Manga 2 Berserk Reviews Filter Check 1

Story - 9.38

The first three volumes may discourage some of the readers because it's starts off kind of slow and the initial artwork is not quite up to today's standards. However, after the reader begins the Golden Age arc it is nearly impossible to not be pulled in and become addicted to the series. It is chock-full of action, drama, character development, twists and turns, and just a dash of romance. It defies generalization and is just damn good storytelling.

After the Gold Age arc wraps up the story come back full circle to where it left us at the end of volume 3. But by ... then the rhythm of the manga has changed completely. The reader has established a deep connection with Guts, Casca, and Griffith and that only grows more as the story continues. You'll be confronted with conflicting emotions and think things like "I really want to see Guts put Griffith in the ground" and at the same time "Griffith is just so damn cool". These conflicting thoughts and emotions just go to show how invested the reader becomes with the characters.

Another good thing about the Berserk story is that the protagonist (Guts) is not always the focal character in every chapter. In fact, nearly all of the major supporting cast members receive a considerable amount of page space for their own stories to be fleshed out. Each of these side-stories is not only unique and extremely well developed, but also very deep and revealing as it shows the reader why these character are the way they are. One of the side stories that I found most intriguing was Farnese and Serpico's as it was so beautifully orchestrated as part of the manga as a whole.

The only problem with the story, in my humble opinion, is the introduction of magic in the manga. I feel that the magic the group "acquires" in volume 24 is somewhat exaggerated and does not suit the dark atmosphere of the story. In fact, at times it can even make some of the chapters feel a bit shounen-esk. But even still, it's pretty much impossible not to enjoy the ongoing story that is Berserk.



Art - 9.6

The artwork in the first few volumes of Berserk won't do much to impress many of today's manga readers, but at the time when the series was first serialized (1992) it was certainly well above average. Those initial volumes feature many very unique character designs (especially the apostles) and also sport a relatively high focus on detail. However, where Miura really shows off his latent artistic talents early on is through his ability to create crisp, clear, and highly fluid fight scenes.

One of the few negative aspects of the early volumes can be identified as the simple shading techniques that Miura used. Also, sometimes the character faces will look just a bit "off" and it can be a little distracting. However, these minor quality issues were most likely due to the time constraints that were in place at the time and not entirely the fault of the artist.

Then as the series progresses the reader gets to watch the artwork literally evolve. As we learn more and more about the characters and the world in which they live, the characters themselves and their environments become more and more visually detailed. The simple shading from the early volumes is eventually replaced by a hand shading technique which gives the series a more gritty and surreal overall feeling. The character designs become more crisp and facial expressions sometimes are so vivid that one look at a character's face is often enough to tell the reader exactly what the character is thinking. By the time the reader makes it into volumes 20 and beyond Miura has made it very clear that he means for Berserk to be truly regarded as a work of art just as much as it is a masterfully epic piece of storytelling.

In my own experience I have seen very, very few other manga series that can even approach Berserk's later volumes on an artistic level and, unfortunately, I highly doubt that I will ever be able to find its peer.



Characters - 9.5

The very first character you will meet in Berserk is Guts, the "Black Swordsman" with a dark past and a score to settle with his demonic enemies. Certainly not a very revolutionary character at first glance, but even though he may start off as such, his character quickly expands, and ends up as one of the most believable and human characters I have ever witnessed.

As the story unwinds, you follow Guts through his past, allowing you to experience his personality change during his constant battle against fate. You follow Guts through waves of despair and hardships offset only by the flickering fires of friendship and trust. Eventually, Guts becomes like a maelstrom of opposing emotions, and the question arises, will he continue on his path of all-consuming revenge even if it means losing everything he has come to care for?

The other characters that appear throughout the course of the story come in all different shapes and sizes and all play their roles perfectly, just as support characters should. The more important support characters, protagonists and antagonists alike, are all draped in many layers of depth, making their characters both solid pillars and interesting ingredients within the plot as a whole. From Griffith's burning ambition to the skulduggery of the God Hand, from Puck and Isidro's antics to Farnese's troubled past and uncertain future, the characters all appear vivid and alive (Although alive might not fit The Skull Knight...) and all have their own emotions, personalities and ambitions. The supportive cast show their brilliance in how they appear to the reader as actual players in Berserk's grand game, and not just as passive plot devices.

With such a cast of strong personalities and vibrant, living characters, Berserk easily cuts it's way (no pun intended) to the top score in this category.



Enjoyment - 10

The fact that I sat and read through all 295 chapters of this exquisite manga in one sitting should justify the perfect score for enjoyment! The manga has great characters - heroes you root for and empathize with, villains you can't help but admire for their ruthlessness and charisma. The artwork is dark, brooding, and gruesome and complements the story well. And what a riveting story it is... It hooks you from the first chapter and sets the stage for the most intriguing revenge themed manga on the market. Its success is testament to its quality. My only complaint is the excruciating waits between chapters.

Also, I must throw in a cautionary note: this manga is quite definitely not for the faint hearted. There is a considerable amount nudity, sex, gore, violence, and, for the lack of a better word, bad-assery!



OVERALL - 9.69



This review is the final result of a review team composed of members from the "Critics and Connoisseurs" club. The team members were:

8GaugeBrett - Who wrote the Art section and combined the individual review parts together into a whole.
Amaity - Who wrote the Enjoyment section.
Baman - Who wrote the Character section.
Ianmessku - Who wrote the Story section.

Here are their individual scorings for the Manga:
Category - 8GaugeBrett, Amaity, Baman, Ianmessku

Story - 9, 10, 9, 9.5
Art - 10, 9, 10, 9.5
Character - 9, 9 , 10, 10
Enjoyment - 10, 10, 10, 10
Overall - 10, 9, 10, 9.75

In the club wide poll held for Berserk it received an average overall rating of 9.53

"Have you ever hated someone so much, that this feeling alone would drive you to do horrific and impossible to grasp things?
Have you ever hated someone so much, that your whole life was focused on finding that person and ripping him apart?
Have you ever hated someone so much, that you would forget about your humanity, purge it all just to find enough power, for one, single fraction of a moment, one chance to get your revenge...

What would your eyes look like in that very moment...? Insane? Terrified? Passionate? Happy? Or maybe... satisfied...

Look into his eyes, and find nothing there..."

When I first learned that there is ... something like Berserk manga, I was a bit surprised. That was some 7 years ago and little did I know about relations between anime and manga. Either way, I took my chances and downloaded several first volumes.
You can imagine my surprise when I noticed that the manga is a far cry from the anime which really made my day some time ago. Having struggled through the first chapters I moved on to the next volumes. You know, the anime itself is, in all its ingenuity, only a small fraction of the whole manga... As small as several volumes with some deleted scenes and a bit redone ending at that. However, by the moment I reached 'the anime plotline' in manga (which is volume 3) I got already interested in the manga itself.

