Vinland Saga

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There's a temptation among many critical anime and manga fans to avoid those works that have been 'oversaturated' with praise and adoration, to the point that you'd think the manga is akin to a western classic like the Iliad or Odyssey. I'm not necessarily opposed to saying that of Vinland Saga either.

I don't believe you should enter Vinland Saga with expectations of a story that will change your life, although maybe it will. What Vinland Saga does do, is explore and break down facets of the human condition in ways other Seinen don't. You'll finish Vinland Saga with more questions than you may have entered ... it with, in a particularly good way. I can personally attest that it motivated me to spend more time with the topic of forgiveness and repentance, even though I felt as if I knew the answers before I read the manga.

As a reader who's read and studied Greek/Latin epics and tragedies, Vinland Saga feels its own classic, but more intimate with pictures and dialogue that allow you to feel instead of interpret. Despite how serious it is, the story knows how to be light and humorous, it knows how to be sincere as well. The art captivates you from beginning to end, and although some battle layouts can be confusing, the panel composition add to the story effectively.

I say read, but with a word of caution: There will come a time (well, several times) when the pace slows, and swords are laid down for a time. I implore you to remain patient and read the subtext of every chapter, because it's the chapters in-between the fighting that you'll remember most.

To people wanting to get into it would recommend but only the first part after the farmland arc there is a big dip in the story imo. Here are the reason


Art gets worse imo the dark and griddy vibe is gone entirely gone mc gets such a wierd face especially compared to other characters it's like a jojo character replaced him


Immature topics sometimes characters used to be so multidimensional but it's like they are given one trait and that's the only thing that matters.

Mc becomes increasingly naive it's so frustrating to me i can understand avoiding violence you can make a brilliant story ... about that like ruroni kenshin (admittedly haven't finished it yet but it had a much more mature way of than violence is bad for being bad) and the male female division is so poorly done sadly even the women at that time were supporting when men used to go to war as it was a very important part of life to manhood and it was a quick and easy way to fame and fortune like today's YouTube. All in all mc becomes worse with time imo hild lowkey becomes the best character imo she is the best character in story rn.

FL is trash is gudrid a character I knew I would hate from the start I touched on this earlier but the men women division is so stupid it's like every men is a war loving moron who does everything in the name of family instead of realising he's doing it for himself which is wrong as most families HAD to fight to survive.

And the inequality factor of not having women hunter or sailors is simple they woulf not provide enough value. I think people forget that it is set in 1000' so the problem about stuff like period is way bigger than people realise since it makes you way more vulnerable to infection and that was one of the biggest causes of death back in that time. Second women are not as strong as men you can get more work done at a faster pace by replacing one women with men. THIRD pregnancy of a women is on board with several men a entanglement is bound to occur which can cause pregnancy and a child is one of the biggest problem on board and it's handles it so stupidly like men don't allow women cause man bad and women morally good.🤦‍♂️


It's forgot the virus plot line but it's still a bit new so I think it will take time to grow so I will allow that.


All in all imo the first part is a 9-10/10 but the later part after farmland is like a 6 so disappointed with where it went and how it's going wish something big happen push the mc in a mature direction to make him understand not all violence is bad cause according to that logic even police are bad.

No, it didn't work. Why? Because it destroyed Thorfinn. How?
The transformation from a killing machine to a complete pacifist came after the period of enslavement, but he didn't undergo sufficient psychological stages or internal conflicts to justify it.
Instead of witnessing a prolonged internal struggle, it seemed as if Thorfinn woke up one day and said, "I will kill no more," and that was it.
"I have no enemies" is a superficial idea in a bloody context:
The idea is beautiful as a human principle, but its absolute application in a world filled with war, betrayal, and injustice sometimes made Thorfinn seem "naive" or "detached from reality."
He could ... have adopted the same principle, but with tactical intelligence and realistic flexibility, as exemplified by Kenshin in "Rurouni Kenshin" or Miyamoto Musashi in "Vagabond."
Destruction of Thorfinn's original identity:
The author didn't give Thorfinn a balance between his past as a warrior and his newfound resolve; he completely ignored the past.
His strength and old experience could have been used for defense or protection without falling into the cycle of violence. Instead, Thorfinn became "weak," with no ability or influence in the face of real-life challenges.
The dramatic resolution of the final events was weak:
The series finale was more like a political statement for peace, rather than the epic culmination of a hero's maturing journey through death and destruction.
The ending wasn't psychologically or emotionally impactful; it seemed to convey the idea directly rather than allowing us to experience it through the story.
As for the final chapter, it could be said that he returned to point zero, but as an adult with a family, tomorrow, his family will be attacked. What will he do? Will he let the criminals get away with their crime, given that he has matured intellectually, has no enemies, and is tolerant of violence, or will he defend them by violating his principle of not committing violence?