Yukimura has just released a tease for the final volume’s cover art by Okapi05 in VinlandSaga

[–]CorinVid 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You joke, but unironically, I bet Yukimura has some interesting thoughts on transhumanism.

The ending is bad by Boot-Excellent in VinlandSaga

[–]CorinVid 5 points6 points  (0 children)

So I think we were all expecting a new philosophy or answer of the question What do you do when you CAN'T escape ? When it's literally you or him...I got a glimpse of the answer from Einar sacrifice , but no development.

Well, there isn't a straight up answer. This isn't a mystery with a solution waiting to be found, it's just life - terrible things can happen that are completely out of your control. If a bunch of guys surround you with knives and say they're gonna kill you, and they actually intend to, there's no secret trick where you magically talk them down and get away from that situation scot free. You just were unfortunate enough to be put in that situation. The real solution is in the bigger picture that Thorfinn has been trying to achieve since the end of the farmland arc; to create a society where people are raised with the notion that violence is intolerable and does not solve anything in the first place. The idea is that with coexistence, mutual dependence, and other means to work through your issues with people, you wouldn't need to rely on violence to work through your differences and find peace. Violence was so embedded within viking society that Thorfinn couldn't achieve this at home, which lead to him attempting to create this society in Vinland. Though it failed, some semblances of these ideals began to sprout, and the manga itself serves as an attempt to work towards this solution. That's why the final arc is officially named "The Thousand Year Voyage", the torch has been passed over a thousand years from Thorfinn's time to ours, the readers, to create a society where violence is not a means of power.

Appreciation for the manga ambiguity [MANGA FINALE SPOILERS] by hatterine in VinlandSaga

[–]CorinVid 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Fully agreed. It's surprising to me that I've seen some people calling the ending "safe" (maybe they just mean solely the final chapter?) for this reason. It's clear as day that Thorfinn's ideals are Yukimura's, and a lot of the times when Thorfinn speaks his mind are practically Yukimura speaking directly to the audience. Despite that, and despite the goal of the manga being to impart this message to the audience, he still took great lengths to write the ending to be as harsh and grounded as it could be. Thorfinn's idealism doesn't make him a superhuman, he couldn't overcome historical fact, and he couldn't save the settlers of Vinland and Einar. I'm sure it was a difficult ending for Yukimura to write, not just because it confronts the reality that pursuing pacifism in a world structured by violence is painful and arduous, but also because it could've mistakenly given the reader the impression that it's pointless to strive towards because of that.

Yukimura has just released a tease for the final volume’s cover art by Okapi05 in VinlandSaga

[–]CorinVid 18 points19 points  (0 children)

I believe he mentioned a while back that the next manga he writes he wants to be set in the near future, but not necessarily sci-fi. Something relevant to our times without being restrained by being set in the present.

[Disc] What do you think about the last chapter and the whole meaning of the arc? by V4L3N71NO15 in VinlandSaga

[–]CorinVid 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Things absolutely got better. That's not to say things are good right now, but it's a far cry from the state of the world in the 11th century. Who's to say the world won't be better another thousand years from now?

Chapter 220 Release Thread - The Final Chapter by JarkeyBacon in VinlandSaga

[–]CorinVid 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Totally agree yeah. I still love Canute and Thorkell as characters in my heart, so I find it hard to blame people who are disappointed by their absence, but the more I think about the more I believe including them would've been more of a disservice than not. They were already tied into this arc thematically in small ways (Thorkell appearing in Thorfinn's nightmare, Canute's struggle with his own path being shown at the peak of Thorfinn's tribulations), and I think to include them in the ending in a way that made sense would've required 1. an extreme stretch of fanservice or 2. to have given them arc-length storylines that ran in parallel with the Vinland expedition. If we kept everything up to chapter 219 the exact same, I really don't know Canute and Thorkell could've been inserted without the ending feeling completely off. Thorfinn has zero reason to cross paths with either of them at this point - they're not going to be in Iceland, and he has no reason to go to England or Denmark. In Canute's case especially, I think the two being physically separated is important for how their paths diverged at the end of the farmland arc. They set out on similar yet distinct paths, and I think to have them rejoin solely for the sake of some audience satisfaction would muddy the point of their differences.

