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Year: 2019
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Episodes: 24
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
What are some of the world’s most famous Vikings to ever grace the history books? I remember doing a report on Leif Erikson back in elementary school. That is about the extent of my knowledge of Viking history. You can probably name more Norse gods like Odin, Thor, and Loki. Maybe you spent some time watching the fantastic show Vikings. Vikings are starting to come to the forefront, and an anime like Vinland Saga will show that Vikings are just as excellent as everything else.
Overview
In the year 1002 AD, a young boy named Thorfinn Thorsson grew up listening to adventure stories from sailors traveling all over the ocean and reaching the fabled land, Vinland. The land of Vinland is a paradise with fertile land, a warm climate, and peace. It is a place where the very thought of fighting doesn’t exist. It is the complete opposite of where Thorfinn is living. The snowy tundra of Iceland. Thorfinn’s life suddenly changes when he discovers that his father, Thors, is a former Jomsviking and the strongest warrior in history. As his father is recruited, tragedy strikes and Thorfinn sets out to get vengeance against the one who took his father away. As time goes on, Thorfinn becomes a skilled mercenary, but the more he kills, the further he becomes from the world of Vinland.
Review:
I want to say that the first season of Vinland Saga was freakin AWESOME! I absolutely loved the Viking lore and theme of the whole anime. Rather than the show Vikings, there really aren’t too many shows about Vikings. Hell, I think the closest thing is Thor and learning about the gods. The story, characters, and animation were all excellent. Sometimes I felt like several characters could’ve gone in a different direction. Still, overall, I enjoyed this mighty anime fit for Odin.
The story reminded me of Conan the Barbarian. What I mean by that is that we have Thorfinn, a young lad who dreams of the place called Vinland while living in a cold tundra. Thorfinn lives with his mother and sister and his father, Thors Snorresson, whom he idolizes. Thorfinn knows nothing about his father’s past, but the anime shows that the dude was the mightiest and strongest of all warriors. The story gets good when Thors must go off to war but only to find out it’s an assassination attempt by a band of pirates led by Askeladd, who Floki hired to kill Thors for his desertion. He whips so much ass, but when Thorfinn is held hostage, Thors gives up his life to save his son.
The story revolves around Thorfinn’s quest to kill Askeladd in an honorable duel to avenge his father. Almost like Conan. What I liked about this whole story is that Thorfinn literally joins Askeladd’s band of pirates to always keep an eye on him but also becomes a skilled warrior. Nothing on his father’s level because Thorfinn has major faults that keep him from getting to the next level. You see the hatred that Thorfinn has built up but also how far he has left his father’s path. Yet, no matter what you thought of Askeladd, he was a father figure to Thorfinn. He tried to teach him many things as an old man would teach a son.
The anime thrills in the area of war and all the political backstabbing. Most of the story is set around 1002-1013 AD when the Danish King Sweyn leads the Danish invasion of London. King Sweyn wants to bring all under his control and the number of battles. On one side, there is Thorfinn’s fight-loving uncle, Thorkell the Tall, who served with Thors in the Jomsvikings but is aiding the British because he just wants battles. Askeladd changes his plan to act on his personal agenda by trying to secure his mother’s homeland of Wales from being invaded. Then we have King Sweyn’s son, Prince Canute, who is timid and religious. Dude doesn’t talk in the beginning, and then when his advisor dies, he becomes ruthless in his quest for the throne. All of this is done so well that it doesn’t seem like it was all over the place.
The animation was spot on in this anime. It wasn’t too strange looking or even had that CGI effect. It was crisp and clean. Sometimes when you have a fighting anime, it can look a little off if not drawn too well, but this one made it work. You saw the intensity in the eyes of the characters, and I liked the dream-like effect when Thorfinn thought of his father. One scene with the burning of a village was spot on because it made Thorfinn look like an absolute demon.
What a great anime needs are great characters who have defining purposes. First, there is Thorfinn, who wants revenge for his father’s death. Thorfinn is a strong but hard-headed teenager who will do anything to kill Askeladd in a proper duel. He even joins up with Askeladd’s band. He completes difficult tasks on Askeladd’s behalf just to earn the right to fight against him even if he loses many times over.
Next up, there is Askeladd. He is the commander of a small but powerful Viking band and is extremely intelligent. Dude only works for money and gold. He accepts the contract to kill Thors. Dude gets his ass handed to him only to cheat in the end. Yet, Askeladd is a father figure to Thorfinn even when the latter doesn’t think he is. Thorkell has to be one of the best characters in the entire anime. Thorkell is a Jomsviking general who fights for the British because he loves battles. If there is no fighting going on, he gets depressed. When he can fight, his mouth drools like a dog. Dude is a freakin giant among all the others and has the strength of like 50 men. Finally, there is Thors. Thors was only in the anime for a short time, but just like Kamina from Gurren Lagann, dude reputation and feel were all around this anime. Even in the short time, he was on screen, he made his presence known. You really didn’t know how much of a badass he was until Thorkell talked about him as being far better than him.
If you like Vikings and need some history, watch this anime. Vinland Saga is one of the best Viking anime series around. The story, characters, and action are top-notch for this drama-type anime. Vengeance is a powerful thing when used in the wrong way and can cloud the mind. I can’t wait for season two of this anime.
