Again I don't like the use of bears. This is supposed to be a realistic manga, but even a giant of a man like Thorkell would stand no chance against even a small bear. To put in perspective, take any pro fighter from any era, they would get destroyed by a chimp.
Alright the rest of the chapter was very entertaining, feel bad for Sigurd...so so embarrassing. Hild is suddenly the most interesting character though, how will she develop. I predict she will soften but how much, I hope we get some twists and turns.
Old comment, but an interesting point.
Agreed. Indeed, no disarmed man is a match against any kind of formidable clawed beast (bear, lion, tiger, hell even a decent sized leopard can tore a healthy man to pieces). I didn't mind the scene too much, and I think it served just to remind us how formidable Thorkell still is even after all these years. The series is still strongly historical but I think the suspension for these kinds of details, specially when it comes to Thorkell's character and feats, has been broken long ago, most precisely the moment he punched a horse like he would a potato sack. I personally don't mind these fantastical moments, and I think it would be fair to call Vinland Saga also a fantasy series, even if the fantasy is tame or quite contained. Though in that same scene, Thorkell's followers did remind us that it was already hard enough to capture a bear alive, let alone something bigger than Thorkell.
I thought it was anticlimactic how Vagn just reveals Floki and Askeladd's big secret through exposition.
It's great how Hild keeps Thorfinn's revenge in check. He can't get revenge without cheapening the story, which is cool. I feel like there won't be any trade saga now that Floki's arc has started. They were gonna be rich and teach us all about the northern sea trade routes!
The thought occurred to me as well. This kind of revelation could perhaps have been put at the end of a chapter and be made a cliffhanger out of it.
But I think it was done so deliberately, and it sort of reinforces the perception of how small the purely 'revenge' based element or plot has become in the context of the story.
Not only does Hild act as you described, but also instead, the chapter ends in a contemplating note, with Thorfinn becoming aware of his own weakness of character despite his most recent resolve to change himself. If anything, the 'revenge' element is now present as a temptating force that must be fought against.
I was also previously thinking this was all a detour to get back to the trading routes (probably what Thorfinn would want), but given how much exposition Floki, Thorkell and a number of related characters are getting, it seems this will be the arc where Floki and the plots still related to his character will be resolved.