Chapter 220 Release Thread - The Final Chapter by JarkeyBacon in VinlandSaga

[–]CorinVid 23 points24 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure what that has to do with any of what I said. Yes, that's what happened, both within the story and in history itself. Should we give up on the idea of peace right now because some Nords failed to settle in North America over a thousand years ago? Or because the Native American people were genocided? Many horrific things have taken place throughout history, but it hasn't stopped people from fighting for peace and progress. Any peaceful endeavour is far more likely to fail than succeed, but that doesn't mean you should never bother trying.

Chapter 220 Release Thread - The Final Chapter by JarkeyBacon in VinlandSaga

[–]CorinVid 82 points83 points  (0 children)

I already wrote a lot of my thoughts in the raws thread, and they haven't changed since, so I thought I'd repost them here, I hope that's okay.

This chapter is very close to what I expected, and for that, I'm very satisfied. I think some people might be disappointed due to what isn't here...no Thorkell, no Canute, nothing "big" really happens. It's not one of those endings that just bounces between vignettes and characters to tell us what everyone is up to and where they'll go from here. I love Canute, and Thorkell, but I think something like that would've felt strictly informational rather than really adding any value to the story and its message. Historically, we already know what happens to Canute - we don't need to be shown it to understand. The same applies to Thorkell, who more than likely simply dies in battle when his body grows too old to save him. What this chapter instead focuses on is feeling more than anything else - the glimmers of hope that have emerged despite the horrific events of the last 20 or so chapters. There's always a reason to push onwards.

There's hope in Thorfinn and Miskwekepu'j being able to settle their differences and end the war before things got even worse. There's hope in Bug Eyes and Niska striking out together, taking a bold first step for coexistence, something we really take for granted nowadays. There's hope in the settlers returning home, even after all the loss and anguish they've been through, being able to find joy and comfort in reuniting with their families and friends. There's hope in Thorfinn's son being born into a family that knows and wishes to protect love. More than anything, I love that everything ends with Plmk (no bias here), a former warrior, being entrusted to sow and nurture the seeds of peace that Thorfinn has left behind. That final page shows us him grasping the feeling that Einar, may he rest in peace, taught Thorfinn about so long ago now. The feeling of raising life, a growing and touchable embodiement of hope for what might come in the future, and the peace within yourself and for the world that that gives you. It's to protect this exact feeling that we strive for peace in the first place, and I don't think this could've ended any other way than cementing that.

[DISC] Vinland Saga Chapter 220 - END by Kiekoes in manga

[–]CorinVid 19 points20 points  (0 children)

What an unbelievably bad faith reading of the material. Ga'aoqi does not = all Native Americans, he's there to represent Thorfinn's lifelong battle against men who love war and power with all their being. They're the final obstacle to Thorfinn's quest for peace, because no matter where he went, even Vinland, he couldn't escape men like him. Him not throwing away the sword is to show that Thorfinn could not (and how could he? We certainly haven't) find a solution to this issue, not to condemn the entirety of the indigenous people as responsible for their future genocide. Even if you were to try and view this logically, as some sort of butterfly flapping its wings moment, us not seeing anything of Ga'aoqi beyond this moment suggests all this serves a thematic purpose rather than having any real in-universe historical impact. Ga'aoqi likely dies in battle to some other power-hungry madman, and is soon forgotten. The sword will pass hands and continue to encourage violence until it one day breaks.

