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ヴィンランド・サガ [Vinland Saga] #1-2
Vinland Saga Omnibus, Vol. 1
The Viking invasion of London has reached a fever pitch, and Askeladd and Thorfinn rush to take part in the carnage! Their goal is the capture of Cnut, the son of King Sweyn Forkbeard and heir to the throne of Scandanavia and the Danelaw. But standing in their way is Thorkell, one of the Viking world's most daring warriors. The defeat of a living legend will be a formidable test of Askeladd's cunning and Thorfinn's ruthlessness, and of their ability to set aside personal grudges and fell a common enemy!
460 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2006
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September 4, 2025
I've lost the use of my heart / But I'm still alive / Still looking for the light / And the endless pool on the other side (Soldier of Love – Sade).
I tend to avoid critically acclaimed media because I’m always afraid that my traitorous brain will inadvertently find something to complain about in every corner just so I can justify my contrarian brain's needs. You know how it is. But really though, I wouldn't even be able to count the number of times where I’ve searched something like “best non-romance manga” or “best historical-fiction manga” on Reddit or wherever and only found an endless stream of disappointing slop. I use the word "slop" too much, huh? Well, once you start using it, it’s hard not to see everything as such. It's all coming up slop! That being said, this manga is almost always brought up in conversations surrounding the top manga of the times and I've seen it recommended in more reputable places by people whose interests more align with my own... which is basically just my Goodreads timeline and the Tumblr feed. Well, a reputable source for books or games or shows only, I specifically never take music recommendations from Tumblr. I've learned my lesson there! So yeah, I figured I’d have to give this bad boy a shot. Besides, I love both manga and historical-fiction, so could I really call myself a fan of either if I didn't dive into the classic historical-fiction manga, Vinland Saga? So yeah, it turns out that all the praise that was doled out was done so for a good reason, because I absolutely loved this. A clean and gritty art style contrasts nicely against the dynamic paneling where there's a clear sense of movement (which is very important for me, considering my head is still spinning after trying to read Tokyo Ghoul and never understanding what was happening in any given panel), and finally… just a wonderful story with a strong story direction full of morally gray characters trying to find purpose. Now, you can find that last bit in a lot of stories out there, and while that’s true for literature, I need to stress the fact that it’s very rare for me to find all three in a manga of all places. I’m just saying, it’s a format of story-telling that often falls back on a rather clear cut sense of morality where the characters will frequently give speeches to the audience about what’s right and wrong. And I guess that’s what all stories are trying to do in a general sense, but what makes Vinland Saga stand out is that even if it’s an anti-war tale preaching non-violence, the story shows the long route that it would take for someone molded to be accustomed to terrible violence from an early age to actually get to the mindset of pure pacifism. I guess this is the part where I confess that this isn’t actually my first encounter with this manga… because I’ve actually read a good portion of it when I was probably too young to be reading something of its kind. I got up to the point where there was a time skip and then dipped, but you know, now that I’ve brushed up on my Vinland Saga, I can give the full synopsis! Thorfinn is a young boy who’s forced to watch as his "true warrior" of a father is killed by a Viking group lead by a man named Askeladd, and rather than listening to his dad’s last wish of peace and going back home to grieve with the rest of his family, he instead joins up the merry band of monsters in hopes of one day getting a chance to kill Askeladd.