I think that there's no point in summarising the plot. You can read it above, and for the sake of not spoiling anything, I think you should. You have to, however know this: Berserk manga, in terms of plotline and characters development - is by far the best manga I have ever read, the most complete one, the most multi-dimensional one, the most memorable one... Nowhere else will you be told the stories of sub characters so bluntly and yet discreet that you won't even notice. Nowhere else will you receive such a huge dose of information, and yet still be able to comprehend it effortlessly. This is something uncanny, and frankly, I doubt that anyone ever will be able to reach the level.

The characters are just great. On one hand we have Gutts and Griffith, shades of black and white, fire and water. Being so different, neither can live without the other one. They're like Yin and Yang, two halves of the same coin - even in his darkest moments Griffith still finds himself as Gutts' friend, although few minutes later this friendship changes into hatred and horrific envy. Their whole story is like that, they start off as great friends who would die for each other with smiling face, but only one of them is really committed here.
Characters shine even more when we consider other protagonists and antagonists. No person is left shallow and without a story to tell. Miura-sempai explains everything in a given time and briefly enough to keep you interested. Unlike in other titles where antagonists exist only to serve as a powerup training bag for the protagonist, here all demons have their motives. Even the smallest monster is explained, by which you get attached, even to such scumbags.

The story itself is brutal, broody and hectic sometimes. But you never really lose the track if it. You can have two mini-arcs in one mayor arc, but you'll always remember what the team's real destination is. In this way, Miura-sempai makes it clear to you, that Gutts, although a little less passionately, follows his path and even if he was to be destroyed, he would neither falter nor go back. And the same goes for Griffith, who despite his appearance (nowhere else will you notice that appearance is deceitful so much as in Berserk) is a very strong-willed and straight-forward character. And in all this, having seen all the atrocities that happen in Midland, you never ever think of Griffith as the wrong one. He's not wrong, he's just following his dream, a dream that was clouded with Gutts appearance in his life.

The art itself, is a state of art to watch and read. Detailed panels, hundreds of characters on one page during a hectic battle, highly textured monsters and what I love the most - fluid, realistic and clear fighting scenes. You don't need Kubo trolling with ink to see that Gutts has his speed even despite the weight of his sword. You don't need hundreds of straight lines to increase the dynamics of the scene - Miura-sensei manages it all without a loss in quality.
Facial expressions are something completely else. Even if you cannot follow the plot for some weird reason you can always judge whether the character is good or bad by just looking at his or her face. Those are very detailed and so rich in expressions that you never get bored. You can feel the difference between smooth and angelic appearance of Griffith and a brute, yet kind rectangular face of Gutts.

The mangaka puts a lot of effort into shade and light in Berserk. By that we get a very distinctive nights, sunshines and sunsets as well as dynamic shadows (however awkward it sounds) that no anime director can mime. It's simply sensational to look at all that and even be able to read the story of it... It is clear to me, that Miura-sensei is trying to end up with a sort of masterpiece in terms of manga. And you know what? He's pretty close to achieving this.

There are, however, some bad points too. The manga is not for everyone. I would strictly add parental advisory and 18+ to it. Nowhere else will you see so much nudity, sex and violence as in this manga. It's not a hentai-like nudity and sex though. Berserk shows a violent world with all its aspects, hence these parts were as relevant as any other to make the story as believable as possible.

I'm glad I was able to read the manga. It's one of the best titles ever, if not the best so far. I sincerely hope though, that Miura-sensei lives up to the expectations and finishes this story in a fitting way. Judging by his up-to-date work, it's more than possible.

Berserk: best manga of all the time or GREATEST manga ever? This isn't up for debate, its written in stone.

The story is incredible in every way imaginable. It starts out with a few small arcs featuring the Black Swordsman named Guts who hunts down demons known as Apostles. We aren't really sure why he does this at the beginning but the mangaka, Miura indicates that there is a lot of history between Guts and these Apostles. The setting is realistic fantasy at first with dashes of supernatural and high-fantasy elements sprinkled here and there. Guts doesn't appear as a very likable protagonist at first. ... He's rude, cynical, wooden and somewhat insane. The only definite characters are him and his elf sidekick, Puck. There is definitely a strong sense of mystery at first with Guts' motives being hinted at very subtlety as he makes his way through these self-contained arcs. There are no real characters that one can attach themselves to and the tone is extremely bleak. Themes such as existentialism are brought up quite often as the audience wonders why Guts continues at what seems to be a hopeless goal. Its eventually revealed that he has a personal vendetta against one of the God-Hands named Femto, one of the 5 deities of the Berserk universe.

As soon as this is revealed, the manga goes into a very long flashback of Guts' entire life up to the present. It explains how he joined a mercenary group called The Band of the Hawk and became friends with the leader, Griffith. We see that Guts' enjoyed his life with the Band, and was friends with many of the mercenaries. Themes such as comradeship, identity and love are brought up which is stark contrast with the themes in the present. While reading all this, there is a nagging sensation that the audience hears at the back of their heads: this can't last. Miura skillfully throws in elements into the story and brings them up again much later. Its all masterfully weaved together, and as the past starts to catch up with the present, you can't help but dread the outcome of it all. And finally when the Eclipse rolls around, all sorts of emotions surge up such as sorrow and anger. It all comes full circle when the audience realizes that it was foreshadowed since day 1. Ladies and gentlemen, this is what we call masterful storytelling, and the best part is that its only one-third of the story. Truth be told, the manga could have ended after volume 13 and it would still be spectacular but Miura goes the extra several miles and turns Berserk in the stuff of legends.

The characters in Berserk are phenomenal and are expertly written. Many characters undergo vast changes, and it all feels natural and not forced at all. Despite how they all appear at first, you can't help but come to like them all, shortcomings and flaws be damned. Guts becomes one of the best protagonists after a while, a true tragic hero in every meaning of the phrase. It really is a pleasure just to see all the characters interact and to see all their quirks. A chapter can be filled with nothing but dialogue and exposition, and it will be every bit as interesting and compelling as the action-packed chapters. The characters and story go hand in hand, they are all products of their environment and fit so well with the setting. All the fantastical elements fit just as well if not better. Berserk doesn't really require that much suspense of disbelief at first but once you get into it, it doesn't really matter what it pulls, it all seems possible and the sky is limit.

The art is easily some of the best I've ever seen in a manga. The level of detail in the drawings is absolutely insane, everything looks so good. Characters all look great and have their own style and flavor. Faces are never recycled and even background characters all have a distinct look from each other. One of my favorite parts of the drawings are the eyes, their not overtly huge like in most anime and manga, but have a unique design that fits the characters well. Its not ultra realistic like Vagabond or Blade of the Immortal, yet the artstyle it sports is just as good if not better.

Overall, Berserk is easily the best manga I have ever read. From its well developed and written characters to its deep and intricate plot. There's loads of action, blood, gore, nudity, violence, horrific monster designs and I love every bit of it. Truth is all the extreme elements of this manga simply play second fiddle to the characters and story. There is no manga out there that has captivated me like Berserk, it has no equal. I don't even need to read every manga in existence to tell you that. You could take it as fanboy rambling, but I'm not kidding you when I say Berserk is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. If you have the time to read this review, than you sure as hell have enough time to open a new tab and read the first few chapters of Berserk. You won't regret it!

