Berserk

Berserk is more than just a manga; it's an intense, heart-wrenching, and unforgettable journey that has captivated readers for decades. Created by Kentaro Miura, this dark fantasy manga is nothing short of a masterpiece. With a storyline that explores the darkest depths of the human soul and a world filled with unimaginable horrors and beauty, Berserk stands out as a work of art that transcends its medium.

Miura's storytelling is masterful, weaving together relentless action, intricate political intrigue, and moments of profound introspection. As the story unfolds, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat, torn between the hope for a better future and the dread of impending doom. The pacing is nearly perfect, as Miura skillfully balances character development, world-building, and epic battles.

In conclusion, Berserk is a manga that transcends its medium and has left an indelible mark on the world of dark fantasy storytelling. Its compelling characters, intricate plot, and hauntingly beautiful artwork make it a must-read for fans of the genre. Though it is not for the faint of heart, those willing to embark on this dark and harrowing journey will be rewarded with an unforgettable experience that will leave a lasting impression for years to come.

I've read many mangas, from Berserk to Death Note, Akira, Real, Slam Dunk, and countless others. Overall, Berserk is the best I've ever read. It's a true masterpiece. I won't spoil anything, but you should know this: the first three volumes are the weakest, so don't stop there. The manga becomes truly great in the second half of volume 3 when the Golden Age arc starts. I'm currently on volume 37, and I can't seem to stop reading.

The artwork, the story, the characters—everything is epic. Don't bother watching the various anime adaptations; they're good, but not nearly as great as the manga itself.

It was truly sudden; just yesterday, it was revealed that Kentaro-sensei passed away. Berserk has reached its end because without Kentaro, Berserk will never be the same. There is no confirmation yet on what will happen next—whether the assistants will continue based on drafts and ideas from Kentaro-sensei or not. It doesn't really matter because Berserk is already a masterpiece. It has been a huge inspiration for millions, and without it, there would not be other great works like Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and other remarkable manga.

Let's talk a little about Berserk, shall we? (No spoilers)

Story:

Few plots manage to remain captivating for such a long time while keeping the audience's interest, but this series did exactly that and offered much more. Every arc served a purpose, evolved our characters, and depicted the hardships of the real world masterfully.

Art:

What can one say about Kentaro-sensei's art? It's simply magnificent, almost godlike. He infused every panel with incredible detail, which is truly mesmerizing. For me, it's the epitome of perfection in art. He believed it was fine to be 2-3 chapters behind if it meant giving his all to the details in a single chapter.

Characters:

Berserk offers readers a variety of complex and unique characters who are genuinely likable and interesting, each with their own dreams and passions. However, when discussing the cast, one cannot skip Guts and Griffith. While all characters in the manga are well-written, most can be found in other works to some extent. This does not apply to Guts and Griffith. Guts' evolution throughout the story is unique and captures the essence of an ingeniously written protagonist. The same applies to Griffith, whose goals and dreams make him the perfect antagonist for the perfect protagonist. Unfortunately, due to the creator's untimely passing, we were unable to see the full potential of some cool and interesting characters, but at least we got some closure.

Enjoyment:

Berserk was an amazing journey, full of emotions and surprises. I consider myself lucky to have been a fan of this series for the past five years, and I'll continue being one. You see, I'm not someone who usually re-watches or re-reads something, but Berserk is one of the very few exceptions to that rule.

Edit: Chapter 364 was the last chapter done by Kentaro-sensei. It was an amazing chapter, and honestly, it made the possibility of Berserk not continuing even harder to accept.

Overall:

This manga is a masterpiece in every sense. It is and will always be my favorite manga and one of my favorite pieces of art in general.

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

Goodbye, Kentaro... You truly made me fall in love with your passion. I will never forget you because you are my inspiration. When I heard about your death, I was speechless. I couldn't believe what I had heard, and I felt empty for the rest of the day. I was confused because I was sad about a person I had never met—it's a strange feeling, isn't it? I also wrote a gloomy song and named it after you. A few hours later, I kind of regretted it because I thought your name should have been given to a song about a human struggling to survive life's hardships. But what's done is done, I guess.

Goodbye, Kentaro. One is truly forgotten when they are dead, and you will never be forgotten. I hope you show me the end of Berserk when I visit you there.

I wrote this review when I was on chapter 361, so please take that into consideration. This review may contain a few spoilers.

Many people criticize Berserk lately, saying it's boring after the Golden Age Arc and that the story has gone off track. Well, that's your opinion, not mine, and I don't agree with it. I will focus this review on my personal opinion.

-- Story (10/10) --

Berserk is an ultimate story. It presents us with a cruel yet fascinating tale of the main character, Guts, and keeps its pace around him while chronicling his journey.

The story is beautiful. Everything about it is fascinating—the characters and their development, their stories, why they joined Griffith's group, and how they managed to survive many struggles. Everything is top-notch. The story draws you in because every chapter is captivating. Each chapter makes you want to read more and more. Once you're engrossed in the story, you're eager to know what happens next. The story hides many mysteries, making newly introduced characters mysterious, which keeps you reading to uncover new secrets. You want to know who the band just met, more about the enemy they face, and why certain parts of the story have been introduced. You feel like you're inside the story, becoming an ultimate form of the spectator. It's golden. The emotions surrounding this story and its progression make you depressed, happy, relieved, and even cry. It has everything.

