Is Vinland Saga Worth Watching? Here Is Our Honest Review!

Vinland Saga Season 1 Recap & Ending Explained

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Vinland Saga is a historical manga written and drawn by mangaka Makoto Yukimura. The series was published by Kōdansha in Weekly Shōnen Magazine in April 2005 before being moved to the monthly magazine Afternoon in December 2005. Several Icelandic sagas inspire the manga. It refers to the discovery of North America by the Vikings, and we will discuss the anime adaptation of the manga in this article. This article will tell you whether Vinland Saga is worth watching and whether you should spend your time watching the series.

Vinland Saga is one of the hottest anime series of the modern era, and we can only confirm that it is worth the hype. It is a great show and a refreshment among the many popular shonen titles that are currently popular. Due to its historical accuracy, the realism of its animation, and the epicness of its plot, Vinland Saga is definitely one of the best series you can watch today.

In the rest of this article, we will tell you everything you need to know about Vinland Saga and whether it’s worth your time. You’re going to find out the basic production information so that you know the idea behind the series, as well as how the plot of the series fits into the overall narrative, all of which will add up to whether you should watch the series or not. We’re going to help you resolve this issue swiftly.

Should you watch Vinland Saga?

Vinland Saga is undoubtedly one of the best titles of the modern era. If you look a bit around the Internet – even Fiction Horizon – you’ll notice that Vinland Saga is often talked about and enormously popular worldwide. Although manga fans know what will happen in the anime, as the anime has yet to catch up to the manga, everyone is eagerly expecting new episodes as the anime is a worldwide hit. But is the hype justified, or is Vinland Saga lauded without no apparent reason? Let us see.

Vinland Saga is a story about Vikings. It is based on actual historical accounts and is a story that takes pride in its realism. The author, Makoto Yukimura, has even traveled to Iceland to study the sources for his story, and that is certainly a laudable endeavor. Many authors have written historical manga based on insufficient data, which is mostly fine, but it takes away from the quality of the story. With Vinland Saga, you actually know that the story you’re reading or seeing is based on actual historical facts, and that is absolutely amazing, as it adds to the series’ quality. You always have to applaud such an effort on the side of the author, and Yukimura has definitely done his homework.

But, Vinland Saga is not really just a retelling of historical events. It is a fictional story set within the framework of actual historical events, and Yukimura effectively combined his own story with actual historical events, thus creating a story that can function normally. However, it is divided between the author’s original ideas and actual history. The revenge plot of Vinland Saga thus feels not only authentic but also quite epic and intriguing, as you actually want to see what happens, despite knowing the history behind most of the events depicted in the story.

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As a seinen title, Vinland Saga also doesn’t shy away from being brutal and graphic in its depiction of the lives of the Vikings and their battles, which absolutely contributes to the story’s inherent quality and makes it even more attractive. Modern fans like to see an author that puts a lot of effort into his work, and the realism and graphic depiction of the world of Vinland Saga is absolute proof that Yukimura wants to create the best work possible and the best world possible.

The style is much more mature than in your traditional shonen works, which makes sense seeing that Vinland Saga is a seinen title. Now, this might not be something that every anime fan will like. Shonen anime are by far the most popular worldwide, and while seinen titles have an audience, it is considerably smaller when we’re considering the numbers. This does not mean that seinen works are bad – on the contrary, they are generally amazing – but we had to stress this fact out because if you’re a longtime shonen fan, the style of Vinland Saga might take some time to get used to. But, as we have said, this is just a matter of preference and it has absolutely no influence on the quality of the content.

The characters are also a great hallmark of the series, both original and actual historical persons. The latter also reflect Yukimura’s effort in researching historical sources, while the former reflects Yukimura’s ingenuity as an author and his innate ability to effectively combine fiction and history. All the characters seem both authentic and realistic. You’d think that all of them are actual historical people, as Yukimura managed to implement them into the plot effortlessly, but also that all of them are fictional because Yukimura is such a great narrator.

And this is our honest review of Vinland Saga. We really think that Vinland Saga is a great work, that all the hype is absolutely justified, and that it is a series you must watch and enjoy. It is more than worth your time, as it will instantly give you the necessary entertainment you’ll get hooked on.

What is the story of Vinland Saga?

In the year 1002, Thorfinn is six years old and lives with his family in a small settlement in Iceland. Life there with his father, Thors, his mother, Helga, and his older sister Ylfa is tough but carefree. His father, nicknamed the “Troll of Joms,” faked his death in a battle off Norway to desert from the Jomsvikings and disappeared with his wife to Iceland. His mother is the daughter of King Sigvaldi. The only adventures bring the stories of the ridiculed Leif Eriksson, who tells of the discovery of the legendary Vinlands. But that changes when a warship pulls into port.

On board is Floki, an envoy of King Sigvaldi of Jomsburg, who is blackmailing Thorfinn’s father into aiding her in the Battle of Britain. This, a former war hero who has long renounced killing, reluctantly agrees and clears a ship to Jomsburg. He sets off with some overzealous young men from the village and is accompanied by Leif. Thorfinn is secretly hiding on board.

Meanwhile, in the Faroe Islands, Floki orders the leader of a mercenary force, Askeladd, to kill Thor. So it soon comes to a duel between Askeladd and Thors, with Thorfinn’s father being the victor. However, he still loses his life when he tries to protect his son. Driven only by a desire for revenge, Thorfinn then joins forces with Askeladd in order to one day defeat him in a fair duel. Six years later, Vikings, including Askeladd and his troupe, invaded England under Sweyn, King of the Danes.

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Thorfinn does Askeladd’s dirty work to earn the right to ongoing dueling. In 1013 England seems to have lost the war. Only London, under the leadership of the Jomsviking Thorkell, withstands the besiegers. After another failed attack, resulting in a fight between Thorfinn and Thorkell, the Danes retreat, and King Sweyn sends his youngest son, Knut, to continue the siege, but he too fails.

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