No spoilers.

Spoiler, click to view

First review of mine.

____ Story: 8.5/10 Vinland saga is the tale of a young boy named Thorfinn Karlsefni who goes on a hunt for revenge after recently witnessing the death of his father in order to take down a man named Askeladd. Now I know what you might be thinking and no, the series never becomes an edgy gore-fest but it isn't afraid to show us the true horrors of this world such as the constant looting, pillaging and occasional SA that takes place.

The story of Vinland saga does have a few pacing issues briefly during the mid-point when introducing new crew members like the mercenary band and English vikings. These new introductions slow the pacing but don't bore the viewer. Secondly, each plot point (with the exception of a few) is done well and allows for some solid characterization throughout our cast. An exceptional moment is Canute's throughout that mid-way point when he encounters a drunkard priest and dialogues with him on Christ, destiny and suffering. Vinland Saga encapsulates the slow burn and ultimately makes character journeys like Canute's believable. It does exceptionally well in using flashbacks effectively while not being reliant on them. Additionally, there are some moments in the series that just feel odd, such as overt SA that doesn't add much since the viewer is already familiar with this from earlier story beats. It feels a bit out of taste.

The plot is dramatized but intricately stems from the loosely based historical acts it uses as a base. There are many accurate references a history nerd like me happy to see mentioned, adding a fun 'interactive' element. There is an attention to detail regarding this series and a good one at that.

Lastly, the ending of Vinland Saga is almost perfect. The entire story up to this point builds up to the magical finale, concluding in a way that subverts the expectations of the viewer almost entirely simultaneously creating intrigue into the later acts. Pure genius.
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Art: 8/10

The art of Vinland Saga is really good to the well executed backgrounds to the detailed faces. The layering and composition of shots were also very well made but obviously there are some bad parts. The mid-way point of the series almost had a shift in layering using only lighter colours while being much more funky in the design as if it retaliated against the brutally bold manga art, fortunately this doesn't last very long so It's all good. There are some beautiful scenes in the anime that transcend their manga counterparts like the finale or certain scenes from the opening acts

Spoiler, click to view

(when Thors dies)

. The art of Vinland saga maintains and actively improves it's high standard almost rivalling the manga and on some occasions, even beating it. Lot's of pros and cons exist but there isn't a need to worry with the art.
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Charcters: 8/10

The characters of Vinland Saga are a gem of their own while also being a hinderance to the series. Firstly, the main characters of the series are solid with the exception of Thorkell as he's just a badass in every sense of the word. Thorfinn, Askeladd and Canute in specific share a lot of characterization while also being amazing characters after each of their respective character arcs. Secondly, the small interactions with certain characters such as the one between Thorfinn and Askeladd on top of a small hill really allowed us to connect with the psyche of Askeladd ever so briefly. The exchange I most loved by far was between the drunk pastor and Canute. It let us glimpse as to how Canute and his values of salvation and compassion are so different from the blood thirsty vikings. That was very interesting and plays a very large role in Canute's character development which was absolutely brilliant. Lastly, the characters all impact Thorfinn to some extent on what it means to be a true warrior and how to cope with the cruel world and they are one of the core pillars that make the series what it is for me.

Now the cons, the largest con of characters is the sheer amount of them as this is a series that doesn't need more than a few characters just to be relevant and it introduces a large chunk of the cast just for them to have one or two roles before they fade into obscurity or die. There were characters who I looked forward to and just...felt disappointed by due their boringness and 1 dimensional personality of which was Bjorn. Now I don't hate Bjorn as a characters but it's more so because of how he was handled which felt cheap to me. There was a lot for Bjorn to do in the series but he never does anything and his

Spoiler, click to view

death

felt incredibly forced from Askeladd. That was a hinderance on the story. Fortunately though, Bjorn's boring nature gets completely forgotten due to the chadness of askeladd and his complex character that becomes such an integral part of the story doing the final act.,

In conclusion, the characters of Vinland Saga have some very good moments of development and realism attached to them, there are a few hinderances that weigh the series down altogether.

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World-building: 9/10

The world building of Vinland saga is so realistic and amazing that it actually feels like this series was a majestic documentary of these characters. It takes place in the 11th century during the Viking conquests of England and the downfall of the Celtic people while also during the discovery of Vinland, a new land which is the eastern coast of Canada. Most of the characters with the exception off askeladd were real and lived around that time frame. I loved the involvement Leif Erickson in the story as it felt like a good way to start everything. There isn't much originality in the world-building of Vinland Saga but that isn't a bad thing as this is a historical fantasy so it needs to capture a realistic image of the world and well, it does...very well.

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Enjoyment: 10/10

This will be a short segment but Vinland Saga is a lot of fun to it's likeable main cast to it's highly layered detail to even it's smooth story.

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Verdict

Overall, Vinland saga is an epic tale that can appeal to anyone looking for a masterful story.

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I hope you enjoyed the review, this was my first one.