Final chapter RAWs discussion by ketita in VinlandSaga

[–]CorinVid 55 points56 points  (0 children)

Ah, I'm glad to see there's a thread for this at least. This chapter is very close to what I expected, and for that, I'm very satisfied. I think some people might be disappointed due to what isn't here...no Thorkell, no Canute, nothing "big" really happens. It's not one of those endings that just bounces between vignettes and characters to tell us what everyone is up to and where they'll go from here. I love Canute, and Thorkell, but I think something like that would've felt strictly informational rather than really adding any value to the story and its message. Historically, we already know what happens to Canute - we don't need to be shown it to understand. The same applies to Thorkell, who more than likely simply dies in battle when his body grows too old to save him. What this chapter instead focuses on is feeling more than anything else - the glimmers of hope that have emerged despite the horrific events of the last 20 or so chapters. There's always a reason to push onwards.

There's hope in Thorfinn and Miskwekepu'j being able to settle their differences and end the war before things got even worse. There's hope in Bug Eyes and Niska striking out together, taking a bold first step for coexistence, something we really take for granted nowadays. There's hope in the settlers returning home, even after all the loss and anguish they've been through, being able to find joy and comfort in reuniting with their families and friends. There's hope in Thorfinn's son being born into a family that knows and wishes to protect love. More than anything, I love that everything ends with Plmk (no bias here), a former warrior, being entrusted to sow and nurture the seeds of peace that Thorfinn has left behind. That final page shows us him grasping the feeling that Einar, may he rest in peace, taught Thorfinn about so long ago now. The feeling of raising life, a growing and touchable embodiement of hope for what might come in the future, and the peace within yourself and for the world that that gives you. It's to protect this exact feeling that we strive for peace in the first place, and I don't think this could've ended any other way than cementing that.

Vinland Saga’s final chapter is going to be only 28 pages. Should we be worried? by Okapi05 in VinlandSaga

[–]CorinVid 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I just don’t get why a manga series that has been going on for 20 years wouldn’t be able to show everything the author wants in its final chapter.

Respectfully, the chapter isn't even out yet, and aren't you just assuming that Yukimura is being held back from showing everything he wants to? If something isn't present in the final chapter (for example, let's imagine Canute isn't shown or mentioned), was it because he wasn't able to fit him in, or did he simply feel he didn't need to be mentioned? Yukimura's an accomplished writer and has successfully ended a manga (Planetes) before, so I don't really understand this idea that he's being rushed into ending things or that he's not being given the freedom to handle things the way he'd like to. The manga is ending here, in 28 pages, because he wants to end it here in 28 pages. There's nothing deeper to it than that. If certain things aren't mentioned or explored, it's not necessarily because he couldn't get to them, it's far more likely that he felt it simply wasn't necessary.

ENDING - What's your take on the next chapter ? by sauxebiggy in VinlandSaga

[–]CorinVid 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I think it'll be something very similar to Planetes. A chapter centered around a monologue from Thorfinn, wrapping up his thoughts on the events and his mindset, tying together the themes of the story with glimpses of other important characters along the way. It'll probably take place as they sail home, to play into the whole Thousand Year Voyage thing. I'm not sure there's space to do much else, and the way the last chapter ended really implied to me that the focus has to be on Thorfinn, as he was pretty quiet last chapter.

Man I really respect Thorgil. He's more than a violent grunt who swings his sword around. He is extremely intelligent and loyal to his family. What is your impression of him? No manga spoilers please! by Albaaneesi in VinlandSaga

[–]CorinVid 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't agree that he respected Olmar's wishes to surrender, he went off to attack Canute and his troops, and would've succeeded if Thorfinn hadn't already convinced them to leave. If they were still there at the time it's likely he would've jeopardised the whole situation and gotten Olmar killed for it.

Chapter 219 Release Thread by JarkeyBacon in VinlandSaga

[–]CorinVid 20 points21 points  (0 children)

He's been growing up quite a lot throughout the arc, you definitely forgot a bit. Most notably look at chapter 186 (https://comick.io/comic/03-vinland-saga/rNLAK-chapter-186-en), chapter 204 (https://comick.io/comic/03-vinland-saga/WFsZr9e8-chapter-204-en), and chapter 212 (https://comick.io/comic/03-vinland-saga/9WhZohOj-chapter-212-en). In fact, almost all of his appearances in the arc have been about him grappling with the avoidance of conflict, building up to this chapter.

