Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Singular9
Honestly appalling show considering how many people told me it's the second best thing since sliced bread.
Characters are beyond bland and one sided, cringe, unrelatable, and have zero grounding to the environment they are placed in.
Art is "fine". Mid.
Plot? If this is a plot then it makes shows like Demon slayer have depth and breadth. But no. This isn't plot, it's slop. It's written by a 5 year old who saw a Viking video and is now running around the house in a Viking hat.
Vikings? They aren't even vikings! There is very little other than some aesthetics to tie them to vikings. More like a bunch of narutos teleported to Denmark.
Over all, skip this one if you have above room temperature IQ.
Read at the sourceBazzy2077
This is a Shonen Anime which disguises itself as Seinen. There is no depth to it, barely any character arcs aside from Askeladd and inexplicable superhuman powers for characters which do not fit the setting or "realism" this show supposedly strives for.
We have "character development" happening on a whim as well, nothing of this is at any point organically written or shown on screen.
Episode 16 through 19 killed the show, these three Episodes were what made me lose any interest in it at all. While the other episodes had issues, some of them could've been forgiven but what came after Ep 16 was the death knell for the investment I had into the show. The final episode tried to twist things around again, but there was nothing left to care about at this point already. So instead of lifting the…
Read at the sourceRemanTheArchean
Season 1 is alright while watching Askeladd, who acts more like the protagonist than anyone else. The actual protagonist, Thorfinn, has a problem of being really annoying. He's an irate broody idiot in season 1, and he becomes even worse in season 2 when he becomes a fanatical pacifist. The show has an overarching philosophy that can be summed up as "war is bad, so just refuse to fight". This is not a stable Schelling point for any major society, and the fact that the show keeps trying to push this nonsense really puts me off. Letting your enemy beat the crap out of you, then running away is not "winning". This is "if you kill your enemy, they win" level of silliness. I'm not the type of person who thinks anyone who opposes the protagonist needs to die, but it should be enough to just buil…
Read at the sourceStormy1234
when I first started this anime it looked very promising and I watched like 8 episode in a day, but when it got to episode 10 it started to get really boring and it got really boring near the end and there were a lot of times I though about dropping the anime.
I also found the story very basic, a orphaned kid trying to get revenge for his dad, I've seen anime like this multiple times I just think the author could of made it more interesting and unique. also I found that Thorfinn came from a weak little kid to a super strong teenage boy without any training shown in the anime, he kills one person and boom becomes one of the strongest people in Askeladd's army.
Read at the sourceFaxTuaL
Vinland Saga is nothing more than Shonen disguised as a Seinen , I am offended that this series receives so much praise for doing nothing
This series tries so hard to be like Berserk and it fails in every way , the writer tries so hard to make the story appear dark and mature and edgy and all I do is cringe at his terrible writing
I will never why this series receives praise
it follows a cliche story of a guy wanting to get revenge but this isn't any ordinary revenge no no no , he wants to get revenge in an honourable way like why would anyone waste 11 years of their life trying to get revenge when they can just kill the guy in his sleep , Nonsense and what makes it worse is how they try to attach so much emotion into his plan when it's just plain stupidity
He then gets Stockholm Sy…
Read at the sourceHotThotRed1
“Far, far to the west, across the sea, there’s a land called Vinland. It has lush green plains and trees bearing countless fruit. It’s warm and fertile. It’s a faraway land without slave traders and without war.”
If you know your basic geography (and watched the show), then you would know that the physical place of Vinland is referring to America (as it is later revealed in the 2nd OP as well), and the ideal that Vinland represents is the American dream. It is without a doubt that the show was inspired to be a commentary on the American dream and the values it represents set during the Viking era of the 10th and 11th centuries. The way “Vinland” plays a role in the show is extremely subtle and remarkable as it serves to be a spark of hope, prosperity, and most importantly peace, in this…
Read at the sourceliteraturenerd
Overview:
Here it is folks! My vote for best anime of 2019. Vinland Saga is a faithful adaptation of the dark and brutal manga that took the internet by storm over a decade ago. Do you like Berserk? Do you like Rurouni Kenshin? Would you like to add Vikings to those 2 things and mix them all together? If so, then Vinland Saga is the anime for you!
Vinland Saga takes place during the reign of Sweyn Forkbeard in the early 1000s. In the year 1002, King Æthelred the Unready made the disastrous decision to slaughter over 100 Danish settlers as revenge for Viking raids. The St. Brice's Day Massacre provoked Denmark into invading the British Isles, which would be conquered by Sweyn's son Cnut the Great.