A 10. One of the several few mangas that deserve two numbers. Berserk tells the tale of a swordsman haunted by woe and bad luck."Out of the frying pan into the fire" seems to be the only way to describe this manga, for the protagonist, Gutts, always seems to find himself in worse situations than those of his preceding situations.

The storyline line is superb - one of money, love, betrayal, and death. Each of these themes seem to be ubiquitous yet vacant throughout the story. Albeit a bit slow in the beginning, the plot rockets off, forming a most complex and elaborate tale that ... is sure to suck you in like a vacuum.

The art is amazing as well, though a tad bit confusing at times (as is the case for most action manga). The decapitation and maiming seem to look somewhat authentic relative to the weapon swings and cleaves - a huge plus in my book.

The characters are all fascinating in their own respect. Some big, some young, yet all adventurous and brave enough to fit in such an epic story. Each character is introduced and then reintroduced at a later time with even more background information on them.

Lastly, the mangaka seems to do things differently in this manga then in others. This thing seems to be the "pragmatist POV," the POV any sensible person would take. This made me elated. If you don't know what I'm talking about, read and find out.

Following Kentaro Miura's announced death I felt the need to just share what his life's dedication has done for me personally.

There are many reviews on Berserk which will be much more analytical and more in-depth about how Berserk deserves the title of the best manga of all time. Rather than that, Berserk and what it means to me is something dear to my heart. There are not many things in the world that can impact me as a person, something like being in a relationship, but for a piece of literature to change and impact me is something only a masterpiece like Berserk could do. ...

Berserk is quite simply a manga about struggling, and why Guts continues to struggle until he eventually reaches some form of happiness. For someone like me who was struggling with my will to live, Berserk hit me hard.

Say what you will about Berserk, whether you only like the first one hundred chapters or so, whether you hate every character but the more dark horse characters etc, the fact that this manga resulted in me standing where I am today, is something I am eternally grateful for.

Berserk is a masterpiece to me, and I hope the author can rest in peace knowing how much people value his work.

RIP Kentaro Miura

"To me, a friend is something else. Someone who would never depend upon another's dream. Someone who wouldn't be compelled by anyone, but who would determine and pursue his own reason to live and should anyone trample that dream, he would oppose him body and soul...even if that threat were me myself. What I think a friend is, is one who is my equal." – Griffith

Words of wisdom and complete despair. Griffith’s speech at the top of the ballroom stairs is truly sublime and grotesque in nature. Many would agree with what is being said but only few expected the horrors this speech would imply. ... Welcome everyone to my review of Kentaro Miura’s masterpiece, 'Berserk'.

Spoiler-Free Review (In the sense that I don’t discuss major details on plot or characters):

Every person and their mom know how much I love 'Berserk', to the point of obsession. It is the perfect blend of many genres and styles of literature. It borrows many concepts including: tragedies (ie: Shakespearean tragedies, Death of a Salesman, etc…); literature classics that involve themes such as life experience (ie: Siddhartha, The Catcher in the Rye, etc…); the bible, organized religion and philosophy (ie: Plato and the realm of ideas); fantasy adventure classics (ie: Lord of the Rings, Wheel of Time, etc…); and many western movie epics (ie: Star Wars, Conan the Barbarian, etc…). The scope of this story is incredible but the main problem some might point out is: do all these big themes and concepts mesh well together while at the same time keeping a cohesive pacing and plot? Yes it does because all these big themes are separated by story arcs and sections where they each get their moment to shine while at the same time creating a perfect transition for the next part of the story. These shifts in themes also keep the story from not ever becoming stale and/or boring. All the while, the word “berserk” is the over arching theme of the entire manga. The uniqueness of the story in 'Berserk' is also unrivaled. While it does take many aspects of traditional and modern literature such as the tragic hero (Golden Age Arc) and individual societal drama (Conviction Arc), Miura added his own twist to everything like his opinion on the moral values of the themes he presents (which are all great might I add) and his own unique fantastical elements (Behelit, demon’s, God-Hand, etc…). Childhood rape is another topic that Miura delves into and it is safe to say that he handles it with complete respect and understanding. It is not a topic he simply glosses over in order to shock the reader, but is a full on subject and consequence within the story. The subject is handled with great care, subtlety, and realism. Miura makes sure that every moment, theme, and action taken within the story is a build up for the final act within the certain arc. 'Berserk' is not simply a bunch of ideas blended together but a mix of different puzzle pieces that are carefully fit in place in order to create a truly monumental achievement in story telling.

All these different themes seem very good but is the story any fun to read or is it all just standing around and talking? Well do not fear because there is action a plenty in this manga which is all very well detailed. The action in and of itself is brilliant, and character movements are all drawn and dictated with precise panel accuracy to the point of obsession. To add to how incredible the action is, 'Berserk' itself is probably the most beautifully drawn manga (this includes comics and graphic novels) of all time. This statement of it being the best could probably be debunked, but I have not yet come across a better art-work. The character proportions and details, the world and backgrounds, the fantasy creatures, etc… are all marvelous to look at. Do not be surprised if you start staring at the art for hours on end, it is that good. Kentaro Miura in an interview said that it took him about 24 hours to finish drawing just one panel and be satisfied with it. Goes to show how much he cares about detail.

The main character Guts is the very definition of a tragic hero. His character arc is beyond that of any other protagonist and his emotional torments are unrivaled. To truly understand this man’s point of view is to go through hell itself and beyond. Every arc adds to his growth, redemption, and eventual becoming of a hero and mentor. It is truly beautiful and poetic in nature. His character complexity just continues to grow (the manga is still publishing) and eventually he will become the definition of enlightened, or so we hope he will be? One of the many ways for a great protagonist to shine is through a great villain. Thankfully, Griffith is the very definition of a perfect villain. Taking on the classic tragic literature elements of the villain once being best friends with the protagonist, Griffith takes this idea and magnifies his betrayal to the point of complete horror. Imagine taking a man, forcing him to watch everything horrible in life and everything personally horrible to him. Griffith does exactly that and the magnitude of his crime is unbelievable. This crime is all done in the name of his own goals and dreams. The starting top quote of the review spoken by Griffith is taken all the way to the extreme. Griffith was once a man who was in love, happy, childish, angry, intimidating, fearful, compassionate, heroic, etc... But he replaced all that in order to simply follow his dream. He became the very embodiment of the anti-Christ, a man who cares only about his own selfish ends, who looks majestic in nature but is a complete and utter villain, who schemes and fools the world into believing that he is the savior of mankind. As for Guts, he learnt from this betrayal and became the very man Griffith should have been. He became the hero that everyone now looks up to. The last and only step he must now face is to defeat his inner rage, which has been building up since the beginning of the series. He must rid himself of this berserk instinct and darkness inside him. In doing so he will turn into the true hero he is meant to become and defeat the anti-Christ known as Griffith once and for all.