It's a simple premise that stays true to its strong emotional core no matter how complicated the political machinations become, and the wonderful story not only maintains Rurouni Kenshin’s heightened sense of urgency to one’s personal journey for redemption, but also manages to resonate with the reader by simply avoiding to sugarcoat the horrors of the time period and the actions of the main characters. Thorfinn is sympathetic (and a pretty badass viking ninja, if I do say so myself), but he's not a good person or a hero... yet. The fact that the narrative never forgets that at the end of the day, he did join up with men who regularly pillage innocent villages for a living for a chance at his own selfish revenge does a lot of heavy lifting to give nuance to an otherwise singularly focused and seemingly unchangeable main character. I mean, even without his little Last Samurai arc, I'd still find him really awesome, but that could be because because he dual wields daggers, which has been my go-to play style for every Dragon Age game. But since he is a three-dimensional character, I can add layers to my shallow praise by adding on that most of the emotional gut punches from this manga were the moments where Thorfinn shows just enough humanity to give hope that he might give up on his revenge, only for this imagine-spot to be snatched away time and time again. If I had one critique though, it would be that there was a bit of a tonal whiplash in that the manga tries to realistically portray the horrors of war one moment, but then peppers in super powerful Dragon Ball Z type characters who can withstand deathly blows the next. It reminds me a little of those Dynasty Warriors games, where there’s a set group of super sexy main characters taking down hordes of no-named NPCs and it's like, okay? War is hell and senseless... but also here's a group of people who are more important than everybody else! It gives the story a fantastical element that doesn't really work in a grounded setting. Otherwise, my favorite kind of revenge tale is when the author writes the journey so perilous and exhaustive for the main character and the audience alike that there’s a subtle narrative shift where we no longer want the story to end in bloodshed. I love Red Dead Redemption 2's story for this exact reason, because it isn’t Arthur Morgan’s quest for revenge that we follow, but rather his surrogate father Dutch van der Linde’s, and through Arthur’s eyes, we see first-hand just how destructive and pointless Dutch’s thirst for revenge really was, and as he becomes more and more reckless, it’s shown clearly that Dutch really just wants to hurt, even if it's the people he claimed to care about. It’s a cliché at this point, but it's never not been true that “showing, not telling” is the way to go! Anyway, the best thing about Vinland Saga is that it never glorifies its subject matter. These events have to occur in an entertaining enough way for the story to go on, but there’s always an undercurrent of pointlessness to every one of Thorfinn's actions that highlights the main theme more strongly than any Naruto monologue could ever accomplish. It’s a manga that never stops forcing the reader to ask themselves, “and then what?” or “to what end?” And to that end, I have to say that I can’t wait to find out myself where this ends, and what the point of it all was.
I've been torn up inside, I've been left behind / Tall I ride / I have the will to survive, In the wild, wild west / Trying my hardest / Doing my best to stay alive.
I tend to avoid critically acclaimed media because I’m always afraid that my traitorous brain will inadvertently find something to complain about in every corner just so I can justify my contrarian brain's needs. You know how it is. But really though, I wouldn't even be able to count the number of times where I’ve searched something like “best non-romance manga” or “best historical-fiction manga” on Reddit or wherever and only found an endless stream of disappointing slop. I use the word "slop" too much, huh? Well, once you start using it, it’s hard not to see everything as such. It's all coming up slop! That being said, this manga is almost always brought up in conversations surrounding the top manga of the times and I've seen it recommended in more reputable places by people whose interests more align with my own... which is basically just my Goodreads timeline and the Tumblr feed. Well, a reputable source for books or games or shows only, I specifically never take music recommendations from Tumblr. I've learned my lesson there! So yeah, I figured I’d have to give this bad boy a shot. Besides, I love both manga and historical-fiction, so could I really call myself a fan of either if I didn't dive into the classic historical-fiction manga, Vinland Saga? So yeah, it turns out that all the praise that was doled out was done so for a good reason, because I absolutely loved this. A clean and gritty art style contrasts nicely against the dynamic paneling where there's a clear sense of movement (which is very important for me, considering my head is still spinning after trying to read Tokyo Ghoul and never understanding what was happening in any given panel), and finally… just a wonderful story with a strong story direction full of morally gray characters trying to find purpose. Now, you can find that last bit in a lot of stories out there, and while that’s true for literature, I need to stress the fact that it’s very rare for me to find all three in a manga of all places. I’m just saying, it’s a format of story-telling that often falls back on a rather clear cut sense of morality where the characters will frequently give speeches to the audience about what’s right and wrong. And I guess that’s what all stories are trying to do in a general sense, but what makes Vinland Saga stand out is that even if it’s an anti-war tale preaching non-violence, the story shows the long route that it would take for someone molded to be accustomed to terrible violence from an early age to actually get to the mindset of pure pacifism. I guess this is the part where I confess that this isn’t actually my first encounter with this manga… because I’ve actually read a good portion of it when I was probably too young to be reading something of its kind. I got up to the point where there was a time skip and then dipped, but you know, now that I’ve brushed up on my Vinland Saga, I can give the full synopsis! Thorfinn is a young boy who’s forced to watch as his "true warrior" of a father is killed by a Viking group lead by a man named Askeladd, and rather than listening to his dad’s last wish of peace and going back home to grieve with the rest of his family, he instead joins up the merry band of monsters in hopes of one day getting a chance to kill Askeladd.
