Stop Sleeping on Vinland Saga.

this video is sponsored by book Walker if there's ones on row that seems to be cursed for anime adaptations it's the big historical epics berserk Finland saga vagabonds Kingdom these are the four pillars of the scene in manga world people set their profile pictures - in order to say my taste is better than your taste and also I have a massive penis because I am of the superior race called a manga reader I can't and for good reason - these are four of the greatest manga to ever exist yet seem to be doomed to a cursed life of no anime adaptation or even worse actually getting one people were dissatisfied enough with the first berserk anime that they tried again two times somehow getting worse with each attempt and most people don't even know that Kingdom even got an anime despite the fact that he had stunning gorgeous absolutely breathtaking use of CG so when villain saga was announced to join the rights of getting an adaptation everyone had one important question to determine if this adaptation was doomed like the rest does Vinland saga contain really bad CG I mean it's right but one of the most critically claims manga of all time it hasn't been getting as much attention as one would expect I'm sure thanks to the seasonal anime graveyard that is Amazon Prime but as someone who pimped this title out a few years ago of course I wants to give a bit of a spotlight to a source material I consider to be a masterpiece and an adaptation that so far seems to be doing it justice there will be some wild spoilers for the first four episodes of the anime at least so there's your warning but really that just encompasses the prologue of this tale which is actually a prologue to a much bigger tale so really it's just like the prologue to the prologue villain saga is fundamentally a revenge story from the perspective of our main character Thor ofin who is taken under the wing of his father's killer ask a lad in his band of mercenaries his father Thor's was murdered because one day he got tired of being in the MCU for so long he jumped ship and started a new life in Iceland without fulfilling his contract obligations and of course Disney I mean the doms Viking definitely weren't happy about that Thor ofin travels with these band of mercenaries not in spite of his hatred for a scholar at Bert's because of it as he's been promised an honorable duel to the death to get vengeance for his father should he achieved the various accolades and more at Pascal at sides if this sounds like you're getting into an edgy action fest well you're probably gonna be disappointed while there are fights the story itself comes to so much more than just revenge it's a multi-faceted tale rich in character unflinching towards the brutalities of war with a solid foundation in real history when you think about historical stories in anime one name probably springs to mind over and over again but unfortunately this is 11th century Europe in the time of the Vikings and the Danes invasion of England so I don't think even Japan can find some convoluted way to insert him into this nicely [ __ ] Sakai him or something but Finland saga is a story that strictly operates within that time period in order to conform to its factual setting the core narrative itself isn't based on a true story but everything in the wider world remains true to history and you could really feel the author's passion for the setting and time periods when reading the manga I often found myself looking up what kings and Wars were mentioned and sure enough they were all factually accurate hell even a good chunk for the characters in the show are just straight-up people from history Leif Erikson Prince Knud Kings Swain and even Thor ofin himself all existed in that time period and other characters like Oscar lad are individuals based on Norse folklore very few liberties are taken with the facts in the series and having all this historical context just add so much credibility to the characters and the world even when you do have someone like the brick [ __ ] outside this Thor Kell casually eating a single i'ts with enough force to make a kebab out of five guys that's five people not five greasy burgers it pushes the boundary of what's possible just enough for you to accept but some of these larger-than-life characters existed in our real world history which is technically true but this is important because it adds a sense of legitimacy to their actions and the events that take place in the world they inhabit this adds real weight to the stories that are told because a great deal of what these people do can be really hard to swallow some of what's shown can be heavier than the things you see in berserk or Game of Thrones because everything is soaked in an air of realism there is no veil of fantasy to avert your eyes of the atrocities that you see there is no clear divide between right and wrong and good and bad everything's just portrayed as a part of life a part of history nothing is romanticized and through this brutal unflinching lens you get reminded that sometimes reality can be far more unforgiving than the world of imagination the only thing that's potentially weird about the historical setting at least than the anime is how the language barrier is portrayed because everything is spoken in Japanese so you have awkward seems like a kid who's speaking Japanese which is meant to be Nordic ask him some Frenchman if there's anyone who speaks Nordic who replies in Japanese which is meant to be French that they don't understand what he's saying despite the fact that both speaking Japanese and then there's Thor Kel can speak English and Nordic which is both spoken as Japanese so you don't know when the Englishman is speaking - I suppose speaking fees about what he's saying but sometimes he speaks Nordic - lot of people and sometimes he speaks English the English people it's all spoken in Japanese all my god dear Lord I never thought I'd say this but would it be too much trouble to hear some good old-fashioned English I can't the speaker English though while the historical aspect is a nice additional touch the heart of this series is of course the writing and characters and I'm glad to say this is some of the best character development you can find anywhere there is enough depth and each character presented to warrant a full-blown character study that I can't possibly fit in this one video though what I can focus on is one of the most interesting character dynamics you can find here which of course is that between Thoreau Finn and Oskar lat on the surface Thor ofin seems pretty one-dimensional his singular linear