Vinland Saga

 Anime Vikings!  Or actually, an anime about vikings, so what can be bad about this.

Well, not much if I go by how it is scoring at MAL for example, so let's dive in.

Thors is a mighty viking warrior, who has settled down in Iceland with his family after a fierce naval battle.  They tell their children the sagas of how it came to transpire why they moved here, and the reasons behind it, when one day he finds a gravely wounded, escaped slave outside.

he takes him in and nurtures him, when his master appears.  Thors bargains a deal for the slave's freedom, even though his daughter Ylva doesn`t agree.

In Northumbria, a settlement is razed by the english, killing everyone including the women and children.  In iceland, a warship berths carrying the Jomsvikings, who bow to Thors.  Led by Floki, they came on order of the King of the Danes to bring Thors back to battle, as the king, who's sister was in the settlement, plans on vengeance against the english.  While reluctant, other villagers revell at the chance to find glory on the battlefield.

But Floki has asked Askeladd to kill Thors for personal reasons.  While on route, Thors discovers his son Thorfinn has stowed away on his ship.  Arriving at the Faroer Islands, they are caught in a trap set by Askeladd.  Thors attacks the first of the enemy vessels, quickly taking out some warriors and the berserker.  He beats them all, including Askeladd in a duel, but is forced to let himself be killed to save his family and village, asking Askeladd to retreat, and Leif the merchant to birng his head to the chief of the Jomsvikings to prevent his people being prosecuted.  

But Thorfinn has hidden himself on the vessel, and vows to kill them all.  Askeladd decides to take him on and train him never the less, seeing the ferocity of his father in the child's eyes.  As they set sail, Thorfinns joins them on the ship, having learned lessons in the wilds, as they arrive in England.  During a skirmish, Askeladd saves his life, as he also takes his first.  Growing up on the battlefield, he is found a few years later by villagers, wounded from an arrow.  They nurse him to health, calling him John and protecting him from capture.  But he lights a beacon for the vikings to arrive and kills the soldiers in the process.  Seeing he hurt the woman that found him, it makes him doubts his way for an instant.  

 

But he continues to live the violent life of a Viking, becoming more skilled with the passing year, still burned on getting a duel with Askeladd to avenge his father.  He has the upperhand at first but gets worked up by Askeladd's verbal taunting, dropping his guard and losing the duel.  He sees his father in his dreams, who tells him to find his own way.

The danish king Sweyn starts his invasion of England, making smooth progress until stalling near Londonium.  Here, a huge viking mercenary captain stalls the advance, and while Thorfinns can wound him, he is defeated though gaining the respect of the captain.  The viking army withdraws, instead setting way to Wessex.  In a three way encounter, Askeladd plans to catch the prince Canute, and gain a high reward as such for ransoming.  Thorfinn manages to bring the prince, but when he removes his helmet, they are greeted by the face of the princess instead... This is due to his weak and effimate physique, constantly hiding behind his retainer Ragnar.  

 

Askeladd and his warriors travel through England, bartering for passage along the way.   Thorfinn manages to tickle Canute enough that he actually talks to someone else then Ragnar.  Canute is thought dead by the king though, while actually in hiding, but king Sweyn isn`t to eager to send help before spring.  Ragnar is killed by Askeladd's orders, to have young Canute be able to bloom into himself.  Askeladd does promise the dying Ragnar he will protect Canute, as Ragnar reveals the political game playing behind the scenes at Jelling between factions supporting Canute, and those following Harald, with King Sweyn probably out to kill Canute.

 

Attacked, both Askeladd and his right hand man Bjorn are about to fall in defence of the prince, when Thorkell, that huge viking captain from Londonium that has been following them arrives.   Thorfinn arrives, challenging the huge viking to a duel as he won`t allow him to touch his personal target, Askeladd.  Ragnar comes in a dream to Canute, appologising for raising him more as his son then as the Jarl his father the king wanted, but Canute retorts this has always what he had wanted and made him happy.  Talking to a priest, he has a revelation about the meaning of life and the path that he must walk.

 

Thorfinn learns that not only Thorkell is his great-uncle, but also the one that let Thors escape with his wife and child.   During the duel, Thorfinn manages to knock Thorkell over, as Canute arrives at the field of the duel.  Thorkell thorws his lot in with prince Canute who plans on marching against his father.  Coming before the king in his hall, Canute tells him he comes for the throne.  He taunts his father, as Askeladd interferes on the prince's behalf.  

When he meets Leif the trader again after all this years, Leif is amazed by how harsh and brutal the once cheerfull child has become.  Bjorn, grieviously wounded in the past battle, engages Askeladd in a duel in order to leave this world and go to Valhalla, and Askeladd admitting on Bjorn's dying breath he was his only friend in life.  After defeating Thorfinn for a third time in a duel, he tells him and Canute his true origins, and where his nickname Askeladd, meaning covered in ash, came from.  Born from a slave girl and a viking lord, he worked his way up to have his father note him when he wanted to kill his mother, and once trained murdered his father.

 

But when the king orders an invasion of Wales, Askeladd is distressed as he wants to do all he can to safeguard those lands, starting to think of ways to prevent this.  Leif tells Thorfinn that upon his honor, he will bring him back to Iceland as his debt to Thors.   he tells him about Vinland, green pastures his father wanted to set sail to.  Askeladd is set before the choice of either Canute or Wales, and in reply swears to the king he will take the crown of the head of the king and crown another.  As the others want to interfere, he beheads the king for shaming his family and country, making Canute the new king, who condemns him for murdering the king!  This is a rouse though, to take the blame for the kill and not Canute in order to save both the prince and Wales at his own sacrifice.

So this was a good show to watch, and featured pretty cool character arcs as well as great animation.  This is one series I won`t be waiting to long with to watch the second season and see how it all fangs out for sure!