Vinland Saga Vol. 13

ヴィンランド・サガ [Vinland Saga] #25-26

by Makoto Yukimura

Thorfinn's travels have taken him from Iceland to England, Denmark, the distant trading posts of the Byzantine Empire, and back home again. On the journey, he has amassed scars, losses, and sins to atone for, but also found strength in his friends, in his new wife, and in the dream that he's never let go, of a new land free of brutality and slavery. At last, the moment has come to set foot on Vinland—not the misty ideal he has carried there, but the real thing—and to meet the people who have made it their home for generations before Thorfinn's quest began...

Genres: Manga, Historical Fiction, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Seinen, Historical, Comics

379 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 24, 2022

About the author

幸村誠

Reviews

[niki.uu · Rating 5 out of 5]

sobbed. after 191 chapters the meaning of a true warrior is finally revealed.

[aleksandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

No because I was literally crying at the end of chapter 191. I know they are fictional characters, but I’m so proud of all of them.

[James DeSantis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Been too long since I got to read my Vinland Saga but man this one blew me away by the end.

Basically this volume covers Thorfin and group finally getting to vinland and beginning their quest to start a civilization free of war and death. This is pretty great change of pace, and watching Thorfin learn to trade with Indians while also building up his people's homes is great. There's some really great stuff in here, lots of thoughtful planning is put into how they began building up their villages work well.

But the final chapter is one of the best in the entire manga, if not my favorite. It shows a woman who is finally ready to let go of the past. That anger and revenge can only fuel you for so long. And the last few pages brought my grown ass to tears in moments. What an excellent send off for the book.

A 5 out of 5.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

After 25 volumes (and 13 of these omnibus collections) Vinland finally becomes the setting for this series! At last Thorfinn can try to found the nation of bounty and peace of which he has been dreaming for so long.

This volume is a bit of an idyll as the Vikings find and start clearing the perfect spot to settle and make friendly first contact with the indigenous people who live there, the Mi'kmaq. But there are already little splinters happening amongst the Nords about division of land and the Mi'kmaq have reservations about the changes these colonizers are making to their beloved forest and concerns about how many more will be arriving on the next ship and the next one and all the ones thereafter.

Having begun so dark and swung around a full 180 degrees to hope and optimism, one can only await in dread for the story to come full circle as the inevitable end dictated by history approaches.

[Sud666 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 13th volume of Vinland Saga covers the Vikings settling in Vinland and the relationship theyhave with the Natives. While an interesting addition to the story and furthers the character development, there is not much happening here.
Perhaps the biggest thing is the Shamn's dreams which portend perhaps one or two more volumes before Vinland Saga is over?
Rather a boring volume, farming generally tends to be, but one needed to finish the story-let's hope this doesn't become an extended thing.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this so much!! An amazing end to an excellent series. Loved Thorfinn’s journey and Hild has a great arc to her character as well. I also appreciated how well Yukimura illustrated that Thorfinn’s dream to build a new kind of land, with good intentions of peace and prosperity for all, still have drastically destructive outcomes for the indigenous people already there. In the end, the reader is left with the question, of whether Thorfinn’s dream is built on a naive belief that people, given the chance will do better, while having the knowledge that they do not.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this gets a touch heavy-handed with the visions of the future (to be fair, the man was right), this is another historically accurate, hard-to-put-down installment. I really appreciate how much research Yukimura put into getting the Mi'kmaq language right and the effort to present the culture without stereotypes. It's so important, and so few people bother.

[marko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pred sam kraj poslednjeg omnibusa “Vinland Sage” pravo značenje reči “borac” isplivava na površinu.

Dijalog se vodi između Thorfinna i Hild.
Dijalog kulminira u rečenici koju Hild izgovara Thorfinnu.
Thorfinn je nakon nje u nemogućnosti da poveruje u ono što čuje.
U četiri odvojena panela on prvenstveno ostaje bez teksta.
On okreće glavu na desno, onda na levo, vraća pogled ka Hild i oči mu se pune suzama.
Zatim na panelu koji zauzima polovinu naredne stranice Thorfinn od sreće i olakšanja počinje da plače iz sve snage, da grca u suzama, a zatim pada na kolena.

