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When it comes to complex, morally grey characters and stories, nobody does it better than Makoto Yukimura’s Vinland Saga. The realistic portrayal of Viking culture, the brutality of war, and Thorfinn’s redemption arc made it one of the greatest historical anime series to grace us.

Thorfinn from Vinland Saga. [Credit: Wit Studio]

The best stories are written when they stem from personal experience and emotions. No, Yukimura wasn’t a Viking. Thorfinn, however, is a human being before being a warrior. All the emotions he felt during his journey were valid and natural, something that the mangaka heavily resonated with.

Makoto Yukimura talks about the guilt of being a writer and how he relates to Thorfinn

Thorfinn’s misplaced anger and thirst for vengeance in Vinland Saga couldn’t wasn’t easy to write. Very few authors and mangaka have nailed a proper redemption arc where the character’s guilt has been portrayed.

Now don’t get the wrong idea about Makoto Yukimura from the title of this article itself! While that is indeed true, there needs to be a sufficient amount of context to justify Yukiura-sensei’s initial opinions on anime and manga in general.

As the mastermind behind series like Planetes and Vinland Saga, Yukimura-sensei has always had a more human approach to storytelling. But believe it or not, his journey into this industry began with a rather unexpected opinion.

A still from Makoto Yumikura’s Planetes anime | Credits: Studio Sunrise

There was a time when Yukimura-sensei used to believe creating an anime from an already existing manga was pointless, and it all started when he stumbled upon Akira Toriyama’s Dr. Slump! But what exactly led Yukimura-sensei to come up with such a horrible opinion, that even he knows now how wrong he was?

To get the full context, one...

Vinland Saga is an iconic historical manga series, rivaled by behemoths like Vagabond or Attack on Titan. It is distinct for its exploration of the Viking Era rather than the typical Edo Period manga series that follows the journey of a samurai. Vinland Saga instead follows the vengeful warrior, Thorfinn.

Thorfinn from Vinland Saga. [Credit: Mappa]

Makoto Yukimura depicts the cost of war on humanity and how easy it is to get caught up in the cycle of hatred. Thorfinn became so obsessed with getting revenge on Askeladd that he dragged innocent people into it. Vinland Saga is an excellent story of redemption and how revenge isn’t the answer.

Vinland Saga has been running for nearly 20 years now, debuting in 2005. With 28 volumes, the mangaka has run weary of the genre. He confirmed that the manga will end soon even though we still don’t know the date. However, we will...

In a recent interview with French newspaper Le Figaro, Makoto Yukimura revealed his plans for the future, hinting at a potential science fiction project after Vinland Saga manga concludes.

However, he emphasized that he won’t be jumping into a new series right away.

After spending over two decades working on Vinland Saga, Yukimura admitted that exhaustion has set in, and his immediate priority is taking a well-deserved break.

“I spent over twenty years on Vinland Saga, which is due to the fact that I work very slowly. I can finally see the end of it, and I admit that the dominant feeling is that I will finally be able to rest. I don’t feel like working as much anymore. Maybe I say that because I’m a little tired. It’s possible that my state of mind will change after a period of rest.“

While he remains uncertain...

(Welcome to Ani-time Ani-where, a regular column dedicated to helping the uninitiated understand and appreciate the world of anime.)

Throughout the many entries in this column, I've expressed a few times how much I admire when an anime show breaks away from the medium's traditional high school setting and dares to tell a more mature story about adults — like the phenomenal psychological thriller "Monster." To be sure, anime is more than shonen action anime about guys with superpowers in fantasy worlds. It can also encompass slice-of-life dramas, romances, sitcoms, and even a show about people whose job involves collecting debris in space.

Such is the premise for the 2003-2004 anime series "Planetes," which is based on the manga by the same name by Makoto Yukimura (who also created the excellent "Vinland Saga"). The show takes place in 2075, a time when space exploration is common but is now hindered by the debris surrounding Earth,...

Science fiction is one of the most prevalent genres of anime, and while supernatural fantasy might be a bit more common, sci-fi certainly has its place. As a result, the decades have seen numerous sci-fi classics in the medium, many of which have found their way onto various streaming platforms. Thankfully, many of those shows are available on Crunchyroll, and some of the best can be watched fairly quickly.

Crunchyroll has sci-fi anime classics such as Gurren Lagann, Planetes and several Gundam shows, with all of these offering different looks at the genre. From fairly dark and serious to more lighthearted, these works use concepts like robots, space travel and other narrative elements to explore humanity's relationship with technology and the world at large. Best of all, many of these aren't a massive time commitment, so fans looking to binge-watch a show over the weekend can do so.

Related 10 Mecha...

