Vinland Saga (2019)

[ヴィンランド・サガ]

Season 1

Director: Shuhei Yabuta
Studio: Wit Studio
Starring: Yuto Uemura, Naoya Uchida, Hiroki Yasumoto
Episodes: 24

Synopsis:
The son of a famed Viking warrior travels with a pirate crew in a bid to avenge his father.

Impressions:
I can remember this series catching my eye on the bookshelves, so I was curious to check it out when it came to the small screen. You don't normally see historical fiction like this coming out of Japan and I was quite impressed with the considerable attention to detail. Yes, there's a fair bit of dramatic license, but if you're a student of medieval history (and/or the sagas), you'll find a lot to be happy with. While not quite full-bore, this is nevertheless a rather dark and unflinching look at the brutality of the period. The characters are quite engaging, particularly Askeladd and Thorkell (the latter is especially great, smiling like Totoro as he throws himself into battle, all with a delightfully hammy performance by Akio Otsuka). The production values are fairly high and the action scenes are quite well done. Definitely see it, and I'd argue it's worth adding to the collection.

Rating:
Own It