-- Art (10/10) --

I won't write much about the art here—it's immaculate and beautiful. Miura made this story gory but proved that gore can be beautiful. Some apostles Guts encounters are scary and disturbing, yet you can't stop looking at them. You're interested in their powers and how they act, sowing terror due to their earlier depiction and scariness.

The gore reaches absurd levels, but it doesn't matter because Miura knows how to depict it beautifully and on a grand scale compared to the viewer. Whenever you encounter the absurd, not only is the character moved by it—you're moved too. You can't take your eyes off the horror the character faces. That's why the art in this manga is simply immaculate.

-- Characters (9/10) --

The characters throughout the series are awesome. They lack some details, and Miura adds them as he can't explain their stories through the main narrative or introduces them and leaves parts mysterious for longer periods. This is my only issue with the manga—Miura has created so many plot twists with new characters that explaining their stories would take another 100-200 chapters.

Moving on to the point, the characters are awesome. You see their development, how they progress, and you're hooked. You're curious about their skill development and how their paths will end. You feel bad (or not) when something happens to them. They develop and change, just like humans do. They show fear and bravery, and their emotions are spot-on. Miura brilliantly depicts their emotional development through art, point of view, and experience.

-- Enjoyment (10/10) --

What else can I add? It was (and still is) a beautiful story. No wonder people say once you start Berserk, you read it by volumes, not chapters. And it's true. The first time I read it, it was a few chapters, then after a while, I returned and in one night, those few chapters became several volumes. Then they became arcs, and soon I was at the latest released chapter.

-- Overall (10/10) --

This score should come as no surprise. It's the average of the previous scores and is obvious. My only issue is that Miura isn't releasing many chapters daily. As far as I know, he wants it to be perfect, meeting his and his readers' high expectations. I hope one day the full story will be finished, revealing all secrets about the characters. This manga deserves 10/10. The story was awesome, the art was immaculate, and the characters made me sit and read in tears many times, whether from sadness or joy. Their cruel pasts, their development—it's a story where you're immersed. There are many stories like that, but I promise you, this one is different. This is a story where you feel like you were friends with Guts and Griffith. This is a story where you often don't know how to feel about their friendship. This is a story where you admire even the smallest things that appear in the manga. This is the story of Berserk.

Normally, I would say there aren't any perfect 10s because perfection is unattainable. However, if we consider the best manga ever as a 10, then Berserk fits that description perfectly. There is nothing better in the manga world, so this is my most serious 10. I've given other 10s before, but only because there's no 9.5 on this page.

The only things I don’t like about Berserk are its adaptations and hiatuses (is that even a word?). Contrary to what many people say, I disagree with most of the common criticisms about the manga. Usually, I can empathize with bad reviews of things I enjoy, but when it comes to Berserk, bad reviews seem silly, unsubstantiated, and often biased against this masterpiece.

If I had to pinpoint something I might not like about the manga, it would be its first chapter, and that’s debatable. If you can look past the gore and violence depicted in Berserk—which I personally don’t dislike—you will probably read the best manga of your life. I encourage you to give it a try.

This is more of a recommendation than a review because I simply can't bring myself to write a full review of Berserk. For me, that would mean rereading it, taking notes, and writing several pages, which would take even more time since English isn't my native language.

All that being said, if you rated Berserk anything less than an 8/10 compared to the rest of the manga world, I’d like to see what you rate higher. You’re either mistaken, haven’t read it, or didn’t understand it at all.

Berserk is a fantastic manga, perhaps one of the best ever written. However, while you'll find plenty of praise for it, I'd like to focus on something that might make some people not enjoy it as much.

Berserk is dark—seriously dark. Dark enough to make you wince, cry, and even hate some of the characters themselves. Most of the time, this darkness is very justifiable. One of the main villains is an extremely Machiavellian character who will do anything to succeed, whether it be selling his own body, letting someone die, or even worse things that I won't mention to avoid spoiling the plot. There is one incident at the end of the Golden Arc that I believe is entirely well done and establishes a villain extremely well; however, it also sets the stage for what I would consider an unnecessary amount of darkness. Something in particular happens that has absolutely no purpose to the plot or characters. It is used as a cheap way to tug at your emotions and make you hate a certain antagonist much more than you otherwise would.

From the end of the Golden Arc, there are several more instances of this. Whether it involves a character almost getting raped (this happens far too often for absolutely no reason), or a merciless slaughter of a town (don't forget, one of the women is getting raped too), it just seems so pointless. I dare say that Miura puts these instances in the manga as an attempt to keep people interested or even as a selling point: Berserk: The Darkest Manga Around.

