Kentaro Miura (1966–2021)

I've been interested in Berserk for a while, it's one of the classic manga and a huge inspiration to a ton of the grimdark authors that I enjoy. I've watched about 10 episodes of the 1997 anime adaptation before I fell off; figuring I'd enjoy it better if I had read the manga first. I've finally decided to do that, and I really enjoyed this first volume.Volume 1 contains the first 3 chapters of the manga, and takes place chronologically after the anime and future chapters. It's fun, but it show more really just throws you in. Nothing is explained, but we're introduced to Guts and his awesome sword, as well as some bits and pieces of the world.

It's terribly violent and doesn't apologize for it. There are decapitations, beheadings, nudity, and pretty much everything else just in these few short chapters. It's easy to see how so many fantasy authors were inspired, even if grimdark has waned a bit recently. I did feel some panels were a bit overdrawn and busy; it made it a bit hard to see what was going on sometimes. A minor complaint in what seems to be a great story. I'm excited to keep reading to see what makes Berserk so highly recommended. show less

Holy sh*t, this was a wild ride. Story starts where previous volume ended, in den of the trolls. And man what perverted creatures indeed. Now, dont get me wrong, this book was scary in lots of ways. Author truly has a very ..... hmmm, interesting (?) ..... imagination. Appearance of one of the Gang of Five in the middle of hat seems to be pits of Hell was weird and stuff of which nightmare is made.

Lets just say Guts will find himself here fighting for his very body and soul, while also show more fighting to save his friends while they try to escape from the troll horde.

Art as always is pure delight, even in chaotic sequences where Guts wields his gigantic sword.

Highly recommended. show less

Volume 2 of Berserk is a nice step up from Volume 1, with the story getting some more depth and the characters getting some room to breathe in between the crazy depictions of violence.

It's a nice change of pace from the more shonen, less adult manga I'm familiar with like Dragon Ball and One Piece. Those are violent, sure, but the stories always have a bit of childishness attached to them. Berserk is dark and grim and wildly violent, and the protagonist isn't a nice guy. In today's world show more where we have tons of media centered on morally gray characters, this isn't much of a novelty, but it's something I'm not super familiar with in manga.

The art is really nice and detailed, a little busy in some fight scenes. The non-combat scenes are well-done too, and characters are given some depth in a surprisingly small amount of time. I'm excited to read more and see how the world gets expanded. show less

I think this is my favorite volume of Berserk yet. It's light on the massive-scale battles seen in earlier battles, but still has a bit of fighting to go along with tons of character development and spectacular art as always.

The dynamic between Guts, Griffith, and Casca is really interesting and gets deeper by the volume. They're all really complicated characters, flawed and noble with their own motivations.

Berserk is rated as a masterpiece, largely for its depictions of violence, but the show more more human elements are just as engaging. The emotion conveyed in these still images is really something else. show less