Vinland Saga S2 – 3/4 [Snake/Awakening]

Welcome everyone, to another week of Vinland Saga! Apologies for missing last week, a lot of things conspired to prevent me from finishing the post. On the plus side though, you get a double header this week! Surely that’s worth it, right? Considering how closely tied these two episodes are, I think it just might be. Now without further ado, onto the episodes!

Starting off, lets talk about the production. I’ve seen some grumblings online about the toning down of more comedic, light moments. Stuff like their facial expressions, etc. Personally though? I don’t see it. It’s not that Vinland Saga is removing/toning them down, but rather that the story hasn’t reached a point where they are appropriate. As evidenced by these two episodes, Thorfinn still isn’t in a place where he can be light and happy. Maybe if it continues like this they will have a point. For now though, it’s simply not applicable. At the same time, I think the way Vinland Saga is depicting Thorfinn’s nightmares and struggles to be really striking. The strong colors and rough line work. It’s beautifully composed and animated, and were some of my favorite scenes in episode 4. Suffice to say, while Vinland Saga isn’t particularly animated yet, its also not poorly animated.

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Vinland Saga S2 – 2 [Ketil’s Farm]

Welcome everyone, to the first post of not only the Winter season but 2023 as a whole! Well… first series post, the first impressions don’t count. Anyways, the first series of the year is Vinland Saga! A favorite of mine, I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time, so lets jump right into it!

Starting off, lets take a more in depth look at the production. Unsurprisingly, Vinland Saga isn’t particularly animated. And that’s fine! It’s not a show that needs to be. Vinland Saga, at least in this arc, isn’t particularly kinetic or action oriented. It’s a slow moving, picturesque kind of series. A lack of fast-moving action animation is only a problem when a series tries to be such and fails. And Vinland Saga isn’t. That isn’t to say it doesn’t have it’s problems of course. There are a few wide shots that seem rather… flat, and lifeless. Stuff like the held wide shot of Thorfinn and Einar with no mouth, eyes or nose. Held for so long, with so little detail, it feels… off. Still, even with that and the lack of heavy action, Vinland Saga looks pretty good so far. Hopefully it doesn’t fall off as the story picks up.

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Vinland Saga Anime Review – 90/100

There are only a handful of manga out there that I believe to be masterpieces. Works such as Berserk, Vagabond and Monster. That come to define a time in manga history, such as Berserk. That are perfect in their execution like Monster, or are a work of art in every panel like Vagabond. Fewer still are the manga that get anime adaptations worthy of their legacy. We need look no further than the recent Berserk anime adaptations for evidence of that. However, I believe that Vinland Saga, written by Makoto Yukimura of Planetes fame and adapted by Wit Studio has gotten, just that. An adaptation that captures the beauty and story of the original peace. That not only adapts it faithfully, but also designed specifically for an anime’s format. Changing what needs to be changed for the new medium, without losing much of the original work.

So onward friends, for honor and glory! The review awaits!

(Disclaimer: I am working to make 50 the new “average”. 70 is not an average score people. 70 is above average. Also this review contains minor spoilers in song names and such. Carry on.) Continue reading “Vinland Saga Anime Review – 90/100”

Vinland Saga – 23/24 [Miscalculation/End of the Prologue]

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.

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Vinland Saga – 22 [Lone Wolf]

Another day, another step closer to the Vinland Saga finale. This week is pretty straight forward, as we learn more about Askeladd’s past, his reasons for what he does and what exactly is wrong with Thorfinn. So without further ado, let’s dive in.

Starting off, as I said this week was rather straightforward, as Vinland Saga seeks to clear things up. It does this by focusing in on our two lead characters, and really diving in to their issues. Leaving nothing up in the air in regards to how they feel. Whether it be about each other, their situations or how exactly they got here. For Thorfinn, this was a rather tragic event, as once again he has lost to Askeladd. Only this time there was no humor, the man didn’t even try to make it seem close. Meanwhile Askeladd really rails into Thorfinn on how exactly to kill someone you hate. At the same time detailing his life, his father and how he came to hate Vikings as he does. Even confirming to Canute just how accurate Bjorn was last week.

