Vinland Saga Review - Best Anime of 2019



Vinland Saga is 2019 anime based on the manga of the same name written by Yukimura Makato, it's based on real-life warrior Thorfinn Karlsefni. This anime is from wit studio that created popular anime series Attack on time.


Vinland Saga is an intriguing tale set in the backdrop of war-torn Europe, and by the looks of it, this might look like another historical action anime that glorifies violence. But in reality, it doesn't instead it shows the horrors of war and how violence fuels an endless cycle of hatred that never ends.  

Thors' the father of Thorfinn is a man who has abandoned his sword after killing countless men. He faked his own death and settled in Iceland and lead a normal life, his son Thorfinn is a curious child who listened to the stories of Erikson Leif, a man who visited Vinland (Present Day Canada). Vinland is a warm fertile place with no fighting a place different from Thorfinn's village in ice land. Floki an enemy of thors' hires a mercenary named Askeladd to kill Thors. After witnessing the death of his father right in front of him, Thorfinn embarks on a journey to kill the man who murdered his father. 

While reading the summary I didn't want to watch it but thank god, I watched it otherwise I would have missed one of the best shows about Vikings this could be an unofficial sequel to Vikings. I will tell you good and bad aspects of this drama so you guys can ultimately decide if you want to watch it or not. 

The Good - Creative Decisions

Vinland Saga took a lot of inspirations from real-life historical figures and myths and legends of that time, just like most series the creator took some great creative decisions and have changed several things to suit the story. So that means this is not 100%  historically accurate, but still not that inaccurate compared to shows like the Lost kingdom. 

Several historians depicted Vikings as ruthless warriors and I expected the theme would be the same but I was wrong, this show is all about non-violence and I appreciate the author for doing that since it's refreshing to see a Viking show with such a different theme. 

The Good - The Animation and Voice Acting

The wit studio never compromises about the quality we can see this in the attack on titan and Kabinari Iron fortress. They did the same with Vinland saga and used the right amount of everything to make it look good. The voice actors did a fantastic job, especially the ones who voiced Canute and Askeladd whoever picked these guys knows what he is doing. 

The Good - World Building

Most anime I watched didn't have a good world-building. The only anime that had the proper world-building was 'attack on titan' and 'Full metal alchemist' and now Vinland saga is on the list. War-Torn Europe, the harsh condition of ice lands, the consequences of war and everything required for perfect world-building are there in Vinland saga. 

The Good - Politics 

I watched several historical shows with politics and Vinland saga had some really intriguing moments. They did a very good job showcasing the power struggle and the dialogue exchanges between the characters; it is mostly because the animation is so good that we see the expressions and body language of the characters. It is hard to make good political anime when the information is so little, but Yukimura did a very good job with the information he had without making this anime boring a lot of shows added unnecessary bullshit in the name of creativity and thank god Vinland saga didn't do that.

The Good - Action Sequences

The action in this anime is so good it is far from reality. People get chopped in half and a guy destroying ships by throwing logs single-handedly. The action sequences are unrealistic, but they are still enjoyable because of animation and also because we get to see deep inside the minds of murderous Vikings and how they plan to take down their opponents it is refreshing to see these type of action anime since the characters don't mindlessly fight with raw power but with carefully planned strategies.

The Good - The Character Development

Thorfinn develops very well in the first season. He started out as a revenge-seeking teenager who wants to avenge his father to a person who seems to care for the person he hated the most in his life is so good and so well handled and I love how the author made him revenge-seeking man to get a great character who have realised the consequences of violence. It is a very good decision by the author since the real-life Thorfinn is just an explorer and developing a character like that might not be that interesting.

 I also liked the Canute's development it might seem rushed but still, his development is one of my favourite moments in the series it was purely philosophical and it's beautifully animated.

The Good - The Philosophy 


Most action anime fans might disagree, but the author did a fantastic job by making Thorfinn a pacifist at the end of the season. Most people might not realize how horrifying violence truly is and sometimes violence is necessary but Vinland saga takes place in a world where thousands are suffering for no reason. Thorfinn killed several innocent people just to get revenge. These mistakes will haunt him for the rest of his life, but also fuels his desire to achieve peace.

 Some might say that Vinland saga will become boring because of pacifism and author did a bad job bringing pacifism into this, but they don't realise that it has always been an anime that centred on pacifism. That's exactly why I picked it since this anime shows that war, in reality, is not cool like shown in the movies it is horrific and disturbing. That is exactly why ex-soldiers have nightmares they don't enjoy killing. This show is not for you if you think it is a show about badass vikings.

The Bad - The Langue The Barrier 

I didn't find many underwhelming aspects in this drama, but I found some noticeable issues with the language. There are some odd moments in drama when someone needs to translate different languages, and they’re all speaking Japanese. The language played an important rule during that era, and it would have been better if they hired some people who speak danish, Islandish, English and Norsk to make this series more authentic.

Final Thoughts: Vinland Saga is not a perfect anime, and it has both good and bad aspects and thankfully the good aspects are more than the bad. 

Final Rating: 8/10

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