The first character we're introduced to is Thors the Troll. He is a mighty Viking warrior w…
Read at the sourceDarthInvader
*Minimum Spoiler Review*
TL;DR: Did you miss edgy Sasuke? Did you miss Eren screaming like a whiny little girl? Do you need a Daddy in your life slapping and kicking you so you can shut up and do what's needed to be done? Then look no further, for Vinland Saga is the right historical anime for you. Now shut up and read this awesome review before I send Bjorn after you.
[Story: 8/10 , Characters: 9/10, Art: 8/10, Sound: 8/10, Enjoyment: 9/10]
“You don't have any enemies. No one has any enemies. There's no one who it's okay to hurt” – Thors
From the studio that became famous by adapting one edgy teen's revenge story comes a new edgy teen's revenge story, called Vinland Saga. Just swap some titans for Vikings, Levi for Thorkell, Erwin for Askechad and boom you have a new instant classic th…
Read at the sourceMarinate1016
There was a time when Vinland Saga was considered unadaptable. Along with Berserk, Kingdom and Vegabond, no one would touch it for 15 years.
Man, have WIT proved everyone wrong. Vinland saga was absolutely masterfully crafted from beginning to end in every aspect. The story follows a young Icelandic adventurer on his quest for revenge so of course there’s great fight scenes, but where Vinland succeeds is its absolutely amazing writing. When watching the series, I genuinely forgot that I was watching an anime at several times. The acting, OST, writing and direction create a very live action experience and just feel Oscar worthy and real.
Vinland Saga also maintains a very grounded approach throughout. Everything feels realistic. This is not a series with crazy power-ups, energy blasts, su…
Read at the sourcexGrenadier
The following will be more of a critique, rather than a review, so expect a lot of spoilers.
As a foreword I'd like to say that, while I do realise that the historical tag doesn't contain within itself a "realistic" tag, the events that play out in Vinland Saga are an absolute farce, given the time period and historical background. Even the suspension of disbelief made out of titanuim would eventually crumble and collapse under the amount of stupidity this show contains.
With that out of the way, let's begin.
-Characters
Thors The Troll (aka Thorfinn's dad) - he is the most ridiculous character in Vinland Saga, as his background, decisions and moral stance make him seem simply insane in the world he inhabits. Thors is the former commander of the Jomsvikings, who, after the life full of…
Read at the sourceCodeBlazeFate
The first arc of Vinland Saga has been touted as one of manga’s greatest prologues. As such, many were curious about how well the anime would fare. While it may seem like a mere revenge story at first, this 24-episode series acts as a GAR infused yet slow-burning meditation on vengeance and war, as well as the thrills and horrors that await. Moreover, it's a character study revolving around the arc's main protagonists: Thorfinn and Askeladd. They make up the tragic backbone of the show, and that backbone is powerful enough to cement this show as one of the best of the year.
Visually, this show is both better and worse than one might think. The CG ships and occasional CG humans are enough to set alarm bells off, and their prevalence would help spell the death of lesser productions in terms…
Read at the sourceTakaCode
This review will contain minor spoilers.
2019 has been an interesting year for anime. It was the year that gave us such great shows like Dororo, Kaguya Sama Love is War, Beastars. High Score Girl 2, Skilled Teaser Takagi San 2 and The Promised Neverland but at the same time it gave such disasters like Fairy Gone, Domestic Girlfriend and The Seven Deadly Sins 3 done by Studio Deen. We also saw the positive decline of the isekai genre thanks to stuff like Isekai Cheat Magician, Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest, Wise Man Grandchild and that unbearable long isekai show that featured the MC mum.
Needless to say, 2019 was a fun year for anime despite its various shortcomings. Out of all the anime that aired in 2019 there was two anime that stood out from the crowd. Two series…
Read at the sourceKrankastel
Greetings ladies and gentlemen, I will cut straight to the point.
Have you ever experienced a work with an intriguing premise capable of appealing to you… being undermined by a plethora of flaws and handled half-heartedly?
Vinland Saga is such a case. I do not consider this to be a great anime, let alone the AoTY; for all (or actually, because of) my love of medieval history, I couldn’t resist reviewing this too ambitious-for-its-own-good work.
Note: this work may contain spoilers, at the final section for the plot.
[1. Starting with the visuals] (-) The animation is simply put, lackluster. Audaciously lackluster.