It's a simple premise that stays true to its strong emotional core no matter how complicated the political machinations become, and the wonderful story not only maintains Rurouni Kenshin’s heightened sense of urgency to one’s personal journey for redemption, but also manages to resonate with the reader by simply avoiding to sugarcoat the horrors of the time period and the actions of the main characters. Thorfinn is sympathetic (and a pretty badass viking ninja, if I do say so myself), but he's not a good person or a hero... yet. The fact that the narrative never forgets that at the end of the day, he did join up with men who regularly pillage innocent villages for a living for a chance at his own selfish revenge does a lot of heavy lifting to give nuance to an otherwise singularly focused and seemingly unchangeable main character. I mean, even without his little Last Samurai arc, I'd still find him really awesome, but that could be because because he dual wields daggers, which has been my go-to play style for every Dragon Age game. But since he is a three-dimensional character, I can add layers to my shallow praise by adding on that most of the emotional gut punches from this manga were the moments where Thorfinn shows just enough humanity to give hope that he might give up on his revenge, only for this imagine-spot to be snatched away time and time again. If I had one critique though, it would be that there was a bit of a tonal whiplash in that the manga tries to realistically portray the horrors of war one moment, but then peppers in super powerful Dragon Ball Z type characters who can withstand deathly blows the next. It reminds me a little of those Dynasty Warriors games, where there’s a set group of super sexy main characters taking down hordes of no-named NPCs and it's like, okay? War is hell and senseless... but also here's a group of people who are more important than everybody else! It gives the story a fantastical element that doesn't really work in a grounded setting. Otherwise, my favorite kind of revenge tale is when the author writes the journey so perilous and exhaustive for the main character and the audience alike that there’s a subtle narrative shift where we no longer want the story to end in bloodshed. I love Red Dead Redemption 2's story for this exact reason, because it isn’t Arthur Morgan’s quest for revenge that we follow, but rather his surrogate father Dutch van der Linde’s, and through Arthur’s eyes, we see first-hand just how destructive and pointless Dutch’s thirst for revenge really was, and as he becomes more and more reckless, it’s shown clearly that Dutch really just wants to hurt, even if it's the people he claimed to care about. It’s a cliché at this point, but it's never not been true that “showing, not telling” is the way to go! Anyway, the best thing about Vinland Saga is that it never glorifies its subject matter. These events have to occur in an entertaining enough way for the story to go on, but there’s always an undercurrent of pointlessness to every one of Thorfinn's actions that highlights the main theme more strongly than any Naruto monologue could ever accomplish. It’s a manga that never stops forcing the reader to ask themselves, “and then what?” or “to what end?” And to that end, I have to say that I can’t wait to find out myself where this ends, and what the point of it all was.
I've been torn up inside, I've been left behind / Tall I ride / I have the will to survive, In the wild, wild west / Trying my hardest / Doing my best to stay alive.
March 23, 2025
I was so hesitant to read this one, and considered DNF-ing after the fist battle filled chapter, but this multi nuanced, multi sub-plotted, multi leading character-led piece of manga historical fiction about the Vikings is a gem of a read. This first omnibus collecting the first two volumes, and 16 chapters explains why Thorfinn an outrageously courageous but huge risk taking member of an off-key band of Vikings fights for the band, with only one real goal, to kill Askeladd, the band's leader! This volume is a Three Star, 7 out of 12, but having already read the next omnibus, I know there is so much more good to come. Also, love, love, love the artwork.
2025 read
2025 read
August 9, 2025
“Far to the west, across the sea, there is a place called Vinland. It is warm and fertile, far from slavery and the fires of war. No one can reach you there.”
Gritty, violent, and unexpectedly thoughtful. Vinland Saga blends brutal Viking warfare with a deeply personal story of grief, vengeance, and the search for a better world.
This is a historical fiction meets a coming-of-age tale. What happens to Thorfinn’s father, and that last panel of them together. 😭😭😭
“Listen to me, Thorfinn. You have no enemies. No one has any enemies. There is no one that you should hurt.”
