Written by Shiggins
Rowing my boat.
I was originally going to title this "Attack on Viking", but then I discovered that this series was actually adapted by Wit Studio, the studio behind Attack on Titan's colossal takeover, and I decided against it since it just made me look like a smug jackass. The reason I'm telling you this is because I want it on record that Vinland Saga is as beautiful, awesome and worthy of your time as Attack on Titan, and I figured that out all myself. In the end, I still sound like a smug jackass!
Note: This is a quick mostly-spoiler free article about the first three episodes, and not a look at the series as a whole. However, there are inevitably some light spoilers ahead.
Loosely based on real events of history, Vinland Saga is set in 1013 AD, when England was being conquered by the Danish King Sweyn Forkbeard (Yes, that's a real name) and his sons were arguing over who would reign after his upcoming death. Rather than be about them specifically, in fact they aren't even really mentioned, the first few episodes instead focuses on the man known as Thors, a Jomsviking who faked his death during battle and hid away, now raising a family on a farm, most notably his son, Thorfinn. The past has returned to haunt him, as it always does, and he is forced to return to war, with several members of the village accompaning him. His son Thorfinn chooses the Luffy route by hiding in a barrel.
It's immediately obvious why the first three episodes were released together, because watching this set-up weekly would have thrown away tons of viewers. Vinland Saga is on a slow burn, akin to the first hour-long episode of Fate Zero, always engaging, but rarely exploding or stabbing except when necessary to the plot. Oh yes, no Michael Bay pace here, rushing about like a lunatic from location to location in the hopes of never giving us time to think about what's going on. We instead get to soak it in, enjoy the scenery and the environment, and learn about who these people are, especially Thors.
Thors is instantly one of my favourite father characters in any anime, although you and I can both guess exactly where he's going to end up before this season over. He's stern but cares, kind yet serious. He's no saint, especially in the past, but he changed for the better and he's wanting to make as many amends as possible, even if he makes arguably stupid decisions because of it. In many ways, he's like Game of Thrones' Ned Stark. Honour and respect trumps cruel logic, and he has no regrets about doing the right thing, even if it wasn't the smarter thing to do.
From the opening credits and the narrative of the story, it's clear that Thors' son Thorfinn is going to be the one to go through the most changes throughout the series, so it's a good thing he's a likeable kid so far. Much like Wiz Studio's other famous work, Thorfinn and the other characters are slightly over-the-top, but nothing too wild and crazy, or even that exaggerated by comparison to other anime. There's no massively ridiculous expressions, no flip-flopping or changing into squiggles or whatever. Every character stays on model, and it helps them blend in with the gorgeous animation, which is as great as you'd expect from this studio. And if you're worried about a 3D scene as bad as say, 2016's Berserk, rest assured that the series sticks to 2D almost the entire time. There is a slight action shot here or there that uses 3D to travel around, showing Thors going from one enemy to another, but other than that, it's wonderful 2D.
What really stuck out to me in this series is how mature it is, but I don't mean that in the "let's rape everyone" way that Goblin Slayer incorporated. The best series to compare this to are the Witcher video games, where characters act sensible and down-to-earth, but are able to crack wise and smirk when needed. It's not 100% miserable but it has it's dark moments and atmosphere, and we feel those dark moments because of the lighter scenes that help to balance it out, and how real the characters feel as a result of both types. If you're miserable constantly, you'll eventually become numb to it. And if you just throw in rape, it's manipulative. Using rape in a story is like killing a dog. An easy way to make the audience gasp in shock.
I won't say what happens in the series because I want you to watch it yourself, but you need to check it at least once. If it's not your thing, I totally understand, but if you like any of the stories I've mentioned already, I think you'll find yourself heavily enjoying this as much as I did, especially if you're as sick of high-school girls and isekai as I am. Between this, Dr Stone and Fire Force, I think we're in for a fun season.
Shiggins:[Admin]
.
Born under the stars of the Dark Gods, Shiggins owns the power of the Great Eye and is utterly magnificent in his omniscience. If you dare to discover more about someone as great as him, then go ahead. And to all my friends and family members, YOU are wrong and I should be disappointed! Not the other way round!,. You can find out about him or ask him stuff on ask.fm/shigginsishere or go to his tumblr page http://otakugajeel.tumblr.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment