Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Karunya123
The Viking setting and the whole idea of Thorfinn growing up around war and revenge felt really interesting to me. The story has plenty of action, but what I liked more was how it slowly builds the characters and their motivations. Thorfinn isn’t some perfect hero — he’s angry, reckless and obsessed with revenge, which makes his choices feel believable. Askeladd was probably my favorite character because he’s clever, complicated and you never completely know what he’s going to do. The art style also fits the darker atmosphere really well. Some events can be predictable, but I was still invested because the characters made me care about what happened.
Read at the sourceCherryHalen
Often labeled as a landmark release in both of its mediums, Vinland Saga, Vinland for short, needs no introduction. Its reputation has transcended the animanga community, and only a handful of other series compare to it in critical acclaim. For that reason, one shouldn't be blamed for having high expectations before even pressing play. Yet, what is present in this first season of anime is only a small glimpse into the greatness promised. Put bluntly, Vinland’s shortcomings are more than a few, but simultaneously, there is a lot to be enjoyed here.
To begin with, the main character of Vinland isn't actually the main character of this season. What does this mean? Thorfinn, a teenager dealt a bad hand by the world at a young age, is out for revenge for the death of his father, yet he isn't m…
Read at the sourceMur-CuoreDiVirgo
I really loved Vinland Saga and it satisfied me completely. The backgrounds and animation are beautiful and have a huge visual impact. The fights are brutal and dramatic, accompanied sometimes by deep and touching dialogues, while other times by more lighthearted and somewhat funny scenes that make the armies looking like a bunch of completely carefree and hyped-up buddies on a quest to reach and finally deserve Valhalla like real warriors, creating a great narrative mix.
The plot is amazing, both for how current main events unfold and for the characters' pasts that get revealed little by little, really hitting you emotionally when it happens. In this regard the characters themselves are great, showing a mix of anger, reflection, and pain, but also some bold and funny sides that make them…
Read at the sourceReapWhatUSow
10/10 it is a show you can show to anyone no matter race, gender, age. It is something that has deep meaning, good story telling and entertaining enough to keep you hooked with a massive payoff. So much happens in the first few episodes you can't believe how far you have gotten in the story as you finish the season. Highly recommend easily one of my top 3 animes I have seen (both season 1 and 2) Let me know what you think after watching this series. My parents aren't big into anime but I had both of them watch it each giving it a 10
Read at the sourceKatsumataJ
Vinland Saga is a story that asks whether a person can ever truly escape the person they used to be.
This show is constantly showing you that Thorfinn knows he was a bad person and reflects on it. He wants to not be handcuffed to the world he knew for all of his life, and instead find a different path for himself.
This show had such a nice and refreshing story. It has been a long while since I have watched something that pushes on your morals like this. It constantly asks you whether you can forgive Thorfinn for what he has done and allow him to move forward with the person he has become. Does the person he becomes take away from the murders and multiple lives he took? Does it justify them? Should you cast your judgment on someone who is desperately trying to change? The answer that you…
Read at the sourceZestyAmber
I know I'm pretty late in the review game for this anime but even though I watched this years after this show came out I don't think the hype surrounding this show dwindled my viewing experience and, I don't believe it will ruin it for others either.
I'll preference this by saying that any expectations that you have for this show is mostly going to be true. The animation is solid, the fight scenes are pleasing to look at and the story is great! However if you were expecting a jaw dropping, life changing experience after watching this anime I would tone down that enthusiasm just a bit.
Viniland Saga is good, not bad not amazing just good. Its an anime you can watch and have a good time watching it and I think that's perfectly fine.
The story itself is that of a slow-burn revenge. Our ma…
Read at the sourceZalty
Vinland Saga as a series baffles me. Its first and second seasons are so radically different from one another, that I struggle to understand how it's retained so many viewers, and such high ratings. I would think that its viewers would generally fall into one of two camps: those who loved the first season and hated the second, and vice-verse.
I'm of the latter camp. I actually had such a negative experience of season 1 that I refused to even give season 2 a chance for a LONG time. It took multiple people strongly recommending me the second season to convince me to keep going. I'm glad I did, though.
But this review is of season 1. So, my experience is particular, and I'm sure many, if not most viewers, will have very different feelings toward the series. But I need to warn you right now:…
Read at the sourceChkoupi
I watched S1 of Vinland Saga in 2022 and had mostly forgotten about it, I told myself I would rewatch it when S2 comes out so I just watched the whole first season again and I really regret that.
The story is full of plot holes, the very event that lead to what happens in most of S1 makes no sense and what follows (in S1) is even worse.
The story follows a kid that somehow sneaks up into a boat TWICE despite being watched by a whole village and then EIGHT ADULTS WHILE THERE WAS LITERALLY NOWHERE ELSE TO GO BUT ANOTHER TINY BOAT.
He then spends 11 years doing the bidding of the guy he "hates the most" deserving of the title of the weirdest edgy tsundere garbage I've ever seen while doing cute activities together like mass killing entire villages and plundering while the kid repeats cons…
Read at the sourceSephy95
The visuals and so forth didn't bother me, but the story is terrible.
It starts out promising with Thors, a retired war veteran who developed a conscience. You would assume this is going to be a story about moral dilemmas, the good old "with great power comes great responsibility"-schtick, but no. As soon as Thorfinn takes over as the main character and begins to follow Askeladd around, all logic flies out the window and the story quality nosedives into the abyss.
It becomes some sort of viking power fantasy show, where Danish super soldiers mow down British and French cannon fodder. The only real resistance comes from another gigachad Dane, who got so bored of massacring pathetic Brits that he switched sides. Meanwhile Thorfinn willingly becomes a child-soldier slave to the guy he wants…
Read at the sourcewyhhyw
Thorfinn is as plain a character as it can get, and he is the main character. Supposedly, at least.