The secondary characters are all incredible in their own right. Guts’ friends are divided into two groups. The first group of friends are the ones that gave him a family for the first time while at the same time each giving their own advice on how he should go on in life. They all have an interesting back story and are quite well developed, some more than others. These friends feel like people and each one of them is smart in their own way. However things change with the second group of friends. Guts’ is introduced to a new family but this time it is him that gives them advice and guidance thanks in part to the experience and knowledge he’s gained through out his journey. This second group of friends are much more interesting than the first because since they all have issues they need to overcome, each and every one of them have an incredibly well handled character arc. Guts through experience, learns to rely on his companions and they all connect with each other in different ways. The fantastic thing about each and every character in 'Berserk' is just how natural and subtle their development is. Nothing ever feels forced or thrown in your face. It is all very well paced and sometimes poetic in nature which are either done through great dialogue or subtle character actions that are well detailed. Paying attention to the drawings and art is crucial not only in terms of beauty, but character development as well. Character expressions are all taken into account and are very crucial to the story. Every interaction between the main and secondary characters has a purpose and that includes the comic relief characters/moments. The amount of attention to detail is simply astounding.

The final subject that must be touched upon is the tone and violence of this manga. Many have complained that this series contains too much gore and nudity. If one is too delicate to look at grotesque and violent actions, then this manga can easily turn some people off. However, I assure the readers that the nudity and extreme violence all have a purpose. What does it mean to be human? Love, hatred, pain, pleasure, life, and death (readers of 'Berserk' know what moment I am referencing) are all taken to the complete extremes in order to find out that answer. Like I stated in the beginning of my review, 'Berserk' is the definition of sublime and grotesque. It is beautiful in both aspects of the extreme. This is the tone that is kept through out each and every arc. That is why the story has that “epic” feel which no other manga has ever been able to replicate.

To call 'Berserk' perfect after all the praise I’ve given would still be a lie because the series is not over yet and nothing is ever truly “perfect”. There are many ways in which Kentaro Miura can make a mistake in the later upcoming chapters. There is also one more minor companion among Guts’ group that has not had much back story or development, something I’m hoping Miura will fix in the later chapters. Some people have criticized some certain parts of the manga like the first intro Black Swordsman Arc or the beginning of the newly started Fantasia Arc, but the nit-picking can easily be rebutted. The Black Swordsman Arc was meant to introduce the world of 'Berserk' which includes: the main protagonist and antagonist, the fantastical and medieval world they live in, the tone and intense action, and the over arching theme of the whole series which is Guts’ inner “berserk”. It is a fantastic set up and gets the reader aware of what type of journey they are about to embark on. As for the beginning of Fantasia Arc, the same introduction argument can be used because the world and rules have changed drastically since the last arc. This is all really pointless to debate because this story arc has only just begun.

'Berserk' is by far the smartest, most diverse and well developed story I’ve ever seen and/or read. This includes comics, movies, novels, TV series, anime, etc… It is perhaps the greatest piece of literature of our generation and Kentaro Miura deserves ever single praise he gets. It is in my opinion the closest story to have reached perfection and I feel truly privileged to be reading such a masterpiece. Thank you very much Mr. Miura.

The only reason I regret reading Berserk is because now no manga or anime even comes close to how good it is. It might act as a turn off to some younger viewers because of the violence, complex story line, sex (probably not), and tragedy.

Everything in this anime is perfect and might take a little difficulty to be appreciated because of its age.

It's original
The artwork is amazing
The story line is tragic and superb
It's the coolest and saddest thing you will ever read

Thank you. There has never been a greater story told, even if there will never be an ending to it. I don't think I've ever come across another one with characters as complex, so complex that it felt like you were only drawing the world around them while they were living in it with a mind of their own. I was never able to think of them as mere products of someone's imagination. But it was all you. It was an absolute privilege to read it while you were still here, and I only understand that now that you're gone. Rest in peace.

Mod Note: This review was initially posted for the one-shot, Berserk Prototype, and was subsequently merged into Berserk.I've only recently started reading Berserk, so I've decided to check out the Prototype. I think that anyone who enjoys reading Berserk will find this interesting and worth reading. In itself it does not stand out particularly, and it really looks like another chapter of Berserk with some differences concerning the details of the story. (There are slight defferences in the treminology, and Guts is somewhat differently drawn.)
I found it worth while because it actually shows you that a rough idea needs to be refined and thought through ... to bring about something as good as Berserk is. I've read some mangas that were potentially great, but seemed to lack that period that the author of Berserk took to think things through between the idea and its actual realization.
So if you like Berserk, and if you're interested in the origins of the manga, you should definitely read the Prototype.

Berserk feels like two different series.

The first, the "Golden Age" arc, is where its acclaim rightly comes from- it easily stands alone as the single best Manga arc I've ever read. Deserves 10s across the board. Reading Berserk is *absolutely* worthwhile for that experience alone- superb, mature characters, fiendishly inventive plot twists, and some beautiful worldbuilding. The way it ends is absolutely heartbreaking.

Then, after the first ~110 chapters? There's, ah, the rest.

The post-Golden Age arc's still enjoyable- and the magnificent art style, if anything, has got even better. The problem's with the setting and pacing- it scarcely feels like the storyline has ... any idea where it wants to go anymore. The serious, heartfelt tone of the Golden Age arc's faded away, and been replaced with something much closer to a standard shōnen plotline. Guts and Griffith are still about, and the relationship between the two is still fantastic- but just about everything that made the Golden Age arc so distinctive's vastly reduced. The worldbuilding's still spectacularly creative, the sparse moments of actual plot development are interesting, and the characters from the original arc are still around, and develop in unexpected ways- but the feeling of close camraderie that made the Band of the Hawk's stories so wonderful to read about is just gone. What's in its place is a pretty, formulaic string of sequences- roughly summed up as "Guts et al wander into new setting, mysterious phenomenon transforms into eldritch abomination, the party thwack it with magical weapons for a few chapters, then Guts screams and gravely injures himself destroying the monster of the week". That's it- the overarching, beautifully written story of the Golden Age arc's been replaced by something that feels distinctly less... human? Berserk's become a story dominated by the spectacle, rather than the characters- which, unfortunately, has entailed jettisoning a huge part of what made it so wonderful in the first place.

The plot's meandered along at a glacial pace for almost two hundred chapters now. Given the slow rate of chapter releases (three hundred chapters over twenty years?), it's hard to imagine the plot getting anywhere soon.

Scored a "7" with a heavy heart. The Golden Age arc on its own deserves "10"s across the board- but the latter two thirds of the story drag the score down. The soul just isn't there anymore.

Read it, absolutely. Just expect to find the magic trailing off after a certain point.

-- [ Berserk ] --

One line: "Highly detailed scenes. Very impressive and complex plot. Lively and varied characters. Berserk rules!"

