Oct 22, 2014
“Too big, too thick, too heavy, and too rough…that thing is too big to be called a sword…it was more like a large hunk of iron.”
-anonymous, Berserk vol. 1 – ch.3
Berserk is truly a masterpiece. I can honestly say it's the best manga i've ever read and I am still enjoying every last bit of it! I am now finished volume 37 dying and am waiting for the next chapter to come out (which is taking forever!). The first few volumes in the 'Black swordsman arc' are harder to get into and sometimes the art is not as good as it is in the later
...
volumes. However, once you reach the 'Golden Age arc' you will probably become addicted like I was.
This manga has very deep concepts and adult themes so I do not recommend Berserk for the faint hearted. But it is because of these concepts that Berserk is an awesome 'dark fantasy' with awesome fights and A LOT of gore. I would go as far as to say Berserk is like the 'Game of Thrones' of the manga world. I would also say that Batman would be seen as a wimp compared to Guts.
Guts it the reason why this manga is amazing- he is one of my favourite protagonists ever because his character is in one word a 'BADASS'. His personality contrasts a lot as he has a Spike Spiegel (cowboy bebop) cool attitude taking things in his stride but at the same time you will see him become mad and act like a monster. But his strong identity is always the same. His interactions and impressions he makes to the other characters are hilarious at times and I think they are the most awesome moments of berserk- even better than the fights! And come on, you gotta love Puck the elf!
The best thing about this manga for me personally is that there is no clear line between right and wrong. This means that even our good guys are doing bad things from time to time and our villains are doing good occasionally. This is what makes the manga 'dark' for me. You can also see that Miura is influenced by western culture and fairytales. This makes Berserk stand out from other animes and there is nothing out there like it!!!
Lastly, the story is great and you feel a real sense of journeying which will leave you feeling exhausted. However, at times the story can get confusing in places but the more you read the more will be explained. My favourite arc is 'Landwards Journey Towards Elfheim Arc' and I honestly found it hard to stop reading and I love the flashbacks throughout Berserk.
Thanks for reading my review, hope you found it helpful and will enjoy reading it as much as I did :) As Berserk is no where near it's end I hope it continues to be as amazing as it has been and I look forward to reading more over the years (emphasis on years- Miura please hurry up). I recommend the anime too BUT not the movies... the visuals are truly terrible. However, the anime is accurate to the manga it's just a shame about the sudden end but I really enjoyed it. I hope they continue the anime one day because Berserk is truly amazing.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