Science fiction manga isn't as common as fantasy-based manga, and this can be seen in popular shonen works alone. Most of these verge closer to the fantasy genre, though sci-fi lends itself a bit better to darker stories. This is especially the case with some of the best examples of the genre.

Some of the darkest sci-fi manga are harsh, takes on the mecha genre, while others do the same for space travel and space operas. Many of them are grounded with all too human protagonists, all while using science fiction concepts to showcase the depravity of mankind. Body horror is also quite present in these works, proving that losing autonomy is the darkest idea of all.

Planetes Is Dark In Its Mundane Nature Created by: Makoto Yukimura

The space-based series Planetes takes place in a future where satellites and debris are a constant threat to planet Earth, requiring different means of disposal.

Makoto Yukimura’s Vinland Saga is one of the greatest modern manga series out there and its anime adaptation is no slouch either. Initially, it appears to be the Viking story of a young man who sets out for revenge. Over the course of Vinland Saga's story, it evolves into a weighty thesis on the nature of war, how violence can change us, and what it means to actually devote one's life to peace. Though Vinland Saga has become Yukimura’s most famous series, it’s not the first one in which he was able to filter themes through a genre story. Planetes , the anime adaptation of Yukimura’s manga, is also full of surprises for anyone who takes the time to watch it. Related: Planetes Anime Joins Crunchyroll Catalog Planetes concerns the “Space Debris Section” of a large corporation’s galaxy-faring efforts. Space travel is so common that...

Sunrise is prominently known for iconic anime such as Cowboy Bebop and Gundam, but the studio is also acclaimed for putting out one of the best-written sci-fi dramas of all time! October 15, 2024, marked the first North American exposure and global release of Makoto Yukimura's cult classic anime adaptation Planetes. Crunchyroll has now added the holy grail of science fiction to its library, sparking celebration and new attention to the forgotten show that redefined the space genre.

Crunchyroll is home to some of the season's biggest anime, with the streaming service hosting major hits both new and old. Alongside recent successes that are part of the Fall 2024 anime lineup, it's also now home to an underrated science-fiction classic from two decades ago.

Planetes is one of the finest sci-fi manga ever written, with the anime adaptation being just as revered. Featuring a much more "blue collar" look at the genre, the hard science-fiction anime originally aired from 2003 to 2004. Now available through Crunchyroll in two ways -- one of them for the very first time in North America -- the series, animated by Sunrise is a must-watch to explore the more everyday aspects of space exploration.

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Major global anime streamer Crunchyroll is exploring shorter anime projects for the younger generation's preference for short-form content.

Code Geass...

Makoto Yukimura is a particularly accomplished and meticulous mangaka known for his seinen manga, most famously Vinland Saga, but his previous acclaimed series was Planetes. While Vinland Saga is a thoroughly researched sword and sandal period epic, Planetes is a similarly humanistic take, but in a grounded science fiction universe for those seeking variety in Yukimura's works. Thanks to Crunchyroll's recent confirmation on October 15, 2024, Planetes has joined the Crunchyroll streaming platform for viewers who had previously missed out.

Planetes was not nearly as prominent in North America, amounting more to a beloved cult classic similar to Serial Experiments Lain and Darker Than Black, critically just as well-received as its manga. The series follows the crew of the DS-12 Toy Box and their lives as space debris collectors, including the protagonist, Hachirota Hoshino. Planetes is a compelling and cerebral exploration of humanity told in a concise twenty-six episodes, available to stream on-demand now on Crunchyroll.

It's time to take to the stars and clear out some space junk with some help from the Planetes anime, which is officially available to stream on Crunchyroll. Originally airing from 2003-2004, Planetes adapts the manga of the same name by Vinland Saga author Makoto Yukimura, and you can now dive in as part of the Crunchyroll Catalog. Planetes Availability: North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, Cis and Indian Subcontinent Subtitles: English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian Dub: English Synopsis: In 2075, commercial space travel is commonplace. However, huge amounts of debris threaten the safety of spacefarers - that’s where the Toy Box crew comes in. As they wrangle objects in orbit, they also grapple with life goals, crappy pay, and what it all means. Goro Taniguchi ( Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion ) directs Planetes , with Ichiro Okochi on series composition and Yuriko Chiba...

Vinland Saga fans are in for a treat as Barnes & Noble’s Fifth Avenue location in New York City will host Makoto Yukimura for a Vinland Saga Deluxe 4 signing event.

The in-person-only event will take place on Thursday, Oct 17, 2024, at 1:00 Pm Et.

Vinland Saga Deluxe 4 includes volumes 10-12 of the Japanese edition of Vinland Saga and new bonus content.

