Vinland Saga is surprisingly unique, in recreating the Vikings theme far more comprehensively than most Western adaptations ever could. The series has built a narrative that stands tall on the balance between the horrors of war and the joys of freedom.
While it did take a huge turn with the release of Season 2, which was jarring for some viewers but hailed as a masterpiece by many. The interesting thing about this direction is that it had been accorded by the author all along, as revealed in a recent interview.
The creator intended Season 2 to be the actual commencement of the story, with fans who stuck with it getting a richer, more complex narrative.
Yukimura’s Initial Storyline Was Rejected By His Editor! But Maybe It Was For The Better?
In this very rare and insightful interview, we got to know more about what exactly went behind the process of making Vinland Saga, as what we see now, wasn’t initially intended by the author at all.
It’s a little complicated. When I first approached my editor to write the story of Vinland Saga, the story didn’t start where [Thorfinn] was fighting the English in England. Instead, I was planning on a story that started with him being a slave. So, the editor I spoke to at Kodansha said, “Well, that’s not going to sell! A story that starts from being a slave? I thought this story was about the Vikings and fighting, and you’re not going to go into that? How am I going to explain this to my editor-in-chief?” That was the first reaction that I received from my editor.
~ Makoto Yukimura
This clearly shows the amount of disappointment Yukimura-sensei faced after coming up with his original idea for Vinland Saga. While it’s true the initial storyline could’ve also been a really depressing story if adapted properly, Yukimura-sensei did not stay upset for too long about this and came up with a different approach.
Makoto Yukimura Was Determined To Make His Initial Idea Come Into Light In Any Way Possible
Even after, getting rejected by the editor for once, Yukimura sensei thought to himself that it would not be too bad if he went with what his editor was saying and incorporated his initial idea later in the story, with a more compelling backstory behind it.
Since I thought of this story, the part that I really wanted to work on was the main character being a slave, and from being a slave to becoming somebody who is exploring a new land. That was the part of the story that I really wanted to write. However, when I received this initial reaction from my editor, I thought to myself, “He might be right though“. This is about those people called the Vikings, and there were wars and fighting. Maybe if I incorporated these elements, we [Yukimura and the editor] could make this story very exciting.
Transitioning from his initial perspective, Makoto Yukimura decided it might be better to go with the war-ravaging initial storyline, which would not only increase the general viewer’s attention but also build upon a greater plot that can be integrated with the initial storyline he came up with.
And just like that, fans got the pure epitome of a heartwrenching storyline. Season 2 was arguably an absolute masterpiece from a critical point of view, which was only made possible because of that one editor of Yukimura sensei.
So do you think the initial story adaptation, starting the story from season 2 itself could be even better, or this was the best possible outcome of Vinland Saga for all of us? Let us know your opinions in the comment section.
You can watch Vinland Saga on Crunchyroll.
