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The Hindu
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
The gospel of ‘Vinland Saga' and its life-changing meditations on pacifism
By the time Japanese author Makoto Yukimura's seminal seinen manga publishes its 220th and final chapter today, it will have spanned two decades, 28 collected volumes, and two critically acclaimed seasons of anime. Widely considered as one of modern manga's most influential and evocative stories, Vinland Saga has sold over seven million copies, won the prestigious Kodansha Manga Award, and built a global congregation of devout fans. Despite its success, it still resists easy summary. It presents as a Viking epic of blood, vengeance and conquest, but harbours a stirring moral parable about remorse, forgiveness, and the long, difficult work of laying down one's sword. Inspired by the real-life Norse explorer Thorfinn Karlsefni, who led an expedition to North America around the turn of the 11th century, Yukimura set out to reconstruct the world of medieval Scandinavia with fastidious detail. He read Icelandic sagas — Erik the Red, The Greenlanders, The Flateyjarbók — though he later confessed that the source material was too long and dense to fully absorb. Instead, he travelled to Scandinavia, studied Viking law and shipbuilding, consulted anthropologists, and even created full-scale models to ensure historical fidelity with near-scholarly devotion. But the facts were never the point. The real Thorfinn's journey ended in failure, and Yukimura wanted to imagine what it would look like if it didn't. As a child, Thorfinn watches his father die and is consumed by a Hamletian thirst for revenge. By the series' midpoint, hollowed by grief, he finds a new vision: a vow of nonviolence, and a dream of a land where no one owns another, and no one draws a sword. This becomes the essence of Vinland — a utopia worth striving for, even if never found. Yukimura has rarely drawn attention to his influences, but his story hums with echoes of the great moral epics that preceded it. He has often cited Fist of the North Star as his entry point into manga, but Vinland Saga draws from a broader lineage of Dostoevsky's psychological torment, Kurosawa's tragic grandeur, and the lyrical, spiritual minimalism of Terrence Malick and Shūsaku Endō. At first, the story seduced readers with brutality. In its early arcs, Vinland Saga offered the baity spectacle of Nordic warbands slashing their way through medieval England. But as the chapters wore on, Yukimura gradually subverted the expectations he had so carefully cultivated. The swordplay gave way to introspection, and the battlefield faded into farmland. The manga became slower, quieter, and immeasurably deeper. The phrase 'I have no enemies,' first spoken by Thorfinn's father and later claimed by Thorfinn himself, has become the story's most striking refrain. It appears on posters, surfaces in comment threads, and circulates online like a secular prayer; emblematic of the story's moral arc. Though it sounds simple, in the context of the story, it marks a hard-earned philosophical commitment. In Buddhist thought, it echoes metta, or the cultivation of boundless goodwill toward all beings. In Christianity, it recalls Christ's command to love one's enemies. In Stoicism, it aligns with Marcus Aurelius' belief in understanding over judgment, and action guided by reason rather than impulse. In postcolonial thought, it resists the machinery of 'othering' that makes violence seem natural. Yukimura draws on this rich theological lineage to suggest that 'I have no enemies' doesn't deny conflict, but rather rejects the moral architecture that makes violence seem inevitable. Yukimura, a self-avowed pacifist, has said he would sooner go to prison than take up arms, even under government coercion. That conviction gives Vinland Saga its definitive force as a story set a millennium ago that speaks directly to the carnage of now. With clannish bloodlust and righteous warfare currently fueling the most defining atrocities of our time, Vinland Saga's radical, almost naive faith in a world without violence feels more vital than ever. That its titular utopia would later birth one of history's most brutal empires only deepens the irony. And yet in its belief in redemption, it insists a better world is still worth the reach. The parallels may not be precise, and Vinland Saga does not offer prescriptive solutions to modern crises. But its questions linger: How do people break free from cycles of violence? What does justice look like when forgiveness is possible, but memory endures? Can a society built on conquest ever truly become peaceful? The story doesn't pretend these are easy questions, and Thorfinn's path is full of doubt and contradiction. But Yukimura insists, again and again, that refusing to dehumanise others is the first step. Over time, Vinland Saga has cultivated a devoted, soul-searching following. Many have turned to it for solace in depression or as a catalyst to let go of rage. Its hopeful creed offered a blueprint for a kinder, gentler way of living, and nurtured one of the most thoughtful, generous fandoms in contemporary pop culture. As online spaces grow louder with manospheric posturing, Thorfinn has fostered a countercurrent of healthy masculinity, encouraging a generation of men to pursue empathy, accountability, and emotional growth over dominance or vengeance. That a slow, meditative story could thrive alongside testosteronic shounen offerings is a testament to its emotional gravity. YouTube essays, Reddit confessions, and blog threads have long extolled the virtues of this beautiful alchemy Yukimura has achieved. Vinland Saga is often grouped with Berserk and Vagabond as part of a loose cannon of modern seinen — three extraordinary, long-running epics centred on men forged in violence, each quietly threaded with pacifism. Today, it will become the only one of the three to reach its intended conclusion. As the final chapter approaches, there is a palpable sense of farewell in the air. Fans across the globe are bracing for the inevitable goodbye, already penning long letters of gratitude to a story that helped them survive the years. A millennium ago, a Norse explorer imagined a land without swords. In our time, a Japanese mangaka handed us that dream again. Now it's ours to carry forward, as far as it will go. Vinland is somewhere just past the horizon.
