I don't really plan what I'm going to review in advance. I usually just sit down every few days when the guilt of not updating starts to get to me. But lately I've been interested in Vikings, so today I thought I'd review A Brief History of the Vikings, by Jonathan Clements. Haha, no. VINLAND SAGA!
Vinland Saga is a manga by Makoto Yukimura. It isn't officially available in English but hey, internet. It's about (based on the first two chapters- the focus of this review and the extent that I've read) a Viking warband in Danish-ruled England at the start of the 11th century. In particular, it focuses on Thorfinn, a young but exceptional warrior from Iceland, and the warband's charismatic leader Askeladd. Thorfinn hates Askeladd, as Askeladd apparently took him hostage and killed his father. Askeladd is remarkably calm about all this, due to the fact that Thorfinn's pride and honour prevents him from trying anything shifty. Only a few other characters have been introduced so far, such as the Norse leader Gorm, his slave Hordaland, and a fat Frankish chieftain who gets screwed over by Askeladd's crew in magnificent fashion. All, thus far, have been entertaining or interesting, and all serve their purpose well. There's even some funny parts, especially Askeladd's unfortunately brief interactions with his fangirls. That's right, Viking fangirls.
The artwork is beautiful. It strikes me as slightly more realistic than some other mangas (not that I have a lot of experience in that field). The character designs are easily recognizable and believable-nothing goes over the top. The backgrounds are detailed and again, believable. The book also isn't afraid to show how brutal things get; it opens in a battle between two Frankish clans and, as an example, shows a soldier getting shot through the eye with an arrow. Then the Vikings get involved and everything just gets nuts. You know how you watch an anime, and the fight scenes are always amazingly animated and highly spectacular? That's what Vinland Saga is like, but in BOOK FORM.
On another brief note, apparently the comic is very historically accurate, and I can't find any obvious problems with it besides, as noted by the scanlator, Thorfinn's improper use of the word 'Jarl' (cheiftain- related to the English title 'Earl') but even this can be explained away in context as Thorfinn being an asshole.
So that's a look at Vinland Saga, and in conclusion, it's very good. Someone needs to adapt this into an anime, because it would be spectacular. In fact, scratch that. First they need to RELEASE IT IN ENGLISH. I'd buy it, and I'm a huge cheapskate. Check it out if you like history and don't mind a little violence.
And why doesn't the spellcheck on this site recognize 'Vinland' as a word?
Vinland Saga is a manga by Makoto Yukimura. It isn't officially available in English but hey, internet. It's about (based on the first two chapters- the focus of this review and the extent that I've read) a Viking warband in Danish-ruled England at the start of the 11th century. In particular, it focuses on Thorfinn, a young but exceptional warrior from Iceland, and the warband's charismatic leader Askeladd. Thorfinn hates Askeladd, as Askeladd apparently took him hostage and killed his father. Askeladd is remarkably calm about all this, due to the fact that Thorfinn's pride and honour prevents him from trying anything shifty. Only a few other characters have been introduced so far, such as the Norse leader Gorm, his slave Hordaland, and a fat Frankish chieftain who gets screwed over by Askeladd's crew in magnificent fashion. All, thus far, have been entertaining or interesting, and all serve their purpose well. There's even some funny parts, especially Askeladd's unfortunately brief interactions with his fangirls. That's right, Viking fangirls.
The artwork is beautiful. It strikes me as slightly more realistic than some other mangas (not that I have a lot of experience in that field). The character designs are easily recognizable and believable-nothing goes over the top. The backgrounds are detailed and again, believable. The book also isn't afraid to show how brutal things get; it opens in a battle between two Frankish clans and, as an example, shows a soldier getting shot through the eye with an arrow. Then the Vikings get involved and everything just gets nuts. You know how you watch an anime, and the fight scenes are always amazingly animated and highly spectacular? That's what Vinland Saga is like, but in BOOK FORM.
On another brief note, apparently the comic is very historically accurate, and I can't find any obvious problems with it besides, as noted by the scanlator, Thorfinn's improper use of the word 'Jarl' (cheiftain- related to the English title 'Earl') but even this can be explained away in context as Thorfinn being an asshole.
So that's a look at Vinland Saga, and in conclusion, it's very good. Someone needs to adapt this into an anime, because it would be spectacular. In fact, scratch that. First they need to RELEASE IT IN ENGLISH. I'd buy it, and I'm a huge cheapskate. Check it out if you like history and don't mind a little violence.
And why doesn't the spellcheck on this site recognize 'Vinland' as a word?
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