Emocija je toliko jaka, kulminacija je toliko neopisivo snažna da je apsolutno nemoguće ne zaplakati. I to ne u smislu - pustiti suzu… Ne, ovde je u pitanju onaj ružan plač, kada vam se nos puni, suze padaju po papiru, a u ušima osećate pritisak.

Finale trinaest brojeva ekspolidra u jednom od najboljih krajeva koje sam ikada imao priliku da pročitam. A poslednji panel… To je perfektna slika u kojoj je cela Makotova (a isto tako i Thorfinnova) životna filozofija objedinjena na jednom mestu.

[Loay Mohammed · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s these kind of stories that keeps me engaged & hooked. Yukimura just doesn’t miss, the chapters are so fluid I can’t hold myself from reading the next. Although we are at the beginning of the final arc/saga but everything is building up perfectly. I have high hopes for Yukimura in the final arc and I can’t wait to see what & where the story goes from here.



Quick Note:
The last 10 pages of the volumes deserve a 5 minutes standing ovation.

[Lia Carstairs · Rating 5 out of 5]

HILD FORGAVE THORFINN I SOBBED

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

who knew a japanese manga about vikings would affect me so deeply? this could be categorized as a philosophical book tbh. what an amazing story about the praxis of pacifism. how true can one stay to the ideals of pacifism in a world that rewards violence with power? do the means really justify the ends? if peace is achieved with violence, is it truly peace? what are the alternatives to dependency on violence and power? the theme of pacifism is vinland saga is even more interesting considering that the author is from one of the biggest and most brutal imperialist powers in asia.

not to mention the gorgeous gorgeous art. after reading this, i started another manga and the art could not even compare. i fear the art in vinland saga may have ruined any other manga for me.

anyways, i could write essays and books about vinland saga. i cannot wait to see how this ends.

[Audrey S · Rating 4 out of 5]

solid installment. though the fact that they got new brunswick and nova scotia mixed up on a map makes me wonder just how accurate the illustrated portrayl of the Mi'kmaq is for the time period. the author's note in the back for the linguistics though appears to be really thoroughly done with the help of the Mi'kmaw Kina'matnewey organization - so that has me excited that such effort was made.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am just so proud of Thorfinn and the journey that he has taken us throughout this manga. We have seen him at his absolute worst and slowly overtime redefine himself into a man of honor. Truly some of the most captivating and powerful character work I have seen done in a while. 191 chapters later and we finally have the meaning of a true warrior and I am a sobbing mess.

[Kaity ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anytime Thorfinn does anything, I feel so proud :’) 4.5 stars!

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I guess this is the end of the collected editions in English? It's a good ending point if this is where I stop. What an incredible journey. Thorfinn's story arc was explored so thoughtfully. 5 stars start to finish.

[Fraser Simons · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good conclusion to something probably too-long coming. It does not really depict indigenous peoples that well, nor is it outright caricature. One of the weird problems with the volume is it is, at the same time, trying to bring a resolution to a character that doesn’t want physical conflict, while also trying to maintain narrative tension across an entire omnibus. It… kind of doesn’t work, for about half of it.

It implies that there’s some tension where there actually isn’t at multiple times. Some guys brought swords. The indigenous people, of course, can see visions of the future… but nothing happens with that. They make friends with them… but nothing really happens with that.

What it does nail, I think, is the overall, macro resolution concerning a couple characters. It was genuinely moving—hence the three stars. Otherwise, it sort of feels like one really, really long epilogue anime filler episode. And that spear kid never came back from last volume, what’s up with that?

Now, looking back on the entire series, was it worth the read? I think so. Someone who is much more invested in battle sequences will have enjoyed it more. Also, people who don’t mind the tonal shifts that come with manga, again, will help immensely.

