Vinland Saga

To me, VS is a narrative centered on the repercussions of violence; how it molds the existence of those who indulge in it, are ensnared by it, endorse it, or repudiate it. Throughout the tale, Yukimura-sensei appears to reach varying conclusions about it through an array of characters. And the *characters...*

The ensemble is varied and delves into numerous profoundly human themes (love, vengeance, redemption, despair, hatred) with such empathy and reverence that it's nearly impossible not to respect.

Vinland Saga is the quintessential amalgamation of all elements. The storyline is accessible, captivating, drawing you in with its exquisite artistry and remarkable characters undergoing continuous evolution. It's one of those narratives that inspires you to read, motivating you to write, and to do so proficiently. To recount the stories of individuals as profound as Yukimura's creations.

This series is genuinely a treasure. It offers despair, joy, regret. At times, it can be heavy reading, but it always brings you back from the edge without feeling trite. It ranks among my all-time favorite animanga and, in my humble view, stands as one of fiction's finest tales of its genre.

SPOILERS AHEAD

This manga is overrated. The story could have been halfway decent if it hadn't killed off the only interesting character (Askeladd) and then devolved into some lame moral preaching that doesn't even make sense. The sudden character "developments" are way too contrived. Canute went from being a bumbling idiot whose only redeeming quality was being able to cook a decent stew to becoming an authoritative prince plotting to overthrow his father—all because of the empty words of a drunk priest and a half-baked epiphany? Really? Just like that? He got high on some words? The guy who got high on berserker mushrooms made for a more compelling plot device.

This story is just a bunch of needless war, gore, and some mild nudity. Don't mistake that for realism because people seem to be getting stabbed, shot by arrows, having their fingers cut off without incurring any tetanus. It's just incredibly fantastical and silly when we know simple flesh wounds could kill people during that time.

As for the MC, what a wasted potential. He loses a man he was supposed to hate but had come to see as a second father. He lived from fight to fight simply to duel him and win in an honorable fight for... revenge? He lived with Askeladd's troupe for years, knew they worked for money, and never questioned why they chose to kill his father? Never even thought about "WHY"? In the end, he couldn't seek revenge against a man who wasn't even the person who conspired to kill him in the first place. He remains blissfully ignorant of the reality of that day. Okay, at this point, I should probably confess I dropped the series at chapter 122 so I don't know if he found out later, and frankly, I just don't care.

He's basically now haunted by the deaths he caused and thinks that by being a pacifist, he's somehow redeeming himself. His moral platitudes about the "futility of revenge" don't even make sense within the story. First of all, it's the dark ages where death and destruction are normal. He feels responsible for the people he killed, but we all know he was a mindless killing machine for someone else. If he didn't do the killing, someone else would've. The people he killed would have died even if he wasn't the one to do it. Second, Askeladd had a very satisfying story of revenge against his own father and breaking free. So where does he get off, preaching about the benefits of pacifism? And not seeking revenge? In fact, his moral preaching gets in the way of actual justice. The slave master Ketil rapes and impregnates his slave Arnheid. When Ketil is branded a traitor and has the king come after him, he feels powerless to do anything. He becomes unhinged when he realizes that Arnheid tried to escape and sought to "punish" her. It's simply a way to get back his agency and get rid of his own feeling of powerlessness—by exerting power over the powerless slave and take back the feeling of control. He beats her with enough force to kill her and the unborn child. He was stopped from killing her on the spot because others intervened. She died later due to the injuries. So he's basically committed needless homicide. Our dear Thorfinn stops Einar from killing the slave-master because "revenge wouldn't do anything." Except, it wasn't revenge, but repercussion and justice for Einar who sees the love of his life get killed brutally. The Ketil slave master was already branded a traitor, and it wouldn't have made a difference if he was killed. But instead, he gets to live, eat the fruits of slave labor, and live a comfortable life while reminiscing about the slave he raped and killed. Great going. If the moral of the story was that he lived his life in regret—that's bull.