BR with my son
Gritty, violent, and unexpectedly thoughtful. Vinland Saga blends brutal Viking warfare with a deeply personal story of grief, vengeance, and the search for a better world.
This is a historical fiction meets a coming-of-age tale. What happens to Thorfinn’s father, and that last panel of them together. 😭😭😭
“Listen to me, Thorfinn. You have no enemies. No one has any enemies. There is no one that you should hurt.”
BR with my son
April 3, 2018
Woah this is so good! I wish I hadn’t delayed so long, but now I can get the next ones sooner! I loved the characters and the story. It was awesome that it included some historical figure names and groups. This is definitely a new favorite manga series in the making!
June 7, 2023
I'm not a manga reader. But this story made me love the characters, the plot, the world created. I didn't think you could convey so many emotions through a drawing.
August 16, 2024
3.75/5
A pretty good start to the series. It wasn't mind-blowingly good, but I'm definitely excited to continue it.
A pretty good start to the series. It wasn't mind-blowingly good, but I'm definitely excited to continue it.
July 7, 2017
I really enjoyed the Vinland Saga. So much so that I went out and purchased some of the volumes I was missing. Volume 1 starts the entire epic action story.
The story starts in the Frankish Kingdoms. We run into Askeladd, Thorfinn and many of the other major characters participating in an attack on a Frankish fortification. After helping themselves to the booty the Norsemen leave the fray to disappear.
Later in Denmark we find that Askeladd's band celebrating-but all is not well. The superb young fighter Thorfinn hates Askeladd. The story unfolds as we see a 6 year old Thorfinn and his father Thorrs. In light of an English attack on the Danelaw that killed many farmers and claimed the life of Princess Gunhilde, the daughter of King Sweyn of Denmark. Sweyn is going to launch an inasion of England and has called for all of his fighting men. Apparently Thorrs, Thorfinn's father, was once Thorrs the Troll a Captain of the elite Jomsvikings mercenary force.
From there we see how Thorfinn begins his tragic tale. It was very interesting to see how the Floki-Askelaad connections works. The death of Thorrs at Askelaad's hand is the driving force for Thorfinn's story.
This is a great start to what is an epic manga. The artwork is excellent and the action is non-stop. It has all the hallmarks of an epic Japanese manga, but it is set in the time of the Viking invasions of England. An addicting series. Has quickly grown to be on of my favorite series to read.
The story starts in the Frankish Kingdoms. We run into Askeladd, Thorfinn and many of the other major characters participating in an attack on a Frankish fortification. After helping themselves to the booty the Norsemen leave the fray to disappear.
Later in Denmark we find that Askeladd's band celebrating-but all is not well. The superb young fighter Thorfinn hates Askeladd. The story unfolds as we see a 6 year old Thorfinn and his father Thorrs. In light of an English attack on the Danelaw that killed many farmers and claimed the life of Princess Gunhilde, the daughter of King Sweyn of Denmark. Sweyn is going to launch an inasion of England and has called for all of his fighting men. Apparently Thorrs, Thorfinn's father, was once Thorrs the Troll a Captain of the elite Jomsvikings mercenary force.
From there we see how Thorfinn begins his tragic tale. It was very interesting to see how the Floki-Askelaad connections works. The death of Thorrs at Askelaad's hand is the driving force for Thorfinn's story.
This is a great start to what is an epic manga. The artwork is excellent and the action is non-stop. It has all the hallmarks of an epic Japanese manga, but it is set in the time of the Viking invasions of England. An addicting series. Has quickly grown to be on of my favorite series to read.
May 4, 2019
I have never read a manga before. SHOCKING, I KNOW! It was really interesting to read right to left, and didn't take long at all to get the hang of it, thus freeing me up to enjoy this fabulous story! This reminded me so much of the Icelandic movie . . . um, Outlander, I guess it is in English. Outlaw? Exile? Anywhoo, this was a great start to an epic story about war, revenge, and what makes a man and a warrior! Includes an interesting bonus story set in Japan, and an author's note about him going to Iceland for research!
October 26, 2023
The saga reflections. The intense action. The unique characters. This all merged to become the perfect start to a manga.
February 28, 2022
Actual rating: 2.5 stars.
Yeah yeah yeah, I know, I read this one wrong, too.
