sakugablog made a prodiction quality preview https://blog.sakugabooru.com/2019/07/02/summer-2019-anime-preview/
It’s not every season that we get an anime with a scope as grandiose as Vinland Saga‘s. Its story draws elements from various medieval Icelandic texts, obviously borrowing the concept of Vinland from the Norse sagas, as a means to ground Makoto Yukimura‘s fictional events in a setting that feels authentic. It’s set in the early 11th century, following fictionalized versions of numerous historical figures amidst a fight for the throne of England and constant Danish – which is to say, viking – invasions and pillaging. The protagonist Thorfinn, inspired by a historical explorer, is a ferocious young man whose quest to avenge his father takes him through a multitude of locations and influential events in European history.
If adapting this story sounds like an ambitious task, it’s because it is. One of the most overlooked, arduous tasks when it comes to animated storytelling is the design work: not the character’s, but the setting. In a story like this with constantly changing locations, different cultures, and even precise historical locations to recreate, the number of reference sheets and artboards required to do a satisfactory job is unbelievable. Mind you, the opposite isn’t necessarily true – there are anime set within one single room with more effort put into authentic props, clothing, and subtle changes in the surroundings than less inspired epic adventures get, but the point here is that nailing Vinland Saga‘s setting will take a tremendous amount of work. Fortunately, art director Yusuke Takeda and his crew at studio BAMBOO happen to be among the best digital background art teams in the TV anime space; I could imagine more traditionally oriented crews doing an exceptional job with its broad setting, but there’s so much work to do that I wouldn’t fault anyone for choosing a more efficient yet still trustworthy team.
To raise that bar even higher, Yukimura’s stunning drawings also happen to focus on plenty of elements that hand-drawn anime often struggles to depict; sprawling uncoordinated crowds during battles, large solid structures like boats, and the constant waves rocking them about. The dream of all fans would be to assemble a theatrical production level team who could handle that workload… but we’re in the real world, and studio WIT has decided on a more pragmatic solution to all that trouble. Director Shuhei Yabuta has spent most of his time in this industry as a CG animator and 3D director on projects like Attack on Titan (the first two seasons), meaning that he’s got exactly the kind of experience you’d need to tackle this project from the angle WIT have chosen to. Having a proficient CG artist on the director’s seat might prove to be one of the greatest assets for the production… and also the source of some unavoidable pitfalls. If you’re looking for a traditional experience, this may not be your show.
Leaving aside all those grand scale elements, though, there’s yet another tricky element to adapt: the crudeness of war. It’s not as if Vinland Saga is nothing but nasty fights, but there’s no denying that Yukimura’s horrific illustrations of war are integral to the visceral experience, and CG with poor tactility isn’t going to help with that. To handle that, ex-Madhouse (later affiliated to studio VOLN) ace animator Takahiko Abiru was recruited as character designer to provide an excellent approximation to Yukimura’s art that still works within an animated canvas. Abiru made his name known after supervising countless Hunter x Hunter (2011) episodes, where his emphasis on detailed facial expressions and sturdy human body form made him shine as one of the team’s best animation directors. Incidentally, you might already be acquainted with him without having noticed – yes, he’s that person who posts stunning illustrations on Twitter.
Adding onto this optimistic outlook we’ve settled on, it’s worth noting that the production appears to be well planned; it’s no secret that this has been WIT’s focus for quite a while, and the reasonable schedule at least ensures that there won’t be noticeable quality dips during the first cours. Whether they’ll be able to maintain that healthy buffer (unlike a certain title about a girl and a nice skull lad), and whether Yabuta’s 3D-heavy approach to Vinland Saga can highlight the qualities of the series while also taking some advantages of the new medium, still remains to be seen. The right ingredients are there, so we’ll see if this team’s recipe leads to a meal as grandiose as Vinland Saga is meant to be. |