When we talk about what constitutes a great cinematic universe, opinions always differ. Some like it realistic, whilst others don't. Some like the story fast paced, whilst others don't. Some like the characters being original and grounded in a sense of reality, whilst others prefer the generic, more idealistic, style of character that's more grounded in fantasy.
I, for one, prefer a realistic setting with relatable characters that develop in an understandable way given the realistic circumstances. I also like it at a pace that keeps the story interesting, whilst also not rushing it making the story feel underdeveloped and difficult to comprehend.
This anime has got it all. Everything from the historical aspects, to how it establishes its cast, all the way to the wide array of emotions it's managed to surge within me during such a short amount of time, is just phenomenal...and we're only five episodes in. Also, don't even get me started on the animation quality and the splendid use of CGI.
This is how CGI's supposed to be used to make an animated story feel real. This, is amazing.
Making characters feel realistic and relatable, whilst also grounding them in a story that's only been on for 100 minutes, give or take, is amazing. Movies can do this, because they "only" need a crescendo like build up that's more often than not really fast paced, and end it all with a climax built up from the accumulated emotions of the main character. A television series needs to do all of that, and at the same time also keep the viewer interested through a much slower pace.
An amazing example of how Vinland Saga handles character grounding came from episode four of this series. Seeing Thors handling the situation at hand the way he did felt realistic, because of how the series already had developed him as a character. Some might argue his ideals were naive, and I might agree, but that doesn't make his actions feel any less real.
But, forget about Thors and his ideals for a second. Forget the fantastic animation quality of the episode and lets for the love of God forget how unrealistic it actually is to jump ten meters straight.
Let's focus on Askeladd. We'd already seen a glimpse of him during the previous episode, where he shows up and immediately establishes himself as the slippery kind of crook guy that doesn't hesitate to step on any kind of honor to get what he wants. What's truly amazing about this next episode is seeing Askeladd handling Thors and their diametrical ideals confronting one another. The respect Askeladd managed to feel for a man whose view of the world really is his polar opposite, as well as the complex array of emotions he felt during the episode just added another level of layer to his character.
That's grounding a character in a story, and that's doing it in just one episode. That, is superb.
I've seen some compare this to Attack on Titan, and I get it. A main character that's growing through a search for revenge and all that jazz. The series I'd like to compare this to would rather be early Berserk and early Game of Thrones, though. The fact that these two shows were able to build a believable universe with an intriguing plot during such a short period of time with relatable emotions built upon actual realism is what made them true masterpieces.
I'm not saying Vinland Saga will ascend. I'm not even saying it will keep on delivering.
I'm saying it's already a masterpiece.
This anime has got it all. Everything from the historical aspects, to how it establishes its cast, all the way to the wide array of emotions it's managed to surge within me during such a short amount of time, is just phenomenal...and we're only five episodes in. Also, don't even get me started on the animation quality and the splendid use of CGI.
This is how CGI's supposed to be used to make an animated story feel real. This, is amazing.
Making characters feel realistic and relatable, whilst also grounding them in a story that's only been on for 100 minutes, give or take, is amazing. Movies can do this, because they "only" need a crescendo like build up that's more often than not really fast paced, and end it all with a climax built up from the accumulated emotions of the main character. A television series needs to do all of that, and at the same time also keep the viewer interested through a much slower pace.
An amazing example of how Vinland Saga handles character grounding came from episode four of this series. Seeing Thors handling the situation at hand the way he did felt realistic, because of how the series already had developed him as a character. Some might argue his ideals were naive, and I might agree, but that doesn't make his actions feel any less real.
But, forget about Thors and his ideals for a second. Forget the fantastic animation quality of the episode and lets for the love of God forget how unrealistic it actually is to jump ten meters straight.
Let's focus on Askeladd. We'd already seen a glimpse of him during the previous episode, where he shows up and immediately establishes himself as the slippery kind of crook guy that doesn't hesitate to step on any kind of honor to get what he wants. What's truly amazing about this next episode is seeing Askeladd handling Thors and their diametrical ideals confronting one another. The respect Askeladd managed to feel for a man whose view of the world really is his polar opposite, as well as the complex array of emotions he felt during the episode just added another level of layer to his character.
That's grounding a character in a story, and that's doing it in just one episode. That, is superb.
I've seen some compare this to Attack on Titan, and I get it. A main character that's growing through a search for revenge and all that jazz. The series I'd like to compare this to would rather be early Berserk and early Game of Thrones, though. The fact that these two shows were able to build a believable universe with an intriguing plot during such a short period of time with relatable emotions built upon actual realism is what made them true masterpieces.
I'm not saying Vinland Saga will ascend. I'm not even saying it will keep on delivering.
I'm saying it's already a masterpiece.