be the second season of Vinland Saga. ~~~img350(https://media.tenor.com/5VJfcBIkhSYAAAAC/vinland-saga.gif)~~~ # __~~~Enjoyment:~~~__ To me Vinland saga was one of the most enjoyable anime to have ever seen, it can bring a lot of emotions out of you based on what kind of person you are. ~~~img350(https://pa1.aminoapps.com/7402/8f2c10a6e6b188b14f47b356989cd8e47dba9c39r1-656-368_hq.gif)~~~ # __~~~Summary:~~~__ When the moment hit, it hits hard. The story of Vinland saga is a real tale, a tale which is based on a real story with real people in real places. Every single one of those moments left an impact on every single one of us, even if its small.

Ripper610

Vinland Saga takes us back to a time when might was right and honor meant more than life itself. It is is set during a turbulent period when honor and violence reigned supreme in Norse warrior culture. We follow the journey of Thorfinn, a young Icelander who idolizes his father, the legendary fighter Thors and dreams of becoming a respected warrior just like him. When Thorfinn's father falls, he's propelled into a vengeful life.Thorfinn spends years fighting alongside Askeladd’s band of Vikings, ignoring his father’s peaceful philosophies. His eyes, once full of childish rage, harden from hatred. Thorfinn walks a fine line between his people’s cruelty and his lingering morality. He warns some villagers of impending raids, showing flickers of remorse. Yet his desire for revenge continues feeding his participation in violence. Askeladd, a pivotal figure in Thorfinn's life, is a man of contradictions. He's both a mentor and manipulator, a villain with a charm that's hard to despise.He is an enigmatic villain with an allure that's difficult to resist. Askeladd, in the second chapter, says that everyone is a slave to something and in that very chapter, a slave speaks to thorfin sensing that he and her are alike given his situation but thorfin refutes this idea and he calls himself a free man but in reality the boy has no ideals, no values and no motives . Beyond his current goal thorfinn has become a slave to Vengeance and askeladd holds his chain. Askeladd's relationship with thorfinn is so interesting in this story as he is such a massive part of thorfin's life and so it makes Askeladd's relationship with the audience in this story rather unique. Askeladd is such a terrible person he has wiped out entire Villages of innocent people, his men do awful terrible things and they are terrible people and yet sometimes it feels like that the worst thing he does in this story is manipulate this child and despite it all, Askeladd becomes a father figure to Thorfinn no matter how badly we want to refute that idea for thorfinn's sake and how badly thorfinn himself refutes that idea. Contrasted with the growth of characters like Prince Canute, who turns away from vengeance, choosing a path of peace ,Thorfinn remains obsessied with revenge. Despite numerous defeats, he stubbornly challenges Askeladd time and again. His singular focus on vengeance has warped his very purpose in life. This obsession leads to Thorfinn’s capture and enslavement. Shattered and directionless without his driving force, Thorfinn is haunted by the souls of those he wronged. The kindness shown by his friend Einar and the community make Thorfinn question the "glories" of violence that society glorifies. Thorfinn's path to redemption isn't easy. He's full of self-loathing and struggles against a culture that celebrates war. But he's committed to change, not just in words but in actions. He dreams of creating Vinland, a peaceful sanctuary far from the violence he once participated in. Vinland Saga isn't just a tale of the past; it's a story about the strength of love and the power of second chances. It's about a man who, despite his violent past, chooses a path of kindness and dreams of a better world. It's a journey from revenge to hope, and it's a reminder that it's never too late to change.

