Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Six by Makoto Yukimura
To recap if you haven’t read the previous reviews: It is the age of Vikings. After the murder of Thorfinn’s father, he dedicated his life to revenge on the man who did it. That didn’t end as he had hoped, and Thorfinn is now a slave on the estate of wealthy farmer Ketil. He and fellow slave Einar have been told that they can buy their freedom by clearing and planting enough farmland. Thorfinn has come to the realization that violence is not a way of life he can in good conscience continue, and wants to try out a new path of peace.
In this volume, Einar and Thorfinn are within sight of their goal of buying their freedom, but a new danger is afoot. Gardar, a slave at a nearby farm, has escaped, killing his master and that man’s family. A fearsome warrior, Gardar also just happens to be the husband of Arnheid, Ketil’s sex slave. They were unaware how close they were, but now their paths cross. Thorfinn and Einar, who has fallen in love with Arnheid, must make hard decisions when Snake and the other mercenaries hunt Gardar down.
Meanwhile, King Canute returns to Denmark to attend the deathbed of his brother, King Harald. The young king will become the ruler of both England and the Danelands, but the budget is stretched tight–he needs to squeeze some more wealth out of his Danish subjects to support the occupying army in Britain. Opportunity arises when Ketil and his sons come to pay homage to the new king. One of the sons, Olmar, is a vain fool who wants to be a great warrior, but is unable to defeat a dead pig. It’s easy to trick him into “defending his honor” in a way that can be labeled treason.
The art and writing remain excellent; in the endpapers, Mr. Kitamura mentions that it takes four times as much work to do the backgrounds as it does to draw the people, since he wants the scenery to look as authentic as possible. He also talks about the long-term plan of the story–an action series set in a violent time where the hero renounces killing; how does that work, especially if the writer doesn’t cheat?
Despite Thorfinn’s newfound ethical stance, there is a lot of violence in this volume, some quite graphic. There’s also discussion of rape, though none of it happens in this particular part of the story. This is still a Mature Readers seinen (men’s) manga.
Although there are some light moments, the overall mood of this volume is tragic, as the characters’ actions and goals trap them within their wyrd (fate); their pride or honor or love preventing them from stepping aside from doomed pathways. Olmar and his brother Thorgil are by no means sympathetic people (and their father Ketil, we are reminded, is a slaveowner and rapist) but it’s still painful to see them fall into the king’s trap.
There’s an interesting parallel between Thorfinn and Canute; both of them are haunted (literally? who knows?) by the men they hated. Thorfinn’s mentor and archenemy Askeladd wants Thorfinn to succeed in rising above the path of murder, while Canute’s father Sweyn Forkbeard seems amused as his son uses ever more morally dubious methods to steer the kingdom, despite his lofty goals. Or both men could just be hallucinating.
This series has slowed production, and the next volume isn’t due out until December 2015, so savor this installment. Highly recommended.