Yeah yeah yeah, I know, I read this one wrong, too.
May 16, 2018
Initially, I wasn't 100% on board with the premise of this manga: a child named Thorfinn raised by the rival Viking tribe that murdered his father, working towards his goal of killing their leader. At over 450 pages for one volume, and it's an incredibly long ongoing series. Was I really in the mood for several thousand pages of guys fighting?
What I didn't realize was that Yukimura would first delve deep into Thorfinn's past with his family, making me love them, and especially making me love his father. I read the second half of the first volume trying to will Thorfinn's past to change as I watched his father's death come closer. Surely if I just gripped the book harder, his father could be saved! Sadly, of course, no. Any frustration I had with young, hotheaded Thorfinn evaporated the moment his father fell, and I realized I was now stuck reading the next bazillion pages because I really cared about what happened to this kid.
Now I'm nine books in and I'm addicted because of the personalities, political drama, conspiracy, friendship, and even humor. The good news is that it only takes me a little over an hour to read each volume, so it hasn't eaten as much of my life as I thought it would to read the nine omnibus volumes that are out so far. C-Man goes slower because he's more into all the military details of various battles.) If your library has a manga collection, I'd imagine they have this or would consider adding it.
What I didn't realize was that Yukimura would first delve deep into Thorfinn's past with his family, making me love them, and especially making me love his father. I read the second half of the first volume trying to will Thorfinn's past to change as I watched his father's death come closer. Surely if I just gripped the book harder, his father could be saved! Sadly, of course, no. Any frustration I had with young, hotheaded Thorfinn evaporated the moment his father fell, and I realized I was now stuck reading the next bazillion pages because I really cared about what happened to this kid.
Now I'm nine books in and I'm addicted because of the personalities, political drama, conspiracy, friendship, and even humor. The good news is that it only takes me a little over an hour to read each volume, so it hasn't eaten as much of my life as I thought it would to read the nine omnibus volumes that are out so far. C-Man goes slower because he's more into all the military details of various battles.) If your library has a manga collection, I'd imagine they have this or would consider adding it.
January 4, 2024
I can see why this is a beloved manga series. The art is very good, the story and character work compelling. However, my own personal dislikes concerning the tropes used in this really colored my enjoyment of the story overall.
I'd absolutely still recommend it as a good work, it's just not my cup of tea.
I'd absolutely still recommend it as a good work, it's just not my cup of tea.
August 30, 2022
Well damn. This was so good and I’m going to have to buy every damn book to read this story. Not available on Libby or Scribd. I thought f*ck it…I’ll watch the anime. Nope. Only one season and it’s in subtitles. It’s very jarring to be watching about Vikings in Japanese. Damn, damn, damn. And the manga is soooo good. Seriously, why aren’t more people talking about this series??!
April 29, 2020
SUPER FAST REVIEW:
So this is the manga that keeps getting recommended to me?
It’s pretty good.
Okay so first of all based on the cover I thought that this was a more fun, family friendly adventure manga... don’t judge a book by it’s cover! While not particularly graphic or anything (this is a hard PG-13 or mild R) this is a gritty viking tale. I will admit I don’t know a pile about vikings (though know a bit) so while I may have missed some historical inaccuracies, this did seem fairly historically accurate based on what I know of vikings.
Anyhoo, the story is pretty good. It is very intense and keeps readers turning the pages! The artwork is good.
I will say that it is a bit predictable as most of this volume is background on things that we learn early on in the book and the characters... yeah, not digging them.
Overall, this is a pretty good one. While not quite a favorite yet this book is interesting and intense for sure.
Recommended if you are interested in vikings (which especially after reading this I am slightly interested in learning more).
4/5
So this is the manga that keeps getting recommended to me?
It’s pretty good.
Okay so first of all based on the cover I thought that this was a more fun, family friendly adventure manga... don’t judge a book by it’s cover! While not particularly graphic or anything (this is a hard PG-13 or mild R) this is a gritty viking tale. I will admit I don’t know a pile about vikings (though know a bit) so while I may have missed some historical inaccuracies, this did seem fairly historically accurate based on what I know of vikings.
Anyhoo, the story is pretty good. It is very intense and keeps readers turning the pages! The artwork is good.
