The Vikings called it Vinland and when they went back home they told the stories of the wonders they had encountered. To the characters in Makoto Yukimura’s Vinland Saga manga, no one knows for certain whether or not Vinland even exists.
But after a lifetime of freezing winters, the older men have chosen to believe in its reality whereas the younger warriors cannot wait to venture out on their own to find this magical country.
But Vinland, the place, is not the primary focus of Vinland Saga, the manga. I keep mentioning the manga even though most people are familiar with the anime, because it deserves quite a bit of praise.
I read Vinland Saga years ago and the art style blew me away. Without using colour, Makoto did an amazing job of bringing the surroundings of his characters to life; the freezing landscapes, the rolling hills, the pitched battles between armies.
The characters were all fully realized, flawed in their motives, driven by internal and external forces they could barely understand, and highly engrossing. The action kept you on the edge of your seat.
When the anime debuted in 2019, I saw little point in watching it. I could not see what it could possibly add to what was already a masterpiece. Well, having binged the entire first season in a day or two, I can now admit I was wrong.
Yes, the original manga is a masterpiece. Makoto Yukimura deserves all the awards for his artwork. That said, the movement and richness of the colours in the anime makes a difference. So do the dynamic camera angles.
Here is how I would describe it: the anime takes Makoto’s work and injects frenetic energy into it. But that shouldn’t surprise any of you. ‘Wit Studio’, the people responsible for the anime, also produced Attack on Titan.
They have a reputation for delivering top-notch shows. I haven’t mentioned the story because you are better off discovering it for yourself if you have neither watched nor read Vinland Saga. It is a well-told story, one that you will appreciate all the more if you go in cold.
If you like Vikings (TV show) and The Last Kingdom, you will love Vinland Saga.
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