You’ll come across these obscure posts on Reddit or articles which attempt to weigh Vinland Saga and Attack on Titan on the same scale. Putting a famous anime against another famous anime seems to give fans credibility which wouldn’t be possible otherwise. Sometimes though it ruins what both the anime are initially trying to do as they’re caught up in unnecessary competition built out of fans’ narrative.
This narrative is still a hazy one. Before it becomes the talk of the town let’s contemplate if these two anime are actually similar or just a hollow narrative built by a loud minority. Also exploring what makes one put Attack on Titan and Vinland Saga under the same bracket.
The themes both the Anime juggle between
Vinland Saga sells itself as a revenge story deeply rooted in realism. It explores the idea of human nature, revenge, and the brutalities of war.
- The anime starts battle-heavy and slows down into focusing more on character development. Thorfinn the main character goes through massive development to become a much more well-rounded character.
- With every arc, the manga becomes more tightly written and more focused on the ideas that the manga initially tried tackling.
Attack on Titan switched up its subject matter multiple times. The first season looked like nothing more than a fight between humans and Titans. With its further seasons, the story became more nuanced. Exploring topics like the idea of freedom, what it means for every individual, and the dirty nature of politics.
Along with the urge to protect those you consider your own and the boundaries, you’d cross to achieve those goals. Despite all of this Attack on Titan remain easy to watch through, smoothly portraying these heavy topics can be difficult but Hajime Isayama did a great job with that.
Is Vinland Saga similar to Attack on Titan?
If Attack on Titan and Vinland Saga are similar, it’s on a very broad scale. They are not trying to do the same thing and it’s evident. The reason why they’re put against each could look like this
- Both anime were adopted by the same Studio. Studio Wit did the first season and first few in Attack on Titan’s case and was handed over to the same studio again for the later seasons, Studio MAPPA.
- Their detour from the initial idea they put into the fans’ heads. This worked especially well for AOT.
- The heavy foreshadowing in both anime. Isayama also showed his appreciation for the foreshadowing done in the Vinland saga.
- The international popularity of both anime is another similarity.
Both the anime at the end of the day serve the same demographic, Attack on Titan anime being more flexible in that sense. The entertainment value of Attack on Titan can also be ranked higher considering its grandiose nature as a result of the visually exciting fights. Vinland Saga is better in terms of tackling its themes as it keeps them in focus during the execution.
Conclusion
If you try hard enough, similarities can be drawn between anything. Putting two great anime against each other sometimes can undermine what they’re trying to do individually. Some harmless comparisons bear no problems as they can help in understanding the anime better.