I think this series has the best production, visual effects, and CGI I've seen in a series. I believe if you're making a Fallout series, the primary goal should be to immerse the audience into the Fallout universe, to make them live it, and this series definitely excels at that. The locations, costumes, props, and humor all made me feel that the universe is real and alive. Even as someone who is minimally familiar with the Fallout universe, I was very impressed, and it made me want to open up and play the games.
I also liked the storytelling. In some episodes, it beautifully gives you the feeling of playing a Fallout game, chasing main quests while encountering side activities, and taking on side quests. They also handled the storytelling of past and future together very well.
What irritated me the most while watching were mostly the dialogues and some of the acting. Many dialogues in the series felt very Hollywood-like, very cheesy, and very artificial. Hearing such cliché dialogues in a work released in 2024 feels very odd. Maybe they intentionally did this to match the Fallout tone, I don't know. And these complaints were mostly valid for the first half; I got more into the series in the latter half.
I'm eagerly awaiting the continuation.
7.5/10
It was an exceedingly ordinary, uninteresting, and extremely overrated series.
The best thing it did was create an atmosphere. It beautifully portrayed 1600s Japan; the armors, houses, environmental design, and small details made it believable. However, besides that, the characters were uninteresting, the story was uninteresting and very predictable. The music was good. There were almost no battles and the few that were present were unsatisfying. We didn't get to see a single good samurai duel throughout the whole series. If I hadn't started watching with such high expectations due to the praise it received, I wouldn't have been so disappointed. But it's a passable series with nothing extra to offer.
7.5/10
There's something missing in this series. The best thing about it is definitely the character portraits. All the characters are really well done. But for the past two seasons, the plot hasn't been engaging at all. They've been trying to juggle 2-3 plots simultaneously for two seasons now. For instance, in this season, the time spent on Stringer and the Barksdale case is almost equal to the time given to Littlefinger's presidential plot. And these side plots are really boring. The whole dockworkers' union stuff from the previous season was also extremely dull. I don't even bother following these plots anymore.
I also feel another lack in this series. I'm not sure exactly what to call it. Direction? Artistic choice? I'm not sure, but there's a general lack of excitement in the show. The primary goal of a series should be to make you eager for the next episode, and in this, the show fails, in my opinion. For instance, the lack of music. There's almost no music in the series. There's no atmospheric music to create tension in the background of intense scenes. This is clearly a choice, but I think it reduces the excitement. As I said, the characters are great, the dialogues are great, but I don't get the feeling of complete satisfaction I expected from this series. I expected more from a show that is hailed as HBO's best.
The reason I'm talking as if the show has ended is that the season finale felt like a series finale. STRINGER DIED, MAN, WHAT THE HELL. The last thing I expected was Stringer dying so early. I think he's another character that was wasted. We watched for three seasons how Stringer stood out with his intelligence among these drug-addled black men, trying to take things to the next level, and his vision, but suddenly, Stringer became stupid, screwed up his investments, made illogical decisions, couldn't get Avon to listen, snitched on Avon to the police, and died. It was sad to see Stringer wasted like that. What are they going to talk about in the next seasons? Stringer is dead, Avon and almost his entire crew are in jail, McNulty realized his toxic nature and reined himself in to become a proper cop, Daniels became a captain, Colvin retired (and Colvin was one of the best additions this season. It was enjoyable to watch the creation and ethical dilemma of Hamsterdam). So what are they going to tell us for two more seasons, Marlo? I don't care about Marlo. Anyway, I hope the last two seasons get better; otherwise, despite the respect and enjoyment I have for the show, it doesn't seem like it will make it to my top favorites.
7.5/10
Compared to the first season, it had a much heavier, slower, harsher, and more tragic story.
The general farm setting, agriculture, casual conversations, and the slave topics bored me at a certain point. I struggled through the first 9-10 episodes; they were quite tedious. However, it picked up later on. The psychological development of the characters was handled beautifully. Thorfinn's arc was completed perfectly. Despite Einar being somewhat naive and foolish, I liked him a lot; he was an entertaining character. Overall, I liked most of the new characters. Canute's portrayal was a bit odd. They seemed to suggest that he had become corrupted over the past four years, but then it appeared that he hadn't actually been corrupted. Thorfinn convincing Canute didn't satisfy me at all. The ending was very sweet and wholesome; it was quite emotional. I also enjoyed how Thorfinn influenced the other characters throughout the entire season. Thorfinn's character development was handled exceptionally well; it never felt half-baked. There were quite a few disturbingly tragic scenes. This season was much more ruthless than the first. The way it ended made all the storylines feel complete. Honestly, if there's going to be a season where we watch them build a life in Vinland, it would be better to end it here.
7.5/10
It flowed like a well-crafted and well-written documentary. I finished it in one sitting. It's a very horrifying story. The fact that the actor is also the person who experienced these events is incredibly terrifying. I have great respect for the way he meticulously examined his traumas, wrote about them in such detail, and was able to objectively understand why he experienced what he did.
7.5/10
It was a filler season.
The entire season had content with a maximum of 6 episodes, but they chose to stretch this already boring storyline by making 12 episodes. There are unnecessary extensions like Turkish series in most episodes. I didn't like the whole Greek mafia storyline that was introduced this season. Among the characters introduced this season, I didn't like any of them except Frank, and I didn't enjoy watching them either. D'Angelo was terribly wasted; I never expected him to die out of nowhere like that. He was a character with an arc since the first season; I would have liked to see more of him, but they killed him off abruptly, which I never understood. The enjoyable parts of the season are the leftovers from the previous season. Whenever they showed Stringer or had scenes with McNulty and Bunk, I enjoyed it, but the rest was just a long, empty season.
6.5/10
My feelings about this anime are very mixed. If we look at its premise and themes, I should be in love with this anime, but it constantly distracts me and fails to convey what I should focus on and what the real story is.
The first 6-7 episodes are clearly the introductory phase of the anime. After that, the anime jumps about 10 years. The things shown clearly in the first 6-7 episodes are Thorfinn's character, his story, and his motivation. There's a huge loss of focus between the introductory part and the last 4-5 episodes. After making such an introduction, Thorfinn is hardly present in a big part of the anime; he serves as a side character. You might accept this, but as I said, in that middle part of about 10-12 episodes, the anime shifts its focus so much that it's hard to connect to an arc. At least in the last 4-5 episodes, it picks up and the anime gets back on track. I really liked those final parts.
The character of Askeladd is very well-written. I went from hating him in one episode to feeling a sense of sincerity in the next. He's a truly grey character and definitely more interesting than Thorfinn.
Except for the war episodes, the animation budget seems to be kept very low. There are many scenes where a still frame is on the screen while someone is talking in the background without any animation.
The music was very good.
From the characters shown at the end, I understand that the second season will tell completely different things. I almost felt like Thorfinn won't be there much.
8/10
It was a great start to the series. I quickly warmed up to and liked the characters. It succeeds in making you like characters from both sides. People said it's too boring, but honestly, it's flowing smoothly right now. The season finale felt a bit rushed, like it was hurriedly done.
The scene where Kima gets shot was very impactful, it was the best episode of the season.
I didn't expect this series to make me laugh this much. It's almost as funny as 'The Sopranos', which is a contemporary and network mate.
One thing I feel lacking in the series is a bit of music. There's almost no music playing or musical scenes, unlike 'The Sopranos', its contemporary and network mate.
I have high expectations for the character Stringer.
8/10