- [ Story - 10 ] -

Berserk is about Guts, an exceptionally skilled swordsman and his adventures with The Band of the Hawk, along with its leader, Griffith, and other characters like Caska. After a betrayal, Guts is branded as a sacrifice by the God Hand and loses all his friends and his love, set to be killed during The Eclipse. He fights like an insane, becoming an Eclipse survivor. Following this, he is cursed and always attracts evil spirits and violence around him. He now ... devotes himself to fighting God Hand, his betrayer and all evil accumulating around him, even at the cost of whatever he came to cherish in life, accumulating scars after scars, and risking the lost of everything, including his life. All for revenge.

Berserk is a dark, violent series, definitely targetted to an adult audience. It also contains significant amount of nudity and sex, even rape. Ok. now you are warned.

The plotline is extremely detailed and complex, going from the present, to Guts' background story extensively, before returning to the present and moving on. This is makes very good chracter development and background story elaboration. You are told about most of the characters, how they are related, and why they behave as they do in the present. I felt that no detail lacked. Very very well made!

The story is very captivating too. There is no humor, since it's almost a tragic story, about real suffering at the lost of loved ones and dear friends, because of the betrayal of somebody held in high-esteem. A superb plotline, which views the classic "man fights demons" from a very different angle, as if you were inside the story. The problem is that there is no "good side" to balance the evil powers, so Guts is all alone in his fight for revenge, with no help at all. Berserk takes another look at religion and its concepts, at god and the foundation of faith, at friendship, love and betrayal. Overall, Berserk packs an incredibly complex plot, which is definitely worth discovering.


- [ Art - 10 ] -

The first volumes have quite poor art, with simplistic toning as shading. Even the characters are sometimes weirdly drawn, with wrongly positioned facial features and some other things.

The artist, Kentaro Miura, shows his true skills as the story goes. As the volumes go on, the level of detail, the quality of the drawings and shading increases exponentially, making Berserk a true piece of art. It's definitely one of the best illustrated manga I've seen till now. The characters and specially environments are magnificently detailed. You will see pages dedicated to picturing the environment, on which you will maintain your stare!

Just give a glance to the armor of Griffith or even Guts. It's extremely detailed, down to the nearest mail. Plain impressive. The art is sometimes "heavy" with shading, but this weakness is compensated with detail and intricate shading.

Miura excells in depicting complex fight scenes, with Guts surrounded by enemies, and in great, gory details. Those spread pages are a real pleasure for the eyes. Specially when you get to see the environment too. Miura is definitely the details-man!


- [ Characters - 9 ] -

This manga takes character development to a whole new level. You are given every small detail about all the major characters, and how they are related to all the other characters. The development is made at a great pace, not too fast, not too slow. You will be given details just when they are required. You won't be complaining about lack of details about characters in Berserk.

There is nothing very extraordinary about the characters. In fact, they all seem normal! Guts looks kind of evil and loveless at first glance, and Griffith, seems to be kind-hearted. That's just at first glance though, because the characters have incredible depth. So much that the reader can almost feel the emotions of the characters. You will even pity Guts at time, telling yourself "poor guy...".

The characters are driven by their emotions and ambitions. Guts wants revenge, and channels all his anger and frustration in his fights, even hurting those he cares about in the process, literally becoming berserk. Griffith has ambition and will stop at nothing to reach his goals. The God Hand is pure evil, despite the word god often associated with good in their name. Such a lively and varied cast of characters makes Berserk great.

Interesting enough, Berserk is one of the few series where the main character is not always present and hogging all the action. Sometimes, Guts is not even doing anything great, save for some talking. This gives other characters some role, which makes Berserk even more interesting, since you get to discover side characters. An example would be the Farnese/Serpico arc.

Then why 9 and not 10? Because in my opinion, Griffith gets too much attention. It's just my opinion though! :P


- [ Enjoyment - 9 ] -

Berserk is not something you are going to enjoy, considering the violence and dark theme. You are going to appreciate it, if I may say. That, I did!

The detailed art, the non-lacking story line, the varied cast of characters and the plot twists make Berserk totally great, unsurpassed in its genre in my opinion. You will get to admire, hate or even support the characters as Berserk progresses. As I said earlier, you will become part of Berserk.

Why 9 for enjoyment? Because I didn't like Guts getting trashed incessantly for nearly 25 volumes by overwhelming force and not getting any powerups! It was plain unfair, specially considering all odds are against the guy.


- [ Overall - 9 ] -

If you can handle the violence, gore, fighting and sex, you will want to see Berserk, simply because there is nothing better than Berserk when it comes to those themes! :D

I am not convinced about the re-read value yet. I find it difficult to go over all those dark plots again. It's going to be a once-off-love-it series I guess. For me at least.

When looking at the 5 sub-categories above, I noticed myself giving every one a 10 (expect for enjoyment, which I gave a 9. I'll get to why I gave it that in a second). While I'm not particularly the strictest reviewer ever, I generally don't go throwing 10's all over the place. So, needless to say, Berserk is something unique.

If one were to simply look at the series briefly, the average person would probably only see it as just another over-the-top action manga with a lot of nudity and sex. But that's where they would be mistaken; while violence in Berserk tends to be ... very extreme and sex IS prevalent, it is done like that on purpose.

Berserk, at its core, is a horror manga for mature audiences...and I'm not talking a generic spooky, ghost-filled haunted mansion story. I'm talking nightmare-like horror. Monsters exist less for the purpose of being something for Guts (the main protagonist) to kill, but are there to represent opposition for him and his "group". Sex almost always involves rape of a horrific nature (except for one instance, which is there to give character development).

Characters are generally very believable and are not perfect Mary Sue's; every single character has at least one major flaw, which can often times play against them heavily. Guts has been a mercenary since a kid and knows very little outside of battle, making it hard for him to get along with others often and coming off as psychopathic at times. Griffith (the main antagonist) tries to do everything perfectly, which leads to him, more or less, going insane at one point in the series when he "messes up". Casca (Gut's romantic interest) is a female solider who tries to throw away her femininity in order to become an excellent solider. These are just three examples of why characters in Berserk are interesting: they have flaws that make them more believable and (sometimes) relateable.

The art style is great, using heavy amounts of black to express the bleak tone of the series. If there was ever one manga that has a haunting-like nature to it's world, it would be Berserk (post Golden Age, one of the plot arcs of the series).

The plot is almost always excellent. If there was one manga that could be compared to epics such as The Epic of Gilgamesh or The Odyssey, it would probably be Berserk. The only two complaint I have with the story (and the reason why I gave enjoyment a 9) are due to pacing problems (in my opinion). There are two instances where I feel the pace of the story feels off.

The first is the very first 2 and a half volumes, which are very hit or miss in my opinion. When I went back and re-read these chapters, I found myself thinking 'you know, they probably could have cut that part out' or 'that chapter could have had these parts trimmed down'. While the Golden Age arc gives great insight to what the heck is happening and is great payoff for sticking with it, it may put off some readers who may find the beginning too confusing.

The other part is probably the part that I feel is the bigger of the two problems. After the Golden Age arc, we head into the Retribution arc. This arc starts off with a huge nosedive in quality from the previous arc. While this arc eventually becomes good, the very first sub-plot of this arc is almost completely irrelevant and comes off as very dull and bland when compared to the exciting and well-written nature of the entirety of the Golden Age arc.