But the larger story is unusual and interesting, as well as subversive of the genre. You would never have expected the story to be about what it is in the entire 7 first omnibuses, which is wild, and quite bold. It initially reads as just another manga marketed toward male teens, just with a different historical context applied to it. It then something far more nuanced, though not at all to be conflated with a really well rounded or literary take, on forgiveness, war, peace, religion, enslavement, and found family. It’s definitely trying, and sometimes succeeding, at a lot more than is typical, and I appreciated that about it.

[Darien Springer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great step in the right direction, volume 13 makes the story far more sociologically than psychologically focused to great effect. Much of the story depicts the Nords, led by Thorfinn, dealing with the logistics of sailing to and then cultivating a new, unfamiliar land. I really like the historical minutiae as logistics often bring out character. The Nords are constantly in debate about whether to prepare for war or whether to bet on peace. The Mi'kmaq people also do not know whether they should cooperate with the Nords or chase them off so that they do not bring war and destruction to their island. One of the elders even has a vision of mankind's violence eventually leading to the detonation of the atomic bomb- a sad reminder that, while Thorfinn's group might ultimately choose harmony with the Mi'kmaq, mankind as a whole will choose destruction.

The contrast between the relative peace in the volume and the hint of tragic violence makes it feel like a bittersweet epilogue. In a touching moment, Hild finally forgives Thorfinn and embraces him as he is wracked with sobs. Maybe all we can hope for in life is to achieve peace in our little sphere. The world is too large and too full of powerful people in conflict with each other. I am glad that Thorfinn, at least, can find some closure.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

That last chapter… just wow!

[David Codd · Rating 5 out of 5]

They finally saga the land of Vin. Good emotional moments at the end

[Altin · Rating 5 out of 5]

i'm not crying at all atm, not even one bit.

[Nate]

It’s been a bit since I read Vinland Saga. I remember thinking the last few volumes were slightly lesser than what came before (and I was disappointed the whole Greece trip was skipped entirely), but I still want to see the series to its conclusion. And I thought this one was great. Thorfinn and co. finally arrive in Vinland! They set up a small farming community, meet the natives, and begin trading and communicating with them. There is basically no violence in this volume, befitting Thorfinn’s vision; Yukimura provides many beautiful moments. His art is just fantastic here too, maybe the best it’s ever been.

Of course, things are simmering, like possible rebellion by a few members of Thorfinn’s group. And there’s the obvious historical fact of Europeans coming to the Americas (harrowingly foreseen in chapter 189), not to mention what happens to the real historical Thorfinn. But for now, things are good, and I really enjoyed catching up with these characters.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t explain how much I absolutely love this manga. The author has done such an incredible job of creating a driven main character with a unique viewpoint (a warrior who now seeks peace) while also offering supporting characters that have very different viewpoints, but aren’t “bad guys” or enemies. Yukimura-san is so talented.

[Blake the Book Eater · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series really makes me sit and ponder a lot of things. It wrestles with tough questions that aren’t easily answered. But wow this volume hit me like a punch to the gut. We see Thorfinn’s desire for a peaceful land start to finally come to fruition and it is nothing but cathartic. I just love this story so damn much and it’s so poignant and powerful and I’m gonna go cry in a corner now.

[Rodrigo Reyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely incredible series! Volume 13 exhibits why Vinland Saga is a must read. This volume has made me reflect on how far Thorfinn and his companions have come literally and spiritually.

[Svetlana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is this a last volume? I feel like the story can go on and on. One of the best I read this year. I really enjoyed it. All the volumes were equally good.
If this the last volume, I like that it finished on such optimistic and positive note.

[Bookbringer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

Loved the beautiful ending.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another one of my favorite series

[Erin Slezak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried… so hard at the end. And I don’t even know when the next volume will be out AAAAA

[Reggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man.

[David Halada · Rating 5 out of 5]

GOATed ending