goal of wanting to win ask lads favor enough to be rewarded with a duel is basically all he bangs on about but it's what you see him struggle with in silence that makes it interesting otherwise him being a moody teenager certain revenge basically means he just be Viking Sasuke [Music] seeing thora fan go from this sweet boy to an emotional killer is actually kind of heartbreaking in so many other shows this could so easily divulge into an edge fest buts here you just feel sad it's tragic to see such a joyful kid turn into a pure ball of anger and hatred despite all of his dad's best efforts in his last moments to teach him to literally do the opposite of everything he's doing now my knee took another we night internal session you are king although you don't know it's kind of reminiscent to how Kratos tried to teach his son and God of boy except Kratos truly did give up his weapons for a life of pacifism and boy actually had a name the development of Thor offends lust for revenge doesn't pay off until far later in the story though meaning that the star of this story arc being adapted in the anime is undoubtedly oskol at asclad is foreign beyond the best antagonists in anime this year and it's not even close he's a cunning scheming manipulative man who pays away for absolutely atrocious acts and yet it's ngayon impossible to hate him he just has this witty charm and charisma that's incredibly infectious you believe he's the leader of a mercenary gang not because the story says so but because you yourself can find yourself thinking man what a [ __ ] Africa Chad I'd bloody follow you into battle his relationship with Thor ofin is complicated to say the least because nothing speaks daddy issues like being raised by the man who killed your bloody daddy but it's never explicitly stated how asked aloud views the boy one moment he can treat him like a complete tool to be manly play to the news being like hey laddie you remember that one time I killed your dad haha yeah as well bats wasn't it yet other times it can seem like he does actually care about him perhaps stemming from his deep respect of Thor's he plays mentor and his the closest thing for a friend has to a guardian who's raising him up because despite being a manipulative [ __ ] you have to respect how wise and cunning years you mean they learn you cannot do it this is just a slice in what is a series rich with complicated characters who develop through the course of the story from the rise of Prince Knut to Thor Kell being far more introspective than the war loving bruty initially seems to be to all the other side characters who are just there to drink a shit-ton apparently a little bit of the bubbly and the role they all play in the saga that unfolds is just so perfectly intertwined with the smaller stories and messages the series explores because like the characters the story has layers remember in goblin slayer when the goblins did a bad thing and people were shocked that the goblins did a bad thing in the series show the bad thing well I find it funny that the world of villain saga is one just as brutal that doesn't shy away from showing it and somehow there's a sense of beauty in the storytelling gear the thing that hits you hardest isn't the shock of seeing the raping murdering and pillaging that it is a part of daily life it's a son so far off the path his father desperately tried to teach him it's a kind mother being betrayed for showing love and compassion to a stranger it's a priest teaching the war loving Vikings about love they're the types of stories that pierce the soul and sticks with you far after the episode or chapter ends and I think that's the best way I can describe the writing in this series it's not some dramatic roller coaster full of nothing but thrills it's just powerful it's raw it's full of moments that feel so heavy moments that penetrate so deeply that you often feel the need to stop at the end of an episode or chapter just to be taken aback by what's happened and bask in what you've just experienced it's a grim tale but one that's oddly beautiful and optimistic in its outlook every so often you come across a work of fiction that seems to have an air of prestige surrounding it something that goes beyond character development or story arcs or themes or art or animation but something that makes it just that much more special and though there may be other shows you enjoy more or series you relate to better or anime or manga that are superior on a technical level there's some kind of unquantifiable quality you can't quite put your finger on there mesas and above the rest but you can feel it in the moments it's that sense of immeasurable greatness I felt it the first time I read berserk when I caved in to watch legend of the Galactic Heroes when I closed the final page of now Chios hours monster and certainly when I was able to first experience Vinland saga this is a manga that doesn't come along very often and one even rarer because his adaptation is doing a great job so far with it he might not be the widely appealing hype machine that saccharine titanal demon slayer is right now but it's a tale that will leave a deep impression on those who choose to experience it it's not the type of story people just watched and forgets about it's one that will leave an imprint on you long after you finish it that years later you'll look back on it and think wow this was something truly special hey guys hope you enjoyed that thank you very much to book walker for sponsoring this video all of the available Vinland saga volumes are available to buy on book walk of right now and though the anime is doing a fantastic job you would really be doing yourself a disservice if you completely ignore the manga because i do think it's a freaking masterpiece right now there is a sale going on and the entire series is almost 50% off so there is no better time to get it this sale lasts until the 24th of September so take advantage of it while you can if you sure you want to stay anime only but still want to take advantage of this say oh you can preemptively bye from vol 5 onwards which is where I think the anime is gonna end links in the description if you want to get it and also use coupon code giggle for five dollars off your first purchase anyway that's it for me I've been gig ugh and I'll see you all next time

Channel: Gigguk

Views: 2,589,918

Keywords: Anime Zone, Gigguk, Top Anime, OP, ED, Vinland Saga, Vinland Saga Manga, Vinland Saga Review, Vinland Saga Analysis, Vinland Saga OP, VInland Saga ED, Thorfinn vs Thorkell

Id: 1qk1BoGRM7c

Length: 12min 1sec (721 seconds)

Published: Wed Sep 18 2019