Contemplative Weeb Reviews

Vinland Saga 1

This anime might just be the most genius anime I've watched. Everything from the music to the animation to the writing is just off the charts.Through excellent writing and production, they have communicated so many things. It is because of this, I've decided to make 2 separate posts, one about the anime and one about what it shows us about the world and about us.

Synopsis

This story is set in 11th century Europe. It starts with Thors, a former Jomsviking who lives in a peaceful village in Iceland along with his family. He is admired by everyone in his village for his past. He is the only one in the village who has been a warrior and fought in battles. One day, he is called upon by Floki another Jomsviking to war. Thors is threatened that if he refuses, his village will be destroyed. So, reluctantly he heads off onto ships for battle along with a few people. But to his surprise, his son, Thorfinn had been hiding in the boat and comes with them. Will war prove to be this exciting experience that Thorfinn was expecting, or will his romanticisation of war and his decision to follow his father, change him and his life.

Writing

The writing of this show is some of the best I've seen in anime. The point of view of the show shifts from one person to the next so seamlessly.The plot is so nuanced and well thought out. Everything connects and ties in beautifully,there are no out of place events or loose strings.It's almost poetic in a way, how events relate to each other in the show. The pacing is perfect as well. We get enough time to process the events and get attached to the characters but the anime still moves on quickly and smoothly.The writing also manages to draw out our emotions while not being melodramatic and being realistic. Props to the writers of this show,Hiroshi Seko and Kenta Ihara as well as the mangaka Makoto Yukimura.

Characters

The characters in Vinland Saga are just so nuanced, it is phenomenal. There is no right and wrong, black or white as far as they are concerned. Each character has their flaws and strengths, does good and bad. This is very realistic because no human is actually perfect and can be just good or just bad. Their motivations are well explained as well. We can totally understand the reasons for each characters' actions. The characters are some of the most real I've seen in this genre of anime and other media.

Engagement

Once you start watching Vinland Saga, you will not be able to stop. Because this show is well written, it is extremely exciting to watch. It will give you drama, comedy and amazing action sequences. The show makes us care about the characters and makes us want to know more about them. This curiosity also helps in making the show more engaging One thing I felt that distracted me from the show is the language. In certain scenes, it is portrayed that the characters are speaking in different languages, but since all the dialogues are in Japanese, it is hard to pick up on. Also, there are English words used in the dialogues which feels really out of place considering back in the day, English wasn't as widespread and so, it dosent make sense for characters to use words like 'combination' in a conversation. Now maybe, people who haven't learnt Japanese don't notice this so for international viewers it's not an issue.

Uniqueness

Vinland Saga is an adventure, historical anime. I think those anime are less common in the shonen demographic so I would say it is decently unique. However,it still has that essence of a mainstream anime. Vinland Saga does not feel like an indie anime, so it does not feel unique but it is. The writing ,characters and the things it shows us are what make it unique. The execution of the plot adds on the uniqueness. 

Cinematography, Animation and Music

This show has some of the most poetic and unique shots I have seen. There are some really cool transitions as well. I don't wanna talk about them specifically cause they could be slight spoilers but the shot with the sword in episode 5 and the shot with the dagger falling in the last episode are my favorite. I think they're poetic. The animation is also amazing. It's not your run of the mill, cutesy, big eyes animation. It's got a more realistic representation of features while still looking aesthetic and neat. I personally really liked it. The music is amazing as well, the soundtracks, the opening themes and the ending themes are all amazing. Special mention for Milet, she singer of the second ending theme. Her vocals are phenomenal in 'drown'.
All in all, Vinland Saga is definitely a must watch. I think people who aren't anime fans can also draw enjoyment and meaning from this show. The next review will be about what this show's philosophies or the things that it shows us.