Scan barcode
A review by frasersimons
Vinland Saga, Volume 13 by Makoto Yukimura
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
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.
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.