Vinland Saga

This is my first anime ever and, I’m speechless. This story brings you hatred and struggles, death and destruction, despair and regret, sadness and rebirth all from one literal character. The events and tribulations that Thorfinn had to go through to reach his full potential is awe-inspiring. God knows I love a good character arc and Thorfinn achieves that all too well. I love how at the end of the 2nd season Thorfinn doesn’t just turn his life around, he wants rid the world of a disease that humans created, war and slaves, thus leading Thorfinn to want to create a land of peace in Vinland. He is carrying the legacy that his father, Thors, started and I’m all here for it. The dialogue is also amazingly written. The conversation king Canute had with Thorfinn to talk about a peace negotiation over ketil’s farm really gives you a perspective change. Words can change how a person thinks, it even made a whole king relinquish his military power, and that is really changes your brain chemistry. But what I love about Thorfinn the most is that he doesn’t just grow and forgives himself, he atones to his actions and wants to end the inhumane, violent cycle of killing and hatred, which no one ever had the courage to do, and I think that’s beautiful. “Im going to kill you for that, I’ll be the last thing you see, I’ll kill you do you hear me, I’m going to kill you.” - 6 year old Thorfinn I was left in chills. and even though he never got his wish, he was indeed the last thing askeladd saw. “The truth is, all of us are a slave to something.”-askeladd I really liked this quote because it shows how freedom is a privilege that most of us cannot afford because people are tied to expectations, standards, bad habits, etc. This applies Thorfinn, how he was a slave to his revenge, and it ruined him until he changed that I genuinely love character arcs in stories because it makes you realize that character development doesn’t just display a person changing into their best version, but it reveals the persons true identity. I strongly believe that people don’t change because of their experiences and surroundings, they show who they truly over time. When it’s nature over nurture, nature will always be superior. Characters arcs aren’t for people who are changing who they are, but working on who they already were, deep down. But sometimes people get lost from their path, goals shift, and can get influenced wrongly. But people make mistakes, and that’s what makes us human, but to go out of your way and solve those mistakes, that’s what makes you moral, and not everyone has the courage to do that. (Also askeladd and thors were aura framing the whole time)