Life itself is a precious privilege. Ketil Slaver got to enjoy his. While Arnheid didn't. There's no justice in the path Thorfinn has chosen. His pacifist lifestyle depends on the generosity of his opponents. Another person in his position would have died a long time ago. Hell, he would have died if his opponents used the sword instead of the fist. His pacifist morality is simply a veneer for self-gratification and a way to soothe his own nightmares and live easier with his past. That's him being selfish in his own way. Maybe Einar would have felt better after meting out his own justice. We'll never know because the story has devolved into some pompous self-righteous sermonizing. Bleh. I need a palette cleanser after this.

I was highly impressed by the historical setting and attention to detail. Initially, the underlying story seemed to be one of bloody vengeance, but the main character underwent such a drastic change that I found it difficult to continue reading around chapter 90.

It's not that the story isn't engaging; it just diverges so much from its starting point that the main character is no longer as compelling to follow, at least for me.

I had hoped to find something akin to "Kingdom" but with a Norse twist, and in this regard, I was disappointed.

Vinland Saga is beautifully drawn and very captivating in the first 60-70 chapters, but it loses its footing and becomes overly preachy quite quickly. I'll try to pick it up again later...

A fantastic manga, easily a modern classic that I would recommend to anyone.

It starts out with a bang, drawing you in with action and revenge, but later mellows out and becomes a lot more slow-paced as the MC and other characters really develop fully.

It also has the distinct unique feature of being set in Viking Age Europe, which is a rarity in Japanese media for sure.

The reason why this is not easily a 9 or a 10 is because the manga becomes a bit aimless and strange in the newer chapters, as if lacking direction. It's kind of burned out for me in that sense, but up until chapter 160, it continues to be a banger, although less so the longer it goes on.

Vinland Saga is the finest piece of literature I've ever encountered. It stands apart from numerous other tales, particularly those involving Vikings. The narrative is among the most compelling I have ever experienced; Thorfinn's journey is nothing short of extraordinary. The artwork is equally mesmerizing, featuring excellent panel layouts and stunning character designs. However, what truly sets it apart for me is its characters. Figures like Thorfinn, Hild, Askeladd, and Canute rank among my favorites in manga, with Thorfinn holding the top spot as my all-time favorite. The character development is some of the best I’ve ever seen across multiple characters. Saying that I loved it would be an understatement; I enjoyed it more than anything else I have ever read. Overall, I cannot rate it anything less than a perfect 10. It has had a greater impact on me than any other work of fiction, and it was simply an incredible read. I believe it's something everyone should experience at least once.

This comic is considered one of the greatest of all time, but it's also absurd on many levels and heavily inspired by the Chinese movie Hero (2002).

While there are normal people who enjoy this story simply because they're history fans who haven't watched much anime, there's a pretentious core within this manga that makes some anime fans believe they've encountered the most profound philosophies like "all lives matter" and that pacifism can work. They think this is groundbreaking thinking, but in reality, it's just a delusional version of the Power of Friendship.

The protagonist Thorfinn doesn't do anything likable throughout the series, yet everyone adores him for no reason other than his status as the protagonist. I don't care how much "development" he gets; remorse-based character development is weak for a protagonist. He's always been unlikable, whether as a mass murderer or a Gandhi-wannabe. He's similar to Reiner from SNK, but an even more delusional version. Even Reiner drops his remorse nonsense when violence is needed for his beloved kids.

Without giving away details or spoilers, there are ludicrous instances where Thorfinn wonders whether to use violence against those endangering his loved ones or evil dudes like mass murderers and rapists. He fears nightmares about zombies due to his feelings. Suddenly, these enemies let him be, thanks to the Power of Friendship No Jutsu. This manga claims maturity, but it's laughable. It's like Batman but worse: "Oh, how bad it is if I punch actual criminals." The real dilemma is hoping Hild shoots Thorfinn in the back.

The manga isn't historically accurate at all. The author doesn't understand Norse religion beyond superficial elements like Marvel movies or Wikipedia entries. His arrogant "author talks" try to prove his worldview is superior, which trickles down to Vinland Saga's pretentious fanbase. For example, contrary to the manga, the Jomsvikings didn't care about Norse religion and culture and forcibly converted Scandinavia to Christianity with King Harald. Duels were misrepresented too; the challenged person decided the type of duel, and killing your opponent required compensation or faced death penalty.