However, these two issues are not even close to enough to bring down this great series in my eyes. Berserk truly does deserve to be the highest rated manga on MAL.

Bottom line: if you want a manga with memorable characters, interesting themes, great art, and a captivating plot and are not afraid of graphic violence and sex, definitely check out Berserk.

Being a medieval-style lover, I started looking for a manga with this type of setting ever since I was introduced to manga and anime. Many people suggested Berserk and praised it as a masterpiece. It wasn't long before I saw why.

First of all, it's one of the few manga, if not the only one, where the secondary characters' past, relationships and stories are introduced to you in a way that the plot won't get sidetracked and the focus of the story will still be on the main characters. This adds to the drama and makes the cast more interesting and realistic. And we are talking ... about a ton of information, but it won't tire you one bit. To be honest, I have never before seen an anime or manga achieving such detail with so little effort and protects the readers from boredom.

The main characters are Guts and Griffith. One is the direct opposite of the other, both in philosophy and style. They start of as good friends that trust each other and develop a strong bond. But in the end, one will betray and another will be betrayed. Besides the "good guys", the villains are not your typical run-of-the-mill bad guy that wants to destroy the world etc etc. Each and any one of them has his own motive and his own story to tell. They are something more than just figures that serve to stop the protagonists' way and eventually, get destroyed by them.

The story walks the border between complicated but easy to understand and chaotic. However, it never slips to either side. The characters might sidetrack from their original goal a couple of times in every arc, but you will never forget what they wanted to do. Berserk's magic will definitely capture you, as you will find yourself enraged and angry in several parts of the story. Also, you will have the impression that Guts and Griffith are locked in a struggle between morality, following your dreams and duty many times as the story progresses.

When it comes to the art, one word would not be enough to describe it. The battle scenes are fluent, realistic, full of energy and it's easy to understand what is happening during a duel. Castle sieges, battlefields they are all depicted with hundreds of soldiers in few frames, but they never become too chaotic for you to understand. A notable element is the expressions in the characters' faces. You will always know a character's emotions by looking at him and even if you have doubts about someone's motives, a look on his face will confirm or not your suspicions.

Keep in mind though, that Berserk is not your average warrior-style manga. Gore is in very high levels while violence is something common. Add sex, rape, and nudity and you got a mature manga. However, isn't that how medieval times where in the first place? There's no need to glorify these things, but there's also no need to create illusions that knights in shining armor were kind, good and rescued damsels in distress out of duty. And Berserk definitely achieves that.

To date, Berserk remains my favorite medieval manga. And I am certain that no other manga any time soon will manage to surpass it. I strongly reccomend it and be certain that you will enjoy it thoroughly.

Story: 10
Art: 9
Character: 9
Enjoyment: 10
Overall: 10

Honestly, this is not a review I wanted to write so soon, but I feel a sense of obligation to fulfill to a work that is dear to my heart and has affected me on such a deep emotional level.

Upon its creation, Berserk had immediately spearheaded the genre of dark fantasy and served as one of its most well-known and acclaimed representatives across all media. Meticulously crafted and greatly inspirational, it's been consistently ranked at the top of the lists of greats, gathering accolades all over the world for its story, themes, art, and characters. Even at this site, Berserk has consistently been the #1 ... manga by rating (by a ridiculous margin, too) pretty much since the very beginning, and there's a good reason why.

Written and illustrated by Kentaro Miura, Berserk tells the story of Guts, the Black Swordsman, the Struggler. The man who was born with nothing and had to fight for his life for as long as he lived. The man who never got to truly enjoy what he had before it was taken away from him by force, time and again: his parents, comrades, family, love, hope. The man who was traumatized and tried his best to overcome his trauma despite the boiling rage pushing him towards self-destruction. The man who set out to take revenge on his arch-nemesis, Griffith.

Griffith, the shining falcon of light whose great ambition lead him to a great downfall. An outstanding swordsman capable of rivaling Guts just on sheer skill. The cunning strategist for whom no sacrifice was too big as long as it got him what he wanted. The traitor who, in a fit of jealous rage, has wronged Casca who adored him so greatly.

Casca, a comrade-in-arms to both Guts and Griffith. A skilled warrior and a talented leader who came through when all hope was lost. A loyal friend who has been betrayed and hurt so deeply it rendered her almost completely helpless. An innocent person with a trauma that will never fully heal.

The premise sounds very oldschool; naturally, Berserk *is* oldschool, and takes pride in being true to the form: it portrays an absolute shithole of a world where decency and compassion are so uncommon they might as well be taken for deception or stupidity. It's an aggressive, tortured, broken place. Such bleak backdrop is expertly used to highlight the development of the characters who evolve both despite and because of the hardships they have to endure. Their background informs their motivations, motivations give rise to feelings, feelings inspire actions, actions bring consequences—without fail. And they move on forward. Chapter after chapter, arc after arc, the characters are subtly altered by their experiences; they feel regret and remorse, overcome their past, learn new things about the world and each other, and find out what their next step is, one step at a time.

The progress of Guts' and Griffith's characters and their juxtaposition in particular have so much nuance they might as well have an entire book written about it—and in a sense, it has been, with YouTubers such as AlexEnterprises, Aleczandxr, Soul, Spirit of Fiction, and others recording numerous high-quality video essays on this and other subjects related to Berserk (among other things), so if you want a more in-depth review of the various themes and the way they are executed in Berserk, that would be a much better place to start. It's unfair and overly reductionist to call Berserk a revenge story, but if there was ever was one to end all revenge stories, Berserk would be it.

Alas, that wasn't meant to be. On May 6, 2021, Miura's life was abruptly ended by an acute vascular condition stemming from his long history of health problems. And the most horrible thing is that this came sudden but wasn't unexpected at all. He's been known for many years as a perfectionist and an obsessive workaholic who just couldn't leave Berserk, the work of his life, alone—let alone in the hands of somebody he couldn't trust. As a result, the manga has been plagued by progressively longer publication hiatuses—to the point where only three or four chapters would be released each year, if any at all. But even during those breaks, day after day, year after year, despite his failing health, Miura kept toiling on every page until it looked like an honest-to-God painting.

Everyone knew this wasn't sustainable, and at that rate Miura would've needed at least 30–40 more years of continuous work. This simply wasn't realistic. So he created an art studio just to train assistants to bring them up to a level he would consider "acceptable" so that they could be trusted with illustrating Berserk—and even then he kept most of the work to himself and had them work on his (not particularly remarkable) side-projects, further prolonging the hiatuses of Berserk... Until Berserk had finally had enough and put its author to rest in the only way it knew how.