fedefede99

__Un animé dialógico. __ ¡Mirá cómo se emociona Bajtín! Se preguntarán quién es Mijael Bajtín. En palabras simples, él fue un filósofo y lingüista ruso parte de una importante escuela del lenguaje, el Círculo de Bajtín, la cual estudiaba la relación del lenguaje con la sociedad en una época donde estos estudios eran formales –estamos hablando de la década del 20´s y 30´s. -. Para él, todo lo que decimos es una respuesta de cosas que otros dijeron, así como también está dirigida hacia otros interlocutores, de los que esperamos una respuesta. Me volverás a preguntar: ¿esto qué tiene que ver con Vinland Saga?, y mi respuesta será: todo. El diálogo es el corazón de toda la serie. Todos los personajes expresan su visión del mundo, discuten y cambian a medida que escuchan a los demás, incluso cuando esto no está del todo claro, como pasa con Thorfinn. Las voces resuenan como ecos y perviven y se renuevan en voces con otros tenores, colores y matices. “¿qué es un verdadero guerrero?” se preguntan Thorfinn, Thorkell, Askeladd. Nadie sabe exactamente la respuesta, pero aquel primer enunciador pervive, Thors, y su memoria se actualiza aun cuando ya no esté presente. Es aún más impresionante saber que incluso personajes de un solo episodio logran hacer aportes sustanciosos, como aquella joven esclava que debate con Thorfinn sobre si todos son acaso esclavos de algo. __El drama humano: actores y temas.__ Hablar de Vinland Saga es hablar de venganza, eso está más que claro; específicamente de todo el camino de Thorfinn para honrar la memoria de su padre. También es cierto que toda la serie es un festín de violencia, acción desenfrenada y sangre; y si lo ves como una serie de acción, la vas a pasar como un campeón, porque siempre pasan cosas que hacen que estés enchufado al televisor/PC. Pero si ves la serie con otros ojos, te vas a sorprender profundamente. Vinland Saga es sobre todas las cosas un drama humano. Aun cuando los personajes realizan actos que podríamos considerar sumamente inhumanos, se sigue avizorando como ellos son hombres, con sus ambiciones de poder, honra y dinero, pero también con amor hacia su familia y seres queridos. No hay buenos ni malos, solo la imperiosa necesidad de sobrevivir en un clima hostil y un entorno político aún más hostil. No se puede hablar de serie dialógica sin hablar necesariamente de sus personajes. Cada uno de ellos es atravesado por la venganza de distintas formas, y lo más interesante es ver cómo cada uno la sobrelleva a su manera, según sus experiencias: algunos son frontales, otros prefieren vengarse sin importar los medios, otros perdonan y también están aquellos que dan vuelta de página para seguir cada vez más fuerte. Thorfinn podrá parecer a simple vista el más simple de todos los personajes porque aun siendo el protagonista no logra tener participación muy activa en la mayoría de los eventos importantes, pero incluso él no puede ignorar la voz de a quien juro matar, que le queda impregnada en la piel. La serie apuesta a futuro y eso la vuelve aún más espectacular. __Askeladd, el gran articulador de los hilos__ Si hay un personaje del que no se puede no hablar, ese es Askeladd, el alma de toda la serie y el que lleva al hombro casi todos los eventos importantes. Esto es posible gracias a su gran habilidad en el combate, pero sobre todo gracias a su sabiduría y valores que lo vuelven un líder nato y un actor de agencia propia. Todos los demás personajes están de alguna manera marcados por él y llevan algo propio, siendo el más evidente el protagonista, con el que guarda una compleja relación guiada por el odio, pero también por el vínculo de honor que los obliga a zanjar sus diferencias solo mediante un reto. Retomemos a Askeladd nuevamente. Siempre que él toma una decisión es evidente para el espectador todos sus valores, experiencias y ambición. Todo tiene un porqué, y hace que los giros más grandes de la historia, por más radicales que fueran, se sientan orgánicos. Otro personaje del que se podría hablar es Thors. Él a pesar de aparecer en tan pocos capítulos logra marcar a gran parte de los personajes gracias a unos de las más grandes frases de todo el animé: “un verdadero guerrero no necesita una espada”, que vive acompañada de la certeza de saber qué es ser un verdadero guerrero. Nadie puede descifrarlo, pero eso no impide que muchos personajes se aproximen a su significado y la actualicen constantemente. Thors por ello es honrado, recordado y hasta interrogado sin importa de qué bando estemos hablando. De Canute, solo queda decir que le queda un gran recorrido por tener. __Las peleas, el otro gran componente.__ Ya hablamos del diálogo, de la complejidad de sus personajes, pero nos queda otro de sus aspectos cruciales: la acción. Estamos hablando de una serie que trata sobre vikingos e ingleses luchando por el control de Bretaña, donde todo vale y cualquier arena es un lugar adecuado para empezar una carnicería. Desde combates 1 a 1, hasta peleas a distancia, pasando por combates en tierra y en agua, en ciudades, pueblos, bosques, páramos, en los climas más helados como en los más templados, toda arena es perfecta. Las víctimas de la guerra pueden ser los propios soldados, pero también los civiles –no nos olvidemos que los vikingos son un pueblo que se dedicaba al saqueo-. Las peleas buscan ser realistas, aunque a veces veamos a personajes usar troncos como armas o dando saltos de 10 metros. Aun así, éstos logran generar esa sensación de que cualquier cosa puede pasar porque no gana el más fuerte, sino el más astuto. Aprovechar las debilidades del oponente o el entorno es crucial: acá no hay guionazos. Otro punto a favor, y esto es algo que todos los shonens deberían tomar nota, es que las heridas de los personajes persisten por episodios y constituyen una limitante durante todos los eventos siguientes. Hay, por lo tanto, que saber luchar y no dejarse llevar por el impulso porque en este mundo se paga muy caro. Las batallas están llenas de dinamismo, drama y expectación por saber cómo los protagonistas van a salir de aquellas situaciones. __El apartado técnico __ Dos palabras lo dicen todo: Wit Studio. Ellos son sinónimos de calidad y en este trabajo lo demuestran una vez más y ¡con manifiesta magnificencia! Si ya estamos frente a una gran historia dramática organizada por sus personajes, hay que agregar el gran despliegue audiovisual. La acción no solo está perfectamente equilibrada, sino que también está muy bien animada y cuidada. No recuerdo un solo momento que se notara descuidada la imagen. Otro gran punto es la música, especialmente lo que refiere a sus dos opening y endings. Ni qué decir de la dirección, que nos regaló uno de los mejores episodios individuales de toda la historia del animé, el capítulo final. Algunos podrán criticar la decisión de empezar la historia por el principio y no contarla a destiempo, como sucede en el manga, pero considero que el foco principal de la serie es el diálogo y no la acción, por lo tanto, que los primeros capítulos se tomen su tiempo no sería algo negativo puesto que sirven para generar más expectación en los momentos más frenéticos en la medida que vamos conociendo poco a poco a los personajes más importantes. __Conclusión__ Vinland Saga es sin lugar a dudas un favorito de mi colección y sé que también lo es de gran parte de los que tuvieron la oportunidad de verla; y es que ¿qué se le puede criticar seriamente? Realmente cumple de forma sobresaliente en casi todos los apartados más importantes: acción, personajes, historia, dirección, ambientación. Sinceramente no se me ocurre nada que recriminarle, salvo quizá un momento específico en que cierto personaje se reescribió, pero incluso esa escena está fuertemente trabajada a través del diálogo y la reflexión. Diría que es de esos casos que se acercan a la perfección, y como tal tengo que calificar de forma consecuente.