Vinland Saga

S1. (75) Well drawn and animated, featuring interesting historical settings and political schemes, but the plot didn't grab me. Might be due to the rotating protagonist and a few hardly believable turn of events. EDIT - S2. (69) I understand where the author's coming from: he wanted the protagonist to become pacifist/opposed to revenge and the whole story to follow suit. Unfortunately farming and slavery are not that interesting to watch (at least far less than S1 events).

Well, I was curious how a Scandinavian story can be told in an anime setting; although it is a bit awkward (here and there they act like Edo era anime characters), overall the setting and the characters (particularly Askeladd and Thorkell) were interesting. The goriness of it had a point to it and the animation quality is high. It has some pacing problems as the story of Thorfinn slowly got absorbed by the Hamlet/Othello themes and comes to a very weak conclusion.

S1-74. Well animated, exciting, unpredictable. Occasionally edge-lordy, and the Canute turn around was a bit rushed. Overall unique and worthwhile. Wish the OPs and EDs were better!

I never thought I would ever see a tv show with a Christian message and view be done as well as it has been done here.

I was enjoying it but the Christianity, monarchist stuff and duels got a bit grating. Lost interest two episodes before the end of the first series.

one of the best animes out, s1 is mega exiting the whole way, s2 slows down just like red dead redemption with the john arc, its peaceful and nice as a precursor to big changes. its slow and sticks to the manga and has a great soundtrack

Liking the historical accuracy in the story, though Season 2 has been slower and less exciting. With modern anime targeting audiences in a much younger demographic, it's refreshing to have something a bit more mature, that mixes graphic violence with heady themes. Those themes and the messaging can be a bit misplaced at times, but it shouldn't detract from what will surely go down as one of the greats.

I was pretty interested in the central character relationship, Thorfinn and Askeladd's deadly enmity turned revenge mission turned bizarro mentorship. But when the show expanded outward to wider cast of characters and the King of England stuff my interest dropped sharply, like, over the edge of a cliff sharply. I already saw the TV show Vikings, don't much need an animated Cliffs Notes version of it.

'Real warriors' are pacifists; apparently.

(Finished June 24)