Once again, this week we have a double feature as I catch up on a week of missed Vinland. We have a lot to cover, as Canute meets his father, Thorfinn meets a blast from his past and Askeladd sees Bjorn off. Let’s dive in!
As always, before getting into the story, we have to open on Vinland Saga’s production. And in my opinion, there is a lot to love here. From Wits flowing fight animation, to some fantastic cinematography and detailed line work. For the first, you can see it most prominently when Thorfinn is training with the bucket. A short but sweet dash of combat in an otherwise dialogue focused episode. For cinematography, I am spoiled for examples, so much so it’s hard to pick from. It ranges from the obvious, with viewing Askeladd through the spider’s web, to the inspired. Such as how the assassination attempt was cut at the start of Episode 21. Really helping to sell what was happening until Askeladd revealed it all to us. And none of this is mentioning the detailed linework in the closeups. Suffice to say, I think Vinland Saga looks good.
Moving on, lets start with episode 20, Crown. It was a rather slow episode, but a very important one for what is to come. As Vinland Saga spends it establishing the rules of the upcoming conflict, and how it is inherently different. Before it was all about war, combat and raw strength. Something that Thorkell and Thorfinn excel at. Really about the only thing they excel at, when you really look at it. Now though its a battle of wits and politics, something that Askeladd is apparently pretty good at, and Sweyn as well if Askeladd is correct. The big difference between the to though is in the first, the conflict is rather straight forward. Kill the other guy before they kill you. However here Vinland sets up the regions politics and how killing your opponent isn’t necessarily a victory.
Vinland sets this up well during their initial meeting with Sweyn. Clearly laying out why he can’t just simply kill Canute and his gang. Instead focusing on threatening, intimidating and poking at them, trying to get them to make the first move. Afterall, if he kills Canute after Canute’s victories, that would look terrible to the soldiers and generals. Is that how they can expect to be repaid? However if Canute or his men draw steel in Sweyns hall, for whatever reason, then that becomes a threat to the King. Giving Sweyn justification to kill them and end the whole thing. Its basically a game of chicken, between Vikings, with everyone’s lives on the line. And in the end, neither blinked. As Askeladd was able to postpone the conflict until York, where land and plunder will be given out.
Sticking with Askeladd and Sweyn for a moment, there were a lot of small interesting things here. From Askeladd’s anger over Sweyn’s attitude about his mother, to the speech on power. For the first, we already know Askeladd loves his mother, taking her home and taking care of her in spite of his father. So it seems to me that Sweyn reminds Askeladd of his father, and all together its really digging up that old anger of his. As this is the most emotional we have ever seen the man. Meanwhile Sweyn has an interesting talk on the idea of power, and the influence of the crown. How pretty words fall away when you wear the crown, and once you actually have the power, its hard to contain it. Its some basic armchair philosophy on “power corrupts” but it instructs us as to Sweyn’s character well enough.
The last bit for this episode worth talking about is actually in the nature of charisma and rule. We saw a bit of it with Sweyn and how he rules, or how his power rules him. No one really questions him because he is the King. Yet we see Canute asking a similar question in regards to Thorkell. How the man can do whatever he wants, and either no one cares, or they laugh and cheer for him. As if the man has a power all his own. It may be because of his strength. That no one questions him because he could crush them like a grape, and yet no one seems afraid of him. As he cheers and drinks with Willibald in the inn. Or how Thorkell drinks and talks with men, and they follow, seemingly because of how earnest he is about everything. Its an interesting question.
However now we must move on to episode 21 of Vinland Saga, Reunion.This week continues the politics of episode 20, except this time Askeladd is on the offensive. Actively taking shots at Sweyn and doing his best to limit the King’s power. We see this from the very first moments, as he fakes Canute’s assassination, even using Thorfinn to kill the would-be assassin. All in a bid to weaken Sweyn’s power. I actually think Vinland Saga did a good job explaining all of this organically. How the King can’t screw with Canute now without implicating himself in the assassination. As it would make it obvious he is trying to remove/get rid of his own son. But it explained all of this under the pretense of a meeting, which was then used to feed false info to Sweyn. Resulting in a rather organic explanation scene for it all.
This actually leads me to a small sidetrack, though I did talk about it earlier at the top. That being the cinematography of this episode. I said there was a lot to love here, and there was. From the top we of course have the obvious, such as the web Askeladd is weaving and how that is shown through the spiders web camera angle. Or Thorfinn and Leifs shots of the old and young versions of themselves. How unrecognizable they are to each other, and more specifically, how much Thorfinn has changed. What I think helps this one work though is that it has not only been years in the story, but about 20 episodes for us as well. So the change is just as start to us as it is to Leif. And none of this is even getting in to the Bjorn and Askeladd fight.
Actually to close out lets talk about that fight, because I actually think Vinland Saga one-upped the manga here. With its combination of solid animation. direction and music/sound effects. It was everything I wanted it to be. Such as how the sound cuts out right before the duel begins or the focus on their footwork and how unsteady Bjorn is. Most of all with this fight though are the emotions. Naoya Uchida (Askeladd) and Hiroki Yasumoto (Bjorn) really nailed their parts this episode. From Bjorns desperate struggle to understand Askeladd to Askeladd’s painful realization of just what happened. Normally the whole “friendship” spiel in Shounen and such is just trite, but here Vinland Saga has built this one moment up over months. With Bjorn constantly talking and trying to understand Askeladd. Being annoyed in Wales when he learns about Askeladd’s connections and happy when trusted with the prince.
Meanwhile, similar to the meeting with Sweyn, this duel is perhaps the most emotional we have ever seen Askeladd. His anguish when he realizes he failed to kill Bjorn cleanly, quickly trying to finish him so the pain stops. The acceptance when he acknowledges Bjorn, a Dane who he hated so much, is his friend. Not just that, but his only friend, something that he took for granted until then. Now leaving him well and truly alone, his warband destroyed, and the only one left Thorfinn. A kid who hates him and whose father he killed. Its no wonder he is not in a good mood when its Thorfinn’s turn to duel. As if Bjorn was the last straw, especially with how he called out Askeladd’s self-hatred and everything during their duel as well. I’m rambling now, unsure how to put it into words, but I really loved it.
So all in all, how were these two episodes of Vinland Saga? For me, they were perfect. Everything is really coming together for Wit to nail this finale and finish strong. Closing out what is effectively the “prologue” of Vinland Saga’s story. Supposedly they will be making some edits, most likely to better fit the ending. Perhaps make it more “final” in case they never get a 2nd season. However so long as they keep the spirit of the ending, it should be fine. And from what I have seen so far Director Shuuhei Yabuta knows what he is doing and clearly has a passion for the project. So consider me excited for these final 3 episodes. Because knowing what is to come, I cannot wait to see how some of the scenes are interpreted. See you then!
