Berserk Review

          

  Blending dark themes, brutal combat, and tragedy, Berserk stands in a category of its own in the entire manga industry. Beginning in 1989, Berserk has been a continuous work of author Kentaro

The protagonist, Guts, is both
literally and figuratively
armed to the teeth.

Miura and currently has a grand total of 37 volumes since its original introduction. While still ongoing and increasing in popularity, there is little to be sad maliciously about the work. All of its aspects are on point: art, plot, and thematic sense.

Guts's mercenary family, the Band of the
Hawk, is merely the catalyst for Guts on
his trail of carnage and vengeance.

            Set in a fantasy medieval Europe, Berserk follows the story of Guts and his journey for vengeance that slowly evolves to be more than just bloodlust (though the reason behind this is for you to find out yourself). As a child, Guts was presumed to die before childhood due to a sickly mother, however he survived and was raised in a brutal scenario as the son of a drunken mercenary captain: Gambino. Constantly wishing to please and survive Guts trains with adult weaponry that weighs more than him which eventually causes him to be able to wield swords larger than most men that can cut through armor and even horses like they’re butter. After being subjected to torment after torment at the hands of his abusive father, Guts’ fate in this mercenary band culminates with him killing his then amputated father in pure self-defense. Following Gambino’s death, Guts flees this band and becomes a wandering mercenary, a soldier of fortune that becomes recognized for his battlefield prowess and strength. Eventually, Guts is “recruited” (specifically forced) into joining the legendary Band of the Hawk, a mercenary group dedicated to putting their leader, Griffith (also Guts’ soon to be best friend), into a seat of power as head of a country. This dream eventually consumes Griffith, eventually causing Guts to leave the Band (once again, by force) and seek his own dream. By specific turns of events, Guts is brought back by chance and is lead into his inevitable doom: being presented as a sacrifice for the five God-Hands (in general terms, Demon Kings) and is given a Brand (found on his back neck) that bleeds whenever a demon is nearby, a common result being that the Brand attracts

Once branded, Guts becomes
a beacon for demonic attacks.

all demons to his locale. Upon being freed from this Hell by the mysterious Skeleton Knight (learn more about him by reading the manga), Guts dedicates his body and life to slaying all of the Apostles (demons/servants of the God-Hands) as revenge for claiming the lives of all those he loved. I could go farther in depth into the exposition and eventual plot-line, but there’s just way too much to cover that being specific would require an entire plot summary, and as such I’ll just leave it at this.

            Now for the most important part of this manga: The Artwork. Highly detailed and featuring several shadowy elements, the artwork in Berserk is beautifully calming, horrifying, and any other emotion it intends to convey. Along with the artwork is the central plot, which engages and forces the reader into understanding and being enraptured by Guts’ feelings that lead him on his quest. Likewise, the plot maintains a straightforward and easy to understand sequence of events, never yielding issues with understanding nor times of deep reflection. A straight up, old-fashioned, Greek-style quest, the story of Berserk is magnificent to say the least.

            Overall, Berserk is by no means a manga for anyone. To read Berserk one must be

Even a simple scene such as this
fully highlights the magnificent
artwork that Berserk possesses.

accustomed to many dark elements of the world, such as gore, rape, cannibalism, and all other plights that challenge humanity. This works with the story’s themes, speaking out about the evils of the human race, the effects of a life of hatred, war, and even religious persecution. All of these themes are always a central concept of the plot, but operate in the background, thus causing a deeper reading source for those interested in more than just blood and destruction. In general though, the themes in Berserk are generic but are done in such a way that they are presented in a new light, therefor overshadowing their commonality amongst many plots across the industry.

            Berserk is an extremely dark and brutal manga, but from its destructive nature comes a revolutionary manga that attacks multiple concepts across the world’s population and even amongst current events. Although coming off as a simple quest for revenge, Berserk develops into one of redemption and yields some of the best action and artwork in the manga industry.

Pros:

+Amazing artwork

+Badass action

Neutral:
+/- Very, VERY dark

Cons:

-N/A

OVERALL: 9.5/10 NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART