Vinland Saga vol. 13

They finally made it.

After twelve volumes Thorfinn, Einar, Gudrid, and a whole host of new characters finally arrive in Vinland with this volume.  It takes them a while to actually find a place to settle, but this is their new home for the future.  Now begins the difficult work of cultivating it and turning the land into a sustainable settlement.  They’ve got the resources and know-how to do it, and a more than capable leader in Thorfinn to guide them.  The question remains as to whether or not they’ll be able to get along with their new neighbors in order to achieve this goal.

“Vinland Saga” vol. 13 is two whole volumes (Japanese vols. 25 & 26) where it looks like everything is going right for its main characters.  There’s still some tension, what with Ivar and his constant consideration of violence as a viable option in every scenario, but this volume is all about convincing the reader that Thorfinn’s dream is a viable one.  Given the character’s struggles up to this point, it’s actually really uplifting to see success firmly within his grasp at this point.  In fact, the end of this volume could actually serve as a fitting wrap-up to his character arc and the “Saga” as a whole.

It’s not, though, and that’s why these good times have me worried.  There’s a distinct feeling that mangaka Makoto Yukimura is building things up here so that they can be tested by struggle later on.  In other words:  Enjoy the good times here because it’s likely this is the last you’ll see of them for a while.  My only hope here is that the forthcoming struggles aren’t as on-the-nose as those seen in the Mi’kmaq shaman’s vision in the latter half of this volume.  They may very well be, but the series has led me to expect better from such things up to this point.