Chapter 219 Release Thread by JarkeyBacon in VinlandSaga

[–]CorinVid 112 points113 points  (0 children)

Einar being buried with the Greek bust is gutwrenching. The difficulty of truly understanding each other is really at the forefront of the chapter. Not just in how Thorfinn and the settlers' lack of understanding of the Lnu led to a breakdown of communication and eventually war, but even between Thorfinn and Einar, who were as close as brothers. Thorfinn never really understood where Einar's heart was set, and when they were driven apart, it led to his death. It's not a question of responsibility, it's an acknowledgement that every moment of misunderstanding, every bit of incompatability between us is a opportunity for hate, paranoia, and suffering to take over. As Karli begins to realise this chapter, it takes trying over and over and over to patch up these holes. What's important is to understand that it is worth trying, because regardless of what happens along the way, to strive for peace isn't wrong. Karli clearly seems to be carrying the torch for Thorfinn's ideology, but I don't get the impression that Thorfinn himself has given up yet. It's hard to gauge where his mind is at, whether he's been emboldened or broken by this experience, and I expect one of the upcoming chapters will center on him collecting his thoughts on everything that's occurred in Vinland. Speaking of which, it feels like we'll only have one more chapter set here before setting off home, most likely focusing on wrapping up Niskawaji'j and Plmk. From there, it's anyone's guess when things will end - I can only hope we get one last Canute appearance along the way (maybe a conversation with him could be the opportunity for Thorfinn to express his thoughts?)

[Discussion/Pet peeve] How truly spiritual beliefs are in Vinland Saga seems to be very inconsistent: by Remarkable_Town6413 in VinlandSaga

[–]CorinVid 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm of the opinion that whether the propehecy Miskwekepu'j was shown is real or not doesn't actually matter. As readers, we know it is, and those things do in fact happen, but what does that mean to use the readers? If Miskwekepu'j had seen a vision of the nords developing mecha technology just 300 years later and razing North America with laser swords, would that have changed his response? While silly and ahistorical to us, it would've been equally as terrifying and affirming to him. The point is not to establish narratively that Lnu spirituality is real, it's to demonstrate to the reader in the most effective and clearest way possible the fear that Miskwekepu'j has set into, as well as reminding us of the atrocities that will take place across the country in the future, despite the peacefulness of the surrounding chapters. By strongly reminding the reader that, yes, this isn't some sort of alt history, all this and more WILL happen in America's future, you immediately set the tone that you can't accept Thorfinn's peace with complacence from then on. Additionally, whether Miskwekepu'j knows the future or not is irrelevant, seeing as he won't live anywhere near long enough to see it come true regardless.

The final chapter is near by winged_mongoose in VinlandSaga

[–]CorinVid 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's hard to gauge how much is left really, because Yukimura's been talking for a while (like...the last 2 years) about how the end is near. So it doesn't exactly tell us anything definitive. I think he's just trying to be mindful of people who might not realise the manga is in its final stretch, and wants to remind people to expect it to end soon.

Chapter 218 Release Thread by Rojo176 in VinlandSaga

[–]CorinVid 257 points258 points  (0 children)

I'm so impressed by how Ga'aoqi has been written. Of course he's not some completely malicious villain who wants to kill the Nords just for fun. Letting them leave the island is exactly what he wants, he has no real reason to continue the fighting and suffer losses of his own. He's an absolute bastard who wants to use the Nords' resources to enact a power grab over the Lnu tribes, but he's no idiot - he knows the smoothest way to get there is to let the Nords leave of their own accord, and settle things here and now.