And it shows early: at the first episode we are shown a flashback to a naval battle where Thors (the protagonist’s father) participates, based on the Battle of Hjörungavágr…
Read at the sourceTanooshii
Historical fiction is a famous way of telling a journey behind different decades, at the same time it corresponds to names and real events of ancient times, they show us a different perspective of situations, as even putting elements that are only incorporated into books / series / animations they also fulfill a part of making concepts true to history, historical fiction presents viewers with a story that takes place during a remarkable period in history and generally during a significant event during that period, as the name says " historical fiction "is linked to the medium of entertainment that is not close to reality, also bearing the fact that many mangaka's are free to use frantic action to hook readers and tell their own story, if you have read Kingdom, Historie, Altaïr already must…
Read at the sourceAndoCommando
“From the distant north, beyond the frozen sea… They came, bringing with them the black clouds of war.”
As the struggles between English and Danes grew worse each passing year, calls for peace had diminished, and death became commonplace. In the wake of these restless times were Vikings; violent raiders who reaped the spoils of war and marched to the beat of their drum. Brutal, merciless and unfeeling, they pillaged whoever they pleased and left only wreckage behind them. And raised by the band who murdered his father is Thorfinn, a young boy driven by hatred, longing to cut down the one responsible and avenge his past.
This is the tale of Vinland Saga, a sprawling epic penned by Makoto Yukimura that thrusts you into a world drenched in bloody violence and battle-hungry warriors. At leas…
Read at the sourceKrunchyman
History teachers have forsaken us!
Not only do they convince naive students that Christopher Columbus discovered America — Leif Erickson beat his ass by 500 years — but they neglect to inform us about the exhilarating escapades of the barbarous Vikings, themselves. Some of whom were so insane, that they would gnaw at the ends of their shields and trip-out on psychedelic mushrooms (i.e. the amanita muscaria; the ‘Super Mario’ mushroom that Bjorn consumed before his battles with Thors). But besides hallucinogenic drug trips, Vikings were cunning mercenaries that preyed on other people’s weakness to gain an advantage. Something Askeladd (Artorius) did time and time again to sustain his lavish lifestyle.
Askeladd, however, was no brute. As he possessed first-rate sword skills, keen tactical…
Read at the sourceStark700
If Don LaFonaine narrated Vinland Saga from the start, he’d begin the show with “In a world….” In Vinland Saga, we are introduced to a Viking world, a world of historical fiction rich with culture and testing the limits of survival. Based on the manga of the same name, it’s a show that teaches more than about survival. If you’re ready to embark on this epic adventure, then be ready for a 24-episode saga like you’ve never experienced before.
Thorfinn Thorsson is the Icelandic protagonist, a character with complex personality driven with an ambition. After the death of his father, he becomes a warrior, someone who will do whatever it takes to get his revenge. In this 11th century, the audience must understand how barbaric life is. Every day is an adventure where possibilities are almost lim…
Read at the sourceHellLyter
Tales of Vikings pillaging and plundering have always been exciting in my eyes, so the setting of Vinland Saga really grasped my attention. An anime produced by Wit Studio featuring a more historical take on the adventures of Vikings? What could possibly go wrong? A lot apparently. While it started off really promising, Vinland Saga got increasingly worse as it went along. And just like the serene land of England that the Vikings damaged and maimed, the Vikings did the same to the quality of this anime. Though it was primarily one Viking in particular.
Frickin Thorfinn
This dude is apparently the protagonist of the story, but he does absolutely nothing to deserve this title. No wait, he runs like Naruto and is OP for some inexplicable reason after receiving absolutely no adequate traini…
Read at the sourceJohan__Liebert_
[Paragraphs that contain spoilers have been marked]
I was hyped for Vinland Saga, more hyped than I’d been for any anime the whole year. I even waited for all episodes to air before binging the show because considering the things I’d heard about it, I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop once I started watching it. It definitely did live up to the hype and I enjoyed the hell out of it, but I did find few pacing issues among other problems.
[Story and World]
Vinland Saga is a show about Vikings. You know those horned helmets wearing, axe wielding, wine drinking badasses who discovered America? Considering anime now-a-days usually follows the formula of having cute chibi characters and tossing them into dangerous situations, Vinland Saga was a breath of fresh air. It’s been a while since I sa…
Read at the sourceSingleH
Vinland Saga is pretty awful, but for reasons I truly find unfortunate, most of why can be boiled down not to its story, characters, or anything like that, but simply to its troubled & misguided production. Above all else, Vinland Saga is an absolute nightmare of mixed media failure after mixed media failure. As they have the prestige of being Production IG’s subsidiary, WIT Studio was hooked up with the legendary art director of countless illustrious productions, Takeda Yūsuke, and naturally, he and his team at IG funded and staffed, Studio Bamboo, began work on Vinland Saga’s background art selection an estimated half a year before WIT took to animating it. This process was able to proceed ahead of WIT Studio’s despairingly behind schedule storyboards because—as anyone whose seen even a…
Read at the source