Title: Vinland Saga
Author: Yukimura Makoto
Artist: Yukimura Makoto
Original Run: April-October 2005 (Weekly Shounen Magazine) and Afternoon (December 2005-present (monthly))
Chapter Number: 48 (as of November 2008)
Genres: historical, shounen/seinen, action, adventure
Official English Translation: none as of November 2008
While my first post was about kid’s manga, this next one is far from childish. Vinland Saga is the most current project of Yukimura Makoto, the author of Planetes. While anything that is categorized under “historical” really should not be taken with a pinch of salt, this work makes your taste buds register the salt as sugar. It’s that good.
Vinland Saga is about a teenaged Viking named Thorfinn and covers his travels with a band of swords-for-hire led by the cunning Askeladd, whom the young hero is connected to. The story is mainly set in 1013 over in England during the Danish invasion, with various flashbacks and an undated pilot chapter. The rag-tag group eventually ends up taking care of the Danish prince Canute, a character loosely based off an actual historical figure. The story is fairly solid, with only a little faltering here and there with plenty of action to make up for it all.
The story thus far can be broken down into several parts as of late:
Prologue/Pilot Chapter: a 91-page (including 3 double-sheet spreads) story about outwitting a Frankish lord and gaining lucrative treasure in the end.
Icelandic Flashback: starts with Thorfinn as a teenager, but becomes a flashback montage explaining his home in Iceland, his family and how he came to sail with Askeladd; final chapter a story in England.
London/Be A Man: the winter of 1013-1014 begins and the Danish army is trying to overtake London, although there is a powerful Danish man on the English side preventing it; Askeladd’s group end up taking in the effeminate Prince Canute and help him grow up in the process.
Treason and Plot: Canute and his new retainers Thorfinn, Askeladd and Thorkell travel to Gainsborough and York to plan the dethronement of the Danish king Sweyn Forkbeard.
The story moves fairly smooth and only hiccups occasionally when Yukimura has a character contemplate the true meaning of love… which is totally unforgettable and the memory is easily replaced with some of the adjacent battle scenes. The plotline makes use of the real-life happenings and people of the day, including the Danish invasion of England, the Danish royal family, Leif Eriksson and the discovery of Vinland (Canada). It’s filled with historical plot holes (so I’m told, I’m not a total Viking scholar yet), but even the best series needs to be a little inaccurate.
The characters are well thought out and feel quite human. They have been known to show depth (Thorfinn with his tough exterior, but still an emotional kid or Askeladd and his many, many sides) while continuing to be fun (Thorkell’s tomfoolery and side-switching). When the characters fight, they tend to fight on levels closer to humans than those seen in many action series, though still seem like someone needs to be an acrobat, professional fencer and champion all-around athlete scrunched into one person. The only problem with any of the characters, down to the drunk-philosophical monk, is that there are few female characters that appear at all, let alone take front stage. It leaves a ton to be desired in that respect (like what Ylfa would be like if she took up a sword instead of Thorfinn), but is understandable since women rarely took part in war and politics compared to today’s standard.
If I had to rate this manga, as of 48 chapters, it would have to rank as a 9. The premise of a manga about Vikings was what drew me in and made me stick around; the story is engaging as a whole and feels great to read. The art is great and the detailing after chapter 16 and the switch to monthly serialization is gorgeous. There’s tons of blood, violence, crazy-facing (both mushroom-induced and sober) and underhanded plotting. We’ve recently seen female parts, but the instance is by no means on the pornography line. I would seriously recommend this manga to anyone who likes action and historical pieces.
Further Information: Wikipedia, Official Kondansha Site, Anime News Network, Valhalla: TheOtaku’s Fansite (run by me), One Manga