The author's claim that Norse law allowed abuse if you were strong is absurd. Only Christianity brought "ethics," which is laughable. His issue with Norse culture stems from his prideless, pain-averse nature. He can't fathom a culture based on disregarding self-preservation and embracing war instead of humiliation and cultural genocide.

Besides falsifying Norse history, the manga ripped off the True Warrior philosophy from Hero (2002), distorting its non-violence philosophy into universal love nonsense. Using violence to avoid immediate danger is wrong, and prioritizing loved ones over criminals is "discrimination."

Hating "violence" doesn't make you kind; it's an excuse for being a coward. Another manga preaching the same BS—Rurouni Kenshin—had an author who was a pedophile. Don't hurt criminal people, please. Violence is Le Bad. 🤡

If you want to criticize the "sword," write about Japan's brutal history. You can critique the Sword today because samurai used it brutally, granting you privilege. Otherwise, Mongols and others would have wiped out your culture, same with the Norse and Native Americans. "Violence" is a natural part of life that grants "peace."

Your "enemies" keep you fit. If Japan adopted timid pacifist ideals, men would marry anime waifus and AI bots, and birthrates would plummet. Oopsie, that's exactly what happened.

The author is a great artist. The drawings are among the best in manga, with excellent paneling and structuring despite the BS narrative. He should assist another mangaka.

Very good comics 10/10, do not recommend. For mature historical fiction exploring moral dilemmas sensibly, read Hiroshi Hirata's work instead.

Don't get it twisted.
This manga is good.
For the first half, at least.

I initially read this manga a few years ago, watched the recently aired anime, and just caught up with the manga again. Honestly, Vinland Saga's story deteriorates as you progress past where the anime ends. It transforms into an entirely different narrative.
Is that necessarily bad? Well, yes. The entire genre of the story shifts, as does its pacing. To be frank, I don't particularly enjoy the direction the story takes. It transitions from a gritty, intense battlefield saga to a rather mediocre coming-of-age tale.
I understand that Thorfinn needed to reach his own conclusions about his father's teachings. That was evident early on. However, such a realization could have been achieved without altering the entire genre. In any case, I can't agree with how the story unfolded. If you appreciate a somewhat clichéd coming-of-age story, you'll likely love the second half of Vinland Saga. Maybe I'm just disappointed because the story didn't meet my expectations. Perhaps I'm not "cultured" enough to find the latter part interesting. Or maybe the second part simply isn't that great. I can acknowledge something as good even if I personally dislike it. But sorry, it's just kind of boring.

Vinland Saga attempts to be thoughtful and ambitious, reaching for the stars. However, it does so in such a boring manner that cannot be excused when many other stories, despite their reliance on wish-fulfillment, execute similar themes much better.

The prologue makes it clear this will be a manga where themes are prioritized, as it dedicates itself to defying the notion that being a badass means being a bloodthirsty psychopath. And I applaud that. But it's not entertaining to watch; even before Thorfinn becomes a better person, the story was lackluster.

We're introduced to Thors, Thorfinn's dad, who is meant to represent what a "true warrior" should be. Unfortunately, Thors comes across as a dumbass and unsympathetic parent because he decides to risk his family's well-being for a complete stranger who's LITERALLY minutes away from dying regardless if he intervenes or not. This makes the theme sort of fall flat when the guy who embodies the story's ideals is a complete fool, making me not take it seriously.

Then there's the actual plot. Well, there isn't really one for much of the entire prologue, or rather it takes a while for it to get good. Really, the saving grace of the prologue is Askeladd, even though he's essentially your standard "charismatic, intelligent, and visionary" villain, though it's still executed pretty well. The story seems to be lining up a war of sorts and a huge climactic battle, but then it subverts that to go in an entirely different direction, leading to the Farmland Saga.

Personally, I liked the Farmland arc for the most part; its only issues were idiotic choices made by the cast and an immensely unsatisfying conclusion. But it's without a doubt Vinland Saga's best arc. From then on, the story becomes rather hard to get invested in. The goal is to essentially colonize Vinland, which is essentially the promised land, to create a utopia. Along the way, we're supposed to see the growth and maturity of the characters and how they overcome the conflicts they face.

This is where it gets ugly.

Vinland Saga doesn't know how to develop its cast.

Let me preface this by saying there are many ways to develop characters: whether that be through flashbacks, hidden depths, being dynamic/slowly changing, changing abruptly due to a catalyst, a static character being played for drama, and so on. Vinland Saga only uses specific events to have its characters change instantaneously.

Allow me to explain using Thorfinn as an example.

Thorfinn is introduced as a cheerful child, and then an incident happens, and he becomes a straight-up sociopath with no moral compass at all, driven only by revenge, and is annoyingly angry. Now the reason he becomes like this makes sense, mostly. But it's a starting point, so I'll let it slide no matter how jarring it is. Then, for the majority until the Farmland arc, he never changes. At most, he learns to be more thoughtful in fighting, but that's about it. Then another important event happens, and he immediately does a 180, turning into a completely different person. Does it make sense? Sure, but it's jarring nonetheless. Then in the Farmland arc, he's a spineless doormat and completely empty inside. This is the only arc where he actually changes gradually, rather than suddenly out of nowhere. But even then, it's still a major event that causes him to shift dramatically, going from spineless to becoming a messiah and a pacifist (for the most part). Do you see the problem? The dude went from a fucking psycho murdering innocents just for revenge, only to now preach about peace and love within a single arc. It's not believable at all, especially because there was little build-up to him becoming a hero that loves everyone who'll never kill. There are many ways for him to change gradually while still working up that end point. Maybe he becomes more pragmatic but still ruthless, or extremely pessimistic/cynical/rude despite being heroic. There are many ways to build him up and not just change immediately. I wouldn't mind it once, but when it happens for every part of his development, it gets annoying. It also doesn't help that he doesn't really have a personality outside of those archetypes above. When he was a sociopath, that's pretty much all he was except for one chapter that was genuinely interesting (showing regret towards getting an innocent family killed). When he was a weakling, that's all that he was. Now that he's a paragon of virtue, that's all that he is. Essentially, Thorfinn demonstrates that simply changing doesn't necessarily mean your character is being rounded out or fleshed out.

Canute is another prime example. He's introduced as a shy and spineless prince, and within a single chapter, becomes super edgy, determined, and motivated to create a better world despite not giving a shit earlier. Why does he change this way? No explanation other than "God's lazy, so I'll make the world better." Even worse, after a time skip, he's suddenly starting to become like his corrupt father. Why is this the case? No explanation is given other than he's drunk on power. Then he goes and meets Thorfinn, who gives him a lecture on peace and love. Which instantly makes Canute become a more benevolent ruler and removes his edginess. Are you starting to see the pattern here?

This ties in with the frequent time-skips. They suck. Why? Because it's the author's way of avoiding having to write a proper character arc with a beginning, middle, and end that flows together. Even worse, every time skip focuses on a new supporting cast, each one being worse than the last. No longer are they as morally complex, sympathetic, nor relatable. Now they're just plot devices or straight-up clowns that you can't take seriously. It doesn't help that the time skips cause the story to fall back to a snail's pace for the start of every arc. In fact, every time the story seems to be getting into a groove, it shoots itself in the foot by having a time skip. Rinse and repeat.

As for the art, well, I'm not an artist, so I'm not going to sit here and spout some jargon trying to seem like I'm an expert because I'm not. So I'll just say I like it.

Lastly, my enjoyment went up and down constantly. During the prologue, it was down in the dumps until the end and started rising during the farmland arc before plummeting once again. And from then on, it's been going up and down, but mostly down. There's just not anything here to keep my interest besides the claims of "mature storytelling." Whatever the fuck that means.

So, with boring and poorly developed main characters, a deteriorating supporting cast, and story beats that are making it harder and harder to take the manga seriously, Vinland Saga has taken a nosedive in terms of quality.