Vinland Saga
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| ten out of ten for askelad past story !!! |
| Good to see the same sad sacks in here claiming this is the worst show ever. Yet they keep coming back... |
| Welp this episode was mostly flashbacks, which is ok since it built more character for Askeladd, even if the story didn't quite move that much aside from Thorfinn losing the duel. I still have mixed feelings about Askeladd. I appreciate the way his character is written but/as I can't tell if I'm closer to like or dislike him. Which might be because Blonde Sasuke Thorfinn is best boi. Don't @ me. As a result I kinda want him to whoop Askeladd in a duel at some point at last. But if it will happen I'll most likely have a mixed feeling about it. Oh well. I wonder how will the animation wrap the story up for the time being. I might pick up the manga afterwards if I feel impatient, though I really like the voice acting and the music in the adaptation, so I'd have to put up with the lack of it in the manga. Also I find how shounen fans try to shittalk this piece of work somewhat funny. Well, seinen is meant for mature audiences after all, so not everyone is going to be able to appreciate a work within the genre. |
| I think the majority view on this show is that's it's pretty solid anime and for some people (including myself) it's easily their personal AOTY. I do like seeing actual criticisms though because this show isn't perfect, but there's a difference between criticizing and outright claiming you dislike the show because someone can't comprehend things that were explained multiple times in the show yet continue to watch it and shit up the discussion every week. Not only on here but there a few clowns on reddit who do the same thing with a few of them even arguing that the current season of SAO is objectively better. |
| I said to myself that I am gonna wait until the finale to give this anime a 10/10 but this episode........it deserves it. Anime of the Year. The only 10/10 anime from Winter 2019 up to Fall 2019. Suck it shounen tards with poor comprehension. |
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| Man this show really is the best. I loved this episode, seeing Askelladd's past was really amazing. The best part was probably when Askelladd called himself a Viking; he hates himself, and that fits his characters thematic concerns so well it's incredible. |
  We don't know what kind of people we truly are until the moment before our deaths. As death comes to embrace you, you will realise what you are. That's what death is, don't you think? ------------------------------------ Itachi Uchiha |
| Man, this episode was, like with last week, another brilliant one. Askeladd didn't need to use his sword this time for his duel against Thorfinn and, I have to say, the duel itself was brutal and very one-sided. Thorfinn had it coming, though... After the duel ended, Askeladd went into detail about his backstory and how he came to vehemently hate the Vikings. Seeing the state of his mother as she started to lose her sanity was really sad, but to stop her from being killed off by Olaf, Askeladd's father, Askeladd was able to hold Olaf off for a bit, but it was enough to earn his father's trust and Askeladd went to live with him. Despite getting into Olaf's good books, as well as his half-brothers, Askeladd's main goal didn't change one bit. He ended up killing Olaf in his sleep and also silenced the nude prostitute lady next to him, too. With his backstory told, he was right to point out how much of an idiot Thorfinn was. While Askeladd got his revenge when he was younger, Thorfinn still hasn't learnt much in a way to defeating and killing Askeladd. No denying that Thorfinn is a solid fighter, but he keeps on losing his shit like this everytime he fights Askeladd. His cry at the end was a painful one, but he needed to learn his lesson the hard way again. This episode pretty much reinforces my opinion about Askeladd being one of the most enjoyable characters in anime this year. He's funny and thrilling, but also cunning and devious, too. |
| It’s fascinating how Askeladd had the same realization and awareness as Thors, that the warring world of the Vikings is an ugly and horrible place. They are great foils to one another, because despite this similar beginning, they ended up acting upon that realization in completely opposite ways. Thors chose to, as the old saying goes, be the change he wanted to see in the world. But Askeladd lacked the courage to do so, and instead simply conformed to the brutality of the world that he so despised. Instead of looking for a solution, he became a part of the problem. Instead of trying, like Thors, to change and improve things or at least himself, he ended up becoming exactly what he hated most: a cruel and ruthless Viking. And as his words to Canute show, he’s painfully aware of that, which is why Bjorn was spot-on when he said Askeladd hated even himself. He’s a miserable and tragic figure, and an incredibly complex and captivating character. It's also clearer now why Askeladd was so mesmerized by Thors upon meeting him, and why he even asked him to become the leader of his band. Thors' manner of living showed that it was indeed possible to be noble and compassionate amidst a cold and harsh world where violence and brutality are commonplace. Amidst a sea of filthy vikings, Thors was the one beautiful man Askeladd found, with a nobility and grace befitting of the legends of Artorius. But clearly Askeladd has given up on reaching such a place himself, and feels he's probably more of a lost case than even Thorfinn, who has at least youth and time on his side. And Askeladd's harsh words to him at the end were clearly a means to try to get Thorfinn to finally wake up and stop wasting his life. Let's hope he listens for once. Lelouch0202 said: The way he just sits there and tells him about how you should actually kill someone you hate was menacing and he is literally provoking Thorfinn with his backstory and later on saying he had to thank Thors for giving him Thorfinn. Damn, Askeladd in this episode was just straight out demonic on so many levels. I think it would have been more demonic of him to say something like “Good effort, Thorfinn, keep doing my dirty work and I’ll give you another duel in the future and maybe next time you’ll win.” Instead, he told him everything he could to make Thorfinn do some actual self-reflection for once and possibly turn his life around. I think that’s more compassionate than demonic, even if he on the surface he obviously wasn’t being nice about it. Waschmaschine369 said: they're not doing a goob job with original content in some cases. The original content I had the most issues with in this episode was adding Askeladd’s father patting him on the cheek after their sparring. I'd rather they didn't show any gesture of kindness from him, even one as small as that. |
| Thorfinn is getting trolled by Askeladd since episode 4 lol I think I'm gonna give this show a 8/10 because although it's interesting and entertaining, I can't sympathize with any of the characters since most of them are pretty much villains. At this point I don't really care who lives and who dies. |
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| This is the best episode yet, but one of the next two episodes would and should be the best episode of this show. |
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deg said: axel360 said: As someone not familiar with the source material, this show started off just alright for me, but the entire 2nd cour has blown me away. Askeladd was the star today. I honestly don't know whether I'd call him a villain or not, but more than anything, he's just a great character. call him an AntiHero and there is a dedicated thread about it here in the subforums @axel360 I think AntiVilian would fit better. AntiHeroes like Punisher they kill only bad people but spare innocent, AntiVilians don't care also about innocent only in results like Sasuke in Naruto Shippuden last arc when he wanted to kill all kage and Naruto and become enemy of the world. Askeladd without hesitation killed innocent village only to make a better chance of surviving and in the end if he didn't killed villagers he would be in better situation. |
| Manga recommendation: - Spy x Family (Ch.107/? - biweekly) | Sakamoto Days (Ch.187/? - weekly) - MARRIAGETOXIN (Ch.104/? - weekly) | Machi and Oboro (Ch.14/? - biweekly) - Make the Exorcist Fall in Love (Ch.76/? - biweekly) - You and I Are Polar Opposites (Ch.63/? - biweekly) Anime recommendation: - Deca-Dence (Finished) | Wave, Listen to Me! (Finished) - If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die (Finished) - Diary of Our Days at the Breakwater (Finished) |
| Cant believe it took Thorfinn this long to find out askeladd was using him |
| "poor" Thorfin, Can you imagine spending about 10 years of your life to kill someone only to learn that you were nothing more than a mongrel running after food from that person? xD |
| Manga recommendation: - Spy x Family (Ch.107/? - biweekly) | Sakamoto Days (Ch.187/? - weekly) - MARRIAGETOXIN (Ch.104/? - weekly) | Machi and Oboro (Ch.14/? - biweekly) - Make the Exorcist Fall in Love (Ch.76/? - biweekly) - You and I Are Polar Opposites (Ch.63/? - biweekly) Anime recommendation: - Deca-Dence (Finished) | Wave, Listen to Me! (Finished) - If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die (Finished) - Diary of Our Days at the Breakwater (Finished) |
| This episode was a masterpiece. Curious to see how Thorfinn will change after this. |
YogaFire69 said: Cant believe it took Thorfinn this long to find out askeladd was using him Honestly, that part didn't entirely work for me, because Thorfinn already showed back in episode 10 that he was aware of that possible perception of his and Askeladd's relationship: It wasn't a bad addition per se (it was anime original content), but I think the "I should thank Thors" would have sufficed as Askeladd trying to jolt Thorfinn into realizing how misguided he's been in the way he's spent over half his life now. |
YogaFire69 said: Cant believe it took Thorfinn this long to find out askeladd was using him They should put Thorfinn's image next to the word "idiot" in the dictionary |
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AmarantineAzure said: YogaFire69 said: Cant believe it took Thorfinn this long to find out askeladd was using him Honestly, that part didn't entirely work for me, because Thorfinn already showed back in episode 10 that he was aware of that possible perception of his and Askeladd's relationship: It wasn't a bad addition per se (it was anime original content), but I think the "I should thank Thors" would have sufficed as Askeladd trying to jolt Thorfinn into realizing how misguided he's been in the way he's spent over half his life now. I thought of that scene too, and that is WHY it works. Thorfinn's confidence was contingent upon him successfully cutting Askeladd's throat. But as he finds out, Askeladd knew this as well ("You always go for my neck") and he not only was aware of it, but he strung Thorfinn along the entire time too. That's got to hurt. I also read the manga up until this point and I have to say - the anime did a phenomenal job switching around the order of events to this point (I didn't read further). Showing Thorfinn's anger during his reunion with Leif BEFORE his duel with Askeladd showed how much attention to detail the anime has with the overall narrative. It actually genuinely surpassed the manga itself. |
ChainxBastard said: Showing Thorfinn's anger during his reunion with Leif BEFORE his duel with Askeladd showed how much attention to detail the anime has with the overall narrative. I'll agree with that, it was a good reordering of events that made the build up to this duel even better, even if it did create a minor continuity issue since the anime still showed Askeladd agreeing to duel Thorfinn when they reached Gainsborough and we were never given a reason as to why the duel was postponed to York:  |
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| Marvelous episode. One of the best, if not the best. It didn't have much fighting scenes, but showed something that is hard to grasp by any animation: emotions and atmosphere making a viewer literally soak into the action. Askeladd's past was wonderful. I mean, it was harsh, but the way he told his story was great and we learned more about his personality. He had to act like an experienced warrior and strategist since he was a kid. The fact he is even more complex and skilled right now is just an effect of his evolution up until anime's timeline. He also pointed out why Thorfinn keeps on losing so easily. Irrespective of how much his strength have risen and what he was able to achieve, he always turns into a mindless barbarian when he hears there is an opportunity to duel Askeladd. As Askeladd noticed, he was so stupid to battle somebody like Thorkell just for the sake of getting his stupid another duel. If I were to say who is my favorite character so far, then it is Askeladd, no doubts. Complex, wise, skilled, with interesting personality. The worst is... Thorfinn. Damn, "thanks to him" the most epic scene can be only seen as very good, because of his cringy and stupid behaviour. I don't like him. I hope Askeladd won't die, or at least won't die so fast. Askeladd, Canute and Thorkell are making this show awesome to watch, while Thorfinn makes it average at most. I can't imagine the plot spinning around this cringelord, lol. |
| that feeling of hopelessness and powerlessness from thorfinn really hit hard. but you also have to realize and accept that askeladd is also a victim here and even more sadly, he's a victim as soon as he was born. you can also make a story and make askeladd's dad also a victim just by the mere notion of being born into this world. it's a goddamn chain of hate and pain and suffering. Thanks God I guess for making that tree of knowledge. Thanks for creating Eve and be fallen to the serpent. And thanks Eve for nagging Adam to death (literally) into eating the fruit with you. Oh and thanks Adam for impregnating Eve despite being fallen from grace. Why oh why did you even bothered to create eve? this episode just further solidifies my stance that I will never bring poor souls into this world of pain and suffering. it's just an endless chain of hate and pain and suffering. and when I hear the white fertility rates are dying, I just hope they are reaching the same conclusion that I did. |
kidlat020Dec 16, 2019 11:48 AM
| >I had no brain when I was 12 >Then everyone must had no brain when they were 12 >I experimented 100 samples and proved that they had no brain when they were 12 >Therefore children cannot consent This is what science has done to humanity. |
| We were born into a cruel world. I'm just lucky to live in relatively peaceful times. (Well everything is still absolutely fucked up but at least I don't have to feel it on my own skin) |
| I feel like I can sit here and listen to Askeladd narrate his backstory all day. |
ChainxBastard said: AmarantineAzure said: Honestly, that part didn't entirely work for me, because Thorfinn already showed back in episode 10 that he was aware of that possible perception of his and Askeladd's relationship: It wasn't a bad addition per se (it was anime original content), but I think the "I should thank Thors" would have sufficed as Askeladd trying to jolt Thorfinn into realizing how misguided he's been in the way he's spent over half his life now. I thought of that scene too, and that is WHY it works. Thorfinn's confidence was contingent upon him successfully cutting Askeladd's throat. But as he finds out, Askeladd knew this as well ("You always go for my neck") and he not only was aware of it, but he strung Thorfinn along the entire time too. That's got to hurt. I also read the manga up until this point and I have to say - the anime did a phenomenal job switching around the order of events to this point (I didn't read further). Showing Thorfinn's anger during his reunion with Leif BEFORE his duel with Askeladd showed how much attention to detail the anime has with the overall narrative. It actually genuinely surpassed the manga itself. Didn't the anime kick in Thorfin's character development a bit earlier? In the manga, Thorfin is still obsessed with his revenge even after this duel, the anime switch things a bit and made his meeting with the old man BEFORE his duel which actually flooded much better with the narrative tbh. Here Thorfin is already realizing his pointless his revenge is. |
| Says all you need to know about the show that there's very little action and yet it's still a 5/5 episode. Really liking Askeladd's character and his development throughout the season. Thorfinn really showing that despite spending year after year with Askeladd and his men, he still thinks and behaves like a child and hasn't learned much of anything. When your entire life has become revenge, there really isn't room for anything else. However, in spite of that, I liked the fact that he looked at himself in his sword to convey some sort of reflection. It highlights that the penny may finally be starting to drop with him. |
xenosysDec 16, 2019 9:25 PM
| well overall it was a great ep. finally we get to hear the full story of Askelad - no wonder he so savage lol im kinda disappointed about thorfinn.. I thought he would get progress not only physically, but mentally too.. its not happening and its keeping him so childish. thats make me lose interest in the character which shouldnt happen so much.. |
| Askeladd's pretty much telling Thorfinn to assassinate him, instead of fighting him one on one in a fair battle. But Thorfinn's just too much like his dad... Thorfinn needs to learn to stop being so fair and just and "righteous" and instead use stealth, tricks, and sneak attacks if he wants to kill Askeladd. At the pace things are going, Askeladd might die before Thorfinn can kill him. He already came near to death once, and considering the kind of plot we're having, and his old age, I doubt he can survive until Thorfinn is able to defeat him one-on-one. The biggest difference between Askeladd as a kid and Thorfinn is that Askeladd know how to hide his emotions to manipulate the enemy, while Thorfinn doesn't (or rather, don't know how) and can't manipulate for shit (like most shounen mcs) |
| With the loss of Bjorn, Askeladd's one and only friend, the time has come: Thorfinn's revenge against him, the match that has been postponed for God knows how long. Askeladd may not have a weapon, but his guts overpower Thorfinn, maybe more than the usual from learning his tactics overtime in the journey after Thors died in battle. His backstory, can be seen as why he didn't like the various groups of Norse warriors (i.e. Jomsvikings) to begin with. Taking care of his sickly mother while living on a dream of a paradise that didn't materialise. Liking to see that he wasn't powerful, but savage to hide his feelings to manipulate people to where he wanted to be. Even though he stayed with his bastard dad until his assassination, to make things worse, using someone's else's sword as responsibility? That's pretty fucked up IMO. But in all that solace, as much as he's the Hero Artorius's descendant, he'd much preferred to be a lone wolf, the same way Thorfinn was subjected to after his father Thors's passing, in a similar function but vastly different mindsets. Askeladd's emotional manipulation vs. Thorfinn's open-ended emotions. The thing about Thorfinn is not only has he downgraded physically, BUT MENTALLY AS WELL. After being side on side with Askeladd all this time, he hasn't learned a single fraction of what Askeladd has done, and that proved all useless in the fight that he lost unwillingly. Terrific episode that keeps getting better and better. |
