Berserk, Volume 1

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 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 show more 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

Starting off very-much-like-yet-very-differently-than the popular anime of the same name, the manga iteration of Kentaro Miura's epic dark fantasy has more time to explore the extra characters, situations, and themes that are absent from the anime. Three tales in this volume tell a story that expands upon the events in the first chapter of the anime in one way or another.

In the first chapter, The Black Swordsman, Guts is established as a man with a mission of vengeance, hunting and hunted by demons, and looking to bring the demon governor of a village to a brutal and gory end. He is joined by Puck, a fairy/elf character not seen in the anime, who alternately plays the parts of annoying sidekick chatterbox and helpful ally, despite show more Guts's protestations of being a loner.

The Brand is the story's second chapter and explains the peculiar mark on Guts's neck as a curse that draws demons and evil creatures to him wherever he goes. Picked up by a priest and his young daughter, Guts demonstrates in horrifying fashion that he can't escape horrific phenomena, even in his sleep, to the tragic detriment of his would-be benefactors.

The first part of the Guardians of Desire, a multistory arc, places Guts on the hunt for another demon. He is aided by a mysterious stranger, who shows Guts an object he can readily identify: a behelit, which contains the various parts of a human face arranged in disturbing randomness on an egg-shaped surface.

Kentaro Miura definitely knows how to tell a story, and apparently can do a good chunk of it himself: writing, penciling, and inking credits go to no one else in this manga. His no-holds-barred style, deft handling of the plot, and continued development of his characters make for a tale that, while violent, disturbing and definitely not for the faint of heart, is nonetheless a remarkable piece of storytelling that deserves high praise. Having seen the anime first, I will invariably make comparisons to how these volumes handle the story relative to it, but I'll also say this version does a fantastic job of standing on its own two feet.

Definitely not recommended as a part of the teen browsing section of the library for its violence, horror, and nudity/sexual content, this series will nonetheless appeal to visual readers (particularly males) who enjoy a compelling story and quality artwork. show less

I watched the anime but man does this first volume strike hard. Story starts with introduction of Guts, lone wolf mercenary, wielding a slab of steel that resemble iron plank but called by anyone else - Guts' sword (if you ever played Final Fantasy, yes, it is that type of sword).

Guts is ruthless and bent on hunting daemons that have spread across the country. For that he seems not to care who dies and, very much like any action hero from James Bond to Takeshi Kovacs, being his acquaintance is sure ticket to the other side.

Setting is medieval-like Europe with knights in armor, broadswords, maces, armed horses and castles like those that can be found in Germany's rural landscape today. For some reason all the lords of the area have made show more pact with unholy forces and became something otherworldly, something daemonic that started hunting their people for pleasure.

This is revenge horror story to the core, people die in the most gruesome way only to be used by daemonic forces as tools. Entire setting is very much like Warhammer universe, rather bleak and in constant war.

This is mature manga and truly not for those that get easily offended or are faint-hearted.
Recommended to all fans of fantasy stories like Warhammer. show less

I have watched all the Berserk anime up to this point (including the Golden Age arc) and wanted to read the manga. My husband started reading the manga many years ago and I am not sure what took me so long to pick them up. This is a very violent almost horror-like fantasy manga series and is not for the faint of heart.

In this first book we meet Guts (the Black Swordsman) and Puck. Guts has been branded and labeled a sacrifice and attracts all sorts of demons to him, which he brutally slays. Guts is one of those characters that take a licking and keeps on ticking. He is brutally tortured a number of times in the book, yet manages to decimate his foes with his incredibly enormous sword.

In this book we are also introduced to the Apostles; show more fiends of god-like power who are after anyone with the brand. These Apostles seem to thrive off of human misery and Guts has made it his mission to take them down.

The illustration is really well done and easy to follow. There is a lot of action in this book but also solid world-building and interesting characters. The story is very graphic and violent, so just be aware of that. If you find violence, torture, and gore extremely abhorrent this isn’t the manga series for you.

Overall this was an amazing start to this manga series. Unlike other manga series this one sucks you right in and builds a great story right from the first volume. I really am enjoying it and would recommend to mature manga readers who enjoy action fantasy manga. show less

Soy un absoluto ignorante en cuanto a manga se refiere, pero un buen amigo me recomendó que leyera "Berserk", ya que ambos somos fans de Dark Souls y, al parecer, el manga fue una fuente muy importante para los compañeros de From Software.

Anteriormente sólo había leído los primeros volúmenes de One Punch Man y me parecieron bastante entretenidos. Pero Berserk es otra cosa. Es oscuro, violento rayando en lo gore y entretenidísimo.

Hasta donde lo he leído, la historia es interesante pero no necesariamente es su fuerte. El lore es interesante, eso sí. Pero el fuerte de este manga parecen ser sus personajes, resultan empáticos e intrigantes.

Seguiré leyendo los demás volúmenes, a ver cómo va la cosa. A ver qué pasa...

Wow, that was violent! A little too violent for me, but I thought it was well drawn and there was lots of comic relief with the little elf, Puck.

This is the story of a man with a brand. A warrior with mighty weapons who seems almost immortal. He's full of rage and sadness. The tale takes place long ago. We have the Inquisition, we have castles and dungeons and man-eating monsters who are almost invincible. We have corpses raised up as armies. The man has no name but Puck calls him Guts. Is his name Berserk? (Note: Apparently, having read other reviews, his name is Guts.) He seems out for revenge. He's not a terribly bad guy but not a good guy, either. He appears to have a conscience but he denies it.

I assume there's more character show more development in subsequent volumes, but I don't know that I'll pursue that. (Note: I've seen in other reviews that the series gets better so I might read further in the future.)

I read this one as it crops up in lists of must-read manga. show less

This book is incredibly dark, and violent. At this point in the series, I'd say that Guts is an incredibly unlikable protagonist - unless you had seen the anime or otherwise knew what happened in the Golden Age arc - which would inform your opinion of Guts' actions a little more.