As fans, we realized long ago this could happen and had gone so far as to make grim jokes about it. Even then, it still came as a horrible gut punch to everyone. Now, in retrospect, by reading the little quips and comments Miura left behind in his publications, we can piece together just how much he'd sacrificed so that he could continue Guts's story. It's such a cruel irony that in order to tell a believable tale about betrayal, ambition, and sacrifice in a dark fantasy world, its author had turned his own life into a depressingly dark reality, sacrificing everything else for his ambition and ultimately betraying the call for closure. It seems there will be no closure to this story after all.

But... looking on the brighter side of things, Miura has already accomplished more than pretty much anyone could ever hope for. He's brought inspiration and thrill to the heart of the millions. He has created one of the most intricate character studies in popular literature, let alone a specific genre. By all means, he is already a legend. Berserk is already a masterpiece and a monument to an incredible writer and illustrator. Nothing will ever change that.

Rest in peace, dear friend.

Ah Berserk, infamous for its dark story, Rated M for Manly story, and its badass main protagonist. Sure the manga is full of awesome moments, and Guts IS the definition of a badass, but those three things hardly do the manga justice.

I will attempt to remain as fair and balance in my review of this epic manga.

--Story--

The story of Berserk is actually the best thing about this manga, in my opinion. The first three volumes, collectively known as the Black Swordsman Arc, start off as a simple revenge story. Guts, our main protagonist has been wronged, and he aims to ... rectify that by brutally killing any demon/apostle and asshole humans in his way.

However, that type of story is averted, as we're shown Guts's backstory, and this quickly changes from a revenge story to a story of betrayal, romance, politics, building friendships, enduring hell, adventure, protecting the ones you hold dear, and the psyche of the main character.

As one progresses through the story, the more the characters are built up, the more relatable they become, and the more you start caring for them and root for them.

Until the infamous Eclipse happens. I won't spoil ANYTHING on this event, but suffice to say that after it, you relate with the protagonist's Jerk-Ass facade even more, and you even relate to the main antagonist. I won't say their name for sake of spoilers.

The setting overall, is a crapsack world. And the reasons why Midland is such a brutal and dark place to live is shown in DETAIL.

Overall the story is deep, thoughtful, and thrilling, and it maintains this level of quality throughout the 320 or so chapters, which is impressive seeing as the manga was first serialized in the early 90's.

Speaking of detail, on to the art.

--Art--

Artwork in a manga plays just as important a role as the story, arguably even moreso.

The artwork in Berserk is outright fantastic, and remains a level of quality throughout, which is just as impressive as the quality of the story.

The first three volumes or so show detail and skill, but the quality is not up to the later chapters. And that's what makes Berserk even more of a joy to read, as Miura aims to show that he wants Berserk to not only be remembered by its epic story, but he wants it to be regarded as a work of art.

As the art style improves, we see the quality of the art get better and better. It's very detailed, and small things like soft hand shading, character expressions, use of ink artistically to imitate spurting, gushing blood, and such make the artwork a masterpiece of pen and ink style.

--Characters--

Bar none, every single character is deep and realized, relatable, and likable. Hell, even the villains are deep and relatable, even though they do deplorable acts. No doubt deep characters are aided by the quality of the plot, but every character you can relate to, and root for.

Special mention goes to Guts. Guts is one of the deepest, most complex protagonists that exist. He has faults, he makes mistakes, he's strong, and of course, a badass, and highly prone to awesome moments. Said awesome moments aren't always battle scenes, sometimes they're conversations with other characters, chapters devoted to his psyche. All of these make Guts an amazing character.

Even the villains are deep and unique, which adds to the overall intrigue of the plot. The main antagonist gets special mention, as they are shown both sides of the coin. You get scenes where they are a good and decent person, then you get scenes like the infamous Eclipse.

The characters just add to the story and makes it more believable.

Suffice to say, I found great enjoyment out of this manga, and I frequently re-read it because each time I do, I find new things to enjoy about it.

Overall, it gets a 10/10. Amazing art, amazing plot, amazing characters all culminate to make a manga that is a must-read, even if you aren't into manga.

A fair bit of warning though, this manga is definitely not for the faint of heart, it's dark, it's brutal, but it's so enjoyable.

This is my first review so here goes nothing

Berserk is probably the closest thing you'll get to perfect in any manga in my honest opinion.

Story: The story is about Guts, a swordsman who's been training since childhood who finds a woman named Casca and a man named Griffith who would alter his life forever by offering him a chance to join his crew, the Band of the Hawk. Without saying any spoilers, Guts harbors an intense hatred for Griffith now and he gathers a team so he can snap Casca out of her funk and defeat Griffith and his newfound abilities given to him ... by the Godhand

Art: The very gritty and realistic art style suits the story extremely well, especially watching Guts become more grizzled and tired towards the later chapters of the story. The manga's art is so well made it even inspired the game Dark Souls for some of its areas. Another noteworthy mention is the armor of the characters like Guts's Berserker armor, Grunbeld's armor and Locus's armor. They're all extremely well detailed and a pleasure to look at. The massive stone castles and mountains depicted are also marvel to look at. If I could give an example, the Kushan Empire's castles would be a good one.

Characters: Guts and Griffith, the two stand out characters from the manga, are both multidimensional characters with motivations that you question or support as you read. Other characters like Casca, Serpico and Farnese are also explained thoroughly. The original Band of the Hawk contains lovable characters like Rickert and Judeau. All of the main cast is memorable and the enemies are especially intimidating like Nosferatu Zodd, Grunbeld and Femto. Visually, all of the characters are great too look at, ESPECIALLY the ruggedly handsome Guts.

Enjoyment: This series has been a perfect experience from start to the most recently released chapter. Now that Miura is done with his idolmaster and is writing again, it's the perfect time to give it a read. This is an extremely well put together manga that exposes the reader to a world so fucked up yet engaging that they can't possibly put the manga down after one volume.

So it was really sudden ,yesterday it was revealed that Kentaro-sensei died .
Berserk reached an end , because without Kentaro Berserk will never be the same.There is no confirmation yet on what will happen ,will the assistants continue it based on drafts and ideas of Kentaro-sensei or will they not? It really does not matter ,Berserk is a masterpiece as it is .It was a huge inspiration for millions and without it ,there would not be other great works like Dark Souls, Bloodborne and other great manga.

So let's talk a little about Berserk shall we?(no spoils)

Story:

Very few plots manage to stay so great for ... a long time and keep the audience's interest ,this series really managed to do it and had hell a lot more to offer . Every arc served a purpose ,evolved our characters and the way we view them and managed to depict the hardships of the real world in a masterful way.

Art:

What can one really say about Kentaro-sensei's art , it's just magnificent ,godlike actually .He uses so much detail in every possible thing in a panel ,which is truly mesmerizing .For me ,it's honestly the epitome of perfection in art .He believed that it's fine being 2-3 chapters behind in order to give his all on the details a single chapter had .