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Vinland Saga – 20/21 [Crown/Reunion]

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. Continue reading “Vinland Saga – 20/21 [Crown/Reunion]”

Vinland Saga – 19 [United Front]

Another week, another fantastic episode of Vinland Saga. If last week dialed in on Canute, then this week was all about Thorkell and by extension Thors. And boy did I enjoy it. As Vinland Saga dives into their shared history, Thorkell’s regrets and Canute’s future. So without further ado, let’s dive in.

Before we get to the meat however, like always, PRODUCTION. WOOOOO TECHNICAL STAAAAAAAATS. Everyone’s favorite I know, but it’s something I love, so I am gonna keep talkin about it. Once again, Vinland Saga gave us two ends of the spectrum this week. From the fantastic animation of Thorkell’s short fight with Thorfinn, to the CGI boats on the ocean. Now to be fair, the CGI boats actually weren’t the bad. The pan out really helped hide the lack of detail, and there was enough going on on screen to distract you while they were there. The same can’t be said for the CGI soldiers in the background for a number of scenes, but hey. At least they were standing still so it might pass your notice if you weren’t paying attention. For the most part though, I enjoyed the picturesque visuals of it all. Now onto the meat! Continue reading “Vinland Saga – 19 [United Front]”

Vinland Saga – 18 [Out of the Cradle]

Ah it’s good to be back after a weeks break, as Vinland Saga gives us another fantastic episode. This week sees Thorfinn fight for Askeladd’s life. Meanwhile Canute kills the boy so that the man may live. Lot’s to talk about, so let’s dive in!

Starting off, I have to comment on how Vinland Saga looked this week. It was downright fantastic, both in terms of animation and style. For the first bit we of course had Thorfinn vs Thorkell, with some Bjorn on the side. There is a lot to love here and only so much space, so lets rattle some off. There was the use of slow motion throughout the fight, combined with the snow. Or the dynamic animation throughout, or the effects of snow and wood. Clearly Wit knew how important this episode was, similar to episode 14. On the artistic side we had some beautiful landscapes and framing throughout Canute’s segment. With the sky and snow being rendered fantastically, and when combined with Vinland Saga’s backgrounds, becomes stunning. I think the “perfection in death” sequence is one of the best examples of it here. Still this is all obvious, onto story.

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Vinland Saga – 17 [Servant]

I’m a bit split on Vinland Saga this week to be honest. On one hand, the story continues to be top notch and one of my favorite of the year. On the other hand, the production was a mix of iffy and pretty good. Either way, let’s dive in.

Starting off, the aforementioned production. There were a number of good shots this week of course, Wit did what it does best. Such as Thorfinn charging in against Thorkell, or Askeladd’s fight for his life. Some of the good shots even included things like the CGI sled. In fact, in general, the CGI was pretty cleverly used throughout the episode. Very little of it actually felt intrusive. However, as is the curse of an anime adaptation, I can’t help but compare it to the manga. As there are a number of scenes that just fell short comparatively. The number one of course being Thorkell’s confrontation with Torgrim, which just lacked the impact the manga panel did. As if they just copied over the character model from a sheet and put him in, rather than the passion Yukimura put into the panel. You can see what I mean down below.

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Vinland Saga – 16 [History of Beasts]

Apologies for the lateness on this, I let my break with Mononoke affect Vinland Saga to and got a bit to relaxed, haha. This week Askeladd’s band starts to fall apart, meanwhile Thorkell finds his playmates and auditions for the Olympics. Let’s dive in!

Starting off, this was a bloody week for Vinland. If episode 14 wasn’t enough, this week we continue to see just how far Askeladd is willing to go. Quite literally torturing a man to get information on those coming after him. What impressed and surprised me though was just how willing Vinland was the actually show it. I suppose after some previous episodes, I shouldn’t have been. But something about those bloody stumps in the snow was just so… raw. It was one of those scenes I think the anime nailed, truly representing the manga in a way that most anime never reach. On top of this, we are also starting to reach the main “combat” bit of the series. With perhaps the only major fights that actually exist in what is not a “combat” series.

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