If you are someone who doesn't like this sort of gratuitous atrocity, you'll probably find yourself not enjoying several sections of the manga. Personally, I enjoy these sections for the most part, but I have enough insight to know that they are ultimately either a plot device, a tool to make me hate a character, or an easy way to label "this guy is a villain."

Recently, Miura has actually gotten better at this sort of thing. There hasn't been a rape/almost rape sequence in a number of volumes. In fact, he introduced a whole league of villains without using the rape/slaughter tactic to make me hate them.

Overall, Berserk is still easily one of the best manga ever written, especially the Golden Arc, the Millennium Falcon arc, and whatever arc Guts gets a certain set of armor in.

Berserk – Spoiler-Free – Highly Recommended

TLDR
Story – 10/10
Art – 10/10
Characters – 10/10
Enjoyment – 10/10

Story - 10/10
Berserk's story is nothing short of incredible. From the very first arcs, including the renowned Golden Age Arc, the narrative never falters. It consistently demonstrates why it remains an indispensable classic for any manga enthusiast. The plot is both melancholic and humorous, dense yet easy to follow, with multiple intricate threads woven together seamlessly. Berserk stands out for its rich storytelling, despite its unfinished state. It earns a solid 10 for the elements available, and I doubt it could get any better.

Art - 10/10
The artwork in Berserk is exceptional from beginning to end. The panels are breathtaking, the character designs are superb, and the detailed settings resonate deeply with those who appreciate them. Miura's mastery shines through, making Berserk a visual feast that justifies its high praise.

Characters - 10/10
The characters in Berserk are perhaps even more remarkable than the story itself. Guts, in particular, stands out as one of the greatest achievements in manga history. His development over time showcases Kentauro Miura's skill in crafting a complex and nuanced character. But the quality doesn't stop with the protagonist; supporting characters like Puck, Isidro, Schierke, Farnese, Serpico, Rickert, Judeau, Griffith, Casca, Ganishka, and Zodd all add depth and richness to the narrative.

Enjoyment - 10/10
Berserk is more than just a manga; it's a profound journey. It transcends being merely a well-told story to become a life experience. Words fall short when describing the quality of this journey from the first arc to the last moments of Miura's work. The plot thickens, characters grow more complex, and moral ambiguity deepens. Combined with stunning artwork and unforgettable moments throughout, Berserk offers an unparalleled reading experience. On a personal note, Berserk was my introduction to manga, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. Thank you, Master Miura, for everything. May your work live on in our memories forever.

An incredibly bloodthirsty, take-no-prisoners style of manga where no one is safe. This title is extremely violent and not for the faint of heart. No one in the story is spared, not even the elderly, women, and children, all of whom share an equal amount of brutality. Therefore, this is definitely not for the squeamish.

The story is set in a medieval European-style world and is divided mainly into three major arcs, at least for now, as this is an ongoing series that will likely have more significant arcs in the future. Each arc is very different from the others. For instance, the earliest arc focuses mainly on man-to-man combat and plenty of castle siege scenes, so expect many soldiers and dead bodies littering the pages. In contrast, the second arc centers on Guts killing some of the most disturbing monsters in manga history.

The artwork is exceptionally good, considering this is a long-running series that started in the late 80s. There are plenty of highly detailed scenes, which can be very disturbing due to the extreme graphic nature with severed heads, decapitated bodies, and exposed intestines. It also contains hardcore sex scenes, giving you the feeling that you are actually reading a manga title. Regardless of the sheer brutality within these pages, readers will appreciate the amount of detail, such as the unique armor sets of individual soldiers, the grotesque details on the monsters, and the extremely detailed environments ranging from small villages to castle dungeons and city sieges.

The characters are pretty well-developed, mostly focusing on the main character, Guts, and his relationships with other major characters. However, the rest of the cast also gets fair exposure. All characters have a dark side, making it difficult to determine who the good guys are since the main character himself is somewhat demonic in nature.

For enjoyment, if you like a deep story and plenty of action, you'll love it. There are plenty of chapters that only contain battle scenes.

Overall, if you enjoy an action-packed, bloodthirsty manga with a monster fetish, then this title is for you.

Reading Berserk is like savoring the most exquisite cupcake in existence. The first bite overwhelms your taste buds with a heavenly flavor that surpasses anything you've ever tasted. You eagerly prepare for the second bite... only to find the cupcake has vanished. It's gone, disappeared without a trace. You come to realize that you'll never again enjoy a full bite of this cupcake; the only thing keeping you going are microscopic crumbs tossed at you either out of pity or perhaps out of spite, teasing you endlessly.

Fuck you, Kentaro Miura, may your Idolmaster save file become irreversibly corrupted, you magnificent bastard.

Fuck you, Griffith.

If you're looking for a great plot and a well-written story, Berserk is the best to read. This series is awesome, unlike any other "boing-boing" story that doesn't really have good quality. Spare your time to read this one, and I guarantee you won't be disappointed. At first, you might find it a bit boring as the story develops quite slowly, but trust me—just keep reading, guys. To be honest, my love for Japanese manga has been decreasing; it feels rather boring lately. But you won't feel that way with Berserk. I give it an 8 for the scenes, story, and plot!!