Manga Review: Vinland Saga, Omnibus 1, by Makoto Yukimura

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: October 2013

Volumes: 14+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

FOR HONOR AND VENGEANCE

As a child, Thorfinn sat at the feet of the great Leif Ericson and thrilled to wild tales of a land far to the west. But his youthful fantasies were shattered by a mercenary raid. Raised by the Vikings who murdered his family, Thorfinn became a terrifying warrior, forever seeking to kill the band's leader, Askeladd, and avenge his father. Sustaining Throfinn through his ordeal are his pride in his family and his dreams of a fertile westward land, a land without war or slavery...the land Leif called Vinland.

Review:

I have heard a lot of good things about this series, so of course I had to pick up a volume. It is definitely a pretty volume, hardcover with color pages—very nice to look at and hold. That in itself has made me want to collect the series.

The first chapter did not really pull me in, to be honest. It mostly had me confused—and I’m not sure if that was getting thrown into the Vikings world so fast, or if I just wasn’t in the right mindset. Because I took a break before reading any more of the volume, and when I got back to it, I was pretty hooked.

The artwork is very pretty, and very realistic. And going with that, the Vikings are pretty brutal. They’re violent, and they’re not afraid to be.

We meet a few characters at the beginning of the volume, mainly Thorfinn and Askeladd. Thorfinn is a young adult, and he’s a mentally wounded guy out for revenge. Askeladd is the leader of his troop, and a very strong warrior. And then we get thrown back to Thorfinn’s past, and we meet his family and see why he’s so wounded inside.

And honestly, I really enjoyed reading Thorfinn’s past. It’s very real, and heartfelt, and also horrible. His family and his village is great, and I really hope that we get to see more of them, especially his sister Ylva.

That arc seems to end at the end of this volume, and I am really interested to see where the story goes next. There are a lot of possibilities for the plot, and I’m excited. I’m impressed, and looking forward to picking up the next volume.