Characters:

Berserk offers the readers a variety of very different and complex characters ,who are really likeable and interesting with their own unique dreams and passions . But talking about the cast one totally should not skip Guts and Griffith .While as mentioned all the characters in the manga are really well written ,most of them are something that one is able to find kinda in other works too.This does not apply to Guts and Griffith though .Guts' evolution throughout the story is unique and manages to capture the role of a ingeniously written protagonist .Same applies to Griffith ,his goals and dreams and the fact that the readers met him so well make him a perfect antagonist for the perfect protagonist this story has.Unfortunately we were not able to get the full potential of some really cool and interesting characters because of the unfortunate events that happened to the creator ,but at least we had some info for them at the end.

Enjoyment:

Berserk was an amazing ride ,full of emotions and surprises .I consider myself really lucky for being a fan of this series the past 5 years and I'll continue being one. You see I'm not a person that usually rewatches something alone or rereads it ,but Berserk is one of the very few exceptions on that rule of mine .

Edit: In the end chapter 364 was the last chapter done by Kentaro-sensei.It was an amazing chapter and to be honest it made the fact Berserk might not continue harder to swallow

Overall:

This manga is a masterpiece in whatever way one sees it .It is and will always be my favourite one and one of my favourite if not my favourite piece of art in general.

I'll add some emotional talking here at the end , if you are not interested enough ,you can stop reading this review now ,there won't be anything related to the story.

Goodbye Kentaro....you really made me fall in love with your passion ,I will never forget you ,cause you are my inspiration ,when I heard about your death I was speechless , I could not imagine that what I heard was real ,I felt empty for the rest of the day and I was confused ,because you know I was sad about a person I never met ,it's a weird feeling is it not? I also wrote a gloomy song and named it after you .Some hours later I kinda regretted it though ,because I thought that your name should have been given to a song about a human struggling to survive the hardships of the world ,but what is done is done ,I guess.
Goodbye Kentaro ,one is really dead when he is forgotten and you will never be.
I would be happy ,if you showed me the end Berserk when I visit you there

Berserk is an extravagant work by the mangaka, Miura Kentaro. The storyline of berserk was excelletly paced. The first chapter draws the viewer in perfectly hardcore action scenes as well as creates mystery through many of its unanswered questions, It was started as seinen (men's) manga approximately 23 years back in 1989and has never dropped from the top 5 on the seinen's list. The flow of the story never bored the viewers. In most cases, stories get boring and not seem to be ultimately going anywhere.One of my grip is that the manga is still going even with Miura releasing just one every two months ... or three, and it is totally moving towards an eventual end. The only prolem that caught my attention is that it is updated like once in a blue moon. Current ratings says berserk is the #1 in Top 10 best rated (bayesian estimate), and #2 in the Top 10 best rated (weighted average), and #9 on top 10 most popular, kick ass.Berserk also got some public recognition in USA, althourh it'd still be the greatest even if it got last place in the poll. Other than the flow of the story and it action what struck me was the artwork. The shades, strokes and the clearity in the design of the characters was a breathtaking work by Miura.

Guts, known as the black swordsman, wandered out of vengeabce through an era which one can recognize as the medieval period. He was in search of the man named Griffith who branded him as an unholy sacrifice. His path was devoid from the rest of the humanity. He had to slay demons attracted towards his neck because of the branded mark. Berserk is a dark and brooding about outrageous swordsplay, fate and dreams.

The goldem age arc details the life of Guts prior to him becoming "The Black Swordsman". In this arc he travels through a variety of locations throughout the Chuder Empire and the Midland Empire. He fights over 30 Apostles during this arc, mainly encountered during the Eclipse...of the three major Apostles he battles, one of which he kills...another he grievously wounds and the third he barely manages to survive against. Guts meets Gambino, Griffith, Casca and the Band of the Hawk in addition to various other characters, friend and foe alike.Guts also loses only a handful of these fights, being the first against Griffith, then against Zodd, then against Adon Coborlwitz and ultimately is beaten down by Apostles during the Eclipse. This shows that berserka was not based on one sided probabilty.

Over all i haven't found much of flaws in the story, the art is detailed. Maybe i daresay you find a better seinen manga than berserk. All thanks to Kentarou Miura who is a pure genius when it comes to character development.

BERSERK, in a personal point of view, it's just like meeting my final love. The one i've always been looking for... Two years i've first read it and still i read it again sometimes while eating for exemple.

Why do i love it so much ? BERSERK is the story of a man like you and me a,d with the luck of a fish. Born from a dead mother and raised in a mercenary troop. Fighting for his life everyday he will lose everything, and when he finally find a goal and something special to him in his life he just lose it in the most ... horrible way possible. it's the story of a man fighting against his destiny and against the destiny of all mankind. Against force far beyond him (or not? :p).

ART : 10/10
Kentaro Miura has one of the most remarquable and unique art style out there for the moment. You can't miss him for an other one and nobody can do what he is doing. It takes him a long time to make new chapters but it's because he's giving a lot of attention on each chapters and put a lot of effort in them. Each page is a master piece, simple.

STORY : 9/10
The story is at his base really simple : VENGEANCE.
But what makes it special are the characters that he met on his road, the twitch that happens to him and ou weren't expecting it, the scene, the death... Everything that happens. It's just, unique and you never know what will happen next.

CHARACTER : 10/10
Characters are probably the reasons why Berserk has so much success. Each character has a real personnality and think differently. The character designs too are really good and show that personality. They're all unique and all have impact in the story. But the most important of them all, GUTS ! Guts (and not Gatssu) is probably one of the charismatic character out there. At first he just look like a badass who smash everything in his way, but once you lived his life since it's birth and you know everything he's been through, you're just... You're attached too that character.

Enjoyment : 10/10
I just love it, i read it again and again a lot since i discovered it two years ago. It was the manga i've always been looking for. Simple.

Now just got two things to tell you, go read it ! You won't regret it. But be aware if you're against everything that is violent, that shows the true guts (ahahahah) of mankind (true violence, sexe scene, strong langage, etc...) just walk away. Not for you...

PS : Sorry if my english is wrong sometimes. Thanks ! ;)

The first time I was reading it, the art design of the beginning kinda deterred me. Not because it was bad (it's brilliant right off the bat and surpassing all charts of measurement after the 7th volume), but because it can be as realistically disgusting as a European medieval scenario probably should be.

However, overcoming that this manga is a masterpiece all over - up to the currently last arc, millenium falcon, sadly, where it just feels too mainstream, too arbitrary and too normal.

Whatever, that is just one story arc. Each time I'm re-reading a part of Berserk, my mind is just blown away and I ... hate myself for having rated Berserk down to "only" 8 temporarily because of a certain disappointment of the latest arc. Before that, it delivered over 25 volumes (!) of pure awesomeness. Every time I'm re-reading it I feel the urge of marking every second page as a brilliant highlight of arts nad staging, well knowing that the other 50% of pages will follow next time.

And also everytime I'm re-reading something, I'm understanding more of it. By no means Berserk could be considered a flat story only because it contains much action, gore and has no problems of displaying nudity. This story is deep, the character developements are complex but plausible and understandable, and the overall setting is more than epic.

Do you think that these are too many superlatives for this to be a potentially fair review? Dig through the first two or three volumes until Berserk catches you, and you won't be able to help yourself but to agree.