@@Fred_Costa aot season 4 is fine my friend but what happened with one punch man season 2 and the seven deadly sins season 3 was earthing shattering for me lol
@@sushantdubey01 The lack of ambient and bad CGI on the titans really rubbed me the wrong way on this first episode. I hope they were saving the budget for something else.
This is one of the "Big Four" of Seinen: Berserk, Vagabond, Vinland Saga & Kingdom They're always mentioned along with each other and are must reads for manga fans, especially those that want something more mature than shounen
@@shielinglai1599 monster is in another category? I mean it’s seinen but not historical fiction or stuff like that. It’s more like mystery (and yeah personally I have it higher then kingdom Johann is amazing)
I mean it's kinda logical the way thorfinn acts. He's still a juvenile after all. We're all just too used to overpowered, matured and overintelligent 12 year olds in anime. That just lays the groundwork for his later character developement we will see in S2 & S3. Best part: the story just doesn't forget about his past actions and behaviours. He did pretty fucked up things as Askeladds personal killing tool after all. Farmland Saga will blow it out of the water again!
I'd like to point to a scene with a throw away character: the girl that stole a ring and felt guilty and feared hell. She wanted to hide the ring and that was that saved her life whereas her entire village got slaughtered. How she laughed at the realisation made me think that she'd become a regular side character, but nope. She had just one more role to play... This is the level we see in one time characters!
@@Azzarrel nah he was intentionally written as a throw-away character used for just that moment. He doesn't push forward the plot or deepen the plot like the girl did.
This is one of the few animes that I had high exceptions for going into because of how everyone was praising it that not only fulfilled my expectations, but exceeded it. Also, Askeladd is one of the best written anime characters of the 21st century. Change my mind.
Most interesting maybe but depth of character while it's really good it's not the best. I mean we had Akira and Ryo from Devilman, with a few exceptions every core Monogatari series character (mainly Kaiki, Nadeko, Shinobu and Hanekawa), Natsume in Natsume Yuujinchou, Saki and Satoru in Shinsekai Yori and these are just the first that come to mind.
@@donaldtrump2728 I mean as far as being interesting I definitely agree, but depth as characters hard disagree there. This would quickly devolve into a TED talk if I got started on how Ryo is basically a deconstruction of the amoral manipulator character type and how Akira's journey after becoming part devil is symbolical of embracing vices and other social taboo's in both healthy and unhealthy ways.
@@lickumdry6016 I don't agree that characters being placeholders for ideas makes them automatically more deep. You could argue that it makes them more shallow, actually.
I'm so glad Vinland Saga has gotten so much more attention. I remember starting it after finding out about it at a Kodansha panel at Anime Boston many years ago and absolutely loving the manga.
I'm glad that both Vinland Saga and Beastars got the attention of the anime community... which also frustrates me because I wish that had also happened for Astra Lost In Space. 😁
I got astra lost in space recommended by a throwaway comment in a RU-vid video and watched it knowing nothing and it was such a great anime, I was kinda blown away by the fact that it’s such a well rounded show with an actual proper satisfying ending. Don’t get a lot of that honestly
I feel vagabond would be the closest thing to vinland. they're both historical fictions with immense character development. Violence is both quite prevalent throughout the story though it may not be the main focus. Both are masterpieces of a story and vagabond also looks amazing.
it does. and the art is better. the story is up there with Vinland Saga. there is also kingdom or whatever about China never read it but it got rave reviews
@@turtleanton6539 kingdom is pretty damn good I wi say. The art is amazing but not quite Vinland and vagabond levels. Main highlight is how it portrays large scale battles way better than you'll see in any other form of media
Vinland Saga was such a pleasant surprise. It's what got my girlfriend into anime, and out of the hundreds I've watched it's made it's way to my number one favourite
Wit also doesnt like projects where they dont get much freedom or say. AOT didnt let them have the level of freedom they wanted so they dropped it in favor of their original anime series and series where they get to be in control.
@@fullmetalpotato1258 it has nothing to do with that,they have a small staff and they needed to work really hard for s4 coz manga is still going,and they won't be able to do any other projects because of that
So there’s no vinland for the entirety of the 54-chapter prologue, but over 100 chapters later and STILL no one has set foot there! Thorfinn is on his way though don’t worry
Ark I've been watching since 2013 when you recommended me all of my early favorites, angel beats, darker than black, lucky star, etc. Never stop review week of awesome, it is one of my favorite time of years, another great one in the books
Vinland Saga does more in terms of Historical Accuracy (while you know, still chopping dudes clean in half because its anime) than any live action show out there. Change my mind.
I recommend you watch historical movies that dont come from hollywood or try watching a historical tv series, even some of the netflix ones. Dont get me wrong man, the anime has done a god job at protraying weapons and clothing but theyve taken some creative liberties with the historical characters and the story itself is entirely fictional except for a couple events that did happen (although those too were dramatized or romanticized too an extent)
@@romanpanzertestudo7400 i mean fair though i will give any entertainment series like this a bit more benefit of the doubt. It a similar philosophy to assassins creed where if the historical text have a gap or are absent on the matter, make something interesting up. I still did learn quite a bit from Vinland Saga and i'll repeat what i said i learned on another video: "the opening attack from episode 2. This attack was carried out on a saturday when the vikings in the Danelaw were bathing (vikings were know to be quite clean bathing once a week, many suggest on saturdays) King Sweyn later says this attack is the excuse for his invasion, which would make these attacks what is known as the The St Brice’s Day Massacre The St Brice’s Day Massacre took place on 13th November 1002, A SATURDAY." now Vinland didnt go super deep into this, honestly they were almost throwaway scenes. But they were included, and they do line up with the history. and i learned from it.
@@ISawABear You did tell me to try to change your mind 😆 but honestly I still enjoy the anime a lot despite what i said and it does do a better job at accuracy than your typical historical anime im looking at you Girls und Panzer with your drifting and race car tanks (ironically my favorite anime cuz girls riding on tanks)
@@ISawABear I do half way agree that there are things that do line up with vinland saga, but i do also agree that it is still should not in almost any way be looked at as historically accurate show. It can be seen as a show showing a historic culture where they have been pretty fair with how they portrayed it comparing it to archeological finds. I have been watching this show and it is in my top 3 shows atm as a archaeology student in Norway i do find this time fascinating and i did really love the detail in clothing they had and that they was showing that vikings wore chainmail and that they was not running into fights half naked etc which has been a huge annoying stereotype which has held on. Also was impressed with the authenticity of the weapons that they was using etc.
Coming down to the comments, everyone is just about askeladd which show how deep and intriguing character he is ,but we will come to know how much thorfinn will change in the slave arc that will made me love him so much.
One Thing that bothered me was the shitty development time on the prince. From 0 to 100 and he is a Different human completly. Anyway It was the First anime that i finally started and finished after many many months
Please please please watch March comes in like a lion. Not enough people are talking about it and after hearing your comments on ancient magus bride I know you'll love it
Vinland Saga isn't about vikings, it just uses them as a backdrop to tell it's message about humanity and the absurd way we treat each other. The closest thing I can think of is buddhist philosophy.
The more I watch your reviews the more I think we probably have the exact same taste. I remember watching Vinland Saga for the first time and literally bouncing up and down in my chair out of anticipation and joy watching the first few episodes. It was also the first anime that had made me do that since Made in the Abyss. Vinland Saga is why I watch anime.
AWESOME WORK ARKADA... This review week of Awesome is some of your best work yet, I have thoroughly enjoyed it, I've also enjoyed your other weeks but this one was so much more. Instead of typical reviews which I still greatly enjoyed you we're able to write and perform amazing essays on each of the shows truly an amazing week. Thank you so much for your work, Stay Frosty.
Rest In Peace my boy Askeladd. Guy was the most lovable “antagonist” ever made. I feel like he thought of thorfin as kind of an adoptive son. Sad to see him Go.
Askelad the father killer, he killed his own father, he killed Thorfinn's father, he killed conehead a father like figure to canute and he killed canute's biological father.
AniDB disagreed with me, but i'm gonna say, if you like Legend of the Galactic Heroes, this is the next one to watch (or vice versa). Same slow burn, ridiculously fantastic character development, and brutal look at what war really is. I only hope that it continues. Forever.
I will always remember the time I first read the Vinland Saga Manga, as it was also the first time I didn't notice the time slip from me. I remember having started it at night around 8 to 9 pm, and when I finally caught up to it, I sat there at 7 am, becoming very tired as the adrenaline rush finally left me. I don't always put off sleep, but that day I made an exception.
I would just like to point out that obscenely long preludes and taking forever getting to the actual meat of the story is perfectly in tune with the typical format of Icelandic sagas...
In the manga the first scene is when Askeladd and his crew attack the French fort which we only see in episode 7 of the anime so they mixed things up a bit
If you’re a fan of historical fiction, check out Kaoru Mori’s manga series “Emma” and “A Bride’s Story”, the former of which has an anime adaptation. The quality of her intricately detailed artwork and research is jaw-dropping. Although as fair warning to Vinland Saga fans, the tone of her stories is completely different.
"Don't take it as gospel because it contradicts itself." I'm sure that wasn't intended as a jab at religion, but I'm going to take it that way anyways if only for my own enjoyment.
I was so confused on how they could possibly end this show the closer I got to it's end. Then when the last episode read "End of Prologue" I was like "WTF"! Good show, and has a unique setting and possession for it's main character. Thorfinn feels so insignificant to the plot of the show, and not in a bad way. Making him feel small and unimportant has some depth to it.
