Amazon Prime’s “Vinland Saga” really came in clutch this year. It has stellar animation and expressive character designs, as well as a dark subject matter that few anime have sought to cover, in conjunction with grim themes about the horrors of war and revenge that it tackles without feeling overly edgy or pretentious. Amazon Prime certainly has its share of top notch series under its belt.

“Vinland Saga” follows the story of Thorfinn, a six-year-old boy from Iceland, eager to grow up into a strong warrior like his father Thors. However, this is against Thors’ wishes. He has fought countless battles in his life and desires peace for his son, dropping nuggets of wisdom that he hopes Thorfinn will understand.

Thors’ life is cut short when he and Thorfinn are ambushed by a charismatic mercenary named Askeladd and his crew of Vikings. Thorfinn swears revenge on Askeladd, and the stage is set for a classic revenge story.

But “Vinland Saga” refuses to be so clear cut, hiding a few tricks up its sleeve to spice things up.

Thorfinn wants to protect his father’s honor by killing Askeladd in a fair duel. Askeladd humors him, allowing Thorfinn to join his crew, agreeing to duel him after Thorfinn proves himself worthy in combat.

“Vinland Saga” easily has the most interesting character dynamics I’ve seen all year. Askeladd is stronger than Thorfinn, but as time passes, Thorfinn becomes one of the best men in his crew. Askeladd finds himself relying on Thorfinn more and more, knowing that one day his luck and skill will run out. It becomes a sort of twisted mentor-student relationship. Askeladd sends Thorfinn on suicide missions multiple times, but is always pleasantly surprised when he returns and asks for a duel.

“Vinland Saga” is an entirely fictional story, but it fits rather comfortably into real history. There is a scene where a giant warrior picks up an ax and throws it through five enemies while shouting the Viking equivalent of “Yeet,” but it never jumps head-first into fantasy.

Many of the characters are based on historical figures as well. Leif Erikson even shows up in the beginning as a comic relief character and unwitting narrator, tailing after Thorfinn once he goes missing.

The heart of “Vinland Saga” lies in the protagonist, Thorfinn. He sounds like a one-note edgy anti-hero, but since so much time was dedicated to fleshing out him and his father in the early episodes, trying to instill a sense of morality and idealism, it turns into a tragedy. Thorfinn throws away the life his father would have wanted in order to pursue his revenge. He realizes the pain he has to inflict on innocent people if he’s going to reach his goal. He thinks about the mother and sister he has to leave behind to follow Askeladd. He knows his goal is a selfish one, but he can’t stop because he’s already given up everything.

The plot of “Vinland Saga” might be tragic and even nihilistic, but even the horrible murderer and manipulator that is Askeladd is pretty fun to watch.

Askeladd outwits and taunts his enemies and commands his Vikings with ease, but he’s also very down to earth. He knows he will eventually pay for the crimes he’s committed, and he’s brutally honest with Thorfinn about the things that are important to him.

The characters, while surprisingly few for the giant world they occupy, each feel interesting and memorable. Askeladd’s rowdy crew has banter with one another. Random bad guys will each have distinct faces and personalities and even nameless soldiers will have fun little quips or display enough self-preservation in the heat of battle to remind you that they are human.

The only issues are the background art and some of the animation. Don’t get me wrong, the opening scene has this amazing tracking shot of a huge battle on the open sea, but the characters and especially the horses will sometimes switch from hand-drawn animation to CGI, and many of the backgrounds are dull and flatly lit. This likely won’t be a problem for many people however.

“Vinland Saga” is a show that hits its mark. It isn’t completed yet, and the episode release schedule has been a little strange, but of the 12 episodes available right now, (out of the final 24) I can easily recommend this to anyone with Amazon Prime. Make sure you watch all the duel scenes with Led Zeppelin playing in the background.