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Description
As a child, Thorfinn sat at the feet of the great Leif Ericson and thrilled to wild tales of a land far to the west. But his youthful fantasies were shattered by a mercenary raid. Raised by the Vikings who murdered his family, Thorfinn became a terrifying warrior, forever seeking to kill the band's leader, Askeladd, and avenge his father. Sustaining Thorfinn through his ordeal are his pride in his family and his dreams of a fertile westward land, a land without war or slavery... the land Leif called Vinland.
Note: Was nominated for the 2008 Manga Taisho award. Won the Grand Prize in the manga division of the Japan Media Arts awards in 2009. Won the 36th Kodansha Manga Award for Best General Manga in 2012.
I don't understand why people relate this series to Berserk, Vagabond maybe but not Berserk. Berserk's headline is a fight between monsters and humans. This is not the case with VS, which headline the journey of Thorfin, a Viking boy who's seeking a mean to his life after his father was killed in front of his very eyes.
Naturally, gore scenes is plenty on VS early on, because of the rough life style of the vikings, but there's more depth to it. While it's true that the viking lives from one battles to another, this series also shows that there are those who fights with wits among them. This made VS shows more than just gore from one chapter to another, but also tactical maneuvers.
VS then made brave turn, when Thorfin lost his revenge target and went into a slump. The author showed that he intended VS to be a whole story, not just a simple war seeking Viking lifestyle, but instead the Story of Vinland itself. And because we have yet to see the actual Vinland, it is safe to say that this series, as of the time this review was written, is still far from over.
I do not see why people compare it to Berserk. Berserk became extremely shallow and it was being milked by extending the number of volumes and not getting anywhere for a very long time. It just kept repeating the same shallow formula over and over.
For the people who complain about the farming arcs, Seriously go reading berserk if you want constant fighting. It only adds to the manga quality.
It goes on full retard on volume 16 (The hunter and the hunted) with just absurdity (circular saw?) and full on feminism. It seemed to be heading that way for the last few volume, but still. Hope this arc finishes soon.
This is not Berserk. Nothing like Berserk. This has a lot of depth and intrigue. Only problem, I do believe it gets released once a month. Maybe one should wait until it is finished before reading ^_^
So to be straight to the point, if you favorite series include the likes of Naruto, Bleach Fairy Tail, or mainstream Shounen, there is a fair possibility you will not enjoy this series.
If your favorite series are Ecchi or Comedy based, there's a high possibility that this series will just be meh for you.
But if your favorites include the likes of Vagabond, Berserk, Ubel Blatt or Wolfsmund, you will most likely enjoy this series a great deal.
It is not as action packed as the aforementioned series but is not without it's battles scenes. Without spoiling, thus far in the manga, there are 3 distinct periods in the series, the 3rd being relatively new on the block. This is a story about 1 man's development primarily, but later molds into that man's quest and desire.
It's a tale of revenge and repentance in one taking place in the early 1000's. There are many complex factors to this series. But please do yourself a favor and begin reading this.
I normally wont bother with ratings, and they generally tend to annoy me whenever I read them, People writing what is just opinion but, is spelled out as if it were fact always gets me. I will say that I think that the story is excellent regardless of preference, I liked the the way it was told and the amount of depth in many aspects of the story to say the least. I feel that is always important to see and decide for yourself whether you will like something or not. Instead of believing what is only someone's opinion which is faultless ignorance it is better to know, and decide for yourself. In my opinion the story is at the least worth a glance. I feel that its is by no means a superficial story only interested in characters that look cool, but an earnest read to say the least.
It's a real story of vengeance...by a boy. The characters hold true to their personalities. They make choices different from the other and see the world in very different perspectives too. The topics discussed in the manga are emotional, interesting, and realistic. What is a true warrior? Where is a land without war and slaves? Is there love among us? It does so without being cheesy; this isn't some sort of shounen story talking about the power of love and friendship. This manga isn't about preaching, but showing. I cannot tell you exactly what VS is about. Right now, it's moving to a different direction because it's a dynamic story like that. The first half of the story had been resolved and we're about to move on to something else - something bigger.