Tickets for the event are priced at $59.87 for admission with one copy of Vinland Saga Deluxe 4 and admission to the signing line with Yukimura, and $119.74 for admission with two copies, allowing for one additional guest to join in the signing line.

Non-ticketholders will not be allowed entry to the event.

According to Barnes & Noble, the author will not be personalizing books, and no memorabilia will be signed. Additionally, attendees will be permitted to take photos using their personal devices, and no large bags will be allowed inside the event space.

While food, drugs and shnen manga are not normally considered in the same conversation, they do share a number of interesting links according to one prominent Kodansha manga editor. Whether as a theme, plot device, or an aspect of a character's development, food and drugs are common elements of manga. However, as introduced by Kodansha Senior Editor Akira Kanai, food and drugs can also serve as an insightful analogy to the state of contemporary manga.

Kanai is the editor-in-chief of Weekly Afternoon - a sister publication of Kodansha's Weekly Shnen Magazine that focuses on seinen manga content. Kanai has been in the manga business for three decades, serving in a variety of editor positions, including overseeing such titles as Vinland Saga, Planetes, and Fragile.

Shnen manga caters to male adolescents and older kids, while seinen manga is aimed at older male teenagers and young adult men.

In a May 2024 interview...

The epic anime series finale of the decade will finally be available to own when Attack on Titan Final Season The Final Chapters arrives on Blu-ray on November 26 in North America from Crunchyroll. The limited edition Blu-ray and DVD combo pack version will include a 148-page art book, a 32-page digibook, several art cards, and two exclusive Titan enamel pins.

This November, Crunchyroll's lineup of Blu-rays will also include two complete series rereleases with immense power levels: Dragon Ball Super (all 131 Episodes) and Dragon Ball Z (all 291 episodes), launching exclusively at the Crunchyroll Store. Each will come with multiple special features that will provide fans with various behind-the-scenes conversations with the iconic English voice actors from the series.

In celebration of its 20th anniversary, Samurai Champloo, directed by Shinichiro Watanabe, Crunchyroll is rereleasing an all-new limited edition Blu-ray of the complete series, also exclusive to the Crunchyroll Store. The packaging...

Updated on August 15, 2024 : Removed Dragon Ball Super , Dragon Ball Z and Samurai Champloo releases from the article It's a whopper of a month for home video, full of limited editions and complete sets that will be tough to resist. Leading the charge is Attack on Titan Final Season The Final Chapters , which is available to pre-order ahead of a November 26, 2024 launch in both limited and standard edition versions. There are also movie releases including One Piece Film Red , Planetes , Psycho-pass: Providence and more. Read on for the full lineup and pre-order links. Crunchyroll November 2024 Home Video Releases One Piece Film Red Movie (4K + Blu-ray) Steelbook Uta, the most beloved singer in the world whose voice has been described as "otherworldly", is renowned for concealing her own identity when performing. Now, for the first time ever, she will reveal herself to the world at a live concert. Special Features: All...

Multifaceted in its subject matter, themes, and premises, the anime medium is incredibly diverse with the stories it tells, limited only by the creativity of its authors. And the genre that allows said creativity to blossom most vibrantly is speculative fiction, particularly narratives that explore the possibilities and innovations of the future. While no one knows what the future may hold, countless outstanding anime series try to peek at what awaits the human race through speculating about times to come.

Optimistic tales of space exploration and prosperity in the intergalactic age paint a bright picture of a hopeful future, while dystopian stories of fallen civilizations warn viewers about potential dangers that might lie ahead. Be it futuristic science fiction that hypothesizes about distant prospects or more grounded shows that try to predict what will happen in the next few decades, anime set in the future are some of the most engaging,...

Veteran animator Terumi Nishii has taken to social media to express her frustration with what she perceives as unreasonable demands for political correctness in anime production.

Nishii Terumi, has worked as an animation director on various anime such as Jujutsu Kaisen 0, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures, and Death Note, among others.

In a series of tweets, Terumi recounted an incident, where an overseas client had requested that black characters in her work be given defined noses to distinguish them properly from other characters, who typically lack detailed nostrils.

This request, she argued, would disrupt the visual balance of the characters and create an inconsistent level of realism within the same series.

“None of the other characters even had nostrils, so if just the black characters had a different level of realism, it would look unbalanced. That kind of thing is just… yeah. In the end, it turned into a conversation...

Akira Kanai, renowned manga editor known for his work on Vinland Saga, Ajin: Demi-Human, and Planetes, has taken a firm stance against letting political correctness influence his editorial decisions.

This was revealed during his interview with Manga Passion, where he was asked about his approach to ensuring the international success of manga.

“I don’t allow myself to be influenced by so-called political correctness abroad and design the works accordingly,” Kanai declared.