I will say that it is a bit predictable as most of this volume is background on things that we learn early on in the book and the characters... yeah, not digging them.
Overall, this is a pretty good one. While not quite a favorite yet this book is interesting and intense for sure.
Recommended if you are interested in vikings (which especially after reading this I am slightly interested in learning more).
4/5
October 19, 2023
Chulada de manga que profundiza sobre la guerra y el fin material de la violencia. Además hay buenas madrazos y una historia de venganza que me dejó con ganas de seguir leyendo. Vamos por el tomo 2.
October 11, 2022
This was a pretty good introduction to what might turn into a great story. Very overrated but still pretty solid. 3.5/5
July 23, 2016
*This review is spoiler free*
So…
It…
Sigh
This series… I just…wow. This is one case of judging a book by its (beautiful hard)cover gone completely right. It just happened to catch my eye when I was cruising my local library seinen (older male) manga shelves, and I picked it up without even glancing at the premise. I’ve been sitting here trying to sum this series up into a coherent review but, nope, I just can’t right now. The ART. Ugghhh, I feel…like…sigh
Noooo *metal slap* , I need to get serious here, I appreciate this series too much to not try my best to form an actual review here.
Okay so in short this on-going saga, which I have currently read every volume available in English (seven 2-in-1 omnibus volumes/100 chapters) as of today, is something I’d normally never touch in my life: A historical fiction. At that some of you may have groaned inwardly like I would have, but trust me, you’d be seriously missing out if you pass this up. For one thing the art is a MASTERPIECE, and if you’re even a halfway decent manga/art fan, heck even if you’ve never even heard of manga (Japanese comics), this series is a must. Overall 8/10 Unicorn Horns.
For the full, detailed review please visit My blog @Maniacal Book Unicorn
So…
It…
Sigh
This series… I just…wow. This is one case of judging a book by its (beautiful hard)cover gone completely right. It just happened to catch my eye when I was cruising my local library seinen (older male) manga shelves, and I picked it up without even glancing at the premise. I’ve been sitting here trying to sum this series up into a coherent review but, nope, I just can’t right now. The ART. Ugghhh, I feel…like…sigh
Noooo *metal slap* , I need to get serious here, I appreciate this series too much to not try my best to form an actual review here.
Okay so in short this on-going saga, which I have currently read every volume available in English (seven 2-in-1 omnibus volumes/100 chapters) as of today, is something I’d normally never touch in my life: A historical fiction. At that some of you may have groaned inwardly like I would have, but trust me, you’d be seriously missing out if you pass this up. For one thing the art is a MASTERPIECE, and if you’re even a halfway decent manga/art fan, heck even if you’ve never even heard of manga (Japanese comics), this series is a must. Overall 8/10 Unicorn Horns.
For the full, detailed review please visit My blog @Maniacal Book Unicorn
December 29, 2017
I read this 2 years ago and thought was okay. Now re-reading it I still wouldn't go with "great" but I'll go with good now for sure.
So the story is really two volumes in one. So the fist one is a high speed, bloody, adventure of vikings doing what they do best. Kill and take over places. That's their life. You follow the story of a young warrior named Thorfinn. You can tell right away he works with the vikings, he's strong, and extremely fast but he does not like them or their leader. Why does he do what he does? Well you learn that in the 2nd half with much more background on how Thorfinn became a part of the vikings in a sad yet hopeful tale of childhood.
Good: The 1st half is entertaining at times but nothing special, it's the 2nd half that shines. A deep look into family, the way of the villagers and vikings, and some great fights. The art is always good throughout and shine. The pacing is solid with no big long overdrawn moments.
Bad: The first half just kind of feels "been there" and not in a bad way but not all that interesting. I also thought the humor was more miss than hit, but that usually happens in manga for me.
Overall this was good. A step up from my first read. The art is still the best part of the book but I have a feeling the story is going to build and get better from word of mouth of friends. A 3 out of 5 to start.
So the story is really two volumes in one. So the fist one is a high speed, bloody, adventure of vikings doing what they do best. Kill and take over places. That's their life. You follow the story of a young warrior named Thorfinn. You can tell right away he works with the vikings, he's strong, and extremely fast but he does not like them or their leader. Why does he do what he does? Well you learn that in the 2nd half with much more background on how Thorfinn became a part of the vikings in a sad yet hopeful tale of childhood.