The topic that the mangaka works with is not a new one. People have told stories about the greatness of having raw physical strength, and many have also criticized how this force, to get your way, is not real strength. The main character, Thorfinn, believes in using his physical abilities and using his anger to fuel it. When the anger dies out he loses what he once lived to do. He questions his actions and the world he lives in, and thus begins his transformation.
The manga is overall, strong. The personalities of the characters are well presented and you're well introduced to the world. It's not without blemishes though. The mangaka too quickly, too sloppily, forced some of his characters to undergo their changes. The suddenness is questionable and could have been avoided. Still, the mangaka tells this story well, and it's worth a read.
I don't look forward to manga's next chapter. I've never really gotten attached to the characters, but I am curious about how thorfinn will grow. It's too bad. The story just falls short by a bit.
The authors debut work Planetes was nearly perfect (the anime is sadly inferior) and this phenomenal follow-up is recommended to all fans of Berserk (10/10) / Historie (10/10) and historical fiction that can only be found on channels as HBO or European comics. The first volume is slightly uneven (it started as a shounen series) but is full of promise and soon becomes a ravishing drama about revenge, slavery, the price of freedom and overcoming the past. The mature tag isn´t only earned through unflinching violence but also repents the deep psychological anguish some of the leads go through and the moody art is as good as one can get within monthly deadlines. The reviewers below may complain about the slow pacing of the farmlands arc and i understand but don´t agree. The slow pace was needed to properly show the mundane insignificance of the life of a slave and chanbara classics as Kamui Gaiden and Vagabond further featured such arc which all managed to capture their respective protagonist´s inner turmoil rather well. The series kicked back into a higher gear later and delivered the best volumes jet while introducing noteworthy female presence into the epic so get reading already and find out what this high praised masterpiece is all about. The recent and comparable Wolfsmund (9/10) is a must too and i also reviewed it.
If you're looking for something realistic, psychological and with a fair amount of gore and blood, Vinland Saga is probably it.
I can't comment on the historical accuracy of the portrayal of the Vikings etc but I like how Yukimura Makoto doesn't shy away from the key issues of war, slavery, sexism and such. It's important to remember that history isn't all vanilla. Rape was a common occurrence and slavery even more so. No romanticism of war and violence here which is a relief from the normal tropes of manga.
Personally I think that Thor's character development is really, really good. No insane character heroics or anything. He's someone looking for his own views on life and the world around him and that's part of the process of growing up.
Quite a few people have complained about the farmland saga part. I would say don't worry. It sets up beautifully for a reunion with the earlier part of the story at this point in time and looks to be just as good as earlier part of the story.
Please don't complain about how the manga's release is so slow. Good things take time. The amazing art in the manga is probably very time consuming. Scanlating it also takes time. Appreciate what you've got!
Great start. Blood, guts, glory, war. The first 8 volumes are pure awesomeness but then after a time skip the author changed what made this series great and is trying to turn the protagonist into some kind of Viking Kenshin Himura, All about non-violence and puppies and rainbows. Hoping it doesn't last.. but reading it now makes me sick to my stomach but you got to have hope right?
I loved Vinland Saga from the start, and I still do. But I honestly had some worries about the way it became. Some will say it changed, some, that it lost its charm, some even that it's downright depressive as of now but I just think it evolved. Of course I miss the fighting and the war and the awesome characters from before. But it's an historical manga, not just some action manga about blood and guts and all that. As it gained depth, it strayed from the bloodstained path, and just as confused as I was at first, I understood it was needed because life is not about war. Thorfinn needed to understand that for this manga to be a complete manga from this Yukimura Makoto, known for his realistic art and psychological style.
Still, I think we're not through with the war. It's coming back. This was an Thorfinn goes farm big awesome arc. That or he'll die before becoming a warrior again
(-7)