Plus, he is a horrible human being who doesnt care the least bit about characters who are as important as the only thing he cares about.
In short, he is dumb, a horrible human being, he doesnt learn despite the efforts of certain character, and and experiences no evolution.
The story is great except that the main characters is Thorfinn, who doesnt make any sense.
The show is totally unrealistic. A 10 y.o. kid can kill seasoned warriors. In scores.
This is not historical. One warrior cannot kill an army.
Read at the sourceCeputza
Horrible, unique story. The main character is the most annoying kid making the most stupid illogical decisions. It never eases on the stupidity; full throttle till the end! He has no redeeming qualities. He just goes full retard.
There is no reason to like the main character. It's not even clear what the point of the story is. A cautionary tale of what happens when you're too stupid?
Other characters exist, but they are overshadowed by the constant stupidity of the main character.
The animation is nice visually, but that's not enough to make this crap watchable. It fooled me, don't let it fool you!
Read at the sourceTea-O
Vinland Saga is honestly a massive impact — a real masterpiece experience. At the time of this review, only two seasons have been released, yet they feel completely different from one another.
The anime stands out thanks to its strong diversity in atmosphere and thematic depth, as everything changes dramatically between Season 1 and Season 2.
Season 1 focuses heavily on action and combat. The protagonist’s development is quite unique, as Thorfinn remains emotionally trapped in his obsession with revenge. We follow a child growing through violence and warfare, developing physical strength while failing to truly understand himself, constantly living in the shadow of the man he hates the most.
Even so, this first season is outstanding. The storytelling, artwork, direction, and animation ar…
Read at the sourceAnimeEnjoyer433
When you hear about the word "viking", you wouldn't expect the show to be somewhat emotional and has deep story in it. You would expect something maybe like "HAHAHA. Give me money and I let you live" kind of show, or some kind of historical boring narrative story that would make people go to sleep in less than 10 minutes. But, this show isn't like that. This show is definitely not your typical viking kind of film. What makes this show great is definitely because of the Characters.
Art style and animation, no questions asked. WIT definitely did a great job for animating Vinland Saga. 8.25/10
Read at the sourceSingular9
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 sourceFlugel3
This show is a 10/10 and the manga was also a 10/10, but as this is a review of the Anime let's focus on that. However, a small nitpick, the story is very unrealistic in terms of people's physical capabilities, and does not represent history accurately. So if that's what you're looking for in this show you should look elsewhere. However, it was still pretty easy to suspend my disbelief and when I couldn't... It didn't matter, because the combat isn't the focus of the show.
The show is in essence, on becoming what it calls a "true warrior". To Thorfinn, it is to be a warrior who needs no blade. It's an adage that is constantly ringing back. Almost like a leitmotif it often rings out in key moments. And each of the main cast of the story deal with this question in different ways. This is th…
Read at the sourceLeoDN
Vinland Saga — What does it mean to be a true warrior?
Vinland Saga is not just a work about Vikings, war and violence — it is also about love, hope and ideologies. It is about a father who tried to teach his son that war is not worth it, and a son who did not listen.
Set in a time that reveals not only the brutality of war but also the harshness of the climate and the weight of emotion, the story shows how many had to endure the loss of family and friends and still keep standing, fighting for their own survival.
The plot centers on Thorfinn and his relentless quest for revenge. Amid its gripping narrative, the series captivates us with visual and sonic quality that few in the industry can match.
Thors: “The Troll of Joms,” as he was known, was the most skilled fighter in single combat…
Read at the sourceHyoei
Vinland Saga (Season 1) – Spoiler-Free Review
Visuals (Animation & Art): 9/10
Wit Studios deliver stunning visuals that are crisp, with smooth animation and a careful eye for detail. Character designs and environments convincingly portray the harsh realities of the Viking era, grounding the show in its historical setting. The landscapes, ships, and battle sequences are not only authentic but cinematic in execution, giving the story both grit and beauty.
Sound & Music: 8/10
The sound design is solid across the board, adding weight to both brutal battles and quieter emotional moments. The OPs and EDs are consistently strong, and while some may land better than others, they always capture the show’s tone. Personally, I have to highlight “Drown” by Milet—an ending theme that’s beautifully ha…
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 sourceelumizu
Vinland Saga opens like a sweeping Viking epic, windswept and blood-soaked, promising a story about revenge, survival, and the search for meaning in a brutal age. From the first scene, the narrative drops into a world where honor, power, and violence shape nearly every aspect of life. Battles define political ambition. Loyalty is constantly tested. Survival often demands choices that blur the line between heroism and cruelty. At the center of the story stands Thorfinn, a boy whose childhood is shattered by violence. Early life revolves around admiration for a father who once left the battlefield behind in pursuit of peace. That father, Thors, had once been feared as a powerful warrior among the Vikings before abandoning war to live in a remote Icelandic settlement. The ideal of a “true war…
Read at the sourceamikigu
I'm getting chills and tears writing this review even though it's been a whole year since watching both seasons of this spellbinding masterpiece. I don't think another work of fiction has impacted me so deeply, and made me confront parts of myself that I didn't even know were holding me back in life. Regarding the specifics, I feel that the artwork is unrivaled; faces and hands and scenery are often beautifully detailed in a way that is usually only reserved for a few pages in a good manga. The music and sound effects are perfectly aligned with the plot. Each character brings so much depth to the story, and the whole series felt perfectly unified in its mission to develop and deliver the plot, which delves deeply into the psyche of a pre-capitalist and Christianizing northern Europe while…
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