And so we have come to Vinland Saga’s end. It has been a good ride, watching Thorfinn and Askeladd’s journey. Over the last two weeks especially as Canute and Askeladd battle it out with Sweyn over politics. All to try and save a small kingdom named Wales. So without further ado, let’s dive in for the last time.
Now before we go on to the meat of the two episodes, let’s talk about where Vinland goes from here. As the episode 24 title tells you, this is not the end of Vinland’s story. I dare say it is just the beginning, as we are finally done with the prologue. However as of yet, no Season 2 has been announced. Mean Studio Wit has announced they are taking a step back to focus on more original works for the time being. So, what does this mean for the future of Vinland Saga? Well, along with todays episode, a PV was released for the “Story of True Warriors” continuation, which will have more news announced “soon” they say. I have no idea what this is, maybe a movie, maybe an OVA, maybe a Season 2. Regardless, it means more Vinland is in the future, and I couldn’t be happier.
Getting to the actual episodes, let’s start with Episode 23, Miscalculation. This one was primarily setup. As Thorfinn deals with the realization of his pointless life and Askeladd/Canute battle with Sweyn. For the first, episode 22 really was a slap in the face for him. Really shoving Thorfinn’s face in just how stupid and wasteful his actions for the past 10 years have been. It really helps you understand that, for all his combat prowess, Thorfinn is only 17 years old. He has lived most of his life under Askeladd and suddenly it was all pulled away. Luckily Lief is there, and we get a nice book end with his story of the ice floes. Changing the focus from one of adventure for children to one of warning and determination for adults. For me, this focus on Thorfinn’s home with Lief really parallels and fits well with Askeladd’s story.
Because the other thread throughout the episode is of course the politics with Sweyn. I think Vinland Saga did a great job here explaining why neither side can just kill the other. Because of the implications, how it would look, etc etc. Everything is being built up as if for some kind of long play. Canute getting Mercia and Thorkell, it seems Sweyn is in for the long haul. Askeladd is happy and everything is going his way, only for Wales to become the next target. Wales, Askeladd’s home, which we passed through earlier in the series. While the “big brain” scene was a tad overdone, I still enjoyed the focus Vinland Saga gave to it. Really trying to hammer home how protective Askeladd feels about Wales, making for a nice “home” parallel with Thorfinn. It was nothing to complex, but it all made for some nice setup.
Setup for what? For episode 24, End of the Prologue, of course. This episode of Vinland Saga was pretty much everything I wanted. The conclusion to Askeladd’s character, Canute’s arc and the start of Thorfinn’s. I loved how Askeladd desperately tried to save Wales, bringing up argument after argument. How Sweyn tried to give him an ultimatum, Wales for Canute, only for it backfire completely on him. Here we see Askeladd really putting all of his bets on Canute, taking all of the blame on to himself, and setting the Prince up to rule. Letting him get the final blow and legitimizing him in front of the entire army. Vinland Saga does a great job of laying all of this out, making it clear to the viewer what is happening. Though my favorite part of it all was of course Thorfinn, and his reaction.
To me, the best way to look at this is Thors all over again. In a way, Askeladd is more of a Father than Thors was for Thorfinn, at the very least he raised him longer. Askeladd tried to get Thorfinn to get over his revenge, to grow up, pushed him to leave. He trained and taught Thorfinn how to survive and actually cared for the kid. With his last breath trying to get Thorfinn to move on and to figure out his life. And here we see, once again, another father figure dieing in his arms. I have always loved how this finale ties up everything from Thors death to Thorfinn’s revenge plot. And on top of it all, Wit went all out with the animation as well. Really letting Askeladd have his moment to shine. The only thing I think it could have done better was the epilogue.
By epilogue here I am talking about Thorfinn’s dagger and the scenes that play out in it. Showing us his entire journey to this point. The dagger he has had since the very beginning, his quest to kill Askeladd from the start. Now, finally, that quest is complete and he can let go of the dagger. This chapter of Thorfinn’s life, the one of anger and rage and killing, is over. We got to see a few shots of what the next arc would bring. Some characters from later on in the series, before they originally show up, and that was nice. But it’s only really in the aforementioned “Story of True Warriors” that we get our glimpse of the Farm and I think that’s a shame. I wish we had actually closed on such a scene instead, but I won’t complain to much. I still found it fantastic.
So all in all, how were these two episodes of Vinland Saga? Personally, I loved them. I love the characters and their struggles, the politics and how it was presented. There were times I wasn’t sure how well it was doing, because as a manga reader, I already knew everything. Any missed context clues would be lost on me, because I don’t need them to understand what was going on. With this finale though I can confidently say that Vinland Saga presented it all perfectly. Of course people still have issues with some of the philosophy throughout the show, but for me it’s something I have always appreciated. I want to save the core of my thoughts for the final review to come in a few days. But for now, suffice to say, Vinland is one of my favorites for the year. And I hope it’s one of yours to.
Well written review. Thank you.