Vinland Saga by Makoto Yukimura is a personal favorite of mine. I think it is widely underrated (in the west at least).The art and the character development are nothing short of masterful.
Story:
Vinland Saga is a historical fiction based on Vikings, the norman conquest of England, and the eventual voyage to Vinland (AKA North America). The story can basically be split up into 3 parts. Without spoiling anything, the first part is about revenge. There is a lot of good, realistic fighting in this part. Most people fall in love with Vinland Saga for its realistic depiction of Viking warfare. The second part is about transformation. This is where a lot of people stop reading. In their defense, this part is almost completely different from the first part (at least until it transitions into part 3), but I personally, really enjoyed the character transformation in this part. The ongoing part 3 is the quest to Vinland. The actual “Vinland saga” basically just started, but this isn’t the type of series where the end goal actually matters. This story is all about the journey and Thorfinn’s evolution as a human being.
Characters:
Vinland Saga is really a character driven manga. The characters are what makes it shine. Many of the characters, even minor characters, are well developed and very believable. The main focus is on Thorfinn’s evolution, but it also goes into the difficulties of ruling a kingdom, court politics, the realities of war, and other interesting topics. “The crown does queer things to the heads of the men who wear them.” is a Vinland Saga quote that reminds me of Game of Thrones.
Art:
The art is probably the most interesting thing about this manga for me. Not only would I give it a 10/10 for just how well drawn it is, but it’s also very well researched and thought out. The weapons and wardrobes are all what was actually used during the time period. The first time I noticed how much attention was paid to detail was when I saw the cut, calloused hands of a common woman. Most mangaka wouldn’t put effort into a detail like that, but it is an important aspect of the era. Women who have to do all kinds of house chores with primitive instruments would not have dainty woman hands. It’s small details like this that really help draw you into the time period.