Time Out
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Wynn Macau is hosting Japan's Kichi Kichi Omurice for an exclusive pop-up
If you're chronically online like most of us, you've likely come across a video or photo of Kichi Kichi Omurice 's founder, Motokichi Yukimura. With his eye-catching bright red hair, playful personality, and the restaurant's signature mouthwatering omurice slathered in demi-glace sauce, this Japanese chef has won over the internet. Thanks to his massive popularity, chef Yukimura has brought his omurice overseas to countries like Singapore, Indonesia, and Australia. From August 1 to 2, Hongkongers can finally get a taste of his signature dish in Macau! For two nights, he'll be whipping up his crowd-pleaser at Tekka in Wynn Macau. If you don't want to fly all the way to Japan, this is an experience not to be missed. Book your tables for Kichi Kichi's omurice experience on Wynn Macau's website before they're gone.
Tatler Asia
02-06-2025
- Business
- Tatler Asia
Kyoto's Kichi Kichi Omurice comes to Singapore this July
The alternative, which bears a slight more permanence, will take place on July 10 and beyond. Yukimura collaborates with Tsukimi Hamburg for a permanent menu addition that promises to elevate the city's casual Japanese dining landscape. The anticipated union debuts two new dishes: the Kichi Kichi Hamburg Omurice, featuring golden demiglace edamame fried rice, crowned with spiral-shaped omelette and a juicy hamburg steak; and the signature Kichi Kichi Omurice, a purist's take on the viral signature, one that continues to drive food pilgrims to queue for hours in Kyoto's narrow alleyways. Tsukimi Hamburg Address: 1 Jurong West Central 2, B1-52, &JOY Japanese Food Street, Jurong Point, S(648886)
Straits Times
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Kyoto's Kichi Kichi Omurice to run two-day event at Jurong Point's Tsukimi Hamburg
The charismatic chef Motokichi Yukimura of the famed Kichi Kichi Omurice will be in Singapore on July 10 and 11 for a cooking showcase. PHOTO: RE&S ENTERPRISES SINGAPORE – If you have not been able to score a coveted seat at the famed Kichi Kichi Omurice restaurant in Kyoto, Japan, you can now try your luck in Singapore. Helmed by Japanese chef Motokichi Yukimura, the 14-seat restaurant is renowned for theatrically serving the Insta-famous omurice (Japanese omelette rice), where a perfectly cooked omelette is sliced open to drape over a bed of fried rice. Chef Yukimura, 69, has 314,000 followers on his @kichikichi_omurice Instagram account. It carries a line that says: 'Upon request, we will go to your country to make omurice.' He has done so in cities such as Jakarta and Sydney. Up next is Singapore, in a collaboration with home-grown food and beverage group RE&S Enterprises, which focuses on Japanese cuisine concepts. On July 11 and 12, the chef will host a cooking showcase – two sessions a day for lunch and dinner – at Tsukimi Hamburg restaurant at Jurong Point. Each session is limited to 20 people, who will have to win tickets by joining a lucky draw. To do so, you need to sign up as a &Rewards Member and spend a minimum of $20 in a single receipt at &JOY Japanese Food Street (at Nex or Jurong Point), from June 3 to 30. Each winner, to be announced every Thursday, can get a pair of tickets. This collaboration has been in discussion for some time, says RE&S Enterprises' vice president of marketing Winnie Loo, whose team visited chef Yukimura at his Kyoto restaurant in February. Kichi Kichi hamburg omurice, a collaborative dish to be launched from July 10 at Tsukimi Hamburg outlets. PHOTO: RE&S ENTERPRISES She says: 'Chef Yukimura has always embraced meaningful overseas collaborations that allow his culinary philosophy to reach new audiences. One of our Japanese counterparts bridged this connection with him, making this collaboration possible.' She also confirmed that there are no plans for chef Yukimura to open a permanent Kichi Kichi Omurice outlet in Singapore. For those who are unable to get tickets, you can go for two collaborative Tsukimi Hamburg x Kichi Kichi Omurice dishes instead. First, the Kichi Kichi Hamburg Omurice ($16.80) features demiglace fried rice with edamame and chicken blanketed with a fluffy spiral 'tornado' omelette and finished with a hamburg patty. The other option, Kichi Kichi Omurice ($12.80), comes without the hamburg. The demiglace omurice, says Ms Loo, stays true to the original rich, slow-cooked demiglace sauce by chef Yukimura. But instead of the classic sliced omelette presentation, diners here will get a spiral 'tornado' omelette on the rice to ensure consistency across the dishes. The dishes will launch on July 10 as permanent additions to Tsukimi Hamburg's menu at all its outlets. First established at Jurong Point in 2022, Tsukimi Hamburg's other branches are at CapitaSpring and Hougang Mall. Ms Loo adds: 'During our visit to his restaurant, the conversation flowed naturally, and the idea of pairing his world-famous omurice with Tsukimi Hamburg's signature juicy hamburg steaks felt like a perfect match.' For more details on the lucky draw, go to Eunice Quek is STFood online editor at The Straits Times. She covers all things trending in the food and beverage scene. Check out ST's Food Guide for the latest foodie recommendations in Singapore.