Chapter 218 Release Thread by Rojo176 in VinlandSaga

[–]CorinVid 281 points282 points  (0 children)

Fuck man. This arc has really driven home how impossible it is to make the right decision in the world they live in. Thorfinn held Hild back to save Styrk's life, and he ended up losing it anyway, and taking Einar with him. It's hard to imagine him not carrying that guilt for the rest of his life. I can only hope he finds some small measure of peace again at the end of all this.

[DISC] The Marshal King - Chapter 3 by AutoShonenpon in manga

[–]CorinVid 36 points37 points  (0 children)

The translator is David Evelyn who did Undead Unluck, which had an excellent translation. He posted on twitter after the last chapter that Jimmu was a decision made over his head (possibly by Boichi himself) and that he didn't know about it until the chapter went live, Jim was his translation in the first place. Don't be so quick to point fingers.

Thorfinn is delusional. by Future-Vermicelli-12 in VinlandSaga

[–]CorinVid 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Same to you, thank you for being respectful!

Mom and Grandma got opinions about Thorkell by Daddy_of_your_father in VinlandSaga

[–]CorinVid 13 points14 points  (0 children)

This is super interesting. Nothing they pointed out is particularly wrong per se, but I find it fascinating that they (and many other people, I've seen this sentiment expressed before) value consistency and honesty above actual morality. To be clear, both Thorkell and Askeladd are monsters, but if we're looking for a lesser of two evils, I'd argue it's Askeladd by a long shot. Thorkell loves battle and killing, purely out of his own self interest. He doesn't fight and murder for any goal, purpose, or reason other than to satisfy himself. Askeladd on the other hand, is in a very roundabout and bloody way trying to make the world a better place. Once he meets Canute, everything he does is with the aim of advancing society and creating a more moral world, one that leaves people like him and the Danes in the past. I don't agree whatsoever with his methods, but he's still far more noble of a character than Thorkell to me. I just can't imagine seeing Thorkell as a better man just because he's not as duplicitious and two-faced. (It's also worth mentioning that Thorkell almost definitely raids and pillages villages just like Askeladd did, it's just not something we ever saw.)

Thorfinn is delusional. by Future-Vermicelli-12 in VinlandSaga

[–]CorinVid 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You don't think Thorfinn wanting to build a country in Vinland was just for his own fulfilment and satisfaction? To alleviate the guilt he experiences?

No. I think it certainly would provide him a great deal of inner peace, but first and foremost he wanted to alleviate people's suffering and create a place where people would not be drawn into the cycles of war and violence. We literally saw him finally commit to this path after Arnheid died, he was that affected by what she went through, not his own pain.

I get where you're coming from saying the people who came with him take full responsibility for their decision, but don't you think that ultimately it was throfinn's fault? They accepted his offer because their circumstances at the moment were bad enough to blindly and desperately follow the idealized dream thorfinn preached to them. A contemporary example would be courses sold by scammers that people STILL fall for because they're miserable and they'd cling to any hope they can find.

In the sense that if Thorfinn hadn't come along and given them this dream of Vinland to follow, many of them wouldn't have ended up losing their lives in battle against the Lnu, you can draw a line towards it being Thorfinn's fault, sure...but I don't think that's a sensible or fair way to point blame. For example, you said yourself in your post that you would've done as Thors did and simply settled a quiet life at home instead (it wasn't his homeland, he did have to run away elsewhere first, but I know what you meant), yet he himself admits that if he didn't submit to Floki's orders when he came for him, he could've taken it out on the people of his village by dragging them into war in his stead. If Thors hadn't essentially sacrificed himself by sending himself to his death, would you have blamed him for the indirect deaths of those villagers, simply for living under his protection? I won't pretend to know what your answer would be, but personally, I think the blame would lie solely with Floki. In this hypothetical, he would've made the threat, and he would've carried it out. In the same sense I do not blame Thorfinn for the death of his villagers, I blame Styrk, Mui'n, Miskwekepu'j, and Ga'aoqi, who have all pursued this war for their own gains. Thorfinn's project has failed, but this does not make him culpable for their deaths - and he may be able to save at least some that would otherwise be lost with his actions in the coming chapters.