The editor-in-chief elaborated on his approach, stating that he adheres to various content codes related to violence, nudity, and religious depictions. However, these considerations are based on general content standards rather than specific international sensibilities.

According to him, interesting stories will “usually be understood, regardless of whether you come from Africa, Chile, or Greenland.”

Kanai asserted that the fundamental human experiences and emotions are universally relatable. And so, stopping a work just because it deals with a problem...

Code Geass and One Piece Film: Red director Goro Taniguchi has dismissed worries about the globalization of anime as the medium increasingly attracts audiences outside its domestic market.

Anime directors Junichi Yamamoto and Taniguchi recently sat down with Cbr in an interview for the new Enter the Garden series. When asked if there were any worries about creating anime for more diverse audiences in an increasingly globalized world, Taniguchi reacted in shock, replying, "Something that I'm anxious about?! Not at all! Even from my first work, I've never thought that I was creating my work only for the Japanese market. So that's not something I ever limited myself to. So I don't think about that at all."

Related Watch: Code Geass Director Returns to Produce World Anime Premiere of 'Enter the Garden' Fans can now watch the Enter the Garden anime's first part, The Waiting Man, directed by...

Anime and manga fans can thoroughly enjoy any fictional story without knowing much about the creator behind it or the context of how the author created their best works. For casual fans, it may not be worth keeping track of who wrote which anime/manga franchise, but more devoted fans of a particular series may feel differently, such as fans of Vinland Saga and Planetes. Those two seinen series are the creations of a certain Makoto Yukimura, a well-respected name in the manga industry.

Dedicated fans may get fresh insights into how a story like Vinland Saga is written when they learn more about the author's background and creative process. Even the most mysterious, private authors like Gege Akutami have some intriguing trivia associated with them, and others are like an open book. As for Mr. Makoto Yukimura, plenty is known about who he is and how he creates manga.

Makoto Yukimura took to Twitter on Dec 20, 2023, to announce an unexpected delay in the release of Vinland Saga chapter 208 in the upcoming issue of Monthly Afternoon magazine.

According to the tweet, the chapter, which was originally scheduled for release on Dec 25, 2023, will not be published as planned. It will instead be delayed by a period of two months.

This decision to go on a break was taken due to unexpected health issues faced by the author and his family.

He, however, assured the fans that medical tests ruled out the possibility of Covid-19 and influenza, with the doctor diagnosing the condition as a common cold. Despite initial concerns, Yukimura’s family, including his eldest son, has since recovered, and everyone is now in good health.

Yukimura apologized for any disappointment caused by the hiatus, assuring fans that the decision was made to ensure a full recovery before resuming the series.

Anime shows that focus on scientific topics or the scientific process can be enjoyable for science nerds while still providing an entertaining story. These shows capture the beauty of space, delve into economics, apply technology to policing, explore the life of astronauts, feature science-based powers, and more. Rare gems like Planetes and Spice and Wolf accurately reflect the science they are based on, providing a joy to watch for science nerds despite being in different genres. These shows successfully combine scientific concepts with compelling narratives. Anime like Cells at Work! and Dr. Stone offer educational content by teaching viewers about the human body and scientific discovery, respectively. These shows are accurate in their depiction of science and provide both entertainment and knowledge to science nerds.

While many anime flout the rules of science in favor of bombastic powers, there are some anime that every science nerd would enjoy. These shows...

Makoto Yukimura is the veteran mangaka behind Vinland Saga famous for his striking visuals and mature storytelling. Yukimura made his debut in 1999 with Planetes, a sci-fi series centered around a crew of space debris collectors that focused on the realistic drama that would come with living in space. Both the manga and the anime adaptation it would later receive were met with high praise from fans and critics alike, and both the manga and anime went on to win the Seiun Award for Best Science Fiction Series in 2002 and 2005, respectively.

The work Makoto Yukimura is truly famous for, however, is Vinland Saga. Yukimura’s historical epic reimagines Thorfinn Karlsefni, the first Viking to form a settlement in North America, as a savage warrior out to avenge his father, only for the conclusion of his quest—or lack of one, rather—to force him to reevaluate not only his life but...

The anime community is always welcoming new fans from around the world, but many non-fans aren't sure where to start or why they even should. They need a gateway series to launch their interest in anime, and while some shows are perfect, others cater to enfranchised anime fans.

Several factors go into making a great gateway anime, such as high production values to make a good impression of the industry or being easy and convenient to find on DVD or online streaming platforms like Crunchyroll. Another, often overlooked factor is that a good introductory anime needs a linear, engaging plot to hook new viewers and give them a story worth remembering.

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A Strong Plot Hook Brings in New Anime Fans

It's not a given that every anime series has a good plot to draw in new and experienced fans alike.