Good: The 1st half is entertaining at times but nothing special, it's the 2nd half that shines. A deep look into family, the way of the villagers and vikings, and some great fights. The art is always good throughout and shine. The pacing is solid with no big long overdrawn moments.
Bad: The first half just kind of feels "been there" and not in a bad way but not all that interesting. I also thought the humor was more miss than hit, but that usually happens in manga for me.
Overall this was good. A step up from my first read. The art is still the best part of the book but I have a feeling the story is going to build and get better from word of mouth of friends. A 3 out of 5 to start.
October 15, 2023
Just saw two seasons of anime from this manga and at least the first one was not so far from being amazing. The manga has the same great art as the anime version and the only difference that I`ve found here is that it starts with another scene and timeline than the anime.
Still, I feel that this choice is more adequate for this kind of exposition and going direct head in on a mission gets to be a better hook for the reader than the exposition of a familial life.
At heart this is a drama, about a kid that joins a band of nordic mercenaries in order to revenge his father death by the leader of this group of warriors. There is a lot of fighting, drama and war crimes, or better said, slaughtering of innocents people, involved. I guess that it could be that it was the way of living in those time.
The characters are very well made and believable in their motivations, every one of them with a interesting and complex story arc. The whole picture of the story is more complex and well made than expected, with a bigger scope on events than you could think of at a first glance, with a lot of surprises at hand.
The drawings are top notch and the emotions and all the drama involved is transmitted in a natural way with some over the tops scenes as expected, but the background events are very serious and dramatic.
Overall an amazing manga ( & anime) that shows the full potential and amazing high level of production and inspiration of this kind of works, maybe, sometime, dismissed very easy by some people as being only for kids and not with a real high value content for your average adult reader.
Still, I feel that this choice is more adequate for this kind of exposition and going direct head in on a mission gets to be a better hook for the reader than the exposition of a familial life.
At heart this is a drama, about a kid that joins a band of nordic mercenaries in order to revenge his father death by the leader of this group of warriors. There is a lot of fighting, drama and war crimes, or better said, slaughtering of innocents people, involved. I guess that it could be that it was the way of living in those time.
The characters are very well made and believable in their motivations, every one of them with a interesting and complex story arc. The whole picture of the story is more complex and well made than expected, with a bigger scope on events than you could think of at a first glance, with a lot of surprises at hand.
The drawings are top notch and the emotions and all the drama involved is transmitted in a natural way with some over the tops scenes as expected, but the background events are very serious and dramatic.
Overall an amazing manga ( & anime) that shows the full potential and amazing high level of production and inspiration of this kind of works, maybe, sometime, dismissed very easy by some people as being only for kids and not with a real high value content for your average adult reader.
March 2, 2022
This series has been out for many years and wish I started it then. If you are a fan of viking culture, then it is a must read. Historical fiction at its best. Yukimura does an excellent job and portraying the Viking ways in all of his panels. Wonderfully depicted scenes come to life in this epic proportioned omnibus edition. Twelve chapters span across a treasure trove of pages with emotionally driven action and consequences. The message learned in this first book is heartbreaking and enthralling at the same time. Thors is a character that will be cherished for the remained of my life and will be a place to revisit in times of anguish. An anchor to weigh my thoughts and emotions into check.
This is one hell of a good manga. It was tough to put down in between bottle feeding and diaper changes. And the good news? There’s at least 11 more of these ginormous books. Long live the Vikings and Thorfinn.
This is one hell of a good manga. It was tough to put down in between bottle feeding and diaper changes. And the good news? There’s at least 11 more of these ginormous books. Long live the Vikings and Thorfinn.
July 31, 2021
My brother wanted me to read this; and I have to admit- it was pretty amazing. The ending had me in my feeelings 😌.
I definitely need to read more Manga because this was excellent. Excited to continue the series!
I definitely need to read more Manga because this was excellent. Excited to continue the series!