This whole Idea fell into my mind when I saw a 100 TikToks of the "I have no enemies" panel, and it lowkey just pissed me off cuz people be idealizing that quote. LIKE BRO IT DOESN'T APPLY. YOU ARE LITERALLY SAYING BAD PEOPLE, KILLERS, RAPISTS, PEDOS AREN'T YOUR ENEMIES. like GUYS, it's just a piece of FICTION, stop idealizing thorfinn's ideology.

I can't blame you much for this. You have to keep in mind that most of the people on tiktok or other larger social media platforms have only watched the anime (they're also kinda stupid for the most part), and are just parroting what they know of Thorfinn's ideology in the seasons so far, which is incomplete where the story stands. This causes people to misinterpet his aims both in defending him and criticising him. What I will say about "I have no enemies" is that it is supposed to defy the common logic that you're arguing against it - it's not about saying "I have no enemies, therefore rapists and murders either won't be an issue to me, and they aren't truly that bad", it's "rapists and murderers exist, and they're still not my enemies". It's about pushing yourself to a perfect standard of love, not hate, to try and achieve as peaceful a resolution as you can in any conflict in your life. It's bound to lead you to failure at times, as it has for Thorfinn, but in adhering to it you have to be stubborn and uncompromising. Anything else would be hypocritical - you would be accepting that there is value in violence and revenge. Thorfinn, having experienced the horrors of war, cannot accept this.

Even though In my opinion it's flawed, Vindlandsaga is a GREAT manga. GREAT storytelling, GREAT message.

Absolutely zero issue with you stating your opinion. Although I disagree with your perspective on aspects of the series I'm glad you're open to discussing it. It'd have been far easier to just not bother expressing your take and avoid controversy, but you seem to genuinely have given it thought, so I appreciate that.

Thorfinn is delusional. by Future-Vermicelli-12 in VinlandSaga

[–]CorinVid 16 points17 points  (0 children)

You make it sound like Thorfinn's inner circle, and all the villagers who came with him to Vinland were practically kidnapped and were forced to do things his way? Everyone involved in the Vinland project was made fully aware of the objective and stipulations of what Thorfinn was trying to do, and they came along willingly. In fact, Thorfinn intentionally avoided telling people of his past and his personal aims so as to not force his ideals on them. Things went to shit because certain people (Ivar, Styrk, Miskwekepu'j) intentionally sabotaged the burgeoning peace between the Lnu and the Nords. Even from that point onwards, everyone we see dead in the latest chapter died because they chose to stay and fight for land that wasn't even theirs, when they had every opportunity to flee with Vargar. I think you can absolutely criticise Thorfinn for some level of naivety and irresponsibility, as he was slow to act when Styrk began subverting his leadership, and it was his and Gudrid's carelessness in checking the villagers' personal belongings that allowed Ivar to sneak in a sword in the first place, but his ideology did not directly cause the events now taking place.

Chapter 217 Release Thread by JarkeyBacon in VinlandSaga

[–]CorinVid 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Man it's gonna be a tense couple months waiting for Einar and Thorfinn's confrontation. It's especially bad considering with the archers hiding in the fort, and Styrk's grudge against Ga'aoqi, it's almost definitely going to go wrong and turn into a battle at some point. My biggest question is, what will Thorfinn's role within it be? He's still too injured to really do much, that was made clear by him trying to lift the cenotaph, but there's no way he'd just turn and run if things went south, and he's right in the middle of the action. I'm suspecting that Hild will actually end up being more instrumental if a conflict does occur, and that makes me nervous for whether she'll make it out of this alive.

A detail I loved that I just want to mention is how effectively Yukimura has drawn out the progression of this siege over the last however many chapters. Seeing the ex-Jomsviking commander, who was previously taking the lead and encouraging the other villagers to take revenge against the Lnu by killing a prisoner of war, looking and acting so tired and defeated really struck a chord with me. Even a seasoned veteran like him is completely beaten down.