Vinland Saga

Vikings in movies and books have a hard time shaking off the stereotypical image of drunken, violent warriors with little to no intelligence, who love to fight more than anything. Unfortunately, it's rare to find a work that challenges this largely fictional and inaccurate depiction. I had hoped Vinland Saga would do just that, but it ultimately failed me. ++++  Although the anime is an adaptation of a manga series that was initially published in a shōnen magazine for children and teens, it was later moved to a seinen magazine for adults. I had hoped that the anime would deal with this dichotomy and lean more towards a cohesive and mature atmosphere. However, instead of doing that, it is even more inconsistent than the original manga. The creators seem to be confused about who the story is targeted towards. On one hand, there is a simple and linear story of a male protagonist obsessed with revenge, something we see in many other shōnen animes. On the other hand, they attempt to create a mature historical drama with philosophical and religious themes. If the show was just that, I would be okay with it. What makes it difficult to perceive Vinland Saga as a mature historical drama is the combination of its more mature and deeper parts of the story with over-the-top fighting scenes and almost nonsensical character twists. For example, when a guy splits four enemies in half and his spear that flew half a kilometer kills three more, or when a boy gets to hold a sword for the first time and wields it like a pro. Or when a useless and spoiled aristocrat suddenly turns into a top-level, cold-headed strategist and in some scenes, otherwise clever characters act like small kids. While there are some impactful scenes and great characters such as Askeladd, and the animation quality is good, it is not enough to make up for the overall imbalance and inconsistency. The protagonist, often criticized by viewers, is actually the most likable to me because he remains consistent in his idiocy, unlike the other characters who switch between being clever and foolish on a whim. It seems like the creators tried to please everyone, and what they have created is just an odd mix of unfitting tropes and features. Once again, I am reminded that when the Japanese try to make an anime series set in Europe, it hardly produces any good show. Overall, Vinland Saga is not a terrible anime, but it falls short of greatness. I would give it a simple three-star rating. (2021.07.30)