May 16, 2023
Co mogłabym rzec? Oczywiście, że zasługuje to na wszystkie gwiazdki. Jestem tak sentymentalnie zżyta z całą serią, dzięki mandze na nowo mogłam się w to wszystko wczuć. Akcja, bohaterowie, oprawa graficzna wszystko jest po prostu idealne. Kocham to 😭. Jedyne do czego mogłabym się przyczepić to przestrzeń czasowa, trochę zagmatwane ale do przeżycia. Ps dzięki mojej najlepszej przyjaciółce byłam w stanie zapoznać się z mangą i doznać tych wszystkich emocji, pozdrawiam!?!?!1!
December 28, 2024
I don't really get the hype so far, but I trust that the succeeding volumes will get me hooked.
July 1, 2022
I loved the last quarter of the story. It really pulled on my heartstrings and I felt so much emotion for Thorfinn's loss.
But the rest of the story—especially the first half—just did not garner much interest out of me despite being "objectively" good. I was really interested in reading about Thorfinn right from the get go in a more instrospective-esque way, but that didn't quite happen. Still, this is definitely a great story and the parts of it that missed the mark for me were just because of personal preference things.
January 4, 2023
This is one of the best first volumes I have ever read
February 19, 2022
I loved the first season of Vinland Saga and I'm excited to catch up with the manga. The adaptation was true to this first volume, so there hasn't been any new ground covered for me, but I can admire anew the character development, the way the artwork supports the stark brutality of the story, and the compelling narrative. I'm looking forward to making my way past the first arc!
June 27, 2021
Listen to Volur by Peter Gundry or the Vikings tv show soundtrack while reading.
April 16, 2023
Vinland Saga Volume 1. The story starts in the Frankish Kingdoms. We are introduced to Askeladd leader of a band of warriors. Thorfinn and many of the other major characters participate in an attack on a Frankish fortification. After helping themselves to the booty, the Norsemen leave the fray to disappear. The story develops further as we follow both Thorfinn and Askeladd.
Reading about Thorfinn's past and seeing how events wreak havoc on him both emotionally and physically as the desire for vengeance is so powerfully charged. The characters and story are both well-written and conceived. It is the kind of story and character-building that pulls on you emotionally at times. The artwork is very nicely done and compliments the story. Structurally the way story is set it has more impact with a major event at the end of the story rather than at the beginning. As aposed to the Manga cartoon which puts the event at the beginning. The plotting is incredible, full of twists and turns, with treachery at the heart of it all, and Thorfinns quest for revenge. A brilliant series and I already have the next four volumes.
Reading about Thorfinn's past and seeing how events wreak havoc on him both emotionally and physically as the desire for vengeance is so powerfully charged. The characters and story are both well-written and conceived. It is the kind of story and character-building that pulls on you emotionally at times. The artwork is very nicely done and compliments the story. Structurally the way story is set it has more impact with a major event at the end of the story rather than at the beginning. As aposed to the Manga cartoon which puts the event at the beginning. The plotting is incredible, full of twists and turns, with treachery at the heart of it all, and Thorfinns quest for revenge. A brilliant series and I already have the next four volumes.
May 10, 2025
This only reason I must rely on this sword is because I am imperfect.
A true warrior needs no blade.
REREAD 2025. Man... this is one of those things I do not know how to review. I think this is one of the books I would consider formative for me, at least in terms of certain character archetypes that I love and gravitate towards. I love it so so so much. I read this for the first time more than 15 years ago, and rereading it was like getting hit by a truck. At the outset, we're following Thorfinn, a teenager in the employ of a group of Viking raiders. Thorfinn is an angry feral hellchild who's determined to get revenge for the death of his father by killing Askeladd, the leader of the band. And I know that the scope and scale of the story is going to change a lot from there, but everything we get in this first volume (well, first couple of volumes, since this time I read the omnibus) is really excellent at setting the stage. I'm not the most knowledgeable about the Viking period, but the mangaka seems to have done a whole lot of research, and it shows. I adore the art; the landscapes, the armour, the ships, the battles... everything is so detailed. Faces and expressions are really well drawn, and I can't tell you how emotional some panels made me. I literally cried so many times; it's a little ridiculous.
The reason I love this so much is because of Thors.
I know this reread journey is going to be a doozy, so I'm going to take it slow. I'm actually a bit disappointed that the series is still ongoing after all this time. I thought that it would have finished, and I could reread everything I'd already read and then catch up. Hopefully by the time I do, there won't be long to go. And hopefully the rest of the series will live up to how much I love the beginning.
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