That's like saying Season 1 of Avatar was just the prologue. Kinda weird, isn't it? When the "prologue" is 1/4 of the entire story, I think it stops being a prologue and becomes Part 1 / Act 1 / Season 1, whatever. I mean, if Kishimoto ended Part 1 of Naruto with "End of Prologue," would that really make sense?
A lot of production studios nowadays are too scared to take risks like this..whether anime or not. There’s a lot of throw away shoes out there but this one definitely isn’t one of them. Here I am knowing I’m going to get little sleep but the ending of each episode motivates me to continue with an additional rush of dopamine. A lot of depth definitely comes from the morally neutral plot. Just people trying to survive in their own way like nature intended.
While the first part is amazing, i believe this part of the story is not the best in the manga, compared to the second which has less action but has more character development and the ending, oh god.
Vinland Saga had hands down the greatest ending in any anime. It both satisfied me to no end, touched on so many themes, ended and advanced many character arcs, and left me wanting more (while not leaving me disappointed with a simple cliff hanger ending).
Amazing video as always Arkada! I stopped watching this because it was on Netflix and it was hard to keep up, but after your recommendation and other friends I'm going to have to commit finally.
Gotta be honest, i hated the series at the begining. But it just grew for me more and more , mainly because of Askelad. And here I am now waiting for season 2.
@@arsenalo1115 My biggest problem were characters with superhuman strength. Like this series praises itself with being a historical. Then you have characters jumping 10 meters from a ship to other or throwing trees. I can understand giving them super strength to make fights more interesting and even support it. But when it's super strength in a historical anime just for the sake of it , it didn't felt right. Luchily the good writing helped me get over it
@@parazitul1986 well, the entire story is based on viking sagas. Makoto Yukimura really invests himself in details when writing stuff, so he most def. wrote these superhuman feats in so the characters would mimic viking heroes of the sagas. things like 1 man standing up to several hundreds, a man lifting giant rocks or tree logs or just a small boy fighting a giant are made so they fit the grand storytelling vikings favoured. hope this helps a bit with the non-realistic parts of it:)
I was kinda on the same boat, episode 1 gripped me hard but afterwards it felt really "shoneny", bored me a little, but after episode 12 I believe it pick up again and by episode 14 i was blown away. Such a good series
I thank WIT Studio for making some of my favourite anime and GR for reviewing passionately each and every time! P.S. episodes 18-21 were legendary imo, so impactful and well-paced.
Among several things, as a history degree earner, I am really frustrated with thee man Leif Erickson. He is one of thee Greatest Navigators of ALL TIME and the show claims that he spent ELEVEN YEARS looking for ☝️ 👦 and he couldn’t find him!?!?! You had one job Leif, one job.
This is why History is one of my favorite subjects. Not to memorize names and dates but the stories behind people and place. What was good in the past must be repeated. If isn't, adapt at this modern times.
Finally got caught up to the first season from Wit yesterday and it's now one of my new favorite anime. I'd been holding off on watching this video till I finally finished, but I had the exact same reaction as Arkada when the final episode finished. DAMN. Askeladd carried, Canute and Thorkell picked up the slack at various points, and Thorfinn has a lot of potential. This story wasn't afraid of letting me have a terrible first impression of a character only to turn around and make them incredible, and I respect it immensely for that.
As someone who spent years studying and working with viking-age reenactment, Vinland Saga is what Vikings and the Last Kingdom fail to be. It remains extremely authentic while not being date-for-date accurate. This show demonstrates the brutality, isolation and desperation of the viking age while wrestling with the very ideas/codes of honour/religion the characters and the people of the age considered. It is the best depiction of the viking age on TV
Lmao had no idea you were in Newfoundland. Some fam spent a month tooling around there before the pandemic, (Which both feels like forever ago and just yesterday). They had a good time up there, thought I might tool around there myself (post covid-19).
Of the "big four" of the manga world I have read/watched Breserk and, yes, Vinland saga. And of them Vinland saga is my best. Don't get me wrong Breserk is AWSOME! But sometime about the Vinland saga is "real". No glorification of violence and the like. I just love it!
Makoto does drama unlike others in the medium becuase he likes choosing settings that no other show would set itself in, and ofc, doesn't stop there, he knows what's special about his setting and explores themes that are only present in that setting, that's the strength of makoto i feel, and why anybody reading this should go read the fucking manga becuase the next arc is THE best arc in vinland, now then, go.. go!
People went crazy over Demon Slayer in 2019 and called it the best anime of the year. But for Me, Vinland Saga and Dororo are the real masterpiece offerings
every anime i have watched i always look up a review to get other thoughts and not a single one i have watched doesnt have your review at the very top idk how u watch so much but its just insane
*sigh* stop. right here. you are in for a turn you might not like. before you start screaming for a 2nd season, have a look at the next chapters and then think again. that's all I'm gonna say for reasons like spoilers and such.