KANLen09Dec 16, 2019 11:59 PM
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Modernoir said: SleepySama580 said: well overall it was a great ep. finally we get to hear the full story of Askelad - no wonder he so savage lol im kinda disappointed about thorfinn.. I thought he would get progress not only physically, but mentally too.. its not happening and its keeping him so childish. thats make me lose interest in the character which shouldnt happen so much.. Give the last bit of the episode another watch, you could say this and the next 2 episodes are going to be a major turning point for our boy Thorfinn. well it is quite predictable.. but i think his development very slow.. and should've happened earlier in the series |
SleepySama580 said: Modernoir said: Give the last bit of the episode another watch, you could say this and the next 2 episodes are going to be a major turning point for our boy Thorfinn. well it is quite predictable.. but i think his development very slow.. and should've happened earlier in the series Y'know a little thing called Canute and Askeladd? Thorfinn at the moment is just a mad dog following Askeladd, that is his character. The author knows this by focusing on other main characters in the time being. He does not need constant focus as he has rejected any previous potential and his development as a character for this season ended long episodes ago. |
ElucidDec 17, 2019 12:44 AM
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| Damn... I really had to just sit back and process what I just watched. To me, episodes like this really have more of an impact than ep 19 of Demon Slayer for example |
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| This is my favorite episode so far. Askeledd is just an amazingly well-written character. I was waiting for his backstory to be fleshed out in the Anime. It is my favorite part in the manga too. This is one of the reasons why I love this series and Askeladd is the best character in this series. Despite Thorfinn being the MC, Askeladd stole the show. Even reactors on YouTube love him. Thorfinn will shine later one after this first season is over. I'm so heartbroken that there are only two more episodes left. Who knows how long we'll have to wait for a second season announcement, let alone the actual production and release. |
| 臭い- |
| My poor Thorfinn is breaking down and turning into a mad dog. The only rescue he could grab onto was from Lief, yet instead, he latched onto an act of revenge that might never work out. Wait, and there's only two episodes left. Aw man. |
| "You know you've reached peak quality when a doujin is better than the actual source series." (Eg. To LOVE-Ru) Just to list a couple of biases. Likes: A good story, characters, writing, romance, a good plot twist or something that breaks expectations (In a good way), 'backstory' and justice. Dislikes: Bad romance, too much fanservice, the harem genre, yuri, yaoi, and bad writing. |
| Askeladd must be the best supporting character of the season. He knows that he must be the one to take action but not the glory. Truly sensational. |
When someone asks me why I like anime, I'd say Just Because. |
| I'm amazed how many incredible episodes this series has. |
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| I just watched Askechad talk about how he killed his father for 10 minutes. And I loved every second of it. |
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Bibimbapski said: This is my favorite episode so far. Askeledd is just an amazingly well-written character. I was waiting for his backstory to be fleshed out in the Anime. It is my favorite part in the manga too. This is one of the reasons why I love this series and Askeladd is the best character in this series. Despite Thorfinn being the MC, Askeladd stole the show. Even reactors on YouTube love him. Thorfinn will shine later one after this first season is over. I'm so heartbroken that there are only two more episodes left. Who knows how long we'll have to wait for a second season announcement, let alone the actual production and release. Considering how astonishingly low the predicted blu-ray sales will be, I doubt there will be any further anime content on Vinland Saga, period. |
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