So when I included Vinland Saga as one of the shows for this season that I was looking
forward to, I happened to include reading a version of the show’s synopsis that was
getting passed around in promotion for the show.
You know, the part that’s like, “Here’s the characters,
is what they want, and maybe that’ll convince you to watch the show.”
What I didn't know because even though the manga is the closest thing we have
to get an anime about Canada outside of like Hetalia, that one guy in Yuri On Ice, and
the Takahata Directed Anne of Green Gables! That one anime from the 70’s that I doubt many people
even know exist.
EVEN THOUGH that is the case, I still haven't read the manga enough to know that the synopsys
is basically describing the show’s prologue, including events that have not happened yet
in the first three episodes.
I’d claim spoilers, but at the same time Vinland Saga is based on accounts of actual events
and historical writings, it’s hard to claim spoiler foul when that info has been technically
been available since before any of us were alive.
THEREFORE, I will forgo repeating the synopsis and instead try to skirt around it for those
who might be interested in the series by giving three main bullet points for why I think it’s
awesome and worth your time.
Plus one bigger and one smaller additional bullet points as to why they might not be.
POINTS ARE AS FOLLOWS: - The Art of the Slow Burn: why Vinland Saga
is showing to be a master of it - Makoto Yukimura: why I’m a fanboy and
why that shouldn’t matter - WIT STUDIO: Viking action by the same studio
responsible for Attack On Titan We’ll save the negatives for the end.
So, Vinland Saga covers the events involving various Viking groups around the time of 1030AD,
which is ever so slightly after most of the mandatory history courses
touch on the Vikings, if they do at all.
Chances are that, if you know anything about Vikings, you know about two of their most
famous: Erik the Red, founder of the first Norse Settlement of Greenland, and his son
Leif Erikson, the first European-born human to set foot in North America, specifically
Canada.
Vinland Saga doesn’t follow those great tales and instead wants to start its historical
epic a tiny bit afterwards.
Leif has since returned from the newly discovered Vinland and is living in Iceland with this
dude, Thors.
But more importantly, Thors kid, Thorfinn.
Thors was a former Viking soldier who abandoned his post in the military after deciding that
living and taking care of his family was far more important than fighting in whatever war
the Viking lords were waging, and Thorfinn is the ever-naive little boy who is basically
carrying a giant neon sign that says bad things are going to happen to this kid as he learns
the way of the world.
In the first three episodes, the show establishes Thors’ character and backstory, both showcasing
his dedication to his family and to life in general, while at the same
time setting the stage for the one important thing that Vinland Saga will teach you, if
nothing else.
Now with that being said, what does Vinland Saga being a slow burn have to do with anything?
Well, a slow burn is a show that takes its time to flesh out all of the little details
that other shows don’t, usually due to lack of time.
This could potentially bite the show in the arse, depending on how many episodes it eventually
gets, but there’s enough material for this series to go on for a while.
There are, at present, 161 chapters in the manga.
And while they seem to be going a little faster than a chapter an episode, a 52-episode series
is not unreasonable.
Even if shorter seasons with gaps a la the Attack on Titan and MHA release schedules
are far more likely.
We are spending all this time on Thors and his relationship with his son Thorfinn because
THIS IS ALL BACKSTORY and we will soon be skipping ahead to a bit of an older Thorfinn
and how he views and lives in a whole different world.
How the stories of Vinland told to him by Leif affected his dreams, and how his father
became the backbone of his whole development.
It’s a slow burn because they are taking their time, while not sacrificing interesting
storytelling or character development.
Makoto Yukimura was the author of the original manga.
If you don’t know of his work, then I highly encourage you check out the hard Sci-Fi
anime awesomeness that is Planetes at your earliest convenience.
I am putting enfasis on that...Seriously.
But Yukimura is very good at character drama and melding the setting and key events around
bringing out the best in his characters.
Now in this case, he can’t really meld everything about our setting to suit purpose the way
he could with an original story, especially if he’s trying to keep things fairly accurate
to the historical events of the time.
But with a little creative license, there’s enough there to make a compelling tale, and
that’s exactly what I trust him to do.
Not only that but this show probably would make a good addition to that list of shows
I made a number of weeks back of anime that would be good to watch if you enjoyed Game
of Thrones.
While political intrigue isn’t quite present in the story as of yet, the violent action
of the series makes it a worthy candidate.
Though that would make two shows by Wit Studio to appear on
that list.
Segue into my final positive point.
After finishing up with the third season of Attack On Titan, Wit Studio has taken this
on and – with a few scene exceptions that I could point to – has continued its high
bar for action and animation, which makes me quite glad that this studio is the one
handling Vinland Saga.
The opening fight scene of episode one is the easiest example of this.
Wit has made it a habit with their action shows to begin everything with a powerful
first impression.
This was the case with Titan, with Kabaneri, and now also with Vinland.
The camera pans through this naval battle that showcases Thors’ combat prowess and
what we can expect from the battles that occur at sea, even with the limitations therein.
But even in the non-action scenes, they still place quite a lot of emphasis on particular
violent acts to further inform us of the not-so-idyllic nature of this moment of history.
So, barring any cuts they might make to the budget in order to make the series a bit more
long form, I fully expect the same level of quality Wit has shown us they are capable
of.
This leads us to the only negatives.
The first major problem is that this story and its adaptation is a big commitment and
we don’t know how far they actually plan to take this.
Again, not only are there 161 manga chapters at present, but the manga is still ongoing
and it’s reasonable to assume that this anime will either catch up or stop short at
some point.
This isn’t ideal, and I will admit I dislike the idea of highly recommending the series
only for it to end on an unsatisfying note in a season or two.
It’s a risk we have to be willing to take, and I feel like what we WILL get should be
satisfying enough.
The minor negative is in regards to its availability.
I have many problems with the Amazon streaming service that I’ve outlined in the past and
how that puts a bit of a hamper on my excitement for the show.
Hell, it took me quite a bit of time to even get the show to stream for me as I kept getting
a regional error because I’m up here in Canada, even though they are offering the
show to us northerners.
I’d be really annoyed if they weren’t considering the subject matter.
But it’s minor because it’s not related to the show itself, merely the current avenue
available to watch it and with any luck a deal will be struck with other companies to
provide additional ways to watch it down the line.
Many Amazon exclusives have eventually migrated over to HiDive, for example.
But for the moment, that’s not a thing.
In the end, Vinland Saga might be a series that you want to sleep on, but only for a
few weeks just to catch up with it later.
As good as I am finding it to be, I do know that my own biases considering its subject
matter and my excitement might not transfer over to others.
But I’ll be damned if this is not a show that we will be discussing further down the
line, assuming it stays in production for longer than one season.
Of course, this is all just my first reaction to the series.
It’s very possible that it’ll turn out to be quite a bit different.
Thank for joining me in this quick discussion.
There will be streaming links in the description should you require them, and let me know down
in the comments what you have been following this season.
Hopefully I’ll talk about it in a future video.
A big thank you goes out to my patrons, who make these videos possible.
Until next time, WATCH MORE ANIME! – and stay frosty everyone.