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REVIEW: Vinland Saga GN 7




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Doodleboy



Joined: 23 Dec 2013
Posts: 296
PostPosted: Thu Jan 21, 2016 3:54 pm Reply with quote
Ylva's violence didn't bother me because it was slapstick.

I was more bothered by Arnheid's fate to be honest. One of the first female characters in Vinland Saga and quite a well-written one (liked her speech on how she wants to avoid male violence). spoiler[But in the end she gets killed partially to motivate Einar.].

Ketil's transformation is a bit fast. But I don't mind? He may have treated Thorfinn and Einar fairly for the period but he way he treated and perceived Arnheid was incredibly cruel and dehumanizing even before he resorted to violence. He's not an "evil" man, but he is a weak one, and his weakness causes him to lash out in violence once he starts losing control.

The end of the Canute arc was a bit anti-climatic. But I liked how the ocean speech was an actual speech the historical Canute gave to his vikings.
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Sir Daniel Fortesque



Joined: 04 Jul 2013
Posts: 236
PostPosted: Thu Jan 21, 2016 9:12 pm Reply with quote
The negatives are a bit dumb.

"Cons: Some people might not like it because everyone has different tastes. "
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Merida



Joined: 21 Feb 2012
Posts: 1946
PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2016 2:01 am Reply with quote
Doodleboy wrote:
Ylva's violence didn't bother me because it was slapstick.


Agreed.

I know there's been a lot of whining from certain fanboys about the manga having become "boring" or Thorfinn not being "badass" anymore, but for me the "farm arc" was the first time i actually started to like Thorfinn. Before he was just another revenge-driven brat and honestly, i've had enough of those by now, so there were plenty of more complex and interesting characters like Askeladd. But with this arc i really started to love Thorfinn and began to look forward to acompany him on his journey.
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Princess_Irene
ANN Reviewer


Joined: 16 Dec 2008
Posts: 2652
Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City
PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2016 7:41 am Reply with quote
I agree - this is the arc that made Thorfinn a character worth following. I think it's really all part of Yukimura's violence statement - readers have to realize that Thorfinn's basically a one-note character at first, which is a risk given the prevalence of "bloodiest = strongest and best" in shounen (and some seinen) manga.

That's why I brought up Ylva's slapstick humor. Granted, it is an occupational hazard for me to overanalyze literature, but it feels at odds with Yukimura's stated goal of exploring the use of violence in manga. That doesn't mean that it should bother us, but maybe it's worth thinking about?

/English prof
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Northlander



Joined: 10 Feb 2009
Posts: 911
PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2016 10:13 am Reply with quote
People who think Torfinn is boring because he's not a badass anymore couldn't possibly have failed to understand the main drive of the plot any harder if they had actually tried. The way Vinland Saga deals with the topic of violence is actually rather refreshing,

Kind of wish I remembered the name of that movie I watched a long time ago, where two sons of two different families have to deal with being involved in a family blood feud when they'd much rather be friends.
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gedata



Joined: 04 May 2013
Posts: 617
PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2016 6:11 pm Reply with quote
Princess_Irene wrote:
That's why I brought up Ylva's slapstick humor. Granted, it is an occupational hazard for me to overanalyze literature, but it feels at odds with Yukimura's stated goal of exploring the use of violence in manga. That doesn't mean that it should bother us, but maybe it's worth thinking about?

/English prof


Maybe because she doesn't share Thorfinn's ideals?
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Percival King
Banned User


Joined: 20 Dec 2015
Posts: 51
PostPosted: Sat Jan 23, 2016 12:41 am Reply with quote
*sigh*

It's too bad. This could actually be the last volume we'll get. I've recently caught up with the series, and it's just f*cking grand.

The last time I enjoyed a manga this much is a toss up between Monster and Shin Angyo Onshi.
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Kirkdawg
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Joined: 07 May 2006
Posts: 742
Location: California, USA
PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 1:16 pm Reply with quote
Those negatives are nit picking to the maximum - "violence is a bit toned down" - well yes that's intentional. Yukimura is shifting the theme of this story to make a strong statement on violence. A theme that isn't said all that often in the world of manga.

I'm quite thrilled about the direction this series is going in. Canute's sudden reversal pleasantly surprised me as well, I thought he would double down on his quest for power. I'm curious what his next move will be to achieve his vision of paradise.
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Northlander



Joined: 10 Feb 2009
Posts: 911
PostPosted: Tue Feb 21, 2017 4:52 pm Reply with quote
Well, the series seems to be continuing. I recently ordered vol. 8, and I could see that vol. 9 was put up for preorder too, so... hooray?
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